Chapter 38: Cheryl and Denise

Two years after the events previously related, since Stephanie still owned Tom Jenkins, she was still maintaining general oversight of his involuntary sex therapy. She would visit the psych lab at Masterson Automotive about once a month and Paul Gregory would take her into the lab where Jenkins would be restrained naked on his back with the plethysmograph device attached to his penis. I accompanied her on some of these visits where I would see the lovely female technician stimulate his visual cortex with all sorts of provocative images and we would all watch the plethysmograph output graph to see which ones affected Jenkins the most. It was the technician's job to punish Jenkins with an electric shock to his genitals whenever he showed arousal in response to images of inappropriate sexual activity.

After two years of these treatments Stephanie was finally beginning to see a change in Jenkins to where he no longer responded positively to images of violent rape. At the same time he was starting to show erectile response to images of normal sexual activity between loving men and women. So after two years she signed a form authorizing him to be treated by the sex surrogate and to no longer be in restraints during his therapy.

Six months after that Paul invited her to the lab to witness intercourse between Jenkins and the surrogate, Sherry Wilson. I accompanied her for this demonstration as well. She was satisfied with Jenkins arousal and performance with the surrogate and so she informed him that she considered his sexual deviancy issue resolved but that she felt he needed more punishment for his crime against her. She had originally sentenced him to twenty years slavery but she informed him, in view of his sex cure, she would only require him to serve another five years. During this time there would be no more contact with the sex surrogate and the only permitted sexual activity would be masturbation. Did she let Jenkins off too easy? Who knows?

I suppose it was inevitable that Stephanie and I would marry. We had been through so much together.

The way it finally happened was that I had invited her out for coffee after one of the sessions with Dr. Henderson.

"You have dedicated your budding career", I said to her, "to ensuring that those who have lost their freedom are treated humanely. I admire very much that in you that caused you to choose this work and give up a higher paying career with an accounting firm. Though there is quite a difference in our ages, we have similar values and share many interests. We seem temperamentally suited to one another."

"I feel so much more visible with you", she replied, "though you are twenty years my senior, than with any of the men I have dated that are closer to my own age."

"Will you share my life Stephanie?" I finally found the courage to ask.

As I asked this question I produced a diamond engagement ring from its case in my pocket. I asked for her hand. Tears of joy were streaming down her face and I could plainly see just how much she had wanted to hear such a proposal from me. She just nodded through her tears as she was plainly too choked up to speak.

About two years into our marriage Stephanie got a call from Bud Harris, the manager of the Fantasy Showgirls bar where Cheryl worked as an enslaved pole dancer. He knew that Cheryl's daughter Denise had just passed her 13^th birthday and he was very interested in exploring the possibility that the children's legal guardians would agree to an indentured apprenticeship of Denise to Fantasy Showgirls. This would make it possible, among other things, for him to put on a mother/daughter act.

Harris had what he hoped was an attractive business proposition to put in front of the godparents. He wanted to recruit Stephanie to present the proposal in his stead because she would have more credibility than he would have. Stephanie was convinced his proposal was in the best interest of the children so she agreed to do this. She decided to take me with her to help close the deal.

Debra and Harry Veeders lived in a very modest home about an hour north of New York City. We arrived one Tuesday evening at a time that had been agreed upon and rang their bell. Harry Veeders greeted us and invited us in to their small living room where we also met Mrs. Veeders.

"Debra, these are the people who called, Bill Steelforth and his wife Stephanie.

"Your maiden name was Glenn wasn't it?" Debra responded. "I have heard so much about you in the news."

"Can I get you folks a drink or coffee?" Harry asked.

"Just coffee will be fine", Bill responded for both of us.

After about ten minutes of small talk Mrs. Veeders gave us an opening to talk about what we had really come to discuss with them.

"We sure do appreciate the thoughtful arrangements you made for Cheryl to be able to live with her kids at that facility", Debra said. "They get good day care there when Cheryl is working and we usually have the kids on weekends."

"I thought you might be angry with me for having prosecuted and ultimately for having sentenced Cheryl", Stephanie said.

"We love Cheryl", Debra responded, "but we know she committed a crime and must pay for it. At least in your sentence you came up with an arrangement where the kids don't have to suffer because of what Cheryl did."

"I thought that was only fair", Stephanie replied. "But I wonder, now that Denise is 13, if you have thought much about her future? She has reached the age where young people either go on to high school, or go to work, or enter an apprenticeship."

"We have thought about it. With some financial strain we think we could bear the expense of sending Denise and her younger sister to high school. But there is no way we could afford to send them to college. And that concerns us because we know that a high school education just isn't enough to land a good job these days."

"Apprenticeships often provide a good alternative when parents or guardians cannot provide a college education", I offered.

"Do you know of any apprenticeships Denise might qualify for?" Harry asked.

"As a matter of fact that is what we came to talk about", Stephanie said. "We understand that the children have kept up their ballet lessons, is that correct?"

"That's right", Debra responded, "Bud Harris, Cheryl's employer, has been covering the costs of ballet school for both girls the last two years. There is a picture of the two girls in their ballet costumes on the mantelpiece."

I walked over to look at the pictures. I could see that both girls were pretty – each in her own way. Denise was tall for her age and thin, with long arms and legs. Shirley, at age 8, was much shorter and a bit chubbier.

"We bring a proposal from Mr. Harris", Stephanie explained, "who would like to offer Denise an apprenticeship where she can use her ballet skills dancing at his club and receive training for a career in show bar management."

"You mean she would have to pole dance?" Harry said. "I have watched a couple of the shows they put on there and I can tell you they are pretty raunchy. I am embarrassed that our dear friend Cheryl has to work in that place as part of her punishment. I won't have Denise working in a place like that – flashing her crotch at any guy who has the price of a drink!"

"Don't be so judgmental Harry!" Debra jumped in. "Have you forgotten that I was once a dancer in one of those places when we first started dating!"

"Oh but it's very different now honey! In your day they kept their g-strings on! And the dancers didn't go upstairs and fuck the customers!"

"We had to fraternize with the customers, get groped by the customers and do table dances in my day!" Debra protested.

"Mr. Harris made it very clear that Denise will not be expected to fraternize, or go upstairs with any customer", I responded. "He has one night a week in each of his clubs which is called "Artistic Night". On these nights the dancing is erotic in an artistic way, not in a lewd way, so he tends to get a better class of customers on those nights."

"Why does he want a 13-year old girl to dance in his club?"

"He thinks it would be spectacular", I interjected, "to have a mother/daughter dance act. After all, Cheryl has had years of ballet training too."

"So Denise would be dancing on stage with her mother and both of them would be naked?" Harry asked.

"That's right", I replied.

"No way!" Harry exclaimed. "I would feel like I was prostituting my godchild!"

"Hold on a minute Harry!" Debra said in a loud voice. "The naked human body is not inherently obscene. A mother/daughter act could be beautiful or even erotic without being vulgar. I have something to say about all this too and I, for one, would like to hear the rest of the proposal.

Harry stopped talking, set his jaw and just crossed his arms over his chest.

"During her initial indenture", Stephanie continued, "from her present age until she is 16, Denise's duties would only be to dance on stage and to do table dances on request. She would receive extensive training in pole dancing and artistic show dancing to supplement the ballet skills she already has. Customers would not be allowed to touch her at any time. The bouncers would enforce that. She would also be attending high school during this time and Mr. Harris will pay for that!"

I saw Harry's body language soften a bit at the mention of Harris paying for high school. Obviously that would take a major financial strain off him and his wife.

"We should also point out", I said, that during this first three-year indenture she would also be posing for nude photographs and have her nude dance performances photographed and video recorded. But in accordance with the federal child photography law no such photographs or videotapes could be offered for immediate sale or otherwise distributed. Instead they would be logged and placed in escrow storage until Denise would be 18 years old. At that time she could decide, as an adult, whether to consent to the sale and distribution of these materials. If she then consented she would realize quite a nest egg that she could use to pay for a college education!"

"Harry, we have to at least consider it!" Debra exclaimed. "Think of the advantages it would bring our Denise!"

"Upon reaching age 16", Stephanie continued, "she would be offered the option to re-indenture for another 5 years. This second indenture, if she chose to go ahead with it, would be sexual in nature. First of all she would be entering into a protégé-mentor relationship with Mr. Harris himself. He would be her sexual teacher. Until age 18 that would be the only sexual activity required of her."

"I don't know about you Harry", Debra interjected, "but I rather like the idea of our Denise going into a protégé-mentor arrangement. So many teen girls have their first sexual experiences in the back seat of a car with some fumbling boy their own age making a bad job of it. Denise will have an expert teacher in Mr. Harris who can make her first experience an absolute delight and transition her from girlhood to womanhood in a most memorable way!"

"You have a point there Debra!" Harry responded.

"Upon reaching age 18", I remarked, "she would be expected to go upstairs with the occasional VIP customer but she would be off limits to the general run of customers."

"I wish that were not part of the deal!" Debra said.

"Let's be realistic", Harry responded. "Most females wind up trading their sexuality for something less than romantic love sooner or later! Is a wife who married a man she didn't love because of his promising career any less of a prostitute? Is the single woman who jumps from one affair to another in a never ending quest to assuage her loneliness any less of a prostitute?"

"That's different Harry!"

"I really don't see how", he replied.

"From age 18 to the end of her apprenticeship at age 21", Stephanie continued, "she would be receiving intensive training in show bar management. During these years she could also be attending college part time – that is if she consented to distribution of her photos and videos. At age 21 she would be legally free to work anywhere, but it would be Mr. Harris's intention to offer her a lucrative position with his club as both a dancer and a club manager. His plan is for her to take over management of the club where her mother works."

"What about Cheryl?" Debra asked.

"She too will be receiving intensive training in show bar management later on – so that when she completes her slavery in 6 more years she too will very likely be offered a salaried position as manager of one of Mr. Harris's clubs."

"What about it Harry?"

"I don't know", he responded, "it sounds like it could work out financially for both Cheryl and Denise, and for us, but I still have reservations if I would want Denise working in that kind of a place."

"Well Harry, why don't we visit the club on one of these "Artistic Nights" and see for ourselves what the atmosphere is like, how the customers behave and so forth?"

"All right – that makes sense. Let's leave it at that Mrs. Steelforth. Then if we like what we see we will talk directly with Mr. Harris."

"One other point to consider", I said. "If you do decide to go ahead with this get a good underwriter to draft the apprenticeship contract of indenture for you. That will be an important step in securing Denise's future. If you need a name of an underwriter I may be able to recommend someone."

With that we ended our meeting.