PAPER VOWS Novel Chapter 19

Dante drives us to our apartment. It’s about fifteen minute-drive from the police station. As much as it’s just fifteen minutes, to me it feels like more. We are all quiet. Dante’s focus is on the road, Giselle is sniffling at the back, and I am just sitting there, wondering what happened for Giselle to end up at the police station.

When we get to the apartment, Dante helps Giselle get out of the car and helps her to the apartment. We bump into Mr Meyers, and he notices that something is wrong with Giselle. I tell him that I will fill him in later, even though I know that I will avoid him at all costs. Giselle should be the one to tell him if she wants him to know.

Dante helps Giselle sit on the couch and then says, “I will leave you guys to talk.”

“It’s fine, you can stay. You helped me get out, and I am sure you would also like to know how I ended up there,” says Giselle.

I tell Dante to sit even though I know he would rather be anywhere than here. I then get Dante juice and give Giselle some water. “What happened?” I ask after sitting down.

“Remember, I told you that I was just going to pop up at James’s house without telling him. Well, I found him with another woman. I saw red and went off at them. I launched at the girl and whopped her arse and then started trashing the place. The girl called the police on me,” Giselle explains.

Maybe Dante should have left the room. He shouldn’t be hearing all this. And not to rub salt in Giselle’s wounds, but there was something off about James being with her for ten years and not wanting to move forward. I reach for Giselle’s hand and say, “I’m sorry about that.”

I want to curse out James, but I cannot do that in front of Dante. I don’t want him to think I am crazy. I politely tell Giselle that it would be fine and that she shouldn’t cry over a man. I would have called James every name but the child of God if Dante wasn’t here. How dare he cheat on my sister and then let his other woman get her arrested? God knows what would have happened if Dante wasn’t around. My sister would have a criminal record as we speak.

Giselle gets off the couch and says, “I’m going to go shower, maybe throw away these clothes and then take a nap. Thank you, two for coming to get me. Thank you so much for what you did today Dante.”

“No worries,” Dante answers.

I wait for Giselle to leave the room and say, “Do you still want to go out?”

“Don’t you want to be with your sister?”

I do, but she is a big girl. She will be fine. It’s not like this is her first heartbreak. I feel like if I go to Giselle, I will end up getting angry and doing something crazy. Being with Dante needs me to be on my best behaviour. Maybe this is what I need to do; I cannot go around doing crazy things. I might end up in jail like my sister. Before I can respond, Dante’s phone rings and he excuses himself to go answer it. I use that opportunity to go to Giselle. I find her on the phone, cursing out James.

I snatch the phone from her and say, “Come on, Giselle, don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he hurt you.”

“I have been with this man for ten years, Jade! Ten years and all he can say is that he is sorry. Ten years I wasted my life on a man.”

At least he did take care of her in those ten years. She is also partly to blame. She should have started asking questions after year number four. “He is not worth your energy. Just let him be, it’s his loss.”

“Jade, I am thirty-nine years old. What if I never find another man who will love me?”

I answer, “Don’t say that. Thirty-nine is not that old, and you know what they say, life begins at forty.”

“Easy for you to say, you have a man ready to marry you. I am going to be old and lonely. I will die alone while you live lavishly with your billionaire.”

“Don’t be dramatic and get out of bed,” I say, then we hear a knock on the door. I get off Giselle’s bed and attend to the door.

“Can we talk?” Dante says when I open the door. I step out of the room and close the door behind me. He adds, “They need me at the club on the East side. I know I said I am free today, but I am needed.”

Giselle opens the door and says, “Did you say club? I would love to go to the club. Alcohol will do me good.”

Dante first looks at me, as if asking for permission. I nod in response. If he is going to work, then Giselle and I might as well go out. Dante replies, “I will drive you two ladies to Westside 4th Street because I am going to the East side.”

I want to ask why not take us where he is going, but I decide to leave it. I tell Giselle to change while Dante and I go to my room so I can change too.

“Why are you changing?” Dante asks. He is on my bed while I go through my clothes.

“I can’t go to the club in jeans. I need to be sexy.”

“Sexy for who? I won’t be there?” he mutters. Is that a hint of jealousy I sense from Mr Lyon?

“Maybe you should come back early and join us. What do you think of this dress?” It’s a short white dress that exposes my back.

“I don’t like it.”

I take off the dress and put on a sparkly party dress. “I love this one. What do you think?”

“I also don’t like it.”

I look at him and say, “You want me to go there in jeans, don’t you?”

“You do look amazing in jeans.”

“Dante, I am not wearing jeans to the club.” I take off the dress and put on a black leather short jumpsuit. I think I love this one. I add a pair of boot heels, then look at Dante, who gives me a thumbs down. I don’t care what he thinks. “Can you take a photo of me?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Do you realise that you are forty-two years old, Dante Lyon? Stop being a big baby,” I hand him my phone, and he takes a picture of me.

I ask if we can take a photo together, and he says just his hand. Mr I have no digital footprint is such a party pooper. He wraps his one arm around my upper body so that his arm and watch are showing in the photo. People will get to see his hand and watch. It reminds me of the Instagram girlies who only show their man’s hands and feet.

I upload the photo on my social media and then show Dante the first comment, which reads, ‘This year we are getting Dante Lyon content. We know it will start with just his hand until we get the full body.’

“My hand is what they will be getting, nothing more,” Dante replies and asks if I am done because he is needed at work.

I quickly do a no-makeup – makeup look, then we go get Giselle. When they say black doesn’t crack, they mean it. She looks good; you wouldn’t say she is a day over thirty. She is wearing a long black jumpsuit. I don’t like that she is also wearing a jumpsuit, but I don’t have the time to change. Dante drives us to 4th Street, makes sure we are in the VIP session – our drinks are on him.

“I will see you ladies later,” Dante kisses me on the cheek, then says to Giselle, “Please make sure men stay away from her.”

Giselle answers, “No man will get near her, Mr Lyon.”

The time is six pm, but inside the club it’s dark, making it seem like it’s night. Giselle and I start with shorts, then we have champagne while we dance.

“Why didn’t I see it coming? I should have seen it coming,” Giselle says. It’s like the drunker she gets, the more she talks about James.

“He was hiding it very well. How long has he been cheating?”

She shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t even know, the lady didn’t waste time calling the police. I didn’t get to ask any questions.”

“Next time, please don’t hit people. Today, you were lucky Dante helped.”

“You are going to be marrying him, which will make him family. I can now beat up people in peace. My sister’s man will save me,” she says with a big smile on her face.

“Next time, I will tell him to leave you in there for a night.”

“I swear it’d be your own people turning on you?” She shakes her head, pouring herself more champagne.

Elis walks into the VIP session and says, “Hello, ladies! Mr Lyon asked me to check on you.”

“We are fine, Elis, thank you,” I reply.

“Hi, Elis,” Giselle waves at him. I tell her Elis is off limits. She looks at me and says, “You are such a killjoy.”

“I will check on you ladies later,” Elis walks away.

“You are not going to do something you will regret because your man cheated on you. If you want to hook up with someone, do it sober,” I say to Giselle.

“You followed a stranger to his house when you were drunk. You are not one to give advice.”

“A stranger who got you out of jail and helped you get rid of your criminal record,” I put my glass on the table and stand on my feet. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Okay, Mrs Lyon,” she mocks.

“At least my man is a billionaire!” I stick out my tongue and head to the bathroom. As I am going there, someone, a tall figure, blocks my way.