Austin, Texas
The next few weeks passed and their relationship returned to relative normality. In the back of her mind she was a little upset that he'd also betrayed their relationship, but she saw that he was sorry and forgave him. They had both strayed and she couldn't really be mad at him when she blamed herself for allowing herself to get into a bad situation. Luckily, she hadn't even seen Michael around; there was a rumour spreading that he'd been kicked off the football team, but there was no official announcement. She didn't care about the details, she was just glad to be rid of him.
The Oil Baron's Ball was to be held in mid-November and she was excited, she'd never been to a ball before. Of course, there had been her high school prom, but prom was more dress-up and pretend you're someone, rather than actually being someone. Now, she was Miss Texas and girlfriend of millionaire JR Ewing. Her mother had selected her dress and they had a few jewellery pieces on hold but hadn't bought anything yet. She hoped that the Oil Baron's Ball would end better than the barbecue did, Marilee would definitely be at the ball and she wanted to avoid any unnecessary drama. However, the events of the end of the barbecue had allowed her and JR to move further with their relationship and she quite enjoyed that aspect. As she returned to the sorority house, she was surprised to find a bouquet of yellow roses and a gift-wrapped box waiting for her, JR had sent a lot of flowers at the beginning of their relationship, but lately he hadn't been sending as many. She took the two upstairs to open the gift in private. As she untied the ribbon and opened the box she was enchanted, there was a diamond necklace with matching earrings and bracelet; it must have cost thousands, she still wasn't used to the way he spent money so easily, but she definitely liked the way it made her feel. There was no note, but she assumed it had to be a gift for the Oil Baron's Ball; it was fancy, very expensive jewellery, not everyday jewellery. She didn't feel right keeping such expensive items in the sorority house and instead brought them to her mother's house to keep in their safe. Seeing the amount of money JR spent on Sue Ellen brought Patricia great joy, everything was working out wonderfully, they were serious and every time she spoke to JR, she got the vibe that he intended to make Sue Ellen a Ewing one day. Sue Ellen may not be the failure of the Shepard daughters after all.
After calling JR to thank him for the jewellery, she returned to college. Entering the sorority house she noticed orange and black papers everywhere, she picked one up and realised it was a poster invitation announcing a Halloween party. 'Delta Sigma Phi Haunted House. October 31st. Join us if you dare' it didn't need any further explanation. Patricia had allowed Sue Ellen to trick-or-treat until the year her father left, after that, she pushed her agenda on Sue Ellen, young ladies did not beg for candy on the streets, it didn't matter if the other girls were doing it, Sue Ellen was not allowed to. She had been upset for a while, but then had accepted it, her mother had so many ideas and methods, it was much easier to just agree and give-in than it was to argue. She'd thought that she'd missed out on Halloween forever, or at least until she had children of her own; then she started college and all of a sudden, Halloween was a thing that people celebrated. This was a little different though, there was no trick-or-treating and if there was candy, it was usually combined with some variety of alcohol, the girls would use Halloween as an excuse to dress in less than what was normally socially acceptable and the guys had no problems with that tradition. Sue Ellen had decided in her freshman year that Halloween was her favourite party of the college social calendar; only winning the national championships came close to the party that Halloween guaranteed. She'd invite JR and they'd party on her turf, it was a lot different to the world that JR lived in and she was excited to share the experience with JR, especially since she was a senior and this was her last chance to attend such a party. If she went after she'd graduated, it would seem weird, especially since she believed she'd be a married woman by the time next Halloween came around, if not married, then engaged. Ladies with a Mrs in front of their name did not attend college parties, though JR was many years out of college and he would be attending with her, but it was different for men. She laughed to herself as she thought about JR at a college party, for some reason she couldn't imagine him there, despite the fact that she had heard stories of his college days. That was when he'd supposedly perfected his technique with women, he was probably the kind of fraternity guy that she didn't like, the playboy who didn't care about a girl's feelings, just that he was satisfied by the end of the night. She'd managed to avoid too many run-ins with that kind of man, but she laughed at the fact that she now intended to marry that guy. Walking to her room and finding an envelope, she addressed to JR at Southfork, she folded the poster and wrote a note on the back, the side he would see when he opened the letter, 'You promised me that one day you'd make me a queen. Trial run? xx Sue Ellen' she left her room and mailed the letter.
Dallas, Texas
JR was distracted by Julie's presence in the office, he couldn't ask her to leave, she was Jock's trusted secretary and it wouldn't be right, but seeing her constantly only reminded him of his actions. He'd forgiven himself and was sure that no one would ever know, but he still didn't like the continual reminder of his biggest failing in their relationship. He regretted not punishing Sue Ellen more for her behaviour, it was twisted, but he always felt better when he took his anger out on someone else. Too much time had passed now though and it would be unjustifiable for him to start treating her badly because he was punishing himself, he did have a little bit of self-awareness. There was a knock at the door, "JR? Did you need anything before I leave?" Julie was trying to break down the wall that JR had built, she'd never seen him like this before and knew exactly what the problem was, Sue Ellen. The girl was perfect, everything JR would want in a wife; Julie hated that, she'd always seen herself as the perfect woman for JR, but apparently she was only good enough to spend occasional afternoons and nights with, there was never even a hint of anything more from JR. Sue Ellen possessed the right breeding and social skills to be a Ewing wife, but there was one thing that JR wasn't getting from her; she planned to use that to break down the barrier, she wanted him and she knew exactly how much he wanted what she could give him, he'd told her in both words and actions. "Oh, no thank you Julie, you may go home", there was something she could do for him, he was a man with needs, but he didn't want to feel any worse than he already did. Instead of leaving, Julie shut the door and walked toward his desk, slowly unbuttoning her top button to expose a little cleavage, "are you sure" she leant down toward him.
Why, why couldn't she just take no for an answer? He didn't have a strong sense of self-control in that area, business, yes, women, no. "Uh, Julie, I said you could leave", he was trying his hardest to refrain; well, not really, it was more of a token gesture. She didn't take any notice of his words, his body spoke well enough for him and she continued to unbutton her shirt, tossing it aside before moving her hands to the zipper on his pants. The door was closed and the office was empty, there was no risk of being caught, he tried to control himself but it had been so long and he was really not used to going this long without. Thoughts of punishing Sue Ellen entered his mind, he would never punish her physically, she was a lady and was certainly not into that kind of thing, but Julie, Julie was more than willing and he would be a fool to hold onto that anger with such an opportunity being presented to him now, or so he reasoned. Pushing her off him for a moment, he cleared his desk, "lie down!" he commanded and she did exactly as he said, she knew she'd gotten what she wanted and couldn't wait.
Austin, Texas
"Are you sure you won't come to the party? Most of the team will be there, it's completely just a friendly thing" Martha pushed her again for an answer, Sue Ellen was too cautious sometimes, "no, I really shouldn't. The last time I attended one of these friendly get-togethers with the football team I ended up having to grovel to my boyfriend for over a week. It's not worth it. I'd rather socialise with my sorority sisters tonight, sorry" she apologised again and walked back to the house; she wanted JR forever and wasn't going to let some silly mistake jeopardise their relationship again.
To be continued…