Title: Chapter 8: Consequences of the Obvious and Oblivious
Hmmm - I like this story. Class is so rarely written with nuance, and you seem to have nailed the layers. Kudos!
Amelle is a bit of fool - from what I understand, there aren't many, especially women, bluebloods who would bother to give her insight into the social jungle of the upper middle/upper class so soon. Nadia could have just let her thrash about, but tried to be a bit of friend and give her the heads up. Never enter the arena without knowing the rules of engagement - that's essentially what Nadia was trying to tell Amelle. Deaf ears and all that.
Unfortunately, hubris is a mighty strong vice. Amelle is so busy being offended and trying to prove something that she ignored rather salient advice. Harrison wants her, and of course doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks because, hello, he's Harrison, for fuck's sake. Steer clear of a man with nothing to lose, for propriety is a lost cause, especially when he has the triumvirate of power: pedigree, money, and strikingly good looks. Plus, any man worth his salt doesn't openly mock the woman he's interested in. Red flags all over the place.
I can only assume where you're going with the story, but you've done a damn good job of setting it up. I'm thoroughly intrigued, even if I know Harrison is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Actually, strike that - he's a wolf, he knows it and doesn't care, and everyone else knows it. Amelle knows it, too, but like many women, gets caught up in the thrill. Sexual prowess has never been a guarantee of a man's character. I'm fairly certain Harrison has bedded many a woman, so yeah.....of course he's skilled.
I think David cares about Amelle, but cares about his ambition and social mobility more. Or, rather, he certainly cares for what his parents want in that regard. But, Amelle ignored this in her romantic idealizing of their relationship, based on what Sienna mentioned. Amelle seems like to playing the victim a bit too much for my liking (no one forced her to quit her job and move with David, especially since they aren't married). Actually, I can see some parallels between Vivian and Amelle personality-wise, although I don't think I should.
Anyway, I tend to have rather strong opinions on fictional characters, so I hope my review doesn't offend. I like the story, and look forward to seeing where you go with it. Thanks for sharing!
Reviewer: ribboninthesky Signed
Date: December 18 2010