Chapter 7: Eating Down Under
"When I get through with her, she'll be
the premier Blow Job Queen of the Tri-State area and poor little Court's heart
will be shattered."
-Kathryn Merteuil
"Daddy!" Annette's entire face lit up jubilantly as she hugged the older man, the feeling of his usual tweed jacket bringing her back to her childhood.
"Hey pumpkin!" William Hargrove hugged her daughter tightly, smiling. "Where have you been? I tried calling you at your place last night but the machine kept picking it up. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye at the party."
That's because I actually wanted to spend the night making love to Sebastian but I got sick instead. Annette felt guilty whenever she spoke to her father about Sebastian, she wondered what he would say if he found out that Annette's manifesto in that magazine had turned null and void in almost the same month it had been published. The dean of Manchester Prep hadn't approved of her decision to leave Trevor for the ill-reputed Sebastian but he had learned to relax somewhat as Sebastian genuinely seemed to love his daughter.
"I'm sorry, Daddy. I think I had something that didn't agree with me last night."
William's brown eyes crinkled as he smiled once again at his cherished daughter, although at the back of his mind, he disapproved of Sebastian. Knowing quite well about his reputation at Manchester Prep, which, until now, was being challenged by hormonal driven teenagers who seemed to think they owned the world
The two sat down, chatting animatedly amidst the busy atmosphere of the café. William took a moment to observe his daughter, noticing her fair hair was still a bit damp and her clothes were rumpled, evidently she had rushed to meet him this morning. He knew somehow that her chastity vow three years ago was probably broken, given Sebastian's reputation. William gave his daughter the impression that he didn't though, because these things aren't talked about… Until now. Just last week, a sophomore student at Manchester had gotten pregnant and he realized that he should finally have 'the talk' with Annette.
"Honey, can I ask you something?"
His daughter gave him a bright smile, "Sure."
"Have you been… er… having sexual relations of any kind with Sebastian?"
"What?" Her blue eyes peeked up from the menu she'd been reading. William had been hoping that she would say no, but from the telltale blush spreading across her cheeks, he got his answer.
He felt himself starting to redden as well, but hid his embarrassment with a cough. "Annette, I know you love him, but, well, there's this student at school that's gotten pregnant and…" his voice trailed off.
Her gaze had wandered elsewhere and she was obviously staring at something with a shocked look on her face.
"Oh my God…" she gasped, standing up in the middle of William's the birds and the bees lecture. Walking over to the adjacent table, where an Upper Crust woman was reading the society pages, the headline stood out.
"Socialite Bunny Caldwell's Daughter Caught in Video Scandal"
There was a photo of the naïve Cecile from the black and white party that had been thrown a week ago, although the source of the picture couldn't have been more fitting.
"Excuse me," she said politely, recognizing the woman from the Valmont party last night. "Would you mind letting me borrow that when you're through?"
The perfectly coiffed woman smiled at her warmly, obviously having read the article herself and rejoicing in the fact that poor Bunny Caldwell must be chewing her own arm in anger. "Sure, dear." She handed the paper to Annette, who sat down opposite her father once again and started reading.
'You see them everyday; the beautiful and perfect daughters of Manhattan's wealthiest and most influential. Yet, are they as perfect as they appear?
Just last week, there have been talks regarding Cecile Caldwell, a senior at Manchester Prep and daughter of socialite Bunny Caldwell and oil tycoon Gerard Caldwell, and her secret relationship with an African American student at Julliard named Ronald Clifford. The younger Caldwell has been known in certain social circles as the sweet and loveable charming debutante, who had just recently celebrated her 18th birthday. Known to be dating Court Reynolds, the son of Senator Reynolds, she has shocked everyone when a video of her having relations with Clifford was mysteriously released, much to the girl's embarrassment. The video is now being circulated in Manchester Prep, and even in adult stores, being hailed as the 'New Paris'. The video contains graphic sexual content and is being distributed under the title 'Eating Down Under', in reference to Caldwell's former residence in Australia.
So far, the Caldwells have refused to comment. They however, are taking legal actions as of this time.'
"Oh… my… God…" she said again, forgetting the humiliation she'd felt when her father tried to give her the sex talk. Poor Cecile!
The elder Hargrove took the paper from his daughter and started reading it, a grim expression on his weather beaten face. "Oh dear." He murmured worriedly, "This is going to require some damage control."
Annette's cell phone rang and she quickly answered it as the caller ID flashed Cecile.
"A-Annette?" the disgraced girl hiccupped, obviously having been crying for a while. "Ohmigod I'm ruined! Did you read the paper? My mother's furious and Ronald can't even walk down the street without being whistled at!"
She tried to reply sympathetically but Cecile's whimpering sobs interrupted her.
"I'm sure it's not that bad…" she winced at what she'd said. Who was she kidding?
Cecile seemed to think so too, but at least her pathetic voice turned into rage. "Not that bad! Not that bad! Court went to school today just to yell at me in front of the entire student body! The burnouts and sex freaks were watching it during lunch time at the cafeteria! My mother even suggested I fake my own death just to avoid the humiliation! You're telling me that it's not that bad?" More sobs, although it turned into a wailing that oddly sounded like a dog being pinched. "My life is ruined!" she moaned, "I was planning to run for student council president but now it's ruined! Kathryn set me up!"
Kathryn. Of course. It was as simple as that. She came home to witness the butchery she'd probably been planning for a while now, just as Sebastian's journal had said about her.
"Annette? Annetteeeee!" Cecile whined through her tears, only to be cut off by the blonde, who was already calling her boyfriend.
---
"So I go tell him, 'Just try to leave me for that skank again and I'll—"Gisele's impossibly beautiful face contorted at the ringing phone in Belinda's purse. She uncrossed her long, smooth legs and all the men in the restaurant almost fainted as they got a glance of her inner thighs. As if they didn't know, of course, but the two had been in the business long enough to get used to the staring.
The blonde gave her friend an apologetic smile, "This will just be a minute." Belinda could only wish it was a matter of life and death that would demand for her to leave this annoying woman, but she knew that the whole world could just shrivel up and die and she wouldn't even care, so there goes the whole theory.
"Hello?" she spoke smoothly on the phone as Gisele heaved another sigh while playing with her untouched salad.
"Have you read the society pages yet?" Kathryn asked innocently.
"As if I read that shit." She sneered, trying to ignore the annoying way Gisele drummed her fingers on the table impatiently.
"You should make an exception, I have a feeling it's something that would brighten up and otherwise wasted day.
"Oh…" She suddenly comprehended her sister's snide tone. "Really, Kathryn? Already?"
"By the way, Mother insists we have a 'family' dinner tonight. Personally I think she should knock off the pills, but if it only brings her closer to insanity, then I don't mind. I'd probably feed her the damn things."
As Belinda hung up, she couldn't help but be impressed at Kathryn's efficiency. The woman simply did not waste any time, nor did she make idle threats or hollow plans. She remembered her words during their days in Paris.
"First, that twit Caldwell, along with Ronald, then I move on to Court… Then Annette… And lastly, the one I'd relish the most doing… Sebastian." Kathryn had commented, the bitterness in her tone apparent.
---
Professor Adams was discussing the merits of Functionalism in Sebastian's AP class when he jumped at the vibrating cell phone that suddenly warned him of an incoming call. He cursed loudly, clutching the annoying phone through his left pocket while the entire class gaped at him.
"Does something about this topic surprise you, Valmont?" Adams barked, glaring at the handsome boy who replied with a smirk.
"This topic doesn't merit a surprised reaction." He answered snidely, going out of the room to take the call.
"Valmont." He said crisply, pushing up his horn rimmed glasses against the bridge of his nose.
"Have you read the paper today?" came Annette's hysterical reaction, which shocked the hell out of him. He'd never heard her talk like that before, so he treaded as cautiously as he could.
"Not that I know of."
"Read it!"
"Well, I'm in school right now. I don't think they have that here—"
"Oh, man, get me some of that!" a geeky looking student came by holding a handheld, which consequently featured a very familiar adolescent on her knees sucking on something dark and…
Sebastian ignored Annette's ranting and ran up to the guy, calling his attention. As soon as he got a closer look at the video, he couldn't help it. Maybe it was the fact that the girl in the video had been on her knees in front of him three years ago, doing the exact same thing with more fervor and the irony amused him, or the fact that this was clearly the work of his stepsister, but either way, he made a sound that very much sounded like laughter. His mood lightened up considerably, but it didn't last for long as soon as he heard her outraged reply.
"What! You're laughing about this! I can't believe you! This was clearly Kathryn's doing and you're just laughing? SEBASTIAN!"
"Well, what do you want me to do?" he said as soon as he stopped laughing.
"I don't know! Something!" Annette sounded frustrated, and he imagined her pacing around their place with a stony glare on her face.
"Annette, I can't control Kathryn any more than you can control the weather." He sighed patiently, "I don't know how she got a video of Cecile and Ronald fucking but unless I have the supernatural ability to mind wipe almost the entire state of New York, not to mention magically erase all the media frenzy about this scandal, I'm not sure what you want me to do about it."
"What if… She gets a video of us?" She asked timidly, and his eyes widened at the realization. "I don't want my dad seeing me like that…" Annette was obviously alarmed that the same thing would happen to her, and no matter how much she tried consoling Cecile, it was this scary thought that weighed more.
Sebastian noticed the fear in his girlfriend's voice and tried his best to reassure her. The same thought was going through his head, given the chance, he knew Kathryn would most likely fuck up Annette as bad, if not more than what she did to poor Cecile Caldwell, who only made the mistake of dating that prick Court Reynolds.
"Fine, I'll talk to her right now."
As soon as Annette hung up, Sebastian's mood worsened. He was not having a great day, and the Down Under scandal only made it worse. Opening his silver thin cell phone again, he dialed her number.
"Seen anything good lately?" her voice answered after three rings.
"It depends on your definition of good."
"Hmm… How about a certain little girl getting the fuck of her life from her dear old music teacher?"
"Then no, I haven't seen anything good." He snapped. Kathryn was also getting on his nerves, did she really have to choose now, of all times, to come back?
"Geez, Valmont, what crawled up your ass today?"
"Let's see, that would be your malicious plans of revenge."
"Sure that's all?" she asked innocently, as if she knew that he hadn't forgotten the incident last night.
"Yes." He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, suddenly craving for a smoke.
"I don't believe you."
"Color me shocked." He said dryly.
"You honestly expect me to believe that you're enraged over that little twit's downfall? I bet you were laughing your ass before June Cleaver reprimanded you for your bad behavior."
Christ. Did she have a twenty four hour watch on him or something? "Well that's not the case." He sputtered, the cigarette falling from him mouth. "We need to talk."
"Why?"
"Because, Kathryn, you've been here for a day and in that short span of time you've already managed to ruin Cecile's reputation."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment."
"Well, it's not." He replied, trying to shake away the picture of her beautiful face gloating. "Where can I meet you?"
"Mother actually called me earlier, she and your fornicating father are home and getting along again. She insists on having dinner tonight at the house." Kathryn sighed, "I wonder how long before his dick leads the way."
"Damn." He muttered, his nose wrinkling in distaste. But he did have no other choice, he knew he would have to go or hear another threat about having his trust fund removed.
"Oh, she said you could bring Dorothy since I told her I was having a guest along too."
He shouldn't have asked, Sebastian knew he shouldn't care. In spite of himself, the curiosity once again got the best of him. "Who?"
She paused, "Court Reynolds."
Sebastian could practically hear the laughter in her voice. "Court fucking Reynolds? You're not seriously telling me you're bringing that loser are you?"
"Well… Poor Court has been rather… down since his girlfriend became the new porn queen. I figured it was my duty to make sure that his mood becomes… elevated."
"From what you said, it's impossible to elevate something of Court's." he replied grumpily, strangely affected at the image of Kathryn and Court back together again.
A/N Yey I just posted two chappies! Sorry for the typos, if there are any.
Nicole: Y'all have it in for Belinda huh? Lol
Katie: Thanks for the review, and I read your story on the CI group, I didn't get a chance to reply so if you're reading this, it's really great you should definitely continue
Sam: What else could I possibly say to you besides 'update'? ;-D Looking forward to the guest appearance of Belinda in Chap 10!
Oh yeah... READ THE NEXT CHAPPY! It's my fave so far hahaha, and be nice and gimme a review! ;-D