A Mother's Dilemma

Neither Maggie nor Lisa got a wink of sleep that night. They were both still in bed when Consuelo came to take them to breakfast. She roused them, and then waited in the hallway as they got dressed. As they came out to join her on the walk to the dining room, Consuelo broke down, sobbing. 'Oh, Senora, I am just so sorry for everything. Pedro ordered me to be intimate with you. And I knew what that man was going to do to both of you when Pedro commanded me to escort him to your room." Shaking, she added, "I have a two year old child. But if I ever disobey him, Pedro will take my son away. I live in terror of that."

Maggie put her arm around her consort. Sympathetically, she began, "First of all, I have already told you to call me 'Maggie.' I want us to be friends. And, right now, we both need friends in the worst way. Don't let what he forces you to do come between us. Lisa and I have an understanding about that." She looked knowingly at her daughter, and Lisa nodded. Using her free hand to dry Consuelo's tears, she concluded, "Now, let's go have some breakfast."

After eating, the three women spent basically the entire day getting the ballroom ready for the party that evening. Roughly three hundred fifty to four hundred people were expected. They had to bring in and arrange the tables,. Pull out and place the decorations. Work with the kitchen staff on getting everything prepared. All three of them threw themselves into their work. It was a chance to forget about their predicament, even if only for a short time.

At dinner, the three of them were still alone. Pedro was still out on business. After eating, Maggie and Lisa trudged back upstairs to their room. They had not been there long when Pedro burst in. Cheerily, he exclaimed, "Hello, my love." He warmly kissed Maggie. He then acknowledged Lisa. She ignored him. Firmer, he told her, "I said, 'Hello, Lisa.' Your mother and I are not going to tolerate any further disrespect from you, young lady." Lisa looked at her mother, who said nothing and looked away. Lisa forced herself to reply, "Hello. How was your day?"

Pedro clapped his hands. "I am glad you asked. Excellent. A very profitable day. Tonight's party will be a celebration." He then strode over to Maggie's closet. Pulling out a tight-fitting, strapless gown, he laid it on her bed. "I want you to wear this tonight. There are going to be a lot of very important people here. I want you to look your sexiest."

He then informed them that the guests would begin arriving very soon. So they both needed to get ready and get downstairs. Grabbing Maggie hard by the wrist, he declared, "I am counting on you to be the perfect hostess." With that, he left them alone.

Maggie felt half-naked in the gown that Pedro had selected for her. But she had no say in the matter. She noticed that Lisa also decided to wear a dress for the party. But it was certainly nowhere near as revealing as hers. She also noted, and was grateful for it, that the rule that barred her from wearing bras and panties did not apply to her daughter. It was demeaning that that is what her existence had come to--being grateful that Lisa was allowed to use underwear.

As they were about to leave, Lisa tried to reassure Maggie. "Mom," she said, "you look very pretty." Maggie just sighed. That did not make her any less uncomfortable., As they made their way down the staircase, Maggie could sense the stares coming from the men in the parlor below. Standing just outside the ballroom, she heard a group of ladies inside having an animated discussion. "It was disgraceful. She walked around, flaunting her bare breasts," said one. From another, came, "Yes. And my husband said she shamelessly threw herself at the Commandante. And he is a happily married man."

Maggie made a point of clearing her throat. Joining the group, she inquired, "I hope you are all enjoying the party." One enthusiastically answered, "Yes, it is wonderful." Another asked, "These little sandwiches are delicious. You must give us the recipe." Another commented on how lovely her gown was, concluding, "I only wish my husband could afford to buy me things like that."

Maggie wanted to tell them all to go to hell. But just then, Pedro approached her. "Maggie, dear, I have someone I want you to meet." To her amazement, the man she was introduced to was the man who had confronted her at the supermarket. "Maggie, the is John Widener," he began. Then, in a hushed tone, he explained, "He is from Germany. He is in Mexico scouting potential locations for a new auto manufacturing plant." The man took Maggie's hand in his and kissed it. "I am sure we can count on the lady to be discrete," he whispered. And then she thought he winked at her. But she could not be sure.

Pedro then pulled her aside. "The Commandante has asked if he could have some time alone with Lisa. Apparently, he is quite smitten with our daughter. I told him I was sure you would have no objections. So I have sent her back upstairs to be ready for him." Maggie was incredulous. But all she could do was look away, and hope he did not notice her expression of disgust.

A band had been playing classic rock tunes from a stage at the front of the room. When they finished the first set, Pedro lumbered onto the platform. "Attention, everybody. I hope everyone is having a good time. I would just like to introduce my new 'best friend.' Maggie, come up here." Pedro had to assist her, in her tight gown, with getting up on the stage. "Maggie is a beautiful, sexy woman who has consented to be my mate." The audience cheered and applauded.

"She has many talents," he continued. The men in the audience looked at each other, knowingly. "For one, she is a tremendous dancer. She does an incredibly erotic strip tease. And I will bet she will do one for us here, if we asked her to." Most of the men, especially those who were already a little tipsy, began chanting, in unison, "Take it off. Take it off." The women just glared at Maggie with undisguised contempt.

The band started into "Honky Tonk Woman," by the Rolling Stones. Maggie just stood there, frozen. How could a man who claimed to "love" her treat her like this? The singer began, "I met a gin-soaked bar room queen in Memphis. She tried to take me upstairs for the ride..." Shaking, Maggie stared at the ceiling but began to dance. The audience became more insistent. "Take it off. Take it off," they demanded. As the singer reached the chorus after the first verse, her trembling fingers undid her gown and it fell to the floor. The singer went on, "I laid a divorcee in New York City. I had to put up some kind of a fight..." Naked now, Maggie continued to entertain the crowd. Soon, they were clapping in unison to the beat of the music. When the song was over, the band started into "Love In An Elevator," by Aerosmith. Maggie looked at Pedro. He motioned for her to continue her dance. When this second song was completed, Pedro led the audience in cheering her performance. Maggie reached down and picked up her gown from the floor. Clutching it tightly to her body, she jumped from the stage and ran out of the room as quickly as she could. Once out of the ballroom, she rushed to a remote corner at the back of the main hallway. There, still shaking, she collapsed to her knees, buried her head in the garment she was still holding and cried hysterically.