Mrs. Wong's Finishing School

She held the Virginia Slims straight out from between her fingers as it glided towards her lips. Lilly took a shallow puff and slowly began to breathe in. The feeling was incredible - better than what she had imagined. As the smoke billowed into lungs conditioned for 18 years by second-hand smoke from the addiction of two parents, she could feel every nerve in her body respond positively. She was amazed at a sensation that felt heavy as if her entire chest were being pulled down, while at the same time filling her lungs with a sense of lightness that simultaneously made her feel like she could float. She let the smoke slowly waft out of her mouth.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "That is so good." She felt light-headed, but she wanted to try it again.Another puff, but this time deeper.

As she inhaled, the nicotine hit her with a jolt. This puff also felt wonderful...but within a few seconds, Lilly began to cough, ruining the momentary sensation of lightness and freedom that the Virginia Slims provided. Sitting back on the bed, she covered her mouth with her hand, trying to muffle the sounds of the spasm. She looked down at the half-smoked cigarette between her fingers and suddenly felt shame at what she had done.

"No more," she groaned and stubbed the Virginia Slims out in the ashtray. Not wanting Mrs. Wong to know that she had a momentary lapse of will power, she flushed the contents of the ashtray down the toilet and washed her hands and face with soap. Lilly could still smell smoke on her clothes, but figured that with Mrs. Wong's addiction filling the dining room with a constant fog, the woman would never notice.

Of course, Mrs. Wongdid notice as the two sat down for breakfast, and she was very pleased at the progress Lilly was making. It wouldn't be long, she estimated, before Lilly completed the first phase of her schooling: understanding the empowerment that comes from being a smoker.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

After a busy morning of lessons, Lilly followed Mrs. Wong into the music room where Jeffrey stood behind a small table filled with wine bottles.

"What's this?" Lilly asked with a wide grin.

"An important part of your training to be a lady of elegance and taste is understanding the importance of wine, my dear." Mrs. Wong nodded to Jeffrey, and the butler began to pour a small amount of wine into two glasses. She picked up a glass by its stem, stirred it a bit with a slight movement of the wrist, and brought the glass up to her nose for a deep whiff of the red wine's aroma. "This is my favorite cabernet sauvignon," she said as she handed a glass to Lilly. "A Nappa Valley brand that sells for $600 a bottle." She took a taste of the rich red wine and held it for a few seconds in her mouth before swallowing. "Heavenly," she cooed.

"You do know that I'm under 21, don't you?"

"You're only tasting, my dear, not buying. I have your mother's permission," she added with a wink.

Lilly brought the glass to her lips and took a sip. She grimaced at the bitterness of the taste.

"It takes some getting used to if you've only been drinking wine coolers; but I promise that before I send you home, you'll be an expert in being able to tell the difference between a chardonnay and a Cabernet."

Lilly took another taste.Not too bad, she thought to herself now that she knew what to expect. "This has an interesting flavor to it," she said as she examined the contents of the glass. "Is it...cedar?"

"Very good, my child," Mrs. Wong said thoroughly impressed. "There is just a touch of cedar in it." She cocked her head to the side and said, "Being able to decipher the flavors in a wine is quite a skill, you know. You could be a natural."

Lilly gave a mischievous grin. "May I have some more?"

Mrs. Wong smiled back and turned to her butler. "That will be all for now, Jeffrey."

"Yes, Madam," the butler replied and closed the sliding doors on his way out.

Within half an hour, the two women were laughing as they nearly finished off a bottle of Chardonnay while Mrs. Wong detailed some funny stories of students she had had in the past. But Lilly was particularly fascinated with Mrs. Wong's employment history back in her late twenties when after a bit too much wine, Geraldine had mentioned that she worked at the Langley Headquarters of the CIA.

"Are you serious?" Lilly guffawed after her second glass of Chardonnay.

"That was a while ago," Mrs. Wong replied with a 120 bobbing up and down between her lips which she then lit freehanded. She took a puff at an angle, turning the tip a bright orange. "I was part of their interrogation unit. There was some dark stuff happening after 9-11. I couldn't tell you half of what was going on. But there was this one experiment with goats," she began with a laugh.

Perhaps it was the wine, but Lilly laughed uncontrollably as she listened to the story. She understood now that whatever happened to Jenny and Caroline was not something diabolic on the part of Mrs. Wong. In fact, the young girl came to trust her teacher and felt comfortable asking her questions that earlier might have seemed too personal.

"Howdid you get into this line of work," she asked her tutor who had just opened a $1000 bottle of an Italian Rose and began pouring into two clean glasses.

"Ohhhhhh," Mrs. Wong sighed with a smile as she put down the bottle and reached for her cigarette case. "You know," she said, pulling out a Virginia Slims, "you and I have a similar experience in our childhoods. Not in terms of wealth, of course," she added in a tone that had just a touch of disdain. "I come from Old Money. But in terms of personalities, I was much like you are now. I was brought up to believe that I was better than the common people, that my bloodlines and family name made me special. I had trouble believing it though." She paused to light the tip of the 120 dangling in her mouth and quickly exhaled two streams of smoke through her nostrils before removing the cigarette from her lips. "The problem was that my self-esteem was so low." She paused to look longingly at the cigarette between her fingers. "Then I discovered smoking." She brought the 120 to her lips and took a long, deep puff.

Lilly was intrigued by her comment. "I don't understand. How did smoking change you?"

Mrs. Wong had a gleam in her eye as she replied, "I think you do understand, my dear. You had a cigarette this morning, didn't you?"

Lilly was shocked. "How did you know?"

"You can wash smoke from your hands and face, but you can't hide the odor from your clothes." Mrs. Wong could see Lilly was embarrassed and quickly asked, "How did it make you feel, my dear?"

Lilly thought for a moment.Should I be honest? "It felt...pretty good. I mean, I coughed and everything...but as I watched myself in the mirror smoking, I thought...well, I looked really good."

Mrs. Wong nodded as she exhaled a cloud and tapped her cigarette on a nearby ashtray. "That was my first reaction, too, when I tried it at 15," she admitted. "I discovered that smoking gave me a self-confidence that I had never had before. I found myself looking at people differently and came to accept that I, too, was different than most people - not just as a smoker, mind you, but as something more. Something much, much more. I wanted to understand why some children of the elite reject their heritage, and so I decided to go to college and major in child psychology. I went on to receive a PhD, and even did a post-doctoral internship at Langley."

Mrs. Wong gently wrapped her fingers around the stem of her wine glass and took a sip of the Rose. "I met Mr. Wong when I came back to California. You could say that it was an arranged marriage by our parents as many Old Money families still do, but in fact we loved each other dearly. I took my rightful place as a member of my class. We never had time for children, but we had ten happy years together before he died unexpectedly. I don't need to work, of course, but I've decided to put my education and training to use by helping other children accept who they are."

Fascinated by this story, Lilly took a thoughtful sip from her own glass. "And this was all because of the confidence you gained when you started smoking?"

Mrs. Wong smiled and gave another nod. "Are you ready to accept who you are, Lilly?" Mrs. Wong opened the cigarette case and presented it to her pupil who stared at the 120's inside. They all looked so elegant neatly packed as they were. She reached in and pulled one out, carefully placing it into her mouth. Mrs. Wong was quick with the lighter before Lilly could change her mind, and she watched with a sense of accomplishment as the 18 year old filled her mouth with a creamy, smoky puff.

Lilly blew out the initial puff but quickly took another one which she inhaled. She felt the cool sensation in her chest and had no urge to cough now that she knew what to expect with the gag reflex. She pursed her lips and blew a bubbly cone of smoke towards Mrs. Wong. "This is kind of fun," she said. "I feel like an adult."

Lighting another cigarette for herself, Mrs. Wong sat back and said, "You are an adult, my dear. It's time to start acting like one."

"But smoking is a pretty big decision," Lilly replied, now feeling more comfortable holding the cigarette up high like Mrs. Wong. "Certainly you can't ignore the health risk involved." She took another puff, very much enjoying the tingling in her chest when she inhaled.

"My dear," Mrs. Wong said sweetly, "we make choices every day in life. Should I drive a car? Should I step onto a plane? Should I eat something prepared in this restaurant? And nearly every choice entails risk. Perhaps the car or the plane will crash; perhaps this food will make me ill because it is not prepared properly. We weigh the risks compared to the expected favorable outcome - and on that basis we choose. A car and a plane will get me where I need to go; eating the meal will both satisfy my hungerand be a pleasurable experience." She paused to take a quick puff. "Smoking is such a choice that entails risk. The chances are greater that I will suffer ill health effects later in life if I smoke. But when I weigh the risks of smoking to the favorable outcomes - that my femininity and beauty will be enhanced, that I will derive years of indescribable physical and psychological pleasure from smoking; well, the choice is pretty obvious, isn't it? I choose to smoke."

As Lilly took another puff, deeper than any that she had yet taken, she carefully considered what Mrs. Wong said. On the surface it sounded totally reasonable, but she also studied this kind of sophistry in her debate class. The indisputable future health risks of smokingalways should outweigh whatever pleasure in the present smoking provided. "It's tempting," she replied with smoke pouring out of her mouth and nose, "but I'm not sure I'm ready to make that choice right now." She took one last puff - her deepest yet - and crushed the cigarette in the ashtray as she inhaled. But that inhale was the most pleasurable she had experienced, and she could feel an excitement run through her body like someone had just turned on a switch. She actually felt some regret in stubbing the 120 out before smoking it fully.

Mrs. Wong could see that there was still a bit more work to do on this contrarian. "There's time, my dear," she said as she stubbed out her own Virginia Slims. "But now, we need to get back to work. Why don't you head into the library to continue your studies? I have a session with a client today and will meet up with you later this evening," Mrs. Wong said as she picked up her glass for another sip of the Rose.

Lilly gave her a teacher a sincere smile. She could see that Mrs. Wong was disappointed, but the teen couldn't help that. While certainly tempted, she was not ready to become a smoker; at least not at the moment. She took one final gulp from her glass, got up from her chair, and sauntered out of the room.

As Mrs. Wong watched her leave, she pulled a cigarette out of her case and lit the 120. She liked this girl, and she admired her spirit. Jenny and Caroline were easy to break, as were so many of the girls that came before them; but Lilly...she was unique. This wasn't blind rebelliousness within the girl; it was an intellect that was far more mature than her 18 years. Which path would she embark upon as their sessions continued?Will she choose wisely?

The woman took a hard, 5 second puff on her cigarette and then brought her lips to the rim of her wine glass, letting the uninhaled smoke pour into the bowl. She brought the glass to the level of her eyes and swirled the fruity wine so that it circled underneath the creamy fog. She then brought her lips again to the rim and inhaled before taking another sip.

Mrs. Wong also could not help but feel a guilty pleasure at not revealing all of the details about her past. She did, in fact, work at the CIA as part of a post-doctoral program in the agency's interrogation program; but her duties obviously had nothing to do with child psychology. Her focus was on mind and behavioral manipulation, and she was damn good at it. The CIA had asked her to stay after her internship was completed, but she felt that her unique skills could best be put to use in private practice.

She only followed through on those plans, however, after her husband's death when she decided to finally put the vulgar upstarts of the New Rich in their place.

PART VIII - JEFFREY EXPLAINS EMPOWERMENT

Lilly spent the rest of the afternoon continuing with her studies. It was an exhaustive program, studying literature, cultural heritage, and art. She was learning to master Chinese, a language she once spoke at home but let fall to the wayside when she entered her teen years as she studied French in high school - which she was thankful for since Mrs. Wong demanded she be able to converse in such an important language of refined culture.

As she settled into the library, sitting at an antique oak table piled high with a stack of books she was expected to get through before the end of the two weeks, she let out an audible sigh.Maybe I should have finished that cigarette after all. She had heard from friends that smoking calmed them down during times of stress, especially during the months of preparation for the college entrance exams. She had to admit that she even considered trying it herself back in her Junior year.Mom would have been thrilled.

Lilly was thinking about what Mrs. Wong had said regarding choices in life, and why this woman chose to smoke at the age of 15. Sophistry or not, if she wanted an excuse to pick up the habit, that was the best one she had heard. She was surprised that she was suddenly attracted to something that she had once found so odious. She thought about when she saw Caroline standing on the staircase with a freshly lit 120. At the time, it was a shock; but now as she replayed the image in her mind, she had to admit that her best friend looked amazing holding that cigarette: mature, sophisticated, even beautiful. Lilly had the same thoughts about herself smoking as she looked into the mirror that morning.

It was then that she noticed Jeffrey coming into the room holding a tray.

"To help pass the time away," he said with a smile. On the tray were several cans of Diet Coke and a glass of ice; a plate of cheese, crackers, and fruit; and a silver case.

"What's this?" Lilly asked as she opened the case, only to be surprised that it was filled with twenty neatly packed 120 cigarettes. "Oh, no, Jeffrey, not you, too?"

"Miss?" the butler replied confused.

"The cigarettes?" Lilly said showing him the opened silver case.

"I'm just bringing in what Madam believes you need, Miss," he replied with a grin as he took a lighter out of his pocket and placed it on the tray. He turned to leave.

"Jeffrey, wait," Lilly said. "If I ask you a question, will you answer honestly?"

"I'll do my best, Miss."

"Do you smoke?" she asked setting the open case on the desk.

"Occasionally, Miss."

"And do you find a woman who smokes...attractive?"

Jeffrey hesitated before answering. "If I may rephrase the question to be, am I attracted to anattractive woman who smokes, the answer would be yes, very much so."

Lilly was not ignorant to the notion of smoking as attractive. Though she had always disapproved of her mother's smoking for health reasons, she would readily admit that her mom was a classy smoker who made the habit look fun and sexy. The fact that her best friends, Caroline and Jenny, had now become members of that club was also foremost in her mind.

"Mrs. Wong," Lilly offered, "believes that smoking would empower me."

"Madam is very wise," Jeffrey said softly with the nod of his head.

"But I don't understand why that would be. How does breathing smoke into your body make you feel empowered?"

Jeffrey hesitated once again before moving closer to the desk. "If I may," he said as he picked up the opened silver cigarette case and offered it to her. "Would Miss pull out a cigarette?"

Lilly looked at him in surprise.

"If Miss would humor me, just for a moment."

Lilly took her thumb and index finger and delicately pulled out a 120 before moving it between her index and middle fingers.

"How does it feel?"

"Surprisingly light," she said. "I always imagined a cigarette would be heavier."

"This morning when I went to tidy up Miss's bedroom, I smelled the pleasant odor of smoke. Can I assume that Miss lit a cigarette this morning after she woke up?"

Lilly could feel her face turning red from embarrassment.

"And how did it feel when you inhaled the smoke into your body?"

Lilly looked at the Virginia Slims between her fingers and thought about how good that first puff felt as the smoke engulfed her lungs.How did it feel? "Powerful," she whispered.

"And when Miss watched herself exhaling the smoke between her lips, can I assume that she was surprised at what she saw? That it was somehow transformative to see yourself doing something you could never imagine yourself doing before? Perhaps giving you a sense of confidence at the different person you had become?"

Lilly made no reply, but she knew the answer was "yes" to each of the butler's questions.

"Might I offer, then, that Miss had anempowering experience this morning with her first cigarette?"

Lilly gazed longingly at the Virginia Slims between her fingers. She wanted to light it. She wanted to feel that power again. "Thank you, Jeffrey," she said softly, never taking her eyes off of the 120.

"Very good, Miss," Jeffrey said with the nod of a head and proceeded to exit the room, but as he turned to close the sliding doors to the library, he saw the teenager bringing a flame up to the tip of the Virginia Slims to light it. With a smile he looked to his right where Geraldine was standing next to the wall.

"Well done, Jeffrey," she said softly as she held a 120 to the side of her face.

"Madam," he said with the nod of a head and walked down the hallway.

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Back in the library, Lilly was inhaling her first puff on the Virginia Slims between her fingers. Smoke once again billowed into her lungs, setting off neurons in her brain like a switchboard. When she exhaled a creamy stream of smoke across the desk, she felt something she had not felt previously: her pussy was just a bit moist, and she smiled. She knew that she was pretty; and she liked the idea that a man as handsome as Jeffrey would find her smoking attractive. She imagined smoking with Caroline and Jenny, sitting at the kitchen table in her home conversing with them as each held their own long 120s aloft, just like three sophisticated ladies. The image gave her a warm, comfortable feeling as her vagina oozed just bit more goo.