Sweet Giselle

by Karen P. Williams

  “Action!” he shouted. “Lay down on the bed slowly. Start playing with your titties.”

  I did everything he requested, and then I was given a list of other orders.

  “Open your legs wide. Start rubbing your clit. Faster. Slow down. Go faster! Stick a finger in your pussy hole. Open your legs wider. Moan, bitch! Bite your bottom lip. Smile, bitch!”

  I did it all. Shamefully, resisting the urge to cry, but I could feel the tears burning under my lids. Therefore, I kept my eyes closed.

  The lights felt hot on my skin. But I pretended that they didn’t. I even pretended that this wasn’t what it was. I pretended that I was somewhere else completely. That I wasn’t ass buck naked in a bed, showing my birth canal in front of men I didn’t know and didn’t want to know. I pretended I wouldn’t regret this. But I knew I would.

  The bed feeling like it was being lowered and a hand caressing one of my breasts caused me to panic. When I opened my eyes, there was an equally naked man in the bed next to me.

  I screamed and scooted away from him.

  “What the fuck!” the director yelled. “Cut!”

  The two men on the set looked at me, confused.

  I looked confused as well. “I never said I was going to do a sex scene.”

  “What the fuck did you come here for?” the director growled.

  I ignored his harshness as tears started coming out of my eyes. I hoped I hadn’t ruined my chance to get the bail money. “I only wanted to do a masturbation scene,” I whispered.

  I heard a chuckle on the set.

  The director looked baffled. “Masturbation scene? Bitch, what the fuck are you talking about? Every bitch that sits in that bed fucks!”

  Before I could process what he had said, I saw someone barge onto the set and march up to the director. “Rodney, what’s the holdup with this scene?”

  The director pointed at me.

  That was when he turned and his eyes locked with mine and I met him ... Giovanni.

  “Giovanni, this bitch is confused. She only wants to do masturbation scenes. It’s enough that she don’t know what the fuck she doing, and the bitch’s hands keep shaking, but she ain’t trying to do a fuck scene on the set.”

  The man the director referred to as Giovanni kept raking his eyes over my face and my body. I quickly pulled the negligee back on.

  The director scoffed with disgust. “Look at her! We down to only two camera guys today, and she holding us up more!”

  He said this because I was now crying on the bed.

  “Escort her to my office,” Giovanni ordered.

  A few minutes later, I was escorted by Rodney himself. He was yanking my arm in his tight grip as he did. He stopped in front of a door, mouthing “Bitch” to me as he knocked. Then when someone said, “Come in,” he walked off. I opened the door and walked inside. I paused. I watched Giovanni slip a DVD into a case before getting up and walking over to one of his brown oak cabinets. He used a set of keys to unlock the second drawer in a row of three. He placed the case with the DVD in there. As he turned the key to lock the drawer, he glanced back and looked at me. I looked away. He walked back over to his chair, sat back down, and motioned for me to sit in the chair across from him.

  He then quietly studied me. Despite my situation, I couldn’t help but admire how handsome he was. He had light skin, with a neatly trimmed mustache. He had a strong jawline and full lips. Everything about him was neat and immaculate, from his curly hair to his smooth eyebrows. He wasn’t muscular, but was tall and lanky. But fine nonetheless.

  “What is your name?” he asked.

  “Giselle, sir.”

  “Sir.” He chuckled. “The ladies we bring in here never refer to me as that, or any of the men here. Someone must have raised you well.” He cleared his throat. “Makes me wonder why you are even here at all. Why are you here?”

  I didn’t respond. I felt so stupid. But I had made it clear to Lexi that all I was willing to do was pose for some nude pics and do a masturbation scene. She’d said it was as far as she went. I felt so stupid for believing her. Now I realized that for the amount of money she had brought home, she couldn’t have possibly been able to get away with not having intercourse. I didn’t know why she had to lie about it. She had put me in a compromising situation and had made money off of doing it.

  He continued. “You obviously don’t want to be here, either. This is a very successful and lucrative company, for myself as well as my employees. I have been doing this since nineteen ninety-seven. Young women are able to come here and make more money than they have ever made. In all years that I have owned this company, we have never had to so much as persuade, let alone beg, the women to work. So I am asking you again, why are you here?”

  I took a deep breath and spilled it. “I was desperate to make money. My father passed away last year, and after his death, my mother just wasn’t able to snap back. She was so depressed that she stopped going to work and got fired. Both our parents’ cars were repossessed, and we are super behind on our mortgage, which meant that I couldn’t start college. And on top of all that, my brother got arrested for robbing his job and my mother”—my voice cracked at the mention of my mother’s death—“my mother committed suicide just a few days ago.” I paused. “And now ... now all I have is my little brother. And I’m trying to get bail money to get him out of jail and I don’t know ...”

  Before I could finish my spiel, he opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a checkbook and then a pen.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m writing you a check. What is your last name?”

  “Grayson.”

  When he was done writing, he passed the check to me.

  I stared at the check. It was for six thousand dollars.

  Baffled, I asked, “Why are you giving this to me?”

  “Because you need it.”

  “But—”

  “Take it. I hope it helps you out, Giselle. And you don’t owe me anything for it. I also don’t anticipate getting it back.”

  I stared at the check again. It was enough for me to post bail and even put something toward the house.

  “Oh my God.” I stood and ran around the desk and threw myself in his arms. “Thank you so much.”

  He didn’t hug me back. I pulled away, a little embarrassed, but still feeling relief that I could bail my brother out of jail. But as more time passed, I wondered if it really was that simple. Was this man really giving me this out of the kindness of his heart, or did he want something? Part of me couldn’t help but feel that this would not be the last time I saw Giovanni, and although the money he gave me was a quick fix, it also felt like a huge debt on my shoulders. But still, I took my chances and told myself I would deal with the repercussions later. With this money, I was closer to getting my brother out of jail than ever before.

  Chapter 6

  I told Lexi very little about the whole experience. I even kept to myself the fact that I was paid six thousand dollars to do nothing. I felt like Lexi had lied and misled me, and I didn’t really get why. She was supposed to be my best friend, but something told me that she had wanted me to go in blind. Despite feeling this way, I was too excited about the fact that I could get my brother out of jail to worry about it or even give it too much thought. Well, momentarily.

  The very next day, after our visit to the mansion, I went bright and early to Aladdin Bail Bonds to post bail for my brother. They were kind enough to take me to pick him up and bring him home.

  When he finally came out, I jumped into his arms. He caught me and whispered, “Giselle,” and held me super tight.

  It felt so good to hug my little brother and take him home. When he asked me how I got the money, I simply told him I had borrowed it from Lexi, and he accepted that.

  When we got home, he went straight into the bathroom to shower, and I went into the kitchen to make his favorite meal: chicken enchiladas. When he came into the kitchen, showered and dressed, the enchilad
as still had about five minutes to go, but I took them out early. I grabbed the spatula off the counter and scooped a generous portion on a plate and sat it, with a fork, in front of my brother.

  “Thanks, Gissy.”

  He wasted no time and started shoveling the hot food into his mouth. I poured him a glass of water and sat it in front of him. He guzzled it down before returning to his plate. I sat down across from him and silently watched him eat. It felt so good to have my baby brother back home and out of that jail. Aside from the dangers posed by the inmates they had there, the place seemed so nasty and dirty. My brother didn’t belong there. I prayed he had learned his lesson and would never again do anything crazy that could land him right back there. But I knew he did it to help us out.

  He was eating the enchiladas so fast, he started choking.

  “Brandon! Slow down.” I jumped up and patted his back as he coughed.

  He sipped his water and wiped his watery eyes. He smiled and went back to eating.

  When his plate was empty, I asked, “You want some more?”

  “Yeah.”

  I got up to fix him another helping.

  Once I placed it in front of him, he grabbed one of my hands and kissed it. “Thanks for getting me out of there.” He swallowed hard. “Even if it is just for the time being.” My brother still had to go back to court for sentencing.

  “I’m your sister. No thank-you needed.” I sat back down across from him.

  “I go back to court on Friday, you know. They say if I don’t have my own attorney, they will provide me with one.”

  I nodded.

  He started attacking the second plate of food. I smiled at him enjoying his food.

  “Well, until that day comes, let’s not worry about it. I just need to know you will never do something so dumb again,” I said.

  “I won’t, Giselle. You can believe my word on that. Six days in jail was enough for me to see I don’t ever want to go back to that muthafucka again.”

  I laughed softly. Hadn’t done that in days.

  He laughed as well. Then, out of nowhere, his face turned serious, and he asked, “Giselle, where’s Mom?”

  My face dropped. I tried to regain my composure. To do this, I took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in my throat.

  My next two words had him out of the chair, on the floor, sobbing. And I was right alongside him, holding him and crying just as hard as he was.

  Considering that I had spent the previous night hugging and comforting my little brother due to our mother’s death, I didn’t know how I was able to get through the day at work. Emotionally and physically, I was spent. However, I managed to make it through.

  As the day wound down, and it was almost time for me to clock out, all I wanted to do was grab a Hawaiian Punch Slurpee from 7-Eleven and make my way home.

  I had five minutes to go and was surprised as hell when Giovanni walked inside the restaurant. He looked handsome in his suit, which looked like it cost a thousand bucks. But what was he doing here?

  I dropped my dishrag nervously. I swallowed hard. Was he here to collect on his money? What if he was crazy and was going to beat my ass or kill me if I didn’t have it? After all, I didn’t really know this man. He could be a rapist or a murderer or could even have connections to killers.

  Before I could do anything, he reached down, picked up the dishrag, and placed it in my hands. “Hi,” he said.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “I came to see you.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “Giselle! Clock out!” my manager yelled over the counter.

  I turned to him and said, “Okay, sir.”

  Before I could say anything else to Giovanni, he said, “I’ll be outside in the black Range.” He walked out.

  I rushed away and went into the back room to follow my boss’s orders. As I did, all I thought was that he must want his money back. After I paid to have my brother bailed out of jail, I sent the last of the money off for the mortgage.

  If he did want it back, what was I going to do? Was he going to force me to work for him? Just the thought of having to be under those hot-ass lights and being screamed at and raged at by that camera guy, Rodney, while someone sexually violated me had my stomach twisted in knots. And there was no way I could do it.

  I snatched up my purse, and once I made it outside the restaurant, I saw him standing near the door. He smiled at me. It was repercussion time.

  I cocked my foot back and took off running out of the shopping center.

  “Giselle!”

  Still running, I looked back and saw him get into his truck. But I kept running. I increased my speed and ran down the street. I could see him driving, and he was honking his horn. I gave him the middle finger. There was a divider in the middle of the road, so he couldn’t make a turn or ride on my side. So I knew I was okay.

  But he thought smarter than me. There was an opening for the fire station, so he turned, pulled into their driveway, and stopped his car, momentarily blocking me.

  When I saw him hop out of his car, I tried to run around his car, but I only got a few steps in before he grabbed me. I screamed.

  “Hey. Why are you running away?”

  I tried to break his hold on my arm, but he wouldn’t release me. I finally turned and faced him. “I don’t have the money to give you, if that’s what you’re here for, and I’m not working for you!”

  He chuckled. “You think I’m here for money? I have far too much money to chase a young lady for chump change. Listen. All I want is to take you to dinner.”

  That was when two firemen came out and rushed toward us.

  “Is everything okay?” one of them asked. Both of them were looking at me.

  “We’re fine.”

  I nodded, confirming what Giovanni had said.

  An hour later, I found myself sitting across from Giovanni at Morton’s The Steakhouse. I had been to nice restaurants before, with my parents. But being there with Giovanni—given who he was and the way that he was staring at me—made me very nervous. I devoured the succulent steak and baked potato, which was nearly the size of my head.

  Giovanni ate very little. Instead, he quietly observed me while I ate.

  “You like the steak?” he asked me.

  “Yes,” I said quietly. “It’s very tender.”

  He smiled at that comment.

  I had to admit, this whole situation still had me a little on edge, but I tried to look as normal as I could. Still, I couldn’t help but ask, “How did you find me?”

  “I’m resourceful when I want to be. And having money buys you all the information you need.”

  “But why try to find me if it’s not to pay you back the money you gave me?”

  He smiled, showing his straight white teeth. “For some strange reason, the moment you walked out of my office, I found myself unable to stop thinking about you. So I had to find you, and I had to see you. That’s why I’m here.”

  I laughed at that. Me? “You’re rich, and in your line of business you meet plenty of women willing to take their clothes off.”

  He chuckled. “Random women. But it’s not often that in a pile of gold, you see a gem. Giselle, that’s you. So I had to see you again. And I don’t regret it.”

  I couldn’t help but blush, so I pretended I was wiping food away from the corners of my mouth. I took a sip of my wine.

  “You are a fucking masterpiece. I don’t want to eat steak. I want to eat you.”

  I almost spilled the Riesling in my mouth at his comment about eating me. It took me a few seconds to recover before I said, “You’re being like real flirtatious with me. How do you know I don’t have a boyfriend?”

  “You don’t,” he said assuredly.

  “How do you know?” I asked.

  “Because if you did, you wouldn’t be here with me. He wouldn’t let you out of his sight. I wouldn’t. You’re too special, and it’s not worth the risk of some other man getting to you. If
you were my woman, you wouldn’t be able to go to the grocery store without me.”

  “Please stop.”

  “Why?”

  “Because this is all too much for me.”

  “Baby, I’m just getting started.”

  I smiled and looked down at my hands, which were now resting in my lap. A series of sensations was hitting my body as he spoke to me. Those sensations were coming from between my legs. And the wine he had me sipping on was making me feel super good. No real cares, no real worries. I needed an escape like this.

  I took another sip and wiped the wetness from my bottom lip.

  “You’re about done?” he asked.

  I was, and I was so stuffed, I couldn’t eat another bite. But I did swallow the last of the sweet wine. He had told me that it was a harmless wine. “Yes, I’m done.”

  That was when he leaned over the table and kissed me. Now, I had been kissed before, but not like this. He parted my lips with his tongue and slid it into my mouth and started gently pressing it against mine. He tasted like Riesling. I moaned softly. He chuckled against my mouth as our tongues rubbed slowly against each other. When I didn’t feel his lips anymore, I opened my eyes and saw that he was paying the bill. I pulled my head back and unpuckered my lips. I didn’t know if it was the alcohol or my attraction to Giovanni or maybe both, but I didn’t want to leave his presence.

  We left the restaurant and got on the road. As we neared the ramp to the freeway that would take me back to Carson, I noticed that he was going to pass it, and I panicked.

  “Where are you going?” I cried. “You passed the freeway ramp.”

  “I’m not taking you home.”

  “Then where are you taking me?”

  “To finish what I started.”

  Oh shit! This was a setup! He really was after the money he gave me.

  “I told you—”

  He signaled, got over until he was on the off-ramp, and put his emergency blinkers on.

  He turned to me and said, “Giselle, you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to do anything, anything at all, to hurt you. You have to trust me. I like you. I think that you are beautiful and special. And besides, I’m not a crazy man and I have a whole lot to lose and I’m not trying to lose anything.”