~*~*~
By the end of the following school week, I had two parties booked – one for a surprise bridal shower and the other for a girls’ night out. Kelli agreed to accompany me, not just to support but to assist.
The most humbling was Di making a surprise appearance to oversee. Afterwards she took the time to provide critique of my performance, and shadowed as I conferred with clients in the private ordering room.
“You did your thing, Gabriella! I was very proud watching you and admiring your comfort level with the products and your audience. You’ve studied. I’m impressed.”
I enjoyed myself. It was great meeting people, and seeing the different dynamics play out amongst the women.
Some were shy and barely said anything until they met me in the private space to order, while others were very vocal about all things sex and wanted the entire room of women to hear what they had to say.
I signed three women at the bridal shower, and two at the girls’ night out. So, within my first two weeks of consulting I had five recruits and that number continued to grow in a short amount of time.
It’s funny how life happens.
I rejected the idea of college initially, yet attending ended up working to my advantage.
I was in constant company with a million and one girls who were either putting themselves through school and working double duty to do it, or the very rare trust fund baby who wanted to have something “extra…fun” to do outside of spending daddy’s money. Oh! And a lot of them had mamas who were slumming as bored housewives.
I was in a major epicenter. I had hit the jackpot!
CHAPTER 18
~*~*~
The week before I graduated, I hit a mark: 123 girls within my hierarchy – directly and indirectly – that were from across the United States, but predominately in California and Las Vegas.
Romantica recognized me as one of the fastest risers in 15 years to make it to the six-figure club.
They contracted me as their trainer for new consultants and asked me to be a guest speaker at several of the area conferences, where I highlighted the intricacies of marketing strategies.
For my hard work and the numbers I had pulled in, I was awarded a 1-week, all expense paid trip for two, to New York City.
The day I received the tickets I treated my parents to dinner and there I broke the news to them about my involvement with Romantica.
I was well aware that my parents had very different plans for me, something that involved a cubicle housed in a large corporation.
It was never my intention to keep it a secret; it was more about being successful at it before involving them in the details.
It was important that I approached them with the career choice when I had something tangible to show them as proof of my success, and not just a vision of something I wanted to do.
As I suspected, because of how supportive they had always been, they expressed pride. As long as I was safe, they were content with how I made my money. It wasn’t like I neglected getting my degree or didn’t have a need for it. I walked away with a mound of transferable information from my school journey that I would take into my business dealings.
After the reveal, I proudly gifted them with the New York City trip that I had won. Since they hadn’t done much traveling, they were ecstatic.
While they were gone to New York, Kelli and I took that trip to Disneyland that I promised her that night outside her mother’s house.
I invited Joi, my friend since childhood to tag along with us as well since I hadn’t seen her in a while. She and Kelli hit it off which was good since the two of them, and Natalia were the girls I was closest to.
Always in business mode, I’d worn my, I Do Romantica Parties tee shirt and received an inquiry from a woman standing in a line for ice cream.
It led to me giving her my business card, and a phone conversation with her when I returned home. She signed as a consultant shortly thereafter.
Over the next year, I grew further in status. It was happening fast. I loved it. I was a 22-year old powerhouse and enjoying life to the millionth power.
Not only had I managed to set Di up for the rest of her life with the hierarchical structure I created, I had made quite a name – and fortune for myself.
Confirmation for what I already knew was clear as a summer day – I had a knack for business.
When I started getting requests from women who were in relationships, about having their men attend parties, I didn’t think much of it. I simply gave the Romantica’s prompt about men not being allowed.
However, as the requests increased in frequency, I began having feelings that there was more I could do…that there were other plateaus I wanted to reach that could not be attained with Romantica alone.
Because of those inquiries, I experimented with a monthly event of hosting parties with a twist – couples edition.
They were a huge hit.
I consistently received emails from attendees informing me how communication gateways had been opened, how the spark had found its way home, and how love was much more prevalent than before.
I was making a difference in their lives on a whole other level than I signed on for, or that I even thought was possible.
As much as I loved working for Romantica, the responses I was getting from the couples editions let me know it was time to branch out on my own.
My audience told me what they wanted and I needed to respond to their wants as best I could. To do that, I needed to spread my wings, and explore all the possibilities.
~*~*~
My two lives: Paraiso Belo and Romantica, very much paralleled, allowing me to experience both sides of the spectrum.
On one side of the spectrum there were the men who made a sport of playing away from home, while on the other, there lived the women who sought ways to enhance their intimate relationships, by capturing and holding their mate’s interest, in an effort to keep them from the arms of women in a place like Paraiso Belo.
During parties and conferences I attended it wasn’t uncommon for women to approach with questions about not just product, but advice on sex and how to get their men on board with toy dabbling.
I never considered myself a couple’s counselor and I told my customers as much. Yet, they still sought me out for answers, and I wanted to help in any way I could.
I had couples wanting to have more active sex lives, through the use of toys, and bringing them together at the same parties worked to help them meet their goals.
There existed the women who wanted their mates to be on board with using toys and not knowing how to broach the subject for fear of how their intentions would be interpreted.
I decided to embark on a venture where I could combine all the ideas into one.
I could have a company that would allow for couples parties – without sneaking to do it, and without the risk of consequence for rebelling against policy.
I could also have a service that provided education to men and women on the benefits of using enhancements in their relationships since there existed misconceptions on both sides.
I could explore the possibilities of having couple’s therapy since there appeared to be quite a few couples having issues within their relationships, but who also wanted to work through them and didn’t always know where to begin.
I could also create my own product line! And there the idea for Goodie Bagg was born.
All the goodies in one bag and in one company location.
Here I come, world!
CHAPTER 19
~*~*~
On my 23rd birthday, I launched Goodie Bagg as a subsidiary of Romantica. It boasted a line of glass birthstone dildos, created with the help of a designer, various services, and couples parties were also incorporated.
Goodie Bagg wasn’t born without struggle. I thought in the beginning that it would happen easily because the ideas fit so well, but that wasn’t to be.
Travelling to Romantica headquarters nine ti
mes in a six-month period was exhausting. Each time they contacted me, I thought it was with good news and with plans to finalize, but it was always a request for more information on the particulars of my plan.
I came close to giving up a few times because there were moments when it seemed like the whole process was more trouble than it was worth.
I had to meet with company heads and a few stakeholders, each time, talking for hours on end. It was one gathering after another with me in the hot seat and them dissecting my plan to the core.
It became the norm for the powers-that-be to produce additional lists of questions that I felt were in place to trip me up. Unfortunately for them, I was able to provide legitimate arguments for each one.
I considered approaching Romantica’s competition: Las Vegas based Passion Parties, with an offer to gauge their interest level, when it seemed the doors were closing around me.
However, once I resolved to seeing my goal all the way through, my focus was set on making it happen, whether that meant with Romantica’s backing or my own.
Several presentations, demos and months later, Goodie Bagg was finally approved for launching.
My business degree came in handy while delivering speeches before several individuals on why my business venture could benefit the company as a whole.
I was able to fluidly discuss financials, as well as the multitude of perks that a collaboration between the two companies could bring forth.
Initially, I ran the business from my home office, but a few months in when sales boomed, I established both an office and warehouse in San Francisco.
When I started to hire a full staff, there were more than a few who followed me from Romantica.
I also contracted the services of a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist for couples interested in counseling.
Business was good!
My consultants ranged from the housewife who needed something extra to do, to the husband who came home one night during his wife’s party and while listening from another room, realized he’d missed out on other ways to please his wife, and decided to sign on part-time in an effort to educate other men.
I was extremely proud that I listened to my first thought and made an attempt at bringing Goodie Bagg to life.
It was Romantica’s no-men policy that ultimately forced my hand. I recognized that there were many opportunities being missed.
For one, a major population that Romantica let fall by the wayside, were the fabulous gay men! I had a ball whenever I attended one of their parties. No holds barred, open and honest dialog among everyone in the room and outright fun.
Added to that were the many times I found myself in situations where women asked if I could speak with their husbands and discuss with them the benefits of allowing toys into the bedroom.
While not all men were open to engaging in that discussion with me (and I could understand why), some of the talking often produced encouraging results, but I believed inviting the husband would prove more effective and that’s what I set out to incorporate.
All-inclusive didn’t fly with everyone, because some women became uncomfortable with men in the room, or didn’t feel as free discussing their sexual desires with males present. It wasn’t uncommon for me to hold individual couple sessions to alleviate the discomfort.
There was something for everybody and after articles in Inc. Magazine, Essence and Cosmopolitan, Goodie Bagg had become somewhat of a household name in the adult toy/party industry.
~*~*~
With the success of Goodie Bagg, it made sense to keep going. There was always new energy born and waiting to be acted upon.
The first two years that Goodie Bagg was in business, it grew exponentially.
I bought my first house that boasted 4 bedrooms. Like I really needed that much space. 3 bathrooms, a swimming pool, 2-car garage and a redwood deck like the one Di had at her house.
My trips to Brazil were still going strong, life was overall a blast.
Whenever I did go to Brazil, I took toys for the girls. Valentina even had my products in stock for anyone interested.
I saw Victor each time I went, but he finally understood that I couldn’t make my trips solely for his pleasure.
As much as I enjoyed him, I had to put the brakes on exclusivity. My trips had always been about having fun, relaxing and mingling, and that is exactly what I needed to do – not to be tied down to one person every time.
At home I worked hard, so there I needed to play equally hard. After he and I spent our two days together, I often had another guest to complete the duration of my stay.
Much to my delight, I still had yet to entertain a guest I merely had to tolerate. There was something interesting, and nicely endowed about them all.
The times I didn’t have another guest scheduled, I hung out with friends I’d made at the resort, spent time with Valentina, or Natalia and I would head offsite to visit with family.
Whenever I returned home it was always with new breath and fresh ideas to launch.
One of those ideas, having a nightclub, was one I had imagined years earlier, and around the time I first began frequenting Paraiso Belo.
I had thought of having a nightclub many times, but felt it would be too much trouble. All the ones I had ever heard of had short life spans, due in large to toxic crowds who didn’t appreciate the entertainment outlet provided to them.
I wasn’t interested in anything that would be around today and gone tomorrow, but the dream never died.
Whenever I watched Valentina at Paraiso Belo’s receptions, I got the bug all over again. I loved looking around seeing everyone enjoy themselves, hearing the music play and the calm of the atmosphere.
One day while I was brainstorming, I thought of an idea to have a couple’s café – a nightclub of sorts, but not in the traditional sense.
I had visions of music playing…not blaring, groups of people, but not lines down the street, and something more on the side of intimate, and for a distinct group of people.
~*~*~
From that, my brainchild was born…Club Rendezvous: A couple’s café that would cater to all couples – the happy, struggling, brand new and even it’s complicated.
It became my next plan of action.
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHAPTER 20
~*~*~
I was on the way to meet the girls: My mom, Di and Kelli for brunch at the Marriott. We made it a point to do meet ups as our schedules…more like my schedule, allowed.
There was a certain irony to it all. I met Kelli at school, and she ended up becoming one of my best friends. She introduced me to her mother, who in turn, introduced me to what turned out to be the avenue to my own success. I introduced my mother to Di, and they became best girlfriends.
Everything happens for a reason.
I could have ended up being one of those people with a false sense of entitlement, with my hand always out because my parents were well off, but I was far removed from that.
Early on something resonated with me to pursue a success-filled life much like my parents, who were very successful in their fields. Seeing them work hard for all that we had and being able to afford a certain lifestyle geared me in that direction.
In deep thought, I was driving along and heard my phone’s notification. I knew immediately it was my mother texting to see how far away I was and how long it would be before joining them.
They were probably already seated and going on about how I was always the last to arrive. They were right. Not on purpose, just that I was always leaving from one place, or meeting, to another.
When I caught the red light, I seized the opportunity to reach for my phone to let my mother know I was en route.
“Ten minutes away, Mama!” was the text I sent.
As soon as I hit send, I looked up anxiously to see if the light had given me permission to go. As I did so, something caught my eye.
Sitting pretty on the corner directly across the street was a split
-level, brick building. It was a stunning piece of architecture.
I wanted to view it up close to make sure that I indeed spotted a “For Lease” sign affixed to the window because that would mean it was unoccupied.
“Damn! This has to be the longest light ever! Come on, already!” I yelled out.
The light turned green and impulsively I pulled in front of the building, parked and exited my vehicle.
I had no idea yet what the building looked like on the inside, but I was already drawn to it and knew immediately that it was what I had been looking for.
I wasn’t solely attracted to the cherry brick building, though it was what caught my attention first with its striking color. It was also that it sat back off the street, instead of immediately at the sidewalk, and that it was a corner location with an obvious sense of privacy. All those attributes added to its character. Plus, plus, plus.
When my phone started to ring, I was snapped back to reality. Before my mother could even speak or begin yelling, I intercepted.
“Mama…I’m almost there, just waiting for this light to change. Don’t order without me! Be right there. Promise.”
Liar, liar.
I rushed back to my car, and dialed the number that was listed on the “For Lease” sign. After the beep, I left a message:
“Hi my name is Gabriella Sandoval. I am sitting in front of your property located at 427 Harper Lane. I hope that it is still available, as I would love to speak with you regarding signing a lease.”
I left my phone number and found myself so restless I couldn’t concentrate.
The agent I was working with had shown me a few different locations. Some were promising, but there was always a missing component: short on square footage, or lack of character, or a complete disconnect with the area.
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