Chastity Chronicles Pt. 02

The mother was another story. And so were Sandra and her mother. I couldn't let the lies stand. So I did a little research and discovered they were all going to be at a special function for the arts that weekend. So I dressed up, arranged a ticket for Ben and me, rented him an appropriate tuxedo, and he escorted me into the gala. He had no idea what was up.

We wandered arm-in-arm through the venue, admiring the artwork—though it was really subpar—and speaking to the occasional artist. Ben had no idea I knew so much about the arts, and I reminded him I was the senior editor of a prestigious magazine. He had never heard of it, and I giggled.

I'm somebody in the art world. I don't know how it happened exactly. Once I made my money from the Dot-Com Boom, I found myself bored with a major in the arts. I wandered New York for a time and found I had an eye for new rising artists. I could see their potential and I was able to help quite a few find their way through the world to discovery. My name circulated, I was sought after, and the owner of a magazine found me, drunk at a party, getting hit on by a starving artist who I was planning on fucking later that night, and she whisked me away.

Two months later, she convinced me to join her in the magazine. I purchased a good chuck of shares, and I got to choose to be the senior editor and cover the stories I thought pertinent to the world. It was a success because we covered not only the stars in the business, but we also introduced the world to the lesser-known artists. It's a perfect niche, and I got to stay where I wanted to be, rather than living in the cesspool that is known as New York City, a true Gotham with dark skies and rain. And hoity-toity wannabes, like at this gala.

So when I walked into the gala, with a man much younger than me and startling handsome and buff, I drew eyes, but no one knew who I was. Which was perfect to me.

Soon the gala organiser found me. I had been waiting for it. He approached me with that air I know all so well. He was someone who considered themselves to be far above everyone else. He made a spectacle of it, of course. He wanted to embarrass me. Out me in front of his peers and the upper crust of Centreville, USA. A city that has almost no bearing in the art world. But he didn't know that. He was loud and boisterous, intentionally drawing eyes and ears to his evening's magnum opus of putting people in their place.

He thrust himself in front of Ben and me, appearing out of thin air. He stopped us from our stroll and interrupted our quiet conversation.

His voice boomed in the large hall, instantly quieting everyone around us. Faces turned. Ladies tittered. Faces frowned toward us. "And who might you be?" he more or less yelled.

I paused and thought. There were so many ways to handle this. I could retreat and address it later through more subtle means. Or, I could confront it head on, and embarrass the absolute fuck. Or I could try to make this painless and quick. While I thought, Ben was thinking faster than me.

Ben stepped forward and put himself between me and this buffoon.

Oh no, I thought.

"Who are you to talk to a lady in that manner? Have you no manners? You're practically shouting! Apologise!"

The man took a step backwards, and fright crossed his features. Ben is imposing. And gorgeous. So damn gorgeous. All the women in the gala had been admiring him all night long. If only they knew everything about him. But for now, he was mine.

The asshole recovered and sneered at Ben and stepped to the side to look at me. "Young man, step aside. I am not addressing you. I am speaking to this woman here. I have no idea who she is and what she is doing gallivanting through my gala. How did you get in here?"

When I said before I had acquired tickets, what I meant was, I arranged through the magazine to have two tickets sent to me. They weren't for public consumption. I had rightly assumed that my arrival would turn heads in this small city arts community. My plan was working, such as it was.

Okay, not a plan exactly, I wanted to show up, turn some heads, but pull Ben's mother—who was piggy backing off Sandra's mother's wealth to attend this rather boring gala—out into the open and expose the truth about her son and Sandra's horrible lies. The art was terrible, but I did discover one young artist who piqued my interest. He was just out of high school and his work had aspects to it that were more than lovely. He had the only talent in a room full of hacks. But I digress. Having the gala organiser doing what he was doing was far beyond what I had expected.

I merely looked at the man for a time, and then stepped forward and took Ben's arm. "Come along, Ben. I have no time for fools." And I meant it. I didn't want this.

"Stop right there!" barked the idiot. "I must insist on seeing your tickets."

I looked at him again. "You really don't want to do that."

He sensed victory and sneered. "Oh, but I must insist. This gala is only for the more affluent connoisseurs of fine art. The people you see around you are the wealthiest in this fine city. We do not allow just anyone to enter. These people represent the strongest virtues of society. You have no place here."

I sensed an opportunity. I looked around at all the grinning faces. They sensed blood and feasted on it. It's part of the reason I left New York. I waved my hand around the room. "These people represent the strongest virtues of society?" They had no idea I was wearing the most expensive dress in the room. "Shall we test that?"

The man blinked at me. "Test that?"

I called out the names of Ben's mother and Sandra's mother. "Are you here?"

I heard a small commotion and watched as the two mothers, with Sandra in tow, came forward looking uncertain. When Ben's mother and Sandra saw Ben, they scowled.

"Ben!?"

"Mom?'

"Ben!" screeched Sandra and strode forward, her intent clear. I let her close, knowing what she would do. She had watched too many Victorian tales, most likely. I managed to whisper to Ben to do nothing, and the slap echoed loudly across the silent hall. "How dare you show your face here!"

I giggled and Sandra glared at me. That made me laugh.

"Who the fuck are you, bitch?"

The crowd gasped at the vulgar language, and her mother chastised her.

"Sandra! Mind your language!"

I placed my hand on my chest. "Moi? Are you addressing me, young lady?"

"Yes you! And what are you doing with him?"

"You mean Ben? He's my date tonight. He's quite the gentleman. Full of manners and eloquent speech." I looked over at her mother and was glad to see just how horrified she looked. She knew this was a disaster. Ben's mother looked furious, but that was directed at Ben. Ben couldn't stop looking at his mother.

"Why would you want to be with him? Are cougars so desperate now?"

"Why would I want to be with him? Why forever not? As I said, he's a gentleman. A true gentleman and a gentle giant." I turned toward him and took his hands. "He is the perfect man."

Sandra guffawed. "Perfect? If you want brutes with nothing between their legs to show for it!"

I turned back to Sandra and dropped all pretences. "Ah yes, you must be Sandra. The immature young girl who after prom, was so shocked by the size of her boyfriend that she made up lies about him and destroyed his reputation in order to hide something as minor as your own fears. Shameful!"

I had watched Sandra's mother come closer and on hearing what I said she got riled up. Perfect!

"Who are you to address my daughter in that way? Carl get security. Escort these two out of here. Ben, you're a disgrace! You are less than a man! Leave here!"

I turned to Sandra's mother. "So she convinced you, too. Can you not tell lies from the truth? You would allow your daughter to destroy this man and convince his own mother rather than admit your daughter is an insecure young, brash thing capable of only lies?"

Sandra's mother went to slap me, but Ben caught her hand. The woman stared in shock at Ben. What happened next was magic. Ben stepped closer to her and took her hand and shoved it into his groin. Few could see what he did, but Sandra and Ben's mother saw.

"Your daughter took me into a hotel room after prom. We were both virgins. That was to be our night. But when she saw THIS!" he pressed her hand into his groin, and I saw Sandra's mother's eyes go round in shock. "She screamed and ran out of the room. People came to see what was wrong. She accused me of forcing her. Then she added I had a small dick. But it didn't end there. You joined in. Spoke in church. Accused me of horrible things. You TORE MY OWN MOTHER FROM ME! She kicked me out of the house. I was homeless. Are these your Christian values?" Ben lifted her hand away and pushed her, just enough to move her out of his way.

He turned on his mother. "You kicked me out of the house based on a lie. You KNEW! You KNEW! But her wealth and influence meant more to you. You aren't my mother. You aren't fit to be a mother. This woman here," and he wrapped an arm around me, "has more strength of character to be a mother than you will ever have, and she can't even bear children. Fuck you, mother. I never want to see your fucking face again."

And just like that, Ben deflated. He took my hand and turned to the gala organiser. He pulled out our tickets and handed them to him. The man took the tickets and glanced at them and then looked at them.

"This can't be..." he looked up at me and I smiled at him. "Not that magazine. It can't be?"

"It is," I said. "I'm the senior editor and part owner, actually."

"I-I'm sorry. I..."

"Yeah, Carl, is it? Too late. I have never met a more pompous ass than you. How do these people put up with you? Honestly. Welcome to obscurity. Your gala was boring and whoever picked out the art to display has absolutely zero taste. And by the look on your face it was you. No surprise there. There is one artist here who I am interested in though. Billy? Are you around?"

I spied Billy peeking out from behind a rather large woman.

"Come here, Billy, you can't hide behind her. Well, you could. A lot of people could. Come here. I really like your art. These aren't your best pieces, are they?"

Billy shook his head and glanced with fright at the gala organiser.

"Don't worry about him. He's nothing. Nothing but a small fish in a large ocean. My magazine will contact you soon, okay? We have a lot to talk about and your future. You have the gift. And I'm never wrong. Do you know who I am?"

Billy shook his head.

"That's okay. I prefer it that way. We'll get to know each other soon enough. I think you're going to be my new student."

I took Ben's arm and ignored his blubbering mother. Sandra's mother had hauled Sandra away somewhere. Probably home. I spied a red-headed reporter from the local paper hovering nearby. I knew the paper was syndicated and beckoned to her. "Contact me tomorrow. Here's my card. I want to speak to you about what happened here." I was pleased to see the look of horror on Carl's face.

She was staring at Ben with some interest and looked down at his crotch, and I knew at once. I faked a smile and took her arm and put it in Ben's. "Or perhaps Ben can tell you himself. Have fun, Ben. You're no longer my student. You passed with flying colours. My best student so far! I won't stay up waiting for you. Goodnight."

Epilogue

I was heartbroken. I had broken my own rule and fell for my student. Never again, I promised myself, and hardened my heart. I was a mess for a month. Of course I was. But I got over it. I always do.

After the gala fiasco, Ben came home the next day looking guilty and smelling like a perfume I don't wear. I pulled up my girl panties and sat him down and explained the world to him. I told him to contact his father and get him to kick his mother out. Or keep her around. I no longer cared. I only cared that Ben landed on his feet and made something for himself. He was grateful, and by the end of the following week, he was gone. Nothing remained to even mark that he had been here.

The event at the gala made the local news and was picked up by the syndicated papers. People love to hear about people being dressed down in public. Especially the rich. Ben convinced the reporter to leave my name and the magazine out of it. Ben was famous for a short while, and his former college called to apologise and invited him back for the Fall session. I finally discovered he was going into law enforcement. Of course he was. His mother had fled to her mother when the church kicked her out. Ben was back living with his father and had started dating the reporter. She looked a little like me. But with smaller tits. Which made me happy.

My mobile phone rang, and I picked it up. It was a local call.

"Hello?"

"Is this Chastity?"

It was a male voice that I didn't recognise. "Yes, who is this?"

"This is Billy. I saw you at the gala last month?"

"Billy! Finally! What's taken you so long to contact me? My magazine has been hounding you! You could've just answered and said no." He had really pissed me off, actually. I offered him fame and fortune and he ghosted me.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't."

"Couldn't or wouldn't?" I tried to keep the anger out of my voice.

The phone went silent. I looked at it and I was still connected.

"Billy, are you there? Billy?" I heard nothing and was about to hang up when I heard a noise.

"I can't speak long. Sorry. They're looking for me."

"Who's looking for you?"

"The people who have me. I just kind of woke up. I don't remember much from the past month. I woke up in a loft surrounded by paint and art I don't recognise, but it's mine! I don't remember painting them! I'm really scared."

I stared at my phone in horror and put it back to my ear. "Where are you? I'm coming for you."

Author's Closing Comments:

Let me know what you think. I respond to all queries.

Lana Ocean

May 2023

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