A Beauteous Flower Ch. 05

Chapter 5 -- The Dress, the Lady and Ballet

*****

Early on the morning of the party, Madison agonized over what to wear. It was her first party and she wanted to impress with a sense of style without any trashy overtones. She was terrified that she would be improperly dressed for this occasion and had set her alarm for, what was for her anyway, an early start that morning.

Her first step had been to remove literally every dress she had from her closet and examine each in detail for any flaw she could possibly perceive. After a first cut, she tried the remaining dresses on and summarily rejected each of them for various reasons. This dress was too long, but this other dress was too short. This one showed too much cleavage and this one had a slit that showed her left leg nearly to her hip. As she worked her way through her wardrobe her apprehension grew while she disqualified dress after dress that might have been appropriate for such an event. Panic rose in her chest but Madison shoved it down and doggedly soldiered on in her quest for the perfect elegant party dress.

Unfortunately, by noon it was official: she had nothing to wear. This realization left her despondent and in tears. Nothing, literally nothing, seemed to work and she hadn't even begun to think about the shoes, makeup, and accessories she would pair with whatever dress she chose. Just as she felt she was about to vomit with nervousness and not go, Deva floated into her room in response to her anguished sobs.

She gave Madison a delicate hug and shushed her tears and then ordered Madison to sit down on the bed. With Madison quietly arranged, Deva took a brief inventory of the tangled pile of dresses on the floor and selected a shimmering dress of black sequins. Initially Madison protested that the dress Deva had picked had been rejected in Madison's first cut as unwearable, but Deva was insistent.

"Definitely this one," Deva asserted. "Here, put it on."

Madison frowned dubiously, but Deva only nodded firm encouragement. Without much hope Madison stripped to her underwear and Deva's eyes widened in horror.

"Please tell me you don't plan to wear those granny panties under this gorgeous dress!"

Madison hesitated self-consciously as she had on what she thought were her best underwear.

"I was going to wear these..." Madison started to protest.

"Take them off!" commanded Deva with a graceful backhanded wave of dismissal. "Take them off this instant!"

Madison still hesitated, unsure of the implications of that statement and nervous to bare her bottom with in front of the physical perfection of Deva.

"Oh, please, girlfriend," sniffed Deva. "Are you a pre-teen or a boss bitch?"

"Well, I thought that this lingerie was cute."

Deva pulled a pinched face of disapproval, like the very thought of underwear was abhorrent.

"Cute? Madison, kittens and puppies are cute! Cute girls work at Walmart and marry Garth the stock boy and have five urchins before her guest shot on Cops. How will you catch the right kind of man if you look cute? You have to be fabulous and beguiling so that every eye will be on you. And if you want to be fabulous and beguiling then you need to be confident and, believe me, nothing will make you more confident than a secret like a barely hidden and smoking hot ass. Now take off those panties and embrace your inner sexy siren."

Reluctantly Madison stripped off her panties.

"The bra too."

Madison sheepishly unclasped her bra. In the presence of the sculpted femininity of Deva, Madison was very keenly aware she was naked, so she tried to angle her body to cover herself. Thankfully, Deva gave a single firm nod of approval, so Madison relaxed a little as Deva breezed on and handed Madison the dress.

"If you want a dress like this to fit right, you simply must let it touch your body," Deva asserted. "Trust me. Now, put it on and look in the mirror."

Madison gratefully took the dress from Deva and pulled it on. As the dress slid over her head, the silk inner liner felt smooth and cool against her hips and breasts. It took a moment for her to adjust to the teasingly sensual sensation on her bare skin, and she nervously kept her body coiled away from Deva as if she was still naked.

"Now that looks... spectacular!" crowed Deva in triumph.

Slowly and shyly Madison turned to the mirror and her reflection took her breath away. The halter top fit snugly on her shoulders and the slit in the right side of the dress stopped tastefully just below mid-thigh. Unhindered by undergarments, the dress flowed down in dazzles of black to highlight her body elegantly, like a sequined second skin.

"Oh, wow!" Madison exclaimed.

This dress had been an impulse buy for Madison. When she saw it on the mannequin, she knew she had to have it. It looked great on the hanger, but every time Madison put it on previously, it didn't fit her form. Before it always looked tangled and bunched up, so much so that several times she had almost given up and donated it, but in the end, she kept it with the thought that maybe it just needed the right pair of shoes. Now as she stared in the mirror, the dress finally worked for her. In fact, it worked spectacularly. She couldn't help but smile. Deva grinned too and patted Madison's ass gently.

"You see? No need for all the waterworks. Just let the clothes work on your body and don't force them into shapes they weren't meant to be in. You have a magnificent body, Madison, and that dress looks great on you. Don't ruin it with funny underwear."

Madison twisted on her toes and looked at her ass. The dress worked its magic there too. Her smile broadened.

"Thank you, Deva!"

Deva giggled.

"No trouble at all. Have you got a thong?"

Madison shook her head no.

"Then you go commando tonight," ordered Deva.

Madison's smile faded at Deva's pronouncement and the harrowing thought of herself in a room full of strangers with nothing but tiny black sequins and a smile between her and a fatal embarrassment.

"Commando?" Madison repeated uncertainly.

"Don't be such a prude," Deva admonished. "Do you want that dress to fit right or not? Besides no one will know except us girls. It will be your secret."

For some reason Madison liked the idea of a secret. A small smile creep back onto her face as she contemplated the evening sans underwear. Deva smiled back at her encouragingly.

"That's the spirit! Now, you wear that dress with simple black pumps, a small clutch, and a single silver necklace. Big silver hoop earrings would be OK, but big sparkly studs would be better. Diamond ones if you've got them. And nothing on your wrists except for perfume. Don't let anything distract anyone from the way that dress looks on you."

Deva stepped behind Madison and pulled Madison's hair up on top of her head, but then she shook her head a bit and let Madison's hair down.

"Leave your hair down. You'll feel a little less naked that way and it gives you a soft, approachable look. The last thing we need is you to feel naked and start to hunch and twist up into odd shapes to cover yourself. Just remember, no matter what happens you stand up straight with your shoulders back like a boss bitch."

Deva turned to leave, but Madison stopped her with a question that suddenly occurred to her.

"Deva,... you're going commando tonight too; aren't you?"

Deva's moist henna eyes flashed a confidential wink.

"You bet your sweet ass, sister. See you in a bit."

Madison looked in the mirror again and got another thrill of excitement. She looked magnificent and her nakedness made her feel daring and bold. If Mr. Right was at the party tonight he couldn't help but notice her.

*****

When Madison and Deva entered the party, every head turned toward them. Madison expected this to happen when she first saw Deva in her exotic sari. Although the red and gold gossamer silk swathed almost every inch of Deva's body, as with everything else Deva wore, it described her hourglass form in dramatic style and seemed to reveal more than it covered. Hardly any of Deva's skin was visible, yet the whole effect was subtlety seductive as it appeared Deva was naked, but only if no one looked directly at her.

Deva even accessorized spectacularly. First, in what Madison thought was a bold move, Deva carried no purse or bag of any kind. Madison wondered how Deva would refresh her makeup or carry breath mints, but Deva seemed unconcerned. Deva also wove some golden threads into her thick, waist length braid to give her jet black hair a pop of flash. Her makeup was simple and light with only one dramatic effect of solid black cat eye lines drawn to accent her moist eyes and Deva had decorated her right hand with delicate henna tattoos. She capped it all off with a gold choker necklace, a gold cuff bangle on each wrist and gold hoop earrings.

The final touch was a masterstroke of fashion in Madison's opinion. Instead of the ubiquitous high heels every other girl wore, Deva took advantage of the warm weather and wore light, thin black sandals that made a small whisper pat sound when she walked. In truth all that was truly visible in this outfit was Deva's perfect little feet and Deva, as with all things, owned it like a boss bitch.

Of all Deva physical gifts, Madison envied Deva's feet the most. Hair, body, and face counted for their parts, but secretly the whole world had a foot fetish and an ugly set of feet that were disproportionate or calloused or poorly cared for could turn a gorgeous woman into a side show freak. No woman wanted that, especially as they hunted for men. That was a tough thing for a professional dancer, whose feet took a tremendous beating as a matter of course.

That made Deva's perfectly manicured and sculpted feet mildly annoying to Madison. Especially given that Madison never saw Deva do any kind of special work on her feet. Madison incessantly rubbed cream on her feet to keep away the callouses and blisters that were the bane of a dancer's existence, and she struggled to keep her feet soft and supple with pedicures and other foot care. Deva, on the other hand, simply showered, cut her own cuticles, painted her toenails and that was all the attention she ever paid to her dainty feet.

So that night when every eye turned to view Deva, Madison wasn't surprised. Jealous, maybe, and a touch self-conscious that people looked in her general direction, which gave her a keen reminder that she was bare under her dress, but not surprised. For a moment Madison hesitated and had to resist the urge to tug downwards on her dress, even though the black sequins reached to the floor. Intellectually she knew that as long as she took her time when she sat down and didn't fall flat on her back, no one would ever know her secret, but she still felt reckless as she entered into this sparkly world of glitz and glamor and money. But Deva, also naked under her sari, didn't seem concerned at all, so that helped Madison relax a little.

The doorman took the light wrap that Madison wore around her shoulders while every male eye in the room continued to look their way in assessment. Without her wrap Madison felt even more exposed and unconsciously crossed her arms in front of her in a very defensive and unladylike way. For a moment she considered an escape out the side door, but Deva had driven them to the party and then Deva smiled brightly and waved at someone. Madison followed Deva's eyes and saw Mrs. Selene float towards them in a silver gown that hugged her hourglass form to a shimmering pool on the floor. The hem of the dress covered Mrs. Selene's feet and made it appear that she floated effortlessly across the floor, the stylish portrait of grace.

Mrs. Angela Selene's husband, Paul Selene, PhD., owned the team and they threw spectacular parties for the society crowd at their mansion home. At these parties, Dr. and Mrs. Selene held court and presided like a pair of benevolent titans. The girls on the team all knew that Mrs. Selene dabbled in matchmaking, and every girl hoped to be the subject of one of Mrs. Selene's pairings. As Mrs. Selene glided to a stop in front of them, Madison literally had stars in her eyes.

"Ladies!" Mrs. Selene intoned brightly. "How gracious of you to come!"

Deva smiled and glowed with feminine fragility and vulnerability while Madison self-consciously slunk behind Deva to further cover her nakedness and managed only a shy half a smile and tried not to fidget with her dress. Mrs. Selene took Deva's hands in her own and held Deva's arms out to the side to inspect her.

"Why, you are positively stunning, my dear!" admired Mrs. Selene. Under Mrs. Selene's scrutiny, Deva's smile amped up to ten and in Madison's imagination the buzz of the conversation in the room quieted some. "Absolutely enchanting!"

Then Mrs. Selene's eyes turned, and she stepped a little glide step over to Madison. Madison tried not to squirm while Mrs. Selene inspected her up and down.

"And you, my little pet... how marvelous you are! That dress is peerless on you! Why you look positively magical!"

Madison relaxed a little under Mrs. Selene's gaze and praise. Mrs. Selene nodded encouragingly and took each of them by an arm.

"You must meet my husband, of course!" intoned Mrs. Selene as she led them across the floor to the center of the room.

Madison had never met Dr. Selene before. In fact, she had never even seen him, but she had concocted a mental image of him based on Mrs. Selene's spectacular good looks and his evident wealth. As they approached the small knot of men and women in the middle of the room, Madison selected a man that most closely fit that image; tall, broad shouldered and moderately fit with a healthy spray of salt and pepper hair. However, that man stepped aside politely to make room for Mrs. Selene, and Mrs. Selene glided over to a man that was nothing like Madison had anticipated.

This man was not fat, but he wasn't thin either. If Madison had been asked to describe him, the phrase she would have used was "so-so". He had long thin hands and long thin feet and a nose that was not particularly descriptive, all crowned with a bald head that mildly glowed in the soft light from the enormous crystal chandelier that hung overhead. He wasn't even exceptionally tall, and Mrs. Selene didn't even have to reach up to kiss him on the cheek. He wasn't homely, but he wasn't apparently handsome enough to be married to someone as pretty as Mrs. Selene. Mrs. Selene fussed at her husband's cheek for a moment to be sure she had not smudged lipstick on him, and then took his arm and turned to Deva and Madison with a bright smile.

"May I present your host for this evening, my little doves. This is my darling husband, Dr. Edward Selene."

Mrs. Selene turned back to Dr. Selene and their eyes met. Mrs. Selene evidently admired her husband and her eyes sparkled as her face broke into a glorious smile. At that moment they seemed to leave the room and be totally alone together despite the large clump of admirers that surrounded them. The obvious love they felt for each other radiated and everyone around them felt a little lucky to be included in that moment of intimacy.

With their intimate moment concluded, Dr. Selene turned to Madison and Deva and offered his hand. Madison kind of felt like she should curtsy or something as she took his hand. Dr. Selene bowed slightly and gently lifted her knuckles to his lips. At that moment, Madison became aware that there was much more to this man than "so-so."

"I am charmed to make your acquaintances, ladies," said Dr. Selene in a deep bass drawl that oozed out of his mouth like muted honey, yet simultaneously seemed to echo through the room. It was a voice of calm command, the voice of a man to whom people listened and gravitated. His hazel eyes twinkled in the low gold light and as he locked eyes with her all thoughts fled from Madison's head, stuck dumb by his gracious manner. His affect so dazzled her that Madison couldn't even find her voice to return his greeting.

After an eternal second of exclusive attention given, Dr. Selene released Madison's hand and Deva's hand replaced Madison's. Dr. Selene turned his hazel gaze to Deva and Deva grinned splendidly for him as he kissed her hand as well. Freed of his hypnotic gaze, Madison remembered the line she had rehearsed on their way over to the party.

"You have a gorgeous home, Dr. Selene," she gushed.

Dr. Selene smiled back benignly and then made a distinguished dismissive gesture with the back of his right hand.

"Eddie, please. My name is Eddie and thank you so much for coming! My wife has told me so much about the two of you!"

That was almost certainly and patently untrue, but no one under his spell could dare to call him on the gracefully flattery of his white lie. Dr. Selene's eyes sparkled as he artfully landed his compliment.

"And it would seem that her description did not do either of you justice. You both are of a peerless kind of lovely that mere words cannot convey."

Madison felt her cheeks flush at this elegant compliment from such an elegant man and she giggled her thanks. Dr. Selene glanced back and forth between Madison and Deva and Madison noticed that, for the first time Madison had ever seen in the presence of a man, even Deva's grin showed a girlish tilt. Dr. Selene's poised and easy manner enchanted everyone within range it seemed, and not even the perfectly balanced and serene Deva was immune. Mrs. Selene broke the spell with a musical titter and a playful swat at Dr. Selene's arm.

"Oh, stop that, Edward!" she admonished gently. "You'll turn their pretty little heads!"

Dr. Selene turned to Mrs. Selene and smiled at her in a way that left no doubt where his heart lay. In response, Mrs. Selene kissed him on the cheek again and then took Madison and Deva by the arms and glided them towards the bar. As they started to leave, Dr. Selene winked his hazel eye and urged them to enjoy their evening before he turned back to the knot of admirers that resumed its rapt and attentive orbit around him.

"Thank you for the invitation, Mrs. Selene," Madison said as she led them to the bar where the crowd of younger party goers had settled. That crowd politely parted before Mrs. Selene and Mrs. Selene smiled and nodded appreciatively to the greetings and compliments she received. Her straight line of progress across the room was effortless to the point where Mrs. Selene's heels didn't even click on the marble floor. Mrs. Selene smiled at Madison and Deva as they reached the bar.

"Oh, not at all, my dear," Mrs. Selene gushed brightly and turned to the bartender.

"Craig," she coaxed to him with a timelessly stylish smile. "Be a dear, would you? Two of your famous champagne cocktails for these young women, please."

The bartender nodded and began to pour out the drinks. Once he was finished, Mrs. Selene handed one to each of them and smiled.

"There is food just over there and you know where the bar is. Craig will take good care of you; won't you, Craig?"

Craig smiled to Mrs. Selene and gave her a small salute.

"Such a gentleman." Mrs. Selene bestowed on Craig before she returned her attention to Madison and Deva. "Now you two have a splendid time and I'll be back in a bit to check on you."

Mrs. Selene gracefully swished away and etched a path through the crowd in a way that recalled the very first time Madison had laid eyes on Mrs. Selene.

*****

In her professional capacity Ms. Selene was closely involved with the selection of the dance team members and Mrs. Selene cut a striking figure when she dramatically materialized at the first try out.

"Good afternoon, my little ladies," Mrs. Selene had chimed in musical tones, her hourglass silhouette framed by the door. It might have been condescension from another person, but when Mrs. Selene's spoke her greeting in her clear melodic alto, it sounded like an endearment. All activity in the large room stopped and everyone automatically paid attention and posed for Mrs. Selene.