Stolen Secrets

by Cayce Poponea

  “Could be better. Had some kids causing trouble last night.” Mr. Dorfman, and the surrounding merchants, paid my father a small amount of money to keep an eye on the neighborhood. Him needing to say something was bad business. If word of this got out, our family could be construed as weak.

  “Oh? Any clue who they were?” I doubted it was any of the local kids. Most of them had stock of how things needed to run.

  “No, Mr. Santos, never saw them before, but I did catch the little shits on video.” Mr. Dorfman was an odd one. Willing to spend money on video surveillance, but not a dime on the exterior of his business. He led me inside and showed me footage of three boys knocking stuff over in his store. They didn’t look familiar so I pulled out my phone, took a picture, and sent it to one of my guys.

  “I’ll find them,” I told Mr. Dorfman. My word was everything; if I said I would do something, then I would. Failing to keep your word in my world could lose your power. Lose your power and you could kiss your life goodbye. My father believed a man’s word was everything, tell someone you’re going to do something and you better do it. Didn’t matter if it was cutting out a fucking tongue or taking care of a fallen brother’s family.

  “Anything else?” I questioned knowing Mr. Dorfman as I did; the man was worse than any woman I knew when it came to gossip. He knew more about this neighborhood than anyone around. He kept me informed and I kept his security costs low.

  “Your mom hired a new girl, gave her the apartment upstairs, too. Pretty little thing. New in town, no car, no ring on her finger. Name is Arianna Taylor, has a slight accent, but I can’t place it.”

  Dad hadn’t mentioned anyone new in the shop. I’d check out this new girl Mom hired, not because I wanted to fuck her, but because I didn’t like exposing Momma to shady people.

  Mr. Dorfman liked to live vicariously through me, a different girl whenever the need arose. Thinking of how Marissa had just been cut got me thinking about who would be taking her place. I knew she would never make rent for the condo she begged me for. I’d have her tossed out and the new girl in by the first of the month. Bethany came to mind. She had quit working for my mother not long ago to go back to school. I could think about that shit later, though; right now, I needed to speak with my mom.

  “You got my number if those bastards come back. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the fucking night, I better hear from you.” Sending a customary goodbye to the game players, I headed off toward my mother’s shop.

  “Hey, Santos! When you gonna take a seat and play a game with us?” Mr. Larson, a nearly blind older man who claimed to have built most of the buildings around here, hollered after me.

  “Awe, Mr. Larson, I haven’t played dominos since you took me for my lunch money back in sixth grade. I can’t afford to play you card sharks.” He waved me off with a smile and fond memory.

  Walking into Mom’s shop a few minutes later, I noticed, for the first time in a while, it wasn’t utter chaos. Mom was smiling as she spoke, to whom I assumed was my father, on the phone. She saw me and waved me over.

  “Okay… yes, he just got here. I love you, too.” Putting her phone on the counter, she held her arms open to me for a hug. “I can smell barbecue.” Taking my face in her palms, she kissed each cheek. She was beaming with joy.

  I loved putting a smile on her beautiful face. “Just sorry you had to ask twice.” She knew who’d been tasked with getting rid of Zippy. Mom didn’t care for Anthony, always saying he had eyes she couldn’t trust. “You better get a handle on him, even a man you trust can turn on you, given the opportunity.”

  I leaned away from her, allowing her to return to the flowers she was working on. “It’s done now.”

  The muffled sound of the alarm on the back door closing made both of us look away. I waited for Gabby to come around the corner and into the room; her bubbly personality made me glad she worked here. Gabby and I had gone to school together. I tried asking her out once, but she’d known me too well and told me to leave her alone.

  “Oh, Dominick, there’s someone I would like you to meet.”

  Like a goddamn wet dream she walked in without a warning, giving me a hunger I had never felt. Long, dark, nearly black hair pulled back and tied at the nape of her slender neck. Tan skin, so beautiful I was insanely jealous of the sunray’s ability to kiss her skin before I had the chance. Eyes bright green, like fresh cut grass and limes. Lips highlighted in a deep red lipstick, a color I wanted to be surrounded in.

  I was frozen in place while I continued to look upon utter perfection. She was a living fantasy. Her skin was perfect, lips, hair, and eyes… everything I could have ever imagined. I’ve seen, and been with, my fair share of beautiful women, but she was in a class all her own. I couldn’t move, blink, or even think.

  I yearned to caress her, hold her, and give her anything she desired. I couldn’t understand this feeling, almost as if tiny, spider-like strands were connecting me to her. I didn’t know a fucking thing about her, but it didn’t matter. This was a whole new level of want for me. There wasn’t the typical need to shove my dick inside her mouth. No, instead there was this desire to kiss her perfect mouth, and I didn’t kiss… ever.

  “Hello… um… sorry to interrupt, I was just on my way to collect my things. Please excuse me.”

  My feet felt welded to the fucking floor. I couldn’t stop looking at her, memorizing the beauty who had hollowed out a slice of my heart and signed her name across my lips, and was now residing in my soul. Only the sounds of sirens down the street pulled me from the trance I had been in.

  “Ari, I’d like you to meet my son, Dominick. Dom—”

  “Nicky,” I stumbled to get my childhood name out. Only a few people still called me by that name and continued to take a breath. “Nicky Santos.” Looking at her was a moment I’d always treasure, but touching her, holding the hand of an angel… changed everything.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Nicky. If you will excuse me, I have a few errands I need to see to.” as gracefully as she appeared in the room, she glided out, as if walking on a cloud.

  Mother had her hand covering her mouth, her eyes wide and bulging, when I turned to her. “Oh, my sweet boy. It finally happened.” The tears visible in her eyes were now flowing down her cheeks.

  I didn’t understand what the fuck she was talking about or what had just happened, but I knew I had to see the one person who could help me figure it out. With a quick kiss to my mother’s cheek, I ran out of the shop.

  “Where are you now?”

  I needed to talk to my father and get the cloudiness out of my head. Maybe call our family physician and get a checkup. I was too young for a heart attack, but that’s how my chest felt in that moment—constricted, panic, confusing.

  “I’m home waiting for your mother, why?”

  “I need to speak with you… as your son.”

  “I’ll see you when you get here, then.”

  Marissa had left a ton of messages on my phone this afternoon. I would have to deal with that shit and quick. Bitch knew better than to cross me, after everything I’ve done for her. She wanted the life, money, and standing. Instead, she chose to whore herself out, biting the hand which fed her.

  Iron gates guarded my parent’s driveway where two armed guards stood century as I cut my engine. My mother had insisted on them after the attempt on my dad’s life years ago. When they married, he had this house built for her and his new family to live in. After I was born, my birth mother, Serena, had been unable to have any more children. After Dad married Sophia, Karla—the biggest pain in my fucking ass—came screaming into the world a year later.

  “Mr. Dominick,” Maggie, my mother’s housekeeper and cook, greeted me. Originally from Belfast, Ireland, she’d come to the states with big dreams of finding work and a husband. Mr. Dorfman had found her cold, wet, and shivering in his doorway one morning. He brought her to my father, who placed her in our home where she has worked ever since

  She’s
been with our family for as long as I can remember, treating my sister and myself as her own. When I was younger, she would come into my room and sneak me sweets. When Karla had a bad accident a few years ago, it was Maggie who she cried out for in the hospital, as Sophia was in Europe.

  “Maggie, how’s my favorite girl?”

  “I’m blessed with work, and seeing your face has brought me joy.” Her once thick accent had thinned through the years, although get her mad enough and she would shout at you in Gaelic.

  I kissed her cheek then headed to my father’s study. I didn’t have to ask where he was when my mom wasn’t home. The door was open and he was sitting behind his desk with his reading glasses midway on the bridge of his nose. As a much younger boy, I would sneak into this office, pretending to be him, and wear his glasses while I told the imaginary men what to do.

  “Shut the door behind you and have a seat, Dominick.”

  His eyes didn’t acknowledge me when I entered, instead remaining focused on the folder resting on his desk. I followed his instructions and took a seat in the chair facing his desk. Slowly, his eyes met mine while he removed his glasses and placed them gently on the desk. A slight chill crept over me as I took in his posture. I’ve known my father to be a calculated and somewhat ruthless man when it came to the business.

  “Check your denial and attitude back in your car. I’ve already spoken with your mother and I know exactly why you’re here. The second you closed that door behind you, this conversation became, as you requested, between a father and his son. The Family has nothing to do with the conversation we are about to have.” His tone was clipped and slightly annoyed.

  I’ve killed my fair share of men and scared the shit out of many more, but right then I was the one sweating. I ran over the conversation I’d had with Mom in my head. I had done exactly what she’d asked of me; I hadn’t raised my voice or said anything condescending. I was at a complete loss as to where his anger was coming from.

  “Your mother tells me you met her new employee.” I nodded my head and tried to hide my confusion.

  “This girl left your tongue hanging out, with your balls in her back pocket.”

  Bastard found my situation amusing. Here I was dying of a possible heart attack, and he found this shit funny.

  “Let me tell you a story I shared with your grandfather after I met Sophia.” His laughter had subsided to chuckles by this point, although his eyes were watery and his face flushed.

  “Dad, I’ve heard this—”

  When he held up his hand and my mouth immediately stopped moving. His eyes told me to shut up or he would shut me up.

  “This isn’t about Serena.” He made the sign of the cross across his chest then kissed the medallion, which hung from a gold chain around his neck.

  When he married Sophia, she’d told him to melt down his wedding ring and have something made from it so that Serena would always be a part of him. She encouraged him to give her a place of honor.

  “What I’m about to tell you stays in this room.” I nodded my head, watching him place the medallion back into his undershirt.

  “She was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, still is, but she saw right through me.” Shaking his head, his eyes lost focus now his attention wasn’t on me anymore. This memory was playing fresh as the coffee in his cup. “I used my usual charm which kept me rolling in the girls, much as you have now.” He snickered.

  I never hid my sexual appetite from my dad. Hell, he’d been the one to take me to see my first real set of tits when I turned thirteen.

  “She turned me down and kept right on smiling and working, treating me like any other customer she had helped all day. I was halfway to the cemetery when I realized she didn’t give me her name. It took, what seemed like forever, to get her to confess it to me. I knew nothing about her; what she liked to drink, where she lived, or went to church. But I was determined to find the answers. I was determined to take her home with me and show her the world I could give her.” He stood up and walked around his desk to lean on it, his body a little more relaxed. “Dominick, tell me, I’ve noticed you keep rubbing your chest. Did you eat something bad for lunch or did this start after seeing the beautiful girl?”

  I opened my mouth to deny when he gave me the look.

  “When you saw her eyes, did your world tilt on its axis and leave you gasping for breath?” I swallowed hard, my leg bouncing almost as fast as my racing heart.

  “I don’t need an answer, but I do have some advice my father gave me which I’m going to give you.”

  This is why I’d come here. My father had this uncanny ability of knowing not only what was happening, but the best approach to fix it.

  “You can sit back and pretend she’s just another girl, another piece to the pie. Or you can get your head on straight and show this girl you can be everything she needs. ‘Cause trust me, the feeling in your chest, the one making you drive over here. Hold onto it. Let it guide you in the decisions you’re going to have to make about this girl.”

  He meant Marissa. Having a history with a girl like her would complicate a good girl like Ari. And if she worked for my mother, there was little doubt whether she was a good girl or not.

  When he was finished he walked back around his desk and sat down. My father was a wise man, but sometimes, even an old dog could learn new tricks. “One more thing before you leave.” His eyes shifted away at the sound of my Mother’s car pulling into the garage. “Don’t be a crazy stalker, let the girl ease into living here in the city.”

  “Fiori, this is Gabby, how can I help you?”

  “Hey, Gab, it’s Dominick. Listen, I need a favor. I know my mom has left, but can you see if she’s in the parking lot still? I tried her cell but it’s ringing busy.”

  “Oh, okay, I’ll check and call you back.” I hit the end button. I was doing what my father cautioned me against. Stalkerville, here I come. Wonder if they have a twelve-step program? The phone rang twice before my angel’s voice sent shivers down my spine and ignited my cock.

  “Fiori, this is Ari, can I help you?”

  I’d become such a sick bastard, acting like a twelve-year-old with a crush, calling the girl and then hanging up. My father’s parting words rang in my ears as I pressed on the gas pedal of my car.

  “I challenge you to return to your old ways. Go visit Marissa and have one last taste, then tomorrow come tell me I’m wrong.”

  I was always up for a challenge, and I needed to wrap up this whole Marissa thing anyway.

  “That’s it… oh, yeah…”

  “Mmmm… you like this, baby?”

  “Oh, fuck yes… oh, yes… oh, yeah… play with my balls.”

  “I love sucking your cock.”

  “Oh, goddamn, Ari, you’re—” I opened my eyes when the warm, wet mouth left my deflating dick. Looking down, I didn’t see the green eyes of the amazing girl I was trying to fuck outta my mind, instead I met the blue ones who had violated my fucking trust.

  “My name isn’t Ari.”

  Ten minutes earlier, when I entered the front door, I had one goal in mind: to fuck the memory of Ari out of my head. I was going to prove my father wrong when he said what he did.

  “Fuck!” I shouted and began to place my now flaccid dick back into my pants. It hadn’t worked; I was still thinking about her even with Marissa’s skillful mouth. I was done and I knew it. Standing up, I finished buckling my belt, then pulled cash from my pocket and showered it over a still kneeling Marissa. I’d had every intention of telling her she needed to pack her shit and find somewhere else to live, but that went up in smoke when Ari’s face corrupted my mind.

  Later, as I approached the exit for my house, I passed by Mitchell’s banquet hall. One of my mother’s delivery vans was parked in the lot, her guy unloading flowers. Ari’s smile came flooding back in my mind as the pain in my chest increased.

  THANKING THE CONCIERGE PROFUSELY WITH a warm smile and a hug when leaving the hotel. He had been so am
azing and had helped me more than I could ever thank him for. He congratulated me on my new job at the shop and asked me to tell Ms. Sophia hello for him. I had the driver drop me off at a local food store, where he insisted on waiting for me. I ran in and grabbed a few items; I would shop more on my day off when I could spend more time exploring the area. I thanked the driver, who refused my money saying Joey, the concierge, was his brother.

  Gabby was rushing outside as I was coming in and I nearly ran into her.

  “Oh… sorry!” we said in unison and danced around each other.

  The phone rang and Gabby rolled her eyes, asking if I would get it as she had to check something for Dominick.

  Dominick? Wasn’t that what Sophia had called her son? But he had said Nicky. But wasn’t that short for Dominick? Dammit! I was trying to put him out of my head. I was being a horrible person by judging him before I really knew him, but I got the feeling he didn’t get to know a girl before he got to know a girl. I had no time in my life for men like him. I’m sure his fancy suits and designer shades would rock a lot of girls to their core, but with the history I’d had, I wanted more than a pretty face and fashionable clothes. I wanted honesty and compassion. I wanted… true love.

  “Fiori, this is Ari, can I help you?” I waited several seconds for someone to speak. “Hello, can I help you?” I waited again, then heard the click of the caller hanging up.

  Gabby returned and I told her goodnight. Locking up the shop and climbing the steps to my apartment. Sophia must have been up there as fresh linens were folded neatly on the sofa. Inside the tiny fridge I found fresh fruit, milk, and eggs. She was too much.

  Later, while eating the grilled cheese I had cooked in my tiny kitchen, over the cutest flower shop, owned by the closest thing I had to a mother, and a new friend to boot, I smiled. I couldn’t get any more content than I was in this moment. After eating, I settled on the sofa bed and drifted off to a peaceful sleep. For the first time in a long while, I didn’t worry about the danger I’d grown used to. I had worried every day Corey had made an enemy who would come after me.