Connor
“Would you like anything to drink, sir?” The young stewardess asks me, and I shake my head politely.
“I’m fine, thank you, Lisa,” I say, reading her name from the tag on her breast.
“Let me know if you need anything,” she continues, looking straight into my eyes. “Anything,” she adds, stressing the word in a way that’s almost too forceful. Keeping a serene posture, I look back at her and just give her an acknowledging nod.
“Thank you,” I repeat, making sure that my words are polite but curt. Her eager smile fades slightly and, even though she bats her eyelids at me a few times, she finally turns on her heels and struts back to her seat at the end of the cabin. Of course, she sways her hips lewdly as she walks down the aisle, her round ass cheeks flexing under her tight stewardess skirt.
We’re alone in the small cabin of the plane, just the two of us, and that’s definitely helping her being this brash. Even though I’m looking out the window right now, the United States coastline is already shaping up in the distance, I know that if I turn around and look at her, she’d look right back at me with a devilish stare.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s not like she isn’t a beautiful woman, because she definitely is all that and then some. Full lips, long brown hair down to her shoulders, and a figure capable of driving any man to the brink of insanity… She’s everything a man wants in a woman, at least when it comes down to our most primal instincts.
If this little scene happened a few years ago, I’d be telling you a very different story right now. I mean, me and a beautiful woman inside a private jet? It isn’t hard to figure out the consequences of that. But, unfortunately for our friend Lisa, I’m not the same man I used to be. But, of course, it’s also possible that the kind of man I am right now is also what’s making Lisa so interested.
You see, even though I’m wearing a black tailored suit right now, I’m not like other handsome men my age. I’ve devoted my life to a higher purpose, and this young stewardess knows that.
No, I’m not a priest, if that’s what you’re thinking.
I’m part of what’s called the Order of the Temple, a community of men who have devoted their lives to the betterment of the world. We’re not exactly priests or monks, though; we’re secular men, pooling our knowledge and resources to make the world a better place. We work under the tutelage of the Catholic Church, and we have our origins in a story from the Gospels: it’s said that when Jesus visited the temple in Jerusalem, the place was packed with merchants. In a bout of righteous fury, he kicked them all out, accusing them of turning the temple into a “den of thieves.”
The Order of the Temple emerged as a secretive branch of the Catholic Church, and our purpose is to guide the most powerful and wealthy men in the world. No, we’re not some kind of Illuminati society. It’s nothing like that; we don’t seek power or control. All we want to do is guide those with the most power in society toward the greater good.
Of course, most people have a hard time accepting the fact that I’ve devoted my life to such a mission. That’s only normal, I suppose—after all, I’m not exactly the kind of guy you’d believe to be spiritual or religious.
I’m 6’1, as ripped as an Olympian, and I’ve got the looks to back it up, at least that’s what the women I come across insist on telling me. I think that most people just can’t accept the fact that a guy like me could have a higher calling. And, to be honest with you, I used to think the same.
Back when I was just an eighteen-year-old, making my dent in a D-I school as a football player, I had everything a guy my age could’ve wanted, which of course, means that I had women throwing themselves at my feet every single hour of the day.
Somehow, that got old fast. There was a certain hollowness inside me, and that hollowness kept on growing with each time I succumbed to lust. The way I see it, I was a young weak man and, above all things, I wanted to be strong.
Most guys my age would be lost if they felt like I did, but I knew exactly the one person who could help me out: my father. Just like me, he was a loose cannon throughout his twenties, going through girls faster than he would go through a shirt. That changed when he met my mother; he knocked her up and, one month later, they got married. Despite her pregnancy being the reason behind their marriage, I think that they just wanted to make it formal; their love was genuine.
I was just two when my mother passed away. Car accident. Those were some hard times for my father; he lost his job as a financial trader, got into drinking for awhile, and… Well, things were going in a downward spiral fast.
But he didn’t want to be that kind of man; he wanted to be a strong man. And so, in a moment of both lucidity and desperation, he turned to God. Since he was already a well-known name in the financial community, he rose through the ranks of the Church quickly, and it was only a matter of time until he became part of the Order of the Temple. Shortly after, he was appointed as spiritual adviser to one of the most powerful families in the United States: the Donovans.
More than guiding the Donovans, though, my father guided me through my most turbulent years. And so, I ended up following his footsteps, becoming a member of the Order just like him.
Now, I wasn’t satisfied with just that; instead, I also made a vow of celibacy. Why would a guy like me do that? It’s crazy, right? Well, not exactly. After all, I’ve already had more sex than anyone should have, and what better way to become a stronger man than to fight against my most basic instincts? It hasn’t been that hard, though. Even though women still throw themselves at my feet, I’ve never come across someone capable of rattling me. And I honestly doubt that’s going to happen, especially now that I’m about to embark on a very special mission.
You see, just like my father, I’m about to become an adviser to the Donovan family.
If you were wondering why a guy like me would be aboard a luxurious private plane, that answers it. Even though I don’t care much for luxuries, and would have preferred to book a commercial flight, this time it couldn’t be helped.
A flight from Rome to New York takes, usually, more than half a day, and with a private jet plane, I can travel that distance in under nine hours. And why am I in such a hurry?
Because of the funeral.
Two days ago, my father passed in his sleep, and I was quickly tasked with taking over his role inside the Donovan family. I’m much younger than he was when he accepted that responsibility, and I’m not really sure if I’m ready for it. That uncertainty, coupled with the way grief has been clawing at my very soul since I found out about my father… Well, it hasn’t been easy.
But life isn’t supposed to be easy, is it?
And so, despite all hardships, I will do my job. I’ll follow in my father’s footsteps, and I’ll make him proud. Which isn’t going to be an easy task, mind you. By now, the two Donovan children, Earl and Clarise, are all grown up; I met them just once, but I remember the heated rivalry between them.
Something tells me things haven’t changed.
Well, that’s my responsibility now.