The Pledge Mistress Ch. 36

She slipped off her clothes and quickly got in bed. Because she had never slept naked before except during sex, the sensation of being alone without any clothing was strange and rather frightening. She pulled the covers up to her neck, but then began to get hot. The temperature in the room was warm, precisely so a person not wearing any clothes would feel comfortable. It was too hot to sleep covered. Finally she folded the blanket and sheet down to her waist, leaving her chest exposed in the darkness.

Wow...so this is what it's going to be like if I stay...no...no...it isn't. It's going to be a lot worse, because they won't let me cover up at all.

She threw the blanket and sheets all the way to the foot of the bed and put her feet on top. Now...this was how it's going to be. Starting tomorrow morning, when she did her stretches and remedial exercising in the nude, this was how it was going to be. Better get used to it now.

Lying naked in the darkness, Brittany felt incredibly erotic. She allowed her hands to explore her body, for the first time in months completely unencumbered by being dressed, having anyone else in the same room, or having any intoxicants in her body inhibiting her physical sensations. She took her time, worked herself into an exquisite orgasm, and enjoyed her body. After she climaxed, Tracy's words came back to her:

"We don't let our members feel like shit. We exercise and eat right so we don't feel like shit. Life's too short to live feeling like shit."

Without bothering to pull up the covers, Brittany fell asleep. Already, during her very first night in her new sorority, she was beginning to think and act like a Four-Beta.

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The following morning the pledges performed calisthenics in the back yard, although Lisa had to skip any exercises that put pressure on her hand. It would be at least a week before she had normal use of the finger Heather had so viciously twisted, but as long as she was careful, she could expect to have the splint off fairly quickly. Once the splint was off, the incident with the former Sergeant-at-Arms would be completely in the past and everyone could move on.

The anticipated media crisis also passed relatively quickly. The Four-Betas did not know what to expect from a double scandal that involved the arrest of one of their own officers as well as the jailing of an entire fraternity and several officers and senior members of a rival sorority. That afternoon two news crews showed up at the Four-Beta House and began filming. To their surprise, President Alexandra stepped outside and told each of the reporters to bring a cameraman into the sitting room so she could grant an interview and explain things from the Four-Betas' perspective. When the reporters asked her for separate interviews she responded:

"No, I'm not granting separate interviews. I'm sure you have the same questions and I'm not going to answer them twice. Get your cameras set up, and I'll give both of you our take on what happened yesterday."

Alexandra, dressed in her immaculate clothing and looking truly official, impressed the reporters as she calmly explained that the events from the day before with her officers involved two totally separate incidents. She disposed of Tracy's street brawl first, citing the police report as proof that it had been the members of other sorority who started it. As for an interview with Brittany, Alexandra commented:

"Think about what she's been through. That poor girl is scared out of her wits, and I think she could use some privacy right now. If you go chasing after her with your cameras, how's that going to help her?"

The incident with Lisa was the trickier of the two crises to confront, because it involved the mistreatment of a Four-Beta pledge. However, Alexandra pointed out:

"The sorority officer in question has been suspended from her position and will not have further contact with any of the pledges. She has allegedly committed some very serious violations of Four-Beta sorority rules. I want to emphasize, if Heather is guilty of what she's been accused of, her behavior will end her association with the sorority. What happened to our pledge is simply not acceptable to any Four-Beta and we are taking it very seriously. I am giving you copies of the Four-Beta rulebook for sorority officers, and our Sergeant-at-Arms' alleged violations of the rules are highlighted. Please keep in mind, I consider these rule violations separate from the state kidnapping and assault charges she faces from our legal system."

Upon passing out the rulebooks Alexandra continued:

"Once we have a final copy of the police report and have taken statements from witnesses, we will conduct our own review of Heather's behavior, and write up an official report on the incident for the sorority record. That final report will be made public. However, before we finish the official report, she will be given due process by the sorority directorate, just like our legal system will give her due process. After the evidence and police report are submitted, she will have the opportunity to defend herself and give her side of what happened."

One of the reporters asked:

"Do you feel that you, as your chapter's leader, share any of the blame for what happened?"

Alexandra's answer surprised her listeners:

"Yes. As chapter president I am responsible for everything that goes on in the sorority. It's my duty to make sure stuff like that doesn't happen. It did, and unfortunately I guess it's a reflection of something that was lacking in my own leadership."

After Alexandra's interview aired on the Friday night local news shows, it became obvious the focus of the scandal was shifting away from the Four-Beta Sorority. The chapter president performed much better than she thought, because her interview completely diffused any negative press coverage against the Four-Betas. She projected a dignified, sympathetic image on TV, especially during the final part of the interview when she did nothing to attempt to deflect blame away from herself over what happened to Lisa. In admitting her own failings, Alexandra upheld her duty to put the interest of the sorority ahead of her own reputation.

Following President Alexandra's interview, one of the reporters managed to get an opinion from a senior from the rival sorority. It was obvious the woman was drunk when she launched into a tirade of obscenities against both Pledge Brittany and the Four-Betas. Following excerpts from Alexandra's statements, that comment was aired, with a lot of electronic beeping to censor the language.