Page 98 of Sweetest Sin
Dominick drove me by it the other day to check on it, and it’s going to top the one in Coral Bay. When he told me he was a major investor in that project, I was in awe. In the hospitality industry, Antonov Enterprises and Russo Property Group—Lorenzo’s company—are spoken about with reverence and respect. To say they are two of the top players in the industry would be an understatement.
“You can call me Peyton,” I say to Lorenzo. “Dominick and I aren’t married. We’re not even engaged.”
I take a bite of my pancake and feel Dominick glare at me, but his possessiveness doesn’t scare me.
Matteo barks out a laugh. “Careful there, bro. You look like you’re about to suffer from a brain aneurysm.”
“Feel free to fuck off,” Dominick mutters, making Matteo laugh harder and Lorenzo join in.
“Daddy, you said a bad, bad word,” Damien says with a laugh.
“Yeah,Daddy.” Matteo smirks. “No swearing.”
Dominick glares at his brother, which only makes Matteo’s grin widen.
“Can I have another pancake?” Damien asks.
Before Dominick or I can answer, Matteo reaches over and grabs one for him, plopping it onto his plate. “Here you go, little man.”
“Thanks.” Damien smiles up at him. “You want a bite?”
He stabs a piece and holds it out for Matteo, who takes a bite without thinking twice, and my heart warms. These men can easily be cruel and cold, yet they’re always loving and caring toward my son, proving that violence is a choice—one my sperm donor chose to make when I was growing up.
“Damn, these are good,” Matteo says. “Did you make them?”
Damien nods proudly. “Daddy and I made breakfast for dinner.” He giggles because he thinks he’s getting away with something when we eat food like pancakes for dinner.
“I got the surveys back,” Lorenzo says, delving into business.
“Not now,” Dominick says. “I’m having dinner with my family. We can discuss business later.”
Lorenzo’s brows shoot up, but Matteo isn’t shocked since that’s Dominick’s go-to answer anytime anyone tries to talk business while he’s with us.
“I need to head into the gym to get some training in before the fight,” Matteo says to Dominick. “Wanna join?”
Before he can answer, I blurt out, “You’re a fighter?”
Thoughts of my sperm donor come to mind, and I wonder if they fight in the same organization.
“Yeah,” Matteo says. “I have a fight coming up in a couple of weeks.”
“What organization are you a part of?” I ask.
“Underground,” he says. “I prefer to fight without rules.” He smirks. “You ever been to a fight?”
I nod. “My dad was a fighter for the World Boxing Association.”
Matteo’s eyes go wide. “Who is he?”
“Bobby Johnson … but everyone called him?—”
“The Executioner,” Matteo finishes for me.
It doesn’t surprise me that he knows who he is. He’s one of the world’s biggest boxers, next to Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather.
“Yep, that’s him,” I say with a shrug.
“Holy shit, that’s insane. He’s amazing.”
