Chapter 13: Socialite Training

The previous etiquette lesson over lunch had been daunting, but the socialite training after was hell mode. Everything Bella did seemed to be wrong from the beginning.

“First, show me what you think is a proper lady’s walk. Move to the other side of the room, then turn around and walk back.”~Lily

Bella immediately referenced movie scenes where some high class woman would attract the attention of the male lead. She then walked across the room and back again, only to find a furious looking Lily waiting for her.

“What the heck was that? I said to walk, not flirt. You’re not some escort looking for a customer, so don’t imitate them.”~Lily

Lily then continued to berate and break down everything Bella had done wrong. Her unusually snippy attitude had Bella soon realizing that this was Lily’s ‘masobitch tutor’ persona.

“Keep your torso squared with the front, arms dangling gently at the sides with hands naturally curled. Don’t swing your shoulders or hips. Just let the hips sway naturally as your body moves. Place one foot in front of the other in easy short steps keeping them pointed forward, not pigeon toed or bowed out.”~Lily

Proper lady this, proper lady that. Bella wanted to just give up! Thankfully, Lily managed to convince her to continue. She found out that the statistics for the number of noble or high class lady leading roles for films was shockingly high. This meant that, due to her career choice, Bella would eventually need to learn anyway. As for the walking form she was teaching, it was basically just how a model walks a runway, but in a more leisurely manner.

Once Bella started getting some things right, Lily began to compliment her progress. This encouragement made things much less stressful for her. She didn’t even seem to mind how Lily would reward her with a ‘good girl’ for successes, a phrase one might usually find condescending. Maybe it had something to do with the tutor roleplay, but she was even finding herself eager to hear Lily utter those words.

For the next hour, Bella walked around with Lily while practicing and listening to her lecture about everything from smiles, to small gestures and more. Every time they came upon a new type of seat, Lily would teach her how to properly sit and stand from them.

The first rule for chairs being that she could not use her arms to assist. She had to sit and stand without even being allowed to rock herself forward out of a chair, hands off the knees and other supports. If it was too difficult like an especially sinking sofa, she was only allowed to gesture for a helping hand up.

“I’ll plan for heel lifts and squats as regular exercises for you during the weekdays until you get used to these movements. It will help with these lessons.”~Lily

Bella had just sat down for the final time after completing the scheduled socialite training for today when Lily said so. If not for the fact that Lily had already removed Bella’s shoes and started a foot massage, she might have just blown her top. As such, her complaints were reduced to a steady stream of moans before she just gave up, eventually falling asleep while receiving the massage.

About an hour later, Lily woke Bella from her nap. They straightened their clothes and touched up their makeup before heading out. Both had light makeup and were wearing school girl fashion, but were obviously too unique to be uniforms.

Lily had called for a low key luxury car to take them to La Maison D'hôtes. Low key does not mean cheap. The car itself was probably worth several hundred thousand even before modification. It had an extended back with extra rear facing seats for mobile meetings. Front divider with sound insulation, real leather, various tech and power everything.

On the way, they discussed a few last minute details. The plan was to enjoy some snacks while chatting with the ma’ams in ‘the parlor’.

If things went well, Bella could gain strong backing from them in her future career. A number of them are former celebrities themselves before becoming ‘trophy wives’ or were just rich and possibly bored enough to enjoy sponsoring a young girl’s career.

“Try to maintain the polite smile I taught you earlier at minimum, but don’t be too reserved or afraid to show emotion. Those experienced lady’s will thrive on embarrassing you otherwise. AB-SO-LUTE-LY do NOT lie to them. They’ll see right through you and will likely take offense. If the topic is too sensitive, evade. Or as a last resort, abruptly change the subject.”~Lily

“You seem anxious?”~Bella

“As would you if you were about to have all the blood squeezed out of your cheeks. You’re lucky to have such a mature facial structure. It’s so much harder for them to pinch. That and you get to meet them for the first time at a much older age making them less inclined to do so in the first place.”~Lily

Lily puffed up her cheeks in an adorable pout. She’d been there many times since young and dreaded the affectionate cheek pinching that was sure to come. Bella couldn’t help teasing her by reaching over to pinch her cute face.

“Waah! Mistress, not you too! Can’t you understand the noble sacrifice I’m making for the sake of helping you build connections?”~Lily

Cutest martyr declaration ever!