Sweet Giselle

by Karen P. Williams

  Tara and Maggie both helped me into the first gown. It was a princess-style gown that I didn’t care for. I tried on the second, which was more of a mermaid dress. They both didn’t like it on me. When I tried on the third gown and looked at myself in the mirror, instantly tears poured from my eyes, and both Maggie and Tara gasped.

  The moment I put it on, I knew it was the right choice. It had a sweetheart neckline, beading, and crystals. It was like it was made for me ... the way it hugged my curves and then had a flair at the bottom, billowing out into a long train. The two ladies kept gasping and saying I was beautiful. I chose a cathedral veil with tiny diamonds on the edges of it. The shoes were a pair of strappy white heels.

  I stared at myself in the mirror, still in shock. I was getting married today to this man? Me? Giselle? I pimped burgers and fries all day. I had only a high school diploma, and he wanted to marry me? I knew I was pretty. I knew I had a nice body. But there were women who were just as pretty, with bodies just as nice, who were a lot smarter, more poised, and more sophisticated than I was. This all made me feel like I was a very lucky girl. I zeroed in on all the details on my beautiful dress. Swarovski crystals were intricately beaded on the dress, which was nine thousand dollars. Wow. That was a lot!

  “What do you think, honey?” Maggie asked.

  I stared at myself again in the mirror before saying, “This is it.”

  These two ladies both gave me hugs and kisses, congratulating me while helping me take everything off. They hugged me again, clapped excitedly, packed their items, and left.

  I went into the bathroom and took a long bath. I soaked in there for a while, feeling butterflies jumping around in my stomach. Ten minutes after I got out of the tub, dried off, and put on the robe Pillar had placed in the bathroom for me, more visitors came. The mani and pedi lady took care of my hands, my feet, and my eyebrows. A masseuse came as well. She gave me a full-body massage that put me to sleep.

  A few hours later, more ladies came knocking to do my hair and makeup. They brought a pleasant surprise: my brother and Lexi!

  I screamed as they came through the door.

  Lexi rushed forward and hugged me. She looked very cute in her tight-fitting red dress, with her hair freshly done.

  “How did you know?” I asked her.

  “Brandon told me. And you know I couldn’t miss my best friend getting married.”

  “I meant to call you and tell you everything, but it has been such a whirlwind.”

  “Girl, don’t even trip. Where is the dress?”

  I pointed to the bed. I looked at my brother, who was silent.

  Lexi walked over to the gown, looked at it, and exclaimed, “Girl, this is beau-ti-ful!”

  I was studying my brother, who hadn’t said a word to me yet. I cleared my throat. “Aren’t you going to say hello to your soon-to-be-married big sis?”

  Brandon walked up to me in his suit, looking super handsome. He gave me a dry kiss on my cheek. “Congratulations, Giselle. I’ll leave y’all to this.” Then he exited the room.

  I tried to overlook the fact that my little brother didn’t look very pleased. Maybe he felt like I was making a mistake marrying Giovanni. And while I wasn’t completely sure I was making the right choice, I wanted my brother to think I was and to be happy for me. But the look on his face showed that he was very displeased. He would barely make eye contact with me, and his expression was agitated. He never acted like that toward me.

  “Well, girl, I got all the stuff you need. A very sexy underwear and bra. Your garter belt, for starters ...”

  Lexi continued to talk as the stylist pressed my hair. She pulled all my hair to the side with some diamond clips so a dozen curls cascaded to the side of my face. She told me that was how Giovanni wanted me to wear it.

  Once my makeup and hair were done, I took a peek in the mirror. I never felt or looked more beautiful. I put on everything Lexi had given me. Something new was a toe ring; something blue was the Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue perfume that she sprayed on me. However, I had nothing old or borrowed to wear. Next, I was helped into my gown and veil, and I was ready to go.

  “You look really beautiful, Giselle.”

  I smiled and looked at Lexi in the mirror as she stood behind me. I was startled for a second because, yeah, she was saying, “Congratulations,” but for a split second, her face did not look too happy for me. It brought me back to the day that she misled me at the mansion. Made me think that you never really knew a person and you never really could trust a person. She was my best friend, so she should be happy for me. That bothered me a little bit. But then, Giovanni told me that he was going to give me a life that many women—even the nicest women on the earth—would envy.

  I received more visitors. They knocked on the door, and when I told whoever it was to come in, a very pretty middle-aged woman swept through the room. She was fair skinned, with long jet-black hair. She was petite in size, and she looked very much like Giovanni. When an older man walked in behind her, an older replica of my soon-to-be husband, I knew without a doubt they were Giovanni’s parents.

  “You look very pretty.” She sounded sincere.

  “Thanks,” I replied.

  “You’re welcome. If you’re wondering who I am, I’ll kill the suspense. I’m Giovanni’s mother, Dana.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I gushed. I held my hand out for her to shake.

  Once she did, I then turned to Giovanni’s father to shake his hand. But he didn’t see my gesture, because he was allowing his eyes to travel down the length of my body. But I told myself that he was just inspecting me.

  “No worries. And this is Giovanni’s father, Douglas.”

  “How are you, sweetheart?” He took both of my hands in his.

  “I’m fine. And this is my friend Lexi.”

  His mother and father nodded at Lexi.

  Lexi gave a wave.

  Giovanni and his mother shared some facial features, but he looked mostly like his dad. The dress she wore was a Christian Dior that I had seen one day when Giovanni took me shopping. But Giovanni didn’t let me get it, because he said it looked too old for me. The rocks in her ears, on her fingers, and on her wrists were blinding. Giovanni’s father was very handsome, in an older man kind of way. He had the same build and stature as Giovanni, with salt-and-pepper gray hair and a brown complexion. His suit looked nice and expensive.

  “Well, before I leave you, I just have a little something for you. Because, I tell you, I thought I’d never see the day my son would marry anyone. And I’m not going to even bother at all with asking any questions about how you met or how long you two have been seeing each other. If my son chose you as his wife, he had a good reason for it. You are getting a good catch, you know. I’m a retired teacher, and my husband is a retired engineer. We did not retire by choice. Our son forced us to, bought us a beautiful, huge home in Lakewood, and foots the bill for everything. He can be a bit bossy,” she joked.

  I laughed and accepted the black velvet box. I opened the box. Inside were some beautiful diamond earrings.

  “Those belonged to my grandmother, and I am passing them to you. Giovanni told me that your mother passed not too long after your father. That is something hard to deal with, so I hope you can learn to accept us as your second parents and know that we are here for you if you need us.”

  The earrings were so pretty. My fingers passed over them. And what she was saying almost made me cry. I wanted my parents there. I had always known that my father would give me away one day and my mother would be in the room, helping me get dressed for my special day. That was how I had always envisioned it. Never the way that it was. Her sentiment gave my heart a huge tug, because it was something else that brought me back to the fact that both my parents were dead. It hurt, and I fought back tears. Giovanni’s mother’s words made me feel a little better; I knew I had two parental figures there for support. So I said, “I’m sure I will, ma’am. These are so pretty. Thank you.”


  I hugged her close. Now I had something old and borrowed! And I hoped Giovanni’s parents would grow to love me. When I pulled away and started putting the earrings in my ears, I noticed Giovanni’s mother watching me. And his father continued to watch me, which made me a little uncomfortable, because I felt like he was checking me out in front of his wife. But I simply ignored him.

  Giovanni’s mother interrupted my thoughts. “I get it. I understand. Don’t know you, but I can already see ... you are special.” She had a soft smile on her face when she said this.

  “I’m just a regular girl from Carson who was lucky enough to find your son.”

  “You’re sweet.” She pecked me on my cheek and turned to her husband. “Let’s go.”

  Thirty minutes later, I was led out of the room and down the stairs to the front of the estate. I was surprised to see my brother there, waiting to give me away. Again, the feeling hit me. I wished both my parents were there. I ignored the pain from this and put a smile on my face. As the seconds went by, I could not believe my luck. This fine, sexy, and rich man wanted to marry me? That made me feel a whole lot better.

  So I wasted no time walking down the aisle to become Mrs. Giovanni Pride.

  Chapter 9

  February 13, 2011 ...

  “Baby, you about ready?”

  I smiled as my husband walked into our bedroom. I took my focus off myself in my La Perla bra and underwear and placed it on him as he came behind me and kissed me on my neck. “What’s up, baby?”

  “Hey.”

  I turned to face him and kissed him on the mouth.

  “You’re looking nice.”

  His hands stroked up and down my curves. After four years of marriage, this man still gave me butterflies. In those four years Giovanni had spoiled me and had never let up. From ten-, twenty-, or thirty-stack shopping sprees to diamonds galore, to getaways. He did everything he had promised and more.

  My husband’s multimillion-dollar company was still thriving, and we lived well because of it. I was sure most people found the adult entertainment business seedy and degrading, but my husband’s business was far from it. It was run in a very professional and legal manner. All the women my husband used were screened and had to be at least eighteen. The same for the adult males my husband used. They were all forced to get checkups every two months, and they all wore condoms. My husband was giving people work who needed work, and what they did was their choice.

  He also hired black men who would normally not have a job. Case in point, Giovanni’s producer, Percy. Giovanni told me that Percy did time for drug trafficking for some drug dealer. When he got out of prison, the offer was still on the table for him to go back to selling drugs. Percy told his old boss he was done with that and was ready to go legit. But that was hard for him because he had a felony on his record and could not find work. With a little training from Giovanni, Percy became really good at what he did. He had been working for Giovanni for the past seven years and was my husband’s right-hand man. Over the years Percy had made enough money that he could have started his own business. But Percy said he always worked better when directed, although my husband was the same age as Percy, thirty-eight. He had always had a fear of not being able to make it on his own. I loved Percy, though, and never wanted him to go. My husband and Percy were tight as well. In fact, Percy was Giovanni’s best man at our wedding.

  Although I wanted my brother to go to college, he refused and instead decided to work for my husband. I was disappointed at first. I got on him and told him, “My husband is willing to pay for the whole ride, and you are refusing to go to college?” Brandon’s words were, “Your husband is willing to pay for the whole ride for you, too, Giselle. Did you bother to go?”

  What could I say to that? So he worked as part of the camera crew and eventually advanced to director and was assigned to one of the filming rooms. From what Percy told me, Brandon was doing a good job. His salary allowed him to have his own apartment, which was a luxury one at that, in the Wilshire district, and he drove a Hummer. Yes, my brother was showing off. We had sold my parents’ house not too long after Giovanni and I married. My husband felt it was best. There were so many unpleasant memories there. And Brandon and I now had a firm foundation with him.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  I stared in his eyes. “How lucky I am to have you as my husband.”

  He smiled at me, with this twinkle in his light brown eyes.

  “You taking me somewhere special?”

  “Baby, you already know.” His phone rang. He looked at the number and didn’t answer.

  “You smell good, too.”

  I chuckled.

  I pulled away from him to slide into my purple Valentino dress, which fit me like a glove. I knew my husband was admiring my curves as I smoothed the dress down with my hands. Next, I slid my feet into my peep-toe Giuseppe heels. I grabbed my Dolce & Gabbana coat, along with my Gucci clutch bag.

  I could hear his phone ring again. Since he ignored it, so did I. I was anxious to leave and get our special night started.

  “I’m ready.”

  “Yes, you are. Let’s go.”

  We went to Maestro’s. Giovanni knew that was my favorite restaurant, because I couldn’t get enough of their black truffle gnocchi with crab or their lobster mashed potatoes or their crab-stuffed mushrooms. Hell, I liked a whole lot of stuff at Maestro’s. I could go on and on. My husband was always good for letting me stuff my pretty face with all the foods I wanted.

  “Order whatever you want,” he told me as he scanned his menu.

  When the waiter came, I ordered half of the menu: lobster tails, filet mignon, gorgonzola macaroni and cheese, and crab-stuffed mushrooms. I loved lobster but could not do the whole lobster. I didn’t like looking at the head. Of course, I knew I wasn’t going to finish all of this, but the beauty of having a husband like mine was that I didn’t have to just choose one thing, and I loved that. For me there never was a limit.

  “Don’t worry, baby. We will work it off,” Giovanni added.

  The thought of another lovemaking session with my husband made me shiver. My husband always put it down and had me screaming and cumming.

  He ordered a porterhouse steak, with sweet potato mash and steamed spinach. He was always so health conscious. We sipped on rosé while we waited for our food. My husband wouldn’t stop staring at me, and it made me feel super horny.

  When his phone rang again, I asked, “Baby, who is that calling you?”

  “No one important. The only reason why I haven’t turned it off is that I’m expecting a call from Wingo. You know he has been a no-show all week. That’s not like him.”

  Wingo was the security guard I first met when I came to the studio with Lexi the day I met Giovanni. I never went down to the studio. The studio wasn’t a part of my life, nor were the staff who worked in the studio. I had no dealings with any of it. Matter of fact, Wingo, Nette, Rodney, and Shawn, (the guy who took my pics my first day there) were never allowed to come into the mansion. The only ones that were allowed inside were Percy and Lexi, because she was my bestie. I liked it that way. It kept my husband’s business separate from his private life. I never pried in my husband’s business or concerned myself with his staff. Except for Percy, because he and my hubby were super tight.

  He turned off the phone and said, “It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll drive by his house a little later tonight. But for now, let’s focus on us. How are you feeling about going into our fourth year of marriage, baby?”

  “Like meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  And it was. My life had been nothing but comfort and joy. I had shopped at stores I had never heard of before, been to places I probably would have always dreamed of going to: Jamaica, Aruba, Italy, France. I had a great relationship with my mother-in-law, Dana, and Giovanni’s father, Douglas. I had everything I wanted. Well, except for one thing.

  Giovanni broke into my thoughts. “You’r
e looking kind of serious over there, baby.”

  I smiled. “No, I’m fine.”

  He studied me before saying, “I found a specialist, and I’m thinking that we should both go sometime this week. She’s over at Cedars-Sinai.”

  It was like he could read my thoughts. The one thing we both wanted was a child. And in the past four years, we had not been able to conceive. While Giovanni’s mother and father said that it just might take some time, Giovanni was getting impatient and wondered if I could conceive at all.

  My appetizer of crab-stuffed mushrooms came, and I dug in, not knowing what to say to Giovanni. This was not the first time in the past year that he had brought up seeing a specialist. Truth was I didn’t want to go, out of fear that they would tell me I couldn’t have kids. How would I be able to live with that?

  “Well, I just think that we need to be more patient, Giovanni. I am, after all, only twenty-three.”

  “Yes, and I am thirty-eight. You seem to always forget that I’m a lot older than you are,” he added.

  “I know. Let’s just give it a few more months.” I smiled wickedly and said, “In the meantime, we will just have to increase our chances by increasing our activity.”

  He chuckled. “I’m okay with that, baby. You know I never get tired of making love to you.”

  I picked up one of my mushrooms and fed it to my baby. He licked my fingers when he was done eating it.

  I laughed softly. “Are you trying to get something started tonight?”

  “Stop turning me on, then.”

  I blushed and looked away.

  A few minutes later, our main course was brought. I had a little of each dish. I even made room for some of their famous butter cake, all while having a fun conversation with my husband. I was glad that we were over the whole problem-with-conceiving issue and that it didn’t ruin our anniversary.

  “You about done?” Giovanni asked when I set my fork down.

  I laughed at my husband again. He was antsy about getting me home so we could do the nasty.