Chapter 3

David returned to the Theta Chi house after dinner with Jessica and walked into a chaotic screening of his video on the big TV. Jeremy had done his job. The brothers were going crazy hooting and cheering as the action unfolded. Questions and comments were flying.

"Who are these dolls?"

"Did you see that?"

"Is he actually fingering one and eating another?"

"Where was this made?"

"I think this is a fake."

"Can't be, look at the shit-eating grin on his face."

"Her pussy is beautiful. I'd love to lick that one."

"Why are their faces blurred?"

"God, what an ass on that girl. I'm in love."

"David, I thought your dick would be longer than that."

"Her knockers are huge."

"Who made the video?"

"Is she really deep throating you?"

"Did she just squirt?"

"Look at that girl's legs. Wow."

"I want them wrapped around my head."

As the last of the background music played under the final grunts and groans, the guys all cheered and high-fived David.

"That was outstanding," Cliff said. "You're the first brother I know to have his own porn video."

"Wonder if I could get one of those made?" asked another.

"Probably, but you'll have to supply your own girls," replied David.

"I could do that. Give me the details later."

Another said, "Maybe we should require all the new pledges to have one made. That'll be fun."

"Having pledges recorded like this wouldn't be hazing, would it?"

"If it is, you can haze me all day, every day."

"It wouldn't be hazing if we don't ask anybody. Let's just do it. Who would complain?"

"Screw the pledges; I want to have one made for me."

"Some of us have girls willing to do it but we'll need to recruit others. Maybe we can talk to the Gamma Phis and Sigma Kappas. They've got some hot new girls."

"Yeah, but the hottest ones are in Delta Gamma."

"Cliff, that girl you're dating is one of them. Maybe she can help set it up."

David and Cliff kept quiet.

Eric arrived at the station 15 minutes before his scheduled shift, just as a unit was leaving for an accident on Kirkwood Highway. He changed into a uniform and walked to the kitchen for coffee. One of his buddies was watching porn on a personal laptop, and Eric stopped to look over his shoulder. The guys weren't supposed to be doing that but everyone did, especially during the night shift.

After a few minutes, a beautiful girl joined the action on the screen. She looked very familiar but it took a moment to realize why. She looked like Susanna. But that was impossible and quickly discounted. He walked back to the rest area and collapsed into a comfortable chair in front of the TV.

It was a relatively quiet shift. They were called out for a heart attack, two auto accidents and a police action. No one died, at least that night, on his call-outs. Still, he was tired, even after showering and shaving at the firehouse. His first class was not until 9:00 am so he could get a quick nap in his car after he called Amy.

Layla showered and crawled into bed earlier than usual. She had some serious thinking and dreaming to do. Since the rape, her dreams were of the violent attack and the pain and humiliation she suffered. She knew her brothers had settled the score but that gave her no relief. No amount of revenge could relieve her pain. Then, the apparent betrayal by Eric doubled her agony and the dreams worsened.

Tonight, there was hope. Eric was there in her mind. She felt amazing warmth as she snuggled with her thoughts of him under the covers. Layla's mind raced with all the possibilities. She was now focused on good and not on evil, on what a real man does and not on the depravities of the scum class. Finally, there was an expectation for a pleasant dream.

As Layla learned that night, dreams are not easily channeled. Her last conscious thoughts were of him and Amy and the gift she needed to buy for the party.

Her dream opened with a discussion she once had with Paulo.

When she was 16, Paulo took her to lunch one day and told her about his business. He needed her help. Layla had always suspected that her brothers were in a different business than advertised. Sure, they owned a chain of self-service laundries, three auto repair shops and an ATM service and repair business. But they had a lot of money, more than would be expected.

At lunch that day, she learned that they also were part of the criminal justice system. Her brothers were the good guys, serving justice to the guilty outside normal channels. They worked for the FBI, the state and local police, federal and local criminal lawyers, prosecutors and judges.

Paulo explained that he received orders from his clients to process, much like a stockbroker. His order may be to make a guilty person disappear or commit apparent suicide. The desired result was to rid the earth of major criminals without the cost of trials lasting months, lifetime incarceration or allowing the guilty to walk. Government funding was tight, and it was much cheaper to hire the services of Paulo's men than any of the alternatives.

He explained to Layla that each brother had two teams of four people each who execute the orders. Paulo needed her help for one job. His team had been following a man who murdered his wife and child but had been released because of a search warrant technical error. There was no doubt he was guilty, but all the evidence proving it had been collected on that defective warrant. The problem was that this man was never alone. He always had other men or women with him. The team had to snatch him and only him without others knowing what happened.

Layla made it happen. Near the spot where the target always parked, Layla let the air out of a car's tire. She was dressed in a nice business suit with a short skirt and wore full glamor makeup. She stood near the car when he and his buddy approached. The target stopped and asked whether he could help. She asked if he could change her tire and promised in a quiet and sexy voice to be very grateful. The two guys smiled, and the target sent his buddy away, obviously thinking this could be interesting. That was a big mistake. Paulo's team had him in custody and on the way to the Chesapeake Bay "processing center" within a couple of minutes. He was never seen again. Layla was paid $1000, more than she'd ever dreamed. The earth was rid of a double murderer, and another order was successfully processed at a very reasonable cost to the taxpayers. Everybody was a winner, except the criminal.

Layla woke and struggled for a moment to remember where she was. The dream was so real, the encounter with that target still fresh as the day it happened. It was her first time to look a murderer directly in the face. The chill she felt was still there.

She turned over, pulled a pillow between her legs and focused only on Eric being that pillow as she rubbed herself. Every other thought was suppressed and that seemed to work. She later woke refreshed and alive with energy.

Layla had two classes on Thursday, both in the afternoon. She poured coffee and sat at the table to study. Her mind was always focused in the mornings, it seemed. A few minutes before 9:00 am, her phone rang.

"Hey Eric. Where are you?"

"Just walking to class. I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed dinner last evening."

"I had a wonderful time. Am I going to see you before Sunday morning?"

"Probably not. After the classes this morning, I'm driving up to see Amy. I'm off tonight and don't have classes tomorrow so I'll be able to spend two days with her. I promised to take her to the zoo tomorrow morning."

"She'll have a blast. Will she be four or five on Sunday?"

"She'll be four. I'm amazed, Layla, at how precocious she is. Amy will probably know more about the animals than I will."

"Does your mom read to her?"

"Yes, but my dad is her favorite reader. He loves her to death and spends every evening with her doing something. Mom says they are cute together playing with all her toys. Dad has become an expert on doll houses and is building one for her birthday present."

"How wonderful. Maybe I could buy some doll house furniture and furnishings to help out."

"She would love that. But don't go overboard."

"I won't."

"Let me warn you about something she may bring up on Sunday. When I took another woman to meet her, Amy asked her if she was going to be her new mommy. She will probably ask you the same thing."

"What should I say?"

"That's up to you. But I wanted to give you advance warning so you can be prepared for it."

"I appreciate that. I'll be ready, I hope."

"I'm at the classroom now. I'll call you later."

Layla returned to her studies but kept thinking about how she would answer Amy's question. Nothing she thought of would work. How could a four-year old ask for such an impossible answer?

Friday morning Susanna called Layla as both were walking to classes.

"Layla, I got a call from a guy named Ben. He's one of David's Theta Chi brothers and he wants us to make a video of him and his girlfriend."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Isn't that wild? He also says that three others are lining up girls now to star in their videos. So they want you to do four."

There was silence.

"Layla, did you hear what I just said?"

"Yeah, but this is getting out of hand in a hurry."

"Julia said this might happen when the guys saw David's."

"But Susanna, that would put us into business and we'll need a license and will have to pay taxes and everything."

"So?"

"So this is getting serious. I don't know if the locals allow the production of porn films in Delaware?"

"You're not making porn films. You're making personal videos that are ordered by customers. You're not selling the videos ... you're selling the videography and editing services."

"You make it sound like I'm setting up a lemonade stand."

"Listen, you're not paying anyone to be in the videos. You're not selling the videos or distributing them for sale. The only thing you're doing is contracting with people to record their activities and edit them into a usable video. It's not porn because the people in it are the ones paying for it."

"Susanna, what we did with David was a joke, a prank. You wanted to embarrass him for coming on to you as he did and show him that he couldn't keep it up. We were being nice to him in the end because we felt bad about all the bullshit he took from us. I never thought for a minute I'd do it again."

"Layla, people video themselves having sex all the time and the quality of their videos suck. You're just improving the quality of their product."

"I've got to think about this, Susanna. I'll see you at home after our classes."

Julia met Cliff for lunch at a local Italian eatery near the campus. Although they'd talked several times, it had been a week since they were last together.

After they ordered, Cliff said, "David showed a video a couple of nights ago at the house. It was of him having sex with two nicely shaped girls. Their faces were blurred, however, so we couldn't tell who they were. Do you know anything about that?"

"Actually, I do. Layla needed a video for a class project and Susanna talked David into being in the video with her."

"So Susanna was in the video but there appeared to be another very shapely girl participating. Was that you?"

"Yes, it was."

"I thought it might be when I saw the hands."

"Hands?"

"Your hands are beautiful."

Julia was stunned. What man paid attention to hands?

She responded, "We shot the video during the afternoon before you and I had dinner at Krazy Kats."

"It looked like you had fun."

"I did."

"Have you shot other videos like that?"

"Why do I have the feeling that you're being critical of what I did?"

"Julia, I'm not being critical. I'm just trying to learn how many other videos of you might be out there."

"The answer is none. That was the first video I was in. Cliff, you don't own me. I don't owe you an explanation. Why do you care if other videos are out there?"

"Julia, I'll never own you but I care for you and want the best for you."

"You don't approve of me doing a video with David?"

"I'd rather you'd done it with me."

"Cliff, you being ridiculous. I did that scene before we decided to go together. You can't criticize me for doing that. I don't accept that."

The food arrived and the conversation changed.

"Would you be willing to visit my parents this weekend?" Cliff asked.

"I've got a major exam on Monday and I need to study this weekend. Could we do it another time?"

"I suppose. Is there anything we can do together this weekend?"

She was silent, thinking about a response. He looked down, expecting the worst.

"Why don't you spend Saturday night with me? We can talk and continue to learn all about each other. I'll cook dinner for us and we can go to bed and talk all night."

"Would 7:30 work?"

"That'd be fine. But leave your attitude at home. I don't want to hear your views on that video ever again."

"Julia, I didn't tell you my views on that video. You were lovely in it and I was jealous of David for having done it with you. I'm sorry if I offended you. That was not my intention."

Julia stared at him for a few moments and then dropped her head. "Cliff, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been in that video and I shouldn't have fussed at you for implying that. I promise I won't be in any others. But I have a high sex drive and thoroughly enjoy sex. It's just a part of me and who I am. That's not going to change."

"I realize that. Can we talk more about it on Saturday?"

"Of course. There are many other things like this we need to discuss."

Over dinner at the house Friday evening, the sisters discussed the video orders coming soon.

Susanna said, "Layla, I don't see why you're so reluctant to get into the video business. You've always said you wanted to do professional videography and editing after graduation. Why not start now on a small scale and build into the business?"

"I just always thought I'd do weddings, parties, celebrations ... that sort of thing. We talked about doing videos of grandparents and parents leaving messages for their children. I never thought about doing sex videos until the one we did to embarrass David. That ended up embarrassing us more than him."

Julia asked, "Why are you really concerned? Is it Eric?"

There were several moments of silence. Layla then went for water to buy even more time.

"Yeah, it is," she finally responded. "I've never, ever, asked for permission from a man, other than my father, to do something. I'm my own person, as you two know."

Susanna responded, "Yeah, we know."

"Now, something's different. I don't feel as independent and in charge of my decisions. This is new to me."

"It's called love," Julia said.

Susanna added, "Yep, our sister is in love."

"What do you two know about love? You both use men and throw them away the next day. They're nothing more than warm dildos to you."

"We all do that before they do it to us," Susanna responded.

Julia said, "That's true up to now. But Cliff has me in a holding pattern that's killing me. My brain says to dump his ass now. I have to go home to Wyoming when this is over and he'll never be comfortable living on a ranch. I'm just wasting good fuck time on him."

"But?" Layla asked.

Julia let out a big sigh. "But my heart says he's a good and honest man and those are hard to find. By the way, he recognized me in David's video and I had to promise him I'd not do that again."

"No way!" said Layla. "Has he seen you naked?"

"No. He said he recognized my hands."

"Are you kidding me? No man is that observant!" Susanna exclaimed.

"See, that's what has me in his grip. He is that observant. He sees me. Other guys stare at my boobs, my legs, and my ass and can't wait to fuck me. He looks into my eyes and listens to every word I say and holds my hand. The most aggressive act he's done was to rub his hand on my thigh. I practically begged him to make love to me and he wants to romance me first. I mean, what the fuck? No guy does that. But he does."

"After we screwed all night, I was ready to move on from Eric to the next guy. I finally felt the rape was behind me and I was back in action. Then those damn phone calls forced me to check him out and I learned some of his life's story. Then we had dinner and I learned about his daughter and his devotion to her and how hard he works at night and goes to school during the day. Then we talked again and now, he's set up camp in my mind. I can't stop thinking about him. I'm going to spend Sunday at his parent's house for Amy's birthday party. And he said yesterday that she's likely to ask if I'm going to be her new mommy."

The girls laughed. Susanna asked, "How are you going to answer that one?"

"I've no idea. If I say 'no' or anything negative, it will crush her little heart. If I say 'yes' or anything positive like that, I'll be getting far ahead of where Eric and I are in our relationship."

"How about just deflecting the question?" Julia asked.

"That may be the only option. But I've got to figure out how. We'll see."

Layla was in bed late Friday night when her phone rang. She looked at the ID and smiled.

"Hi Eric."

"Were you asleep?"

"No, I'd just gone to bed. How was your day with Amy?"

"Had a blast. You know that little rascal touched a snake. The reptile house was doing a show and a handler carried around a boa constrictor. Most everyone shied away from it but Amy stepped up and patted it behind its head. Everyone there was shocked, including me and the handler."

"I'd have peed my pants."

"I almost did. She was all giggly and had no fear at all."

"Is that the first time she'd seen one?"

"Yes, as far as I know. But that's not all. We spent 30 minutes in the petting zoo, and she petted and fed every critter in there. A couple of the goats accidentally knocked her down, but she bounced back up and kept going. Not a tear shed."

"You have a special little girl."

"I think so. How was your day?"

"A little eventful. Some of Cliff and David's friends want me to make some videos of them and their girlfriends. I wanted to talk to you about that before I respond to them."

"Oh! Why are you concerned?"

"These would be sex videos. They want me to make a video of them having sex."

"I see. Would these videos be sold or put on the web?"

"Not by me. I'd just make them with an HD camcorder I have, edit them and give them to the participants. They pay me for the work I do. They end up with the master and all the copies."

"So you would be making a high quality version of what couples do all the time in their apartments and dorms."

"I guess that's right."

"And you wouldn't be part of the action?"

"No, of course not."

"Are you asking for my approval?"

"I suppose I am."

"Layla, I don't have a problem with it. All professional photographers take photos of things they'd never do. You're not participating ... you're documenting it based on a customer's request. You'll have a contract covering each one, I hope."

"Yes. In fact, I'll form a new company, get a sole proprietor's business license and create contracts for clients to sign."

"Will this be profitable for you?"

"Oh yes. I could charge from $500 to $1000 per video, depending on several factors."

"How many hours of work would you have to do for that?"

"Probably eight to ten, but I'd also pay Susanna and Julia to help with the shoot.

"For someone like me making $16 per hour, that's a lot of money."

"I know. But these frat boys have lots of spending money from mommy and daddy."

"Wonder if mommy and daddy know what they're doing with it?"

"Probably not and most wouldn't care."

"Why did you want my approval for this?"

Layla was silent for a moment. "Because I didn't want to take a chance on disappointing you."

There were several seconds of silence before he responded, "Thank you."

Just then the alarm sounded in the firehouse and Eric yelled over it, "Got to go. Talk you to tomorrow."

Layla was both surprised and relieved at his response. She lay there for the next hour brainstorming everything she needed to do to become legally licensed in Delaware. Fortunately, this was one state that makes doing business very easy and she could become legal in just a few days. While there are no sales taxes in Delaware, she would have a state income tax that must be figured into her budget and charges. After serious thought, she decided on "Enduring Legacy Video Services" as the name.

Saturday morning breakfast consisted of cereal and fresh fruit for the sisters. The conversation, as usual, turned to weekend plans.

"Eric is coming over tomorrow morning to get a few hours of sleep before we drive to his parents. He works tonight and will be here around 6:15 in the morning." Is there any shopping I need to do for us? I'm going out to look for Amy's present."

Susanna replied, "We need milk and cereal. Also some lunch meat and carrots."

"I'm cooking dinner here tonight for Cliff. I can pick those up when I go shopping this afternoon. Are you two going out tonight?

"Probably will, so you and Cliff can have a quiet dinner alone. Layla, you want to go somewhere for a drink?"

"Sure. How about that Irish Pub?"

"That'd be fun. We could eat and visit at the bar until Julia says we can come home. It's usually pretty lively after 9:00."

"I can tell you now, you can come home anytime you want. You won't interfere with Cliff and I having sex. According to him, it isn't going to happen."

After breakfast, they all pitched in and cleaned the house. Julia then went to her bedroom to study, Layla went dollhouse furniture shopping and Susanna went to the sorority house for a committee meeting.

That evening, the doorbell rang and Julia answered it.

"Hi Cliff, come in. Wow! Are those beautiful flowers for me?"

"Just for you." Cliff was very relieved to see her smile. He stepped in and pulled her to him for a very passionate kiss. She thought he was trying to show how apologetic he felt; but it was a great kiss, no matter what the reason. They both smiled as they separated.

Susanna and Layla were watching Jeopardy on TV when he arrived. They came to greet Cliff with hugs and kisses to his cheek. "We're just leaving, Cliff. You two have a great evening," said Layla. The girls grabbed their jackets. The October nights were turning cooler.

When the door closed, Cliff wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled Julia to him. They gazed into the other's eyes and touched noses before locking lips. The tongue action was energetic. Julia finally broke for air and stepped back. Her smile was priceless.

"What has gotten into you?"

"I decided that romance is good, but love is better." He reached for her again, and they kissed while he cupped Julia's butt cheeks and lifted her off the floor. She squealed as he continued to hold her in the air.

She looked down into his eyes and asked, "Can I prepare dinner for us before I eat you?" Cliff lowered her to the floor, and they kissed again.

"Can I help? I'm a fairly good cook." She reached for his hand and led him to the prep area of the kitchen.

Julia quickly put the flowers in a vase as they talked. "These are perfect for our table tonight. Thanks very much."

"You're welcome. What's on the menu? Something smells great."

"I decided on skillet-fried pork chops, baked new potatoes, oven fried squash and peppers, fried apples and rolls. For dessert, we're having cherry pie that I made this afternoon."

Cliff was bewildered. "Did you prepare all this?

"Everything but the rolls. I ran out of time and decided to buy frozen ones to bake here."

"I'm totally blown away. Compared to this, I just warm up stuff. You're a real, honest to goodness cook." She smiled as he reached in for another kiss.

"My mother insisted I learn to cook starting when I was about six. It was just something that we did together, and my dad and the ranch hands loved it. After school each day, I'd help her cook dinner for everyone. She'd later help me with homework. Mom said that was how her mother raised her here in Delaware."

"I'm totally impressed. What can I do to help?"

"You can slice the zucchini and peppers and put them on this pan with a little olive oil. The potatoes are in the oven now. I'll work on the apples, and we'll do the chops last while the rolls and everything else bake."

"Were you able to study today for that exam?"

"I did late last night and again this morning. I also plan to spend time on it tomorrow afternoon."

"Were you serious about me spending the night? I thought you might be upset with me."

"I was upset. But, I do want to spend the night cuddling with you, especially now. Will you stay?"

"I will. But, I don't know whether I can be as gentlemanly as last time."

"Just remember, a gentleman should always let the lady come first," said Julia with a twinkle in her eyes.

Cliff pretended to be shocked with wide eyes and his hand over his mouth. Julia reached behind him and squeezed his butt.

"Let's get busy," she said with a grin.

Susanna and Layla arrived with the rest of humanity at the Irish Pub. They joined the line outside and, as always, began chatting with those around them. Two guys in line realized they were in a foreign derivatives class with Susanna and immediately began a conversation.

"Do you think we might make it inside?" asked Jerry. "This is the most crowded I've seen it."

Susanna replied, "Normally by now the families and old folks have left but I still see some coming out. There's hope, I think."

"Susanna, are you two with someone or would you like to join us? They might seat a table of four quicker."

Layla glanced at Susanna and smiled. "Sure, we'll join you." Susanna introduced Layla to Jerry and Jerome. "They're in one of my classes and we've talked a couple of times before class. Jerry lives in Virginia and Jerome is from Baltimore, as I recall."

"That's right," replied Jerome. "Layla, what curriculum are you in?"

"Visual Communications, which is part of the Arts Department."

"Would this be like for TV commercials or print advertising?"

"Could be. I'm interested in videography and video editing."

"That's a rapidly changing industry," Jerome said.

"Sure is. I'm planning to jump into that whirlwind of new technology."

Susanna added, "Layla is planning to start a video production company soon and will be working for some of the groups on campus as she gets it off the ground."

"I just applied for a Delaware business license today so this is all very new."

Jerry asked, "What would some of the groups ask you to do?"

"The Greeks could have me make a recruiting video for them. They are very competitive and always want to outdo each other. Other student groups are always looking for new members and volunteers and I could create videos to help in their efforts. The Campus Cable network is good to broadcast video advertising for charitable efforts so I could help with those. Of course, advertising will bring in business for weddings, parties and special events."

Jerome said, "A friend of mine in Theta Chi says that he's going to have a video made of him and his lady doing it. I think he's lying to me but who knows."

"Yeah, who knows? You never know what those Greek guys will do to get attention," replied Susanna.

They were eventually seated. The girls charmed the guys as usual and the evening was lighthearted and relaxed. Late in the evening, a group of men gathered with their chicks at the far end of the bar. It appeared they had too many beers under their belts. They were much too loud and it was beginning to get out of hand. A drunken argument started, complete with cursing, finger jabbing and red-faced guys getting into each other's face. Their chicks also started pushing each other and cursing as the tension rose.

Susanna asked for their bill, planning to get out of there before the fight started. Too late ... all restraint broke loose. The police arrived in a few minutes, but the blood was shed, every curse known to mankind was uttered and everyone scattered as employees rushed to help. Two men and one woman were on the floor and in need of medical attention.

Layla whispered to Susanna, "I've got to get out of here. Eric is on duty and will probably be here shortly."