Begin Again Season Two
Episode 6: Portrait of a Woman
"I still don't know about this..." Lily trailed off as she headed back into the lobby to wait to get her portrait done. She had just come from hair and makeup where they had put waves in her hair, and did her makeup to make her look "sexy and desirable," as the makeup artist had put it.
Serena rolled her eyes, and placed a hand over her mother's shoulder. "Mom, relax! He's just going to take a few pictures of you, let you pick out the one you like best, then paint it from the picture. You don't even have to be present when he paints it. Just think of how much Rufus is going to love the painting." She playfully nudged her mother.
Lily sighed as she sat down in the lobby. "I suppose so."
Serena sat down next to her. "Trust me, he'll love it! Anyway, you look hot! They surprisingly have good hair and makeup artists here."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "So they need to be good in order to make me look hot?"
Serena laughed, and playfully pushed her mother. "You know what I mean!"
Lily grinned. "You know, you should do one for Dan instead. I'm getting too old for this kind of thing!" she said, still not quite sure a portrait like this was exactly her.
Once again, Serena rolled her eyes. "Mom, you are not too old for this! No matter what age a man is, he's always going to want to see a woman naked—especially his woman! And, as for me doing one, I'll see how yours turns out, and go from there." She winked at her mother.
"Sure, make me be the guinea pig," Lily muttered. "Anyway, I'm not doing a nude, so I will not be naked in it."
"Nude, lingerie, anything works for a man. Trust me," Serena assured her.
"Miss Rhodes? The photographer is ready for you now," the receptionist said with a bright smile.
Lily looked at her daughter. "Come in with me for moral support?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.
Serena grinned. "Of course!"
So, the receptionist led them down a long hallway with the same dirty brown carpeting and tacky orange and brown floral wallpaper that the lobby had.
The receptionist stopped outside of a big white room. "You may go right in there. Giorgio will tell you what to do from there." She winked at Lily. "Have fun!" Then, the receptionist turned on her heel, and headed back to her desk.
Serena and Lily both raised an eyebrow at each other. "Giorgio?" they whisper asked. They both giggled.
"Hey, my parents are big fans on Armani. So sue them," said a very flamboyant man who suddenly appeared in the doorway. He was quite tall, and very skinny. He wore tight, medium-wash blue skinny jeans paired with bright yellow Doc Marten boots. He wore a tight black tee shirt that had a bag of Skittles on the front with shiny rainbow words that read, "Taste the rainbow" written over a rainbow that was above the Skittles bag. His hair was blonde and spiky, and he wore a variety of beaded bracelets over both wrists. He looked to be no later than his early thirties. He nodded towards the inside of the room. "Are you coming in or what? I only have an hour to shoot you before my next appointment."
Lily and Serena shot weary looks at each other, then slowly walked into the room. Neither one of them seemed so sure about this any more.
"So, Giorgio, how long have you been doing this for?" Serena asked casually.
"About fifteen years now. I used to help my father out when I was a teen, and I learned a lot from him. I majored in art and minored in photography in college. My mother always said I was born to paint and take pictures. I had a talent from a very young age. My mother said when I was three, I painted her pictures that looked like a ten-year-old had painted them. I guess I was a regular Thomas Kincaid, well, minus the lighthouse obsession." Giorgio nodded toward the dressing room, which was in the room against the middle of the far wall that was straight ahead as you walked in. "The dressing room's over there, Hon. You doing nude or lingerie?"
Lily blushed. "Lingerie."
"She's too scared to do nude," Serena explained to Giorgio with an eye roll.
Giorgio grinned, and shrugged. "It's all right. Nudes aren't for everyone. Some people aren't as confidant with their bodies as others are."
Lily glared at him. "I'm perfectly confidant with my body, thank you very much! I just don't feel the need for a naked painting of me to be up on the wall twenty-four-seven." She blushed at the thought, then quickly slipped into the dressing room to change. She still wasn't sure about this, but she pictured Rufus' reaction upon seeing the finished painting, and it gave her the will she needed to get through this.
~BA~
I looked myself over in the mirror. I was nervous. Really nervous. What if I didn't look as good as I thought I did? I still felt like I was too old to be doing something like this. My body wasn't the perky, taunt body it used to be. Of course I had Botox here and there, but I hadn't had any work done on my breasts. I still thought I looked good, and Serena had sworn Rufus would be drooling buckets over me (her words—not mine) in this outfit, but I still wasn't sure. I had bought one outfit at Victoria's Secret, and one outfit at Fredrick's of Hollywood. I could have gone to one of the more upscale stores I usually go to for my lingerie, but I was too embarrassed to be seen there, so Victoria's Secret and Fredrick's of Hollywood it was.
I was currently wearing my Victoria's Secret choice. It was a white bustier with sheer sides and a black floral lace overlay that went from the middle to the bottom of the breasts and over my stomach with a little peep hole between by breasts, and a little black bow above the peephole. The bustier stopped just below my belly button.
For bottoms, I wore a matching "V-string" as they called it. It had thin black strings on the side, and the black lace overlay over the crotch with a tiny black bow above it. The rest of the underwear was the sheer white. I was also wearing sheer white thigh-high stockings, black guarders with little black bows at the top, and my black Christian Louboutin four-inch heals. Around my neck I wore my first engagement ring on a white gold chain.
I paused before pulling back the curtain, unsure it I could reveal myself to Giorgio—him being gay or not!
"Come on, Lily! Time is a ticking!" came Giorgio's flamboyant voice from the other side of the curtain.
I looked at myself once more in the full length mirror. I pictured Rufus' hands all over me from behind. I licked my lips. I could do this. For Rufus. So, I turned back toward the curtain, took one more deep breath, let it out, then pulled back the curtain. Here went nothing.
~BA~
Giorgio whistled when he saw Lily walking toward them in nothing but her lingerie and heels. "Woo! Look at you, Hot Momma!"
Lily blushed.
"You look great, Mom!" Serena chimed in with a smile.
"It's not too much?" Lily asked nervously.
"Well, I'd say it's too much as in too much clothes, but I'm assuming you mean too much skin exposure, which you certainly don't have to worry about," Giorgio stated. "You look fabulous though. I can work with this. We're just going to have to get your fiancé thinking about what is underneath all that." Giorgio smiled and winked at her as he motioned up and down with his finger while pointing to her outfit.
Lily blushed even deeper.
"Now, go sit on that chaise lounge chair." He nodded toward the black chaise lounge chair he had that was sitting five feet in front of the camera.
Lily walked over to it and sat down on it. It was comfortable enough, and made of satin. She just hoped it was clean. She shuttered to think of what else it had been used for in the past.
"Now, sit with your knees together and your ankles out. Lean forward a bit, and put your right index finger in your mouth," Giorgio directed.
Lily sucked on her finger, feeling a little silly.
Serena and Giorgio both laughed.
"What?" Lily asked, a little annoyed as she removed her finger form her mouth. "I did as you told me to do."
"Mom, I think he means just the tip of it. You don't need to swallow your finger whole," Serena explained; amused.
"Yes, we want this to look like you're trying to seduce him—not vomit up what you had for lunch today," Giorgio said; equally amused.
Lily resisted the urge to strangle at both of them, then did as told.
"Ah, yes! That's much better!" Giorgio said as he snapped some pictures. "Now, instead of resting your other hand on the chaise, I want you to slide it up your bustier, and place it over one of your breasts."
Lily blushed. "I can't."
"Sure you can! Don't worry, it'll be underneath your bustier. We're not going to see anything," Giorgio assured her.
"Think of Rufus, Mom," Serena chimed in.
Lily sighed. The things she did for her future husband!
So, back into her mouth her right fingertip went, and underneath her shirt and over her left breast her left hand went.
Giorgio took a few shots. "Sexy, sexy... Now, Try it with your hand over your right breast instead. Keep your finger in your mouth."
Lily did as told, and Giorgio took a few more shots.
"Excellent! Now, I wan you to slip your right hand down the band of your panties, and place your left hand on your left breast!" Giorgio ordered.
Lily blushed, but did as told. She knew there was no use in fighting it. Giorgio and Serena would just talk her into it.
"There you go! Part your lips a bit. Yes..." He snapped some more shots. "Now, lick your lips! Throw your head back just a bit! Same pose, only lying down this time. Great! Look at me now. Perfect!" Giorgio's orders changed almost as rapidly as he was taking shots. Finally, he was satisfied with that outfit. "Your daughter tells me you have one more outfit. Go change into that one now."
Lily stood up, and headed back to the dressing room without a word. She couldn't meet Giorgio's eyes, and she certainly couldn't meet her daughter's eyes. She felt a little dirty. It felt weird to have been given such sexual orders during the shoot. Not that it was anything that sexual, but still...
She slipped into her other outfit. This one was a red velvet teddy cut so low it barely covered her breasts. It had lace trim above the breasts and ruffles below them. It also had a ruffle at the skirt of the teddy. The teddy covered just below her crotch, hitting the very top of her thighs. She wore black sheer lacy thigh-high stockings and black guarders with no bows this time. She wore the same black Christian Louboutins she had worn with her other outfit. She kept her hair down like it had been for her first outfit. Her nails were French tips, so they matched with both outfits.
She headed out, and got whistles from Giorgio again.
"Girl, you are smokin' hot! If I were straight, I'd be all over you, I don't care what your age!" Giorgio cooed.
Lily smirked. "I don't think my fiancé would allow that." She sat down on the chaise again.
"Well, then it's a good thing I'm gay, isn't it?" Giorgio asked with a smirk and a wink at her.
Serena laughed.
Lily smiled too, feeling a little more into this now that she had already done some poses. Giorgio's sense of humor helped as well.
"Lie on your back with your hands above your head," Giorgio instructed her then.
Lily did as told.
"Very good! Now, put your legs in the air, ankles crossed. Yes! Now, look at me," Giorgio continued.
Lily looked at Giorgio, then Giorgio came over and messed with her hair until it was fanned out around her face.
"Now, give me a seductive look. Excellent! You're a natural, Lily! An absolute natural!" Giorgio said, snapping several shots once Lily was posed to his liking.
"Now, let's get this chaise out of the way..." Giorgio said absentmindedly.
Lily stood up, and then she and Serena helped Giorgio push the chaise to the corner of the room, and out of the way.
Giorgio then went to a closet in the back of the room, then came back with a black silk blanket and two black silk pillows. He laid the blanket out on the floor, then placed the two pillows where he wanted them. "Lie down," he instructed Lily. "This way." He motioned which way he wanted Lily to lie.
Lily obeyed. Her body was very slightly curved to the left. Her bottom half was on the lower pillow from just below her butt to up the bottom two-thirds of her back. The other pillow held the rest of her body from the top third of her body to the end of her head. The square pillows were both tilted so that they looked more like they were diamond-shaped than square-shaped.
"Now, place your feet flat on the ground," Giorgio ordered next.
Lily did as told.
"Now, hold your necklace out in a straight line between your two hands, with it brushing against your lips.
Lily did as told, her necklace pressed against her slightly parted bright red lips.
"Perfect!" Giorgio snapped a few more pics. He then positioned her so that she was lying on the pillows the same way only this time with her arms bent across her head with her hair fanned out above her like a mermaid's hair. Her feet were titled to the right on the ground.
"Part your lips just slightly. That's it! Now give me those bedroom eyes!" Giorgio ordered, rapidly snapping away.
Lily obeyed, and after a few more shots, Giorgio was done.
"I think I've got some great shots! You're a natural beauty, Lily. You're very easy to work with. You can go get dressed, then we can head over to my office, and have a look at them," Giorgio told her.
Lily stood up, smiling, for she was glad to have this done with. "Thanks!" She then quickly headed back to the dressing room, for the quicker she was back in her regular clothes, the better, and less awkward she'd feel.
Five minutes later, she was dressed, and headed out with her purse, and the bag she had brought to carry her lingerie.
Giorgio then led the way to his office, where they all sat down.
Giorgio had already brought the pictures up, and was now ready to show Lily and Serena. He brought up the pictures on the screen facing them so that they could clearly see the pictures.
"Wow, they all came out fantastic!" Serena cooed.
"I barely recognize myself!" Lily said with a smile.
"It's hard to decide which one you should pick!" Serena said in awe. "They all look so good!"
"Well, how about this? We all pick a favorite without telling the other what we pick. Then, on the count of three, we'll all point to the one we like best!" Giorgio suggested to them.
Serena and Lily both nodded. "All right. That could work," Serena agreed.
Lily smirked. "Unless we all like different ones."
"It least it will still be narrowed down to three," Serena reasoned.
"Ready? One. Two. Three!" Giorgio said.
They all pointed to their favorite.
Lily was pleased to see that she and Serena both had their finger on the one of her on her back on the floor in her second outfit, her hair sprawled out around her like mermaid hair, her body turned on the pillows, her legs on the floor at a slight angle, her hands above her head, her lips slightly parted, and her eyes looking desire-filled.
Giorgio smiled, and turned his own screen around to reveal that his finger was on the same picture.
They all grinned.
"Sexy, yet classy at the same time," Giorgio commented.
"That's why I like that one!" Lily said with an excited smile.
"And me!" Serena confirmed, happily clapping her hands. "Oh my gosh, Mom, Rufus is going to love this!"
"So, I can get you a framed forty-eight by fifty-six canvas painted portrait of the one you chose. Also, if you would like, I can get you photos in any size you'd like for the rest, even in the one you chose if you'd like a photo of it beside the painted portrait," Giorgio explained. "Here are my prices." He pushed a paper with all the pricing information on it toward Serena and Lily.
"You look hot in all of them. You have to get wallets in all of them for Rufus, as well as eight by tens," Serena insisted. "I'll even pay for them as your engagement gift." She pulled out her Platinum AMEX. I'll take eight by tens and wallets of all of them, including the one you're painting. We'll also take the forty-eight by fifty-six canvas portrait you mentioned."
"Excellent! I can get the pictures to you by tomorrow, and the canvas painting will be done in two and a half weeks," Giorgio announced.
"Yes!" Just in time for the engagement party!" Serena said happily.
Lily blushed. "Serena, you don't have to pay. You'd be paying for my gift to Rufus! That's not right."
"Well, I'll pay for the photos then. You can pay for the canvas."
Lily took out her own Platinum AMEX. "Well, thank you!"
Serena grinned. "You're very welcome! I know Rufus will eventually be thanking me too." She winked and smiled at Lily.
Lily smiled back weakly. She sure hoped so!
~Begin Again~
The weeks leading up to the engagement party had come up fast. Lily had seen the canvas portrait and she had to admit, it looked pretty darn good! She actually loved the way she looked in it. Despite her doubts about Giorgio upon first meeting him, he really did have a talent for painting. Not only did he capture her likeness to a T, but he also made her look even more gorgeous than she could ever imagine!
She had blushed when she saw herself lying on the floor, half naked on such a big canvas. She sure hoped Rufus liked it!
After her approval of the portrait, Giorgio had it wrapped up in a brown paper bag style wrapping paper. Lily had gone out and bought a pretty silver bow, which she stuck on it. She also wrote on the wrapping in a beautiful silver Sharpie, To Rufus, from Your Darling Lily. Happy Engagement! I can hardly wait to marry you for good this time.
The portrait was too big to hide at the apartment, so Giorgio promised to have it delivered the evening of the engagement party.
Lily was so excited for Rufus to see it! She was even more excited for the thank you Rufus would be sure to give her. She had a feeling it would involve their bed and no clothes. Either that or the couch and no clothes. Or the floor. When it came to being with Rufus, she wasn't picky whereas long as it was with him.
She smiled at the thought.
~Begin Again~
"Do you think your parents will like me? I'm kind of nervous," Veronica said as she curled a strand of her hair tightly around her right index finger. "I mean, what if they don't like me?" She released the hair, and looked up at Scott with panic stricken eyes.
Scott sighed, and gently stroked her hair, giving her a reassuring smile. "Sweetie, how could they not like you? You're beautiful, you're sweet, you're charming. What's not to like?"
Veronica smiled weakly. "Well, you know what they say—love is blind. I have so many flaws that you probably just overlook because you love me. What if they find me annoying, or not good enough for you?"
Scott raised an eyebrow. "Who says I love you?"
Veronica rolled her eyes at his teasing and smiled. "You did!" She pulled him close and kissed his cheek. "You tell me every day."
Scott smiled. "Because I do love you. Every day you take my breath away."
"And you take mine away," Veronica said, gently stroking his cheek, then softly kissing his lips. She rested her head against his chest.
Scott gently rubbed her back. "As for your flaws, I hardly see any. Anyway, who doesn't have flaws? In fact, Lily is the most flawed woman I know. I love her, don't get me wrong, but she isn't exactly Mother Theresa. She meddles, she makes bad decisions, she's bitchy at times..."
Veronica looked up at him and smiled. "Is that anyway to talk about your mother? I mean, bitchy? Really?"
Scott shrugged. "I'm not saying she is a bitch. She just gets bitchy sometimes. There's a difference. She has good intentions. She just doesn't think before she acts a lot of times. She's very impulsive, and one to act in the moment. However, she's gotten better over the years. My father brings out the best in her. Now that they are back together, he'll bring even more good out in her. I'm sure of it!" He kissed the top of her head. "I love Lily, I really do. She is my birth mother and I love her more than I could ever imagine. I just wanted to make a point that your flaws are nothing compared to hers, so I wouldn't worry about them."
Veronica smiled yet again.
Scott felt his heart pound. Rufus had always told him that when Lily smiled it made his heart feel like it was going to explode. He had never known what Rufus had meant until now.
"Thank you," Veronica stated.
Scott raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"For always knowing just the right thing to say to me to make me feel better." Veronica kissed his cheek, then held him tight.
Scott kissed the top of her head. "I'm just returning the favor. I can never be sad whenever I'm with you!"
Veronica grinned up at him. "Let's go get our bags then go meet your parents! I hope they don't mind me coming to their party."
"Are you kidding? They'll be thrilled I'm bringing you to meet them," Scott said as they headed toward baggage claim. "There's just one thing."
Veronica raised an eyebrow, and looked up at him as they walked. "What's that?"
Scott grinned. "Don't ever tell my mom I called her bitchy."
Veronica laughed. "No worries." She pretended to zip her lips with her fingers. "My lips are sealed."
Scott grinned, then kissed her beautiful sealed lips. He suddenly felt like the luckiest man on earth.
~BA~
"Scott! Oh, I'm so happy to see you!" Lily said as she pulled me close and kissed both my cheeks before embracing me, and holding me for a moment.
"It's good to see you too, Mom," I said, kissing her left cheek, then hugging her back. I still didn't know quite what to call her. Usually to her face I'd call her mom, but to other's I'd refer to her as Lily. I just didn't want people getting confused since I still considered my adoptive parents my mom and dad as well.
I then hugged Rufus, who pat my back.
"It's good to see you, Son," he said, also holding me close for a moment.
"It's good to see you too, Dad," I said. I felt lucky. Some kids didn't even have one full set of parents. I was one of the lucky few to have two sets of parents.
We broke the hug, and I smiled as I put my arm around Veronica. "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Veronica. I hope it's all right that I brought her along to celebrate with us. I wanted you guys to meet her, and I figured this would be the perfect time to introduce her to the family."
"Mind? Of course I don't mind! In fact, I'm glad you did!" Lily said happily.
Rufus nodded. "Yes! I've been wanting to meet the girl that stole my son's heart!"
Veronica smiled, and stepped forward. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey. It's so nice to finally meet you. Scott's said so much about you. He's always saying how lucky he is to have four parents who love him instead of just two." She extended her hand out to shake. She was so polite, which made me love her even more.
Rufus and Lily both laughed.
"So formal! You may call me Lily. Besides, I'm not a Humphrey yet!" Lily looked at my father and smiled. "Though I can hardly wait to be."
Rufus smiled back at her.
Lily then pulled my surprised girlfriend in for a hug instead of a handshake. "Thank you for making my son so happy. I love you already. You're a very beautiful and polite girl."
Veronica looked like she was going to cry, she was that touched. "Thank you, Lily. You're really beautiful, and already I can tell you're a really sweet woman!"
"Wait until you get to know her better," Rufus joked.
Lily gasped, and gently elbowed him. "You have to watch out for this one. He's an ass sometimes."
I couldn't help but laugh. Lily calling someone an ass was just to much! She was usually so prim, proper, and classy. It was just funny to hear her say ass.
"Thanks a lot!" Rufus said, shooting first Lily a look, then me one for laughing.
I shrugged, and grinned.
"Come here, you!" Rufus also pulled Veronica into a hug then. "I also want to thank you for making my son so happy. You seem like a really polite, sweet girl. You're good for him. I can tell already."
Veronica smiled, blushing a bit. "Thank you, Rufus. That really means a lot to me to hear you say that."
Rufus suddenly looked serious. "Lily said you could call her Lily. I never said you could call me Rufus. You can call me Mr. Humphrey."
Veronica's mouth dropped open for a split second. She blushed. "I'm sorry Mr. Humphrey. I—"
Rufus cut her off with his laughter. "I'm kidding! Of course you can call me Rufus! I was just Joshing you!"
Veronica blushed even more. She then looked at Lily. "You weren't kidding! He can be an ass!"
Between the look on Lily's face and the look on Rufus' face, not to mention my own shock at Veronica having come out of her shy shell and said that to Lily, it was all too much. I burst out laughing, and Lily soon followed. Soon, even my father was laughing. We were all laughing. It wasn't even that funny, but for some reason, we were laughing hard.
When I was finally able to stop laughing, I sighed contently. This was happiness. For a while, I hadn't been sure exactly what happiness was. Not long ago, I had suffered from manic depression. Not even Rufus and Lily knew about it. Only my adoptive parents knew. It was so bad I felt as if I'd never be happy. Heck, if I had had the guts back then, I might have even killed myself. However, now that I had Veronica in my life, and now that I was closer to my birth parents, I felt the happiest I've felt in a very long time. For once in my life, I had finally found the light at the end of the tunnel. I planned on keeping it that way if I could help it!
~BA~
The party was started. All the guests had arrived. Lily was up in her room getting ready. Rufus was mingling with the guests. Serena and Eric were talking to Veronica, and they were all laughing together. Things seemed to be going well for them much to Scott's great pleasure. He wished Jenny could have made it tonight, but she had some fashion show to attend. One of the dresses she had designed was being featured in the show. She promised to come visit in a few days. Scott just hoped he and Veronica were still there by the time Jenny got into town. He wanted his sister to meet Veronica.
Suddenly, the elevator doors opened, and there stood a delivery guy with a huge package. No one seemed to notice him, so Scott headed over to collect the package.
"Hi! I have a package for Miss Lily Rhodes," the delivery guy whose name tag read Stan said.
"I can sign for it. I'm her son," Scott replied. He kind of liked referring to himself as Lily's son. It felt good.
"All right!" Stan handed Scott his clipboard and a pen. "Sign here please."
Scott did as told.
"And here you go! Enjoy!" Stan said, sliding the package in to the room, then closing the elevator doors, and letting the elevator take him back downstairs.
Scott looked at the paper and saw that it was addressed to Rufus from Lily.
"What's that?" Rufus asked, suddenly coming up behind him.
"It's a present for you apparently," Scott said. He slid the package toward Rufus. "From Lily."
Rufus smiled. "Aw! It says Happy Engagement! This must be my engagement gift from her."
"Open it up! I'm eager to see what it is!" Scott ordered.
"I don't know. Shouldn't I wait for Lily?" Rufus asked.
Scott shrugged. "I guess. How long does it usually take her to get ready?"
Rufus looked at his watch. "She's been up there for ten minutes. We should see her down here in another ten minutes. She doesn't just dress and put her makeup on. She changes clothes like fifty times until she finds an outfit she is satisfied with. Sometimes that even requires taking all her makeup off and starting again."
Scott pouted. "I really don't feel like waiting that long. The suspense is killing me! That is a really big gift! I wanna see what it is!"
Rufus looked at Scott, then at the present, then back at Scott. He grinned. "I do too! I'll open it. As long as I still thank her profusely for whatever it is, she won't mind if I open it without her."
"Yes! Open it, open it!" Scott said.
So, Rufus began to open it, and Scott helped him.
Scott could hardly wait to see what it was! He bet it was something really special and memorable. He'd have to take notes, he figured. That way, he could learn how to be as romantic as his parents were and hopefully one day make as good of a spouse to Veronica as Lily and Rufus were to each other.
~Begin Again~
Lily finished her makeup, and was satisfied with her outfit after only two changes. She was finally ready to join her party. She slowly made her entrance down the stairwell. She was fashionably late to her own party, but in her opinion, that was the best way to make an entrance. Everyone would be waiting for her, and therefore be even more glad to see her than they would have been if she had already been there when they got there. Anticipation was everything.
As she made it to the bottom of the stairs, she wondered if the painting had arrived yet. Serena was supposed to be looking out for it.
She headed over to find Rufus, and saw a small crowd had gathered. Wondering what was going on, she pushed her way to the front of the crowd to see what was up.
Her heart pounded hard as she saw Rufus and Scott unwrapping the huge square package that she knew was forty-eight by fifty-six in dimension.
Her face paled. Most of the guests were watching! Oh no, no, no, no! It was not supposed to happen this way! Serena was supposed to have collected the package when it was delivered then sneak it into the closet for the time being! Serena was now nowhere in sight, and Scott was helping Rufus open the package in front of everybody! She suddenly felt as if she were going to throw up. "Rufus, no!" She cried out.
Rufus looked up at her. "I'm sorry, Darling. I know I should have waited for you to open it up, but I got impatient. Scott and I were both eager to see what it is you got me! I hope you're not angry. You were so sweet and thoughtful to get me..." He paused to peal away the last section of paper, which would reveal Lily in almost all her glory.
"Rufus, no! Stop!" Lily cried out, her hand held out toward him. But it was too late. The last bit of paper fell to the floor, revealing Lily's half naked portrait to all the guests within eyeshot. Now almost everyone could see Lily half naked.
Rufus' mouth dropped open.
"Oh my gosh!" Scott gasped. He covered his eyes
A few of the guests started snickering.
Rufus looked up at Lily, shock in his eyes. "Lil, I'm sorry! I didn't know!"
"I told you to stop!" Lily cried. She was so humiliated.
Scott quickly grabbed a blanket from off the couch and threw it over the canvas, but you could still see from Lily's crotch down to her feet.
Lily heard more snickering. That was it. She couldn't stay at the party now. She had to get out of there. She ran back up the stairs, down the hall, and into her room. She then slammed her door shut, locked it, threw herself down onto her stomach on the bed, and began to sob. She would never get over the embarrassment of tonight. Never! So much for her grand entrance, and so much for her wonderful, memorable night. Well, it would be memorable all right, but not in the way she had had in mind!
She screamed into her pillow. Oh the humiliation! She couldn't imagine if any of the guests had cameras. Great! Now her half naked body would probably end up all over the Internet, and maybe even in the papers and tabloids! She was never going to live this one down, she knew. Never. In fact, right now she didn't even want to be seen in public ever again! She hoped Rufus didn't mind getting married in the bedroom, for as of now, that was exactly what was going to happen. She could never ever face the world outside again.