Revolving Doors (5 page)

Damn!
I had never even thought to ask Natalia about the financial part of the deal.

Whoa
! No wonder she was so happy and talking about moving out of her parents’ house!

I
f I was getting that kind of money for a 2-day rendezvous, hers would be something much more significant! I could only imagine what
she
was making.

Whew! The life!

CHAPTER 7

~*~*~

After meeting with Valentina, I alternated between emotions – happy, relieved, excited – a bunch of others and back
to happy again. The conversation we had was a healthy and fulfilling one, and a perfect prelude to my impending date.

She called concierge and I was escorted to my awaiting suite. It was as welcoming as the one Natalia was in. Apparently, all the rooms had their own color scheme. Turquoise, and platinum were mine. It was serene and
walking into the aura of it immediately brought to mind the ocean. 

My luggage had been delivered prior to and once I’d placed everything in the closet and drawers, I started prepping for the reception. That was the part I couldn’t wait to see. All the people in one place
would be a sight to see.

I felt like I was
in the final hours of a Hollywood premier, and waiting to see who would walk the red carpet, what they were wearing, how they wore their hair, and what they looked like.

The dress I chose from Natalia’s closet was a white Catherine Malandrino. Her being a size six to my seven, gave it a nice fit in all the right places. I completed the ensemble with red dangle earrings, my favorite diamond tennis bracelet and red pumps.

Dressing up had always been fun. Normally, it would happen when my parents were having large gatherings at our house or if we’d been invited to a gala or something of that nature. But prepping for Valentina’s event was a huge contrast. I was stepping out as a woman – an independent woman and it felt good.

I was going for simple with a taste of elegance. I allowed my tresses to hang, giving me a more mature appearance.
I took a final look in the mirror for approval, and was pleased with what stared back at me.

Because of all the
recent disruption in my life, I hadn’t been interested in looking into my own face, for fear of what I might see in my eyes. But as I studied my face in the mirror, I saw beauty: My hair, eyes, lips, and body.
Oh, the body
…I hadn’t paid much attention before but apparently, I had curves that had grown in.
Thank you white dress for putting them in clear perspective
.

I thought to myself how much my dad would disapprove if he had seen me in that moment looking so adult.
He still thought of me as his little girl. So did my mom…and that I would always be.

A brief moment of guilt rushed over me that I was at Paraiso Belo living a secret my parents had no knowledge of...

It’s only one time,
I told myself. Not that big of a deal.

~*~*~

Nothing could have prepared me for the lounge. As with everywhere else in Valentina’s miniature palace, it was beautiful. A lot of purple and lavender, with red sprinkled throughout, made up the scheme.  

There were 12 booths set throughout and at each booth an awaiting gentleman
was already seated with varying activity in progress. Whether sipping on a drink or eating from the fruit plate that sat before him, each looked extremely relaxed and
ready
.

From what I could tell, I had entered
a melting pot filled to the brim with nice looking men. I thought to myself,
So this is where all the beautiful, rich men hang out, huh
? 

I was amazed as I looked around the room from guy to guy.
My curiosity was in overdrive. I wanted to know what their professions were. Did they come from money? Did they make their own money? If so, doing what? Were they all married or were some just there for fun and because they could afford the high price tag?

Whatever the case, they were there because they’d earned a spot. They were part of an exclusive group
of men who had to prove they deserved to be there.

What an operation. Way to go, Valentina
!

I was seated with another girl who introduced herself as Iyanna. The area where
we sat, seated eight. We had a great view that faced the 12 booths.

Iyanna
was also hosting a short-timer who hadn’t yet arrived, so we were invited to the reception as guests. We talked for a bit while waiting for the affair to begin.

There was
a guy sitting not too far from us, that both Iyanna and I commented on at the same time. Perhaps because he was the nearest and we could get a close look at him. One thing was clear…he was one gorgeous man!

He had a d
ark complexion, low-cut hair, broad shoulders. Strong facial features. Confident. Mysterious.

If I was correct, he was an athlete for one of the NFL teams. Maybe even NBA.
I had definitely seen him before. I just couldn’t immediately place it. Or maybe he just had that
I’ve seen him before,
look about him.

Whoever he
was, some woman was going to be very lucky. 

Down, girl
! I told myself.
He’s spoken for already
…At least on this trip he is.

I smiled to myself, already exploring future potential.

~*~*~

Right in the middle of my chocolate athlete lust fest the lights dimm
ed, the music came to a halt, and I heard, “Good evening, gentlemen! I hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long…” I immediately recognized Valentina’s voice over the microphone.

Right then
she appeared as stunning as ever. Valentina the Vixen wore a black evening dress that hugged her body like an original birthday suit.

You go girl
!

The diamonds in her ears and those around her neck sparkled, even from where I sat. Her hair, pulled up high in a bun, accentuated the dress perfectly.

Elegant.

“Without further ado, here are your hostesses!”

One by one, they all sashayed in. I hadn’t seen Natalia since earlier
in the day when I left her to have my meeting with Valentina. She looked gorgeous.

She
wore the prettiest platinum dress with her auburn hair pulled into a high ponytail, with a swooped bang that touched slightly behind her ear before joining the rest of the upsweep.

She was flawless and had the perfect accessories to complete the ensemble. She looked at least four years older than her
nineteen.

Wonderful was the rainbow of colors in the procession. The women were from everywhere! All beautiful. Anyone could see that Valentina chose
hostesses carefully. They all wore dresses for the occasion and it looked more like a fashion show than the prelude to a date. 

Valentina continued her introduction.

“We are happy you joined us and are sure you will enjoy your time here at Paraiso Belo. You have been assigned your very own hostess for the duration of your stay and very careful steps were taken to pair you with the woman that matches closest with your preferences. If for any reason you think the match is not right, please let me know and I will do all I can to rectify the situation. However…I do not foresee that being a problem.”

She gestured toward the smiling ladies and exclaimed, “I mean look at them!”

Applause erupted throughout the lounge, and as I looked around I saw smiles on all the faces in the room. 

“One more thing, before I turn you over to your hostesses…please focus your attention to the back of the room for Iyanna and Gabriella. Iyanna has been with Paraiso Belo for six months, you may have already met her.”

Iyanna stood and waved to the crowd, as the applause continued.

Then it was my turn.

“Gabriella, my American princess, has just joined us and this is her first visit. Please give her a welcomed applause.”

I followed Iyanna’s lead and
stood to deliver a quick wave.

“
Welcome to the family, Gabriella!” she announced.

I hadn’t expected any spotlight to come my way, but
I thought it was very sweet of Valentina to acknowledge us even though we were only observers for the evening.

CHAPTER
8

~*~*~

When the girls spread out to their assigned guests, Valentina made her way over to our table. “You girls look beautiful tonight!”
she exclaimed proudly.

“Thank you!”
we both responded.

“So do you, Valentina!” I complimented.

“Thank you, Gabriella. What did you both think of the reception?”

“
Loved it
,” we managed in unison, then looked at one another and chuckled at the coincidence.

“You ready for tomorrow, Iyanna?” Valentina asked.

Smiling, Iyanna responded, “I
am
ready. It’s been a few months since I’ve seen Manuel, so I’m excited.”

“Good. He seems to have found a favorite in you, so I’m sure it will be pleasurable.”

“He is always a lot of fun, and it doesn’t hurt that he is very…uhmmm…experienced,” she blushed. “I think I’ve learned quite a bit from that man. I am eagerly anticipating his arrival tomorrow.”

“And, Gabriella…how are you holding up, my love? All set for tomorrow? Did you preview your portfolio?”

“I did,” I answered, smiling. “As soon as I got back to my suite, I unpacked and took a look to see what my guest was all about.  I’ve done my homework.”

“Hmmm,” she said. “I see a smile…”

“Yes, you do,” I said bashfully. “I didn’t realize until right now, how wound up I am, or that I would even be at all.”

“
Wound up
, huh? Well, that’s good news.”

As we chatted into the night, I periodically glanced over to observe Natalia’s interaction with the chocolate NFL guy. In some weird way I knew she’d end up the lucky one. She handled herself well and appeared to be in her element. I was proud of her.

She turned at a point, flashed a smile my way, and refocused on her guest without missing a beat. 

Iyanna excused herself and took a trip to the bar for a drink.

As soon as she left, I posed a question to Valentina that I had wanted to ask the moment I saw the room full of eye candy.

“Valentina, was there ever a time that you talked to these men during the intake process, or when you met them in person and found that you were attracted in any way?”

“Not at all.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe. It’s like a candy store
.”

“
You know, Gabriella, I can honestly say that my
entire
heart belonged to my husband, so I was never attracted. I knew that I was born to be his wife,” she said, blushing. “I was fortunate enough to have him as mine for 12 years and not a day went by that my love didn’t grow. Even after he passed, I didn’t cross lines. These men are not the ones I would fill my life with, if you know what I mean.”

“I absolutely know what you mean,” I admitted looking around, but still thinking that if I were her, I
would have probably taken a few dips in the man pool.

She looked
, and with a half smile, as if she knew what I was thinking.

“
I know you can’t imagine it now, but when you fall in love with the
right one
you’ll reflect on this very conversation and know exactly what I meant.”

I couldn’
t help but smile at the beauty of love – especially on the right two people. Valentina and Dionisio seemed to have shared it. My parents also had it, so I’d seen it play out all my life.

Me, on the other hand, I didn’t think I wanted
to give that much of myself to someone ever again. I was young, beautiful, intelligent, and I just wanted to learn
me
and see what it was that made my world go around – as a serial dater.

My plans were to get my degree, decide on a career and go after it with my whole being so I could build my own empire – maybe
even like Paraiso Belo.

I leaned over to hug Valentina
. I wanted her to know that I had listened to what she said and that I acknowledged and honored her love for Dionisio.

He was still
in her heart and the pain was fresh. I could hear it in her voice when she spoke about him.

“I’m so sorry, Valentina. I’m sure you’ll find that love again one day.”

“I appreciate that.
Maybe
one day I will…but I’m not rushing into any arms. I have a lot of special memories to keep me company.”

As we concluded the conversation, on cue, Iyanna reentered the fold…drink in hand.

“What did I miss?”