Sixteen

 

 

Aria

It’s April in Nevada. The sun is shining and it’s humid as hell but the flowers in the garden are blooming. I snap a couple pictures of each beautiful flower. Today is April twenty-ninth also known as my twenty-first birthday. I’ll be spending it out to dinner with Colby Mathers. He’s thirty-years old and from Florida, here in Nevada for the next few months running a large job his real estate development company took on.

He doesn’t know it’s my birthday and it wouldn’t really matter. While Colby seems like a decent guy, I’m paid to focus on him. While I was training to work the floor, I ran into Colby. He requested me, even after Cecilia told him I am not willing to have sex, and we have gone out a few times. He said he joined La Stella’s Gentleman’s Club because he’s recently divorced and looking for company while he’s in town.

He hasn’t tried anything other than an occasional peck on my cheek and some hand holding. You would almost think we met on a dating site and were taking things slow. I’m not sure why Colby is wasting his time and money on me, but I’m making money, and soon I should have enough to sign up for a couple online classes. Gio was right. He does pay his escorts good… very good. In six months’ time, I should have more than enough to pay for the rest of my college degree, and have some money left over.

I snap a few more photos of the gardens before heading back inside to get ready. When I turn around, I am met with a hard chest. “Jesus, Gio! Ever hear of personal space?”

Gio looks down at me and chuckles. “Are you getting annoyed because you weren’t watching where you were going and ran into me?”

“What do you need?” I ask, trying to get to the point. Gio has been avoiding me for the last couple of weeks, so for him to be here, not avoiding me, he must need something.

“I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday.” He holds out a small box wrapped in silver and pink shiny paper, and I feel a crack in my carefully guarded heart, reminding me I need to keep this man at arm’s length. He made it clear how he feels and now I must move forward. Letting him in will only hurt me in the long run and I’ve been hurt enough.

“You remembered.” I reluctantly take the gift from him.

“Of course, I did. You’re officially of drinking age.” Gio gives me his signature panty-melting wink. “You don’t have to open it now.”

“Oh, well I want to.” I rip open the paper and inside the small box is a key. “A key?”

“It’s to a dark room. I know you like digital prints but I remember you saying you loved using the college’s darkroom.” I told him this one night while we were watching an old black and white movie. That I love and appreciate the new technology but sometimes it’s nice to go at it old school.

“You built me a dark room?” Gio just shrugs like turning an entire room into a darkroom is no big deal, when it is in fact, a big deal. Most of my life I have been given gifts that people expect me to want. Clothes, jewelry, a car. Materialistic possessions wealthy people should want. When I was younger, before my mom met Weston she was different. She would buy me personal gifts like scrapbooks for my pictures. But the longer she was with him, the farther apart we grew. But sometimes, my real mom, the one who knew me, would shine through. One time she bought me a polaroid camera. Weston would bitch every time I would drag it along with me everywhere we went, snapping pictures. The camera would make a loud scraping sound as it would develop, the photo printing right there. I would pull it out and shake the picture as it magically appeared.

I look down at the key sitting heavy in my hand. “Wow! Thank you. I can’t wait to use it. There’s nothing like the feel and smell of real photos.”

“You’re welcome. So, do you have any plans tonight?”

“I’m working.”

Gio frowns and nods. “Ok. Well, Maggie made you a cake. It’s in the kitchen. Make sure you find time to eat a piece.”

“I will. Thank you.” The awkwardness that surrounds us is palpable, so I make the first move to walk away but before I do, Gio stops me, his hand touching my arm, sending a bolt of electricity through me.

“I have some info on your ex-boyfriend. We have a meeting in New York we need to go to. It will be a same day trip, so you will just need the day after tomorrow off.”

I have so many questions to ask but hold them in for now. “Ok, I’ll let Cecilia know. Thank you, Gio.” He gives me a curt nod before sauntering away.

“I have a business dinner I have to attend in two days. I know it’s short notice but I will let Cecilia know I’m willing to pay double for the inconvenience.” Colby and I are sitting at the dinner table. Caesar is only about ten feet away guarding me. You wouldn’t know it unless you knew him. He never looks my way but I know I’m safe no matter where I am because he’s always close. I’ve spent the last two hours pretending Colby and I are at this fancy Japanese restaurant for my birthday but when the waiters came out to sing Happy Birthday and they stopped at the table next to us, it hit me that while I wanted this, to work and be independent, I’m not any happier than I was before. While I am going through the motions of life, I’m not living.

“I can’t. I have a meeting in New York and I don’t know what time I’ll be back.” Colby’s mouth turns downwards into a frown. “I’m sorry.”

“Aria, what’s going on?”

“Nothing. It’s just a last-minute meeting.”

“Not the meeting. Tonight, you seem down. You haven’t spoken more than a handful of sentences the entire night.”

“I’m sorry,” I say again.

“Stop apologizing and tell me what’s going on.” Colby takes my hands in his and for a second I think about what it would feel like to be on a real date with Colby instead of getting paid to escort him to dinner.

“Today’s my birthday,” I blurt out. His eyebrows raise in shock.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“Because I don’t get paid to celebrate my birthday.”

He tilts his head to the side. “I guess sometimes I forget the type of relationship we have,” he mumbles.

“I’m twenty-one today and my life is nothing like I pictured it would be.” Lifting my hands up to his lips, he gives them a soft kiss.

“How did you picture it?”

“In college, majoring in photography. Maybe traveling to Italy for the summer. Dating and hanging out with friends. Visiting art museums and taking tons of pictures to commemorate each new chapter of my life.” I shrug. I’m not sure why I’m telling Colby all this. Maybe because he’s an outsider and I don’t have any feelings one way or another for him.

“I went through some stuff earlier this year and last year and I’m just ready to move forward with my life. Start living again, but it feels like I’m hitting one obstacle after the next.”

“Then you should start living, Aria. Life is too short to not live it how you want to.” And those are my thoughts exactly so why haven’t I started living my life with that mindset?

We finish our dinner and Colby pays the check. A twenty-minute ride in silence later and Colby drops me off at the front door. He leans in close, his lips grazing my cheek softly. “Good night, Aria.”

“Good night.”

I walk inside and find Cecilia sitting at the bar. I sit down next to her and ask Emilio for a Jack and Coke.

“Aren’t you a little young to be drinking such an adult drink?” God, this woman is such a bitch.

“I’m twenty-one today.” I take my drink that Emilio placed in front of me and lift it up, giving Cecilia a fake cheers. I take a large sip of my drink and then I say, “I want to change my profile. I want to add an option to it.”

“Oh yeah? And what would you like to add?”

“Sex. I’m willing to have sex.”

The plane ride to New York is five hours. Gio and I are sitting next to each other in first class and for the first four hours, I read my book while he works on his computer. Exactly one hour before the plane is scheduled to land, he puts it away and turns to me. “Before we arrive, I need to explain to you what I found out and my theories. You need to know what’s going on before we walk through those doors.”

I click off my iPad and close the case slowly. “Ok, you have my attention.”

“Antonio Torino, your ex-boyfriend, is the son of Anthony Torino. His father is a well-known leader.” He says leader but I know what he means. He’s a mob boss for another organization.

“Ok.” Gio pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to me. “My birth certificate?”

“Take a look at who’s listed.”

“Angelo Moretti. I’ve never seen this before. Is this my dad?” All this time, my father’s identity has been written in black and white on my birth certificate. No wonder my mom never gave it to me.

“It would make sense. You said your mom insisted your dad’s life was too dangerous. Angelo Moretti was huge in the mob.”

“Was?”

“He was killed eight months before your mom died.” My heart tightens and hot tears burn my lids, not necessarily for a man I never knew but for a man I would never know.

“Anthony and Angelo were business partners. Your father was worth millions possibly even billions before he died. When did you start dating Antonio?” I think back to when I met him. It was about a month into my Sophomore year. My mom died the first week of May… eight months before that would be…” I gasp loudly causing someone in the row next to us to glare. “…September. He showed up in September, eight months before my mom died. But why?”

“My theory is your dad had shares in the company, and when he died they had to go to somebody or Anthony would get the entire company. My guess is they went to you only you didn’t know. We also found an envelope with attorney information on it. He’s based in New York. I put a call into him and I’m waiting to hear back.”

“But why would Antonio date me? It doesn’t make sense. He never once asked me anything regarding my dad. To be honest, we weren’t even that serious.”

“I’m not sure, Ari. But hopefully we will get some answers today.”

The plane lands and because we are flying back out later today, we have no checked-in luggage; therefore, we are able to get off the plane and grab a taxi. We arrive to a building that reads Torino Real Estate.

“Let me do the talking, ok?” It feels like I’m being watched which causes me to check out my surroundings. I shake my head but keep looking around. “Rome and Caesar are here,” Gio whispers, answering my silent question, and I feel my shoulders sag in relief.

When we get to the top floor, Gio lets the secretary know we are here to see Mr. Torino. She escorts us to the room and when I walk in, I come face-to-face with Antonio Torino. I gasp for the second time today louder than planned. Gio takes my hand and gives it a comforting squeeze.

“Gentlemen. I don’t believe we need to make introductions. After all, Aria here, dated Antonio for what? Eight months?” Gio has slipped into business mode. His voice is cold and calculating, his face devoid of all emotion. It will never cease to amaze me how he can so easily switch from hot to cold and back again.

He sets his briefcase down and pops open the locks, taking some papers out. “Anthony, before I begin to share with you my theory, would you like to explain anything?”

“Giovanni, why don’t we have a seat?” Anthony gestures to the conference table which seats probably twenty people easily.

“We could but I don’t expect to be here long enough to waste my time getting comfortable. Why don’t we just cut to the chase? You have shares of Aria’s that belong to her. Either you give them back, or I am going to dismantle your entire life piece by piece starting with your organization and ending with this business.” Gio waves his arm in the air to emphasize his point.

“You motherfucker!” Antonio seethes. His father holds him back and Gio laughs. Laughs!

“Looks like I hit the nail on the head.” Gio turns to me. “Before we proceed, Aria, do you want to be a part of this business? Does real estate interest you?” He knows it doesn’t but I go along with his question.

“No, I don’t want any part of this business.”

“Very well. Mr. Torino, I have put a call into Angelo Moretti’s attorney. He will be getting back to me with the specifics of the will and when he does, I will know exactly how many shares Aria owns.”

“She signed them over to me!” Anthony booms, his fist slamming down on the table.

“No, she didn’t. Weston did. What I want to know is why? There’s a couple pieces to the puzzle I’m missing. Maybe you would care to fill me in?” When Anthony doesn’t speak, Gio adds, “Keep in mind, your company and organization are at stake here. Now is not the time to stay tight-lipped.”

And with that, Anthony sings like a canary. “I built this goddamned company from the ground up! And what did Angelo do? He left his half to his daughter! A daughter he didn’t even know. They should have been left to me.”

“So, you what, had her kidnapped and forced her to sign?”

“No, that was all Hightower. When I approached him after finding out about the will, I offered him a finder’s fee if he could get his wife to sign over the shares. Five months later she died, and a month later, Aria signed over her rights.”

“Where does your son fit into all of this?”

“He was keeping tabs on her…until her mom died. Then he took her and delivered her to the senator in exchange for her signature.”

My eyes go to Antonio. “You are the one who kidnapped me?” My voice raises several octaves with each word I spit out.

“You didn’t really think I was in love with you or some shit, did you? You were nothing more than a decent fuck to pass the time with until we got the business of the shares handled.” No, I didn’t think he was in love with me. I sure as hell wasn’t in love with him but damn, how did I judge his character so wrong?

Gio stalks toward Antonio and grabs him by his shirt, shoves him up against a wall, and punches him straight in the mouth. Antonio’s face jerks to the side, his lip instantly gushing out blood from the split lip. Anthony’s guards as well as Caesar and Rome all run into the room prepared to defend their bosses.

“Let that be a fucking warning to you. Watch how you fucking speak to and about Aria. I have the means and motive to destroy you, and I won’t hesitate to do so.”

“Giovanni, please. He is nothing more than a child.” Anthony tries to calm Gio down but Gio couldn’t care less. He keeps a hold of Antonio’s shirt for a few more seconds then lets it go.

“If he’s in this business, he’s not a fucking child, and the moment he plotted against Aria and took her, handing her over to that piece-of-shit Weston, you brought him into this business, so teach your son how this business works before he gets himself killed. Get him the fuck out of here while we discuss these shares.”

Anthony sends Antonio out but the guards remain in the back. We sit down to discuss the selling of my shares but if I’m honest, I’m not sure what is said. Numbers are flown out every which way, Gio threatens to call his attorney, Anthony tells him that won’t be necessary, and about an hour later they are shaking hands and Gio is telling Anthony he expects a contract to be sent over in the next forty-eight hours.

When we got done with the meeting, Gio tells me we have a few hours before we have to be back at the airport and pulls my camera out from his bag. “Eeek!! Thank you! What should we see, first?”

We spend the afternoon sightseeing. Gio takes me through Central Park where I snap pictures of the Shakespearean Theatre from the Belvedere Castle. From there we go to the Empire State building. I insist we take a selfie at the top and Gio reluctantly agrees. We have a late dinner in Times Square, and before heading back to the airport, we stop by the nine-eleven memorial pools. I take the most heartbreaking photo of the names that are engraved around the edges, of the people who lost their life on that horrific day. One name hits me hard because directly underneath, it reads, “And unborn baby.”

We are back on the plane and heading to Las Vegas. I am exhausted on so many levels but at the same time I have had such a wonderful afternoon, it felt like it counteracted all the bad shit. “Thank you for today.”

“No problem. Once the contract arrives, we will go over it before you sign anything.”

“No, I mean yes, thank you for that, but also thank you for the sightseeing. One day I will travel all over the world capturing places like New York.”

“You most definitely will, Aria.” He leans over and gives me a chaste kiss on my temple before settling down to work.