The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

SMACK “Take that you Bitch! How do you like that?!” Brittany twisted her torso again and with arm extended unleashed another full swing at Heather’s face. She could feel her palm stinging as her perfectly manicured hand smashed into the helpless redhead. Now it was just a bloody mess. “Nobody ever does to me what you did. EVER!!”

Brittany took a deep shuddering breath. Getting her revenge on Heather was almost better than sex…almost. There was only one person who’d ever satisfied her sexually…and she’d deal with him in a minute. He was safely folded inside the steamer trunk, bound and chained and completely defeated.

Lying unconscious on the bed was the masked woman, Mistress Cheryl. Her pale skin was red and bruised. Welts oozed red from where Brittany had flayed her with her belt. The once controlling mistress’s long black hair was splayed wildly across the bed. Tears pooled and dripped out from her mask’s eyeholes. The pain this woman would feel at Brittany’s hands had only just begun. Nobody treated the President of Omega Xi like she had.

Brittany raked her fingernails up and down Mistress Cheryl’s naked stomach. She pressed hard and her nails left bloody scratches. Mistress Cheryl barely registered the action.

From behind her, Brittany heard the telltale creaking of vinyl. The sound caused her to shiver. It was the sound that Mistress Cheryl’s arm-length gloves made. She turned her head, but there was no one there. Only a helpless and naked woman on the bed and another beaten and sobbing on the floor. She heard the creak again and felt her stomach tighten. Why was her pussy spasming? She moaned and her legs became weak and she fell to her knees. It felt like something was filling her cunt and rubbing against her clit.

When she opened her eyes, Mistress Cheryl had turned her head. Her eyes were wide open and alert. “Wake up Brittany.”

“What?” Brittany’s skin was clammy. Her breath was coming in short gasps and her heart was racing. “No…no…”

“Brittany, wake up!”

Brittany opened her eyes. There was no body on the bed…no steamer trunk. She tried to lift her arms but they were still securely bound to her chair. She heard the creak of vinyl again and Mistress Cheryl knelt into view. Brittany could see nothing but contempt in those deep brown eyes behind the black mask. There was another creak of vinyl and her mistress pulled the gloved hand out from between her tied legs. Her body jerked and she let go a small sob when faced with the undeniable truth: that she’d passed out after cumming…a violent release of sexual tension brought about by the hand of Mistress Cheryl.

She should have felt wonderful. She should been grateful. But knowing that it was that bitch, her tormentor, that had gotten her off…well that just disgusted her. But more than anything, she was disgusted with herself. How could she have let her life come to this? Thank God none of the girls back in the sorority house could see her now, the once mighty queen of the elite, tied up like a prisoner.

Fingers curled in her perfectly highlighted hair as Mistress Cheryl pulled her head back. Brittany watched in horror as the Mistress lustily licked off one of the juice covered digits. “Mmmm – you taste sweet. Kind of surprising considering what a sourpuss you are.”

There was giggling over to her right. The girl, Emily, was sitting in a chair, her long coltish leg draped lazily over the arm. She’d been masturbating to the show given by Dr. Walters and Heather…but now they were nowhere to be seen.

“Want a taste?” Brittany tried to shake her head no, but Mistress Cheryl’s grip on her tresses nodded her head for her. “Good. Open wide.”

Brittany was already queasy at the thought of what was about to happen, but rather than face more torment, she gave in. Closing her eyes tight and opening her mouth, it was no surprise when she felt the warm sticky finger roll onto her tongue. What was a surprise was that rather than tasting horrible, it…well, it tasted good. She knew she should be gagging, but against her control, her lips closed around the finger and eagerly licked it clean. It tasted like sex, and right now that’s all her senses craved.

The digit was pulled free and Brittany’s head stretched forward to prolong contact as much as possible. When she opened her eyes again, Dr. Walters and Heather were back in the room, the bathroom door open behind them. They both seemed to be smiling, as if they knew her reaction went against everything she knew she should be feeling at the moment. Embarrassment and shame were words that didn’t do justice to how she felt, having betrayed her desires to her audience.

“Well you guys, I’m off,” said a now less-serious Mistress Cheryl.

“You’re leaving already?” Heather asked, her naked body leaning languidly against an equally naked Gregg. “But you’ve only been here for an hour.”

‘Has it only been an hour?’ Brittany thought to herself. ‘It feels like I’ve been tied to this fucking chair for days!’

“Yeah, well, there’s a certain jock with a certain cock who promised me a workout tonight.”

“I see. So, that’s why you didn’t join in our little reindeer games tonight, huh?”

It was true, Charli was the only one in the room still wearing clothes. She was also the only one yet to cum. She’d somehow managed to keep from touching herself during the show. She didn’t want to lose a drop of excitement before she saw Chad. But she’d reached her limit and if she didn’t get his dick inside her soon, she’d burst!

Chad still had no idea what was happening in Heather’s apartment, but really couldn’t complain. On Monday, just three days ago, Charli had her first real experience being in control…since then, she’d become a changed woman. She was just getting used to her beauty, and now she was experiencing power. Chad was taken by surprise that night when she crawled into bed with him and practically raped him. Every night since then, she’d been insatiable and very specific about what she liked…and Chad was only too happy to comply.

“Yeah, he’s warming up on another little Omega Xi right now. I’m sure between the two of them, they should be able to satisfy me.” Emily broke out into a laugh. More than anything, it was hilarious hearing this stuff coming from the once painfully shy computer geek turned sex goddess. Brittany perked up and stared in disbelief when Mistress Cheryl hinted at her having another OX at her command. She didn’t know that Laura was the aforementioned Omega Xi, nor would she believe it if she were told. Laura…the Laura she knew…was as fierce an Omega Xi girl as they came – a most deserving successor to her throne. But what Brittany didn’t know, what she was completely unaware of, was that it was her own actions that were responsible for Laura’s final surrender to Gregg and his little group.

Heather and Gregg walked Charli out and rather than returning to the bedroom, they lay down with each other on the couch and turned on the TV. Heather snuggled up against her man and flipped through the channels, content to just lay there with Gregg. She glanced up and saw that Gregg was not really watching the television, just merely watching in its general direction. On the other side of the wall behind the TV was the bedroom and Heather assumed he was just thinking about what may be happening in there. Sure enough, within a minute or two, Gregg’s cock began to stiffen before her. Settling on a channel she could tolerate for a while, she rested her head on Gregg’s chest, a mindless sitcom on the television, the sound of his heartbeat in her ear, and his thickening stalk in her hand.

Emily heard the muted sounds of the television through the wall and realized they weren’t coming back anytime soon. “Sure, leave me to clean up their mess!” Emily’s contribution to this evening’s entertainment was to have Heather eat her out to several mind-blowing orgasms before Gregg had his fun with a then orally-exhausted Heather. She could see that Brittany was fighting a losing battle between her body and her psyche. Emily reflected for a moment that it was not that long ago when the idea of girl-on-girl sex would have disgusted her as well…that is, until she met Heather.

Charli was limiting Brittany’s torture to just being forced to watch their amazing sex shows without release. It was within Emily’s range of tolerance. She wasn’t sure she could stand to watch another beating like the one Charli had unleashed the first night she was presented with Brittany after her humiliation. Despite what Brittany had done to Charli, Charli was still not a violent person, not a sadist. She just wanted Brittany to be denied pleasure, denied release much as she herself had been denied friends and self respect.

After multiple conversations with Laura, Emily knew that Omega Xis were taught that lesbianism (among other things) was low-class, dirty. But here was their queen, undeniably turned on by watching other women…unable to come to grips with her own libido. That gave Emily an idea.

With Brittany still strapped to the chair, Emily sauntered into the washroom, her hips swaying that little extra bit – something that didn’t go unnoticed by Brittany. She returned moments later with a small wash basin filled with warm water and a wash cloth, both of which she place on the floor beside Brittany’s chair. “Here, let me get you untied.” Emily knelt between Brittany’s spread legs and began removing the duct tape that secured her arms and ankles to the chair. Small tea towels protected her skin from the tape’s glue. Charli, or Mistress Cheryl as Brittany knew her, had warned that if Brittany disobeyed any of their commands, those tea towels would be the first privilege she’d lose. The thought of those thick bands of tape ripping out hair and skin after each of their sessions was more than enough motivation for her to play by the rules.

Once untied, Brittany wanted nothing more than to bolt for the door and drive home, but Emily hadn’t given her permission to leave. She just closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath, hoping this nightmare would end soon. Still, given the cast of characters starring in this macabre tragedy that had become her life, she was glad it was Emily and not one of the other sickos that she was left alone with. Well, she wouldn’t mind another mind-blowing fuck with Dr. Walters, but it seemed that Mistress Cheryl wasn’t about to let that happen. It was beyond cruel to be constantly reminded of what she could never have again. She still watched the video of their night together. She watched it every night, but her fingers failed to satisfy her like his magnificent cock did…and seeing it every night was just another self-inflicted torture.

“You’ve been through a lot this week huh?…not that you don’t probably deserve it…or much worse.” Emily’s eyes lowered somewhat sadly in thought. “But I just can’t stand to see people suffer.” Emily wet the wash cloth, wrung it out, and began gently washing Brittany’s wrists. “It’s why I decided to go into nursing, you know.” Brittany flinched at Emily’s initial contact, but did her best to hold still. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve given hundreds of sponge baths in the past…although never in the nude.” Emily thought a minute and then grinned, “well, except once…” She glanced at the wall for just a second and Brittany knew she meant one of the two that were in the other room. “Why don’t you stand up, it’ll be a lot easier.”

Brittany stood on weak legs, her skin sticking to the wooden seat, damp with her sweat. She looked down and saw the moisture on the chair where her cunt just was. She didn’t know if it was there before or after Mistress Cheryl “blessed” her with an orgasm, but she was ashamed of her inability to control her excitement nonetheless. There was no denying the evidence of her thawing frigidity.

Emily continued her sponge bath, giving extra care to Brittany’s wrists and ankles. Brittany didn’t know what she expected, but except for the fact that Emily was naked, there was almost nothing sexual about what was happening. Emily took care to clean between her legs, but even that was done with dispassionate clinical thoroughness. That thought calmed her nerves somewhat. It also helped that Emily just chatted away about inconsequential things. Any hope Brittany had that Emily would let slip some useful bit of information to use against this motley crew were dashed since Emily only went on and on about the latest TV shows, her anatomy class, or music. Brittany responded with noncommittal grunts and nods, but otherwise didn’t contribute to the stream of conversation.

“You’re awfully tense, Brittany. I guess I can understand why. Listen, why don’t you lie face down on the bed there and I’ll give you a quick massage before you go. You’ll feel better.”

It was phrased like a request, but Brittany knew she wasn’t asking permission. She lay down on the bed and rested her head on crossed arms, turning her head to her left so she could watch Emily. Emily retreated into the bathroom to dispose of the washcloth and basin. Brittany sighed, watching her cute butt exit the room. Emily really was cute: only somewhat taller than Brittany (at just around five-feet, almost everyone was taller than Brittany), Emily had long slender legs, a dimpled butt, perky breasts, and an impossibly cute face. With a little make up and a more interesting hair style (the pony tail was cute but lazy) she could be a model…or even an Omega Xi…Brittany closed her eyes in self-disgust as she realized what she was just thinking. These people were getting to her.

She shifted her arms a bit and her elbow brushed against a part of the comforter that was wet. She inhaled and realized that she’d put her face less than a foot from the “wet spot” left after Gregg’s and Heather’s coupling. The odor was simultaneously nauseating and wonderful. With another twinge of self disgust, she realized she was getting excited again. Her pussy ground lightly against the comforter and she was certain she was leaving a second wet spot of her own. She couldn’t know, however, that just on the other side of the wall, Gregg was ramping up her libido. It was his “suggestion” after all, placed subtly into Emily’s mind, to offer the massage. Gregg was very careful about using his mind control on his “family” but he just couldn’t resist having a little fun.

Emily returned, still naked and knelt beside Brittany’s prone body on the bed. She flipped the cap on a small bottle of massage oil and poured a thin stream into her palm. Immediately the scent of strawberries filled Brittany’s nostrils. Despite her thoughts on how she could transform the spritely nursing student into a runway model, Brittany was glad that when the massage started that the girl didn’t have long nails. Emily wasn’t afraid to really dig into her back and work out the knots that resulted from the last hour strapped to the chair, struggling against her bonds. Emily’s technique was so good that Brittany’s rule of only letting gay men massage her was quickly forgotten. She was so paranoid of a woman getting turned on by her compact but perfect body that she allowed only those she was sure wouldn’t be tempted by her sexual wares to touch her. It took a lot of searching, but she’d even managed to find (and pay handsomely for) a gay male doctor, dentist,

and OB-GYN.

Brittany let loose a sigh of pleasure as Emily thoroughly worked loose a knot in her shoulder. Emily, who was not a gay male, couldn’t help getting turned on herself as her hands glided over this miniature goddess’s body. Seeing the content look on Brittany’s face, Emily decided to have a little fun. She straddled Brittany’s butt, her own cunt mound resting just off-center on one of Brittany’s round asscheeks. Brittany tensed at this, but once Emily had re-oiled her hands and began an even deeper massage, all concerns evaporated.

Brittany closed her eyes and images of the sexual escapades from the last few weeks ran through her head. She saw Heather sucking Dr. Walter’s enormous cock. She saw Emily and Heather eating each other out. She felt Mistress Cheryl paddling her ass. She felt Mistress Cheryl’s tongue in her mouth as the woman got fucked from behind by Dr. Walters. Unconsciously, Brittany’s hips ground even harder against the bed, which had the unintended effect of also rubbing against Emily’s pussy mound.

Emily dug into Brittany’s shoulders and leaned forward and licked at her exposed ear lobe. Warning bells and alarms fired off in Brittany’s mind. ‘I knew it! She’s just a dyke who wanted have her way with me! What the fuck is wrong with these people?!’ But, thanks to Gregg’s invisible control, the only sound she made was soft groan of pleasure.

Hearing no objections, only noises of contentment, Emily pressed the attack. Pulling the hair away from Brittany’s neck, she planted little kisses there and on her shoulder. With agonizing slowness, Emily trailed kisses and licks ever downward, the taste of Brittany’s strawberry-scented skin causing her mouth to water.

Scooting back so she now straddled the back of Brittany’s knees, Emily continued her trek south. Brittany wanted to scream in horror to run, naked if she had to, for the door and escape this torture. More and more she was less afraid of what Emily was doing than she was of her own reaction. As much as she tried to fight it, her pussy was throbbing with need, the friction from her grinding against the comforter not being enough to satisfy her. She was as effectively immobilized by her own fear and excitement as if she were again bound to the chair. She was paralyzed – on the one hand wanting to run away, on the other hoping Emily finished her journey get her off.

Emily lifted her face from the small of Brittany’s back and began massaging Brittany’s smooth ass cheeks. Gripping the comforter tightly in clenched hands to keep them from thrusting between her legs, Brittany relaxed somewhat under Emily’s touch. But when Emily’s hands moved toward her inner thighs, Brittany’s back (against her will) arched, thrusting her ass closer to Emily and lifting her humid mound off the comforter. Emily couldn’t have asked for a more perfect invitation.

It wasn’t until Brittany felt the young nurse’s finger gently burrow its way inside her moist cunt that she realized what she’d inadvertently allowed to happen. It was wrong, it was sick…but it felt so good. She’d been with young men who lacked experience and who pounded away with knuckles or were just rough in general. But Emily was quite the opposite. It was like she knew exactly where to press, where to rub, how to pinch without causing pain. The knowledge that this was a girl making her feel this good was the only damper on an otherwise exhilarating experience.

“You know, I know all about your sorority’s silly rules regarding girl-girl sex.” Emily’s words cut through Brittany’s fog of pleasure like a knife through warm butter. “I know that it’s okay for you to play at this stuff only so long as it’s only to turn a man on…but I also see that you’re really enjoying this.” Brittany wanted to cry: that she was breaking the sacred sorority bonds and she was silently hoping for more. “I love it when Gregg fills me up with his giant cock. I love it when he pounds my tight little pussy and fills me with his hot cum…but sometimes it’s nice just to have the pleasures only another woman can give.”

Brittany tightened her grip on the comforter, biting it with her teeth to keep her excitement in check. Her efforts were doomed to fail. Emily captured her clit between her oily finger and thumb and gently massaged rolled it between her fingers. Brittany couldn’t keep her hips from grinding in the air, moaning, hoping Emily would release her from this pleasurable torture. But it was about to get worse.

“Can you believe Gregg’s gotten that monster inside Heather’s ass? Just thinking about it is almost enough to make me cum.” Emily was touching on another of Omega Xi’s taboos. Anal sex was strictly forbidden as it was viewed as low class and dirty. They were above such things. “I’ve only had a his finger in my ass, and it was pretty intense. One day, maybe I’ll work up the courage to ask Gregg…he’s such a gentleman, he’d never do it if I didn’t ask first.” While Emily was massaging Brittany’s clit with one hand, she’d moved her other hand to the crack of Brittany’s ass. As she rambled on about the pleasures of anal sex, she let the tip of her index finger tickle Brittany’s anus, which clenched shut tightly at her initial contact. “Would you like to see what I mean? I’d love to show you.”

Brittany tried to scream “NOO!” but all that escaped from her mouth was a low “Ohhh!” which Emily chose to take as acceptance. Emily removed her hands from Brittany’s openings and uncapped the flavored oil. The sudden withdrawal of Emily’s fingers frustrated Brittany and her pussy and ass clenched, fruitlessly seeking stimulation that was no longer there.

Shivering as a small stream of oil was drizzled down the crack of her ass, Brittany clenched her eyes shut both fearful and hopeful of what was about to be done to her. She heard the sound of the oil cap clicking shut and flinched when a skinny finger oozed through her oily ass crack and stopped at her rosebud. Brittany valiantly tried to stop Emily’s finger, but it was too slick and too thin. With almost laughable ease, Emily inserted her finger.

From the other room, Gregg was following events closely. He’d been stoking Brittany’s sexual fire since he left and he chose this moment to fan the flames. The second Emily’s finger made its way inside her, Gregg triggered the poor girl’s second orgasm of the night. It wasn’t of a magnitude of what Charli had given her earlier, but it was big enough to leave no doubts as to what it was.

Heather heard Brittany’s wail of pleasure through the wall and looked up at Gregg. She was gently stroking his erect cock while she watched TV and he gazed off into space. As if that cry were what he was waiting for, he finally returned his attention to her. “Sounds like they’re having a good time in there.”

“Yeah, I imagine they are…” Gregg said wryly, knowing Heather wouldn’t get the inside joke. Imagination had nothing to do with it…he knew EXACTLY what was happening.

Gregg felt confident that Brittany was hot enough now that he didn’t need to guide things so much. He may check in on them again in a little while, but for now, there was another beautiful woman who needed some attention…someone more deserving.

Heather caught the gleam in his eye and quickly crawled up over him and stuffed her aching pussy with his cock. She lay on top of him on the couch filled to overflowing with his meat, content to enjoy another leisurely fuck. This time there was no audience – just the two of them. She loved sex with the others around, but it was that much more intense when she had Gregg all to herself. She loved showing off her body…she was once a stripper after all. She’d made her peace with the knowledge that she would never be the only woman in Gregg’s life – it didn’t bother her. Gregg was more than enough man to satisfy her and still have room left for others. But he left no doubt in her mind that she was the one he was truly in love with. And with that love in mind, Heather lowered her face to his and kissed him passionately. Gregg could feel the emotion and the need in that kiss and tightly wrapped his arms around her voluptuous body. Slowly they began thrusting against

each other – no hurries, no concerns. Just the two of them. The outside world didn’t exist.

Back in the other room, Brittany was still recovering from her orgasm. It wasn’t right. Something so wrong wasn’t supposed to feel that good. Emily was merciless in her exploration. With that one finger still slowly fucking in and out of her ass, she returned her other hand to Brittany’s cunt and resumed her gentle massage there.

“Mmm, I think you like this…We’ll just keep it our little secret, okay? Your sorority sisters don’t need to know what an ass-fiend you are.” Emily was grinning widely as she worked both of Brittany’s holes simultaneously.

Brittany, in reply, could only groan and thrust her ass even higher, begging silently for more. The part of her that railed against this had finally shut down…it wasn’t doing her any good anyhow. “Yesssss,” she hissed, not even realizing she’d given her first true, uninfluenced consent.

Emily scooted back a little further and pulled her fingers free once again. Before Brittany could figure out what she was doing, Emily had used her thumbs to spread Brittany’s ass cheeks, leaning forward and lightly swiping her anus with her tongue. It was a pleasurable sensation unlike any she’d ever felt and Brittany simply mumbled, “Oh God!” while arching her back even more and spreading her knees apart a bit further.

Again, Emily leaned forward and rather than just a quick lick, she extended her tongue and, like her finger before, pressed it against the slick opening to Brittany’s most forbidden entrance. Reaching around Brittany’s hips, Emily again massaged the girl’s clit. As her tongue teased and probed Brittany’s ass, her fingers quickly worked her up toward another orgasm.

Brittany was beside herself in pleasure. She moaned freely and loudly, no longer caring about right and wrong, forbidden and allowed. She only wanted release, and she’d do nothing to impede Emily as she guided her along that path.

Emily’s tongue and fingers became ever more insistent. The wet sound of her licking was in sync with the wet sounds her fingers made at her cunt. Brittany’s hips shook and swayed and she knew that her pending orgasm would be huge. Emily could sense the coming explosion and quickened her pace, holding on with all her strength, her tongue freely darting in and out of Brittany’s ass, fucking her with her wet oral digit.

It was too much for Brittany and finally, blessedly, all her neurons fired at once and her body seized up. Her body tried to escape from the continuing torture that Emily was still unleashing on her nether regions. While Brittany thrashed and spasmed, Emily held on and continued her probing and licking.

Finally, Brittany had nothing left. She collapsed on the bed, panting. She was numb and couldn’t move. Emily continued slowly massaging her clit and licking her ass, teasing out the last spasms of orgasm from the beautiful sorority queen.

As the world around her came back into focus, Brittany turned her head. Emily was lying beside her, gently stroking her hair. Gulping nervously, Brittany rolled onto her side, facing Emily. She had been violated in a most personal manner, and yet, it was so exquisite. The space between their faces closed and their lips brushed. The taste of strawberries was still present on Emily’s lips and rather than being repulsed by the knowledge of where those lips had just been, their sweet taste only made the kiss that much sweeter.

The kiss broke and Brittany rolled onto her back. This was it. Her fight was lost. If Emily wanted her to reciprocate, she’d do it. She closed her eyes and waited for Emily to position herself on her face. She could almost taste the girl’s sweet pussy. Eagerly she licked her lips…

But to her anguish, nothing happened. When Brittany opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Emily standing at the entrance to the bathroom. She blinked and looked the girl up and down. She knew Emily hadn’t cum. She could see even the juices glistening off the girl’s inner thighs. Brittany licked her lips, she had actually been looking forward to tasting the girl’s sweet nectar.

“Well, you certainly seemed to enjoy yourself, Brittany.” Emily took a long moment to look over the disheveled girl lying sprawled on the bed. She reached into the bathroom and opened the drawer under the counter right next to the drawer. Out came Heather’s little silver friend – her favorite vibrator. It hardly ever got used anymore – Gregg was quite adept at making sure Heather was never left wanting.

“I’m going to take a shower and, well, you know…” she turned the vibrator on and off, making sure the batteries were fresh. The rest of that thought didn’t need to be finished. “You can go now.” Emily entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. A few seconds later, Brittany could hear the tub filling with water.

For long minutes, Brittany just lay there. Slowly, the reality of all that had just happened was dawning on her. She’d been masturbated by not one, but two women tonight. She’d had her ass eaten out and she’d loved it. Moments ago, she was ready to throw out all her carefully held beliefs and eat out the lovely Emily who’d given her such pleasure. And now she was left hanging. She almost felt insulted. Did Emily think she wasn’t up to the task?...That she needed a vibrator? Realizing what she was just thinking, Brittany shuddered at the knowledge that she was actually upset that she WASN’T being allowed to lick the girl’s pussy.

Numbly, she stood from the bed and began dressing. Her head was spinning. Giving the bathroom door one final look, dismissing the voice in her head that suggested barging in giving as good as she got, she opened the door to the bedroom and stepped out into the living room. Dr. Walters and Heather were engaged in some very intense lovemaking on the couch. It was unlike anything she’d been forced to watch so far.

The couple’s shows had been like porn…incredible porn. They were playing to the audience: her. But this was real. She’d caught them in a very private moment…so private they neither noticed nor cared about her presence. To her, sex was a tool, a means to an end. But watching Dr. Walters and Heather, well, her breath was caught in her throat. Their loving making was so intense. It was beyond exciting. She watched them until she felt the familiar ache between her legs begin to become a raging inferno. With the last of her mental will, she turned and quietly slipped out of the apartment. It was a sad realization that given the choices she’d made in her life, she’d never experience that deep or intense a passion for another human being.

Like a zombie, she walked out to her car. She opened the door, entered, closed the door and started the ignition. But she didn’t drive away. She just stared down the street at nothing in particular. Finally blinking, she felt a tear run down her cheek. With no one to see, she was finally free to let loose. And let loose she did. The single tear turned to an open sob and she rested her head against the steering wheel as she cried and cried. Her whole body shook with shame, anger, sadness, and…and lust. She cursed them all for what they were doing to her. More importantly, she cursed them for unlocking desires she didn’t know she had…didn’t know she wanted.

There was a soft tapping against her car door window. She turned her head, wiping tears out from her eyes and saw a man’s well-manicured hand with a large diamond pinky-ring. The hand was coming out from what was obviously an expensive black silk suit. Again the pinky-ring tapped against the glass.

“Go away. I’m fine. Just leave me alone.” She rolled her head back against the steering wheel and tried to go back to her cry. But there was another tapping against the window…this time it sounded different – deeper, more metallic, more insistent. She turned her head, about to unleash her infamous temper on this asshole who didn’t get the hint. But instead of a pinky-ring, she was now looking down the barrel of a gun.

Swallowing her words, she opened the window. She’d been called many things in her life, but never “stupid.” When a gun was in your face, you did as you were told.

“That’s better,” a man’s voice said. The gun was tucked back behind his belt and he knelt down so they were face to face. “Now Brittany, we can talk…like civilized people.”

Brittany gulped nervously. Whoever this guy was, he knew her name and he didn’t seem the like the kind of person who tolerated ‘uncivilized’ behavior…with himself being the lone exception, she was sure.

“Now, where are my manners? My name is Vinnie…and it seems like you and I have a lot to discuss.” Brittany gulped again, not sure what was going on, but smart enough not to interrupt and ask. “You see, I’m not always the best judge of character, but if I had to guess, I’d say you weren’t exactly a willing partner in all that just happened in there,” he said indicating the apartment she’d just exited. Vinnie grinned, “And, from what my friend tells me, they seem to like tying you up and doing…or not doing other things to you.” He paused and didn’t continue until Brittany finally gave a small nod.

“Well you see, I think we have a common interest. Heather, well, she used to belong to me…and I want her back. She cost me a lot of money and I intend to collect. Gregg, well, suffice to say I owe him big time.” Vinnie rubbed his jaw, still tender from when Gregg had broken it at the restaurant. “I don’t know what you did to piss them off little girl, and I really don’t give a shit…but I’m offering you a way out. You help me, I help you. Are you willing to listen?”

Whether she wanted to or not, she wasn’t about to argue with a guy with a gun. Again, she nodded her head nervously.

“Good girl. Why don’t you drive your sweet ass over to that coffee shop I saw at the end of the block. I’ll buy you nice cup of java maybe even some ice cream.” He sniffed the air and smiled wickedly. “Maybe strawberry ice cream…and we can…chat.” His lingering gaze hinted that he might be interested in more than that…eventually. “Don’t do anything stupid. I know where you live. I’ll meet you there.”

Brittany gulped and nodded, rolling up the window and putting her car in gear. Vinnie stood in the street and watched her turn around corner. Taking a last look at Heather’s apartment window, where he’d watched the evening’s activities through a break in the curtains, he smiled hugely. Finally he was going to get his revenge. Heather would beg him to let him fuck her to save Gregg’s life, and after she submitted, she’d watch her boyfriend die, then she’d be taken back to her old job as a stripper…and then he’d start her in the career of porn she’d avoided before. Heck, maybe he’d even convince that little college tartlet that she should work for him. Given what he’d just seen, her tastes seemed to run high on the kink scale.

Yes sir, revenge will be sweet. In just a few days the world would back to the way it was supposed to be – with Gregg out of the picture and Heather on her knees sucking his dick. With that last thought in mind, he moseyed over to his car where Paul was waiting in the driver’s seat.

Vinnie sat in the back seat next to one of his newest strippers, Haley. She had sad eyes, a nose ring, and short black hair. “Paul, take us to that coffee shop. Go in and keep our guest company. I’ll join you in a few minutes. Haley here has a little job to do first. With that, Vinnie opened his fly and pulled out his dick. Grabbing the girl behind her head he pulled her into his lap, filling her mouth with his cock. As she started bobbing up and down, Paul put the car in gear and pulled away.

The next morning was atrocious for both Gregg and Chad. Gregg and Heather were so into their love making the night before they never even heard Brittany. It was well past midnight before they finally crawled into bed with Emily and fell asleep. Gregg couldn’t explain where this latest bout of passion had come from, but it was as if he and Heather had just worked through something…but what?

He was groggy as he walked into his freshman seminar…but he was a bowl of sunshine compared to Chad. Apparently after Charli left the party, she put him to work satisfying her incredible need. Not that he was one to complain about killer sex, but the shy, delicate girl who he once knew was gone. In her place was an insatiable, demanding, and absolutely incredible lover. It was hard to believe that she was the computer geek and he the star athlete. At the end of the night, she sauntered to the shower while he lay gasping for breath on the bed, too exhausted to even move.

The two guys saw each other, measured up each other’s physical state, and shared knowing grins.

The three Omega Xis strolled into class. Laura looked as sexy as ever, even with her new shorter hairdo. Right behind her was Natalie, following Laura’s lead like a good little pledge. Brittany entered last, the hints of her exhaustion only knowable to the trained eye. To most casual lookers (not that many would dare hold her gaze for more than a second), she looked as perfect as always. But closer inspection would reveal the slight bags under her eyes, the slight slouch in her posture, the fact that she now occasionally bit her finger nails. There was something else Gregg noticed: a certain confidence, but he was too exhausted to care.

The lecture he gave was abysmal, not that any of the ladies in the class cared. With his lack of sleep came a lack of control over his sex appeal which seemed to radiate from him like light. Honestly, he could have rolled in a pile of shit and recited names from a phone book and more than half the class would have been taking avid notes when they weren’t blushing or sighing.

The end of class couldn’t come too soon. As the trio of Omega Xis filed out, Laura gave him an inconspicuous wink. The first surprise of the day came when Brittany volunteered her notebook to him without prompting. Taking it and giving it a cursory glance, Gregg was surprised to see that she had actually taken careful notes in class. It was in her handwriting and everything seemed in order. He handed it back, and before he could think to say anything, she took it from his hand and gave him a smile that in one instant seemed sad, but the next instant reverted to being cool and superior. She exited the room with a little extra sway in her hips.

“So what are you doing this weekend Gregg?” Chad asked, somewhat tiredly.

“Nothing much. I think Heather and I will just stay in. We haven’t been getting much sleep lately.”

Chad raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment.

Gregg realized at that moment that he hadn’t seen much of Chad recently. He’d been so busy getting great sex that he’d been neglecting his friendship. Maybe the HQ was due for another study session/pizza party/movie night. Maybe he and Chad and E’dan should go out for beers or something…that’s what guys supposedly did. He’d see what he could arrange. Given all that had happened this week, having a “normal” weekend seemed just the ticket.

Laura left Dr. Walter’s office with a huge smile on her face. She usually left his office with a huge smile.

He had fucked her from behind, bent over his desk. It was fucking, pure and simple. She neither wanted affection from her Master nor gentleness. He was unconcerned about her vocalizing her pleasure. Either he didn’t care or the cinderblock walls and the heavy oak door kept her screams of pleasure from escaping. She was happiest when he used her. No matter how he tried to talk her out of it, she still refused to stop calling him Master. Gregg knew he could bore into her mind and turn it off like a switch, but from what he’d seen, doing so could unravel all that she was. Being his slave was so central to her current identity, that he didn’t dare touch it. Anyways, she was more genuinely happy now than she’d been in years, and who was he to interfere with that? Besides, he’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t get off on it. Furthermore, whenever she called him that within earshot of Heather or the others, they all grinned, enjoying his unease. But the only opinion he really cared about was Heather’s. So far she seemed to enjoy the role Laura had chosen for herself and even offered her suggestions as to how she could better fit the mold of a slave. In that sense, Heather was as much Laura’s friend as she was becoming her impromptu “mistress.”

As Laura knelt between Gregg’s legs and licked and their combined spendings off his now deflating cock, she finally popped the question that had been weighing down her mind all weekend. “Master, I need to ask you a favor…Actually, I have two favors to ask of you.” She gave his cock another hesitant lick, building up the courage she needed to ask what she wanted. Gregg gently pulled her face off his sagging cock, but she continued to gently stroke it while refusing to make eye contact.

“Master, Charli and I went through something horrible at the hands of Brittany. Yet, it doesn’t seem fair that only Charli gets to have her revenge. I don’t mean to diminish the humiliation she went through…I love her like a sister…and she’s my only REAL friend…not like those backstabbers in the sorority house…” Laura took a break from her train of thought, sucking again on the tip of Gregg’s cock, almost as if the action would stem the tide of tears threatening to come.

“But Master, I was raped…maybe nothing more than I deserved, but raped nonetheless. Natalie suggested it to Brittany in her own bid for power, and Brittany made it happen. Everyday I put on a show of confidence when I’m around them, like nothing happened, but inside I’m seething! I beg you, Master, help me!”

Laura was now crying, her face resting on Gregg’s thigh. Despite her sobs, her grip on his cock remained gentle. She’s sooner cut off her own arm than cause her master any pain. Gregg knew it’d be futile to try to pull her into a hug or even a kiss when she was in full slave mode, so he affectionately stroked her hair. “What would you have me do? Brittany knows you, so it’s not like you can join in our sessions. And Natalie is already under your thumb…at least until she goes through her final initiation.”

“I…I know Master, but…maybe you could let me wear a mask, like Charli does.”

“Laura—” Laura flinched at the sound of her name. Gregg rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine…Slave…you and Brittany have seen each other naked during your rituals and whatever else you’ve done. I don’t think a mask would work.”

Laura finally looked up at him. Her next words would take all of her courage. She knew it was coming, but she feared upsetting her master…or scaring him away. “Master…I…you can…make it so that she doesn’t recognize me.” Laura left it at that, letting the subtext of what she wasn’t saying sink in.

Gregg felt his blood run cold. It was his most carefully guarded secret. “Wha…what do you mean?”

“I know that you can make things happen. I know that if not for whatever it is you can do, I’d never have been saved. I know that my becoming your slave was no accident. But I also know that the people who surround you aren’t there because you make them. They genuinely love you. I know that I continue to be your slave because I choose to, not because you force me. I don’t know how you do what you do, and I don’t care. Your loyal slave only humbly asks for your help.”

Gregg was pulled deep into her beautiful face, her deep blue eyes. There was only truth to her words. She stared up at him, unblinking, carefully watching his face for the first sign of his answer. At any moment she knew he could reward her or cast her out forever for knowing too much, possibly even bestowing an even greater punishment: returning her to her former self.

None of these thoughts went unnoticed by Gregg. How was it that he was the one with the mind-controlling abilities, and yet the women in his life managed to have him wrapped around their little fingers?! Even his “slave” managed to get him to do what she wanted.

Gregg began to sigh and before he could even finish the breath, Laura jumped into his lap, hugging him tightly around the neck. He could feel her tears against his skin. “Oh thank you, thank you, Master! Oh you won’t regret it! You’ve made your slave so very happy!”

Gregg pulled her off his lap and the two of them dressed, Laura’s smile never diminishing. He knew that his secret was safe. He considered emphasizing that with another mental command, but considering the extent to which he’d already changed her, he decided against that.

Once they were both more presentable, they sat down and figured out what they were going to do about Brittany and Natalie. Laura had already given this a lot of thought and Gregg agreed with much of her plan.

Yes, when Laura left Gregg’s office, she was all smiles. Gregg was still her master, and finally she’d get what she wanted: revenge.

As Gregg had hoped, the weekend was a relaxing one, highlighted by the gang going to see Chad play a home game of lacrosse. Laura was unable to attend, being committed to an Omega Xi function: they had to do some charity work as part of their charter to be an official sorority on campus. A mere half year ago the thought of having to paint a children’s center would have abhorred her, but now she didn’t mind so much. She thought of Charli’s friend Mickey, the one whose drunken father had badly burned him, and the prospect of losing an afternoon to a little hard work and getting a little dirty didn’t faze her. In fact, her enthusiasm was contagious and many of the girls maneuvered themselves in order to try to work by her side. Two notable exceptions were Brittany who used presidential privilege to get out of the work and Natalie who was wary of Laura, having already miscalculated in believing Brittany was the one who’d be her key to glory within the sorority.

Not really understanding the game, Heather amused herself in the stands by reading a book on Japanese poetry (translated) that Chad had picked up for her at the library. She had requested this volume specifically. When he asked, she wouldn’t tell why. Gregg also noticed, wondering what had sparked her interest in that. Whenever Chad was on the field, however, she did put down the book and cheered as loudly as anyone else.

After the lacrosse game which was a nail-biter, but which ESU lost, Chad introduced Charli to several of his teammates. Jaws dropped as eyes beheld the gorgeous raven-haired beauty by his side. More than one teammate commented that this must be the reason he’d been coming to practice so exhausted. Chad let them have their fun, knowing that in fact, they were totally right! Two of the bruisers on the team held back, not wanting to get close. Gregg watched them make their own private jokes into each other’s ears, one even holding his nose as in disgust.

If jaws dropped when Charli entered the picture, then they smashed into the ground when Heather and Emily joined the crowd after a brief trip to the ladies’ room. Of course, they were all invited to parties, some on campus, some off. One bold player even dropped to a knee and proposed to Heather on the spot. He was immediately hauled off into the locker room and placed under a very cold shower.

Chad and Charli agreed to stop by one or two of the parties (Chad felt obligated since he was a member of the team) and Charli was feeling mightily proud and somewhat possessive. It was one thing for Chad to have his fun with Heather or Emily or even Rivkah, but she wasn’t going to let just any drunken set of tits throw herself at her man. Honestly, given the way she clung to him that night and the way she reward his good behavior afterward, Chad really didn’t mind Charli’s iron fist of control. Besides, he was proud of her. She was beautiful enough to have anyone on that team at her beck and call, but she was still fiercely in love with Chad. Chad even noticed that she didn’t stare longingly at Gregg anymore. He had jokingly asked her about that, but she just patted his cheek and reminded him that he had given her her first kiss, had taken her virginity. That he’d loved her when she was still a mousy computer geek. Chad had no need to worry about the competition.

Someday, someday soon, she’d tell Chad that she’d fucked Gregg…that it was wonderful…that it was a one-time bookend to her first crush. It would be when she told him about Brittany, about her double identity as “Mistress Cheryl.” It was difficult to explain, but that night, after she lost her “Gregg-virginity,” after she’d firmly established control over Brittany…that night she had become Chad’s…and Chad’s alone.

Monday was as uneventful a day as Gregg could remember in recent history. The freshman seminar came and went since the class was taking a unit exam. Later in his office while Charli visited, taking the exam herself, he graded the tests. Despite Charli’s blossoming confidence and strength, she still had no desire to return to the classroom. Why would she? Chad was giving her the lecture notes and reviewing the materials and providing proper “rewards” for her academic performance. She would probably be well ahead of the class if Gregg was ahead in writing his exams. So, she was forced to continue apace with the rest of the students.

Laura was maintaining a solid B in the class, which was a considerable achievement since she was never before much of a student. She tried her hardest, but determination was only a piece of the overall learning-puzzle. No doubt she’d take it hard, but Gregg made a mental note to make sure she knew how proud he was of her efforts. She was probably going to stop by that afternoon to continue volunteering her filing services. She’d actually become an integral part of the team processing artifacts from the dig. Chad and Gregg handled much of the analysis, Chad also helped Charli with the software she was developing while they continued waiting on word from the Tunisian government regarding the fate of their dig. Laura shuttled papers and reports back and forth from Gregg’s office to the basement archives to Gregg’s apartment (aka, HQ). Her attention to detail and her desire to please Gregg kept the piles on his desk small and orderly. Heather’s free time had been bogarted by Professor Whyte, her business instructor, so she didn’t have much to do with the project anymore.

Gregg continued entering grades into the computer. Natalie’s test was also a B, and on closer inspection had the exact same answers as Laura. Gregg smiled. Natalie’s cheating had given them just another tool to use against her when he and Laura moved forward with their plan.

Brittany’s test was a D. She’d passed, but barely. Oh well, at least she had taken the test herself. Since Thursday, it seemed as if Brittany was going out of her way not to make a single misstep when it came to Gregg. Perhaps she was finally learning. Well, she was due to come over tonight for another of “Mistress Cheryl’s” sessions. She and Heather had concocted some crazy scenario and they were only giving him tantalizing hints as to what they’d do. Emily had filled them in on what had happened in their absence on Thursday, and they all had suggestions on what to do next. Heather would only say that Brittany was overdue for a checkup from Nurse Candy. The mere mention of that name caused Heather to blush and sigh, remembering that ultra-erotic night months ago when Emily (aka Nurse Candy) taught Gregg how to “play doctor.”

Heather looked at her watch again, cursing. As she weaved Laura’s SUV through traffic, she flipped open her cell phone. “Hey Charli. Listen, I’m running late. Professor Whyte kept me late. I love that she feels I have great business potential, but she’s killing me with all this extra reading…yeah, you’re right…yeah, I know, if I was reading my economics text at the game instead of Japanese poetry, I wouldn’t be behind…why the sudden interest in Japanese poetry?...it’s nothing…ask me again some other time. Right now I’m just trying to not die here on the toll way…Okay I’m here. I’ll call you on my way over and we’ll join Gregg and Emily as soon as we can….No, don’t worry, I’m sure they can entertain Brittany without us for a little while.”

Heather smiled as she closed the phone. She had no doubts whatsoever as to that pair’s ability to keep Brittany on edge. They both seemed to have their…what was a good word to describe it…charms?

She pulled into the parking lot of the small store front with the neon sign that said Custom Costumes and entered. “Hey Eric! You here? I need to pick up my order!”

A man with a heavy bandage across his nose, a definite black eye, one hand in a cast and walking with the help of cane limped out from behind the stacks. He looked at Heather and then quickly looked away, limping again over to the hanging rack. Taking down the garment bag with her ordered costumes, he laid them across the counter and began ringing her up, never daring to look her in the eye.

“Eric? It looks like you got hit by a truck! What the hell happened to you?”

Eric glanced up, but quickly returned to the task of punching numbers on his calculator.

“Eric? Hey! It’s me, Heather. Remember your old friend Heather? Would you stop that and LOOK AT ME!”

When she snatched away his calculator, he finally looked up, but not in anger…in sadness. “Eric, please, tell me what happened.”

He held onto the countertop and started to cry. Through broken sobs, he managed to say, “Heather, I’m so sorry…Vinnie came by last week…”

A cold fear clutched Heather’s heart as Eric told her about how Vinnie has spied on them, how he had found out that she was still getting outfits through him. How Vinnie and his henchman Paul had beaten him until he gave up her address. How Vinnie promised to kill his family if he ever told her what he knew.

Heather ran out of the store toward her car. Her hands fumbled with the keys, scratching the black paint around the lock. She finally managed to get inside and get to her cell phone, flipping it open and hurriedly dialing her apartment, where Gregg and Emily were. There was no answer. When her answering machine picked up, she hung up and dialed again. She knew they were there…why weren’t they answering?! Unless…

That thought only barely crossed her mind when an intense pain hit the side of head. She clutched her scalp but couldn’t find the source of the pain. It was like someone had hit her with a hammer, but she was alone in the car. Her vision blurred and just before she drifted into unconsciousness, she heard the sound of the car horn blaring as her head collapsed against the steering wheel.

Gregg was sitting on the couch in Heather’s apartment, reading an issue of the Journal of Higher Education. There was an article he was interested in on the style characteristics of successful academic journal writing. He was overdue to start publishing some results from his time at the dig, and was currently working on several drafts. It still bothered him that what evidence he’d uncovered so far didn’t match some of the dreams he’d been having…and he didn’t know which to believe. Regardless, one tip the article offered was to use a title with a colon. Something witty to get a reader’s attention, followed by a colon, then the typical boring explanation of what the article was about.

He was jotting down notes of some “witty” titles when the doorbell rang. He looked down at Emily who was reading from a text book on the floor and checked his watch. “They’re late. I guess we’ll have to entertain Brittany for a while until they get here.”

“You go ahead, I’ll join them when they arrive. Right now I really need to try to memorize the names of the key muscle groups. I have a test on Wednesday.” She bent her head again and closed her eyes, her lips silently speaking the obscure Latin words that would undoubtedly be on her next exam. Her hair was out of its characteristic ponytail and her dark brown hair was acting like a curtain, blocking out everything except the book in front of her. Gregg smiled, proud of her determination.

The doorbell rang again and Gregg walked to the intercom next to the door and asked “who it is?” He knew perfectly well who it was since everyone else had keys.

“B…Brittany,” came a soft voice.

Gregg thought nothing of it and buzzed her in. There was a knock at the apartment door and Gregg opened it. He expected her to be standing right in front of the door, but when he opened it, she was back a step and off to the side. Her face was expressionless. He managed to say “Come i—” when something black and hard cracked onto his skull.

Clutching his head in pain, Gregg staggered backward, the room spinning. He couldn’t focus, couldn’t keep the room still enough to stand.

“Gregg!!” Emily shrieked as he landed on top of her text book. She jumped up as two men entered the apartment, one holding a wicked looking police baton in a hand with an obnoxiously large pinky ring. Without thought she sprang to her feet and kicked high like she’d been taught in self-defense class. But it was futile.

Vinnie caught her foot, having had plenty of experience dealing with feisty women. “Ooh, Kitty’s got claws!” he said, laughing at her helplessness as he pushed her back a few steps on one foot.

“Let me go asshole!” she yelled, still hopping on one foot as her captor held the other.

Vinnie held her heel in one hand and her toe in another. His smile was filled with venom as he twisted her foot violently. There was an audible popping sound and Emily spun. She didn’t even have time to feel the pain from her broken foot because a heartbeat later her head crashed onto the tile floor of the entryway.

Brittany heard the sounds and almost threw up. She launched herself at Vinnie hitting him on the arm. It was a pathetic gesture. “No!! You promised you’d only scare them!”

Vinnie grabbed her by the hair and shoved her into the apartment. “Don’t they look scared? Now shut up or I’ll kill you too.”

Gregg was only just starting to get the triple-vision he was suffering through down to double-vision when he heard the double crack sounds from the doorway. He held onto the couch and saw Emily’s form lying on the tiles floor in front of him. There was a growing red pool flowing from where her head lay and her foot was twisted at an odd angle. He couldn’t think…couldn’t concentrate. All he knew was that he had to get to Emily.

Staggering, tripping, falling, crawling, he made his way toward her. He heard laughter and sobbing, and ringing…he couldn’t tell if it was his head or the phone. Finally, he made it to Emily’s limp form. His hand slipped in the puddle of blood mixed with her hair. He put his hand on her head and closed his eyes, trying to keep the room from spinning. Beneath his fingers, he could feel the open wound, feel the crack in her skull.

‘No, no NO!!’ he screamed to himself. He didn’t care what happened to him, but he had to save Emily. He just had to heal her in some way, take away her pain.

As he thought that, he felt a second knot growing on the side of his head. It grew and grew and became unbearable…but something told him to hang on to Emily, no matter what. White hot pain flashed through is head and he could feel fresh blood dripping from his scalp and into his eye. He screamed an inhuman cry of agony, but wouldn’t let go.

Vinnie had heard enough. You’d think this oversensitive book worm had never seen blood. Still that was no reason to shriek his head off. “Shut up!” Vinnie yelled, but Gregg’s cry of pain just got louder and louder. Vinnie looked over to Paul who just shrugged his shoulders. Not knowing what else to do Vinnie kicked Gregg hard in the stomach. The professor flew backward, releasing his grip on the girl’s head and finally being quiet.

The only sound in the apartment now was Brittany’s frightened sobbing. She didn’t care what this thug did with Heather. But he was only supposed to scare the professor away and help her unmask Mistress Cheryl. He had a whole elaborate plan where nobody got hurt…but it had all been a lie. Now Dr. Walters and Emily were both on the floor unconscious. No doubt, at the end of this nightmare, they’d all be dead…herself included. ‘What have I done…?’

“Paul, help me tie this fucker to that chair.” He grinned over at Brittany. “Hey Toots, ain’t ya loving this bit of irony? Isn’t this the chair he tied you to?” Brittany didn’t answer, too afraid to even blink.

Paul and Vinnie maneuvered Gregg’s body into the chair, using rope to secure him to the seat. Gregg’s head slumped forward, blood dripping off his brow onto his shoes. “Hmm, I didn’t think I hit him that hard! I guess all those books made his head soft!” Vinnie laughed the loudest at his own joke.

“What about the chick?” Paul asked, pointing to Emily’s body.

“I don’t know…throw her in the corner with ‘Crying Beauty’ over there.” Paul picked Emily up and dumped her in the corner next to Brittany. Brittany immediately put her arms around the girl, sobbing, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” into her hair. She held Emily close, her hand stroking the girl’s blood-soaked hair. It was strange, she realized through her fear-fog. She’d seen and heard Emily crash to the ground, saw the pool of blood come from her head…but as she sat there cradling Emily’s head in her hands, there was no evidence of an open wound.

“Aww, aren’t you two the cute couple,” Vinnie said mockingly. He took off his jacket and rolled up his left sleeve. Paul handed him a small black case from which he pulled a little medicinal vial and a syringe. He gave the cowering girl a mocking sinister smile. “This is prime grade shit. It’d be a shame to waste it all on Heather. I think there’s enough here to keep her docile plus a little left over help me celebrate.”

Vinnie used a rubber hose to tie off his arm. Tapping the inside of his elbow, he found a vein he liked and carefully inserted the needle. He injected only a small bit before taking it out and untying the tube. Brittany watched as his eyes rolled back and the euphoria hit him.

Smiling the silly smile of someone floating on heroin, he turned to Paul. “Go wait outside and greet our guest.”

“Sure thing boss,” he said, exiting the apartment.

Vinnie turned back to Brittany, carefully placing the needle next to the television. “I don’t think Heather will mind if we share a needle. After today, she’s going to be injected with plenty of other stuff…from plenty of other guys.” He laughed at his sick joke and stumbled over to the couch. The images of Heather getting fucked by a lot of guys was causing his pants to tent. He shamelessly stroked his cock through his silk slacks. Brittany watched him in fear and disgust…watched as his eyes became heavy.

“Don’t get any ideas bitch,” he said, looking at her through lidded eyes. He pulled out his gun and pointed it in her general direction. “I’m not falling asleep…You’d just better hope your friends arrive soon or I’m going to have to find a nice warm place to stick this.” He pointed as his dick with the barrel of the gun, and for some reason that made him laugh.

Brittany was sure she’d never heard a scarier sound.

The cell phone rang and Heather awoke, startled. She sat up, surprised that she was lying sideways across the emergency break separating the car’s two front seats. Groggily she answered the phone, “Yeah?”

“So, are you coming to pick me up or what?”

“Charli?”

“Yeah, who’d you expect?”

The conversation she’d had with Eric suddenly dawned on her and in a panic, she asked, “Charli, please tell me you’re still at Gregg’s apartment?”

“Of course I am. Chad’s playing Halo on his computer and Laura’s studying. I told them you and I were going out for a girl’s night…but he’s joking that I’ve been stood up. Should I head over to your place and meet you there?”

“NO!” Heather shouted, before she could rein herself in. “Uh, no. Don’t do that. Listen, promise me something: don’t go over to that apartment.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“I can’t explain right now, but please, please, please, just promise me you’ll stay away. I’ll explain everything as soon as I can.”

“Oookay,” Charli said dubiously. Something was obviously wrong, but she trusted Heather and would not disobey such as heated request.

“Thanks. I gotta go. I’ll try to call you later.” Heather didn’t even wait for a reply before she hung up. She turned on the car, and peeled out from the parking lot. ‘I hope I haven’t lost too much time.’

As she merged onto the toll way, she called the only person left she could trust.

By the time the front desk worker at the campus Rec Center found Rivkah, Heather was almost on campus. Rivkah was not one to surrender to anything easily, but in the last day or two, she’d been having trouble keeping food down. Still, she glowed. It didn’t matter if she was puking up organs, nothing could make her complain about her nausea, and what it signified.

“Yeah?” she asked into the receiver, popping yet another breath mint.

“Rivkah, thank God I found you.”

“Heather? What’s wrong Tatelah?”

“I…I can’t…I need your help. Gregg’s in trouble…probably Emily too…Oh God, I hope I’m not too late. If he…Oh God, oh GOD!”

Heather was becoming hysterical. “Heather! Listen to me. Get here to the Rec center. Focus on driving. If Gregg’s in trouble, you won’t do him any good killing yourself on the highway!”

Rivkah’s words cut through her panic like a knife. Blinking back tears, she sniffed, “Y…you’re right. I’ll be…be right there. I’m exiting now.”

Five minutes later, Heather was ushered into Rivkah’s office, a small room with a desk, a few chairs, some posters on target heart rates and nutrition. In one of the chairs was Rivkah, in another was her husband, E’dan.

Heather didn’t expect to see the big man, but she was glad he was there. Rivkah sat Heather in a chair and handed her a paper cup with water. “Now, tell us what’s going on.”

It was painful and humiliating. The secret she’d kept so dearly from everyone but Gregg, her years stripping, her dangerous former manager, her friend Cathy who had saved her only to become Vinnie’s virtual slave in the process. She told them how Vinnie had found them at a restaurant and how Gregg had broken Vinnie’s jaw. She was strangely calm as she unfolded her whole story, almost robot like. It was as if she were talking about a movie she had seen instead of events unfolding in her life this instant. She only spoke for a few minutes, but it felt like hours. Rivkah and E’dan sat impassively, taking in everything she said. If they were ashamed of her, they gave no indication. Nor did she care. All that mattered was saving Gregg and Emily.

“Why don’t you call the police?”

“Because Gregg will be dead before they arrive. His only chance is for me to rescue him.” Rivkah cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. “Really. I don’t know who he knows, but if I call the police, odds are he’ll be gone before they arrive and Gregg will be dead, Emily too.” It was odd, but Heather was sure both Rivkah and E’dan smiled.

“Okay,” E’dan said. “We believe you. Besides, they’re on our property and we’ve got a right to defend it. I’ve got a plan.” E’dan laid it out, not giving too much detail. Since he didn’t know how many people were there or where they were, they’d have to improvise. Heather watched their body language with some horror. They were barely containing their giddiness.

For the first time in years, the ex-Mossad agents were going on a mission…

Paul stood outside the two-flat, pacing back and forth, smoking a cigarette and trying to look nonchalant. He didn’t know from which side Heather would arrive, the front door or from the back alley, or even whether she’d show up in a car or by foot. She lived walking distance from campus, but these days a short distance wasn’t an excuse not to drive.

Another black SUV drove down the block. He was sure this was the second or third one he’d seen since standing out there. ‘Man, it seems like everyone owns one these days.’ He wasn’t nervous, he was just pacing in order to try to keep an eye on the entire house. The first part of the plan had gone well. No alarms were sounded and there was no reason to suspect that Heather wouldn’t just show up, like on any other evening. According to the girl, Brittany, there was no doubt that Heather would be part of this crowd…especially tonight. Brittany seemed to hold a special hatred for the fiery redhead. Paul couldn’t understand why, it looked like she was enjoying herself, even if she wouldn’t admit it. But once Vinnie got her going, the litany of vitriolic things she vowed to do would make Wes Craven gag…but the girl thought they were just going to scare her…too bad. Paul liked her looks and hoped Vinnie decided to keep her.

Another black SUV drove by. Paul wasn’t sure if it was the same one as before, but these days every other schmuck and soccer mom owned one. This time it pulled over and after a few seconds both front doors opened. Heather along with a very attractive older lady with black hair pulled back into a long braid exited. Paul knew that once Heather saw him, and that she’d recognized him. After all, he’d been Vinnie’s right hand man for years. Hopefully the dames would come quietly. He’d hate to have to teach them a lesson.

Heather took a deep breath and walked with her companion toward her front door. “Hi Paul, long time no see. To what do I owe the honor?”

Heather looked scared. That was good. He’d be surprised if she didn’t. “Vinnie’d like to…” he took a long leisurely look up and down her body, “…see you.”

“Cut the crap, Paul. What have you done with Gregg? With Emily?” Rivkah looked over at Heather, her frown sending a silent, “what are you doing?” at Heather. But Heather didn’t care. To hell with the plan. She needed to know if Gregg was all right. “If you’ve hurt them, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Bludgeon me to death with those fabulous ta-tas? If I were you, I’d begin worrying more about yourself than your egghead boyfriend.” He looked over at Rivkah who stood there with her arms crossed under her large bosom. The woman had taken in the whole exchange and her only reaction was to raise one eyebrow. Normally this type of banter have pretty bitches like these crying. “What’s your story toots? Are you paralyzed or just stupid? You picked the wrong day to get a ride home with your girlfriend.”

Rivkah didn’t react. That upset Paul. So, he pulled out his switchblade and let it snap open. He held the tip just inches away from her face. Still she didn’t move. “Maybe I should carve you out a new pair of dimples…maybe that will get a reaction?”

“I wouldn’t do that,” she said, all too calmly.

“Yeah, why not?”

Suddenly a large hand grabbed his wrist from behind. He reached for his gun with the other but a second hand grabbed his other arm and held him tightly. A split second later, Rivkah slammed the heel of her hand into Paul’s sternum. He bent forward, as much as E’dan would let him, trying to breath. But his chest just would work. She then roundhouse kicked, sending the now unconscious Paul sprawling onto the lawn. It happened so fast that Heather was sure that when she blinked, she missed half of it. As if she hadn’t moved an inch, Rivkah was still again standing there with her arms still crossed.

“Because I’m not a big fan of dimples…that’s why.” E’dan’s shoes were caked with mud and he had leaves and twigs stuck to his shirt from where he’d snuck through the neighbor’s bushes. After they took an exploratory drive around the block, E’dan hopped out around the corner and snuck through several yards so he could sneak up behind what appeared to be the only guard. Heather knew Paul, and was pretty sure the sight of two beautiful women would be enough to distract him while E’dan took him from behind.

Rivkah smiled at her husband’s witty answer. She gave him a smoldering look that hinted at the promise of celebration once this little game was over.

‘Jesus, this is just foreplay for them!’ Heather thought unbelievingly. “I’m…I’m sorry. I know I wasn’t supposed to say anything…but…”

“Shh. It’s okay Tatelah.” Rivkah walked over to the body and pushed him onto his back with her foot. Using her foot like a third hand, she deftly unsnapped his gun holster with the toe of her shoe and then kicked his gun into the neighbor’s bushes.

“Why’d you do that? We should use it to get Gregg back!”

Heather was already stomping toward the bushes, when a big hand grabbed her arm. “No Heather. No guns. We don’t know what’s going to happen down there. The last thing any of us want is our fingerprints on a gun…and trust me, once you squeeze that trigger, you can’t get that bullet back.” The sadness in E’dan’s eyes left no room for Heather to argue. They’d gotten her this far…best to trust them the rest of the way.

While E’dan held Heather in place, Rivkah scouted around the perimeter, peeking into windows as she went. After she’d completed a full circuit, she said, “I told you we should get thicker curtains. You can see everything through these. They don’t even close very well!” E’dan rolled his eyes as if to say, ‘we’ll discuss home improvements later, dear!’ “Anyway, it looks like it’s just your man Vinnie and Gregg. I don’t see Emily anywhere. Gregg’s tied to a chair in the middle of the living room.”

Heather closed her eyes and breathed a silent prayer that Emily decided to stay at Loyola and study rather than come to the ESU campus to take part in the night’s festivities. She doubted it as soon as she thought it, but the alternative was just not something she could dwell on at that moment. She looked up and saw that Rivkah and E’dan were thinking the same thing. Emily had held a special place in their hearts over the past months.

“Okay,” Rivkah said, “it’s up to you now. Just get him to turn his back to the front door and we’ll take care of the rest. No muss, no fuss. Got it?”

Heather nodded and went to the front door, but not before giving Paul a harsh kick in the ribs as he lay sprawled out on the lawn. She took a deep breath to steady herself and entered. The only thing that kept her from collapsing in fear was the knowledge that Rivkah and E’dan would be following a little ways behind her.

She walked down the half flight and stood before her apartment door. It was ajar and she pushed it the rest of the way open. Vinnie was standing in the middle of the room and spun when he heard the door creak. He took a step closer and finally Heather saw Gregg, bound to the chair, blood dripping from his forehead onto his shoes. Heather gasped, tears filling her eyes. She covered her mouth to stifle her own scream. She was too late. Looking down, she saw the pool of blood on her living room floor, and she couldn’t move. She heard a sniffle from the corner and she glanced up. Brittany was in the corner, under the window, out of sight of the window, eyes red from crying. The girl’s shirt and hands were bloody and in her lap, she cradled Emily, who looked as if half her face had been dipped in blood. Heather’s knees gave out. All traces of a plan were gone. All she saw was the death of everyone she loved.

“Tsk, tsk. Heather. C’mon. I know it’s been a long time, but really hon, there’s no need to kneel before me…yet.” He looked at the open doorway. “Where’s Paul? I thought he’d enjoy this.”

Both Gregg and Emily were breathing. That single fact helped Heather quickly regain some of her senses. Wiping her tears, she stood again. “He…he said you and I would want some alone time…with me…”

“Ahh, Pauly…what a gentleman. I’m definitely going to have to give him a reward…maybe your cheerleader friend there in the corner.” Brittany winced, shaking with a new round of fear.

“What do you want Vinnie? Why are you doing this? You’ve got me, why don’t you let them go?”

“You know what I want. Hell, looks like I’ve gotten what I want! I win. So right now, I all I just want to savor the moment.”

“What…what are you going to do?”

He glanced over toward the TV, and Heather saw the filled syringe. She knew his M.O. Once he got her hooked on heroin, she’d be much easier to control.

“I was planning on using that to keep you agreeable, but now I think I’m going to save that for later. I want you totally lucid so you can enjoy every minute of this. You’re fucking boyfriend broke my jaw, and now he’s going to pay. Too bad I busted open his skull…I’m sure he would have loved to see this. All the same, I’m just going to pretend he’s awake.” Vinnie grabbed a fistful of Gregg’s hair and pulled back. Blood poured freely from a nasty gash in his scalp and his eyes rolled back into his head. Vinnie let go and Gregg’s head lolled limply to his chest. Heather once again covered her mouth to keep from screaming. She could see Gregg’s lips moving, but he obviously wasn’t awake. It was barely a whisper, but Heather was certain she heard him saying “not worthy…I’m not…worthy…failed.”

Vinnie heard him also, and patted Gregg on the cheek. “That’s right sport. You certainly ain’t worthy of this fine piece of ass. But now she’s mine.”

He turned back to Heather who was still kneeling on the floor, her hands wringing nervously, hoping Vinnie would turn his back to the doorway sometime soon. “Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to kneel in front of lover boy here. And with your head in his lap, I’m going to fuck you. Then you’re going to take your special medicine and come home with me. If my dick likes you, we’ll leave bookboy here alive…although I don’t know if he’ll do much more than drool on himself. It’s that or your cheerleader friend will be washing bits of his brains out of her hair.”

Heather knew she had to play along. ‘Just do as he says and let him get behind you…then his back will be to the door and this nightmare will end.’

Kneeling in front of Gregg, she rested her hands on his thighs, then her head. ‘Please wake up, Gregg,’ she thought as hard as she could. ‘Please Gregg, I need you…’

She felt her skirt being lifted over her ass. With a harsh yank, Vinnie ripped off her panties. Rather than tossing them away, he stuffed them in his pocket. No doubt a memento of tonight’s conquest. She felt Vinnie kneel behind her, felt a hand on her asscheek caressing her almost lovingly. Then she felt the barrel of a gun pressed against the back of her head. ‘Please, Gregg…’

There was a squeak behind them. Without thinking, Vinnie’s gun arm swung. Heather heard an audible thud and saw Rivkah collapse onto the floor beside them holding her stomach. Rivkah’s sneaker must have made the noise on the wet tile. Vinnie had surprised her with his wild swing into her gut. The plan was falling apart with each millisecond.

An inhuman cry of rage came from the door as E’dan saw his wife on the floor holding her stomach. His yell of fury held all fear of a man watching his most precious possession…possessions being destroyed. The big man charged, but Vinnie was faster. He brought up his gun and squeezed the trigger.

If not for Rivkah’s kick to Vinnie’s side at that moment, the shot would have been a sure kill. Her quick thinking had thrown his aim off just enough so that the bullet only grazed E’dan’s arm and spun him backward rather than making a hole in his chest. Heather rolled away from Gregg onto the floor, holding her head in her hands.

Before either Rivkah or E’dan could follow through, there was a loud sound of wood splintering and Vinnie was suddenly being held off the ground. Everyone in the room looked up to see Gregg standing, holding Vinnie by the throat with an outstretched arm. The remains of the wood chair that he was bound to moments before were at his feet, along with the slack rope that was used to tie him. Vinnie swung his gun around, but Gregg intercepted his wrist, twisting it until they heard a sickening snap and his gun dropped from limp fingers. Vinnie tried to shout but Gregg’s grasp had effectively cut off his air supply.

Gregg took two steps forward and pinned Vinnie against the wall with an audible thunk, his head less than a foot from the ceiling. Like a bug caught in tweezers, Vinnie scratched at Gregg’s arm with his only working hand and kicked wildly with his dangling legs. If Gregg felt anything, he gave no indication. He only sneered and tightened his grip, staring unblinkingly at the man who’d caused so much harm to the people he loved. Powerful waves of mental energy were boring into Vinnie’s skull, pure hatred and contempt and fear. Vinnie’s eyes were rolling backward and his face was turning a deep purple.

Without warning, Gregg’s grip relaxed and Vinnie crumpled to the floor. On the wall near the ceiling was a bloody smear from the back of Vinnie’s head. Everyone stared first at him, then at Gregg who was swaying drunkenly on his feet. Heather screamed when his knees folded and he collapsed yet again. Luckily Rivkah managed to catch him before he hit his head on the floor.

It was suddenly silent. The whole fight couldn’t have lasted more than a minute. Gregg, Vinnie, and Emily were all unconscious. Brittany was still holding Emily in the corner, strangely quiet. She’d witnessed Gregg rising seemingly from the dead, saw him shatter the chair like it was made from toothpicks. With icy understanding, she realized that all this time, she’d been fearing the wrong person. Rivkah was already on her feet, wrapping E’dan’s shirt around the gash in his arm.

“Heather? Heather!” Rivkah was taking control, everyone else was in shock. Heather looked up, blinking, trembling. “Heather, this is what we’re going to do. No doubt the police are on their way. Someone for sure heard that gunshot. E’dan and I really can’t talk with the police. If our names got associated with this, there’d be questions…questions we can’t answer right now.” Heather knew about their Mossad past…no doubt they had a long list of enemies.

“Brittany, you should probably leave too. It will be too difficult to explain what you were doing here.” Brittany nodded dumbly. She just wanted to get out. “Now Heather, listen carefully. Here’s what you’re going to say happened: Vinnie stalked you, followed you and Emily home. He knocked Emily out and tried to rape you. Gregg walked in, they scuffled, and in the melee the gun went off, and both got knocked unconscious.”

“Wha…What about Paul…outside?”

E’dan got up, wincing and holding his arm to his side. He trotted out to the front door. A moment later he came back. “No sign of him. He must have run.”

Rivkah went into Heather’s bedroom and pulled out a sweatshirt with a hood. “Brittany, pull your hair back and put this on. Pull the hood up to hide your face as best you can. E’dan and I will drop you off at the sorority house. We’ll take L- um…Heather’s SUV. Best if it’s not at the scene. We’re going to have to go out the back door and walk around the block so no one suspects us. In the meantime, you call 9-1-1 and get the police and some ambulances here. It will look strange if you don’t call.” Brittany thought it strange that Heather’s SUV shouldn’t be at the scene, but she wasn’t going to argue. They were getting her out of this hell-hole.

Everyone just stared at Rivkah, not moving. “HOP TO IT PEOPLE! The police will be here any minute. Heather do you have the story straight?” Heather nodded, wiping away another tear, Gregg’s blood leaving a smear under her eye.

With that, Rivkah and E’dan bundled up the still numb Brittany and led her out back. Heather was glad Rivkah didn’t mention that the car belonged to Laura. Hopefully, Brittany wouldn’t recognize it. In her current state, she probably wouldn’t recognize anything.

She picked up her cell phone and called 9-1-1. She explained what happened and begged for medical help. The operator wanted to keep her on the line, but Heather closed her phone. Looking at the three prone bodies, a chill ran through her. She opened the phone and dialed again.

“Yeah, Charli…It’s Heather…Listen to me, and don’t ask any questions right now. Go to University hospital and wait for me. Bring Chad and Laura. Gregg and Emily were…were hurt. They’ll be arriving shortly. Something…something h…h…happened. Look, there’s going to be a lot of press. Just don’t talk to anybody until I get there. I’ll explain as soon as I can.” She hung up with Charli still trying to ask questions.

There was now no noise. In her hand her phone was crusted with blood from her hand. Idly she realized that her skirt was still up and she pulled it down over her naked ass with trembling hands. Crawling on all fours, she moved next to Gregg, rested her head on his chest, and started to cry. In the distance, she could hear sirens approaching.

David sat in Merriam’s dorm room, eating a slice of pizza, flipping through TV channels, trying to find something entertaining. For the past several days, he’d made plans to find some way to “accidentally” run into Heather, but each time he was ready to do so, he’d distract himself with another line of coke or a shot of heroin. He was fully off the wagon again, living only for eating, sex, and drugs. It was just like being in Amsterdam. Drugs were certainly as easy to find! He hadn’t opened a window or seen the outside in days.

An hour ago, in a moment of clarity, and maybe a little remorse, he allowed Brian, Christine, and Merriam to shower and go out for dinner. He knew they wouldn’t escape and they’d be back later tonight. His mental controls had seen to that. However, he didn’t expect that Merriam would refuse to go. Apparently, she blamed the situation she was in on her sister, and she would rather stay in the dorm with her abusers than be seen in public with Christine. That hurt Christine worse than anything David or Adam had done to her yet to date, and the first real tears of sadness in months fell down her cheeks. She had managed to shut herself off completely emotionally, the only armor she had to survive what her life had become, and this was the first chink.

So, while David tried to watch TV, Adam slept and Merriam lay huddled on her mattress, possibly sleeping, possibly crying. Her back was to him and he really didn’t care. The thrill of getting Christine to fuck her sister was starting to get boring. He stopped on some random local channel, a cute weather girl pointing to a map of Chicago. On the card table in front of him was a bottle of tequila, a small mirror with three lines of coke, and a couple of joints. “Hmm, choices, choices, choices…” Of course, he could also use Merriam again. The thought was appealing.

As he was thinking about this oh-so-crucial decision, he happened to glance back up at the TV. Immediately he fumbled for the remote and increased the volume.

“This just in, there’s been a shooting on the ESU campus. Sources say it was an off-campus residence, but they’re not releasing names yet. It appears as if one, possibly two students, a faculty member, and a local businessman with suspected mob connections were involved. From what we can gather at this time, it seems the ESU faculty member was going to this resident to meet with some former students about a project when he walked in on their attackers. He and one student were badly injured, but they’re all alive. My sources say he teaches archeology. I guess you could say he’s a real-life Indiana Jones. No doubt, for these students, he’s a real hero. Back to you Jim.” The story didn’t interest David, but the camera did manage to get a shot of what appeared to be Dr. Walters being wheeled out on a stretcher. He was followed into the ambulance by a shapely redhead. She was disheveled, and had red smudges on her face. She was trying to block the camera with her hand as she was helped on board, but David knew her immediately. It was his first real glimpse of her in months.

Finally all the planning and hoping and delaying were put aside. He needed to see her. Needed to have her. He’d visit her at the hospital in the morning…comfort her…take her.

“Wake up bitch. I gotta an itch I need you to scratch.” Merriam turned around, her eyes red from crying. David grabbed her by the ears and pulled her mouth onto his very hard cock. She started sucking and did her best not to choke. “Just think, maybe tomorrow I’ll be done with you cunts…you and your sister both.”

It was the first real hope Merriam had had in days that this nightmare may soon be over.

“Heather?” A doctor came out from the closed ICU ward.

The whole gang was in the waiting room. Even Rivkah and E’dan. For someone who’d gotten shot, he looked perfectly fine, although he was favoring his left arm. After they’d dropped Brittany off, they’d headed over to Gregg’s apartment. Charli and company had already left, which was good because they probably didn’t want to watch her clean and sew up his wound. She’d done it more times than she could count when they were in Israel. He just smiled at her the whole time. He’d have yet another scar, but that didn’t seem to bother him. More than anything, he was relieved that Vinnie’s punch to Rivkah’s stomach was high on her abdomen. It had caught her by surprise and she was sure it hadn’t done any damage to their special package. Besides, she only learned she was pregnant a week ago…Their baby couldn’t be much bigger than the head of pin right now and was safely nestled away far below where she’d been hit. Needle and thread sewing his arm shut never made him cry…but his relief that their baby was okay did.

The worst had passed. It had been six or seven hours since Gregg and Emily were brought in, but everyone refused to leave…more for Heather than for anything else. After she arrived and the doctors said they’d both be fine, and were currently sleeping, she explained everything to her friends. To her vast relief, no one said anything critical. The fact that she was once a stripper, something she had hid from them for so long, was a non-issue. She felt ashamed at how she’d underestimated her friends, and they held her as she broke into a new wave of tears.

“Heather?” the doctor said again and this time she heard him. She walked over to him, everyone’s eyes on her.

“I’m Heather.”

“Good…good.” Heather smiled a bit as the doctor gave her what he hoped was an unnoticed looking over. Somethings never changed. “Listen, Gregg listed you as his emergency contact, so I guess I’ll be talking to you. We put Gregg and Emily in the same room as you requested…it seems you were listed as HER emergency contact also…We usually don’t put males and females in the same room, but as long as you say it’s okay…”

Heather nodded.

“Listen, you should go home. There’s nothing more you can do here tonight.”

Heather simply shook her head no. Her friends had brought her a change of clothing and the nurses allowed her to use their shower room to wash the blood off…but only after the police were done taking samples, and the doctors were sure she had no cuts of her own. “No, I want to be here when they wake up.”

“Well, that probably won’t be until morning. Gregg has a couple nasty gashes on his head. We’re going to take him for an MRI in the morning. There doesn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with Emily – no cuts or bruises that I can see. She had a lot of blood on her, and it matched with hers…but I’ll be damned if I know where it came from.”

“Thank you doctor…but if it’s all the same to you, I’ll wait here. Please let me know when either of them wakes up.”

Heather was about to turn back to the waiting room, when the doctor caught her arm. He stared at her, seeming to consider whether or not he should ask something. Finally, he made his decision. “Heather…are those two…well, are they intimate?”

Heather was surprised by the question. What did that have to do with anything? Emily wasn’t his student, and she didn’t even go to ESU…but a campus ethics committee might not care. Carefully, she nodded once. “Why?”

“Well, it’s the strangest thing. They were checked out and brought into the room and put in their own beds. But when our nurses checked on them a little while later, Emily was found sleeping in Gregg’s bed, holding him in her arms. She was still asleep, and didn’t wake when we picked her up and put her back in her bed.”

Heather looked at him quizzically, but said nothing.

“An hour later, we checked them again and sure enough she was back in his bed…asleep. Again she didn’t wake when we moved her or respond when we shook her or called her name. Just to be safe, we put her arms in restraints.”

Heather winced at this.

“But I just checked on them myself and this time Emily somehow got out from her restraints and was not only in bed with Gregg, but she…she…well…” The doctor was having a hard time finishing this sentence. “Heather, she was laying on top of him and his…well, his penis was inside her…They weren’t moving or doing anything, and she wouldn’t wake when I shook her. In her sleep she was gripping tightly to him and I couldn’t pry her fingers off him. I haven’t mentioned this to anybody and thought I’d come out here and see if you knew anything that could help…this…this just isn’t acceptable.”

Heather started laughing. It started as a slight chuckle, but it fed on itself and soon Heather was holding her side, laughing hard. Her friends looked up at her as if she’d finally gone nuts. For some reason, after everything she’d been through, this was suddenly the funniest thing imaginable. She could hardly breathe she was laughing so hard. Holding onto the doctor for balance, she finally got a hold of herself after some considerable effort.

“Can…Can I see them? Please?” she asked, wiping away tears.

“Yeah, I guess so…but be warned, they’re just as I left them.”

“That’s fine,” Heather said, still chuckling. “Oh, doctor, I’ve been meaning to ask. The other guy that came in with us…Vinnie…what’s happened to him?”

“Oh…well, I guess it’s all right if I tell you. Your boy there, the hero, well, he must have knocked a few screws loose in Vinnie’s head. They guy’s totally spilling his guts to anyone who’ll listen. Everything from rape to murder to his mob connections to a quarter he stole in elementary school. We had to sedate him just to get him to shut up. Even if just a fraction of the stuff he’s confessing to checks out, he’ll be going away for a long time…some of his friends too, I’m sure. We got him locked safely away in the psych ward for now.”

“Thank you doctor.” She followed him to their room and opened the door. He left them alone to check on other patients.

The room was dark, but there was enough light coming through the small window on the door that Heather could clearly see Emily resting on top of Gregg. Heather peeked under the bed sheet coving them and sure enough, Gregg’s fully erect cock was comfortably nestled inside Emily. Neither of them seemed to be awake.

She pulled a chair next to the bed and just watched them for long minutes. Gregg’s head was wrapped in a bloody bandage and he had tubes sticking out from his arm. The heart monitor beeped in time with his pulse – slow and steady. Seeing them there, both victims of her dark past caught up with, was more than she could handle. She started to cry again. All her shame renewed. They could have been killed, and it was all her fault.

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She pulled her knees up to her chin and just rocked in her chair, repeating the words over and over as she cried.

Finally her tears were used up. Putting her feet back on the ground she leaned forward and gently combed her fingers through Emily’s loose hair. It had been cleaned and there was no trace of blood anymore. Heather brushed the hair over Emily’s ear, pulling it off her sleeping face. While she kept her hand on the girl’s cheek, she looked over at Gregg. Gently she held the side of his face, her thumb brushing his cheek.

The room suddenly became warm…or at least it felt that way. She tried to sit back, but her hands wouldn’t move from either Gregg’s or Emily’s face. As if she were the final piece of a puzzle, she felt complete, as if they were waiting for her to show up. Heather could feel her strength leaving her, but it didn’t scare her. She knew that Emily and Gregg were drawing it from her. Opening herself up to the sensation, she let them take all they could.

Was it real, was it a dream? It didn’t matter. She opened her eyes and realized she’d fallen asleep, her head resting on Emily’s shoulder. She pulled back and looked at the bed. Emily was still asleep, but there was a faint smile on her face. She looked down and Gregg’s eyes were open. She caught his gaze and he smiled. A tear fell from the corner of his eye.

Heather pulled back, needing to tell the doctor that Gregg was awake, but Emily’s hand shot out and grabbed a hold of Heather’s hand as it slid down her shoulder. The girl was still asleep, but her grip was firm. Heather sat back down and pulled Gregg’s hand into hers as well, so that she clasped Gregg’s and Emily’s hands in her own. She cried and kissed both of their fingers, holding them against her cheek. When she looked back at Gregg, his eyes were closed, asleep again.

The doctors could wait.