"And now, I present to you, 'Legs Wide Open'!"
Xavier von Bono stepped aside with arms raised in the air, excitedly. Once he found a new spot, he dramatically gestured to his "creation." Suddenly, booming applause carried through the gallery. Xavier bowed slowly with his continued dramatic flair. He did love his praise.
"Ladies and gentleman, please, enjoy the rest of my exhibits." He moved to the front of his work, placing a hand on it, "And feel free to fiddle with any bits that excite you, yes no?" he chuckled and his audience joined in as they began to scatter.
He looked down at his creation with an adoring smile.
"Ahh, did I not tell you that you would be the star attraction, my little crumpet?" his hand ran down the smooth silver object, "Now, do your best to lie still. After tonight, you will have everything I promised." He removed his hand with a proud sigh, "I must do well to entertain my public. Remember, be a good little crumpet, yes."
Her eyes followed him as Xavier as he went off to mingle. What a precocious bastard, she thought with a hint of anger. More than a hint. How had she let him dupe her into this, she'd never know?
No, that wasn't true. She knew. Money had talked a whole lot of sense to Morgana when Xavier asked for her assistance on the project. Money and a little bit of fame on the side. Five grand and a mention by the renowned Xavier von Bono sounded like one Hell of a deal to her. Shit, she'd been broke for so long thanks to having to take an extra semester in school, how could she say no?
So, she said yes. Now here she was on her back, completely coated in silver paint that shined just like real metal, from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair. Xavier chained her to a slab of mahogany with a ring around her neck connected to it. She couldn't move her arms. Much like her neck, they were clasped down to the wax wood with metal hoops. Two long projections shot out from the base between her knees, holding her legs open wide with the use of chains. Stirrup-like contraptions held her feet in place.
And, really, that wasn't the worst of it.
Xavier not only made "Legs Wide Open" the centerpiece of his show, but also his most interactive piece of work. Though Morgana was mostly immovable, the wooden base had little compartments holding various tools. No, not tools so much as toys. Smooth metal rods at least eight inches in length, one such rod had a huge, mushroom head. Some were made of glass. Some plastic. They varied in width and length. Just thinking about it made Morgana nervous.
Two young men walked up to the table. Both looked like young college boys. In fact, she was pretty sure that she'd seen them on campus. Morgana gave them the briefest of looks before they noticed. Luckily, neither did.
"Wow," the young blonde one said, "This thing looks completely real."
He moved around her with a fluid grace that no man should have. He was a slender thing and tall on top of that. From what Morgana could see, he was a pretty boy with a girlish face. She just got a "nice guy" vibe from him. Hopefully, that was true.
The other boy moved around the piece as well. His finger tapped his lip while observing the piece. Eventually, he stopped behind Morgana, overlooking her. She wanted to look up at him to get a better look at him, but with him so close, she couldn't manage it.
"I think that's because this thing IS real." He said softly
The blonde looked back at his companion, mouth gapping in mild horror.
"You must be joking." He half-laughed
The companion moved closer to his friend while running his fingers through his shoulder-length dark hair. Morgana couldn't help admiring the second man. He was equally as lanky as the blonde, but with his tight shirt, she could tell how well defined his body was. He didn't move with a fluid grace as the other had, nor did he have that nearly girlish look. That one seemed more like an artist in his own right.
"Jim," the dark-haired one said after a few moments, "That's a person."
The blonde laughed again. Morgana took the opportunity to blink now that the two weren't paying attention.
"Well, Vince, I think you're wrong." Jim shook his head, "You've gotta be wrong."
Vince shrugged, then knelt down before Morgana to take a closer look. Taking Vince's cue, Jim joined him, but closer to Morgana's face. The other lingered near her thighs.
"This is von Bono we're talking about," Vince's voice sounded in his apparent low timbre, "he does weird shit like this all the time."
Jim responded with a "hm" sound as he leaned closer to her. Morgana could smell the peppermint of his breath along with another scent. What was that? Like the scent of the sea, with a hint of musk? Whatever it was, it smelled incredible.
His hot breath blew on her face as he continued to lean in. It was a struggle not to blink or to breathe heavily. Inwardly, she prayed that she still seemed like a believable statue. Otherwise, Xavier would be pissed. Then again, Vince was already suspicious.
"She's really beautiful." Jim said, quietly
Morgana was suddenly glad for the silver coating. The flush she felt rising on her cheeks was furious.
"She looks like a chick at school." Vince said as his hands slid down her leg, "Heh, warm to the touch. Definitely a person."
Jim pulled back from her face, but not before she heard a swallow from his throat. He hung back with an astonished look in his eye. Obviously, he didn't want to believe it.
"Go on, touch her." Vince said as he stood up, crossing his arms
Jim smirked at his friend, then rested his hand on Morgana's chest. His hands were surprisingly cold. Inside, she yelped as he touched her and thanked her luck that the room was already cold keeping her nipples perky already without having had his touch do so. Outwardly, she tried to keep from blinking and to hold her breath. However, his hand would not be moved, at least not yet. He held it there a moment too long. Morgana had no choice but to breathe. Jim pulled his hand back quickly.
"Holy shit." was all he could say.
Footsteps approached. Jim and Vince turned to look, while Morgana darted her eyes quickly to see who was joining them.
"I see you two are enjoying one of my finer masterpieces." Xavier said with a lazy sort of drawl, as he patted the hand of an aristocratic appearing woman
Vince shrugged at him. "If you can call it that."
Xavier gasped, scandalized. The woman waved her hand at the young man with a chuckle.