Chapter 8

“There in no God, Nature sufficeth unto herself; in no wise hath she need of author.” Marquis de Sade

Benny had been an orphan since the age of 7. He knew what it was like to be loved one minute and totally alone and unloved and lost the next. According to the state records he was born to an unwed mother named Mary Lou Jenkins from St. Paul, Minnesota. She was 17 when she had Benny and she died at 24 in a Greyhound bus crash outside of Austin, Texas. Benny wasn’t even scratched in the same crash that killed her.

In the Texas child care system, he had been “warehoused” like a lot of other kids in the same situation. The only family life he had from then on was the couple of times he was in and out of the foster care system. Those family times didn’t last long and there was no real love lost on most foster children.

As far as Benny and the state of Texas could find out Mary Lou his mother had no family or friends they could locate and Benny fell through the cracks of the system. Years later he had made sure that his own children didn’t fall through those same cracks. Only, in the end, he found he had done them as bad as he had been done. The Island was no substitute for a home.

“So when does Emeraude get here? Benny asked his harem over breakfast.

“Well ... we need to talk about that Papa.” Angileana laughed, and Heidi hid her face in her hands.

“What Angle really means is Em is bringing some extra baggage Daddy.” Evette put in, and yes all of them had begun to call him Daddy or Papa. It had caught on and now the other employees on the Island had begun to do the same.

“What kind of baggage are we talking about here girls?” Benny hesitantly asked.

“The Dragon Lady herself insisted that she had to come too Daddy.” Angle admitted shamefaced.

“Hell will freeze over before I allow that ... that ... bitch in my Paradise.” Benny turned red in the face and raved.

“Emeraude insisted and Bonny agreed with her. This feud has gone on too long. Em, Bonny and Evette want it to end.” Angle laid down the law to Benny.

“Hell will...” Benny was cut off.

“Has all ready frozen over mon chéri.” The tall distinguished gray-haired lady in the doorway shouted back at Benny.

“Who allowed you on my...” Benny picked back up.

“Will not be with you much longer. Have terminal cancer, not much time left. Need to tell you reasons why I opposed you and Kathryn Alenna seeing each other or marrying. Must try to heal wounds.” Rihanna Lucrezia Zasche told Benny as she regally crossed the room with her walking cane.

“What? You have ovarian cancer too?” Benny asked concerned.

“No, no, brain cancer. Soon not know ... what is quaint American phrase, Oh yes, “not know butt from a hole in the ground anymore”, body or anything else for that matter. Be vegetable. Have list of things to do before I lose it all. Apologies to make. Things to clear up.” Rihanna explained.

“How much time Rihanna?” Benny asked.

“They don’t really know Monsieur Andreaty. If they had found it sooner it would be 15 to 16 months. A year maybe, year and a half, but at this stage, is pretty well over. I am told that for some unexplainable reason is in remission right now. Is an inoperable Primary de novo Glioblastomas called a grade 4 astrocytoma tumor. Normally they would do the surgery, chemo, and radiation, but it’s too advanced for that.” Rihanna explained the details.

“Can’t they do anything Grandmama.” Bonny cried as she hugged her Grandmama.

“They put me on a new experimental immunotherapy. Something that’s using my own body’s immune system to kill the cancer cells, also a new experimental stem cell therapy. I don’t know that it’s doing any good chéri, but I’m still here to the great regret of many, ha, ha.” She explained with a regal shrug of her shoulders.

“What do you want here?” Benny finally asked.

“I need to explain why I opposed Kathryn Alenna, your mother Granddaughters, and Benny seeing each other.” She looked around and chose a chair.

“Will be long story” she said sitting down.

“When I was almost 15 I had an affair. Oh, it was a glorious wonderful experience. “Quand il me prend dans ses bras, Il me parle tout bas, Je vois la vie en rose.” When he takes me in his arms and speaks to me softly, I see the world through rose-colored glasses. It was like that for me Benny a glorious affair, Edith Piaf had quite a way with words.” The dragon lady started her story.

“As was predictable in these kinds of tragic love affairs I got pregnant. I wanted to settle down, to get married, and have my child, my love child, but when I told Perrie, my 26 year old lover, the happy news he deserted me. I have no idea where he is today, nor do I want to know, “sa la ve”, what will be will be. I’m sure today that my parents would have gladly paid him off to disappear, but it was unnecessary, ha, ha. Perrie Lassure just saved them the trouble I guess you would say.”

“Papa wanted me to have an abortion, but we were good Catholics. Catholics don’t have abortions, of course, Catholics don’t use birth control either. That’s why I got knocked up in the first place. Mama was more ... more ... more practical. She sent me to a private girl’s school in Switzerland noted for it’s ... it’s discretion, among other things. I had my little boy there. I never even got to see him, but I did know it was a boy. Later at 18 I met and married Jean Claude Juncker he was 32 at the time, but more importantly, he was my photographer. His photographs made me what I am today. He was the most important man in my life at the time. I didn’t have Emeraude until I was almost 20. Long before I was 18 I was the face of the House of Chanele. I was headstrong, arrogant, even spoiled, I had it all. I didn’t have time for a child, “c’est la ve”, that’s life”. Emeraude had the best nannies that money could buy. I went through half a dozen more husbands and dozens of lovers, but I made it a point never to have any more children.”

“What’s this got to do with anything?” Benny voiced.

“Did you ever wonder why you were invited to House of Chanele Monsieur Benjamin Andreaty?”

“I was a good chemist.”

“Not that good and I think you know it Monsieur.”

“Are you implying there was another reason witch.”

“You haven’t guessed?”

“What am I to you?” Benny finally asked.

“You’re my son. My first child. The one I gave away. The one I never even saw.”

“How do you know?”

“Money can buy anything Monsieur Andreaty. I have the money. I wanted to know. It was as simple as that. When I found out I brought you to Chanele. In my own way, I watched over you. The formulas you later patented were developed with Chanele equipment, on Chanele time, with Chanele resources. The Partners wanted to sue you and take your work. I said no.”

“No, no I can’t be your long lost son that you gave up. That’s impossible.”

“I had your DNA tested and I can assure you that you are my son Monsieur Benny.”

“Impossible!”

“But true none the less! You were adopted by an affluent American family. One of those upstart pretenders that like to claim their progenitors came over on the original Mayflower with the rest of the Euro prison trash. Both the adopting parents were well past middle age and soon became bored with you, their new son. At that point, they hired a nanny to take care of the child. Anne Thompson was the nanny they hired. She was 17 at the time. She was from Dallas, Texas. When you turned 7 your parents decided to enroll you in the North Carolina, Chesterfield Military Academy an prestigious Ivy League school. Your adopted father and his father before him had all attended CMA. It was a family tradition. Anne rebelled at giving you up. She stole you and ran away. Well back to Dallas anyway. The facts and dates were all there when we looked. Everything lined up.”

“So you found me...”

“Who do you think paid for your college education.”

“I won that contest? Well, didn’t I?” Benny huffed.

“I was the Gentry Foundation.”

“Why couldn’t you just come out and admit you were my mother.”

“That’s what I’m here for now.”

“Why admit it now?”

“Do you believe in “love at first sight” Benny. I do not!”

“No Rihanna I don’t. Never did. No such thing.”

“Kathryn Alenna did. She fell in love with you like that. When I discovered that she had met and fallen in love with you. Something I didn’t know anything about until then. I ... I ... I went ... what’s that cute American slang phrase ... I went ballistic. How could it have happened I asked God in heaven. Was I being punished for my past sins?”

“Why did you let it continue then?”

“Kathryn threaten to take her own life if I interfered. I did and she tried with an overdose of sleeping pills.”

“Why didn’t you tell her that we were related.”

“I couldn’t, well wouldn’t, my pride would not allow it, and then her own mother, Emeraude, interfered and sided with Kathryn about the relationship. I could not bring myself to tell them both that you were Emeraude’s own older stepbrother. In France, the incest taboo is not so strong. Lots of siblings have affairs. Understand is only affair. Teach each other what sex is. “C’est la ve mon chéri”, what will be will be. Love is different in France Benny. These “Une Affaires De Coeur”. “These Affairs of the Heart”, are not meant to be lasting things. Sex is just sex, not love, mon chéri.”

“So once again, why didn’t you tell them?” Benny demanded.

“Would cause a scandal that I had a child out of wedlock and gave it up for adoption.” Rihanna admitted.

“So you allowed us to date?”

“Yes, I allowed you both to date. Figured the...”Une Affaires De Coeur”...” would run its natural course and she would get you out of her system. You are not that great a ... a ... a prize ... a catch Benny, but it only made things worse. I admit I am a lousy matchmaker. Emeraude herself wound up hating all the men I picked out for her, but they advanced her career and social position. They were good for her even if she didn’t fall madly in love with them. You know LOVE is highly overrated Monsieur Andreaty.”

“And yet here we are Rihanna Lucrezia Zasche.” Benny morosely observed.

“Ah yes, here we are Benny. All the family dirty linen out in public. Was encouraged by your own daughters and mistresses to tell you this. So you now know. THERE!” Rihanna finished with a huff.

“So now Angileana, Bonny, are you going to tell her or am I?” Benny laughed.

“Actually Daddy we saved that part for you. We also contacted Eric and Larry and I think they have a surprise for us.” Bonny laughed.

“I was heartbroken when Kat died. I was never the doting father type. Kat loved the girls, I loved Kat, and that’s the way it was. When she died I was devastated. I sent Angileana, and Bonny, they were my two little girls after all, to the best all-girls school in Texas. I then threw myself into my business here on the Island. It would have remained like that if Eric and Larry hadn’t stepped in.”

“Who are these Eric and Larry?” Rihanna demanded.

“They, well Eric anyway was our first Master Grandmama...” Bonny threw in to everyone’s surprise.

“Master, shave, BDSM, kinky sex things at your age?” Rihanna rolled her eyes and snorted through her nose. For some reason, Benny had a flashback to the old Walt Disney movie of “The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow” and the horseman’s stallion riding down poor Ichabod Crane.

“Not like that Grandmama. Oh, let Benny finish.” Bonny for once seemed at a loss for words.

“Okay, let me confess Rihanna, I am pretty screwed up. I loved Kat mainly because of her body. She was a Russ Meyers daydream turned real for me. The one word I would use to describe Kat was lush. “Lush low hanging fruit ready to be plucked”, I plucked the forbidden fruit. But she was also young, and that was always a turn on too. Anyway, Eric and Larry set up a business on the Island enslaving the island girls...”

“And you did not inform the police?”

“Ah, Grandmama you don’t understand...” Bonny put in again.

“What’s there to understand ... they enslaved you ... against your will ... to ... to ... become...”

“What we always dreamed of being. Our Daddy’s love slaves Grandmama.” Angle and Bonny said together.

“You ... you ... bastard ... you had this done to them... !” Rihanna began.

“No, no, I didn’t. I had no idea until it was all over and they offered to sell them back to me. No make that they offered to RENT them back to me Rihanna.” Benny tried to explain.

“But you took advantage of it. NO!” Rihanna shot back outraged.

“NO! I had them examined by some of the best psychiatrist and psychologist around and they are just well adjusted young women. The only thing they, the psychiatrist and psychologist, complained about was they were too damn well adjusted.” Benny laughed.

“Be truthful Daddy you had Eric adjust me when you found out it could be done.” Bonny prompted.

“But it was necessary Bonny.” Benny guiltily added.

“I don’t regret it for a minute Daddy. I just want Grandmama to know everything. Grandmama, I was this self-centered little brat that was going to blackmail Daddy if I ever got a chance, and Angel was a drugged up slut that was fixing to OD. Larry was supplying the drugs and was also the one who saved her from herself, ha, ha.”

“Yes, Rihanna I checked it out and Bonny is right. If Eric and Larry hadn’t stepped in Angle would probably be dead of an overdose right now.”

“And that justifies turning them into ... into ... sex slaves Benjamin Andreaty!”

“Well Angle was already what she is right now, and it was Angle that brought Bonny in on my ... my seduction. Yes, Rihanna, I admit it, I was seduced by my own daughters.”

“Angle recruited me at school, well it didn’t require much persuasion, I thought it sounded kinky enough to try. If it had worked we would have owned Daddy. I was a mercenary little brat back then I admit.”

“You admit this.” Rihanna was shocked.

“Yes, I’m a much better person now than I was then. So now we are all one big happy very very French family. Benny has 3 well-adjusted wives and/or Mistresses to display to the world outside of the Island...”

“Oh yes.” Came back from the 3 Mistresses in question.

“ ... that are publicly seen as our stepmothers and we all share Benny and each other. Just another...”Une Affaires De Coeur”...”These Affairs of the Heart??” ... that the French consider so private.” Bonny finished up.

“That is all well and good for you, but what about Emeraude, or Em, as you insist on calling her. What are your plans for her? I do not want her hurt.” Rihanna insisted.

“I have no plans for her at all Rihanna, stepsister or otherwise,” Benny said.

“We want to bring her in. She won’t admit it but she’s lonely and unhappy.” Bonny put in.