Page 6 of Memento Mori
Another flight, another meeting. Lately, all I’ve been doing was traveling and tending to my adopted father’s wishes. It wasn’t a complaint. My life has been incredible. One full of adventure and luxury, a big change for an orphan. No matter how dangerous, I counted my blessings. It could be so much worse. But I wanted more out of my life than going from hotel to hotel. I wanted happiness, a permanent home, and a family of my own.
Shades of orange and pink filled the cloudless sky as the sun peaked just over the horizon, capturing my attention. It wasn’t often I sat back and enjoyed life or enjoyed the view. Today, at least there were a few moments to breathe before work needed to be done.
Although I loved coming to Georgia, today the schedule was tight, and I would be cutting it close. There were other meetingsscheduled after this one. The jet was instructed to refuel and wait for my arrival. There wouldn’t be enough time with this visit to enjoy time with friends because other urgent matters awaited me. But at least I’d get to see them, if only for a few moments.
The black town car slowed to a stop in front of a home in a neighborhood I’d become familiar with. Although it had been a while since I had a chance to see Chantal and Kira, they had both become like family.
Since meeting them, we’d spoke on the phone about everything from relationships, to shopping, to the overbearing men in our lives—Kira’s husband Demon, Chantal’s boyfriend Razor, and my adopted father, Abasi Sefu. They were like the sisters I never had. But with this trip, there was no time for pleasure.
Abel reached for the passenger side door, but I quickly intervened, grabbing his arm. “Don’t worry about coming in, Abel. These are friends and this is a private matter. I won’t be too long.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t argue.
The driver kindly opened my door and offered his hand as I stepped out of the backseat. With a nod, I conveyed my appreciation for his help. The way people treated me was something I still hadn’t gotten used to after all these years. Doors were opened for me. I dined at some of the finest restaurants in the world and slept in some of the most expensive hotels. Since my father and mother’s deaths, and Abasi raising me as his own daughter, my life had changed drastically.
As I made my way towards the two-story family home, the beautifully landscaped yard caught my attention with its colorful flowers and perfectly trimmed hedges. The beads of dew shimmered under the light of the rising sun. The purple petals of the Morning Glories opened with the sun’s touch.
The place was humble, yet beautiful. It wasn’t too over-the-top. It looked like a place I imagined raising a family in one day if I were to get married and have kids. But with the work I did for Abasi, having a family of my own wasn’t in the near future for me.
After I rang the doorbell, I was greeted with the infectious smile of Daniel, and I couldn’t help but return it. Daniel “Razor” Gonzalez was a member of Demons United MC and the boyfriend of Chantal Douglas-Rizzo.
“Lord am I dead?” he asked with his hands dramatically across his heart as he looked up at the ceiling. “Have you sent an angel to take your good servant home? Are my poor eyes deceiving me, Lord?”
My face lit up with a broad smile, and I couldn’t help but let out a playful, girlish giggle. Daniel was the only man who had the power to make me blush like a schoolgirl, no matter what.
“How have you been, Daniel?” I asked as he escorted me into his home and then towards the kitchen. “It’s been a while.”
“Better now that I’ve seen your gorgeous face.”
I couldn’t help the heat that warmed my cheeks. It had been rare for a man to compliment me, especially one as handsome as Daniel. I was either too nerdy for them to be interested in me or they were deathly afraid of Abasi.
When I stepped into the kitchen, Demon, the president of Demons United, stood and embraced me. “Hey, Austin. How are you?” I asked.
“I’m good, can’t complain,” he said. “Kira will hate she missed you.”
“I will call her later. I can’t say if I will be back in town before the baby is born, but I will call her after. Mr. Sefu would not miss that for anything. Today, there are three other scheduled meetings I must attend after I leave you. I will have to stay overnight in Chicago, then head back overseas for another evening meeting before I can head home. So, I cannot see her this time. You know how Mr. Sefu is. If he can make a move, I’m on top of it.”
That was the truth. I traveled non-stop. Meeting after meeting. It was rare I could sleep in my own bed, but after these few meetings, I would be able to go home after being away for so long.
“That I do.” Austin nodded. “Okay, you ready to start so you can head back out?”
“Yes, if everyone is here.”
I glanced around the kitchen island, smiled, and sat down beside the man with jet black hair, an infectious smile and a piercing gaze that had been fixed on me since I walked in. Seeing him made my heart race uncontrollably.
“Aaliyah, I would like for you to meet Chantal’s brothers. This one sitting beside you, smiling like a Cheshire cat, is Antonio Jr., and the other one is Alessandro.”
My eyes widened, and a smile crossed my face as I met the infamous Antonio Jr. “Hello. It is very nice to meet the both of you. Your sister has told me so much about the both of you.”
Chantal spoke highly of both of her brothers, but the one thing that stuck in my mind was the many exploits of Antonio. Chantal was notorious for speaking about how much her brother jumped from woman to woman, never settling down with one for more than a week. And how much she wished he would meet the woman of his dreams and settle down. She also spoke of the expensive gifts and yellow roses he would send these women when he was done with them. I could see why women flocked to him.
His smile faded, and his complexion turned a deep shade of red when I mentioned his sister speaking to me about them. In a display of embarrassment, he rubbed the back of his neck. Laughter engulfed the room.
“Don’t worry, it was all good.” I lied, but an unusual shyness encompassed me that he may be embarrassed that I might have heard of his exploits.
When a blush stained his cheeks and a breath of relief tumbled from his lips, I knew the right decision was made. Although Antonio wasn’t the man for me, he had no need to be embarrassed about his sex life. He wasn’t in a relationship from my understanding. He had the freedom to sleep with whomever he chose without judgement, especially from me.
“Thank God. She’s got a bad habit of talking way too much about shit she shouldn’t,” Antonio explained. “Anyway, very nice to meet you, Aaliyah...”
