Real Riders Never Die 2

by A'zayler

  Kia was on Demoto’s side and wasn’t sure how she felt about it just yet, but she didn’t express that to Taryn. She seemed so happy about it and she didn’t want to put a damper on her mood. There was something about it that she just wasn’t sure about. Maybe it was the fact that she actually had family but none of them ever stepped up to claim her. That was her biggest issue.

  Other than that, she was completely on board. If it made Taryn happy then she was all for it. Everybody deserved to have family.

  “Well alright, shawty, let me get up and get Ayo ready for bed. it’s getting late.”

  “Cool. Just call me tomorrow.”

  The girls ended their call and Kia rolled over to grab the remote. She surfed the channels before stopping on the TLC channel. There was a show on there called Bringing Home Baby. She was so excited to see all the little babies being born and taken home. She had always been a fan of the show, but now that she was carrying her own little one, it seemed a lot more interesting.

  She watched TV until she heard Jacko’s voice. Her eyes popped open and landed on him. He was standing in front of her with his gym bag over his shoulder. All of his dreads were down and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Kia squinted her eyes and sat up on the sofa. She looked around for a minute trying to get herself together. She hadn’t even realized that she had fallen asleep.

  Jacko stood over her, waiting for her to wake all the way up. “You good?”

  “Yeah. Why you ain’t got no shirt on? I know you wasn’t at that gym like that?”

  Jacko smiled and shook his head. “Get your crazy ass up and come on.”

  Kia looked him up and down and turned her mouth to the side. “Nigga I ain’t playing with you. You better learn to put on some clothes before you leave this house.”

  Jacko helped her from the sofa and pulled her toward their room. “I took it off in the car, possessive ass girl.”

  “Don’t do that shit either. You got a house. Wait until you get in here to start getting naked. I don’t need none of these hoes getting their hopes up.”

  Jacko was laughing as they walked down the hall. Kia continued on her little rant until Jacko undressed her then himself and pulled her in the shower with him. Her mind was quickly freed from all the other women she’d just been complaining about. Jacko made sure to put her mind and body at ease before allowing her to leave the shower. Any remaining doubt she might have had after their shower, he killed once he joined her in bed.

  Kia went to bed overly satisfied with a weak body and love filled heart. Jacko had worked her body like the real nigga he was and had her seeing stars as she fell off to an even deeper sleep than she had been in when he’d woken her up after the gym. He snuggled close to her with his hand resting on her flat stomach and fell asleep as well.

  *****

  It was going on two weeks since Demoto’s proposal and Taryn still wasn’t a Youngblood. The day following his proposal when they were supposed to go to the courthouse, Demoto had a contract and had to change plans. Ever since then it had been one thing or another and they still hadn’t gotten married.

  Taryn had blown it off the first few days, but she was back at the point where she was so anxious she could hardly sit still. Like right then, she was at the Adventuredome in Las Vegas with Ayo waiting for Demoto to finish a contract, and all she could think about was running into one of their little places to get married. That wasn’t at all how she pictured getting married, but she was at the point now that she didn’t even care anymore.

  She was starting to think Demoto didn’t want to marry her as much as he claimed. He had probably only proposed because she’d watched him kill Terry. Taryn rubbed the goosebumps that appeared on her arm when she thought about that. It had been a few weeks, and as much as Terry deserved what happened to him, it still bothered her.

  Never had she ever witnessed something so horrifying. Then it had to be at the hands of the man she loved and trusted with her life. It was so crazy to her how she trusted Demoto with her and Ayo’s life more than any other person in the world, and he killed people for a living. That was one thing she just couldn’t understand.

  “Mommy, look,” Ayo pointed at the rollercoaster as they passed by it.

  “I see it, Yo-Yo. Mama see it, man.” She was holding him on her hip as they walked.

  She was dressed in a pair of black shorts with a white shirt that had a picture of the continent of Africa on it. The background was black and there was a large red star with Cameroon written in red letters. Her hair was big and wavy with a red headband tied around it. The all black Huarache’s she wore set the simple outfit off. The gold accessories and large framed black sunglasses completed it all.

  She’d dressed Ayo in the exact same thing. His dreads were all down and he too wore jewelry. His gold bracelet and small gold chain with the A on it was the kid version of what she was wearing. They walked through the streets of Las Vegas eating and drinking while Demoto handled his business. He’d asked Taryn to come with him to this one so that they could hang out afterwards. Being that she had a four-day weekend from school she agreed.

  “I hot, Ma,” Ayo pushed his dreads out of his face.

  Taryn looked down at her little chocolate baby and wiped the sweat from his forehead. She was still wiping his face when an older white man walked up to her. He wasn’t too old, just older than her. Maybe in his early forties.

  “Excuse me, darling, can I take a picture of you and your son please?”

  Taryn looked a little skeptical at first and clearly her face showed that because he quickly began to explain.

  “I know that’s a strange thing to ask, but you two are gorgeous. So unique. I run a magazine in New York and I would love to use you two as one of the photos in my upcoming spread.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out his card and a calendar from the previous year.

  After Taryn looked over it and made sure everything looked legit, she agreed. After all, it wasn’t like she didn’t already know. She and Ayo drew attention everywhere they went. People had been staring at them all day as they walked. She’d stood out pretty much all of her life, and then she met Demoto and managed to have a smaller person who looked even more matchless than they did.

  “Is there any particular way you want me to pose?” Taryn looked at him.

  “The way you were just wiping his face was awesome. If you can just do that again.” The man pulled out a large black camera that she had never seen before and began fidgeting with it.

  Taryn waited until he stated that he was ready before she went back to wiping Ayo’s face. Him being so innocent, had no idea that he was being photographed. All he cared about was how hot he was. The man snapped picture after picture of Taryn and Ayo. One with her wiping his face, one where she was kissing his face, and he was smiling, and the last one with him and her both looking at the camera with serious faces.

  By the time he finished, a small crowd had gathered around. Taryn looked around nervously and smiled at the people. They complimented her and Ayo over and over. How beautiful they were and how Ayo was the most distinctive looking child they’d ever seen.

  “Ma’am, how long will you be in town?” The photographer asked her.

  “Until tomorrow afternoon.”

  He looked down at his watch. “I know how this must sound, but I can’t let you and your son pass me by. If I call my boss and get a photoshoot scheduled for this afternoon would you be able to make time for it?”

  Taryn was caught off guard. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes ma’am. Very. You two could be the face of so many different things if given the shot.”

  Taryn looked off for a minute. The opportunity sounded very nice, but she was a little unsure because it was such an impromptu arrangement, and because she didn’t know what Demoto would say.

  “Can you give me your card so I can talk to my boyfriend about it?”

  The man looked a little disappointed but nodded his head anyway. “Please give me a call. I
came here to do a shoot for Winnie Harlow and Sam Smith, so I’ll be all set up if you can make it.”

  Taryn smiled at him and took his card. “I’ll definitely give you a call.”

  “Oh my, dear God. Please tell me that he is the boyfriend that you speak of.”

  Taryn looked over her shoulder where the man was looking, and sure enough there was Demoto. He was walking toward them. Dressed casually in black shorts, black shirt and all black Huaraches as well, he towered over everyone else. Unlike it had been when she left him earlier, his hair was all down and wavy. She’d had it braided up on their way to Vegas but clearly he’d taken it down when he cleaned up from his job.

  His eyes were shielded by his black Aviator shades so the green eyes that everyone had fallen in love with on Ayo weren’t visible on his father at the moment. Demoto took every breath that Taryn had in her body away. He was just that fine. People looked at him as he passed by, not paying them any attention. His eyes were covered, but as always, Taryn was more than positive they were on her and Ayo.

  “Yes, that’s him.”

  “Where did you all come from?” The photographer said more to himself than anything.

  “What’s going on here, bae? Y’all good?” Demoto walked up and removed the shades from his face. He looked around at the small crowd of people that had gathered around Taryn and Ayo.

  “This guy just stopped and asked could he take pictures of me and Ayo. I told him yes and others stopped to watch. He wants us to do a private shoot for a calendar in New York.”

  The man went on to explain to Demoto the exact thing that he’d said to Taryn. Of course, it took a lot more convincing for Demoto to agree than it had for Taryn. After another ten minutes, the man had convinced Demoto to do the shoot. They scheduled the shoot for a few hours later before parting ways. The man set up all the necessary things for them as well. When they finally got back together they were in one of the suites of the hotel. They’d fed Ayo and laid him down for a nap while they waited, so now he was well rested and ready to cooperate.

  Taryn walked in holding Ayo’s hand with Demoto right behind them. The man had everything set up. There were people to do her hair and makeup and everything. A large white backdrop was in the center of the room with cameras and host of other things all around it. There were at least three other people there. Two women and a man.

  “Sir, since it seems like you’re the deciding factor for your family, can I run an idea past you?”

  Demoto nodded.

  “You’re from Africa, correct?”

  Again Demoto nodded.

  “Would you be interested in doing a half nude photo shoot? It would appear as if none of you are wearing clothes but in reality you will be. Only clothing that will have to be removed are your shirts. You can strip the baby completely to his underwear only. I had a Cameroon flag and another small surprise for your girlfriend brought in just for you all.” He smiled as he awaited Demoto’s answer.

  “Ohhh, yes, Moto. Please?” Taryn squealed.

  Demoto looked over his shoulder at her as she got her makeup done. Demoto then looked at Ayo who was sitting on his arm.

  “What you think, lil man?”

  He smiled and laid his head on Demoto’s shoulder.

  Demoto agreed to the shoot and sat back waiting for the man to get it all together. It took a little over thirty minutes before they were all half naked and ready for the pictures. Demoto wore a thin pair of black compression shorts with the Cameroon flag draped around his waist while Ayo wore the exact same thing and they both had their dreads all down.

  The photographer had surprised Taryn and nearly brought her to tears when he wrapped the Ethiopian flag around her head like a turban. With some of her hair covered and some still hanging all out, she looked like a real goddess. They’d placed various pieces of fancy jewelry on her as well. In nothing but her shorts, they handed her the Cameroonian flag. The way she was positioned, it looked as if she was naked and the only thing that covered her was the flag.

  Demoto sat on the floor with Ayo in his arms while Taryn stood behind him with her arms draped over his shoulder. For this picture there were no smiles. Baby Ayo, the perfect mix between the two of them. Dark skin like his mother and blonde hair with green eyes like his father. Though his skin was the color of Taryn’s, his face was the spitting image of Demoto’s.

  Everyone in the room was so overwhelmed with the beauty of the shoot that they’d stopped what they were doing so they could watch. Pose after pose drew more power and more beauty than the first. They took a lot together, some apart and some with just the two of them. Then they took some of just Ayo. Taryn’s eyes watered as she looked at him wrapped in the Cameroonian flag while holding the Ethiopian turban they’d made for her.

  Taryn looked over at Demoto while they waited. “This is so beautiful. I can’t wait to see them when he finishes.”

  “Me either. Even though I still don’t know how I let you talk me into this.”

  Taryn laughed. “Boy, hush. You wanted to do it.”

  “How you figure?”

  “You agreed too fast.”

  Demoto shook his head and looked away because she was right. He had wanted to do it, and he was glad that he had. He wrapped one arm around the top of Taryn’s shoulders. He kissed the side of her head as thy watched the man photograph Ayo. Everything was going good for a minute, but somewhere along the way Ayo got pissed off because he started crying.

  Of course Taryn was about to run to his rescue but Demoto told her he would check on him. Still wrapped in the flag, Demoto strolled calmly over to Ayo. He kneeled down in front of him and began speaking to him in French. Although Taryn couldn’t understand anything he was saying, she could tell it was comforting because Ayo wiped his face and nodded his head.

  Demoto tapped the center of Ayo’s chest and said something else. Seconds later he pointed at Taryn. Ayo looked at her and nodded his head again at whatever Demoto was telling him. Taryn had never been more in love than in that moment. Watching Demoto interact with Ayo always put her in her feelings. The way he taught him inspired her to be a better mother. Tears misted in her eyes as the flashes from the camera returned.

  Demoto and Ayo looked at the photographer with their eyebrows scrunched up. The camera flashed again.

  “Oh my God, bae, y’all look just alike,” Taryn told Demoto.

  Demoto looked at her before looking back at Ayo. The photographer took full advantage of that moment. He took so many pictures that Taryn had lost count.

  “Ma’am, if you would, come over here so I can get one or two more shots, then we can call it a day.”

  Taryn nodded and walked to the backdrop with Demoto and Ayo. The man positioned them so that she was standing with Ayo in her arms while Demoto stood behind her with his arms around both of them. The following one, Taryn put her Ethiopian flagged turban back on her head, with the Cameroonian flag wrapped around her entire body. She and Demoto faced each other with him holding the bottom of her face as if he was about to kiss her. They stared at each other as Ayo stood in front of them.

  The only thing visible was their side profiles while the camera captured Ayo’s full body. Everyone in the room swooned at the family during their last photos. When it was all done they proceeded to redress.

  “Thank you all so much for doing this. It was beautiful. I cannot wait to get these printed and across the map. You three are going to make billboards, commercials, catalogues, everything!” He spoke with such excitement.

  Taryn was just as excited to see them. Demoto, on the other hand, was a little more skeptical.

  “Can you make sure you inform us of where these pictures are being posted. I don’t want my girl or my baby plastered anywhere that’s not respectable.”

  The man nodded. “Oh yes, sir. I assure you these photos are top of the line. They will not be solicited anywhere that isn’t valued.”

  “Make sure you call me before anything is posted to get my approval.”


  “Yes, sir.”

  He and Demoto stood off to the side discussing specifics while Taryn got her and Ayo together. When he was finished, they were paid, something that hadn’t been discussed initially, and they left. Demoto sped up so that he could catch up with Taryn. When they got on the elevator he leaned against the wall and looked at her. She looked back at him but he didn’t say anything. Well nothing that she could understand. He’d said something in French and made Ayo smile.

  “I don’t know why you do that.”

  Demoto smiled because he knew exactly what she was talking about. “Do what?”

  “Talk in French when you know I don’t understand it.” Taryn rolled her eyes.

  “Ayo. tell your crybaby mama what I just said.”

  Ayo rubbed his hands in Taryn’s hair. Something that had become a habit for him. He kept playing in her hair for a minute like he hadn’t heard what Demoto said.

  “Ayo,” Demoto’s voice was a little sterner that time.

  “You pretty, Mommy.”

  Taryn looked at Demoto. “That’s what you said?”

  When he nodded, she smiled again. It was still weird to her that after all the years they’d been together he still had that effect on her.

  Chapter Ten

  “Aye, Tee, we have to hurry up because our flight leaves in three hours.” Demoto buttoned the last button on his shirt.

  “I don’t know why you told him we would come back anyway.” Taryn slid the white dress over her body.

  “I mean, we took the pictures already, Tee. You don’t want to see them?”

  “I guess.” Taryn ran her hands through her freshly washed hair.

  She had washed and blow dried her hair once they’d finished swimming after their photo shoot. Now it was back to its naturally wavy pattern and shiny. She loved when her hair was fresh because not only did it look better, but it acted better. Like right then, it was laying down just the way she needed it to. The silky white headband with the large flower across the front pushed her hair back into place.