7.
Val sat a little longer in his car in the university parking lot near Nancy's office. Dropping in cold on her like this was idiotic but he desperately needed her help or to know he had to do this alone, his project with the girl.
This morning at breakfast ("Pretend the milk is cum" had gotten a lopsided grin) he'd asked her if she liked porn. She'd shrugged. Would she like to make porn? That got a nod.
So she was the star, he the photographer, when Bert and his pals dropped by. He promised Bert a copy of the photos to show around; the girl was positively glowing at that idea. Before Val left he showed her how to use the computer, created a Yahoo account for her and let her loose in Yahoo groups with a horde of photos to share with her new friends.
Leaving the apartment and seeing her there, at the desk, engrossed and unselfconscious, she looked adorable. Knowing that she'd forced down a half a bowl of cereal because he wanted her to eat was nice too.
He had to quit dawdling and bite the bullet. He left the car, walked across the parking lot and entered Nancy's building. Classes didn't start for two weeks but the campus wasn't uninhabited. In early September a mass of confused freshmen would rush about, most of them a little lost, some more than a little.
Several of the staff in Nancy's department shared one secretary, Dot, who was retirement age but not throwing in the towel. Dot, in spite of her age, added an aura of immaturity to the hallowed, and way too quiet, academic halls.
"Nancy in?" Val asked.
"You, young man, are on the persona non grata list." Dot leaned forward. "What did you do?"
"It's all a big misunderstanding. I need to talk to her."
Dot picked up her coffee cup and left the desk. "I wasn't here. Good luck."
Val knocked on the open door's frame. "Five minutes? Could I ask that?"
Nancy pushed the papers to the sides of the desk. "Must we?"
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think so. Honestly."
"Five minutes." Nancy leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms.
Val sat in one of the hot seats. Nancy was loved by her students, but not for being easy. She expected them to work hard, very hard. No excuses.
"Okay, I . . ."
"I'm timing you," Nancy said.
"I need your help. The young woman you saw was dumped on me by Bob and his friends." Nancy smiled; it wasn't a friendly smile. Val could imagine an Aztec priest smiling like that as he prepared to flay the skin from a writhing victim. "She, I don't know how to put this."
"Try." Again that smile.
"If I didn't take her in, she would have been cast off. Left in a park or bus station. Naked as you saw her, she had no clothes, probably chained, and . . ." Val shrugged.
Nancy tapped her watch.
"For the past several weeks all she's had for nourishment has been piss or semen. A lot of piss and semen. She's a strange woman. She wants, or thinks she wants, this. She doesn't talk. Never says no, no one knows her name, and is voracious sexually.
"Yesterday we got clothes for her at the mall. Later she took exception to something I said, left me and I found her, very, very busy in one of the mall's men's restrooms. At first I thought she's crazy but she isn't. There's a system, an order, to her behavior." He paused.
"Remember that film we saw? Y Tu Tambien Mama? Where the young woman discovers she has cancer and is dying and goes on that crazy trip with the two dimwitted teenaged guys. Sex for her was an attempt to taste everything life has to offer before her end. For the guys it was scoring, a competition without meaning or purpose. Except to score higher than the other males in their group.
"I think she's like that. Something happened to her and she's dived into life in the only way she can. Surrounded by dimwits.
"She had a bowl of cereal this morning. A concession on her part. She's willing, for the moment, to stay at my house. I haven't touched her. She knows about you, doesn't like it but accepts the fact.
"She was in the tub Monday morning because I put her there. I chained her to the faucet because I didn't want the responsibility of caring for her. I was hoping you could help when you got back. You know people and places where she could go. Where she'd be respected as a human being instead of as a willing orifice. I was hoping . . ."
"Two minutes left."
"I can't do this by myself, Nancy. I'm not good enough." She gave that smile.
Val stopped talking and looked around the room. "I hate for the three years we had together, my feelings for you, everything to end this way. All because of a screwed up attempt to not seriously screw up. I don't think I could have done it differently, the finer points, yes. But . . ." Val stopped. He could tell it was over by the look on her face. "I'm done."
Nancy clapped her hands in a very slow, prissy way. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. "You still get an F, Mr. Stanos."
"Is the F for failure, or is for fuckhead? Nancy, I wouldn't have done what I did any differently. There are parts where I have done things that have made me terribly ashamed. She's forgiven me. I thought you would too."
"Your five minutes are up, Mr. Stanos."
"This is the condemned man's last speech, Ms Dexter. I'm allowed that, aren't I? I'll put your things in a box and drop it by here sometime this week. I'll leave it with Dot. I . . ."
"Put them in a box and mail it. Don't come here. Don't call me. Don't email me, don't stalk me. I'll slap you with an injunction so fast you'll be knocked silly." She gave that smile.
Val stood. "Could you give me something about battered women centers nearby? Anything that might help her?"
"Try the phone book. I'm busy, Mr. Stanos. Good day." Nancy brought papers back to the center of her desk and ignored him.
Val stood in the doorway, studied her for a moment, said goodbye silently, to himself, not to her, she wasn't listening.
Dot was back at her desk, looked up at him, her face became serious.
Val drew his thumb across his neck. "Like that. I'm history. It's been nice knowing you, Dot."
She nodded, watched him leave.
He sat in his car for a few minutes. Worked the kinks out of his hands and jaw. He felt like he'd been in a fight - bruised all over. The adrenaline was all gone. He was in that flat space that is all past, no future.
The last few minutes with Nancy had altered the three years they'd been together, all the memories were touched by something sour. He'd never seen her like this, would have held back more if he'd known.
He started his car and began the drive home. Part of his mind was occupied with Nancy, their past, and the scene in the office. Part of his mind was occupied with the girl. She'd never told him whether she wanted it hard or soft. She'd get it hard. Not like when he slapped her. That was lack of control Hard was control with force, but force wasn't the right word. Impetus? Something like that. Soft was ballet, hard was a slam dance.
Options he'd considered fell away, new ones appeared.
He stopped at Burger King to pick up a lunch. Probably not organic like piss and cum, probably laden with chemicals and fat. She'd get used to it. Just like he was getting used to seeing her wallowing so joyfully in her degradation. Piss and cum. He smiled.
Actually this was the easiest way. Perdition. The destruction of everything in himself he'd thought good.
He parked the car in front of the apartment, carried the bags in one hand, his key in the other. For a moment he was afraid she'd be gone. Then everything would have been for naught. He opened the door; she was still at the computer. She turned, he said, "Is that drool I see?"
She touched her chin, smiled and shrugged. She pointed to him, pointed to her mouth. "Ummm."
"You're supposed to leap in my arms. I'm supposed to yell, honey, I'm home. I have burgers. We can eat there, by the computer."
Val pulled up a chair; she moved hers a little to the side. For the first time he noticed her smell, saw her ear had been pierced. He sorted out their meal.
The girl opened her sandwich and frowned. She pointed to him, to her sandwich and gave a hopeful grin.
Not right now, Em. You'll have to pretend. I've been thoroughly emasculated, cut loose, no more girlfriend."
She pointed to her breast.
"Because of you? No. We saw things in each other we didn't like. You were the catalyst, not the cause. I think they were always there." He changed the pitch of his voice. "Ready for excitement this afternoon? Shopping. A surprise. And a question. Would it bother you if I made a little money off your . . . hunger?" He raised an eyebrow.
She flung her arm around him and jiggled and squealed.
8.
Val had explained his plans for this afternoon along with incentives to make the girl's shopping ordeal palatable. They were in Goodwill and both were looking for a variety of presentable slutty costumes.
Her heart really wasn't in it until she found a skimpy black miniskirt. After that she began to search in earnest. They each had an armful of clothes for her to try on and carried them into one of the changing rooms. Val leaned against the wall and watched her try one item after another. The cotton summer dress fit, a print top fit but didn't go with anything else so it was put on the discard pile. The miniskirt looked great, she was trying on more tops when Val's cellphone rang.
"Hello," Val said.
"Val, that's you, isn't it? This is Bert."
"Hi, Bert. Thanks for calling."
"Everything okay?"
"Fantastic. We're at the thrift store and she's trying on clothes now. Want to say hi to Bert?" He held the cellphone to her.
"Ummm," she said with a smile.
"Hi, sweetie. Put me back with Val."
"Bert, I need to go out this evening and I wondered if you wanted to borrow her for a few hours. Say from six to eleven. You can do whatever you want, but it's fifty bucks an hour." He gave the girl a wink. She flipped up her skirt showing him her pussy. She pointed to him and then touched her slit. "Not now, Em."
"She's a cutie pie, isn't she? I don't know, Val."
"Anything you want, as long as she's back by eleven and in one piece."
"That would be . . ."
"Two fifty. I know it's a lot and it's short notice and if you can't, that's okay."
"Anything?"
"Put her on the street at Central by Kinko's if you want."
The girl pointed to her mouth. "Ummm."
Val nodded to her. "Anything. As long as she comes back in one piece."
"I don't know. Anything?"
"Anything. Listen, can you operate a video camera? I'll loan you mine. Bring it back with great video and I won't charge you a dime. The batteries need to be charged, but if you set up where there's an outlet you can film for hours. It's digital. Brand new." He was buying it later this afternoon.
"Anything?"
"What are you thinking of?"
"I don't know."
"Need an idea? Call up all your friends and have a party somewhere. Even a motel. Hell, invite guys off the street. Don't get busted, shoot great video, bring her and the camera back at eleven, no later, and if I like the preview, it doesn't cost you a dime. You should be able to find twenty-five guys willing to pay ten dollars for a good time. Charge twenty and you'll make money no matter what. Get a keg of beer. Have a party."
"I could do that."
"Do you want to think about it? Call me back. I need to know by five."
"Let me see what I can come up with. I need to say goodbye to the little bitch."
Val held the cellphone for the girl.
"Hey, sweetie. I'd sure like to see you tonight. Those photos turn out okay?"
The girl said, "Ummmm."
Val said, "She's pointing to her mouth, Bert. The photos turned out great. If we get back early enough, I'll burn you a CD. You'll get a copy of the video too."
"Bye, sweetie. Okay, Val. I'll call."
Val put his cellphone away. "That sound okay to you, Em?"
The girl pointed to him, pointed to herself and pointed to her mouth.
"We have stuff to do first. But, yes. That's why I want you back by eleven. Is that okay? I can call Bert back and he can keep you all night."
She shrugged, with a smile, flashed five fingers at him five times.
"Maybe more," Val said. "You like that skirt, don't you?"
She nodded, did a slow spin, holding the hem up.
"Find everything you want?"
She nodded.
"I'll take back the clothes you don't want. Stay here, just like that. I'll see if I can't find someone or another. Just one thing. Condoms. And you have to tie the condom off to save the good stuff for later. Got it?"
She made a thumb up sign.
Val left her and now the hard part for him had come. It was okay talking to Bert about renting her -- handing her to a stranger -- but actually doing it himself was different. Besides, Bert was an acquaintance. He put up the blouse and other items, found several tank tops, a pair of boots and another miniskirt. He also spotted a lanky youth, maybe early twenties, black haired, alternative styling but not extreme. Val carried his finds over to the youth and made his pitch.
"My girlfriend liked you earlier. She's in a dressing room and if you want to, you can. You have to use a condom but otherwise what you do is entirely up to you."
The youth smiled at first and then his expression became puzzled. "I . . ."
"Do you remember seeing us together? She's had her head shaved; it's just starting to grow back. Want to see her?" Val walked toward the dressing room, not bothering to look to see if the youth followed him.
He opened the door wide. The girl stared at him, then broke into a smile. Val looked over his shoulder. "Interested?" Val handed him the clothes he'd found for her, took a condom out of his pocket. "Here. She's to try these on after you're done."
Val stepped aside; the girl was falling to her knees. The miniskirt was off and she was naked. He shut the door and went back to look for clothes.
He watched the dressing room from across the store. Once the youth left, Val found another man for her. When that one was finished, Val went in the dressing room. Two used condoms, their open ends tied, lay on the chair. The girl was humming, looking at herself in the mirror wearing a tank top and the black miniskirt.
"Happy?" Val asked.
She nodded, turned to him and pointed to her mouth.
"Both of them?"
She shrugged. She pointed to her mouth and to her pussy, lifting the skirt.
"Good."
She nodded.
"Time to go. I think you can wear those. Carry the condoms but don't be obvious about it."
Val paid for everything at the counter, the girl humming by his side.
Their next stop was a metal shop. Before getting out he told her, "From now on you won't get much choice. You can still say no," he smiled, "but you'll have to say it. Okay?"
She nodded not paying much attention.
The metal shop was a large open room in an older building that had once been an automobile dealership. This was the former repair area, with large doors open at each end because it was summer. Benches filled the space along with stacks and piles of steel bar and pipes and equipment. There looked to be seven men working, most at their own benches fitting or welding. A man in his late twenties or early thirties with long blonde hair tied back came to them.
"Can I help you?"
"I called earlier," Val said. "I have a rush job and another not so rush. The rush job isn't so complicated, consisting of two separate components but with hinges and latches."
"Drawings?"
"No drawings. I thought it would be easier if I brought the model. This is Em."
The girl smiled.
"Strip, Em."
The girl looked at him, pulled off the miniskirt and her tank top. Val took the clothing from her hands. "Legs spread. More. Like that. Hands by your sides."
"What the . . ." The man started to speak. They had the attention of everyone in the shop.
"I need a steel ring, hinged to fit around her waist. Two hinged bands attached to the ring for her forearms. For her feet I need a bar, hinged loops for her ankles at either end. I want to be able to lock the ring and loops with padlocks which I'll furnish. Good girl, Em. Stay like that. I need to run errands but I can leave her here for fitting."
"We don't . . ."
"Is this something you want, Em?"
The girl nodded. "Ummm," she said.
"She doesn't speak. She's available for use, aren't you, Em?" The girl nodded quickly. "If it would interfere with your schedule today, I can leave her tomorrow for as long as you'd like." The girl nodded with a smile. Val could see her fingers twitch.
"We . . ."
"And of course I'll pay. Her use is as an incentive, not instead of paying for the rush job." Val saw that three of the men came closer. "Can you do it for us?"
"Two hundred?"
"Fine."
"Look we . . ."
"Entirely up to you. I have condoms in the car. Please tie the ends off after using them." Val watched the girl's face. "Em likes her cereal fortified."
The girl gave a squeal and began to bounce.
Val turned back to the man and watched his face as the man finally got it. The girl began making that weird moan; the man flushed deeply.
"She loves to drink piss," Val said and left them to get the condoms.
Part 1
Chapters 1 & 2 | Chapters 3 & 4 | Chapters 5 & 6 |
Chapters 7 & 8 | Chapters 9 & 10 | Chapters 11 & 12
Part 2
Chapters 13 & 14 | Chapters 15 & 16 | Chapters 17 & 18 |
Chapters 19 & 20 | Chapters 21 & 22 | Chapters 23 & 24