Dipping Into Sin 2: Digging Deeper Into Sin (7 page)

Taking a deep breath, I made eye contact
with each of my beautiful daughters before saying, “This is my mommy.” 

Turning around to face her, Acelia pressed
her small body against my thigh as she looped my arm to cover the side of her
face. For no reason other than assurance and comfort, Acelia bashfully hid her
shy face from my mother.

Prompted, my mother took a step forward as
if she was stepping into an unknown virtual world. Kneeling before them, my
mother stared at each of her granddaughters with unshed tears casting over her
eyes.  

            “I can’t believe how big you girls are,” my
mother said in
admonishment
as she took in the sight of
my daughters.

            An awkward silence emerged as my mother stared at
each of my daughters. For the first time since picking her up from the airport,
I couldn’t believe how much she’s aged within the last five years. Her hair was
now cut in a short afro and was sprinkled with more gray strands since the last
time that I saw her. Although she was always on the slimmer side, my mother had
clearly lost more weight since our years apart. Even as a smile dressed her
lips, she still had a sadness that filled her eyes. 

“This is my best friend, Victoria. She’s the
girls’ godmother,” I gestured over to Victoria direction.

            “It is nice to finally meet you,” exclaimed
Victoria as she drew her hand out to my mother. Standing to her feet, my mother
grasped her hand and nodded her head.

            Turning around to focus on the girls, my mother
asked, “Why don’t you tell me your names?”

            “My name is Olivia,” Olivia said as she stepped
forward to greet my mother.

“I’m Jasmine,” she announced proudly.

            “Jasmine. So you must be Acelia,” she gestured to
Acelia, who still held my arm over her face.

            “Aww, baby. You don’t have to hide your beautiful
face,” my mother urged as she stepped closer to Acelia. Tightening her grip,
Acelia buried her face deeper into my arm.

            “CeCe, you don’t have to be afraid,”
I kneeled beside her and pulled
her into a
hug. Rising, I walked closer to my mother and said, “This is Grandma.”

“That’s what Mommy calls Nana,” Olivia stated
with a confused expression plastered against her face.

            “Livy, my mommy, is your grandmother,” I said in
my best attempt to explain to a five-year-old.

            “But, Nana is my grandmother. I don’t want a new
one,” expressed Jasmine in a panicked tone.

            “Nana is still your grandmother. You just have
another grandmother,” I responded.

            “Nana is my mommy,” explained my mother as she
kneeled before Acelia and Jasmine.

“Where’s Nana?” Acelia whispered in my ear.
Turning to face CeCe, I could only break a sad smile and rub her arm.
How am
I going to explain this to them?  

Chapter Sixteen

Andriano

           
“The Baxter Estate has the most beautiful
view of the lake. The property has this elegant French Chateau architectural
style. At approximately 17,000 square feet, this property is guaranteed to be
off the market soon,” said Annette Stone, the luxury realtor. Eric Smith, the
concierge at the hotel where I was staying, highly recommended her. This was
the same spiel that she gave about the last three estates that we saw.  

“How do you feel about this house Mr.
Balducci?”

            “I’ll take it,” I answered as I wrestled with the
idea of what kind of home that Simone would like. Hell, after five years apart,
I don’t even know Simone’s likes and dislikes. I don’t know if she preferred to
live in the outskirts of Charlotte. But, I did know that I wouldn’t force
Simone to move back to New York. Shit, if she doesn’t like this house, I would
gladly buy her whatever she wanted, just as long as we could build a life
together.

            “Great, when will you able to come to the office?”
she said, as she gave off the perkiest smile as she pulled out her smartphone.

            “How quickly can I get the keys to the house?”

“We will have to discuss it with the banks,
fill out paperwork, get supporting documents, and have sign-offs. All in all,
it can take up to two weeks,”  

“I don’t have two weeks. It will have to be
as soon as today. I’ll even pay 10% above asking price. My lawyers will get in
contact with you and will process all money transactions. I’ll make sure to
double your commission for your troubles,” I said as I pulled my phone out and
sent a text message to Kevin. With glassy eyes, Annette Stone looked as if she
just came off of a roller coaster.

“Will you be able to do it or not?” I asked
impatiently as she stood before me in a daze.

“Well, yes, of course. I’ll get started
right away,” she said as she walked towards the kitchen.  

~****~

“Well Mr.
Balducci, here are your keys and welcome to your new home,” announced Annette
Stone as she handed me the key to the estate. Looking back at the house, I knew
that this was
our
home. A home that Simone and I would build together.

            After walking Annette
Stone to the door, I immediately contacted Kevin and instructed him to connect
me with our IT personnel to hook up the security system. Once that was done, I
contemplated contracting an interior designer. In the end, I opted against the
idea. This is Simone’s house, and she’ll decorate it however she sees fit.

            Hopping into the car, I
prepped myself for the reluctance that was sure to follow the moment I knocked
on Simone’s door. If the past few weeks did not make my intentions clear to
her, I intended to make it clear to her today that I’m not going anywhere
without her by my side. No one, not even her grandmother, was going to stand in
the way of that.

            Speeding down the
highway, I finally made it onto her block. Looking at her house, a sense of
relief washed over me when I saw her car parked in front. Parking behind her
car, I determinedly walked up the stairs and banged on her front door. After a
few seconds of waiting, I banged on the dank screen door again.

            The moment the second
door opened, I braced myself to see Simone’s grandmother. Instead, I was
greeted by a middle-aged woman who said, “Hello, how can I help you?”

“I need to speak
with Simone.”

Puzzled by my
forwardness, she asked, “Is she expecting you?”

 “Yes, she is,” I
lied, as she unlocked the screen door.

“Oh okay, please
come in.” She said with a pleasant smile.

            Walking into the modest home, I took in all of
the pictures that covered the walls. Besides the toys that were scattered all
over the den floor, the place had a homely feel. 

            “Please excuse the mess,” she said as she
scurried around the room to move the toys to the side. “I’m, Simone’s mother.
And you are?” she asked as she stretched her hand out.

            “Andriano.”

            “Grandma, Grandma, Grandma,” screeched a little
girl from the opposite direction.
Grandma…what the fuck?
Spinning
around, all of the air escaped from within me as I locked eyes with the grey-eyed
girl who had long dirty blond hair.  Pushing her way to stand between Simone’s
mother and me, I continued to stare at my little beauty.

            “Yes, Acelia?” asked Simone's mother. Staring at
every part of her small face, I suddenly felt the accelerated thumping of my
heartbeats blaring in my ears. From her nose to her lips, everything about this
little girl mirrored me. Her skin was very fair compared to my olive
complexion, but she was undoubtedly mine.  
This can’t fucking be our—no it
can’t be,
I thought as I tried to blink away the daunting image of the
little girl’s face.

            “Jazzy won’t let me use the orange crayon to
color the princess’s hair. She’s being bossy again,” said the little one as she
pouted her mouth in dissatisfaction. Feeling protective, I wanted to ask her
‘Who’s messing with you? Who the fuck is Jazzy?”

            “Is this Simone’s daughter?” I managed to ask
after through clenched teeth.

            Staring at the little girl with adoration in her
eyes, she answered, “Yes, this is one of my grandbabies.”

            “One of them?” I asked confused by her answer.
Feeling my face growing hot, I couldn’t wrap my head around the sight before
me.

            “How old are you?” I asked the little girl after
containing my emotions.

            “Five,” the little girl turned to me and held her
five fingers up in the air proudly. Feeling my throat grow dry, I shook my head
in disbelief.

            Just then, two other little girls ran towards the
middle-aged woman with crayons in their hands. Sweeping my eyes from left to
right, right to left, I watched as another little girl with the same dirty
blond hair and piercing grey eyes turned to look at me.

            “You have the same color eyes as me and CeCe,” she
said innocently, as the little girl, who was unmistakably my daughter smiled.
Her
smile
. Her beautiful smile awoke something deep in my soul as I vowed to
always make sure that she continued to smile like this.

            Kneeling before her, I said, “Yes, you do. What
is your name
bella stella
(beautiful star)?

            “Bella? My name is not Bella. It’s Jasmine,” she
affirmed. A smile tugged at my lips as I looked at my little
bambina
who
had a feisty attitude like her mother.
Her mother…where the fuck is she?

            “What are you doing here?”

Grinding my teeth, I turned to look at
Simone’s stunned face. Feeling the anger boiling inside, I clenched my fists in
and out. Each time that I blinked my eyes, Simone became a distorted image. A
soft palm from a small hand brushed against my knuckles causing the anger that
brewed within to subside. Reluctantly, I turned my eyes away from Simone’s
hostile rays. Looking down at the little girl, my eyes wavered over the beauty that
was a perfect blend of Simone and me. Her intense true green eyes were a
remarkable contrast against her honey complexion and dark curly hair. The only
other person in my family who had the same eyes was my little sister Katarina. In
each generation of the Balducci family, one member of the family would have
distinct true green eyes. The only other member of my family, who could attest
to this random genetic trait, is Nicolai’s father, Zio (Uncle) Salvatore. Now
it’s…
my
daughter
. Everything around me seemed to be non-existent
as it dawned on me…
Simone was pregnant with triplets. She kept our babies.
  

“My daughter…my daughters,” I murmured, as I
struggled to face reality. Her arms stretched above her head as if she was
signaling for me to pick her up. Bending forward, I picked the little girl up
and embraced the feeling of love exploding in my heart. Resting her head
against my shoulder, I couldn’t hide the instant emotions that detonated inside
of me.
How could Simone keep our babies away from me?

            “Put my daughter down right now,” Simone flew down
the stairs and stormed over to me.

            “No,” I said through clenched teeth.

Chapter Seventeen

Simone

3
hours earlier

            “I wish that I could’ve stayed longer Simone,”
Victoria stressed as I placed her bag in the trunk of the car.

            “Vic don’t sweat it. I’m so sorry that we didn’t
get a chance to do much while you were out here,” I contended. Victoria was
more than helpful throughout the whole time that I was in the hospital with
Grandma. The girls took advantage of every moment of her being out here as they
got to play with makeup, get their nails painted, go to the movies, and
convince Victoria to do anything that they wanted to do.

Grandma was still in a coma, but she did
have positive brain waves in her last scan. We were all hopeful and had faith
that she would regain consciousness soon. Since being out here, my mother has
been by Grandma’s side. Somehow, her presence in our house helped the girls to become
adjusted to the idea of having another grandmother. Before long, they were calling
on her for everything. My mother reveled in every moment of the attention that
she received from them.

            “I’m always happy to be with my divas. I’m going
to miss them,” Victoria admitted as she buckled her seatbelt. 

            Pulling out of the parking spot, we each became
lost in our own thoughts as I drove along the highway.

            “Simone, I left the tape recorder and tapes in
your dresser drawer. I want you to listen to the tapes,” she jested out after a
moment of silence between us.

            “What is on the tapes?” I asked, remembering the
tapes that she was referring to a few days ago.

            “I would much rather you hear the tapes for
yourself,” she pleaded.

            Nodding my head, I smiled at Victoria and gave
her a tight hug. After bidding her farewell, I drove straight to the hospital
to check on Grandma. Walking into the room, I watched as Grandma’s still body
remained unresponsive.

            “We all miss you, Grandma,” I said as I massaged
her legs and feet. “The girls keep asking for you. I told them that you’re
resting. But, now it is time for you to come back. Come back, Grandma.”

            A knock on the door interrupted my begging. Looking
up, I placed Grandma’s foot down and as I walked over to where Andre stood.
Wrapping his arms around me, I embraced the hug that engulfed my whole body the
moment he pulled me into him. Dropping a kiss on my lips, I looked up into his
eyes with great appreciation for the support that he gave me during this time.

            “How are you feeling today?” he asked as he
released me.

            “I’m fine. Just tired,” I replied.

            “Any news on your grandmother?”

            “No,” I exhaled. “But, I guess no news is good
news.”

            Turning to look at my grandmother, I walked back
over to her bed and massaged her hand. The sound of his ringtone broke my
concentration as I looked away from Grandma.

            “I…uh…have to take this call,” he mumbled before
walking out of the room.

            “I can’t wait until you meet Andre. You’ve always
been good at reading people. I think that you’re going to like him,” I began as
I twirled her wrist in circular motions.

A few minutes later, Andre rushed into the
room and said, “I have to go. I'll call you later.” Racing out of the room,
Andre did not wait for my response.
That’s strange.

~****~

            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
lips. 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.