Dante, stop. Don’t hit me again or else.” “Or else what?” Dante questioned “You’ll leave me? You won’t leave me you stupid bitch, You are nothing without me. What will you do, go back to the streets where I found your ass? I married you because you are a pretty face a good fuck. You look good on my arm at functions. Seen and not heard. Other than that, you are a waste of space.” I’ll call the cops.” Gia replied. “Oh will you now? Do you think the cops are going to believe a trophy wife over me – the Mayor? I have the police chief in my back pocket. Jesus, you really are a stupid whore” Dante pushed her down onto the bed and out of his way and left the room. “Or I’ll kill you.” Gia muttered under her breath when he was out of earshot.
Just a few short years ago, Gia was a waitress by day so that she could go to cattle calls and pursue her dream of modeling. She had olive skin, long, black, wavy hair and translucent green eyes. She was beautiful even by supermodel standards, but she lacked refinement. She was a little too street for the world of high fashion, so she made ends meet at The Jade Palace. Gia was lucky in that she never had to work the main floor and dance on the poles for the heathen masses. Her looks allowed her to work in the Sultan Room catering to high end clientele. She was always in demand by the kind who didn’t want people to know they frequented such establishments. The kind like Dante Franco.
Dante was a self made man. There were rumors that he backed certain mob bosses and was paid handsomely for it. Because he knew the right people to flash his cash at; he was able to buy his way onto the city counsel and eventually mayors seat. He had a way of making those who opposed him disappear and he basically owned the city. Dante liked expensive toys and things of beauty and Miss Gia Carmine fit the latter. He used the excuse of “making sure the clubs were following regulations” as to why he could almost always be found at various strip clubs. When he came into the Jade Palace, he was ushered into the Sultan’s Room, where he encountered Gia for the first time. She was on a revolving round bed in the center of the room engaged in the act of masturbation and it was standing room only around her. As the music hit it’s climaxed, so did she and soon the red sheets were covered in green bills. The Jade Palace had a very strict no touching policy, but for the right amount of money, Ms. Gia could be your exclusive dancer for the evening. There was always a bidding war for her attention and thanks to the tax payer’s dollars; Gia soon became the Mayor’s favorite. Dante would come in several times a week and lavished her in cash and cocktails. Eventually he tired of having to fight for her attention and moved her into the Mayor’s mansion where he could get touch her to his hearts content and not have to throw dollar bills at her..
In the beginning it was great. As long as she put out for Dante which she didn’t mind; she wanted for nothing. Designer clothes, handbags and a personal hairdresser were just some of the perks that came from being at Dante’s side. Gia had to admit she was attracted to his power and prestige. It was a turn on to know that the man she was falling for could snap his fingers and change the fate of the city. It wasn’t a bad gig for a girl who formerly stripped to make ends meets and Gia didn’t hesitate to answer yes when he proposed to her.
Two weeks after the wedding, Dante let his true color fly. Gia had forgotten to remind the housekeepers about a spot on the carpet Dante had told her about. He flew off the handle, threw her into the wall and hit her with a barrage of cursing and insults. She had called the police, but when the officers arrived, he turned it around on her making it seem like she was the one who attacked him. He had asked the police not to press charges though. It would make for some very bad publicity for him and it was an election year after all. Once the cops left, he dragged Gia into the bedroom by her hair, beat her with a belt and told her if tried she tried a stunt like that again - he’d break her fingers so she couldn’t ever dial the phone again. After that incident he was a bit more meticulous about his methods of abuse. He couldn’t leave marks because he didn’t trust her. He worked too hard to have some stripper slut who didn’t listen to bring down his empire.
Now they were just shy of their third anniversary and she feared she wouldn’t live see it .He had punched her in the side of the head and it was throbbing. Gia walked to the kitchen and got some ice, hoping to numb the pain. When the pain subsided enough that she could think clearer, she did the only thing she could think of to do to get him back. She went down to the park to give Dante’s money to the homeless. Dante despised the homeless and was trying to get a law passed to get them banned from the Metro Park where they all seemed to congregate. The park was near the train station and was usually a good spot to extract people’s spare change. The more Dante hit Gia, the more she could be seen walking through the park chatting up the homeless. Lately she had been a common sight there.
She stopped and chatted with Fred. He was her favorite of the down trodden. Mostly because he was the most respectful to her. He didn’t catcall or holler at her like of others in the park. Fred used to be a successful investor until his company clashed with one of Dante’s Dante’s company took over Fred’s, fired all the personnel and now Fred slept on a park bench. He had used up the last of his savings months ago and now begrudgingly had to accept charity from strangers in order to eat. He and Gia talked for about a half an hour. “It’s going to be cold tonight. Why don’t you use this to get a room for the night? It’s the least I can do for you” She handed him two bills and walked back towards her car.
When she got home, she wasn’t surprised to see the bouquet of red roses and that familiar blue box that Dante thought always made everything better. She read the card attached to the flowers “Sorry about earlier baby, thought you would look stunning in this necklace tonight.” Gia paled when she remembered she was supposed to attend some fundraising dinner with Dante that evening. Quickly she called her doctor to have him come declare her too ill to attend. She did love that she had a medical concierge at her disposal. An hour later, she was in bed diagnosed with a terrible stomach bug with doctored ordered instructions to stay put.
When Dante got home, he was furious to find her lounging in bed. He was ready to punch her upside the head again, but thought better of it when Gia told her the doctor would be back later to check in on her. She explained it was either a contagious stomach virus or food poisoning. Either way, it would look really bad to the hosts if she had to excuse herself to throw up every 15 minutes. Not that he would admit it, but he was slightly relieved he didn’t have to deal with her tonight. If he had to listen to her try to sound like she had a clue as to what she was talking about, he would be apt to put her head through the windshield. He got ready for the party, called for his car & kissed Gia good-bye. She knew he was just going through the motions, but to keep sanity in the household, she straightened his tie and kissed him back. She apologized again for her inability to attend and sent him out the door.
When the car was long gone, Gia drew herself a hot bath and submerged herself in a sea of bubbles. She soaked for what felt like an eternity and it was divine. Feeling relaxed for the first time in ages, she stepped out of the tub and headed to bed. She would have the bed to herself for a good part of the evening, so she stretched out in the middle, pulled the blankets up to her chin and fell into a deep slumber. Around 12:30 am, she heard the phone ringing. She roused herself awake and fumbled for her phone. She answered with a very soft “hello?” On the other end was Police Chief Jenkins. “Mrs. Franco, there has been an incident involving your husband. He is being taken to Memorial right now.” “What, oh my god. What happened?” Gia sounded shock and tried to suppress a sob. “Well” Jenkins continued, “It seems as though he was attacked by a homeless man shortly after he left his fundraiser. It appears to be robbery gone awry. Mr. Franco’s wallet was on the ground and the perp had two five hundred dollars bills and Mr. Franco’s money clip. Your husband shot the perp, but only after he had sustained a few gaping stabs wounds. The perp didn’t survive the shooting. Just a moment Mrs. Franco. This is Jenkins, copy. WHAT? Son of a bitch. Yes I have his wife on the line. I’ll let her know.” Jenkins took a deep breath ”Mrs Franco, are you still there?” “Yes”, Gia replied. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Franco, your husband has passed en route to hospital. There are not words to describe how his loss will affect our city. I’m so sorry” “Thank you Chief. I will be there shortly” was all she could manage to eek out..
She hung up the phone and dropped to her knees. Not to cry over the loss of her husband, but to pray for Fred, She paid him to take Dante out and given Fred’s past with Dante, the investigation would be short and sweet. She put on the diamond necklace that Dante had given her earlier that day, got dressed and headed to the hospital to indentify the body.
Gia had just gotten away with murder.
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