Page 104 of Sweetest Sin
Peyton
“Wow! This place is insane.”
“Welcome to The Underground,” Dominick says as he guides me through the crowd of people who are all drinking and smoking and …
“Are they placing bets?”
Dominick chuckles. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars get exchanged during the fights down here. When my brother fights, it can get into the millions.”
“But he’s undefeated,” I say as we step into the VIP area, where we’ll be watching the fight. “Why would anyone bet against him?”
According to Dominick, the warehouse where the fight is taking place is owned by the Antonovs. When the last place got shut down, Matteo asked if he could set up a cage here, and Dominick agreed. They host several fights a month, and I was shocked when Dominick told me how much they bring in from the admission alone.
The Antonov brothers are clearly smart businessmen, and I told Dominick that I would love to one day learn all about his business ventures. There’s a reason why their company made several Forbes lists this year.
When I moved in with him, I thought I would be in the middle of a Mafia romance novel, but I quickly learned that the days of Al Capone are no longer, and while they deal with territories and have plenty of illegal businesses, their legitimate businesses overpower the others.
“All businesses are corrupt,” Dominick pointed out one night when we were talking. “Some are just more willing to get dirty to get what they want.”
“They bet against him, anticipating that this will be the time he gets knocked down,” Dominick says when we have a seat on the black leather couch. “People thrive on jealousy. For every person who loves my brother and hopes he wins, there are two hoping he doesn’t.”
“That’s mean,” I say, and Dominick chuckles.
“That’s life.” He presses his palm to my cheek. “The higher up you get, the more people want to see you fall.”
He places a soft kiss on my lips, and I wish we were somewhere private instead of here. From the moment Dominick and I reconnected, I haven’t been able to get enough of him.
Since we returned from our family trip, we’ve settled into a routine of sorts. We have breakfast together, one of us drops Damien off at school, we go to work—where I love learning about everything that is involved in the hotel industry—we have dinner as a family and spend time with Damien until bed, and then we spend the rest of the night lost in each other. Sometimes, life feels so perfect that I can’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop.
“Not here,” he murmurs against my lips when he notices me squirming in my seat. “I don’t share, and not a single person in this place deserves to see an ounce of your pleasure.”
Where we’re sitting is roped off, but we’re close enough to everyone else to see and hear everyone talking and placing bets. We’re surrounded by several of Dominick’s guards, so although people can see us, nobody can get near us.
There are metal detectors at the door, and bouncers check everyone as they come in to ensure nothing goes down.
“Wow, this place is insane!” Brielle says, forcing Dominick and me apart. “About time I get to watch Matteo in action.”
“You’ve never been?” I ask her.
“Nope, I was too young and innocent.” She glares at Dominick. “They’d never let me go anywhere or do anything.”
“It was for your own protection,” Dominick notes.
“Yeah, yeah.” She rolls her eyes. “I can’t wait to see Matteo kick some ass.”
“Both Irvin and Matteo are undefeated,” Dominick says. “It’s going to be a damn good fight.”
“And who are you betting on?” I jokingly ask.
“I have a hundred K on Matteo,” Lorenzo says, walking over with his arm hooked around a beautiful woman’s neck.
He reaches over to Dominick, and they do that weird handshake-with-a-bro-hug thing guys do. Then, he introduces us to …
“This is my fiancée, Hillary,” Lorenzo says, smiling adoringly at the woman, who smiles and shows off her ring. “I proposed last night, and she said yes.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I tell her, standing and giving her a hug. “I’m Peyton, and this is my fiancé, Dominick.”
Dominick gives her a slight nod with no smile, and I glare at him to be polite. Both he and Matteo have mentioned they’re notfans of Lorenzo’s girlfriend—who is apparently now his fiancée—but she seems nice enough.
