Joanna Hires the DP Team Pt. 03

Bess chipped in, "Most of the History and English class are just glad to have those three answer all the questions and fight it out."

"You're right, Bess. Some of the English classes go way above my head, but listening to them argue with each other and Mr Hampton means I'm a lot better at history than I thought I was. The maths ones seem to regard her as an honorary boy."

Dom nodded and said, "You said most are ashamed?"

"A member of last year's sixth form had to leave after getting drunk on a date with her and dumping her without her purse or coat fifteen miles from home. He was popular with men but, how shall I put this, had a reputation for thinking no was only a preliminary to yes. Some of his friends still resent her." It was clear that Bess was not going to say more.

"I get the message. I assume some others still find her a bit abrasive?"

"They will just avoid her, and she will ignore them."

Dom seemed to hesitate. "Why the change of clothing? I gather from the photo and George that she normally wears the cheapest NHS glasses and unflattering clothes."

Claire said, "She wears those because they are cheap and hard-wearing. She's poorer than the rest of us. Her father doesn't support her, and she lives with a friend of her mother's. She decided it was not worth competing on smart casual, especially when one of the other girls recognised a dress she wore as one her mother had given to Oxfam. Girls can be cruel to those who don't fit in."

"So why the change at the prizegiving?"

Claire smiled, "Partly my fault. There were a lot of letters in the local press, both for and against, when St Tom's admitted women and I suspected that they would want to take a photograph of the first female prize winner at the school. I suggested that her normal clothes played up to the stereotype of the unattractive bluestocking. She agreed and said she had bought some new ones with the proceeds from her Saturday and holiday jobs."

Bess asked, "And the teasing of George?"

"Nothing to do with me. I don't have the imagination for that. Suspect she didn't think about it until she found out on the morning of the prizegiving that she would be sitting next to George at the ceremony and that he would follow her on stage."

Just then, they heard and saw David's car draw up. Claire jumped up and left the room, saying, "There's Julian."

Dom looked at Bess and said, "Claire reminds me of my mother."

"How?"

"You have to listen carefully to what she doesn't say, and even then, it's a guess. Never exactly lies, but the inattentive listener can easily be misled that she's more conventional than she is." Bess parked that remark for further thought.

The next couple of hours were spent preparing for the party. She was fascinated by David and his three friends' attention to detail. They'd brought dimmer light bulbs, paper plates, plastic cups, cassette tapes and extra buckets with them. They'd identified valuable antiques and moved them out of harm's way; they'd made sure that there were plenty of ashtrays around and had even protected the carpet in the dining room where the food would be laid out with a plastic sheet. They ensured that George located the keys to rooms with particularly valuable antiques and the wine cellar and locked them to reduce the risk. They even set up a record player in the cellar so the music snobs could listen to their stuff while everyone else could dance to mainstream stuff upstairs.

David then left, saying he would be back in an hour while the rest of them paused for a rest and coffee. Gareth asked if anyone wanted a smoke, and she and Pete joined him in the garden. Dom said he needed to have a word with George. Claire, a nonsmoker, sat in the conservatory with Julian.

Pete was around five feet eleven inches tall and said he was a cricketer rather than a rugby player. Gareth was her height and looked vaguely bohemian. Indeed, she could imagine him as an artistic type in French novels. He'd further confirmed the impression by producing a packet of Gitanes. These had a distinctive smell, so he suggested that they use the gazebo in the garden. She had already gathered that he spent a lot of time with the university drama society.

Pete asked Gareth, "Are you looking forward to tonight's performance?"

The man laughed and held his cigarette languidly. "I am, Pete. It promises to be more interesting than normal."

"Why's that?" asked Bess.

"I gather that most of the women attending have recently split up with their boyfriends who were in the upper sixth. I look forward to watching the men of their own year pursue them until each woman catches them."

"Ooh, you are awful." This was from Pete.

Bess finished off the quote, "But I like you."

"Still, that's not the most unusual thing. Normally if we attend a party with dear Joanna, I am certain that she will either be the leading lady or play the supporting role which steals the show. After all, Iago is a far better role than Othello."

Pete nodded. "She does like to be the centre of attention."

"But tonight, she has competition. I look forward to seeing La Belle Claire decide which of her suitors should disappoint her this year."

"That's a bit dramatic, isn't it?"

"Maybe I am imagining it, but despite having the figure of Barbara Windsor, she is more like the Barbara in The Good Life, played by Felicity Kendall, but feels that she is expected to be Margo. By the way, do you agree that Barbara and Jerry would have been better for each other than Tom and Margo were for them?"

Pete said, "Of course they were. Still, Claire's suitors could be perfectly pleasant young men."

"Most of them probably are, but rather self-absorbed, having spoken to young Julian on the subject. One thinks that the world revolves around the fortunes of the first XV and, as he is its captain, him in particular, the second sounds like a more ambitious version of me three years ago, a third loves performing to an audience, and the fourth is an amiable narcissist who undoubtedly would love a portrait in the attic. He's also a year older than the rest, having done better in A levels than expected and is having a go at getting into Cambridge."

Bess said, "You seem like a good catch."

Pete laughed, "He is. It's just he wouldn't suit Claire."

Another languid gesture from Gareth, "I'm better for women as a good friend unless they are obsessed with culture. I am a little theatrical for most people's tastes." Claire suspected that theatrical had a hidden meaning.

Pete said, "If it's so clear to you that her prospective boyfriends are well-meaning jerks at best, why isn't it to her?"

"Who says she doesn't know it? However, the most attractive woman is expected to go out with one of the most eligible men. No doubt all her friends are giving her advice on which one to choose and would be disappointed in her if she didn't. I gather from George that the Rugby captain is the firm favourite because she went out with last year's captain. Her need to conform to expectations will win out."

Bess asked, "So, what type of man do you think she should choose?"

"The pleasant young man inside with her would be a better fit. David thinks so as well."

"Julian?" She thought about it. "He's not very exciting or glamorous."

"But kind hearts are worth more than coronets. If he went out with her, she would be the most important person in the relationship."

Pete said thoughtfully, "He does listen to what she says and does his best to look her in the eyes rather than stare at her boobs." Bess laughed but knew it to be true. He always sat down to talk to Claire rather than standing over her so that he could surreptitiously look down her cleavage.

Gareth said, "Won't happen, though. He daren't make a move. He is like Ralph Bellamy in a film with Cary Grant." Bess didn't catch the reference, but she could see what Gareth was getting at.

Bess asked, "Is there anyone else for the role of leading lady?"

"The mysterious Rebecca. Will she be the Godot of the party, a vamp or the Hedda Gabler?"

"She'd better not blow her brains out at the end of the party. It'd be a bugger to clean up, and Darling Daddy would be furious." This was from Pete.

"I am hoping that she will be another Barbara -- Stanwyck, preferably in comedic form or pre-code."

"And what about Bess here?" Pete winked at her, and she winked back.

Gareth looked at her closely and said, "It depends on whether she will be wearing the unofficial uniform tonight. If she doesn't, she could be the breakout supporting performance."

"Sorry?"

"Jeans, blouse and jumper for women. Jeans and T-shirts for the men."

Bess stared at him. "Well, I wouldn't want to stand out." She knew it was a lie when she said it.

"And why not? This girl, Rebecca, fascinates the rest of you, and she doesn't conform. She's ignored some of the rules long enough that people accept that they don't apply to her."

"But she isn't popular."

"She is someone people feel strongly about and seems to be authentically herself. Too many of my classmates at School spent far too much time worrying about fitting in to work out what they wanted."

After they had finished the cigarettes, Bess sat and thought about how she would approach the party and the next year. While she enjoyed being around Joanna, she saw that Pete was right when he said that Joanna needed to be the centre of attention. She would learn from Joanna, but she would not be one of her serfs. She also would ensure she passed her exams and went to university next year.

She liked Claire, but she was letting her choices be made for her. Once Gareth had said his piece, she believed that he was right. She, along with the rest, would watch the pursuit of the bombshell, but she would also see whether Julian's call on the characters of her prospective boyfriends was correct.

So, what did Bess want this year? She thought she knew the answer, but did she dare to go for it? In all the novels she had read, sexually adventurous women ended badly.

Julian was the first to leave, saying that he was going to see a film this afternoon. It sounded a bit arty, but he said Gareth had recommended it. Bess used this as an excuse to talk to Claire and found she was willing to go shopping. She repeated the remark about the unofficial uniform, and Claire had encouraged her to experiment. She said that she would wear a skirt tonight, although acknowledged she would be wearing a blouse and a jumper herself.

David, who had returned earlier than promised, volunteered to drive them into town. While Claire went to the toilet, he warned that Joanna would not welcome Claire seeing her behind the counter, so she should not go to Monsieur Alphonse's. Top Shop and Rackhams would likely have most of what she needed. He paused. "According to Joanna, her employer does have a good selection of bullet bras in stock. If you are interested, I can get there early and buy one for you. Joanna would approve of giving you some support tonight." He winked at her, and she smiled back. He was a kind man.

Once he had explained what a bullet bra was, Bess felt that if she was going to attract men, she needed all the help she could get, so she said yes with a price limit and gave him her bra size.

She enjoyed shopping with Claire, and they had tea and a scone at Rackhams. Today was the first time she spent an extended time alone with the woman. She took Pete's advice and listened to what she didn't say. When asked about Joanna, she replied that the two were very different people and perhaps didn't understand the other. She suspected this translated to we can't stand each other, but I'm not going to say so.

Another person she avoided saying anything complimentary about was Miss Summers, one of the teachers. She attended all the first XV rugby games, and the entire team, including her ex-boyfriend, was fascinated by her. She suspected that this translated to lusting after her.

Miss Summers also took the girls recruited for the sixth form for sessions, which were designed to allow the heavily outnumbered women to discuss with each other and a young female teacher any problems or issues which arose from being surrounded by men. Bess had attended one of these lessons so far which had been notable for the hostility between Rebecca and Miss Summers. Miss Summers hardly bothered to disguise her contempt for Rebecca, and Rebecca had a habit of asking questions which embarrassed the teacher.

Claire repeated almost without comment (which suggested that she agreed with it) Rebecca's view that sex education lessons should not be given by a professional virgin. Famously, she had been going out with Mr Hampton, a good-looking teacher, for three years and had told the class that she was waiting for marriage. She did say that perhaps Rebecca was taking it too far to call the teacher a cock teaser.

What also struck her was that the woman didn't seem excited about going to university. She referred to it as something which her mother and grandmother wanted for her because they hadn't had the opportunity themselves. She seemed more enthusiastic when talking about her older cousin's babies.

Claire did advise Bess to take two pairs of shoes--a flat pair for dancing (especially after a few drinks) and high heels for the rest of the time. When Bess said that she was tall enough not to need heels, Claire laughed. "That's not the reason tall women wear them. Well, that's not even the main reason why I wear them. For some reason, I feel more confident in them, and certainly, men notice me more."

The woman paused, "I don't know why, but my bum looks better when wearing heels. My last boyfriend liked that effect."

They took the bus back to Edgbaston together and got off at their respective bus stops. Claire said she would get her father to pick Bess up and take her to the party so they would arrive together.

/----------------------------------------------------/

Joanna stood behind the counter at Monsieur Alphonse's, playing the role of the bored shop assistant. She was channelling Miss Brahms from the sitcom Are You Being Served. As it was the day of her brother's birthday party, she had been tempted to throw a sickie, but she had only had the Saturday job for three weeks and did not want to lose it.

She believed that if she kept this job until the end of October (or at the latest Christmas), Darling Daddy would relent, allow her to give up the job, and restore her allowance in full. He had been furious at her messing up her history A level last summer and wanted to punish her. She doubted that he wanted his daughter working behind a counter any longer than necessary for her to learn whatever lesson he thought she should learn.

It was a bore being at work today, and it meant that she was relying on the DP Team and David to prepare the house for the party and initially warm up Bess for her career for the next year as the good time that was had by all.

David had volunteered to collect the drink and food being provided by the three joint hosts. Then, he and the DP Team would get to know the other three hosts and help her brother George plan how to make the party go with a bang. She sniggered to herself. With luck, it would go with a gang bang of Rebecca and the corruption of Bess.

If she had not fucked up her A levels so that she had to delay going to university, she would have said to herself that David had been good for her, but it was time to move on. Now that she had to spend another year in beautiful downtown Birmingham, it suited her to keep David around at least until Christmas.

David had plenty of money and a car. Darling Daddy had reduced her allowance and insisted on her getting a Saturday job, and all her close school friends were either going to University or getting jobs in London. She needed David for her social life (what little of it Darling Daddy would allow her to have). Perhaps Darling Daddy would have forgiven her by Christmas, but for the moment, she needed to be on her best behaviour.

David was also the most considerate lover she had had of the three she had had had sex with (well, really four - but the incident in London didn't really count). However, now that she had sampled the DP Team, she knew that she preferred less inhibited lovers, provided they paid attention to her needs as well.

The DP Team prided themselves on giving pleasure, but their lack of embarrassment about enjoying themselves as well had been intoxicating. When they had treated "Rebecca" like the whore the real girl was, her orgasms had been intense. Indeed, her only real doubts as to the plan were that the real Rebecca would enjoy herself too much. She wanted her brother's nemesis to be crushed and humiliated, not pleasured.

Joanna had heeded Dom and Pete's post-coital advice after she had paid the price for recruiting them for their real mission. They had told her that David was not an idiot and would know they were up to something at the party unless they gave him a plausible cover story to put him at ease. They were annoyingly right. The cover story was that she had asked the DP Team to ensure that the party went well and that there was not too much damage.

As part of making the party memorable, they were to encourage Bess down the slippery slope. She and they had plausibly argued that Bess enjoying herself would help them ensure the party was memorable and loosen everyone's inhibitions. In relation to the main target, Rebecca, they had been more circumspect. As it was, all they had told David was that the DP Team would assist the Slut Squad from the Crammer in whatever the female equivalent of cockblocking was to prevent Rebecca from getting off with someone and to make her feel inadequate. This was, of course, revenge for Rebecca humiliating George at the prize-giving.

Of course, there was no mention to David of her real plans for Rebecca or the price Joanna had paid for getting the DP Team to agree to her wild plans to humiliate her brother's nemesis. She had allowed them to use her in every way they could think of. She had gone further than she had intended and had been surprised by how much she had enjoyed being spit-roasted and double-penetrated. Well, if she counted the carrot in her arse while both fucked her pussy, treble penetrated. She had been pretending to be Rebecca while they did these things with her, so she told herself that it had all been a performance.

She was, after all, a method actress, and despite what Darling Daddy had said, she was capable of playing someone other than a spoilt upper-middle-class brat. Her work with the DP Team had proved that to herself. She had pretended on their missions to be a groupie, a tart with a heart of gold who gave blowjobs in a pub toilet to the groom, best man and the fathers of the bride and groom for twenty quid, a lower-class goer, and even a virgin who had acted the role of being persuaded to give her first blow job to a cheating boyfriend so that he could be discovered by his girlfriend's brothers.

Working for Ernie, AKA Monsieur Alphonse, was mildly entertaining. He sold women's clothes, with a particular speciality in lingerie. He knew his product, and the clothes were good quality.

She had chosen the job because it seemed less boring than the other options and as a way of rebelling against Darling Daddy without him knowing. Before taking the job, she had spent an hour talking to Janet, a brunette around her age who had been working there for two years and was full-time. The boss, (Monsieur Alphonse, when front of house, Ernie, after work) had said that it was best if she knew what the job involved as it wasn't for everyone.

Three things had sold her on the job. First, it was slightly better paid than the other jobs (even before the extras). Second, she didn't have to use her own name. She was known as Suzanne on the shop floor and even encouraged to change her hairstyle and makeup. If any of her father's friends walked into the shop, she and they had plausible deniability. That would not have been possible at the more established stores. Third, it gave her some outlet to perform a role, and it intrigued her when she was told that most of the assistants offered extra services.