The Penance of Black Betty Read Online Free PDF Page A

it’s definitely nobody’s business what you do for a living.”
                  What she did for a living?
                  The nurse eyed her curiously. “I do want to ask you something though, if you don’t mind?”
                  “No. I don’t mind.” Her pulse raced. What could she have to ask? Bethany knew she wouldn’t have an answer, only more questions of her own.
                  “Were you really here in L.A. training Alistair for his role in Hues of Black and Blue? I know the papers said you came from that…lifestyle. I thought it was probably just put on for the stage.” Barb smiled, almost looking apologetic for asking.
                  Lifestyle… The stage? “Um. Yes. That’s why I’m in L.A. working with Alistair. Training him, I mean.”
                  “Well, you won’t get any judgment from me. And I won’t let the paparazzi or reporters anywhere near you.” She handed Bethany a menu. “I’ll be back to see what you want to eat.”
                  “Thanks. Wait!” Barb turned around. “I was wondering if you had any of those celebrity magazines you were talking about. I’d like to look at them.” She gave a sly smile. “Always good to be one step ahead of the game.”
                  Barb laughed. “I’ll grab a couple from the break room and bring them in.”
                  ***
     
                  The headline on the front page of The Hollywood Harpy read: Real Life Black And Blue For Alistair’s Dominatrix. Chessa Bond was named in the byline.
                  Dominatrix?!?
                  Bethany put her fingertips to her throat, felt where the leather collar had dug into her neck. She was as submissive as a woman could get. If she wasn’t…Trent would teach her…
                  She shivered at the remembered brutality.
                  It’s all in the past. It’s 2013 now.
                  But, that word—dominatrix—staring up at her from the black and white newsprint. That couldn’t be right. She read on:
                  “Bethany Stavars, a.k.a. Black Betty, ex-employee and dominatrix at Las Vegas private men’s club, Dolls & Doms, has been hospitalized after a break in at the Hollywood mansion where she’s been staying.
                  Stavars’s Pretty Woman-like escape from the seedy Las Vegas underbelly to the luxurious Hollywood mansion of actor Alistair Ingram has ignited an uproar among fans of the mega-popular celebrity. “He could have anyone he wants,” says Lindsey, 28, Kansas City, Missouri. “Why a stripper from Vegas?”
                  “I think it shows what kind of person he is. He obviously has self-esteem issues if he dates so far beneath him,” states Trish, a fan from Brooklyn, NY.
                  After being admitted into the ICU, Stavars is now reported to be recovering in her own room. While LAPD has made no comment on the case, word has been leaked that nothing was taken from Ingram’s home and speculation runs rampant. “Her ex has given her some problems in the recent past,” a former co-worker of Stavars’s has told us, asking to remain anonymous. “Wrecked her condo here in Vegas. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was behind this.”
                  Filming for Ingram’s blockbuster hit of next summer, Hues of Black And Blue, has been delayed while Ingram is off-set. While Producer Henry Wallace has issued this statement: “It is a tragedy that Mr. Ingram has had this happen in his personal life and had to leave the set. We wish Ms. Stavars a speedy recovery,” allegedly he’s days away from replacing Ingram for the lead role.
                  “It’s a shame,” says actress and Ingram’s ex-fiancé, Heather Winston. “He has such a bright and promising career in