Ringmaster Ch. 16: Gaga for a Gala

"And that is her boyfriend, Leon," Vanessa said, gesturing to the man in the sweater. Anne went and took her seat back next to him. "He's a photographer."

"Charmed to meet you, Maria," Leon said, hoisting his glass to me before taking a sip.

"And last, but not least, Hal Burton," the man in the tuxedo came over and shook my hand.

"He's a fashion designer," Vanessa said as she took a seat at the bar and pulled a seat for me. She called over the bartender and ordered us both something called a Rose Berry Bliss.

"Oh wow, that's awesome," I said, feeling very inadequate. "So, how did you all end up meeting Vanessa?"

"Well, I was hired to take her photos for the 2018 Fall line," Leon said. "And we got to talking and we've been pals since."

"I helped design part of the Winter 2016 line that she modeled for," Hal said. "One of the best models that I've had the courtesy of working with. Wouldn't trade her for the world."

"Don't flirt too hard," the bartender said as he was preparing our drinks. "I'd had for that tux of yours to get stained. It cost us too much, but the dry cleaning comes out of your account."

"Oh, don't you worry," Vanessa said with a chuckle. "I'll be sure to keep him in line."

"Huh?" I asked, a little confused before the neurons clicked together. "Are you two-?"

"Married?" Hal said, finishing my sentence by holding up a ring. "Yes, we are. Been for three years now."

"Wow, that's incredible," I said. The bartender set my drink down in front of me and I started to take a few sips. I looked down at the Reality Ring, then to Vanessa's cheerful face. Marriage, huh? Would I ever want to marry her? How would marriage work with a polycule? Would we become exclusive to each other? I mean, granted, I make the rules, but I don't-

"I met Vanessa at a strip club."

I nearly spat out my drink at Anne's remark. Thankfully, I caught myself and Vanessa helped by patting me on the back a little. "Sorry, uh, Anne. I don't think I heard you correctly. How did you meet Vanessa?"

"Strip club," she said as if that was a totally casual thing. "I gave her one hell of a lap dance."

I turned my head over to Vanessa, who was just smiling. "Yeah, that's how I had met her. Wasn't quite how I pictured spending my 19th birthday, but it was unforgettable." Was the lap dance that good? "Hey Anne, how's the leg?"

"Oh, still the same," Anne said as she kicked her leg out. "Still staying the hell away from stilettos." She was very clearly wearing flats.

"For context," Hal said, leaning in towards me, "Anne tried to give Vanessa here a lap dance. Ended up snapping her stiletto's heel and had to be taken to the hospital. They love telling that story."

"Yes, emphasis on the fact that WE love telling the story," Vanessa said as she playfully hit Hal on the shoulder. They all chuckled and I nervously chuckled with them.

"By the way, who is the person who designed the line?" I asked.

"Ugh, you don't know? What kind of person comes to a fashion show and doesn't even know what it's about?"

"Ugh," Vanessa said as she turned around, looking in the direction of the voice. "It's you..."

I turned to see a tall, slender woman with long dark brown hair, standing there and staring at us. She had an aura of beauty around her, and I really couldn't deny that she was nearly as gorgeous as Vanessa. Nearly. There were also two other ladies by her side, like an entourage of some kind.

"Ugh, what do you want, Sherri?" Anne said as she picked up her drink from the bartender and sipped it. "Can't you see that we were actually having a good time?"

"Uh, who are you?" I asked, looking around at the others.

"How do you not know who I am?" Sherri said, growling a little. I meekly tried to sink into my barstool. "I am Sherri Wolf, famous model and star of the Vivisallitti line for three years running."

"Only cause you slept your way to the position," Hal snarked.

"Hmph!" Sherri said, stomping her foot. "There's no proof of that," she said, crossing her arms defensively. "Besides, the fans voted for me in their popularity contest. And clearly, I had won."

"You won in, like, some B-list magazine," Leon said, sipping his drink. "When the actual contest came around, you lost every year to Vanessa."

"And she'll continue to lose to me every year," Vanessa said as she put her arm around me, trying to lessen Sherri's intimidation on me. "What can I say? Aphrodite has blessed me."

"Ugh," Sherri said, scowling.

"Careful dear," Hal said, "You'll get wrinkles like that. Then you'll definitely lose even further."

"Hmph," Sherri said, flicking her bangs to the side before turning to me. "And just who is this?"

"Oh, oh!" I stammered as I realized she was talking to me. "I'm Vanessa's girlfriend. I'm here to support her."

"Ugh, figures," Sherri said as she turned her attention to Vanessa, her snooty attitude returning. "You needed some gimmick to boost yourself because you knew you were going to lose to me in a few weeks, so you decided to play the lesbian card."

"Excuse me!?" Vanessa nearly lept out of her chair and tackled Sherri, but Leon put his hand in front of her and stopped her.

"Yeah, just for publicity, obviously," one of Sherri's entourage spoke up. Vanessa was getting antsier by the second.

"Come on now," Anne said, eyeing up Vanessa to see whether or not she had to step in and hold Vanessa back. "You really think that she NEEDS any kind of angle to beat you?"

"Yeah!" Vanessa said, calming herself down. "Just you watch. I'm gonna crush you in the next popularity contest again." She once again put her arm around me. "And I LOVE my girlfriend. You're just jealous."

"Hmph, as if. This will be the year that I win!" Sherri said.

I stared and thought about Sherri. Clearly, she needed to be put in her place. But, what kind of change could I do to her to teach her a lesson? After some careful thinking, I knew exactly what to do.

Sherri Wolf's hands will idly fondle and pleasure her entourage. Anytime someone brings it up to her, she'll make some kind of excuse. Sherri's entourage will immensely love Sherri touching them and have increased pleasure sensitivity to her touch.

I felt my hand and arm tingle with the magic from the ring. I clenched my fist to hold back the pain. After a few seconds, it subsided. Almost immediately, Sherri wrapped her arms around her entourage and put it on their waists, rubbing their sides. Both girls immediately moaned in delight.

"Isn't that right girls?" Sherri asked, looking at the two of them.

Both girls were panting a little. "Y-Yeah, she's gonna beat you r-real good," the one on the left said as her eyes gently fluttered as Sherri continued to touch her.

"Y-Yeah," the other said, mimicking the other girl.

"In fact, you know what? How about we step it up even further?" Sherri asked with a smirk. "You and me. Tonight. Model-off."

"A what now?" I asked, confused and a bit distracted by the entourage's reactions.

"Ugh, again with the model-offs?" Anne asked as she sipped her drink. "It's basically when two models see who can out perform the other on the runway. Whoever basically gets the loudest cheers or whatever wins."

"How does that make sense? Isn't that more about the outfits of the designers that you're wearing?" I asked, trying to make sense of it all.

"Hmph," Sherri said, smirking and lowering her hands to squeezing the asses of her entourage. The two girls' faces were in pure delight as they leaned into Sherri. "Any good model can make any outfit look great."

"Fine," Vanessa said as she leaned back into her barstool. "I'll take you up on your challenge." She reached her hand out to shake on it.

Sherri reached her hand out, but right before she did. "And let's make it interesting," Sherri said with a chuckle. "Loser has to model down the runway wearing only pasties and a thong?" Immediately, she shook Vanessa's hand.

"WHAT!?" All of us exclaimed in unison.

"Unison screaming? That's not concerning at all."

I turned over to see Summer and Danna walking over to us. Both of them were wearing absolutely stunning dresses that probably cost way more than anything I'd ever see in my whole life! Summer had a tight black dress on that sparkled, contouring her thighs and whole body. Meanwhile, Danna had a teal dress with extra shoulder cuffs that extended down to her ankles.

"Exactly what is going on here?" Summer asked as she looked around, her gaze turning icy as she looked at Sherri. Danna was also staring at Sherri, but for a different reason.

"Oh, just a model about to learn her place," Sherri chuckled as she turned around and started heading into the crowd. "Model-off will be at nine. Hope you get something good going." She laughed to herself as she disappeared into the crowd.

"Alright, someone please fill us in about what just happened," Summer said, looking towards me and Vanessa.

I quickly filled them in about what just happened, then introduced them to Vanessa's friends.

"I see," Summer said as she pondered to herself.

Vanessa, meanwhile, was downing shots from the bartender. "Uuuuugggghhhhhh, what have I done?"

"What's wrong?" Summer translated for Danna.

"I can't do model-offs," Vanessa sobbed as she laid her head down on the bar.

"What? What do you mean you can't?" I asked. "Vanessa, you're an amazing and beautiful model."

"A picture model, maybe!" She tried to order herself another drink, but Hal stopped the bartender from handing her any more. She sighed loudly before turning to me. "I can't live model. I get too nervous and keep messing up. That's why I do photos where I can take as many takes as needed."

"I can confirm this," Leon said with a hearty sigh.

"I just... couldn't take her stupid attitude," Vanessa said. "I've got about two hours to find some amazing outfit to model and get it right. UGH! What am I going to do?"

"Well, we'll have to get you backstage and hopefully there's something that one of the designers has as a back-up that you could wear," Hal said, trying his best.

"But I don't know any of the designers personally," Vanessa said as she lifted her head up and leaned it on my shoulder. "How am I gonna find someone?"

Then, Danna clapped her hands together, drawing all of our attention. She smiled widely and gave a thumbs-up.

"Do you know someone here, Danna?"

Danna gestured something to Summer with an excited look on her face. "Really, do you think that he'll be here?" Danna nodded her head. "Alright then."

"Well, who is it?" Vanessa asked.

"It's an old friend of ours. You may be familiar with him," Summer said as she put her arm around Danna. "His name is Franc de Luce."

"Wait, THE Franc de Luce!?" Hal said as his eyes went wide.

"Um, context?" I asked, feeling out of place again not knowing about all this. Ugh, I was probably just embarrassing Vanessa. But, she put her arm around me for reassurance and a kiss on the cheek.

"Franc de Luce is a famous fashion designer and photographer," Leon said as he finished up his drink. "He's known for making surprise entrances and underground shows. It would be his M.O. to be running something here."

Danna nodded her head before signing something to Summer. "Well, Danna has access, so, shall we head down?"

"Ooo, can I join?" Hal asked as he perked up. "I'd love to check out one of Franc de Luce's shows."

"I don't see why not?" Summer said as she looked at Danna. Danna nodded and gestured to the others.

"Nah, I'm good," Anne said as she waved her hand. "I prefer the party scene up here."

"And I'll be up here as well," Leon said. "Someone has to make sure that this one doesn't get into trouble. Besides, we'll spy on Sherri for you."

"Thanks!" Vanessa said, and with that, the five of us headed off down a bit of a winding path through the sea of people that Summer lead us through.

We ducked down a hallway and into another corridor before heading down a flight of stairs. After a bit, we came across a door where there was a gruff looking guard standing in front. On instinct, Vanessa held my hand closely.

"Halt. No one gets through here," the man said, holding up his hand. Danna signed a few things to the man, but he just shook his head. "Sorry, I don't speak sign language." Danna pouted and looked over at Summer, signing things.

"Now now, there's no need for that kind of language," Summer said, gently patting Danna on the forehead. "I believe the phrase right now is, 'Let the flowers grow wild.'" The man nodded and moved aside. "Come now." Summer opened up the door while Danna glared at the guard. Vanessa, Hal, and I headed in with Summer and Danna bringing up the rear.

"No no no! More emotion! More drama! More zest!"

"I am giving you all the damn zest I can muster!"

The four of us recognized the second voice as our white-haired beauty. She was dressed up in a very extravagant and ornate dress, and looked quite uncomfortable posing in dramatic ways.

"Girls!" Regina pushed past the camera man and ran over to hug and kiss each of us.

"What is going on?" I asked, holding onto Regina's waist.

"No no no, you're ruining the shots! Get back into place!" The camera man snapped at her.

"That would be Franc de Luce," Summer said as she kissed Regina on the cheek and gently gave her ass a squeeze.

"Please, call me Franc," Franc said as he walked over to us. He was wearing a fancy jacket with green and purple accents throughout. "Now you get back here and fix the mess you made."

"Hiss," Regina said as she hid behind me and Danna.

"What exactly did she do?" I asked, keeping an eye on Regina.

"That." Franc pointed over to a bed of around eight girls, all naked and lying passed out with smiles on their faces, covered in juices. Their clothes were all strewn about and disheveled. "She fucked all my models silly and now I have no one to model all my wonderful clothes! So, she has to make up for it by modeling them now."

"Mariaaaaa," Regina said in a dramatic whiny tone. "This man's making me dress up for hiiiiim."

"Well, you fucked his models, so now you have to be responsible for it," Summer said, not batting an eye as Regina tried to plead at her.

"Um, actually," I said, nervously taking a step forward, and gestured to Vanessa. "My girlfriend here is a model. I'm sure that she would be more than happy to."

"Oh?" Franc said as he looked her up and down. "I feel as though I've seen you somewhere."

"Winter 2016," Hal said as he pushed his way to the front to shake Franc's hand.

"Ah, yes, I do recall your photos." Franc happily shook Vanessa's hand before gently patting her down. "Yes, yes, all the right proportions. She will be an excellent model for my outfits! Let us get you ready!"

"U-Um actually," Vanessa said before things started getting into motion. "I might have a different plan in mind. I know you like doing underground shows, but, how about something a bit more overt?"

"Oh?" Franc said as he looked at her. "What did you have in mind?"

...

"Ladies and gentlemen! We have an exciting surprise event for you all!" The voice spoke over the loudspeaker as the crowd turned their attention to follow the large spotlight. "We've got ourselves a good ol' fashioned model off!" The crowd erupted in a cheering frenzy. "Now now, save your cheers until it's time to vote!"

"Wow, these people really take this seriously," I said as I looked around at the sea of people beginning to crowd towards the stage. "I didn't think it would be so exciting."

"It's a fashion show. The biggest excitement is if there's a wardrobe malfunction," Anne said, standing next to me in the crowd.

"The crowd is just itching for some excitement, even if they don't say it," Leon said as he stood on the other side of Anne.

"So, for those of you unfamiliar, here's how it works," the announcer began as the crowd hushed their murmurs. "We've got two lovely ladies ready to show off who has the better modeling talent! First up, they'll be judged on their initial presentation of the outfits. Second, they'll be judged on their walking talent! Finally, they'll be judged on how well they can keep up their posing."

"There are established rules to these things?" I asked, looking around the crowd that viewed this as a completely normal thing. "There is so much about the fashion world that I will never understand."

"Yeah, it's a weird, but also a fierce world," Leon said, taking a sip of a drink.

"Of course, there is no doubt that our Vanessa will win this competition," Summer said as she gently put an arm around Danna. Danna had a gentle smile on her face, then turned to me and nodded as if to affirm Summer's statement.

"Yeah," I said as I looked down at the ring. It would be so easy to make Vanessa win and make Sherri lose. But, as I was thinking that, Danna reached her hand over and held mine. She looked at me in the eyes and gently shook her head. "You're right. Vanessa has got this."

"And now, taking the stage first, famous model and star of the Vivisallitti line for three years, Miss Sherri Wolf!"

Sherri tossed aside the curtains and began to strut out onto the catwalk. She was wearing a long flowing cloak that covered up her entire body. The clapping was scattered as she made her way to the front of the catwalk.

"Now," she said as she grabbed the cloak, "Let's hear your Wolf Whistles!" She threw the cloak up into the air, revealing her outfit.

Her hair was draped down, curled and flowing along her back. She wore a black chain link collar and a matching black dress with the shoulders revealed, pushing out her cleavage. The dress had a cut in it that snaked from her right side down across her stomach to her left thigh and opened up to show off her ornate leggings with a swirling floral pattern. Underneath the dress was a layer of fabric that was a gradient from orange near the shoulders to red at her hands and feet. Her stilettos clicked on stage as she flicked her shoulders back, revealing two long strands of fabric with large beads on the bottom, barely stopping before they hit the ground.

The crowd cheered incredibly loud as Sherri soaked in the praises, her smile never wavering as she looked at the crowd. Many people wolf-whistled at her as they flail their arms, trying to get photos. Then, she spun around on her heels and walked back towards the curtain.

"Amazing! With our Cheer Score Rating Machine, Sherri has scored a whopping 93 out of 100!" The announcer brought up the score on a screen behind him.

"What!? That's incredible." I shouted and briefly considered using the Ring again to help out Vanessa, but my confidence in Vanessa held me back.

"For Sherri, that's damn good," Anne said. "She's really trying to take down Vanessa."

I held my hands close to my chest. "Come on, Vanessa. You got this."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Leon said as he handed Anne his drink and readied his camera.

"And now, model of the 2018 Fall line and 2016 Winter line, as well as repeat winner of the Young Model Competition, Miss Vanessa Dellis!"

Now it was Vanessa's turn to come out. Much like Sherri, she was also wearing a large white cloak, but it only covered up everything below her neck.

"Copycat," Sherri said as she watched Vanessa walk.

Vanessa's hair was wavy, neatly brushed and styled down with a blue butterfly on her left side. The wings were made of very fine fabric with a crystal as the body. She didn't pay Sherri any attention as she made her way to the center of the catwalk. She stopped and looked out at the crowd. I gave her a thumbs-up and she smiled at me before turning back to the crowd. She stuck her arms outward and forward as if she was speaking like a prophet.

"We are here to settle a modeling competition, and as many of you know, I am one for a fair and just competition." The crowd murmured a little. "My challenger is the one who incited this, so, I say to you then, Sherri." She spun around and pointed at Sherri. "I will fight with the ferocity of the flames of Hades!"