Page 7 of Wicked Deceptions
“Self-respect is overrated when you are starving.” I walk toward her and reach for her hands. “Please help me,” I plead.
“What would your parents say?” She hesitates. “What would Mikhail say? He would not want you to sell yourself.”
“He saved my life. He would want me to survive. And that is exactly what I intend to do.” I cock my brow. “If you will not help me, Gabriella, I will find a way, with or without your help.” I am determined to see this through, and if she won’t help me, I will find someone who will.
She holds both my hands in hers. “Are you sure this is what you want?” she questions. “Once you go down this path, you can never look back.”
I understand her concern, and frankly she is right. I will lose all self-respect, but at this point, I have no other choice.
“It is. I’m tired of living like this and so very tired of starving. I promise I will pay you and Jonathan back. Please,” I beg.
She nods and leaves the room.Is she refusing?I am relieved when she returns a few seconds later with a gown in her hand. It is the most beautiful French gown I have ever seen.
“Oh!” I exclaim. “Where on earth did you get this?” I gently pass my hand along the beautiful satin and sequins.
“You are not the only one around here with a past,” she says, holding the dress up. “Will this work?”
“Gabriella, it is perfect! Do you think it will fit?”
She holds the dress up against me. “It may need a few alterations, but I think after I work my magic, it will fit you perfectly.”
Relief washes over me. I honestly did not know where I would turn if she would not have helped me. “Thank you, Gabriella.” I hold the dress and admire the beautiful beads and sequins adorning it. Looking over at her, I say, “You and Jonathan have been so good to us. I promise I will repay you for your kindness.”
“Do not worry about that. Now go try the dress on so I can see where it needs altered and, more importantly, before Jonathan returns.”
I do as she says, and when I come back into the room, she is holding a pin cushion. She begins to work, pinning and tucking here and there. She steps back and looks at her work. “That should do it. Now go change, and I will get started on making ityourdress.”
I return with the dress in hand and hand it to her. She takes it and sits at the table. A sewing basket is sitting on the table, and she pulls a needle and some thread from inside it. I watch her intently as she threads the needle, and I realize it is a good thing she had a dress because frankly, I would not have known where to begin to make one myself.
We spend the afternoon visiting while she continues to work. A little before five, Gabriella puts her sewing basket away and hides the dress. “I will continue tomorrow while Jonathan is at work. He would not understand and will probably be upset that I am helping you with this crazy idea.”
“Why are you helping me, Gabriella?”
She pauses and then says, “Because you have suffered great loss, and I just want to see you happy. When you told me about your idea, it was the first time I ever saw you genuinely smile.” She smiles. “I will not lie, I want you to have something better than selling yourself, but if this is what you want, who am I to stand in your way? All I can do is to help you get what you want and be there if you need me. So, if mistress to a wealthy man is what you want, then so be it.”
“Thank you, Gabriella, for understanding. I may be horribly wrong, but I believe this is a stepping-stone to getting a better life for myself. And who knows, I just might fall madly in love with him.” She shakes her head as if I have lost my mind, but she says nothing further.
A few days later, there is a knock on my flat door. I open it, and Gabriella is there beaming. “I have finished it. I am so excited for you to try it on,” she says as she walks into my flat, the beautiful dress draped over her arm.
I take the garment from her and run behind the dressing divider to put the dress on. It is perfect! I step out and say, “Oh, Gabriella, it is perfect! Thank you so much.”
“So, Katerina, I have to ask. Do you have any idea where you’re going to start?”
I shake my head. “No, I have not thought that far.”
“It is something you need to think about. There are prostitutes and then there are courtesans. You, my dear, need to be a courtesan. They are higher-class prostitutes and receive a much better clientele.”
“And how do I become a courtesan?”
“Remember when I said I had a past? Well, I have a friend. Jonathan does not allow me to see her much because she has a questionable profession, but I believe she is exactly who you are looking for.
Chapter 5
Paris, France
August 1915
It’s been several months since Gabriella introduced me to Madame LaRue, and although this life is the furthest thing I could have ever imagined for my future, I like it. Not to mention, I am rather good at it. Not the sex part of it all, for I would not know. But I find that my looks and my figure are pleasing to the men who frequent her brothel, so I am often requested.
