Nothing Even Matters (D'Amato Brothers Book 6) Read online

  Nothing Even Matters

  by

  Vera Roberts

  Copyright

  For BESM.

  © 2016 Vera Roberts, All Rights Reserved

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Other Titles by Vera Roberts

  The Breakaway Series:

  Breakaway

  Game Misconduct

  Face-Off

  Power Play

  Scoring Chance

  The D’Amato Brothers Series:

  The Nanny

  To Love and Obey (BDSM)

  Where I Wanna Be

  All I’ve Ever Wanted

  Love

  The D’Amato Brothers/S&M Crossover (BDSM):

  Anticipation

  Yes, Master

  I Need You

  The Jackson and Liane Series:

  Daddy’s Angel

  Fire We Make

  When Love Calls

  The Scott & Mariana Serial (BDSM):

  S&M

  S&M II

  Discipline

  S&M III, Vol. I

  S&M III, Vol. II

  S&M IV, Part 1

  The Ex-Factor

  The State of Affairs Series:

  State of affairs

  Superpower

  Standalone Novels:

  Feeling Some Type of Way

  I Knew You Were Trouble

  Wait for Love

  Short stories:

  Blow by Blow: Diary of a Call Girl #1

  Blow by Blow: Diary of a Call Girl #2

  Dear Diary

  Gettin' It

  Hot Like Fire (Sweet and Clean Romance)

  The Train Ride (Free on Smashwords.com)

  The Erotic Intoxication, Vol. I: Bad Girls

  The Painter

  Til Tomorrow

  Facebook Page:

  www.facebook.com/ms.vera.roberts

  Blog:

  www.veraroberts.com

  eroticamistress.tumblr.com

  Blurb

  Eli D’Amato is content spending Christmas by himself. His children are visiting relatives and it leaves Eli some much-needed quiet time before he gears up for NYE celebrations. When a visit from his acrimonious ex-wife ruins those plans, they have an unforgettable Christmas.

  The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world. -Marianne Williamson

  It’s Like That

  It was him, his notepad and pen, and The Emotions.

  Eli D’Amato focused on his goals for the upcoming year as he listed as many things possible. He always made a rule – list goals he knows he should attain, the goals he will attain, and the ones that are impossible. It was a guarantee he was going to complete at least one from each category.

  “What Do The Lonely Do at Christmas” blared in his corner office at Madre’s Manhattan headquarters while a steaming cup of hot cocoa was carefully placed on a corner of his desk. After a holiday gathering for the Madre’s employees, it was just Eli alone in the shop.

  Gain ten pounds of muscle.

  Eli knew he probably didn’t need to gain anymore weight. After working out for years, he was finally happy with his physique – not too bulky, but not too skinny. He kept his muscular build rather streamlined and was happy with the results. Still, it didn’t hurt him to become a bit more in shape. With his mother’s famous cuisine, Eli needed all the help he could get.

  Start saying no.

  That was always a stickler for Eli. While Joey had no problem turning down requests, Eli always wanted to accommodate people, even against his better judgment. Was he really going to say no to Girl Scouts of America? Was he really going to say no to Make-A-Wish Foundation? Was he going to turn down a grieving widower who wanted last minute flowers for his wife’s grave?

  It was why Madre’s the primer floral shop in all of New York. It was why the eponymous reality show was a smash hit, averaging 15 million viewers every week. It was why the D’Amato family was wealthier, and Eli’s fortune grew from $25 million to well over $300 million in just a few years.

  Of course, the money wasn’t all Eli’s. Whatever he had, so did his four brothers and mother. They were all wealthy on their own but Eli wanted a fair playing field between them. His fame was theirs. His money was theirs. Everyone loved how Eli was so personable despite his wealth and fame.

  He made a correction: Start saying no. Start trying to say no.

  He took a sip of the peppermint hot chocolate and thought about his next goal. It was disconcerting how easily it came to his head and the thought made the soothing beverage taste suddenly chalky. He put down the cup and began writing again.

  Start dating again.

  The thought made him feel uncomfortable. Only 33, Eli was certainly young enough to entertain a girlfriend or two (or five). While he’d briefly dated – and got his face plastered in the gossip blogs because of it – Eli wasn’t sure if settling down was a goal he wanted to attain. He was still reeling from his divorce and the hefty child support payments were a reminder why maybe he should stay single for the rest of the his life.

  While he had no shortage of action – his bed was never empty and his dick stayed wet – having a girlfriend meant a commitment he didn’t want to give to anyone. God was his first love, followed by his children, brothers and mother, then Madre’s. He simply didn’t have time for any woman in that.

  “I thought you would’ve been long gone by now,” Joseph “Joey” D’Amato entered the shared office with his brother. President and COO of Madre’s, Joey was the brains behind the business. Their mother, Nicola, was the face, while Eli was the talent behind the designs. Joey also acted as Eli’s manager, brokering million-dollar deals for his younger sibling.

  “Doing my goals for next year,” Eli replied. “I’ll be out of here soon, though.”

  “That was nice what you did for the employees,” Joey added, “I know those bonuses are going to come in handy for a lot of families.”

  “Not everyone is like us and I remember how we each didn’t get a lot of gifts growing up.” Eli replied. His family grew up poor when their father left at a young age, leaving Nicola to raise five sons on her own. “If I can just help one family, I did God’s work.”

  “The main man.” Joey replied. “Well, I’m about to get out of here. Zoe’s cooking up some Chinese soul food shit and I just pray to God I don’t get food poisoning. You’re welcome to join us if you like?”

  “Okay, what you just said?” Eli softly gesticulated. “No.”

  Joey laughed. “If I have to suffer, so do you, bro.”

  “I’ll take a rain check. I’ll see you on Sunday,” Eli noted. Their mother was having a big Italian feast on Christmas and all of the brothers and their families were invited (read: show up or I’ll hound you forever).

  “See you Sunday!” Joey left the office.

  Eli continued to work on his goals until he had a nice, long list. Even if he only completed three goals, he had something to work towards and keep him motivated throughout the year.

  The Pandora station switched to Luther Vandross’s “At Christmas Time,” and it was a sobering reminder why Eli put dating as a goal of his. He suddenly remembered when he came home and saw his wife ba
king cookies in a naughty Santa outfit she’d picked up from Frederick’s of Hollywood. Eli chuckled as he thought about Faith almost burned her nipples when she pulled out the cookies from the oven because the apron barely covered her lace teddy.

  “You think it’s so funny, don’t you?” She chided as Eli kept laughing. “I hope you’re laughing when I have to go to the ER.”

  “You’re not burned, Faye,” Eli went to the freezer and pulled out an ice cube. He removed his wife’s apron and traced the cube over her breasts. “But I know just the thing to cool you off.”

  Faith bit her lip and tried to keep still. “You’ve been watching too much Do The Right Thing.”

  Eli lifted Faith’s gaze to his and brushed his lips across hers. “You can be Tina to my Mookie.” He picked her up and carried her to the living room.

  “And what are you doing?” She asked.

  Eli climbed on top of his wife. “Everything, I hope.”

  “Eli,” the security guard, Tyrell, interrupted Eli’s memory and he was grateful for the interruption. “You have a visitor.”

  “I do?” Eli glanced at his Cartier watch. It was nine o’clock at night and Madre’s typically closed for business at seven. “Who?”

  “She says she’s Amy Sheppard,” Tyrell shrugged, “do you know her?”

  “Yes.” It was Faith’s mother. Amy didn’t typically visit Madre’s or Eli for that matter. For her to make a special guest appearance, something was wrong. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  You Got Me

  It had been a long time since Amy Sheppard visited Madre’s.

  She used to come to the shop all the time and ordered flowers for the church where her husband and Faith’s father, the Reverend David Sheppard, ministered. Every Sunday, the church was filled with fresh roses, daisies, and some exotic plants from other places. At the end of every Sunday, Amy gave the flowers away to the parishioners, increasing Madre’s income by word-of-mouth.

  When her only daughter and Eli divorced two years ago, Amy stopped coming around to Madre’s, though she missed their flower selection and service. She tried another floral shop and was so irritated by the piss-poor quality of flowers, she almost left a scathing review on Yelp. The Lord taught her better.

  Now standing in Madre’s, holding her finest pecan pie and silently wondering how much hell she was going to catch from Faith, Amy hoped her mission would have one good outcome. Even if Faith temporarily hated her, at least Amy was able to get rid of one of her pies.

  She glanced up when she heard footsteps down the stairs. She smiled at her former son-in-law and rushed over to give him a hug. “Eliodoro!” Amy set down the pie and wrapped him into a bear hug. “It’s been so long!”

  Amy was grace personified. Long, natural hair that was always pinned up in a loose bun. A slim figure she accentuated with the best and most flattering ensembles, and a voice that was smooth like butter. “It has,” Eli wrapped his arms around her back. Amy always gave the best hugs, second to his mother. “What can I do for you?”

  “First, for you,” she handed him the pecan pie, “freshly made and not store bought.”

  “You came through with my favorite!” Eli lifted the foil and sniffed. It smelled like heaven. Amy always made the best pies. “Thank you so much!”

  “You’re very welcome.” Amy smiled. “Now I’m here on a bit of business.”

  “Oh?” Eli wasn’t planning on taking any orders until after the New Year but he would make an exception for Amy. There he went again; he just didn’t know how to say no.

  “Not professional business, personal.” Amy stated. “I know things between you and Faith have been acrimonious to say the least.”

  To say the very least. Eli hadn’t personally spoken to his ex in well over two years. “Yes?”

  “I don’t know if you’re aware of this or if you even care, but Faith is caught up with that basketballer, Jeremy.” Jeremy Griggs was the A-list star athlete of the Los Angeles Lakers and was primed to take his team to another championship. He was also a notorious womanizer with a rumored son.

  He and Faith met at a nightclub and struck up a whirlwind romance. He proposed after six months of dating with an enormous 10-carat ring and Faith was soon spotted looking at L.A. homes.

  While Eli knew about the relationship via his brothers, he never publicly commented about it. In fact, he didn’t even privately commented on it. He didn’t want to give Faith any reason to turn their already cool relationship into something worse.

  Instead, Eli used his IG page to promote Madre’s. He took pictures with his children. He had a few photos with other celebrities he was close with. And plenty of pictures with his brothers, including the ever-elusive and ultra-private Nick.

  Any pictures of Faith were way down the history. Eli didn’t erase them because erasing them meant she never mattered to him at all and he knew that simply wasn’t the truth. But he never spoke of her, good or bad.

  Now her mother was forcing Eli to say something. “Hmm?”

  “Eliodoro, you’re the reason why Faith is leaving Harlem,” Amy replied.

  Eli scoffed. “Doubtful. Faith has plenty of reasons to stay in Harlem. She has her shop, her family, her friends, plenty to do here.” He shook his head. “She wants to leave with her basketballer, she can. She’s grown and she do can whatever she likes.”

  “Faith doesn’t love Jeremy, Eliodoro.” Amy insisted as she walked around the Madre’s shop. “She thinks because he’s rich, a bit rough around the edges, and the life of the party wherever he goes, that’s what she likes.” Amy turned to her former son-in-law. “What my Faith doesn’t understand is that what she likes, only you have. She’s searching for you in all of these different men she dates and complains about why they don’t last or they don’t turn out the way she’d expected.”

  Eli dismissed Amy’s concern. Faith has had more boyfriends than he could count since their divorce and she didn’t seem like she missing him at all. “I don’t understand where I come in all of this?”

  “You’re the reason why Faith is leaving,” Amy walked up to him. “And you’ll be the reason why she stays. You can act hard and standoff-ish with everyone else, Eliodoro, but I know you. I knew you when you were the 17-year-old boy with ponytail and baggy clothes. I remember how embarrassed you were because of how poor your family was and didn’t want to expose Faith to it. She didn’t care. She loved you, anyway.

  “And even through the mess with Simone and Darren, when Faith acted out, when they tried to embarrass you both, you protected her. Any man would’ve given up on his marriage and believe me, Faith gave you plenty of reason to. But you stood by her. You – if I remember your words – waited for her to act right.” Amy’s voice was warm like a cup of hot tea. “You’ll be the only reason why she’ll stay here.”

  Eli slowly shook his head. For years, he refused to participate in Faith’s games. She was the one that filed for divorce; he abided by her wishes. She got the home, the car, shared custody of the kids, and a hefty child support check. Whatever she wanted to do with her life, it was not his concern.

  When he lost his marriage, Eli found God again. He became a regular member at his Catholic church and attended mass whenever he could. He focused more on his business, numerous endorsements, and the reality show to no longer care what Faith was up to. He became one of the world’s most eligible bachelors and it wasn’t news to him. He played up his dashing good looks into donating to charity by auctioning off a date with him.

  It was a success until word got back to Faith and her friends, who took turns in various social media accounts on the “thirstiness” of the date. He didn’t know if Faith was intentionally being hateful or if she surrounded herself with bitter, lonely bitches who had nothing better to do than to be behind a keyboard, stalking him all day.

  He found it comical – the people who claimed hated him, were the ones watching him the closest. It was then Eli decided all communication would be via a lawyer. “Wha
t is that you’re expecting from me, Amy?”

  “Faith still loves you, Eliodoro. She’s acting out because she knows she messed up.” Amy turned to face her former son-in-law. “She’ll be coming over to your house soon. She wants you to sign off papers to relocate to L.A.”

  “She can go to L.A. all she wants.” He stated. “My babies are staying here.”

  Amy walked over and gave Eli a goodbye hug. It was the answer Amy wanted. She knew Eli was not going to give up without a knockdown, drag out fight. The couple would be reconciled by Christmas. “We’ll be in touch, Eliodoro.” She left the shop.

  I’m Still Waiting

  He always fucked her. They never made love.

  No, that’s not entirely true. The first time they were together, they made love. Every time after that, it was like if Jeremy was fucking the raw aggression out.

  As he sweated and thrust hard into her, Faith bit her lip and blinked back tears. Sex with Jeremy was always painful. She thought it might have been his large shaft; so big he had to wear Magnum XL condoms.

  No, it wasn’t that.

  Jeremy always fucked her. Even when she was on top, she could only take her time for so long before he yanked her down by her hair and thrust hard into her, as if she bored him with her sex.

  It wasn’t just how aggressive he was. Jeremy’s “dirty talk” wasn’t sexy or hot. He once made a reference how Faith was so tight, she reminded him a size 10 shoe when he fits a 13. Like, who says that?

  They didn’t even make it to the bedroom before Jeremy took Faith on a living room chair. She was glad the chair was comfortable enough, even though she felt her insides were being shredded.

  He’d always fucked her like he was trying to get rid of some ill feeling or bad memory. His eyes were focused straight ahead and he was almost in a catatonic state. It was scary, Faith believed, because she never knew what was inside his head.

  Jeremy grunted a few more times before he yelled out a flurry of obscenities and collapsed beside Faith. As quickly as it began, it was over. Faith thought about the time lapse and could honestly say it was a new record of twenty minutes.