“You included?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes. Especially me.”
“Angelo, it’s been seventeen years. You should’ve gotten over your crush by now. It was inappropriate then, and it’s inappropriate now.”
“What can I say? There’s something about you I just can’t shake,” Angelo said, rising to his feet.
“Then I guess I should be flattered to know I’m not just an old maid on the shelf.”
“You could never be that, Ava.”
“Angelo, I appreciate the compliments and thank you for stopping by.”
“You’re welcome. I had to make sure my girls were doing okay and since you are, I’ll be on my way.”
He winked at her before he turned and exited her office. When the door closed behind him, Ava slumped down into her chair. Simply being in the presence of her brother-in-law always left her feeling drained. Thank God he hadn’t been a too-frequent visitor when she was with Joseph.
Ava reached beneath her desk and opened the mini-fridge, taking out an energy drink and draining half the contents of the can before setting it down. She glanced down at her wristwatch. Angelo’s little visit had taken up more time than she thought. But at least she’d gotten a straight answer. Dominic could be her late husband’s offspring.
Oh well. Good for him. Too bad it doesn’t change anything.
Dominic was not getting one, single, red cent. If he thought any differently, too damn bad.
She had more pressing matters to attend to. Like finding out who’d dared to follow her to work this morning. Maybe she had real reason to worry. For seventeen years Joseph had been there to protect her. To shield her from any that might want to harm her, but Joseph was gone. She had to protect herself and Maia. Ava pressed the intercom button.
“Karen?”
“Yes, Ms. Hill?”
“I need you to locate agencies that provide bodyguards for VIPs. Pick out the best ones and have them send me information on their top picks.”
“Yes, ma’am. Right away.”
Ava leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on her desk. She closed her eyes. Just a minute and then she’d start with all the things on her plate for the day.
“Sir. Sir! You can’t go in there.”
Ava’s eyes snapped open. Her feet slid off the desk and she sat straight up. The door to her office flew open. A brunette-haired man in a crisp, dark-grey suit marched into her office.
“Ava Hill, you’ve just been served.”
The man threw a sheaf of papers down on her desk and left without another word.
Chapter Seven
Ava picked up the papers that had been unceremoniously thrown on her desk. The first of the pages was a cover sheet addressed to her. Putting it to the side, she glared down at the next piece of paper in her hand.
“That son of a bitch!”
Blood boiling, Ava stared at the notice in her hand. Dominic was contesting Joseph’s will. According to the complaint in her hand, her husband’s illegitimate offspring was alleging fraud and undue influence. He’d come right out and accused her of using her influence to force her husband to sign something he hadn’t understood.
Grabbing her phone off her desk she quickly dialed one of her attorneys at Davis, James & Billups.
“This is Ms. Hill calling for Melissa James.”
“I’ll put you right through.”
Ava waited, tapping her fingers on the desk. She knew if she didn’t get her anger under control, news of this magnitude could cause her to have a stroke. Her blood pressure was already too high.
“Ava, what can I do for you?” Melissa said, coming on the line.
“I was just served a notice. A protest was filed against my late husband’s will.”
“By whom?”
“A young man claiming to be Joseph’s son. Calls himself Dominic Martelli, although on this paperwork, he’s also listed as Dominic Sambarino. He had the nerve to show up at my place last night demanding a share of Joseph’s estate. I told him to leave and never come back. But it doesn’t look like he’s going away quietly.”
“Who’s he using?” Melissa asked.
“Lombardi, Rankin & Esteves. Should I be worried?”
“No. The burden is on him to prove all the things he is alleging and the success rate for these types of cases is not high. Besides, your husband’s will has been on record with the courts for quite some time before his passing, correct?”
“Yes. He filed it about four years ago with the courts, just in case something happened.”
“Fax me a copy of your paperwork. I’ll get started on the denial to the protest and then request a DNA test. As part of the denial, I’ll make it clear that if your husband wished to acknowledge him as his son in a will or publicly, he would’ve done so.”
“That’s exactly my point. Thank you, Melissa. I’ll get this faxed over to you right away.”
Ava disconnected the call and pressed the intercom.
“Karen, please come in here.”
She heard the sound of footsteps approaching and then Karen tentatively entered her office. Ava could see her wide-eyed expression and the wringing of her hands. Obviously the cocoa-skinned assistant was expecting to get chewed out.
“Ms. Hill, I’m so sorry. I tried to stop—”
“It’s fine. I need you to send a fax to Melissa immediately. After that, I want you to continue with the bodyguard search. I want to meet with candidates by the end of the week.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ava handed Karen the papers.
“And when you’re done, lock them in my file cabinet. I’ll be out of the office for the rest of the day.”
Ava grabbed her Louis Vuitton purse and left her office.
Thirty minutes later, Ava climbed out of her Mercedes. She looked around. There was a group of people hanging around a garbage can less than a block down the road from where her car was parked.
I don’t know why Smitty insists on keeping his office in this crappy neighborhood.
Making sure to lock her car, she held her purse tight and opened the barred door to Smitty’s Detective Service. A bell rang as she stepped inside. The foyer was empty.
“Smitty? You here?”
“Do my ears deceive me? Is that Ava Martelli?”
From the back room emerged a heavyset man with a mop of brown hair, slightly grayed at the edges. His brown eyes lit up at seeing her.
“I’m Ava
Hill
,” she said with a toss of her head.
“Don’t try that with me. Come over here and give me a hug.”
Smiling, Ava hugged the older man. As always he smelled of pipe tobacco and peppermint. When they ended their embrace he stepped back and regarded her with a smile.
“You’re looking good.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I know so. Now what brings you by my neck of the woods? This ain’t exactly the place for a fine lady like yourself.”
“I need use of your services.”
Smitty’s bushy brows drew together in a frown. “Let me lock up and then we can have ourselves a private chat.”
Smitty moved around her and locked the door to his business before motioning for her to follow him into the back room. Ava sat down in the worn brown leather chair as Smitty moved to sit behind his desk. Opening the top drawer, he pulled out a pad and pen.
“Okay. Shoot.”
“I’ve just been served with papers contesting Joseph’s will. They were filed by a young punk who calls himself Dominic Martelli aka Sambarino. I got those papers less than an hour ago and he had the audacity to show up at my place last night demanding I give him a share of what Joseph left. Naturally, I’m furious. I’m not going to deal with anyone threatening me and my family, so something has to be done about him.”
“You got lawyers on this?”
“Of course. And they’re the best money can buy, but in the event that anything were to go wrong…”
“You need a backup plan.”
“Exactly. And I know that with your reputation and connections you can get it done.”
“Listen Ava, I’m going to be straight with you. I’ve heard the rumors about Old Joe having another kid. Don’t know if they’re true or not, but I’ve never said anything out of respect for you.”
“I appreciate that, Smitty, and I’m pretty sure the kid is Joseph’s. Angelo pretty much confirmed it when I talked to him earlier today.”
“I’m sure Angelo was happy to sully his brother’s name. Everybody in the streets knows he’s always been jealous over what his big brother had. Not to mention the hard-on he’s had for you.”
“How do you know about that?” Ava asked, eyes wide.
“Anybody who has ever been around the two of you in the same vicinity can see it.”
Ava covered her mouth as she started to laugh.
“You know it’s true. That’s why you’re laughing.”
“Alright. You and I both know, Angelo will do whatever it takes to get close to me.”
“So keep your guard up.”
“You know I will, Smitty.”
He snorted. “So say the boy really is Joseph’s, are you really comfortable ordering a hit on his son?”
Ava leaned back in the chair. Her heart felt heavy in her chest. Her conscience screamed at her. He could be Maia’s brother! Her only sibling. She couldn’t kill him, not in cold blood. Not like that.
She rubbed her face before leaning forward on the desk.
“It’s not my first solution by any means. My attorneys are going to eat him alive in the courtroom, but just in case there happens to be something we can’t control, like getting a sympathetic judge who believes he’s entitled to something, I need a Plan B. I’m not going to have my daughter robbed of what belongs to her.”
“Hey, I agree with you. Joseph didn’t acknowledge him so that should be where things stand. None of this getting-the-courts-involved crap. That’s not the way we handle business in our world.”
“Exactly. So this only proves he’s a scared little boy playing at being a man. I don’t want to have to hurt him, but I will. It’s him or me and you know I always plan to be the one standing.”
“You’re a real tough broad. I’ve always admired that about you. But you do realize, Ava, that not everyone would be willing to off Martelli’s son, illegitimate or not.”
Ava regarded Smitty from beneath lowered lashes. She’d known the private detective and former underworld enforcer for a little over a decade. As long as she’d known Smitty, he’d been a gun for hire. Whoever had the right money, he was their man. So she found his comment a bit uncharacteristic.
“But does that include you, Smitty? That’s the question.”
The big man leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms loosely over his chest. “Hey, you know me. If the price is right, I’m down for anything.”
“Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind if I need to go that route. In the meantime I want you to dig up whatever you can on the kid. If this gets ugly in court I need some dirt to nail him to the wall. And also anything you can find about his mother. I don’t want any surprises.”
Smitty scribbled a few notes down on his pad. “Alright. When do you need all this?”
“As soon as possible. I need to know if Angelo is in cahoots with this interloper.”
“You think so?”
“There’s no way to tell with Angelo. He’s slimy.”
“Yeah, but he got the territory. And I can’t see him wanting to do anything to undermine his relationship with you, but you’re right. The guy’s pretty smarmy. I’ll keep my ear to the ground.”
Ava rose.
“I’d appreciate that. I’ll have five thousand wired to your account. In the event that we need to take the next step, more will be sent at an agreed-upon time. If we don’t have to go that route, think of it as a bonus for your discretion.”
“Don’t worry about it, Ava. No one’s getting over on you,” Smitty stood.
“I’ll see myself out.”
Ava left Smitty’s private office. Stepping outside into the windy Miami air, she stopped in her tracks. A black sedan roared out of the parking lot.
Chapter Eight
“You look beautiful. Like Christmas morning.”
“Thank you,” Ava said.
The large white sleigh bed stood on the dais before her, ominous and forbidding. Today was her eighteenth birthday and Joseph had come to collect. He sat on the side of the bed, staring at her. He’d already dispensed of his clothes. Joseph wore only a pair of black boxer briefs. His chest was toned and free from chest hair.
Thank God for small favors
, Ava thought to herself.
“Come here. You’re so far away.”
With short steps Ava moved towards where Joseph was sitting. She stood in front of him. Her breath caught in her throat when he undid the sash on her white silken robe and opened it. The robe dropped from her shoulders and to the floor. Only a thin-strapped nightie protected her virtue from Joseph Martelli. When the first strap slid down her shoulder, Ava closed her eyes. The next followed and she felt the cool air caress her naked body.
Feeling the press of Joseph’s face against her skin, she opened her eyes. His face was between her breasts. His hands were wrapped around her waist. She gasped when he nuzzled her breast before pulling one of the sensitive peaks into his mouth. He sucked on it softly and Ava was shocked by the small tendril of desire that shot down to the secret place between her legs. His eyes never met hers as he moved from breast to breast, suckling and nibbling. Ava didn’t fight when he pulled her down onto the bed.
Ava bit her lip to keep from crying out when one of Joseph’s hands slid between her thighs caressing her, dipping inside the place no one had ever touched before. His thumb brushed over the tight bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex. The pleasure she felt with his mouth on her breasts became more intense as he rubbed her clit. She moaned.
“Do you like that?” he whispered against her flesh.
“Yes,” she said, half fearful he would stop.
“Good,” he whispered before engulfing her breast again with his mouth.
His suckling became harder. More intense. As the pace of his rubbing between her legs increased, her thighs fell open. She ground herself against his hand, desperately trying to get closer. Desperate for something she didn’t quite understand. She liked this. So far it hadn’t been the horror she’d feared. Though Joseph was close to two decades older than her, he was in remarkable condition. As he shifted her on the bed so that he was lying on top of her, they were pressed chest to chest. His lips covered hers.
There was no softness about his kiss. In fact he kissed her so greedily she feared he’d cause her to chip a tooth. Tentatively she placed her palms against his chest. Joseph stopped his kissing and looked down at her. His black eyes met hers before skimming down her body. He licked his lips as his eyes found her breasts.
“You’ve got a great pair of tits.”
Ava offered him a small smile. No words of thanks came from her lips. Instead she watched him as his eyes locked on the triangle between her thighs.
“Open your legs wider.”
She obeyed him. For a minute he didn’t move. He only stared. Ava wondered if he changed his mind. Then seemingly to mentally get a hold of himself, he leaned over her and reached for the bedside table. Ava watched as he ripped open a foiled packet.
Condom
. She’d never seen one up close and personal. Her eyes widened as he withdrew the condom. For the first time, fear crept up her belly white and hot.
Her nerves stretched taunt as Joseph eased his shorts over his waist and off his body. His cock stood stiff, pulsing and red looking. The bulbous head leaked. A whimper escaped her lips. Joseph’s eyes met hers.
“Don’t be scared.”
He slid the condom over himself until the full length of him was sheathed. Ava’s breath came in wild gasps as Joseph settled between her thighs. She could feel that part of him that was all man, pressing against her entrance.
“Just relax.”
She nodded her head and tried to do as he asked, but it was all but impossible. She closed her eyes as he took his pleasure and when he was done she breathed a sigh of relief. As he told her how sexy she was, Ava didn’t say a word. Instead she rolled over, her back to him. Her body screamed in pain as she moved. She wondered how long she would be sore. How long it would be before he decided to take her again. If her body would cry out in pain each time he did. Would she ever know pleasure?
“Ava? I ever catch you with another man I’ll kill the both of you. Ya got it?”
“Yes, Joseph.”
“Good. Then we shouldn’t have any problems. Now come here.”
Against her will, Ava scooted closer to Joseph, back still turned. His arms came around her waist pulling her closer. His chest pressed against her back. His manhood lay nestled almost in the cleft of her butt. She lay quietly captured in Joseph’s embrace. Soon, he was asleep, his snores filling the room. Ava allowed the tears she’d been battling to escape from her eyes.
This was what she’d signed up for. To allow a man old enough to be her father to use her body whenever he pleased. To lie beneath him whether she enjoyed it or not. Yes, this is what she’d chosen in an effort to save her father from certain death. But now, at this moment, she’d realized her sacrifice had been for naught. Instead of thanking her for saving his life by making a deal with Joseph, her father had disowned her. Called her a whore and told her that he never wanted to see her again.
Her tears fell harder now. Yes, all for nothing. But despite the way Roger had treated her, Ava wouldn’t go back on her word. She belonged to Joseph now and as long as she did, her father’s life was safe. And despite the lack of love Roger had shown to her, she would not abandon him to his death.
Ava was no coward like her father. She was now a woman with a strength she didn’t understand. So she wiped her tears and released a deep breath. This was her life now and she was going to make the most of it.
“Isn’t it cool, Mommy? Mommy?”
Ava snapped back to reality. Maia was standing in front of her holding up a structure she’d just built with her Legos.
“You did a good job on that, baby. What are you building?”
“A mansion.”
“A mansion? You’re going to need a lot more blocks to get it finished.”
“I’m going to work on it every day after school until it’s really big.”
“Good for you, baby. I can’t wait to see it when you finish,” Ava said, smiling at her daughter.
She ruffled Maia’s hair. After seeing the black sedan again, Ava had picked her daughter up from school early. She’d needed to be near her baby to make sure her little angel was okay. They’d gone out for ice cream before coming home and enjoying spending the afternoon together. Just being near her little girl helped put her mind at ease.
Maia leaned in and kissed her cheek. Ava pulled her daughter close and hugged her tight.
“Maia, dinner time. Mrs. Valdez made your favorite, chicken alfredo,” Natalie said, coming into the room smiling.
She sat her Lego structure down carefully on the floor and ran off towards the kitchen. Ava watched her go with a smile. That girl was Italian to the core. While most five-year-olds wanted chicken fingers and French fries, Maia wanted all the pasta she could eat. Chicken carbonara, shrimp alfredo, spaghetti… that little girl loved Italian food. Just like her father.
“Are you eating?” Natalie asked.
“I don’t have much of an appetite, but thank you.”
“Okay,” Natalie said, preparing to turn away.
“Natalie, would you come here for a minute?”
Natalie walked deeper into the room. Ava motioned for her to sit beside her on the couch. The girl’s eyes were wide.
Am I really so mean that she expects me to fuss her out every time I want to talk? Maybe I need to lay off a bit.
“Is something wrong, Ms. Hill?”
“I really appreciate the way you’ve taken care of Maia. You came over here today when you could have had the afternoon off. And anybody who sees you and my girl together can tell that you love her and she loves you. So thank you. I couldn’t ask for a better person to look after my little girl.”
“It’s my pleasure, Ms. Hill. I love Maia just like she’s my little sister. Being away from my own family, it was easy to bond with her…and you.”
Ava’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Thank you, Natalie. I’m going to give you a raise.”
“Really?” Natalie’s eyes were wide.
“Yes. You deserve it. And there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Okay.”
“I know that you’ve been living in a dorm room and I’m sure that you’d prefer having a little bit more space and privacy. How would you like to move into the other guest house?”
“Really? You’d let me live here?”
“Of course. You’d have more privacy to study. No crazy roommates keeping up fuss and I can assure you the time you spend with Maia will be the same. No more extra time with her just because you’d be staying in the guest house. So what do you say?”
“Yes. I’d like that. You have no idea what it’s like to be stuck in a dorm with a bunch of crazy college kids who don’t do anything but party. It’s a wonder how any of them maintain the grade point average to stay in college in the first place.”
“See that’s what I like about you, Natalie, your level-headedness. You are going to go far.”
“Thank you, Ms. Hill. Maybe one day I’ll own a business like you.”
“The sky’s the limit. You’re still hanging in there with the double major?” Ava asked.
“Yes. Business and marketing,” Natalie said.
“Smart girl.”
“Natalie! Come eat with me!” Maia yelled out from the kitchen.
Ava and Natalie laughed.
“I guess I’ve been summoned,” Natalie said, rising.
“I guess so. Let me know when you want me to send someone to your dorm to help you move your things.”
“I will and again thank you, Ms. Hill. Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?” Natalie asked with a look of concern on her face.
She needed to tell someone what was going on and, since she’d just invited Natalie to move in, it might as well be her.
“There’s been a challenge to Joseph’s will.”
“What? By who?”
“A man claiming to be my late husband’s son. He feels he’s entitled to a part of the estate.”
“That’s terrible. I’m so sorry about this, Ms. Hill. What are you going to do?”
“My attorney is looking into it. I just wanted you to know since you’re going to be living here.”
“Thank you for confiding in me. I’m here if there’s anything you need.”
“I will. Thank you, Natalie.”
The girl gave her a smile and made her way back to the kitchen.
Alone, Ava rubbed her hands over her face. She couldn’t say anything about the other mysterious happenings going on in her life. She didn’t need Natalie spooked. Besides, right now she had no idea what was really going on. But she did know one thing, everything that was happening was Joseph’s fault. She wouldn’t be in this mess if he’d just kept it zipped up or used a condom like he did with her. He’d been so careful not to get her pregnant until he decided to marry her. Why couldn’t he have done the same with the other women he was screwing?
Ava had no idea how this protest suit could affect things. She’d already sold the house she and Joseph had shared, as well as the condo he’d bought for her all those years ago. She needed no reminders of her sordid past, but Dominic Sambarino seemed determined to do just that. Ava’s cell phone rang. She picked it up from the couch.
“Hello.”
Silence.
“Hello. Is anybody there?”
Ava took the phone from her ear and looked at the screen.
Restricted. How did someone get my private number?
Brows furrowed, Ava brought the phone back to her ear.
“I don’t know who you are or how you got this number, but I suggest you lose it and never contact me again,” Ava said in a hard tone.
More silence. Ava felt the knot of tension forming in her neck. Enough of this. She moved the phone away in preparation to hang up, then she heard it.
“I can’t do that, Ava.”
Then the line went dead. Ava stared at the phone in her hand. The voice. There was something about it. Something familiar, but she couldn’t place it.