Chapter 3

Anna's smile when she opened the door made Kate feel just a little guilty. She had resisted the hints to visit before, but seeing Anna react as if royalty graced her home unsettled Kate. To make matters worse, Alex acted the same way. He licked the back of her hand and danced around her with an excited wiggle of happy welcome. Anna's cheerful voice invited her inside.

Kate looked around the small apartment, comparing it to her dorm room. Anna's taste in wall art came as a bit of a surprise. The eclectic array of landscapes, surrealist images, and classic reproduction prints made for a confusing collage without any discernable theme Kate could see. Anna gave her a quick tour, stopping in the kitchen long enough to get a glass with ice for the tea mix Kate brought with her. Anna pulled out two trays of snacks from the refrigerator, one with vegetable sticks and the other with fruit slices. Kate shook her head at the amount of effort Anna had gone to for her visit.

"Anna, this is too much. I don't need the royal treatment, really. I'm flattered that you went to so much effort, but relax, I'm not judging you."

Anna's shoulders slumped as she turned to face Kate with a smirk. "Yeah, I guess I was laying it on a bit thick, huh? Sorry. I just wanted you to feel welcome and, well, you're only the second person besides my mother that has seen the inside of my place."

Kate's astonishment at Anna's admission circumvented her natural filter, blurting out, "Why?"

Anna let out a sigh as she pointedly glanced at Alex sitting by the doorway watching them handle the food. Kate followed the glance and then blushed as she faced Anna again.

"Oh, yeah, okay. Sorry, I completely spaced that part for a minute." Kate frowned as she recalled Steve's advice. "Anna, don't take this wrong, but, do you really need to be that paranoid? I mean, nobody else needs to know the truth, but wouldn't people just think he's a pet?"

Anna seemed to pull into herself as she let out a long sigh. "This isn't how I wanted things to go." Kate started to offer an apology, but Anna waved a hand to stop her. "No, it's okay, really. You aren't part of a sorority, so you can't know what it's like. The cliques, the politics, and the backstabbing are ten times worse than high school ever was. That's why I've been trying so hard for you to be a friend. You're above all that stuff."

She didn't know how to take Anna's disclosure of angst. Maybe she had been too quick to make assumptions about how the life of the privileged looked plush and easy. Anna was either a really good actress or this was the inner woman who had serious problems and needed a real friend. Kate decided that good friends were rare and this was a chance to be true to herself.

"I wouldn't say I'm above it, I simply refuse to get involved in it. You don't have to try so hard, Anna, I'm already your friend. Let's go sit on the couch and you explain to me what you meant about the sorority thing."

Anna curled up at one end with Alex sitting where he could place his head on top of her bare feet. Kate had a brief mental flash from the park when Anna had used her delicate feet to caress him. She forced her thoughts away from the encounter and sat on the opposite end facing the strange couple. Kate watched Anna stroke Alex behind his ears as she gathered her thoughts. After a moment of silence, she began explaining her comments.

"Joining a sorority is like getting accepted to a sisterhood of potential close friends. You are led to believe it's a great experience on the great path to female empowerment. What it really is, is an opportunity for the Queen Bee's to lord their control over a bunch of girls who don't have a clue or who want to be led around by the nose."

Kate shrugged, "That's pretty much what I figured. So, what happened to you that makes you so angry?"

Anna paused for a moment and seemed to regard Kate with a bit of resentment. "You've heard the term GDI, right? God-Damned Independent. Mostly it's used when the Greeks want to feel superior. I use it when a fit of envy hits me because I want out. I can't leave the sorority because I'm a Legacy member. My mother is an alumnus."

"Okay, I can see where that would be a problem, but it's not that bad, is it? You have an apartment on your own, not living at the chapter house."

"This apartment is my mother's concession to me staying here and not transferring to another school. I told Mother that I wouldn't be pimped out by the Sisters as a party favor. The sorority tells you who to date, who has to provide 'services' to fraternity brothers who do favors for the sisters, and, if you don't go along with the queen and her chosen few, they can remove the protection of the sorority."

Kate sat back, startled by the accusations and the implications of what Anna said about her sorority. There had been rumors and hazing incidents, but the administration cracked down on all the organizations to clean up their act.

"What do you mean, 'protection'?"

"Just exactly that, protection from the brothers. The sorority is basically a dating service for the fraternities, which is fine for most of the girls because they're shopping for a husband. The queen and her chosen match up selected brothers, and we are expected to go along with those choices. There's some negotiating and swapping, but for the most part, the pressure to conform is huge." Tears formed in Anna's eyes as she paused in her diatribe. Alex whimpered and licked Anna's feet when he sensed his mistress becoming upset. "If someone doesn't go along, the queen can remove the protection of the Sisterhood. When that happens, the brothers are free to do as they please. They pulled a train on a sister who really pissed off one of the queen's favorites."

Kate was aghast at the revelations. How could this kind of thing happen? She thought stories like this were urban myths and frat boy fantasies. Like panty raids and topless pillow fights, it was all just exaggerated adolescent wet dreams. As her thoughts bounced around, she couldn't miss the obvious comfort and support Anna received from Alex. She could see the bond between them and realized it wasn't just about the kinky thrills anymore. She nodded and pointedly glanced at Alex.

"The thing you have with him isn't about a 'phase', is it? He's your safety net against the stuff you're dealing with from the sorority."

Anna blushed and wiped her cheeks. She petted Alex and nodded. "Yeah, he's my biggest fan. I love him completely and he dutifully worships me in return. He's nothing like those self-centered pricks that are looking for a quick cum dump at the mixer parties."

Kate's cheeks turned pink as she laughed at the comments. It did bring up an important factor in her thoughts on the subject and decided to plunge ahead and ask.

"I know you could find a geek with tons of future potential that would do the same thing. Why choose this way to get that? You can't take him to a party and nobody in your social circle will ever understand or let it go without trashing your reputation."

Anna blinked several times and shrugged. "I guess maybe I'm a lot kinkier than I'm willing to let any guy know about. You know how bad guys are about bragging. Besides, I don't have to take BC pills that make me fat and give me zits."

Kate could understand about the pills. It was that very reason she didn't date or go to parties where something might happen with a laced drink. The kinky sex part still went beyond what she was willing to accept for herself ... yet. Now, why did that thought happen? Was she really considering it? There were some dark fantasies that she didn't want to even admit to herself, but they were still in the back of her mind. She re-focused on Anna and blushed.

"Okay, so there are points to be made about either choice. Even if..."

Anna smirked and nodded. "Even if what? C'mon! Fess up, girl. You know my secret. What's yours?"

Kate blushed all the way to her chest. She felt the beginning sting of tears at opening up to something this deeply personal. However, Anna was right. You had to share secrets for friendship to truly work.

"Oh, okay. I was going to say, even if the thought of having a tongue that won't stop is better than potential earning power."

Anna's delighted and definitely naughty laughter startled Alex. He barked once and stood up wagging his stubby tail. Kate couldn't stop blushing, but she chuckled along with Anna. She felt better for having admitted to her secret and could tell a barrier had dropped away after the admission. Anna's eyes held a sparkle of relief along with the humor.

"You have no idea until you have it happen to you. Alex won't quit until I push him away. No guy you will ever find could equal that. His tongue just squirms up inside and sends me right over the edge."

Kate squeaked, "Really?"

Anna beamed at Alex and rubbed his head. "Oh, hell yeah. He's the best." Anna glanced at Kate, then back to Alex, and seemed to come to some inner decision. "If you want to find out for yourself, I think I could be convinced to share."

Kate sat open mouthed in shock at Anna's offer. Could she really do it? Then the full implications hit her and made her shudder. She looked into Anna's eyes and saw the offer to let her inside a different sisterhood, one that would let her experience all those dark fantasies without judging her for it. Her head nodded shakily almost of its own accord. Her heart began to hammer in her chest, as the moment seemed to hang on the edge of reality. Her mind went blank as she waited, holding her breath for the decision that would change her life.

Anna grinned, her eyes dancing with perverted glee. Her softened voice plucked the taut cord Kate stood balanced upon, making her body vibrate with heavy sexual tension.

"Alex will rock your world, Kate. Slide your pants off and I'll get the honey. Alex loves the taste and it'll help him get used to you."

Kate let the words bounce around in her head for a moment before her trembling hands went to the buttons on her jeans. She couldn't quite believe she was letting this happen. Yet, she felt safe and willing to try with Anna there to help. She watched Alex dance around Anna as if he somehow knew what was about to happen. Hooking her thumbs into the waistbands, she pushed her pants and thong down to the floor. As she kicked her shoes and pants free, she glanced up to see Anna with a towel and a bottle of honey. Alex yipped and wiggled excitedly at her side.