Dipping Into Sin 2: Digging Deeper Into Sin Page 8

  ~****~

  Walking into the house an hour later, I greeted the girls and my mother before asking them what they wanted to eat for dinner.

  “I can make dinner,” my mother volunteered.

  “Oh no Mom, we can order. Besides, it is Saturday, and we usually order dinner. I have Chinese, Indian, and P-I-Z-Z-A,” I said in a low tone. If I said pizza, we would not hear the end of it from Olivia until we actually got her the pizza. I’m convinced that Olivia can eat pizza every day if it was possible. Jasmine loved everything chicken—from the wings to the nuggets, to the cutlets. Acelia was a rice girl. She loved plain white rice, rice and beans, and rice and peas. Grandma would always make sure to make a pot of rice just for her every time she made dinner.

  Handing Mom the different menus, “Choose whatever you want Mom. Don’t ask the girls what they want because they’ll push you to order everything,” I chuckled. Digging into my wallet, I handed her a few bills before dashing upstairs to hop into the shower.

  Allowing the water to soothe my body, I lathered myself clean with my cherry blossom soap and stood in the shower a few minutes longer. Walking into my bedroom, I pulled out sleepwear shorts and a shirt. Hearing Acelia call out to my mother frantically only meant one thing, she was tattling on her sisters. Acelia carried a certain pitch in her voice that I labeled as the ‘tattle-tone’. Grabbing my robe, I tossed the flimsy material over me before heading towards the stairs.

  Walking down the stairs, I looked up from tying the knot on my robe only to see Andriano’s massive frame kneeling. Panicked, I took another step down the stairs and watched as he asked Jazzy a question. Oh God, please let this be a dream. Trembling with fear, I couldn’t escape the questions that invaded my head about what this meant. Would he take my daughters away? How did this man find me and my babies?

  “What are you doing here?” I managed to find my voice. Standing up, Andriano turned slowly around to face me. His ferocious eyebrows pulled down together, intensifying his hard glaring grey eyes. The tension seized control over every muscle on his face.

  Just then, Acelia did the unthinkable; her arms reached up for Andriano to pick her up. Shocked by her forwardness, I observed the softness that replaced the colorful rage that was painted all over his face. Typically, Acelia’s coyness caused her to be apprehensive when meeting someone new. But, somehow, this was not the case with her father. Enveloped in his massive arms and broad shoulders, she laid her head against his shoulder as if he brought comfort to her.

  “Put my daughter down right now,” I all but shouted as I took the final two steps down the stairs. Making a quick dash to Andriano, I wanted to grab Acelia off of him. But, I stopped myself the moment I saw my daughters. Trying not to alarm them, I tried to remain calm, almost passive, as I stood before him.

  “No,” he scowled as his low deathly tone marked the whole room to become silent.

  “What’s going on?” asked my mother timidly a few minutes later. Her voice seemed to drown in the sea of tension that overshadowed the room.

  Ignoring her question, Andriano’s glowering grey eyes remained fixed on me. “Why?” he asked. An echo of silence circulated the room, as Andriano’s overpowering body seemed to bloat with anger.

  “Put my daughter down now," I said through pursed lips as I shot thunderous stares at him. His lips became thin as his cheekbones twitched with fury. Hearing the doorbell ring snapped both of us out of our heated staredown.

  “Delivery,” announced the teenager holding a bag of Chinese food in his hands. Walking to the door, Andriano balanced Acelia in his arms like she was as light as the air. Pulling out a wad of cash, Andriano removed the money clip and shuffled through the bills.

  “How much?” he asked.

  “$20.83, sir.” The teen stammered as he rubbed his palm down the length of his jeans.

  Grabbing the money off of the console table, I dashed to the door and said, “You think that you can pay for everything. When are you going to realize that your money cannot solve all of her problems?”

  Sensing more meaning behind my statement, Andriano’s face tightened as his facial muscles flexed. Brushing past my hand, Andriano gave the teenager a crisp $100 dollar bill. “Keep the change,” he spat out before slamming the door. Glaring back at me, Andriano did nothing to hide his anger. The feeling is mutual jackass, I thought as I matched his stare.

  “Mommy, I don’t want Chinese food,” said Olivia.

  Softening his stance, Andriano turned towards Olivia and asked, “What would you like to eat?”

  “She’ll eat what we ordered,” I snapped. Snatching the bag of food from his hand, I looked at Acelia, Jasmine, and Olivia. “Girls, go wash your hands.”

  Dropping Acelia to her feet, Andriano’s steely eyes softened as he watched the girls run towards the bathroom.

  “Mom, can you please make their plates?” I asked. Taking the bag of food from my hands, my mom’s eyes lingered between Andriano and I before walking away.

  Crossing my arms against my chest, I said, “What the hell are you doing here?” Between the both of us, eminence hung closely to the air as he blocked the remaining space between us.

  Taking a step back, Andriano began flexing all parts of his upper body. Minutes passed before Andriano finally spoke. “You kept my daughters away from me.” Nodding his head, Andriano released a sardonic grimace as my eyes went to his balled fists then back up to his face. Slamming his fist against the brick fireplace, I watched as the skin on Andriano’s knuckles tore through. Two of the bricks, that felt the wrath of Andriano’s fist, split down the middle while chips of the reddish kneaded clay landed on the hearth.

  Jumping up, I began backing slowly away from Andriano’s still stance. With his back facing me, I knew that I had to act quick before Andriano took his anger out on me. Looking over my shoulder, my eyes searched for my keys that had a bottle of pepper spray attached. God, where is it? I thought as panic began settling in the moment I realized that my keys were not on the console table.

  Shit…my keys are upstairs. Maybe if I make a quick dash, I could run up the stairs and head straight to my bedroom. But, then again I can’t leave my daughters and mother downstairs. Thinking of a new plan, I never noticed that Andriano was now facing me. His smoldering eyes were now red with anger and rigid with coldness. Trapped under his stare, I began breathing in harder gasps of air. Somehow, the more I breathed in the closer he became. Only inches away from me, Andriano’s air overpowered all of my senses as the distinct smell of a killer invaded my airways.

  Each time that I opened my mouth to speak, my mouth became dry like cotton. Searching for the right words, I struggled to form a sentence that could somehow reduce the tension between us. From a distance, I could hear my daughter’s laughter. Enabling my inner strength to seep through, I finally said, “I will call the police if you don’t leave now.”

  “Call the fucking police,” he roared. Taking another step forward, Andriano’s body towered over me like a skyscraper. His shrewd grey eyes remained assertive as his next words rang loud and clear without preamble, “I’m not leaving here without you and my daughters, so tell the police that shit.”

  “Just who the hell do you think you are? Maybe in your world, you can order people around, but I’ll be damned if you think that you can dictate me and mine. They’re my daughters, and you’ll never have access to them. I’ll kill you first before I allow my daughters to have any part in your fucked up world,” I replied as I backed away from him.

  Wrapping his hand around my wrist, Andriano pulled me into him while he stared down at my squirming body. “Get your fucking hands off of me,” I said through clenched teeth as I attempted to yank myself to freedom.

  Pulling my body closer to his chest, Andriano’s eyes drifted to my parched lips. Moistening his sensual lips with the tip of his tongue, Andriano’s mouth came crashing down onto my lips. The more I fought, the more my body welcomed his every touch and the soft caress of his invading li
ps. Tugging on my bottom lip, Andriano began to suck tenderly as his hand snaked its way underneath my robe. Pressing the flat of his hand against to my rump, a soft moan escaped the depths of my lips. Pushing my lower body to his front, my stomach churned as I felt his hardness grazing my cloth-covered skin. His breathing intensified as his lips pressed harder against my mouth. Finally releasing his hold, Andriano’s lips left a jolt of aftershocks as he rested his forehead against mine.

  “Why?” he asked as his minty breath fanned my lips, causing the tantalizing coolness to linger. Lowering my eyelids, I couldn’t escape the banter of emotions clouding my better judgment. “Look at me,” he softly commanded, as his cobalt colored eyes trumped over the fight that I direly wanted to put up. Framing my face in the palms of his hands, Andriano tilted my face to look at him. Drowning in the sea of his transparent hues, I became captivated by the longing that hid in the currents of his gaze.

  “Mommy.”

  Snapping out of his hypnotic trance, I reluctantly backed away from him the moment that I heard Acelia’s voice. Her eyes swept back and forth between Andriano and me before finally settling on me.

  “Mommy my stomach hurts,” she muttered while rubbing her stomach before leaning forward and vomiting.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Andriano

  Moving quickly to our daughter, Simone and I stood before her tiny body before I swept her off of her feet. Trembling in my arms, I held on tighter to my daughter as Simone reached for her hand.

  “I’ll take her,” Simone said as she reached for her. Clinging snuggly to my chest, my little bambina used what little strength that she had left remain in my arms.

  “Where’s the bathroom?” I turned to Simone as I walked towards the stairs.

  “Upstairs, first door to your left,” she replied with apprehension in her tone. Taking two steps at a time, I entered the spacious bathroom that clearly had the markings of all of our daughters. From the pigmented shades of pink shower curtains to the individual baskets with each of our daughters’ names on it, this bathroom was ultra-feminine. Pushing the curtain to the side, Simone turned the shower faucet on as I sat on the bathtub ledge. Balancing our daughter on my lap, I held her close and wished that I could trade places with her. Looking up at Simone, she held a compassionate and nurturing expression as she carefully took care of her.

  “Baby, you have to take a bath. You have to be mommy’s big girl, okay?” Simone asked as she lathered soap onto a washcloth until it became suds.

  Nodding her head weakly, Simone lifted our daughter’s shirt off and over her head. Sliding her pants down her legs, Simone lifted our daughter off of my lap and placed her in the warm water. Cleansing her body, Simone tenderly showered our daughter despite her series of whimpers.

  Kneeling in front of the tub, I held onto our daughter’s hand to calm her whimpering. “Mommy’s almost done. Keep being a big girl for me,” Simone whispered softly to our daughter.

  Wrapping the towel around her, I held onto her as Simone led me to their daughter’s bedroom. Observing the modest bedroom, I looked at the furnishing that occupied the space. All three beds were aligned and neatly made with different color bed settings. Stopping at the bed in the center Simone pulled back the bedding and I laid her down. Walking towards the dresser, Simone pulled out some clothes and rushed back to the bed. Dressing her, Simone and I remained silent as we tended to our daughter.

  Staring down at one of our most precious creations, I couldn’t help but fall deeper in love with my bella mia.

  As much as I wanted to hate her, I couldn’t bring myself to do so. She gave me three beautiful girls that I fell in love with the moment I saw them. They restored the innocence in me that I thought was long gone. But like my bella mia, they instantly became my weakness—the most intimate part of me that I valued more than my next breath.

  “I’ll be right back,” Simone said as she ran out of the bedroom. Returning shortly after, she placed a pail with water and soap on the side of the bed. Removing the pouch from under her arm, Simone pulled out a thermometer and coached our daughter to slide the stick under her tongue. After a minute or two passed, Simone silently read the thermometer.

  Unable to read Simone’s expression, I became fearful of what the test revealed. “Does she have a temperature?” I asked, harsher than I would’ve liked.

  “No, she does not have a temperature.”

  Exhaling, I was relieved to know that our daughter was okay. Almost instantly, I reached for Simone’s hand and brought it close to my lips before dropping kisses of appreciation against her skin. Moving away from me, Simone pulled her hand out of my grasp. Standing up, Simone crossed her arms and stared straight through me with her darkened eyes. “You need to leave.”

  Releasing our daughter’s hand, I stood up and looked down at her face. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  In a sick and twisted way, I was extremely turned on by Simone’s assertiveness. Feeling my cock strain tightly against my pants, I attempted to change the subject. “What are their names?”

  “Why?” she asked, alarmed by my question.

  “Because they’re my daughters.”

  “You need to lea—” she began. A soft knock on the door interrupted her next statement.

  “Are you okay?” Simone’s mother asked as she peeked her head into the room.

  “Yes, I’m fine. We’re done here,” she said dismissively before breaking our eye contact.

  ~****~

  Simone

  After kicking the covers off of my legs for the third time tonight, I dreadfully dragged my eyes towards my bedroom door. I still can’t believe that Andriano and I are under one roof, separated by a door. Despite threatening to call the police a few times, Andriano still remained cool and firm. If it were not for my daughters, I would’ve gladly allowed the police to haul his ass off of my property. But, the last thing that I wanted to do was cause a spectacle that would have the neighbors talking forever. The last thing that my daughters needed was to be awakened by the police.

  ~****~

  Yawning, I couldn’t believe that I was functioning despite spending the whole night in my daughters’ bedroom. Positioning a chair to tilt under the doorknob and balance on its back two legs, I watched the door the whole night while I sat and leaned my back against the wall. Staring at the clock on their wall, I watched, as 1:00 AM became 6:30 AM. The moment 6:45 AM rolled around, I woke each of my daughters up and hauled them into the bathroom with their clothes in my hands. After, I took them into my bedroom and proceeded dress in my scrubs. Looking over at their sleepy faces, I knew that they did not deserve any of this. Walking down the stairs, I held on tight to my bag as I led them out the backdoor of the kitchen. The last thing that I wanted to do was wake Andriano up. Sleeping on the couch, Andriano propped himself to spend the night in my home.

  Walking towards my car, I dropped my bag as I saw Andriano leaning against the passenger door with his arms crossed around his broad chest.

  “Andriano, I’m going to be late for work. Can you please move?”

  “Why do you have Acelia out of bed when she was sick last night? Where are you going?” He asked as his eyes scanned over me curiously.

  Looking down at my daughters, I knew that combating with Andriano was not the best move. Going against my immediate reaction, I answered, “I have work this morning, and the girls attend their summer program.”

  “Come on girls,” I said as I brought them to the driver side of my car and opened the back door. Securing them inside of their booster seats, I closed the door and looked up at Andriano’s penetrating stare. “Acelia is feeling better this morning. Wait—how do you know her name?”

  Leaning against the roof of my car, Andriano look like he could crush the car if he really wanted to drop his weight. Without missing a beat, Andriano said, “I spent the entire night going through the photo albums and reading your journal entries about them.” “Damn it, Simone, I’m their father and I have a r
ight to know about my daughters. You took that away from me for the past five years.”

  “You had no right going through my personal stuff. How dare you go through my drawers and read my journal,” I all but shouted.

  Rubbing the flat of his hand down his face, Andriano said, “For five years, I would drink myself into a stupor, just so that I could forget about what I made you do that day. Hell, I fucking struggled to sleep at night because you haunted my dreams. Being away from you sent me over the edge, and I rather go crazy than to feel that way again.”

  Feeling my eyes sting from holding back my tears, I said, “My only concern is my daughters. And if you have any ounce of decency in you, please just leave. Leave us alone.”

  Shaking his head, Andriano replied, “I love you and my daughters too much to walk away.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Simone

  Sitting across from Shannon in the staff lounge, I asked, “Hypothetically speaking, if I wanted to file a petition to have a restraining order placed against a person, how would I go about doing so?”

  Choking on her water, Shannon grabbed a tissue from her lunch bag and dabbed the sides of her mouth and chin dry. “Girl, what’s going on? Spill the tea.”

  Trying to hide all signs of emotions, I threw a skeptical glance at Shannon before saying, “There is nothing to spill Shannon. I just wanted to know because I have a friend who is going through something right now.”

  Her eyes lingered over me a few second longer than necessary before saying, “Well, your friend would have to prove that she is being harassed or assaulted.”

  “What if children are involved? Can it be extended to them as well since they are minors?” I asked.

  Shannon leaned forward on her elbows and dropped her voice low before asking, “Are you sure this has nothing to do with you?”

  “I’m sure Shannon,” I answered quickly before repeating my earlier question.