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by Sweet Baby Girl Entertainment

  I’m only doing this for a few months and that’s it.

  Joey could recall his younger brother’s words when he recruited him to design Madre’s website. Joey made sure his mother’s face was the centerpiece of the website, and that it didn’t look like anything that came off Broke Websites R Us. Pictures of centerpieces and bouquets were featured on different pages. Contact information was linked to their respective photos for easier accessibility. Every year, the website was updated to be fresher and smarter than the one before, featuring Madre’s employees from the cashiers to the delivery guys with little tidbits about them so customers would know who was assisting them.

  The papers called Madre’s an overnight success, though Joey begged to differ. By the time the media had discovered them, Madre’s had been in business for five years – the magic number Joey needed to confirm the business to be a success. The media attention caused their business to triple seemingly overnight and they grew from a little store in the strip mall with five employees to renovated brick building in Manhattan with thirty employees. Nicola no longer had to work long hours in her business and delegated the tasks to Joey and Eli, who was named Executive Creative Director. They just recently opened up another location in NYC not too long ago.

  Still, Joey’s hard work came at a price. His personal life suffered greatly because of it and he preferred the company of countless and forgettable women as opposed to settling down and finding a good woman. A nice Italian woman like your mother, Nicola reminded often.

  Joey preferred Italian women. Well, no. Joey preferred any woman as long as she was clean, had somewhat of a brain, and didn’t talk very much. He could admit that many of the women he had dated, didn’t have much of a brain. That was fine by him. It was easier to get them in bed.

  Not many women could understand what Joey was about, what his life comprised of. They saw his ‘work vehicle’ of an Escalade he drove to the shop. They saw his ‘play vehicle’ of a BMW 750Li he drove around town. They saw him walking around wearing a business suit with open collar, looking like he just stepped out of a photo shoot. They were enchanted with his intelligence and swagger, not dumbing down a conversation and preferred those who listened to him to simply keep up. They bragged about his bedroom skills, bringing them to multiple orgasms and for a lucky few, a lesson in squirting.

  But they couldn’t understand why he had to work every weekend. They couldn’t

  understand he didn’t have a choice on whether he wanted to do an event. Madre’s was simply the focal point of the family. All of the other businesses – Tony’s barber shop and Faith’s salon, two businesses Joey had a hand in running – were also connected to Madre’s. It was Joey’s goal to make the D’Amato family to be that of the Rockefellers, the Rothschilds, and eventually, the Kennedys. His brothers and cousins thought he was crazy as hell for his ambitions, but Joey was serious. If they can do it, why can’t we? Joey retorted.

  Wealth ambitions aside, Joey had serious concerns at the moment. He glanced at his

  Panerai watch and knew it was time to leave work. He had a busy night ahead of him.

  He made his way downstairs to the warehouse where Eli was finishing up a bouquet for him. Though Eli would’ve made the bouquets free of charge, he always insisted Joey pay for them. “If I’m doing this for your hoes, I’m getting something out of this,” Eli once told him.

  “How’s it going, bro?” Joey greeted his brother.

  “Shh…” Eli held up a finger and studied the last bouquet in front of him. It was missing something, but he couldn’t figure out what. There were plenty of lavender roses. They were quite a few fuchsia carnations. He strategically placed the double purple lisianthus in the bouquet to give an extra splash of color. Yet, there was something missing. After a few seconds, Eli finally realized what it was. “Maria, can you get me the white Asiatic lilies?” He called out to his assistant.

  “Got it, boss!” Maria replied back as she went to retrieve the lilies.

  Employing Eli to be the floral designer was one of the smarter decisions Joey had made.

  His charismatic brother had a natural talent and the same drive for perfection. Eli was known to spend an entire day going over a design and starting all over from scratch if he didn’t feel comfortable with it. His anal-retentiveness paid off. Eli’s designs were featured in many celebrity weddings and celebrations, boosting Madre’s to the top.

  “Perfect!” Eli took the Asiatic lilies away from Maria and placed them in the bouquet. He stood back and smiled at his creation. “Done!”

  “It looks amazing as usual,” Joey smiled. “Now you need to let me know what goes

  where.”

  Eli started with the bouquet he had just finished. “This one is for Alondra because you mentioned her favorite color was purple.” Eli moved to the next bouquet full of pale pink roses and matching calla lilies. “This one is for Coco because you said she liked pink.” He moved down to the next bouquet, full of oranges and deep red roses and carnations. “This one is for Delilah because you mentioned she’s hot like the sun so I made it fiery.” They walked down to the next bouquet, filled with lush greens and blues. “This one is for Nevaeh, since you mentioned she’s into the sea and water coloring.”

  “She’s an artist,” Joey corrected, “she takes her work seriously.”

  “Whatever, bro. I’d seen her stuff and it’s no different from the artwork Nate brings home from daycare.” Eli shrugged as they walked to the final bouquet. “Finally, this is for…what is her name?”

  “Everleigh, she’s a ballet dancer.” Joey nodded. “Her parents were hippies.”

  “Clearly they were on that shit to give her that name,” Eli shook his head, “this is for Ms.

  Everleigh. For her artistic talent, she has a bouquet filled with bright colors like they just popped off the canvas.” He presented the last bouquet that had every color of the rainbow and boasted of colorful roses and pink stargazer lilies.

  “Bro, you’re amazing.” Joey took out a few hundreds and handed them to his brother. “I owe you.”

  “I got your back, playa.” Eli smiled as he and Maria each carried a couple of bouquets to Joey’s waiting truck. “You know one of these days, you’ll find yourself a nice, sweet girl and settle down.”

  “Ehh,” Joey loaded up his truck with the bouquets. “I like my options.”

  “Your options keep changing.” Eli mentioned. “A lot.”

  “31 flavors, bro,” Joey mentioned, “Baskin-Robbins knew what they were doing when

  they came up with that concept.”

  “Thanks for your help, Maria. Have a good night.” Eli sent his assistant home. When

  Maria was out of earshot, he turned back to his brother. “I’m pretty sure they weren’t referring to you dipping your dick in thirty-one different women.”

  “You’re just mad that my partner count is higher than yours,” Joey smirked.

  “I want you to repeat what you just said and tell me what’s wrong with that statement.” Eli replied.

  Joey pressed a button to close the trunk and made his way to the driver’s side. “I’m not the marrying kind, bro. I respect you and K for finding that right woman and settling down to put a ring on it. Even Nicky is entertaining the idea of marrying Zerrin. That just ain’t me. I have way too much to do than just to get down on a knee and give up everything for a woman.”

  “When you get married, you’re not giving up anything.” Eli argued. “You’re gaining a whole lot.”

  “When’s the last time Faith gave you a blow job just because?” Joey asked his brother to resounding silence. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  “Marriage is more than sex,” Eli replied. What he said was true. The current drought Eli was in with his wife was making him wonder otherwise. It was six weeks and counting.

  “Says the bro that’s not getting that much play like he used to,” Joey started his truck and smiled, “see you in the morning, bro.”

&
nbsp; Joey turned on his satellite radio and navigated down the streets. It was going to be a busy night with spending some time with each woman. One hour was all he promised them. What they did during that hour was up to the woman. Sometimes it was mind-blowing sex. Sometimes it was just conversation, though Joey did most of the talking. Sometimes it was just keeping each other company. He only had one job – making sure the lady was comfortable and felt safe when she was with him. What she did before or after he left was none of his concern.

  She only had that one hour. Sometimes an hour three times a week if she was really good.

  The first stop was the local liquor store owned by one of their cousins. Joey grabbed a couple of red bulls and some chips. He also picked up a stack of condoms just in case. He was going to need all the energy he could get.

  Three

  “I have big dreams, you know? Owning my own business, generating a lot of wealth,

  being set for life….” Jose Gonzales went on during the dinner. “…I just don’t want to be poor.”

  Zoe hoped the contempt she was feeling didn’t show on her face or worse, in her eyes. She knew not every man in Los Angeles was money-hungry. Not every man was trying to be rich, to be an actor, rapper, or whatever. She knew that. Yet, it seemed like each time she went on a date, it was with that type. And all he ever talked about was money.

  Money, money, money.

  Zoe came from a wealthy family – both of her parents were doctors and activists in their community. Her younger sister was a model, and married to an NBA player. Growing up, Zoe lived in a mansion, her parents drove nice cars, and her mom’s jewelry collection boasted of names Zoe wanted to use for her future daughters – Chanel and Tiffany.

  But Zoe’s parents instilled the importance of hard work. The family had a maid come by once a week, but it was expected of Zoe to help around the house with chores. She could remember grumbling as she had to make her bed, wondering why in the hell didn’t the maid come on that particular day. Not to mention all the times she came home smelling like hamburgers and grease from her part-time job at McDonald’s. When she wasn’t working, she was assisting her parents with many volunteer projects they were involved in.

  She hated her parents for it.

  She appreciated her parents because of it.

  Now she was on a date with a guy who obviously had been listening to a little too much Jay-Z and felt he was him. Jose wasn’t bad looking; he was actually quite attractive with his full lips, brown sugar skin tone, and smooth bald head. He had a fit body and took pride on what he put into his body, despite chowing down on that hamburger like it was his last meal on earth. Zoe silently thanked the Lord for having enough sense for bringing her wallet. Something told her Jose was going to suggest they go dutch. “So enough about me and what I’m doing,” Jose chewed on a French fry, “tell me about yourself.”

  Oh, now you want to know about me. Charming. “Well, I’m the oldest of two. I have a younger sister and—”

  “And what does your sister do?” Jose asked.

  And you interrupted me. Lovely. “She’s a model. I currently work at—”

  “How come you’re not a model? You have the looks to be one.” Jose leaned to the left and eyed Zoe’s figure. “Maybe a little thick around the waist but that’s nothing a workout can’t fix.”

  Did you just insult me? “So like I was saying, I currently work at Fits and Giggles and—”

  “And what’s that?” Jose asked.

  Zoe felt her patience running at an all-time low and she wondered how much longer she had to suffer through her date. She had to have been a masochist. There was no other explanation. She took a sip of water and forced a smile. “It’s a child care service. We also do private nanny services as well.”

  “Ah,” Jose nodded as if he understood, “never heard of it.”

  “Of course not.” Zoe mumbled.

  “So what else are you into? What are your hobbies?” He asked.

  “Well, I love fashion and I work on sketches when I’m not at work. I hope one day to have my own fashion line.” Zoe’s mood brightened up when she thought about her aspiring fashion line. She had no desire to compete with all of the many designers for women or men. Her focus was on children. She was inspired when she went to a department store and saw the children’s section severely lacking in variety. The girls section was nothing but frilly things. The boys section was surprisingly comprised of skulls and crossbones, something Zoe wondered why any parent thought that was cute for their child.

  No, her style was Sean Jean. It was Roc-a-wear. It was FUBU. It was Rachel Zoe. It was going to be affordable. It was going to be available in every department store with reasonable prices and the higher-end pieces would be sold exclusively at select stores. Her parents surprisingly supported her in her fashion dreams and offered to send her to Paris so she could study with the best.

  They only got on her for still being single at 29. The fact her sister, London, was already married at 25, and had been for three years with a baby, didn’t help.

  “So you want to be a fashion designer?” Jose nodded. “Seems like they’re a dime a dozen out here.”

  Jose was a son of one of Zoe’s mother’s colleagues. Oh, he’s so smart. He has a degree, he helps out in the community, and he produces music, was the line her mother sold her. Actuality, Jose barely just graduated from a local junior college, he helped out in the community because if he didn’t, his parole officer would cite him, and that last line of producing music? He was skilled at DJ Hero.

  Still, Jose’s dashing good looks made up for his lack of qualifications. The man was fine, Zoe could admit. A nice tall glass of water, her girls would put it. Buttery smooth almond butter skin. A perfectly round bald head. A chiseled jawline that led to full, sensual lips that begged to be kissed. Zoe didn’t have to wonder what Jose was hiding underneath his attire of a Polo shirt and khakis. It seemed the clothes were tailored to his body.

  If Zoe was impressed by him, she probably would’ve given him some play. She was a

  grown woman with grown woman needs. The more Jose talked, however, it was obvious he used his good looks to make up for what he severely lacked in personality. The man was stupid, point blank, and he was simply humoring Zoe and her ambitions.

  Hurry up and call me. Hurry up and call me. Hurry up and call me. Almost on cue, Zoe’s cell phone rang. “Excuse me, I have to take this,” Zoe answered her phone, “yeah, mom? What?

  What? Oh, no! I’ll be right there! See you soon!”

  “Is everything okay?” Jose looked concerned.

  “My sister was in a bad accident and I need to go now.” Zoe gathered her things. “I’m so sorry for this. Maybe we can go out another time.” Like hell that’s gonna happen.

  “Um, sure. I hope your sis is okay.” Jose glanced at the table. “I’ll cover your iced tea and you can just get me back next time.”

  Zoe’s mouth opened slightly for the laughter to come out but she firmly pressed her lips together. “Sure.” She quickly left the restaurant and dialed her friend back. “Girl, I so owe you dinner for saving me now.”

  Four

  Joey was tired. Tired and sore.

  He visited all of his girls and as promised they each got an hour with him. That wasn’t bad.

  What made the night interesting was they all wanted sex from him. He lucked out when Alondra was fighting a cold so she couldn’t do anything and settled for a full-body nude massage. The other four, however…

  First it was Everleigh. She was a long and lithe White woman in her early twenties. “I want to show you this new tutu I got from the company,” she came in just a tutu and her ballet slippers, “isn’t it pretty?”

  Joey fucked her against a wall. He didn’t like how the rough fabric of the tutu rubbed against his skin but it was worth it.

  Next it was Coco. She was Puerto Rican that was blessed with dangerous curves and made Joey get on his knees to thank God for them. “Guess what I pic
ked up from the sex shop today, papi? This.” She handed him a bottle of warming lubricant and a vibrating cock ring. “What do you think?”

  He fucked her doggystyle on her couch, with the cock ring. He made a mental note to get one for himself.

  Then it was Nevaeh. She was a biracial art major at NYU and the glass was always half-full with her. Joey loved her personality. “Let’s color!” She splashed some paint on Joey’s muscular bare chest. “Wanna paint me, Joey?”

  They had sex on a canvas. Joey could admit that one was fun.

  He capped off his night with Delilah, another Puerto Rican beauty. She was the fiery out of the bunch and had the temper to match. Her full lips were perfect for sucking him off. They were also dangerous to his ears whenever she went on her infamous rants. “I’ve been waiting to see you all week and…Joey, what’s this? Is this paint? You fucking another woman who’s painting you? The fuck is this shit?” She examined his skin.

  “We had to do a special design at the shop earlier.” He lied. He was not about to tell the real reason for the paint. He needed to buy Nevaeh a new showerhead because her current one was clearly weak.

  Delilah folded her arms and adjusted her neck. “You expect me to believe that shit?”

  “I don’t care,” Joey shrugged. “You can believe whatever you want.”

  “Ooh, I hate you!” Delilah yelled.

  Joey stepped closer to her. “How much do you hate me?”

  Delilah slapped him across his face. “I hate you!”

  “Ooh, I like it when you’re mad.” He winked at her and pulled her close against his body.

  “You get all sexy for me.”

  By the time Joey saw Delilah, he was already exhausted from his other conquests, he just pleasured her in the shower with the showerhead he bought her a few weeks before.

  It was a little past one in the morning when Joey finally arrived back home at his TriBeCa condo. He flippantly went through his mail before he made his way back to his bedroom.