The Seduction of Calypso
Calypso finished the last touches on her appetizers for her cousin’s house party. She had some cannabis-infused and some regular appetizers, and she labeled the infused ones with the bud selection used. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, “Whew, these turned out amazing. If I do say so myself.” She loved it when people ate her food and enjoyed it, but true to her Aquarius nature, she really didn’t like house parties.
However, she couldn’t turn down the money and the opportunity to help her cousin. She was trying to save enough money for her room, putting most of it towards tuition for her last semester and moving expenses. Her cousin Vera and her brother Eli were from the Italian side of her dad’s family. They had large get-togethers with many young elites. This past summer, she went with them to Cabo, and now they were back for New Year’s. She looked out at the villa. It looked like something out of a TV show. “So, it’s going to be an incredible trip if I just take a chance.”
Unlike her cousins, she rarely went to family get-togethers. Her dad and Calypso were estranged. She heard from him occasionally, but her mom discouraged any contact. So, she never went to events with her father. The most she knew was that he was a Capo in the Rossi crime family, and that’s not a title you get easily. Her cousin Vera dressed her tonight, putting her in a tight red dress. Vera turned the corner to the kitchen, her long blond hair whipping as she walked. “Alright! You’ve avoided putting on make-up long enough, Calli. I don’t know why you never want to put it on for parties, but you do it at random times.” Calypso sighed and rolled her eyes. She said, “Because I came here to do a job. I’m not going to rush and serve bad food. You should know me by now.” She left the kitchen with her cousin. Vera sounded annoyed. “Well, it looks like we only have time for lashes and a red lip today.” Vera finished Calypso’s make-up and frowned. “Ugh, there’s so much more I could do. You suck!”
Calypso looked in the mirror. Vera had matched her shade perfectly. Her cinnamon skin had a glow, her light brown, slightly hooded, and upturned eyes looked more mysterious with the lashes, and her full lips were pronounced and red. She felt like Rudolph. She asked, “Does the lip color have to be this red, Vera?” Calypso eyed her cousin. Vera scoffed, putting her hand on her chest. Offended, she said, “Sonya got surgery twice to try to get lips like yours. Be happy for what you’ve been naturally blessed with.” Calypso rolled her eyes. She said, “I’m sorry, you’re right. Thank you, Vera. You can slay any face.” Vera smiled. “I know I can. Now let’s get out of here.” Calypso and Vera were a year apart and grew up together. Vera was the oldest and never got along well with Calypso’s sister. So, when Calypso visited, Vera and she would play all day. Calypso Marie was born to a Jamaican/Nigerian mother and an Italian father, and she never quite felt comfortable with her father’s side of the family. All those feelings disappeared when she saw Vera.
Capos often had affairs, her dad being no exception. He met her mom at her grandmother’s Jamaican restaurant when her mom was 27 and he was 35. Calypso’s mom, Nakia, was Jamaican and Nigerian. Her dark skin glowed, and her features were strong. She was slim, unlike Calypso, but the curves she had flowed naturally when she walked. Despite Calypso being mixed, she looked just like her mom, which caused some questions in her father’s family about whether Calypso was his.
Her father always knew she was his because she had his eyes, a pretty hazel color that could look light brown and slightly green or, in her brother’s case, golden. When Calypso was born, her parents seemed so happy. Her father loved her mother’s carefree lifestyle, and they were all quite happy together until the day her mother saw him mercilessly put down a person in front of her at a dinner party. Her mother has never been the same since the incident. When her father realized her mother wasn’t coming back, he moved back in with his wife and two kids and continued to pay for her mother’s house but kept his distance, respecting her peace.
The cheering and music, growing increasingly loud, snapped Calypso out of her flashback. She loved her cousins, but being around them always brought back these memories. She sighed and thought to herself, “You are at a New Year’s party in Cabo. This is the craziest event you are ever going to do to start your new year off. Don’t be a buzzkill.” After her pep talk, Vera looked back at Calypso with a smile. She said, “Here, take my hand for a minute. Look at me. Trust me, if anyone tries anything, they know I will handle them personally. Now relax, the boys are not going to know what to do with you.” As Vera and Calypso stepped into the crowded living room, she felt eyes on her the moment she stepped in. Everyone had already started drinking. Illicit drugs were out, and people were trying and eating all the cannabis-infused appetizers.
Calypso noticed most of the non-infused appetizers were still on the table. She sighed and thought to herself, “Well, I should have known, no one wanted sober food. I’m not trying to use up all my weed.” All of a sudden, a male voice broke through the crowd. He said, “What’s up, cousin!” Vera’s brother Elijah came up to give Calypso a clumsy hug. He already had white powder on his nose. He said, “The food is amazing. Everyone is talking about it!” Eli turned and introduced her obnoxiously to the crowd.
He said, “This is Marie. She made the food. You may hear me call her Callie, but none of you other buttholes can.” Eli then fell back hard in the chair between two girls and slowly put his arms around them. Vera looked annoyed. She looked at her brother and threw a pillow at him. She said, “You better not have done too much. Nobody wants to Narcan you tonight.” Vera angrily walked over to the table and did a line. Calypso didn’t know what to do. She thought, “Well, I can’t go wrong hanging out at the bar.” She went to the island, poured herself a shot of tequila, took a coke out of a cooler, and sat down by her appetizers. She wanted to make sure she could refill the trays if they were running low.
Calypso still felt a bit of anxiety. “Okay, loosen up. This night will go by quickly if you get into the vibe.” Calypso threw her shot back. She couldn’t really see her cousins. The room had gotten fuller in what felt like a short amount of time. After a while, she noticed a man. He went over and was trying her non-infused appetizers and appeared to be enjoying them. He looked up at her, having just finished inhaling a few, and looked embarrassed. He asked, looking Calypso directly in her eyes, “These are amazing. Do you know what these are?”
Calypso smiled. She loved when people complimented her food. She said shyly, “They are jerk and suya wings.” He licked his fingers in front of her slowly and smiled. He said, “So, you made these then? I’m sorry, I’m killing them. There wasn’t good food on my flight. These are amazing.” She shook her head slowly, a bit stunned by how he licked his fingers; it seemed sexual. Calypso smiled, putting her hands up. She said quietly, “It’s not a problem. I have some more waiting in the oven. I better go get them, actually.”
Antonio had just arrived at the party with his brothers. His stomach was rumbling because their flight ran late. His second brother, Princeton, fixed his cuff link and his perfectly cut blond hair. His light green eyes looked cold as he said, “I am about to lose it today. We left at 6 a.m. How did we get here so late?” Next, walking in behind Prince, was the oldest, Michael, whom they called Mikey. He sighed, “Just don’t embarrass me. Vera is here. I’m going to try and lock her down tonight.”
Mikey eyed his brother, Princeton, whose impulsiveness often messed up their plans. He continued, “If you weren’t acting weird, we wouldn’t have been waiting so long in customs. We have plenty of days to sleep. Don’t forget we have business with the cartel while we are down here.” They walked into the villa, where the party was already starting. Princeton spotted the snack table and said, “Yeah, I have to eat something, so I don’t get too messed up.” Antonio followed behind him. Antonio analyzed the food. He had to admit he was a picky eater. Antonio saw some dark red wings. He thought they could be buffalo wings, but their appearance looked different. He didn’t care at this point; he was going to try them. Antonio’s thoughts were disturbed by Princeton walking over and grabbing a few more wings.
He said, “I’m not going to lie, these are fire.” Antonio rolled his eyes, but he was not going to be kept from eating any longer. He bit into one, and his green eyes lit up with excitement. It was like he got smacked. He had started talking to the woman across from him and found out they were jerk wings, and he licked the sauce from his fingers after eating two more.
His brother tapped him on the shoulder as she said there were more in the kitchen. Antonio thought, looking at her, “Oh, so she’s the chef. That dress was expensive for her to just be the chef.” Antonio turned around quickly to try and catch her name before talking to his brother, but all he could see was her retreating figure scurrying away. He raised an eyebrow. Her walk was kind of clumsy for an elite. He turned his attention quickly back to his brother. “What’s up? You should get some food in you before you start drinking.”
Mikey nodded, shoving something in his mouth. “It’s not just Vera here; there are a few of the Rossi’s, Mc’Connells, and a lot of other big names here. That can’t just be a coincidence, so keep your ears to the ground.” Tony’s eyes darkened. Mikey’s gut was usually right, so this put Tony slightly on edge. As soon as they could get serious, Mikey saw Vera snorting a line. He made a beeline to her.
Tony rolled his eyes. Mikey made absolutely no sense when it came to women. Tony poured himself a glass of whiskey and grabbed a few more appetizers on a plate. He didn’t want to get too drunk, too fast, now that Mikey had him alert. He went for a walk around the infinity pool where his brother Prince was passing out gummy bears. “You have got to be careful at these parties. It’s almost like a showcase for everyone to show them the new drugs they came up with.”
Prince was no exception. Tony was not trying to be tripping balls anymore. He was already coming off of a heavy bender. Antonio wanted to take someone back with him, but the women there at the party, either had been with him already or did not meet his high standards. Antonio was a model-only standard type of playboy. He was taught to believe in quality and he kept that a huge focal point of his lifestyle.
Antonio was scoping the scene when he realized he had finished his plate. Antonio licked his fingers, and the thought of the woman’s silhouette from earlier, flashed into his mind. He was going to the hookah area when he stopp in his tracks. He couldn’t help but think, “I bet that lady had to bring out a bunch more trays because of me, and she was walking so clumsily in those stilettos they made her wear. I better go help.” Antonio then turned to head toward the kitchen.
good