i b9efbdf1c066cc69 (20 page)

Zoe turned to Tiana. “They get violent?”

“They’re brothers,” Tiana replied, “what do you think?”

Moments later, Kieran and Joey emerged out of the office – surprisingly unscathed to the rest of the ladies. “Are you ready to go to lunch?” Kieran approached Tiana.

“Um, sure,” Tiana made fleeting glances between the brothers. “Is everything okay?”

“We cleared the air,” Joey wrapped an arm around Zoe and embraced her, “and

everything’s cool.”

“No more secrets,” Kieran stated.

“No more secrets,” Joey promised as the foursome left the day care.

Margaret and Liz stood next to each other, still eating popcorn. “Now that’s what I need,”

Margaret commented, “I need a debonair man like that!”

Twenty-Four

He wasn’t wearing a tie but at that moment, he would’ve loosened it.

Joey sat in the living room, admiring the pristine state of Zoe’s parents’ home. Pristine?

No. It was perfect. Flawless. Impeccable.

The only thing Joey knew about the city of Bel Air was a place where the Fresh Prince went to go live with his Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv. He had no idea it actually existed. It was wealthier than he imagined and maybe, it was a step-up from the expensive neighborhood of TriBeCa he called home.

It was the home Zoe came from.

Despite how nonchalant Zoe was about her privileged background, her parents’ home was anything but ordinary. A large china cabinet lined up against the wall, filled with pieces Joey estimated had to have been worth several hundred dollars each. Large portraits of art filled up empty spaces of the walls and Joey assumed her parents paid a pretty penny for those pieces as well. And the furniture? Joey wasn’t sure if he should’ve been sitting on it.

It was becoming increasingly warm inside the home.

Joey knew how important it was to make a first impression to Zoe’s parents. It wasn’t a high-school relationship that a girl brought him a guy in hopes to quiet her shotgun-bearing father and impress her Suzy Homemaker-mother. Zoe never brought home too many suitors, only bringing home those who she thought would be around in the future.

Joey took out his handkerchief and blotted his forehead. It was damp.

“Are you nervous, baby?” Zoe walked back into the living room. She was wearing an

apron and drying her hands with a kitchen towel.

“A little,” Joey revealed, “I know how important this is so I want to make a good

impression.”

“You’ve already made a great impression, honey. My parents adore you.” She warmly

smiled.

“Adore me?” Joey asked, with a slight chuckle in his voice. “They don’t know me.”

“They know enough about you.” Zoe sat next to Joey and wrapped an arm around him.

“And what do they know about me?” Joey questioned.

“That you make me happy,” she leaned in for a kiss, “and that’s all that matters.”

“Awww…look at the happy couple!” London came in, holding Alex. “Awww….I love

seeing this!”

Zoe rolled her eyes. “Joey, this is my baby sister, London. London, this is…”

“Yeah, yeah, Joey D’Amato, Madre’s, brother of your boss…” London made her way to

the couple and forced herself between them. “Soooo…when do you plan on making my sister an honest woman?”

“London!” Zoe scolded.

“Well, it’s an honest question,” London defended her intrusion, “you’re knocking on 30

and I’m sure your egg supply is starting to shrivel up.”

“London, if you don’t stop right now…” Zoe warned.

“I’m going, I’m going…” London got up and turned back to the couple. “…welcome to the family, Joey.”

“Thank you, London.” He smiled as she left. “She reminds me a lot of my little brother, Tony. He has the same way of words.”

“Speak first then ask for forgiveness later?”

“Forgiveness?” Joey chuckled. “More like speak first and then duck.”

“Well, dinner is just about ready. Let’s go. My parents will be home soon and they’ll join us at the table.”

“I’m ready.” Joey got up and followed Zoe to the dining room, an elegant display with a large crystal chandelier over a long, rectangular oak table and floor to ceiling windows. Shades of blue and gray completed the décor. Joey finally concluded Zoe’s parents’ home belonged in the Smithsonian.

****

personal and business. “So you’re my daughter’s new boyfriend?” Gavin smiled. “I was wondering if we were ever going to meet you.”

“I respect her decision to having us meet each other when she was comfortable,” Joey slightly shrugged, “she’s the one in charge.”

“Ah, spoken like a smart man.” Gavin nodded approvingly. “Always remember that. The

woman is in charge. Or at least let her believe that she is.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Aoki blinked at her husband. “I’m always in

charge.”

“And like I’ve said, at least let her believe that she is.” Gavin quipped.

“Well, Zoe calls the shots here.” Joey grabbed her hand and caressed his thumb over it.

“She’s the one that’s going to make the major decisions.”

“Better that way,” Gavin nodded, “just take care of the bills and throw enough money towards her way to get whatever she wants and she’ll give you whatever
you
want.” He nodded and winked.

“Um, ew.” London commented.

“I second that emotion.” Zoe replied.

Joey chuckled. “Well, that’s the plan. Though I will admit I finally did convince her to move to New York, though I hope she’ll leave sooner.”

“Oh, that’s right you’re moving to New York!” Aoki beamed. “Have you found an

apartment yet? With all of those trips you’ve been making, I thought something would be of interest.”

“All of those trips?” Joey questioned and turned to Zoe. “Trips?”

“Oh yeah, she’s been going to New York like, what is it, honey? Every couple of weeks or so?” Aoki asked.

Joey slightly turned to his girlfriend. She’s been traveling to New York for how long?

What else was she hiding? Her parents’ initial reaction to him seemed awkward at first but now it started to make sense. He was her little secret.

There was an innate feeling she brought him over for dinner because she
had to
and not because she wanted to. “I didn’t mean to let the cat out of the bag,” he covered. His voice had a twinge of hurt and anger.

Zoe immediately picked up on her boyfriend’s change of demeanor and swallowed a gulp of ice water. “I was going to tell when the time was right.”

“I think it’s a great idea!” London beamed. “She needs to get the heck out of L.A.! I keep telling her she’ll have a better chance of her fashion line succeeding in New York.”

“She will,” Joey agreed, “she most definitely will.”

****

Zoe focused on the road ahead of her. “J, I can explain…”

“Oh, please do.” Joey interrupted. “I would love to hear it.”

Zoe let out a worried breath and swallowed her pride. “I wanted to explore New York on my own without any influence from you.”

“But I didn’t even know you were in town, Zo.” Joey replied back, his tone more crisp and harsh than before.

“You kept your trips to L.A. a secret from Kieran and I don’t see you feeling guilty.”

“Don’t try to turn your fuck-up on me.” Joey bit back. He closed his eyes tight and pushed out a unforgiving breath. “I’m sorry. That came out harsh.”

“I deserve it.” Zoe muttered.

“So I take it when you said you wanted us to live together that was for shits and giggles?”

Joey asked. “I mean if you’re looking for apartments and have been doing so, what’s the point of you living with me, right?”

“Can we not do this now?” Zoe asked.

“Oh when would be a suitable time for you? When you’re already living in your

overpriced, too-small New York apartment in six months?” Joey asked.

Zoe pulled up in her parking space and turned off the engine. She turned towards Joey with anger and hurt in her eyes. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you, J. This is the exact reason why I didn’t want to tell you.”

“Oh, humor me, please.” Joey countered.

“You’re not used to a woman telling you no. You’re not used to a woman who’s not using you for your coins. You’re used to those dumb five-dollar hoes you’ve messed around with who only care that they’re fucking a D’Amato and it doesn’t matter which one.”

“And you want to know something about those dumb five-dollar hoes, Z?” Joey unbuckled his seat belt and opened the passenger door. “They never lied to me about their intentions.” He slammed the door shut.

Zoe got out of her truck and followed closely behind her boyfriend. “You’re not being fair, Joey.” She replied quietly.

“How am I not being fair? I asked you to move in with me and you flat out told me no.”

“You’re asking me to give up my career in LA so I can be your kept woman in New

York,” Zoe locked eyes with him, “that’s not fair. I can’t be who I want to be when I’m with you.”

“My kept woman?” Joey repeated, incredulously. “Really? That’s how you see yourself in this relationship?”

Zoe unlocked the front door and entered inside her condo. “No. That’s how
you
see me in this relationship.” She got up and walked over to the windows. She faced the Los Angeles skyline as she spoke. “You want me to give up my career, my friends and family, my entire life in LA so you can have someone in your bed all the time. You say how much you like my
go-getter
personality, and how
sexy
you find my independence. But the truth is, you don’t.”

“I resent that remark, Z.” Joey didn’t attempt to hide the anger in his voice. “I really fucking resent that remark.”

Zoe turned around and faced her boyfriend. She felt the tension seeping out of him, despite how calm and collected he remained. But what he wasn’t saying verbally, Joey was definitely showing physically. His brown eyes began to have a shade of black to them, as if they were soulless and empty. His lips tightened as if he was trying very hard not to say anything he was going to (or not) regret. He was shockingly obdurate as the heated conversation began to morph into a full-blown argument. They both were running out of patience with the topic and each other. “You resent it because it’s true and I hit a nerve? Or you resent it because you don’t want to admit what we both know.”

“Or maybe I resent it because it’s a complete and unadulterated lie made up by some

fantasy in your head.” He sharply retorted, his voice thick with a festering anger. “I can help you get your career moving. I know people to call, I can buy you a studio and…”

“That’s my point, J.” Zoe walked back to him and clasped his hands within hers. “I don’t
want
you to. Do you know how that would make me look? Any and all success I get would be because I had Joey D’Amato bankrolling me? I’ll be the laughing stock of the industry!”

“Tiana and Kieran are bankrolling you and you don’t seem to have a problem with that.”

Joey’s voice was full of contempt.

“I work for them. They pay me. They are my employers. Big difference, J.” Zoe shook her head. “Why is this so hard for you to comprehend?”

“My girlfriend won’t move there to be with me,” Joey revealed, “so yes, I’m having a bit of difficulty understanding why.”

“Why can’t you move to L.A and open a Madre’s there?” Zoe shot back.

“I’m not based in L.A.,” Joey quickly replied.

“So it’s okay that I drop everything and move here but I ask you to do the same and it’s not even worth discussing?” Zoe hissed a sharp breath. “If I was really your
regina
, your queen…you would treat me as such. Instead, you’re treating me like those five-dollar hoes you used to fuck with. And I’m so sorry I am worth more than multiple orgasms and some damn red bottoms.”

“I have
never
treated you like a ho and that is the
last
time you will accuse me of doing so.” Joey’s eyes had an icy glare to them. “Whatever you wanted, Z, you got it. Those fancy dinners? Those weekend trips? Those fucking god-ugly handbags? You could’ve turned them all down at any given time. Whenever I flew you out there, you were in first-class. If you were one of my
hoes
, you damn sure wouldn’t have received any of that shit.

“And because I want my girlfriend to fly out there and be with me full-time, I’m the bad guy now? Is that it?”

“That’s why you don’t want to move to L.A.?” Zoe felt she was at her wits end. “Joey, admit it. If things don’t work out between us here, you have nothing to lose. You still have your condo, you still have your career, you still have
everything
there. And me? Well, I’m fucked! If we break up, you most certainly won’t pay me to go back to L.A. By that time, Kieran would have hired someone else as his assistant and well, there goes that. You want to stay there because you’re
safe and comfortable
there. You don’t want me to have that same option in L.A. and it’s really unfair.”

Joey rubbed his face and stared up at the ceiling. The argument was going nowhere. He briefly glanced at the large clock on the wall and it was already past one in the morning.

“Madre’s is based out there, Z. The entire family business is based out
there
. My mother doesn’t know anything about the business since I took it over. She is merely the face of it now and that’s it. She only contributes when people want to want to meet with her, other than that, Eli does everything. Eli can’t do designs, meet with vendors, and sit in business meetings. He has enough on his plate as it is. We’re not bringing an outsider on board to run the business because it was decided from the get-go, Madre’s will be family-owned and operated.”

“You can have a store in L.A., Joey. You don’t have to relocate to L.A. just for me. You can get the store going and…” Zoe stopped in the middle of her speech. She knew Joey wasn’t going to move to L.A., regardless of the reasons. It was pointless to present him all of the great qualities about moving to the west coast – the weather, the people, traffic was a little better, being near Kieran and his growing family. All of that sounded good in Zoe’s head and she thought Joey would consider those options.