A Beauteous Flower Ch. 06

Chapter - 6 The Stranger with Many Names and the Culmination of the Witch's Curse.

*****

Madison clinked her glass to Deva's and lifted it to her lips for her first sip. She was finally here at one of Mrs. Selene's famous parties. Just as everyone had promised, everywhere she looked was thick with eligible high value, high society bachelors. These were just the type of men Madison had hoped to find when she took the spot on the dance team. The rules might forbid girls on the dance team from dating some of them, but it happened all the time in spite of the rules. After all, what girl in their right mind would not take advantage of such an opportunity? As long as Madison kept it clandestine until she managed an engagement to one of these men, she wouldn't have to worry about the loss of her spot on the team. As far as after the engagement, well she could care less about her spot on the team. Madison felt a surge of anticipation to go with her second sip of champagne.

As she reminded herself not to smear her lipstick, she let her eyes roam around the room in search of a likely target for the evening. Everywhere she looked was another likely candidate, and just when she thought she might not be able to limit her choice to a single man, she caught sight of the most interesting man Madison had ever seen.

He stood off to one side of the room and nodded thoughtfully as a gentleman and his wife told a story. He wasn't as magnificent a specimen of manhood as many others at the party and he didn't strike like a thunderbolt of manly good looks, but he was oddly handsome in an eclectic way. Madison would have used the words "certain something" to describe his looks. That "certain something" wasn't loud or obvious and it wasn't for general consumption. All around the room there were young men in better physical shape, and more conventionally handsome, so it took a certain amount of discernment to see it, but only he had that "certain something" and Madison immediately felt an odd pull of attraction.

He was on the tall side, gangling even, but not in an off-putting or awkward way. He wore an impeccably tailored navy-blue three-piece suit with a polka dot blue bow tie and a pocket square of the same pattern. The bow tie might have looked pretentious on another man, but he pulled it off nicely. His black wingtips were neatly polished, and he wore no jewelry that Madison could see, but as he raised his glass to his lips, Madison did notice masculine veins that ran down the back of his hand to his tailored cuffs. He had mouse brown hair neatly parted to the right, and from time to time the part would spill down over his right eye, so he would tuck it back up with a sweep of his right hand. His jaw was square, and his face was symmetrical with finely shaped ears. His nose was a touch too large with a small bump in it and his cheek bones were strong under his dark eyes.

His manner was reserved and calm. He did not seem to say much, but he was studious in his attention and didn't get distracted by the nearby party. As the lady spoke, he leaned forward slightly, kind of in a half bow, and inclined one of his ears to her to catch what she was said over the din of the crowd. When she finished, he nodded again and gave her a gentle smirk of a smile, which in turn caused the lady to glow a little brighter.

Something about the way he paid attention to the lady made Madison feel a touch of jealousy, because she got the sudden realization that no one had ever paid her that kind of studious and polite attention in her life. Taken apart, the look, affect and air of the man was nothing special, but taken as a whole, it made for a mysteriously attractive man, like some kind of secret that needed to be unlocked before it could be enjoyed.

However, what Madison found most attractive was the confident look of quiet contemplation about him. He didn't seek any attention even though he was in a room full of noisy party goers who all did their level best to stand out and be noticed. He didn't troll around or cast glances to survey the room and he pointedly avoided the dance floor, which served as the crucible of display for all the other party goers. He seemed completely at ease, comfortable and content to stand off to the side and enjoy quiet company. As a result, he lacked the mildly predatory aura of all the other young single men in the room. Maybe Madison stared too long because Deva followed her gaze and tilted her head in evaluation.

"He's attractive, I suppose," conceded Deva. "But you could do better."

Madison came back to herself.

"What?"

"I said he's attractive, but you could find a better one in here. A LOT better."

Madison nodded absently.

"Oh, yeah I suppose I could."

Deva patted her on the arm lightly and that recalled Madison to the moment.

"Let's have one more drink and then we'll hit the dance floor where the real action is. Just look at all of those hunks on the hoof!"

Madison half smiled her half agreement. Her second champagne cocktail had set her head abuzz and distracted her from the fact that she was naked underneath her dress and that she had just felt one of the oddest tugs of attraction in her life. In some ways that tug felt very familiar and in other ways it was brand new, but she definitely felt it. But no matter. Now was her time to get serious and search the room for Mr. Right.

*****

"He's a weirdo."

"What?" Madison struggled to hear Deva over the thump of the bass. They were well into the party now, and it was time for a bar break to let their feet rest and to escape the lascivious clutches of the men on the dance floor.

"He's weird!"

"Who's weird?"

"That guy, right there! The one you stare at!" Deva subtly indicated a direction with her head in time with the music. Even in conversations, Deva never missed the beat.

At Deva's indication, Madison turned her whole body with a dance step so that it was not obvious what she looked at. She further camouflaged her glance with a loud "whooo!" to reinforce the illusion that she danced rather than spied. At the end of Deva's gestured sat the man she had seen earlier, only now Madison saw him wrapped in half light. Shadows enhanced the angles of his face, and his dark eyes hid under his brow. Now he had his jacket off and she could see that the vest and his pants were immaculately tailored over the firm, lean muscles underneath. Maybe it was the champagne, but Madison found him even more attractive than she had before, as he sat in the shadows with a drink in his hand and chatted with Dr. Selene. Unconsciously drawn by some sultry magnetic force, Madison started to move towards him, but then remembered Deva. With her investigation concluded, she spun back to Deva on the next downbeat.

"He's attractive!"

Deva gave a non-committal shrug in the middle of a generally suggestive shimmy.

"If you're into the medium ugly thing, I suppose!"

Madison made a face.

"He's not ugly!"

Deva dropped her voice as the song ended.

"I didn't say he was ugly, but he's not a stunner either."

Madison decided to let it drop and get back to the topic that opened the conversation.

"How is he weird?"

Deva beckoned and Madison followed her over to the bar for another round of champagne cocktails. As Madison took a sip of hers, Deva bobbled her head indecisively before she answered.

"He doesn't talk much, and when he does, he is very...." Deva searched for the right word. "Elusive."

"Elusive?"

"He answers questions with questions, and he always steers the conversation away from himself."

Deva took a sip of her champagne and giggled effervescently with the bubbles before she continued.

"I spent thirty minutes and got almost nothing out of him. The only thing about him I know for certain is his name is Jason... Jason... you know I don't think he told me his last name."

Deva giggled into another sip of champagne. Even when she was tipsy Deva stayed graceful and poised.

"Oh... wait... some people called him "Carl."

Deva made dismissive wave as if it didn't matter.

"Well, that's it then. I don't even know his name after a thirty-minute conversation. See what I mean? Weird!"

Madison nodded to concede that was indeed strange, but secretly she was even more intrigued. Madison stole another look at him and decided that he could be either a "Carl" or a "Jason". Those tried-and-true masculine names suited him right down to the ground. She repeated those names in her head as she looked at him, dark and mysterious and shrouded in myth and shadows. A little shiver passed up her spine while she tested those names with her lips, and imagined how his fingertips might trace languidly up her thigh and discover her nakedness under her dress. At that thought she shifted, a little self-consciously, to get her thighs closer together and accidentally, probably accidentally, felt a gentle tickle of pleasure slither out from between her hips. Commando had other fringe benefits and she took a second to enjoy the slick sensation of her secret nakedness. The champagne again led her eyes to rest on him a bit too long and Deva caught her stare.

"He's probably gay."

Madison turned back to Deva with a surprised look of a question. Deva nodded emphatically around another sip of champagne that masked a clandestine glance at the stranger. Just then Cassidy and Kelly horned into the conversation.

"Oh, he's definitely gay," piped Cassidy and punctuated her agreement with a giggle-snort.

Cassidy wore a satin gown of hunter green that showed no leg, but a generous scoop of her sides and back. Her oversized fake breasts stuck out pruriently on her impish body and the dress plunged down between her breasts dramatically so that Cassidy showed plenty of what the doctor gave her. By the look of it, Cassidy had trusted this evening's look to double sided tape. The dress did pair nicely with Cassidy's red hair and silver jewelry and on the dance floor it flattered her as she energetically pranced and posed to the beat.

"It's true! He didn't even take a glance when I flashed him some side boob!" trilled Cassidy. "No mortal straight man can resist the temptation of side boob!"

Cassidy issued another tipsy giggle-snort, charmed by her own wit, and pushed out her fake breasts proudly. Kelly joined Cassidy in a girlish giggle fit.

"Oh, he's gay all right," confirmed Kelly even though it was probably the case that Kelly had no idea of who the conversation was about or possibly even what "gay" meant.

The giggle fit renewed, and Madison decided that Cassidy and Kelly made an odd, but strangely appropriate pair. Deva joined the giggles as Madison's sexy fantasy faded away. Mournfully she glanced at the stranger again.

"Oh, don't be so disappointed," chided Deva. "It's not like there aren't several very edible... I mean... eligible and very hot bachelors here tonight."

The others laughed at Deva's faux Freudian slip while Madison took a little sip of her champagne to hide her disappointment. Thanks to the alcohol and his shadow shrouded appearance, Madison's attraction felt more keen, and the thought he might be unavailable to her made her feel a touch blue that the fantasy she had envisioned might be lost.

"Oh, he's not gay, my silly ones," reproved Mrs. Selene in a motherly tone. Somehow, she had glided up to the giggle fest unnoticed and caught them en flagrante delicto. Mrs. Selene calmly looked from face to face until the giggles died away.

"He's many things, I'll tell you for nothing. Remarkably intelligent, supremely talented, thoughtful, attentive, polite, compassionate, and kind are a few of the adjectives I would use to describe him."

Madison and her compatriots stayed silent as Mrs. Selene settled her gaze on Madison. After a pointed look, Mrs. Selene's face spread to a benevolent sunshine smile and Madison suddenly felt better for her attraction to this man, weirdo or not. Mrs. Selene reached out and tucked a strand of Madison's hair behind her ear in a motherly gesture.

"A truly rare gem, that one," said Mrs. Selene to all the party, as she maintained eye contact with Madison. "The phrase "one-in-a-million" applies in his case. Maybe the odds of a man like that are even smaller. It will be a rare woman that captures that heart."

"What's his name?" asked Deva with a hint of almost jealousy.

Mrs. Selene's eyes gave Deva a quick assessment then pointedly turned back to Madison.

"Well, to some he's Jason Gimble the photographer and to others he's Carl Cooper the author, but to people that know him outside his professional capacity he's...."

Mrs. Selene paused a moment as she considered.

"Well, right now none of you need to know," Mrs. Selene decreed imperiously as she swept her gaze over them all again. Then her eyes returned to Madison eyes, steady and intentional.

"Not yet anyway."

Mrs. Selene let the solemnity of the moment settle and then glanced at Cassidy.

"My little one, your tape seems as if it might give up the ghost." Mrs. Selene infused her next words with a light dry irony. "Perhaps before you make an unseemly public spectacle on some social media page, you might like go to the lady's room and freshen up a bit?"

Everyone in the little knot tensed. Mrs. Selene's reference indicated that, somehow, she knew how the Cassidy and Gail saga had ended. And what a spectacular end it had been.

*****

After Cassidy's suspension, things seemed to calm down between Gail and Cassidy and everyone, Gail included, relaxed, and forgot about the whole thing. In fact, a complacent Gail made a supremely stupid mistake and forgot Cassidy's anger and left her man unguarded. A vengeful Cassidy swooped in on Gail's unguarded man and he willingly reciprocated Cassidy's interest. Cassidy was all too ready to pounce, however, she didn't pursue her revenge in a way that would sting a little. Rather, Cassidy went for Gail's jugular like a rabid miniature Pit bull.

That revenge happened in a most terrible and public manner that no one had even imagined possible. One very tense Friday Madison entered the locker room to find most of the team crowded around a cell phone to watch a video. Someone made room for Madison, and there she saw a video of Cassidy blowing Gail's man. Actually, "blowing" was too mild a term to describe what Cassidy did to Gail's man and Madison had to admit that she was both amazed and horrified by what she saw in that video.

She was amazed because Cassidy had not exaggerated her blowjob prowess. Video Cassidy sat down on a bed, took the man's penis in her small hands, which made it look even larger, and cooed over it admiringly. Then she placed his erection between her lips, opened her mouth around the shaft, stuck out her tongue, dropped her chin to the floor and slid the shaft deep into her mouth. Once she hit the bottom of her down stroke, she closed her mouth, raised her chin, and pulled back to slide her tongue along the underside of the shaft as she gently applied suction and slurped the upstroke. She paused at the end of the first upstroke with the very tip of his penis puckered between her lips, looked up into his eyes and giggled mischievously.

With the preliminaries finished, Cassidy went to work in earnest gusto. She began slowly and repeated the pattern of her first stroke. With each successive stroke, Cassidy quickened her pace. Soon Cassidy's ministrations made the man grunt with the twin efforts to maintain his balance and contain his orgasm.

Cassidy didn't use her hands to work his penis or his testicles, but tucked them neatly behind her back. Apparently, Cassidy took pride in her oral sex technique and didn't give hand assisted blow jobs, which Madison had heard termed a "cheater's blow job". Her jaw muscles worked, and her cheeks went concave as she applied more suction with each upstroke. Cassidy's little face became a mask of concentration, and her focused efforts made the man moan and squirm with evident pleasure.

After five minutes of vigorous action, during which Cassidy stopped twice to prevent explosive orgasms, Cassidy let his penis slide out of her mouth and made sure the camera caught the long line of saliva that stretched from the tip of his penis to the tip of her tongue. For a moment she simply posed for the camera while the spiderweb saliva line glistened in the air. Then just when everyone thought Cassidy would stop and leave the man unsatisfied, she emitted another impish giggle, and went next level. The video finished with a flourish that a seasoned porn star would take pride in.

Cassidy flipped on to her back, guided his penis into her mouth and then simply inhaled it down her throat without so much as a flinch. At first the man appeared shocked that a willowy little girl like Cassidy could handle his whole penis so ably, because he just stood there with it buried in her throat and a bovine look of surprise on his face. After a few moments and some beckoned encouragement from Cassidy, he began to pump his penis down Cassidy's throat. Cassidy shot a wink at the camera and gripped his hips to pull him toward her. Encouraged by Cassidy's enthusiasm, the man's succeeding thrusts went harder and faster and his moans became animal grunts of sexual fury.

Unfazed by an assault that seemed as if it should have choked her, Cassidy gurgled with determination and took him down her throat like a champion. She wasn't passive either. Cassidy moved and arched her body in time with each thrust to make sure that his penis went as far down her throat as it could get. By the look on her face, Cassidy must have loved it, and the man, by the look on his face, obviously loved it. Madison couldn't help a small tinge of appreciative jealousy for Cassidy's massive blow job talent, although it made Madison uncomfortably aware that she was an amateur in that department and needed some practice.

At the same time, Madison was horrified because Cassidy could shamelessly blow Gail's man on video and that meant that others, most importantly Gail, might find out. Then Madison became even more horrified when she realized that this video meant that Cassidy wanted Gail to find out. And then, just after Madison formed that thought, the situation became more horrific.

While everyone gawked in stunned silence, Cassidy waltzed in, took a glance at the video, smiled sweetly as if she didn't care that she was the star of the porn video that everyone currently gawked at, and then casually strolled over to her locker to change and put on her makeup. While everyone else tried to figure out just what to say, Cassidy placidly waited for the inevitably horrifying conclusion.

Which came soon thereafter when Gail entered the locker room. Before anyone noticed her, Gail got a front row view as her man groaned out an orgasm that buckled his knees while his penis still bulged deep in Cassidy's throat. When his orgasm was spent, the man sighed in satisfaction, and collapsed on the bed. Video Cassidy giggled and opened her mouth to show the camera that she hadn't spilled a drop and, in response, Gail turned red faced with rage.

"How was that, baby?" video Cassidy asked Gail's man sweetly.

"Whatthefuck?" asked Gail incredulously.

"The best I ever had," answered Gail's man. "Gail sure as hell can't do that!"

Video Cassidy giggled merrily into the camera as the screen went black.

"What! The! Fuck!" roared an indignantly apoplectic Gail.

Gail whirled to face Cassidy with a look that could peel the armor off a tank. Thus confronted, Cassidy placidly paused her application of lip gloss and looked at Gail innocently.

"What?"

"You bitch!"

Cassidy giggled mischievously like Video Cassidy and went back to her lip gloss.

"You mean, "Witch."

Cassidy finished her lips, coolly put away her lip gloss and pulled out a compact. After a few dabs of foundation, Cassidy looked Gail up and down critically.