Part Fourteen - The Frat

Part Fourteen
The Frat

Lara opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling above her. She noticed several odd things at once. Firstly, she was completely naked between some silk sheets. Secondly, she was in an unfamiliar room.

Where the fuck am I?

She turned over to her left and saw Captain Price’s face on the pillow next to her and it all came flooding back. The memory of where she was and what she was doing there filled her drowsy mind.

Great. Instead of leaving, I fell asleep.

Lara sat up on the side of the bed. She could see the signs of early morning peek through the blinds of the bedroom window and knew she had been asleep for at least six hours. She shook her head in irritation. She couldn’t believe she had stayed the night.

She reached out to pick up the glass of water that was sitting on the bedside table. Price must have left it there at some point. She took a long drink, quenching her thirst. Her mouth had been dry and it felt good as she guzzled the cool water down.

She needed a shower. She had seen an impressive shower in the bathroom earlier and briefly considered whether she should use his, or wait until she got home. The only problem being, she had no way to get home. Her car was still parked at The Pearl. They had arrived at Price’s place in a limo. She’d have to get an Uber. She hoped that there was one nearby this early in the morning. If not, she’d have to endure the ignominy of asking Price to take her home.

Before she could make her mind up about the shower, she heard the man to her left stir.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Price said as he looked at Lara’s naked back as she sat on the side of the bed, facing away from him.

“Morning,” she replied simply and with little enthusiasm. Price reached out for his own water on the side of his bed and downed the glass in one. He put the glass down and then pulled the sheets off of himself with one quick and smooth motion. Lara turned and stared at his naked body and noticed his manhood was standing to attention.

“Would you look at that. I have morning wood. Be a dear and take care of it for me, Lara,” Price said.

Lara scoffed. The fucking nerve of him.

“I think not,” she told him flatly.

“Oh, you wouldn’t leave a guy in this state, surely?”

“You can take care of it yourself, if you really need to,” Lara told him.

“Yeah, but it’s not the same. And you’re here. You can do it.”

“I can but I’m not going to.”

“Why not?” he asked, becoming irritated.

“Because I know exactly how it would go. It’ll end up like it usually does with you. You’ll grab my head and try to fuck my face,” Lara told him.

“So?”

“So I don’t feel like being used as your personal cock sleeve right now.”

“And what If I told you I wouldn’t do that?”

Lara turned to face him, doubt written all over her face. “Then I’d call you a liar,” she told him.

“I’ll just lay here. You won’t feel my hands anywhere near your head. Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Lara’s eyes flitted from his cock to his face and then back to his cock again. She really wasn’t in the mood for this. But she couldn’t leave without getting her phone first. It had the evidence she needed. And she couldn’t retrieve her phone with him still in the room. If she blew him, he’d either roll over and go back to sleep or get up to use the bathroom. If he did either, she could get her phone from it’s hidey hole and leave. On the other hand, if she refused and he was feeling slighted, he could **** her. And she’d be no closer to leaving. She sighed, a wave of cold resignation washing over her.

Just do it and you can leave, she thought as she rolled back onto to the bed and leaned over his lap from the side. She pulled her hair out of the way and lowered her mouth to his cock. A few inches from it, she turned her head to the side and looked at him.

“I mean it, Price. If I feel so much as a hand brush my hair I’m going to bite down. Hard.”

Price merely laced his hands together and rested them behind his head as he waited for her to start. Lara moved to take him in her mouth and then hesitated for a moment, her nose wrinkling at the unpleasant smell of his unwashed cock. Still, there was no point in delaying. She wanted this to be over quickly.

She held his cock at the base with her fingers and leaned forward, her soft lips parting as she took the swollen head of his prick past her teeth. As she took the first few inches of him into her mouth, she closed her lips around it creating a seal. He tasted slightly salty. She swirled her tongue around the head a few times and then started to take his full length into her mouth and down her throat. Price sighed with contentment as he felt his cock slide into the warm and wet cavern.

Morning head is the best, he thought to himself.

Lara took him until she had reached his base, his cock now snugly lodged inside her. She swallowed around him, her throat muscles fluttering and squeezing his sensitive flesh as she fought the urge to gag. She stayed there for several seconds and lapped at his underside with her tongue. Then, with his full length coated and now slick with her saliva, she started to bob at a fast pace, determined to finish him quickly.

Lara could feel the captain's self-control straining as she sucked him, his hands fisting in the sheets as he fought the urge to grab her head and fuck her face. She sensed his battle between his desire to carry out his usual method and the promise he'd made to her to keep his hands to himself throughout her **** act of oral service. So far, he’d kept his word.

He looked down at her as she bobbed her head rapidly on his cock, taking him deep to the base and then suck hard as she pulled back to his tip. He watched her breasts sway as she worked him. From her position side on, he could easily reach her body so he reached out and grabbed one of her breasts and gave it a squeeze. Her eyes flashed to his dangerously at the touch.

“You said not to touch your head. You never said I couldn’t touch elsewhere,” Price said with a smile. She didn’t answer with her mouth full of cock and simply went back to servicing him. He mauled her breast some more, squeezing and lifting it in his hand, feeling the softness and heft of it as he did it.

Lara added her hand to her ministrations, stroking him fast as she bobbed at a frenzied pace, eager to end things. It was at that point that she heard Price’s phone ring. He reached over and grabbed it and stared at the screen for a moment. Lara stopped what she was doing and just held his cock in her mouth as she stared at him with incredulity.

He’s not actually going to answer that, right? Lara’s blowjobs were not the quiet type. Anybody on the other end of the phone would be able to hear.

“Keep going, sweetheart. I have to take this call,” Price said as he answered the phone. He thrust his hips up, encouraging her to keep blowing him. She resumed taking him and gradually worked her way back up to her former pace as he started to talk into the phone.

“This is Price. Ah, Deputy Jones. What can I do for you this fine morning?” Price said, holding the phone to his ear with one hand while still groping Lara’s tits with his other.

“Oh no, son. No need to worry. You didn’t wake me. I was wide awake. That sound you hear? That’s a pretty young thing giving me my morning blowjob. Let me tell you, Jones, it’s the only way to start the day,” Price said, chuckling down the phone.

What a colossal asshole, Lara thought to herself. But she didn’t stop. She kept going, taking Price’s cock and blowing him as well as she could, determined not to prolong the embarrassment.

“Plenty of time to get yourself a girl like that. Anyway, I assume there is a reason you are calling? Yeah? Another one, huh? Okay. Give me the specifics,” Price said as he removed his hand from Lara’s breast and grabbed a notepad and pen from his bedside table. He started to scribble some notes down.

“Okay. We’ll go over everything when I get in later. FUCK! No, not you Jones. The little minx here is determined to get me off. You know how it is. I’ll talk to you later,” Price said as he hung up the phone and threw his head back.

Lara took him deep, her nose pressed against his groin as she swallowed around his cock, tightening her throat around him. Price let out a strangled groan, and finally reached his hands out to grab her hair, unable to resist any longer. His fingers grabbed a firm hold of her hair as he bucked once, twice, then with a guttural moan, he found his release. His cock started to twitch as Lara felt the first spurt of his hot, bitter cum hitting the back of her throat. She struggled not to gag. She could taste him and he did not taste good. She had to swallow quickly as spurt after spurt of his thick cum pumped into her mouth and down her throat. He eased her head up and down at his desired pace throughout his orgasm, Lara never lessening the tight seal of her lips around his cock. As his orgasm waned and the last of his load had dribbled into Lara’s mouth, he released his grip and she slowly pulled her mouth off his cock. She looked over at him in irritation as she swallowed the last of him.

“Decent job, Lara. A solid six out of ten. I’m sure we can improve upon that with some more practice,” Price said, condescendingly. In truth, it had been one of the best blowjobs he’d had in years but she didn’t need to know that.

“Go fuck yourself, Edward,” Lara said as she got off the bed and marched, still completely naked, out of the room and into the bathroom the next room over. She heard him laugh heartily and loudly as she opened the shower door and stepped into the expansive shower. She turned it on, adjusting the heat to her liking and closed her eyes as she stretched her arms forward and rested against the wall.

She stood there, leaning against the shower wall and let the powerful stream of water jet against her body. The water pressure was strong and although it was loud, it felt amazing against her skin. She turned her head up towards the shower head and let the water pool in her mouth before spitting it out, clearing the unpleasant taste of his cum out. She picked up the bar of soap and began to run it over her body.

Unbeknownst to her, Price had followed her into the bathroom. He stood there, unseen, and watched her as she allowed the water to hit her face and stream down her naked body as she worked the soap over her stomach, her legs, her breasts.

His eyes roamed over her figure, admiring it as his semi-hard cock began to stiffen again. Even after just coming, the sight of her in his shower made his arousal come roaring back to life. She was just so effortlessly sexy. She didn’t even know he was there and yet the way she stood, hip cocked to one side, showing off her delicious ass was uncanny. He knew it just came naturally to her. She couldn’t help but be sexy. A sexual object for men to desire.

It’s her purpose in life. To arouse men. To be fucked by them. Fucked by me.

Memories of the previous night came to the forefront of his mind. The way her tits had bounced as he fucked her, the feeling of her tightly clenched cunt around his cock, the **** moans spilling from her lips as he railed her. He wanted all of that again. He decided he would take her, standing, right now in the shower.

Price strolled forward and opened the door to the shower quietly. He stepped forward and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders from behind. Swiftly, he pushed her forward, bending her at the waist, and stepped in close behind her. Lara cried out in surprise but she didn’t fight him.

With a quick, hard thrust, Price speared Lara on his thick cock, burying himself to the hilt in one smooth stroke. She let out a choked gasp, her back arching in instinct, and Price groaned at the exquisite sensation of her silken walls gripping him like a velvet vice.

Fuck, she’s so tight, he thought. Even tighter than he remembered. Price set a hard, fast pace, his hips slapping against Lara's ass as he fucked her with deep, powerful thrusts. He could feel Lara's body yielding to him, her hips rocking back to meet his increasingly rough thrusts.

Price knew Lara hadn’t wanted more sex and that she was surprised by his sudden, aggressive advance, but he could also tell she wasn't resisting. Like always, once they felt his dick in them, other ideas were abandoned. Instead, her body was responding. He was sure her arousal was building the longer they fucked.

“You love this, don’t you? Nobody fucks you like I do,” Price said with a low growl as he thrust into her. When she didn’t respond, he took a grip of her hair and yanked her head back sharply.

“Answer me when I’m talking to you,” Price said, anger seeping into his voice. She answered this time immediately.

“Nobody fucks me like you do,” Lara parroted back.

“You’re god damned right,” Price said as he released her hair and moved the hand around to maul her tits, tweaking and tugging at her nipples. He continued to fuck her hard and fast as he started to feel his balls tighten up a little, preparing to release what was in them. It was then that she spoke the first words of her own volition since he had entered the shower.

“Don’t come in me,” Lara told him between breathy moans. Price had the sudden urge to slap her for demanding such a thing but he suppressed the urge. He intended to fuck her many, many times in the future and if he marked her, Dave wouldn’t be happy. And so, for once, he heeded her request.

“Fine. I’ll tell you when I’m close. You get on your knees for me, understand?” Price told her as he rifled into her. When she didn’t answer he repeated himself. “Understand?”

“Uhh, yes. I.... ugh.... understand,” Lara said through a long moan. It was then Price realized that she hadn’t responded because she was too busy coming. Her walls clamped down on his cock, gripping him even better than before. It felt incredible to him and he used the sensation to bring himself to the edge. A dozen or so more frantic thrusts and he pulled out, bringing his own hand to finish the job.

“Now,” Price demanded, pushing her harshly to the shower floor with his free hand and twisting her to face him. She almost slipped as he did it and it wasn’t graceful but Price looked down at her on her knees before him as his first shots of cum exploded out of him.

“Push your tits up for me,” Price said while aiming his cock directly at them. She did as he commanded and cupped them, presenting them for him. He released all over them, but in truth it was hard to tell as the powerful shower washed it away almost instantly. Regardless, he enjoyed the image of her on her knees for him and the feeling of power was almost as good as the orgasm itself.

He continued to stroke himself, slower now, enjoying the feeling as the last few drops fell somewhat invisibly on the shower floor.

Lara stood, her legs a little unsteady and turned towards the shower head, letting the water clean her chest, though there wasn’t much of his release left to speak of already. She moved around him. He ignored her as Lara exited the shower, leaving Price behind. She figured he’d be in there at least a few more minutes which would give her enough time to get dressed, get her stuff together and be gone before he was finished.

Lara stood on the bathroom tiles, dripping water onto the floor, and looked at the back of his head in hatred. She hadn’t resisted him when he had surprised her in the shower. There was simply no point. He’d take what he wanted no matter what she did. She had moved into the positions he had wanted and said the words that he wanted. She hoped it would be the last time she would have to be with him. She grabbed one of the towels and brought it with her back into the bedroom. She didn’t bother to wrap it around her. Modesty seemed a wasted exercise at this point.

As she dried herself, irritation rose within her. The truth was that as much as she hated him, he had made her cum. She knew it was a physiological reaction and she shouldn’t read too much into it but it felt wrong to enjoy being fucked by somebody she despised. He had cut her orgasm short by pulling out and making her kneel but she preferred that to the alternative of him coming inside her again.

It could have been worse, I guess, she thought to herself.

She dried herself as quickly as possible and once she was satisfied, she slipped her black cocktail dress back on. The zipper in the back got stuck halfway up but it would suffice. Lara didn’t relish the idea of waiting for Price and asking him to zip her back up.

She approached the bookcase opposite the bed and searched for her phone where she had hidden it. It wasn’t there.

What the fuck? Where did it go? Did he find it?!?

Lara was panicking now. She scanned the rest of the bookcase, perhaps thinking she had mistakenly hidden it somewhere else but to no avail. It was then she spotted it. On the floor and looking rather the worse for wear. Price had clearly dislodged it when he had hurled her purse across the room in anger. She bent down and picked it up. The phone was completely smashed, the screen displaying nothing except a spiderweb pattern of cracked lines. She tried to turn it on but the phone didn’t respond.

Fuck! Fucking fuckity fuck fuck!

Lara took a deep breath. All was not lost. The phone might be dead but that didn’t mean the internal storage wasn’t intact. The phone had caught the beginning of their sexual encounter. The violent part. That was the part that mattered and the footage could still exist within the phone. It might be retrievable. Possibly.

The only issue with this was that Lara didn’t possess the tools or skills needed to do such a thing. Lenny was certainly a person she knew who could but that would mean turning the phone over to him and he’d see everything. He’d know. Not only that Price **** himself on her, but that she had essentially planned it. What would he think or say? Was that can of worms one she was willing to open?

She’d have to consider it some more. In the meantime, it was time to leave. She didn’t want to be here when Price was finished. She headed for the door and was halfway out of the room before stopping in her tracks. She turned and looked towards the notepad on the night stand.

Maybe....

With a couple of long strides, she made her way over to it with a purpose, hoping to find the message Price had written down still on the pad. It wasn’t there. He had torn the sheet of paper off the pad and put it somewhere. The next page was devoid of writing. But as Lara stared at it she noticed that it wasn’t devoid of everything. There was markings there. Indentations from his pen as he leaned hard on the pad and wrote the message. And she could just about make out the words.

Lara picked up the pen he had used and held it lightly to the page at about a 45 degree angle. She started to mark the page full with ink, scrawling across the entire page. She had seen this in a movie once and hoped it wasn’t just Hollywood bullshit.

To her astonishment, it was working. As the page filled up with scribbles of ink, the white outline of what Price had written down became clear as day. She tore the page off and looked at it.

Thursday. 22:30. Two trucks at north end of Eaton Road.

Lara didn’t know what to make of this. Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe it was important. She pocketed the note into her purse and half walked, half ran out of the room and down the staircase, breathing hard, her heart pounding a little. It wasn’t until she was outside and a few hundred feet down the road and away from the house that she started to calm down.

She didn’t have use of her phone but she had cash in her purse. She’d walk to the nearest place of business and ask to call for an old fashioned taxi. Once she got home, she’d find a way of getting a message to Mike and set up a meeting so she could tell him about Price’s clandestine engagement.

***

Dave Miller sipped on his glass of bourbon as he took in his surroundings. He was sitting in a plush chair right in the middle of a lap dancing club. Only he was not in his own establishment, he was enjoying the ambiance afforded by the club “Silk.”

He had only been in the place once before and if he was being honest, it rivalled his own in many areas. Lighting, sound system, layout, furnishings. All first class. Gambini had apparently spared no expense in attempting to make his club seem as upmarket as possible.

Where Gambini and Silk fell down, at least in Dave’s own opinion, was his range of dancers. His eyes were drawn to the blonde working the pole in the centre of the room on an elevated podium style stage. She was attractive, there was no doubting that, but her impressive chest was clearly enhanced and even in the dim lighting Dave was sure he could see the telltale scars involved in a poorly done Brazilian butt lift.

Plastic, Dave thought to himself as he shook his head. She wouldn’t make the cut at The Pearl, that was for sure.

Dave’s purpose for being in a rival club was less business and more pleasure. It had been nearly a week since his girls had won the statewide lap dancing competition. Dave was not a patient man. As last years winner, Gambini was in possession of the trophy. He’d waited for Gambini to do the proper thing and hand over the trophy to him. It hadn’t happened. So, he had decided to come and collect the trophy himself. He’d informed one of the bouncers who he was and why he was here. Dave figured one of Sal’s lackeys would be along shortly with the trophy. He didn’t expect Gambini to deliver it himself but that was apparently what was about to happen. Dave looked up as he noticed the portly figure of Salvatore Gambini approaching him, a large golden coloured trophy tucked under one arm as he walked. He was puffing with the effort of hauling it. Dave smirked as he watched the man struggle. He was clearly trying to hide the exertion but was doing a poor job of it. Gambini heaved the trophy from under his arm and then placed it down on the table in front of Dave with a loud clang.

“I guess this is yours now,” Gambini said as he took the seat across from Dave, sighing with relief at no longer having to haul the golden ornament any longer.

“You’d guess right, Sal,” Dave said, unable to keep the mirth from showing on his face as he said it.

“I should have known you’d cheat,” Gambini said, shaking his head. Dave simply laughed, enjoying how irritated Sal seemed.

“No such thing, Sal. There is winning and losing. That’s it.”

“I hear one of your girls fucked the judges. All of them. They ran a train on her. Like a proper gang-bang,” Gambini said, his eyes and tone accusatory.

“Don’t believe everything you hear,” Dave answered, not caring even if it was true. “Come on Sal, I didn’t take you for the sore loser type. A little bitter?”

“Maybe I am,” Gambini admitted. “But from what I’m hearing, I won’t have to be bitter for long,” he said with a smirk.

Dave frowned. “And what exactly does that mean?”

“That you won’t be around a year from now to enter the competition again,” Gambini answered, looking smug.

“I’m going nowhere,” Dave said gruffly, not exactly sure where Gambini was going with this.

“Not by choice, perhaps. But I have friends in New York who say you are in deep with some, shall we say, unscrupulous characters?” Gambini said.

Dave froze in his seat. How the fuck does he know about the guns?!?

“As I just said, don’t believe everything you hear,” Dave said, trying to put on his best poker-face. The truth was, he was a little rattled. Dave had been careful. Nobody should know about the guns. The circle was tight. As far as he was aware, only the Russian, Price and Dave himself knew the details. How did Gambini know?

“Cut the crap, Miller. You can’t move that much hardware without making waves. You think you can flood the market like that and people won’t notice? Or care? There is a delicate balance that exists. And the peace only lasts because each organization knows to stay in their lane. Or at least they are supposed to. The people you are dealing with are stepping on toes, Dave,” Gambini said.

“So what if they are? It’s nothing to do with me,” Dave said. As he said it, he knew it was bullshit. He didn’t even believe it himself.

“They won’t distinguish. When they come for them, they’ll come for you too.”

“I don’t scare easy, Sal,” Dave said, darkly. But it was a front. The truth was, inside he was petrified.

“Anybody not scared in a situation like this is a fool. And I never took you for a fool,” Sal said bluntly.

“I don’t have to listen to this crap, least of all from you,” Dave said, bristling with anger as he stood up. He reached out for his trophy, intending to leave before he saw Gambini holding out both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Stop. Sit back down, Dave. I’m not here just of my own accord. The family has discussed this already. I’m here on instructions to offer you a deal,” Gambini told him. Dave knew what Sal meant by “the family.” La Cosa Nostra. The Mafia. Dave had always assumed Sal’s links were superficial and tenuous at most. Clearly, he had been wrong.

“Okay. I’m listening,” Dave said, sitting back down. Perhaps this was a way out of the mess he had gotten himself into.

***

Lara looked down at the expensive piece of hardware in her hand and smiled. It had been several days since her night with Price and she had finally gotten around to setting up her new phone. It was shiny, sleek and had that new phone feel. It would want to, given how much it had cost.

She’d gone through too many phones lately. This was her third one since she had started working at The Pearl. She was determined to make this one last. She was just about to re-install her favorite apps when she heard her front door bell buzz. Lara knew who it was. She had invited Mike to her place to discuss the latest goings on in the case. He had wanted to meet in public instead but Lara had insisted on her place. She didn’t have time today for the usual cloak and dagger routine. She had a job later this evening to get to.

Lara walked to her front door and opened it. On her front step was the expected sight of Detective Mike Hawthorne. He was dressed in a long overcoat and was sporting a fedora on his head.

“Come in, quick, before somebody sees you!” Lara said, dramatically as she ushered him inside.

“I get the distinct impression you are mocking me,” Mike said, as he entered the apartment.

“Well, it is a bit much, Mike. It’s like you googled “incognito outfit” and just went with the first result you found,” Lara said, unable to suppress a giggle as she said it.

“Hey, I don’t tell you what to wear on stage!” Mike said, defensively. Lara gave him a sly look.

“Well.... you could. Ya know, if you wanted to....” she told him as she held his gaze.

Why are you flirting? Stop it, she thought to herself. Lara looked away and tried to move on quickly.

“Anyway, let’s get down to it. I have news. Price news,” she said as she eased herself into one of her couches. Mike took off his coat and joined her on the couch opposite her.

“Lara, I thought we had agreed you would stay away from the guy,” Mike said, frowning at her.

“And I did. But this was work related. Price needed a date to a police function and requested me. Dave told me I had to,” Lara said, which was mostly true. She wasn’t going to tell Mike about her plan, or the Jo situation, that was for sure. But he needed to know about the note.

Mike sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle trying to curtail Lara’s independent streak. “What did you find out?” Mike asked.

“I overheard him taking a phone call. He’s meeting somebody tonight at 10:30 at a place called Eaton Street. And this somebody has two trucks with them,” Lara said.

Mike’s eyes went wide and he visibly perked up. “Trucks? Like.... moving trucks?”

“Maybe. Why?”

“It could be Dave’s moving trucks. From “Miller’s Movers.” Lara, I’ve been working there for nearly a week, trying to find something concrete. Something illegal. So far, no luck but this can’t be a coincidence,” Mike said, clearly excited.

“I agree.”

“Whatever this meeting Price has tonight? I’m going to tail him and find out what he’s doing. If the trucks arrive, I’ll know ahead of time. I have GPS trackers on all three trucks in use,” Mike told her.

“Is that strictly legal?” Lara asked, concerned Mike was compromising his ethics.

“Yes, technically. Frankly, it’s a bit of a gray area as far as evidence collection goes. Any information that the trackers would lead to would be admissible in court entirely at the judges discretion. But Lara, if I catch the prick red handed, I won’t need the GPS evidence so it’s a moot point. It’ll just be good to know where they are without having to follow them. I can concentrate on Price,” he told her. She nodded.

“I’d go with you but I’m working tonight. Dave has a bunch of us booked for some frat party,” Lara told him. Mike noticed she was smiling as she said it.

“You don’t sound too broken up about having to work,” Mike said.

She blushed as she realized she had been thinking about Alan as she said it. “Well, a friend of mine is in the frat. So he’ll be there and I guess in a way I’m sort of looking forward to it?” she explained.

Dave had told Lara, and five of her workmates, that she was to attend the frat party at the Kappa Omega Kappa house located on campus. It was Alan’s fraternity. Lara had welcomed the opportunity to spend some time with Alan and be paid for the privilege.

She had been less than thrilled when he told her they would all be in costume. But Dave had insisted. The money was too good to pass up, he’d said. He’d offered to pay the girls five grand each. For one night. The number was meant to shut down any griping. It had worked. She planned to spend some time getting ready after Mike left.

“Well, I’ll keep you updated either way. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know if this leads to anything,” Mike said. He looked like he was about to get up when Lara motioned to stop him.

“We’re not done, Mike,” Lara said. He was a bit taken aback by her firm tone and eased back into his seat.

“We need to talk about Jo,” Lara said, simply.

“What about her?” Mike answered before he could catch himself. His face went white and his mouth dropped as he realized he had just slipped up. “Uh.... I mean.... who’s Jo?” he asked. Lara shook her head at his feeble attempt to recover. “Jesus, I hope you lie better when you’re undercover. Mike, you can drop the act. I know everything. She’s your partner, right?” Lara said, looking straight at him as he tried to look away.

“Fuck. How do you know? Did I let it slip without noticing? Other than just now, I mean....” Mike asked, looking thoroughly embarrassed that he had given anything away, and perhaps more that a civilian had rumbled him so easily.

“She told me.”

“She told you?” Mike asked, incredulity all over his face. “Why?”

“That’s not important right now. And don’t think I haven’t noticed you haven’t apologized for lying to me. Mike, it really hurt that you hid this from me. That you didn’t trust me,” Lara said.

“Listen, it’s not like that Lara. I didn’t lie to you,” Mike said.

“Oh, come on. A lie of omission is still a lie. You two should have come to me from the start. I put my trust in you. You should have returned the favor,” Lara told him.

He looked directly at her and he could tell this wasn’t an act. She was genuinely upset and hurt that he had kept this from her. He’d lost some of her trust. It pained him that there was a possibility that he wouldn’t get that trust back.

“Okay. You’re right. But Lara you have to understand, we did it for a reason. The more people that know the details of an operation, the higher the chance that something gets leaked. Jo is in a potentially dangerous spot. She’s alone in that club. I had to protect her,” Mike said, hoping desperately that Lara would understand.

“I get it, Mike but all the same, I think I’ve proven by now that you can rely on me. And I could have helped her more had I known from the start,” Lara said, shaking her head. “Mike, you don’t know some of the things she’s had to do to maintain that cover. What she’s been through....”

“What exactly do you mean?” Mike asked, his face showing signs of worry now. Lara hesitated before answering. This wasn’t her tale to tell. Jo didn’t want him to know and she’d already said too much. Even so, a version of the truth might be necessary at this point.

“Mike, when’s the last time you talked to Jo?” Lara asked.

“Yesterday. I called her to update her on my new job with the moving company. Why?”

“When’s the last time you talked to her in person?”

Mike looked deep in thought for a moment. “Now that you mention it, maybe over a week ago? Why? What are you getting at? What happened?”

“She.... got into it. With a customer,” Lara said. Lara wasn’t willing to tell him about the ****. Or that it had been Price who had committed it. But Mike needed to know at least some of the effect that this investigation was having on his partner.

“What do you mean “got into it?” Lara, stop beating around the bush. Out with it,” Mike said.

“She was assaulted.”

“SHE WHAT!?” Mike said, leaping off the couch while shouting his words.

“Mike, calm down. She’s okay,” Lara said, realizing she should have led with that. “She has a few bruises and a black eye. I think that’s why she hasn’t been meeting you in person lately,” Lara told him.

“Why the hell didn’t she tell me? I’m her partner, for fuck sake!” Mike said. Lara had never seen him like this. His fists were balled and he was shaking with rage.

“Probably because she knew this would be your reaction? You need to stop, Mike. This isn’t helping anything,” Lara said.

“Which fucker did this to her?” Mike asked, no longer shouting but clearly still mad as hell.

“She didn’t say. I didn’t ask and I don’t think you should either,” Lara told him, knowing that she was lying to him but thinking it was for the best. “She dealt with it. I’m telling you now because I think it’s time you pulled her out. I’m in the club, I can still keep an eye on Dave. There is no need for her to be there.”

“Yes. You’re right. I’ll call her right now. Actually, no. I’ll go to her place and tell her in person,” Mike said, making his mind up.

“Tell her? You mean you’ll ask her. If she wants to stay in, you have to listen to her and respect her decision. Mike, ultimately this is her choice.”

“Like hell it is. I’m the senior officer and I’m putting a stop to this now. No investigation is worth her health. I’m pulling her out. No arguments. I’ll make her see reason,” Mike said, getting off his seat and marching away from Lara.

Lara leaped off her own seat and followed him. “Mike, you aren’t thinking clearly here. She’s her own woman and this sort of behavior is probably exactly why she didn’t tell you!” she said as she chased him down the hall towards her front door. He had already reached it and it was ajar.

“Look, I appreciate you telling me, Lara. You did the right thing. I’ll keep you posted about the Price thing tonight but right now, I need to go see Jo and make sure she’s alright. I’ll talk to you soon,” he said as he walked through her door.

Lara stared after him and felt a bout of queasiness in the pit of her stomach. That hadn’t gone well and she was having serious doubts about whether she had made the right call. Would Jo tell Mike the whole truth? Surely not.

If she did, Mike wouldn’t be tailing Price tonight. He’d likely shoot him on sight.

***

Lara peered through the wind shield of her VW Beetle as she waited for the rest of the girls to arrive. She was parked near the Kappa Omega Kappa fraternity house where they had agreed to meet. The plan was to wait for everyone to arrive before heading inside, together. Strength in numbers. This party was likely full of horny frat boys and Lara had thought it best that they arrive together and lay down some ground rules. That was the plan anyway. She figured she would perform a bit, do a few dances and then disappear somewhere to spend some time with Alan. It wouldn’t hurt to let the other girls do most of the heavy lifting for a change.

Lara noticed a car pull up behind her and saw three women file out of the back seat, one after the other. Three beautiful women, all dressed to the nines. Lara shut off the engine and stepped out of her car to go greet them. Sarah had been first out of the Uber and was the first to notice Lara walking towards them.

“You were right, that was her car. Lara is already here,” Sarah called to her companions who were still getting out of the back seat.

All of the girls were in costume, as requested. Dave had informed the girls that the frat boys had “voted” amongst themselves on the costumes that each girl would wear based on their photos. Their choice for Sarah certainly made a statement.

Standing before her was the real-life incarnation of Jessica Rabbit. Sarah’s dress was a dead ringer for the iconic red number, a tight-fitting, off-the-shoulder gown made of a shimmering, scarlet satin. The bodice was cinched incredibly tightly around Sarah's ample bosom, the sweetheart neckline plunging to reveal an eyeful of her impressive cleavage. The top part of the dress was downright sinful. There were no straps, and the sides of her breasts were on full display.

The skirt of the dress was a mermaid cut, clinging to Sarah's wide hips and flaring out into a dramatic, floor-length skirt with a high slit up the back, giving an almost scandalous view of her long legs. Her arms were covered in the trademark purple sleeves that the animated woman wore in the film. Sarah had gone heavy on the mascara to mimic the cartoonish purple of her eyes and had also chosen a deep red for her lipstick. Her flowing red hair complemented the outfit beautifully. The effect was profound and Lara was impressed with not only how authentic it looked but at the confidence Sarah clearly had to pull it off.

Jenny was next out of the car and Lara didn’t need to be told who she was dressed up as. The frat boys had chosen Marilyn Monroe for the blonde. She was dressed in Monroe’s signature classic white dress with short sleeves ending just above her elbows. The dress was made of a thin and flowing fabric, and it conjured the iconic image of Marilyn standing in the windy subway as the wind flowed through her dress. It hugged her curves in all the right places. Jenny had done her hair up in the signature Marilyn bouffant cut that had been all the rage in the 60’s. She had long white heels to match and looked every bit the Hollywood star. Lara did find it amusing that none of the boys who had chosen this costume had been alive during the woman’s reign. Nonetheless, there was no denying, Jenny did the look justice.

Last out of the car was Jessica. As the raven haired woman exited the car and stood up in front of her, Lara wasn’t entirely sure who she was supposed to be. Sure, Jessica looked beautiful in the green gown but if it was supposed to be obvious, Lara hadn’t picked up on it. Jessica saw the confused look on Lara’s face and answered the unspoken question.

“Jennifer Lopez,” Jessica said, her eyes rolling towards the back of her head.

Of course! The green Versace dress she wore to the Grammys!

Lara could see it now. The green dress was a near perfect replica of the one Lopez had famously worn. It was a shimmering, emerald green silk chiffon gown with a neckline that plunged ridiculously low in the front. In fact, it nearly reached Jessica’s belly button. The rear of the dress flowed behind her dramatically as she moved. Lara thought she looked stunning but it was obvious that Jessica wasn’t impressed with the boys choice for her.

“You look amazing, Jessica,” Lara said.

“Yeah, I look okay. But Lara, it’s sort of offensive. They’ve only picked this costume because they think I’m of Puerto Rican descent like she is,” Jessica said, clearly irritated.

Sarah looked at her in surprise. “You aren’t?” Sarah said.

“No! My folks came here from Chile. It’s nowhere near Puerto Rico!”

“Honestly, Jess I think you are reading too much into the ethnicity thing. I think it’s far more likely they paired you with J Lo after taking one look at your.... behind,” Lara said, smirking slightly. Sarah joined in.

“Yeah. I mean look at that giant ass. It’s hard to miss,” Sarah said as she reached out to give the woman’s behind a firm slap.

Jessica actually seemed happier with this theory and started to smile herself. “Yeah. I guess that makes sense. Thanks, Lara. Or should I say, thank you Miss Croft,” Jessica said with a snigger.

Lara sighed. For her own costume, the boys had zeroed in on one of Lara’s insecurities. The character she hated cosplaying the most and yet always seemed to be asked to. She was donned from head to toe in the costume of none other than Lara Croft, of Tomb Raider fame. The Tomb Raider had many outfits and looks but Lara had gone for the one Angelina Jolie had worn in the film.

Her top was an extremely form-fitting dark sleeveless tank top made of a soft fabric that clung to her toned torso. The tank top had a high neckline, featuring no cleavage to speak of however the tightness and snug nature of the top emphasised her large bust and displayed her chest prominently. It clung to her chest, leaving the viewer in no doubt as to the size and shape of her breasts.

Her bottoms were a pair of khaki short shorts, cut high on the hips to emphasize her long, toned legs. The shorts were tight and hugged her curves. They were also adorned by a wide, brown leather belt that cinched her waist, complete with an ornate buckle. She had also added a holster for a prop pistol on one side. The belt sat low, drawing attention to the curve of her waist and the flare of her hips.

On her feet, Lara wore a pair of high boots that came halfway to her knees with thick, chunky heels that added a few inches to her height. The boots were black and they were laced up the front. They hugged her calves, emphasizing their shapely definition, and the heels gave her a confident, commanding stride. She had done her hair into a long, French braid synonymous with the character and it fell down her back in a long, single segment.

Lara had endured the teasing as a teenager, having both the name and look of the character and so had avoided it in adulthood as much as possible. She hadn’t chosen this outfit but as much as she hated to admit it, she knew she looked damned good. If she was going to do it, she would do it to the best of her ability and it was obvious from the approving looks on her workmates faces that she looked the part.

“How is your kid, Jess?” Lara asked.

“Doing a little better now. Thanks for asking. And thanks for covering for me with Dave. It meant a lot,” Jessica said.

“Any time,” Lara told her.

“So we have Jessica Rabbit, Marilyn Monroe, Jennifer Lopez and Lara Croft. Does anyone know what they picked for Britney and Jo?” Jenny asked the other three women. They shook their heads.

“Should we head inside or wait out here for them?” Jessica asked.

“I’d rather head in as a group, to be honest. Let’s give them some more time,” Lara answered.

“No need, I’m here,” a voice came from behind them. The four women turned in surprise as Britney had approached them silently from the opposite direction.

“Jesus Christ, Brit. You scared me half to ****. Did you come as a ninja or something?” Lara asked, her heart racing in her chest from the short scare.

“No, not a ninja,” Britney said, looking somewhat embarrassed. Lara found it odd. Britney never struck her as the bashful type. She was wearing a long overcoat that covered most of her body. Lara did notice Britney’s long blonde hair was styled in loose, voluminous waves that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. She’d clearly visited a salon to have it done.

“What did they pick for you Britney?” Jenny asked, curious as to what the southern belle had on underneath the coat.

“It’s a bit.... much. I didn’t want to wear it in public. So I wore a coat to get here,” she told them.

“Well, you might as well ditch the coat because they are going to want to see it once we get inside,” Sarah told her.

“Okay but, don’t laugh,” Britney said as she started to undo the trench coat.

Sarah did not heed Britney’s request and burst out laughing as the outfit was revealed. Britney was dressed in a bright red, one-piece bathing suit. The boys had chosen Pamela Anderson’s Baywatch outfit for her to wear.

The bathing suit was simple and revealing, clinging to Britney’s voluptuous figure. The neckline was a low U-shape and showcased Britney’s expansive cleavage. Britney was wearing white short socks with white sneakers which left the entirety of her legs on display.

“Oh my god, they got you good!” Jenny said, laughing between words, unable to contain herself.

“Give us a slow-motion run Britney!” Sarah demanded, giggling uncontrollably.

Lara couldn’t help laugh along with the others. As much as she hated the Tomb Raider outfit, the red one-piece would have been worse.

“You guys all have actual clothes. I’m going to be walking around all night in a bathing suit!” Britney proclaimed.

“It’s not that bad, Brit. I’ve seen you wear a lot less, ya know,” Lara told her.

“Yeah but this is different. I just look so.... out of place. On a beach? Sure. But out here at this time of night?” Britney said, looking down at herself.

“You look amazing. You rock that look. Pam has got nothing on you,” Jessica told her, trying to boost the blonde’s confidence.

“You don’t need the coat. The boys will love it. They’ll be all over you, trust me. Here, I’ll keep your coat in my car, okay?” Lara said as she took Britney’s coat and went to place it in the back seat of her Beetle.

“Thanks guys. I guess, it could be worse. I’m sure it’ll feel more normal once we are inside,” Britney said.

“Speaking of inside, Jo’s late,” Lara said as she closed the door to her car and checked the time on her phone. “Should we head in without her?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Jessica said in agreement. The five women linked arms and started to make their way through the campus towards the Kappa Omega Kappa building.

“Some people stand in the darkness, afraid to step into the light....” Sarah sang as they walked, launching into the Baywatch intro.

“Shut it,” Britney said grumpily as the other four women chuckled at her expense.

As they approached the entrance to the frat house, Lara was surprised at the grandeur of the building. It was enormous looking with enough room for two dozen bedrooms, easily. The “KOKs” as they were known were the premier frat on campus and clearly had the accommodations to prove it. They spotted Jo standing outside the entrance. She had been waiting for them.

“There she is. Hey Jo!” Britney called out.

Jo turned to face them and they all got a good look at the final costume for the group. Her medium length blonde hair was done up in a high ponytail. She was dressed in a black, short sleeved top which had a high neckline, giving her an athletic appearance. Over the top she was wearing a black leather jacket left unzipped to reveal the shirt underneath. The jacket was cropped slightly, ending just above her waist, and featured a slightly oversized collar and zippered pockets, giving it a rugged, edgy vibe. Her pants were a pair of fitted, red leather trousers that hugged her hips and legs, showcasing her petite frame.

It was the two props that gave the game away. Around her neck was a silver cross and in her left hand she was holding a large and pointy wooden stake. Lara knew the props could only mean that Jo was dressed as Buffy, the vampire slayer. Lara smiled at her as they approached.

Jo did not return the smile. In fact, she looked decidedly angry. Lara figured that perhaps she was unhappy with her costume, similar to Britney. She unlinked her arms with the others and stepped forward.

“Hey, Jo. You look great. We were just about to head....” Lara started to say but was cut short. Jo had taken one step forward, pulled her right arm back and launched a tremendous slap right across Lara’s face. The group gasped in shock as Lara took the full brunt of the slap on her left cheek and stumbled backwards, nearly falling over with the **** of it.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!” Jo screamed at her as Lara tried to recover her balance. The group of costumed women stared in astonishment at the normally placid blonde. She was shaking in what could only be described as uncontained fury. Lara brought her hand to her face as she felt the pain left behind from the blow. She straightened up and turned to face Jo, in complete shock at what had just happened.

“You just couldn’t keep your big mouth shut, could you? I shouldn’t be surprised. You can barely keep your legs closed for five minutes, why should your mouth be any different?” Jo shouted at the brunette, her words practically laced with venom. Lara tried to reason with her.

“Jo, I never meant....”

“I TOLD you not to tell him but nooooooo, miss fucking know-it-all always knows what’s best for everyone, right? You RUINED everything! You should have seen the way he looked at me. Like I’m damaged goods. Like I’m some helpless little victim,” Jo said, railing at Lara.

“I know you aren’t a victim but he needed to....”

“What about what I FUCKING NEEDED?!? You swore to me, Lara! You promised you wouldn’t say anything. I guess I know now what a promise from you is worth.”

“Jo, I didn’t....”

“Don’t bother. We’re done. Don’t talk to me. Don’t even fucking look at me,” Jo said, no longer shouting but there was an icy coolness to her tone. She turned about face and walked into the building on her own. Lara clutched her stinging face as the rest of the girls surrounded her.

“Lara, are you okay?” Britney asked, the concern evident on her face.

“I think so,” Lara answered. She worked her jaw, making sure nothing was askew and checked her teeth with her tongue. Everything seemed in order. Her face still stung though.

“Fuck me, what the hell was that about?” Jenny asked staring after Jo in complete shock. “Who was she talking about?”

“It doesn’t matter what it was about. That was way over the line. That was ****,” Sarah said, darkly. Lara shook her head.

“No, it wasn’t,” Lara told her.

“Lara, she hit you. There is no excuse,” Sarah said firmly. Lara shook her head again.

“Sarah, Jo is trained.”

“Trained?” Sarah asked, not quite sure what she meant.

“As in trained in martial arts. Like, properly. Plus, you saw what she had in her other hand. The sharp and pointy stake?” Lara asked her.

“What’s your point?” Sarah asked.

“My point is if that she really wanted to hurt me, she could have. That.... that was her just letting me know,” Lara said. And Lara did know. She had fucked up by telling Mike. Clearly, he had stormed over to Jo’s place and demanded the truth and evidently, Jo had told him. Or at least some version of the truth.

Lara knew Jo was in love with Mike. And if Mike somehow saw Jo as tainted or less of a woman because of what had happened, Jo would feel like any shot she had with him would be lost. Lara knew Mike wasn’t that type of man. He wouldn’t think like that. But Jo seemed convinced otherwise, and so she had blamed Lara.

Who could blame her? She’s right. I DID ruin everything for her, Lara thought to herself. She should have kept her mouth shut. But it was done now. She’d try and apologize later, as futile as that seemed. For now, she had a job to do. And she’d do it.

“Sorry you had to see that, girls. That was my fault. And I’ll fix it. Or try to. But we better get in there or the guys will call Dave, asking where we are,” Lara told them.

“Do you need a minute? We can wait with you, if you do,” Britney said to her.

“No, I’m fine. Let’s head in,” Lara told them and started to walk towards the entrance. Britney, Sarah, Jessica and Jenny all exchanged worried looks for several moments before following Lara inside.

***

“Easy does it. Not too close,” Mike said to himself from behind the wheel of his car.

He slowed down as he turned left onto Eaton Street, keeping Captain Price’s squad car just within sight on the road ahead. He had been following Price since he had left the station. Mike was trying to walk the delicate line between making sure he didn’t lose Price, but not being close enough to attract attention. If Price spotted somebody following him, he might peel off and abandon his secret meeting. Worse still, if he recognised Mike, it would raise questions that he simply couldn’t answer. This was a risk. Mike knew it. Despite this, he was convinced it was one worth taking. Fortunately, they were still within the city and with the regular city traffic, the other cars on the road were helping to keep him hidden.

Price slowed and eventually stopped near the corner. Mike pulled over and shut off his engine. There was no way to know for sure what Price was waiting for but he had a solid hunch. He turned to the passenger seat and touched a few random keys on his laptop to wake it from it’s sleep and quickly refreshed the web browser that was on the screen. It was a map with minute to minute location data of all three of “Miller’s Movers” large box trucks. His hunch was correct. One of the trucks was still at the depot but the two others were on the move. And only a stone’s throw away from Mike’s current location.

Price is meeting the trucks. Escorting them somewhere.

The trucks were only minutes away. Now, all there was to do was wait. As he did, his mind wandered to his earlier uncomfortable conversation with Jo. Mike had raced over to her place and hammered on her door, demanding to be let in. When she had opened the door and he saw the faint marks of a days old black eye, he nearly lost it. He had told her that her role in the investigation was over and that he was pulling her out. She hadn’t taken that well.

There was no denying it. He’d behaved like a fool. Like some macho idiot. Jo didn’t need his protection. She could take care of herself and he had forgotten that. He knew that now. But at the time, in that room with her as he looked at her eye, he had let his emotions take over. He’d demanded to know who had done it to her. She had refused to tell him.

It had then occurred to Mike as he stood there in front of her that this may not have just stopped at a black eye. That this person at the club may have **** themselves on her. He hadn’t known how to ask but he assumed the look on his face had betrayed what he was thinking. Jo had burst into tears right in front of him. He had moved to comfort her but she had pushed him away, hard. She had screamed at him to get out and so he had.

The idea that Jo had been in there at his request and that this had happened to her was eating him up. He didn’t know how to make it right. All he could do was focus on the work and hope that the answer would come to him.

Mike slouched down in his seat as the two trucks approached from behind and roared past his parked car. He watched as they came to a stop behind Price’s stationary squad car and Price got out and approached the lead truck’s driver side window. Mike could see a brief exchange but was too far away to hear. Price then got back into his car and started to drive. The two trucks followed close behind.

What sort of cargo the trucks were carrying was still up in the air but the safe money was on one of three choices. ****, guns, or people, he thought to himself as he restarted his engine and moved to follow them. Price and the trucks were heading south and out of the city. As Mike followed, the traffic thinned and then disappeared altogether. He knew he had to pull back, out of visual range and rely solely on the GPS tracking lest he be spotted. Mike slowed and dropped back, giving them plenty of space.

He tapped his foot nervously as he glanced at the laptop screen every few seconds. The more they drove, the clearer it became where they were all headed. Price is bringing the trucks through the checkpoint. Whatever it is they are smuggling, it’s across state lines.

Mike grimaced as the full realization of the situation hit him. His private corruption investigation was about to get a whole lot bigger. This case was now federal.

***

“I don’t think they were listening to you, Lara,” Britney said as she gave Lara an apologetic look.

“No. I don’t think they were....” Lara responded, clearly frustrated that she had been ignored.

Following the girls arrival at the party, Lara had stood with the other girls, sans Jo, in the frat’s enormous living room and attempted to explain to the fraternity guys what was on offer. The goal had been to to lay down some light ground rules about what was permitted. Her speech had fallen on deaf ears. The members of Kappa Omega Kappa were a raucous bunch and as soon as she had started to talk, she had been drowned out with cheers and jeers followed by a group chant of “take it off!”

Lara’s speech had been disregarded as soon as she’d stopped speaking. The girls had quickly been swarmed by eager party goers, asking for lap dances and strip shows already.

Jessica and Jenny had immediately obliged the crowd. Lara could see Jessica off to the side on a sofa, grinding away on a guys lap while Jenny was dancing sexily on a long coffee table to a captive audience, shedding what few items of clothing her Marilyn Monroe costume contained. Lara shook her head at her aborted attempt to keep a lid on the night’s activities.

They are all professionals. They can handle themselves, I suppose.

“Hey look. Isn’t that Alan?” Britney exclaimed while nudging Lara in the side. She followed the blonde’s gaze and spotted him as he moved in their direction. Lara smiled and started forward to meet him, intending to wrap her arms around his shoulders and neck. She stopped though as she noticed a warning flash in his eyes followed by a small, quick shake of his head. He didn’t want any PDA?

He’s warning me. Why? And of what?

“Hey, Alan. Lovely to see you again,” Britney said with a sly grin as the pair of girls reached him. She clearly hadn’t picked up on Alan’s signals.

“Uh, hey Britney. You look amazing, by the way,” Alan said, blushing slightly. Lara figured his awkwardness towards them was due to the encounter the three of them had shared in the VIP of The Pearl the last time they were together.

That can’t just be it, though. There is something else....

“Why, thank you,” Britney said back, beaming a smile at him, feeling more confident in her red bathing suit. Lara knew it wasn’t just Alan’s compliment that had Britney in better spirits. Half the room was staring at the buxom blonde, most of them likely trying to pluck up the courage to approach her. Alan leaned in closer to Lara before speaking in a low voice.

“I need to have a quick word with you,” Alan said, looking serious.

Lara nodded. “I’ll be right back, Brit,” she told her as she walked away towards a dark corner with Alan.

“You know, if you wanted to get me alone, you didn’t need all the mysterious subterfuge stuff,” Lara said with a smile as she turned to face him.

“It’s not that,” Alan replied. “Look, I didn’t know. If I had known, I’d have warned you beforehand.”

“Warned me of what?” Lara asked him, confused about what Alan was concerned about. But before Alan could answer, her stomach sank as she comprehended exactly what the problem was. Or rather who it was. Standing across the room with a red solo cup in his hand, and chatting up Sarah, was Will Kane.

“What the fuck is he doing here? I thought it was members and pledges only? He’s not a KOK. He didn’t pledge....” Lara hissed at Alan.

“No. He didn’t. Or at least he hadn’t. He missed the entire pledging process and then at the last minute he decided he wanted to join, apparently,” Alan told her.

“And they just let him? What sort of frat is this?” Lara asked, her eyes narrowing as she saw Will place his hand on Sarah’s arm and subtly start to rub it as they talked.

“The kind that likes women. Lara, who do you think hired you girls?” Alan asked her.

Lara suddenly felt like an idiot for not seeing it sooner. “He did. Fuck. He thought he could buy his way in last minute,” Lara answered.

“And he was right. They welcomed him with open arms,” Alan said, clearly annoyed that he had followed the rules and Will had used his money to bypass them.

“I should have known. Hiring six of us? For an entire night? Of course it was him. Who else could afford it?” Lara said.

She was fuming that Dave had kept this from her. Dave knew she hated Will with a passion. She’d have to take this up with the club owner later. This was not okay. Lara watched from across the room as Will leaned in close and whispered something in Sarah’s ear.

“So that’s why you stopped me earlier?” Lara asked, finally tearing her eyes away from Will and looking at Alan.

He nodded. “I figured if we started making out in front of him, it would raise some uncomfortable questions. As far as I’m aware, he still has no idea we’ve been.... talking. Or that I know what he and Rob did. Oh, Rob is here too. Will said they came as a package deal. He’s pledging now too,” Alan told her.

“Fantastic,” Lara said, sarcastically.

“Look, don’t lose your cool. He’s here. They both are. There isn’t anything you can do,” Alan told her, taking her hand in his and squeezing it a little.

“I can leave, is what I can do. And take the girls with me,” Lara said firmly.

“And risk losing your job? No. The scumbag isn’t worth it, Lara. I’ll try and keep him away from you as much as I can.”

Lara sighed. She knew Alan was right. There was nothing she could realistically do. Not without serious reprecussions for all six of the girls. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. She didn’t want to give Will the satisfaction of knowing he could rattle her.

Show Will you don’t give a shit that he’s here. That he doesn’t even register with you. That he doesn’t matter.

“Okay. Yeah, I’ll be fine. This is just a job, like any other. I’ll ignore him. I’ll dance, play a few party games and then maybe after a while you and me can sneak out together?” Lara said. Alan was still holding her hand and she returned his earlier squeeze.

“I’d like that. Very much. Very, very much,” Alan said, his eyes dipping down from her face to her body. She chuckled to herself. She had almost forgotten she was in costume.

“I’m hitting one of your fantasies, I take it?” Lara asked as she posed slightly for him. Alan licked his lips subconsciously as his eyes roamed over her body.

“I’m not going to lie. I’ve always had a thing for her. I owned all the games as a kid. And you really do look like her when you are dressed up like this. Especially with the braid,” Alan said. Lara smiled and put on her posh British accent. “Well, good sir, play your cards right and maybe you and Miss Croft can explore some secret and hidden areas together,” Lara told him mischievously.

“Oh, wow. Lara that accent is spot on!”

“Doing it for you, is it?” she asked him with one eyebrow raised, her accent back to normal now.

“Yeah. Totally,” he responded. She looked down and noticed he was tenting his trousers a little.

“Well, you better go before we get too worked up and we give ourselves away,” Lara said to him. He nodded as he readjusted himself.

“One more thing. Lenny is here too,” Alan told her.

She threw her arms up in the air in exasperation. “What else don’t I know? Is everyone pledging this fucking place? Who else is going to show up? Dave? My Dad? The Pope?” Lara asked him.

“Just Lenny. He’s not pledging but he’s an “honoured guest” apparently. One of the guys on the football team was failing a class. It was causing problems and then Lenny tutored him.”

Lara scoffed. “Yeah. Tutored. Sure. He totally didn’t give him the test answers before hand and if you believe that, I have some magic beans to sell you,” Lara said, shaking her head.

“Anyway, he’s here too and that’s why. I just wanted you to know,” Alan told her.

“Thanks, I guess,” Lara said. She suddenly realized that Will and Sarah were no longer talking. In fact, she couldn’t see either of them.

“We’ve been talking too long. Find me later,” she told him as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and headed towards a beer pong table where Britney was standing and watching a bunch of guys play.

“Not playing? I didn’t take you as a voyeur, Brit,” Lara said as she sidled up beside Britney.

“Shush. Let them concentrate. There is a lot at stake here,” Britney said, not taking her eyes off the table.

“Oh? Are they playing for money?” Lara enquired as one of the frat boys took his shot. The crowd groaned as the ball lipped out of the cup.

“Nope,” Britney answered.

“So what does the winner get?” Lara asked.

“Me,” Britney said, turning towards Lara with a grin. “A bunch of em’ wanted some one-on-one dance time with me but there is only so much Britney to go around. So, I figured what better way to decide than a beer pong competition?” she said, her southern drawl becoming more pronounced as she relaxed.

“Making them work for it?” Lara asked.

“Damn right.”

The crowd of guys surrounding the table cheered as one of the contestants dunked his shot. “Hell yeah! One more cup and I get the Baywatch babe!” he said.

“For a dance. You get me for a dance. We never talked about extras, honey,” Britney said while flashing a smile at him.

“Yeah, sure. Of course,” he said, obviously hoping for more than just a dance once he got the blonde on his lap.

Lara looked to her left and saw Sarah approaching the two of them.

Good. I’ll be able to warn her about Will, she thought to herself. Half the guys at the beer pong table turned to watch the real life Jessica Rabbit sashay towards them. Before Lara could say anything, Sarah spoke first.

“Well, it looks like we’ll need a new nickname for Jo,” Sarah said wryly.

“Jo has a nickname?” Britney asked, turning towards her.

“Britney. I forgot you’re new and might not know. Yes, Jo has a nickname. We call her “No Blow Jo” because she doesn’t do extras,” Sarah said.

Lara was familiar with the nickname. Jo’s **** had made some of the girls uncomfortable and caused some bitchiness and whispered remarks behind her back. Since Lara had discovered that Jo was an undercover cop, her stance had made a lot more sense.

“I see. Good for her, I suppose. But why would she need a new nickname?” Britney asked the redhead.

“Because it doesn’t really apply anymore. She’s breaking her own rule. Look....” Sarah said, pointing towards one of the couches.

Sarah was right. Lara couldn’t quite believe her eyes but sitting on the couch was Rob. He had his head back and his eyes closed. The reason for this was the woman kneeling in between his spread legs, bobbing her head up and down on his crotch. A blonde girl was giving him a blowjob in full view of the entire room. And it was Jo.

“I’m going to put a stop to this,” Lara said, determinedly. A crowd was gathering to watch, enjoying the sight of one of the strippers crossing a barrier so early in the night. Many of them probably hoped to be next.

“Why? She’s a big girl. Nobody **** her down there. I saw the entire thing. The guy just walked up to her and brazenly asked. I expected her to hit him, similar to the way she clocked you. But she just nodded and led him by the hand over to the couch. I couldn’t quite believe it myself but it is what it is, Lara,” Sarah said.

Lara shook her head. “This isn’t her. She’s angry and upset. Because of me and because of.... some other stuff. She’ll regret this tomorrow and I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I didn’t try to stop her,” Lara told the pair of women.

“It’s your funeral,” Sarah said, clearly not thinking much of Lara’s idea to intervene.

“It might be but I’m doing it anyway. Oh, and Sarah? That guy you were chatting to earlier. Will? He’s bad news,” Lara said.

“The good looking tall guy? Really? He was really laying the charm on thick. Obviously fancies himself a bit of a rizz expert. He had a few good lines. A bit full of himself perhaps but he seemed harmless,” Sarah said back.

“Well, he’s not. Trust me.”

“Hey, if you two have a thing going, just say so and I’ll back off,” Sarah said, clearly getting the wrong idea.

“No, it’s nothing like that. At all,” Lara said. The crowd around Jo and Rob was getting bigger. Most of the room had either noticed or been told at this point. Lara felt she needed to get over there sooner rather than later.

“Look, I need to go deal with this. Just watch yourself with him, okay?” Lara said over her shoulder as she marched towards the couch. Lara bustled her way through the gathering crowd until she had reached Jo and Rob. He had his eyes open now and focused on Lara.

“Lovely to see you again, Lara. Why don’t you kneel down and join your friend here? There is plenty of me to go around,” Rob said aloud. There was a smattering of laughter as he said it. Lara ignored him and reached down to put a hand gently on Jo’s back in order to get her attention.

“Jo, what are you doing?” Lara asked softly. Jo pulled her mouth off of Rob’s cock. Despite his earlier bragging, Lara could tell that there was not, in fact, plenty of him to go around. He was reasonably thick but quite short in length at around four inches. If even that.

Jo held his cock in her hand as she turned to look up at Lara from her kneeling position. “Are you fucking stupid? What does it look like I’m doing?” Jo said, practically spitting the words out at Lara.

“It looks like you are making a mistake,” Lara told her, trying to keep her voice calm and even.

“A bit rich coming from you, no? You’ve probably blown half the guys in here already. It’s what you do, right? Fuck, is there a guy in your life that you haven’t given it up to? Dave, Price, Lenny.... and Mike,” Jo said, snarling as she said Mike’s name.

“Hands up guys. Has the Tomb Raider bimbo had you in her mouth yet?” Jo said, looking around at the group.

“Actually, I can say that I’ve already had the pleasure,” Rob said with a sly grin. This brought a cheer from the group. One of the guys even leaned over to high-five him.

“I’m not surprised, motherfuckers. This one is like the village bicycle,” Jo said, sneering at Lara, the new information only driving her point home.

Lara went red with embarrassment. What Rob said was true, although she had been **** at the time. She was tempted to announce that little truth to the entire room but thought better of it.

This doesn’t matter right now. Focus.

“Come with me outside and we can talk,” Lara told her. The crowd booed upon hearing the suggestion. Rob’s face turned. He didn’t look happy at Lara interrupting his time with Jo.

“Now hold on a minute. Me and Buffy here were having a good time until you showed up. She’s a strong, independent slayer and she can blow who she wants,” Rob said, loudly. He reached out and grabbed a firm grip of Jo’s hair and pulled her back onto his cock. She went willingly and the crowd cheered as she resumed her blowjob with gusto.

Lara felt a hand on her back and turned to see it was Alan who was leading her away from the couch. She let him take her a few feet off to the side.

“I’m a shitty friend,” Lara said, unable to look away from Jo’s very uncharacteristic and very public display. She could see a few phones in hands, recording the spectacle.

“You tried, Lara. Neither of them are going to listen,” Alan told her.

“Well, this is a disaster for her,” Lara said, feeling a pit of sadness in the bottom of her stomach. Alan gave her a strange look. Lara reminded herself he wasn’t aware that Jo had a career in law enforcement in jeopardy.

“There are things you don’t know Alan. This is going to follow her. Haunt her,” Lara said, not elaborating any further.

“I recognize her. Isn’t she the girl that showed up at your place that night a little banged up and was waiting for you?” Alan asked. Lara nodded.

“That’s her.”

“She works with you, right?”

“Sort of,” Lara answered. She watched as Rob now had a firm grip on Jo’s head and was fucking up into it vigorously. She didn’t want to watch this any more. “I need a drink,” Lara said, turning towards the kitchen.

“I’ll get it for you,” Alan offered.

“No, I’ll do it myself. It’ll give me an excuse not to watch,” Lara said and started to walk towards the drinks area. As she worked her way through the crowd, she spotted Britney perched on a guys lap on one of the leather chairs. She was mid-lap dance with the lucky winner of the beer pong competition and had the straps of her red bathing suit off her shoulders and around her waist. She was laughing as she smothered the guy with her naked tits and grinded into him.

At least somebody is having fun.

Lara reached the kitchen counter-top filled to the brim with an assortment of drinks. She briefly considered just filling up a red solo cup with whatever beer the keg contained but then spotted what she really wanted. A bottle of Camarena. Premium tequila. Unopened. She twisted the top off and poured herself a generous portion into her plastic cup. She brought it to her nose and inhaled the fresh and slightly melon-like smell. She took a large swig and felt it glide smoothly down her throat as it instantly gave her that familiar warm feeling.

“I got that specifically for you. I know how much you like it,” a voice came from over her shoulder. Lara spun quickly and was face to face with Will. He looked her up and down appreciatively from her boots to her shorts and finally focusing on the form-fitting tank top that was practically molded to her chest.

“When the guys voted for you to be the Tomb Raider, I knew you would do it justice,” Will said. Lara posted on her fake smile. “I aim to please,” she said, taking another sip of her drink.

“Oh, I remember,” Will said, casting his mind back to when she was on her knees and taking him to the hilt inside her throat. A sudden urge to grab her and take her right there surged through him. But he thought better of it and tried to calm himself. Now wasn’t the time. Instead, he steered the conversation towards something that had been bothering him since the girls had arrived.

“You and Alan seemed to be getting along,” Will said. Lara tried to hide the surprise and worry on her face but wasn’t sure she had done a good job. She didn’t want to give anything away.

“What do you mean?” Lara asked, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Just that you two had a good chat earlier. Did you talk about anything interesting?”

“Not much. Just the frat. We haven’t seen each other in a while so he was just thanking me for my help in one of his pledge challenges,” Lara said, trying to sell the lie as best she could. Her answer had taken Will aback. The “pledge challenge” in question had been engineered by Will. He’d encouraged a **** up Lara to blow Alan at his party.

She shouldn’t remember blowing Alan. She had more than enough **** in her system at the time. They never remember. Unless he told her about it? Will decided to steer the conversation away from Alan.

“Well.... good. I’m glad you were able to help him. Rob is here, too. Have you said hello?”

“Yes, we crossed paths,” Lara said coolly.

“He’s been out of action for a while. His hospital visit. You remember, of course,” Will said, his inference clear.

He still thinks I’m the one to blame. That I tried to kill him, Lara thought.

“Well, he seems better now,” Lara said simply. “I did try to say hello but he was a little busy with a friend of mine at the time.”

“Oh yeah, her. You can hardly blame the guy. He’s a big fan of the show and your friend really does look like a budget Sarah Michelle Gellar,” Will said, laughing. “Your friend is probably doing exactly what Gellar did to get the job. I hear Whedon was a fan of the casting couch.”

Lara just stared back at him, clearly not amused. Will continued.

“Speaking of couches, would you care to join me on one? I’ve yet to have the pleasure of one of your legendary lap dances,” Will asked.

“Pass.”

“You girls are on the clock, you know. I could insist on it,” Will told her as he looked straight at her. Lara noticed there was suddenly an undercurrent of menace in his tone.

“You could. But I wouldn’t recommend it,” Lara answered back, meeting his gaze.

“Well, either way, we have an official frat event coming up in a little while. Participation is mandatory for you girls, so get your game face on,” Will said. He said it as if it was a command and not a suggestion.

Lara felt the urge to punch him square in the face. She needed to put some distance between them in case she acted on it. She spotted Lenny out of the corner of her eye and jumped at the ready made excuse. She downed the rest of her drink, and placed the empty cup down on the table.

Fuck him. I know full well why he went to the trouble of hiring us. Of hiring me. Well, he can go fuck himself. I’m going to enjoy myself in spite of all his bullshit.

“Well this little chat has been fascinating but I’ve just spotted Lenny. He’s much better company....” Lara said as she walked away from Will before he could say another word. She could tell he wasn’t finished talking and it felt good to just shut his manipulation down.

Lenny was part of a circle of guys all staring at a table. As Lara got closer she could finally see what they were all looking at. Jenny was on her back, laying on the table. Her white dress had been completely abandoned and she lay there in only her bra and panties. She had a large slice of lemon in her mouth.

Lara watched as one of the guys leaned down between her breasts and licked some salt off of Jenny’s bare skin, then took a tequila shot from the tiny glass nestling in her belly button before moving to kiss Jenny and take the lemon slice from her mouth. The group cheered and Jenny giggled along with them.

“Body shots, huh?” Lara whispered in Lenny’s ear from behind. He jolted in surprise, clearly unaware of her presence.

“Fucking hell, Lara. You scared the crap out of me,” Lenny said as he took a deep breath and attempted to calm himself.

“Have you not taken your Xanax tonight?” Lara said, grinning at him. He had a look of confusion on his face before he answered her.

“Right.... yeah. My Xanax. No, I haven’t taken any,” Lenny said, giving her an odd look. She brushed past it.

“You seem in good spirits, anyway. Anything new?” Lara asked. He smiled at her.

“Yeah. I had my second visit today to Mr. Kane’s cloud computing farm. I really got to delve in there, explore the tech. Howard was very accommodating,” Lenny said.

“Oh, it’s Howard now is it? You and Will’s Dad are on a first name basis?” Lara said, poking fun at him.

“What can I say? Genius recognizes genius....” Lenny said with more than a hint of pride. His gaze flickered from Lara’s chest back towards the half naked Jenny, laying on the table.

“Are you next?” Lara asked, gesturing towards the blonde on the table who was repositioning the next shot, this time attempting to wedge the shot glass between her breasts and have it stay there. Lenny’s eyes were glued to Jenny’s tits as she did it.

“No, I’ve already had a turn,” Lenny told her. He turned to face her. “Do you want to go next?” he asked, hopefully. Lara’s lips curled upwards into a sly grin.

“Do you mean take Jenny’s place on the table? Or do you mean this....” Lara said as she bustled past the group. She hoped Will was still watching from behind her. She wanted him to know he hadn’t effected her. That she was going to have a good time in spite of him.

She locked eyes with Jenny, asking for her unspoken permission. Jenny gave her an imperceptible nod and Lara winked at her in response. Lara bent forwards and picked up the glass from between the blonde’s breasts using only her mouth. She tilted her head back and let the smooth liquid pour down her throat. She slammed the shot glass down and then reached down to the front clasp of Jenny’s bra. With a deft flick of her fingers she unclasped the bra, freeing Jenny’s sizable chest. Lara picked up the salt shaker and liberally spread some all over the shapely mounds. She dipped her head down and started to lick and suck on one of Jenny’s salted breasts while kneading Jenny’s other breast in her hand.

Jenny let out an exaggerated moan for the benefit of the crowd as she cradled Lara’s head in her hands. A raucous cheer of approval followed as the audience around them started to grow. Lara took one of Jenny’s nipples into her mouth and nibbled lightly on it. This brought another, perhaps more genuine moan from Jenny as she arched her back slightly. Lara gave the soft flesh one last long lick and then moved around to the top of the table. She dipped low and cupped Jenny’s face gently. Her lips met Jenny's in a slow, sensual upside down kiss. Lara started to make out with her, the blonde still laying sprawled on the table.

“Woo! Spider-man kiss!” Lenny cheered as he and the other guys of Kappa Omega Kappa watched the action in front of them.

Lara explored, licking over Jenny’s teeth, tracing the sharp edges before delving deeper, stroking the inside of her cheek. Lara had never kissed somebody from this angle before, ostensibly upside down. It was a unique experience. As they made out, Lara’s hands wandered, gliding back over the slopes of the other woman’s breasts. Lara could feel Jenny’s tongue starting to caress her own in long, luscious strokes as they really started to get into it. It sent a shiver down her spine.

Wow, I did this for the crowd but Jenny.... well this feels nice.

Suddenly, she felt a hand firmly cup her ass from behind. It wasn’t a slight brush either, it was a proper grab and squeeze. Lara pulled back, giving Jenny’s lips a final soft brush of a kiss before standing back up and turning her head to see who had groped her. Rob was standing there, a shit eating grin on his face.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” he told her. Lara prepared herself to launch an angry tirade towards him but the group of guys beat her to it.

“Rob, you fucking idiot!” one of them bellowed at him.

“Yeah, you moron. Don’t you know that you never interrupt lesbians when they get going?” another shouted. One of them punched him hard in the shoulder as more groans of irritation were leveled at him.

“Um, Miss Croft. Please feel free to carry on with Miss Monroe here.”

“Yeah. Keep going!”

“Sorry boys, your new frat bro ruined the moment!” Lara announced, thrilled to be able to drive a wedge between the group and Rob. She grabbed Jenny by the hand and heaved her off the table. Jenny caught on quickly.

“Later boys!” Jenny said as she linked arms with Lara. They walked away together listening to the group further admonish Rob for killing the mood. It felt good to hurt his social standing, even a little.

“Wow, Lara. That was....” Jenny started to say.

“Yeah. I know,” Lara answered. “I hope I didn’t overstep?”

“You didn’t. I love putting on a show. But if felt good, too. First time making out with another girl?” Jenny asked.

“Not really. First time I enjoyed it though. Oh, do you want me to go back for your bra?” Lara asked her.

“No, I’m fine. I’ll get it later. I figured I’d end up topless at some point anyway,” Jenny said. “I’m going to wipe off the salt though. It’s starting to stick,” she said. She uncoupled herself and headed towards the stairs and to search for a bathroom.

Lara saw a group of guys on one of the couches, huddled around a phone screen and laughing. As she walked by, she sneaked a peek at the screen. It was just some dumb meme but it brought Jo’s earlier situation back into the forefront of her mind.

She needed Alan. Her eyes darted around the room in an attempt to find him but he found her first. He came marching up to her. Lara gave a quick scan around to make sure that Will wasn’t watching. She couldn’t see him so assumed it was safe to have a quick conversation.

“Did I miss the girl-on-girl?” Alan said, looking concerned.

“Yup. Too late my horny friend,” Lara answered him with a chuckle.

He swore under his breath. “Can you.... do it again?” Alan asked, hopefully.

“Maybe later. But first, I need you to do me a favor,” she said.

“Lara, your favors are rarely simple or straightforward,” Alan said, looking worried she was about to rope him into something difficult and embarrassing.

“This one is simple. I need you to track down the two or three guys who were videoing Jo’s blowjob on their phones. And quickly, before they start sharing it,” Lara said.

“Why?”

“Because I want them to delete it,” Lara said.

“Lara, they are never going to go for that.”

“Tell them, if they delete it in front of me, that the Tomb Raider will give them the best lap dance they’ve ever had,” Lara said.

“And will you?” Alan asked.

“I will,” Lara said. She wasn’t going to let that video destroy Jo’s career. She had to try. She felt she owed her that much.

“Okay. I’ll go ask around,” Alan said.

“Thanks, Alan. You’re the best.”

***

Dave held his phone in his hand, staring down at the screen as he pondered his next move. He was up shit creek, and he knew it. Gambini had offered him a life raft. The only question was, should he take it? It came with it’s own dangers.

Dave was no gun runner. He hadn’t intended to get into this line of work. It had just happened, bit by bit. His old friend Ricky had come to him with an opportunity which had seemed simple enough. Use his trucks to move stolen equipment on the sly on behalf of some of Ricky’s associates. It had seemed easy, low risk, and the pay was good. He had jumped at the chance. He’d already had some under the table dealing with Captain Price so he had paid the good captain to escort the trucks. It was an arrangement all parties were happy with.

But then the cargo had changed. The stolen industrial machinery and electronics gear had been replaced with guns. Automatic guns. And a lot of them. Shipment after shipment had come and gone. It wasn’t slowing down, in fact it was increasing in frequency. Price was out right now escorting two of Dave’s trucks packed to the brim with military grade hardware.

Dave had voiced his concerns to Ricky, who had passed them along to the people he worked for. Now, Ricky was gone, probably dead and Dave knew that “no” was not an answer these people would accept.

But then out of the blue, Salvatore Gambini had made him an offer when Dave had gone to collect his trophy. Apparently, “The Russian” and his crew were ruffling the feathers of some powerful people. If he agreed to the deal with Gambini and followed his plan, he would be free and clear of the whole sorry mess for good. But, then he’d find himself indebted to him.

Being under the thumb of the Mob was not something that appealed to Dave one bit. There was also the possibility that Gambini’s plan wouldn’t work, in which case “The Russian” would likely make sure that Dave ended up in the same grave as Ricky had.

It was a shitty pair of choices. But Dave was a man of action. He’d made up his mind. He tapped the screen on his phone, and brought it to his ear. When his call was answered, he spoke with confidence down the line.

“This is Dave. We need to meet. In person.”

***

“Come for me,” Lara whispered in a breathy moan. She hated herself at this moment. She was doing something she swore she would never do.

Lara was alone in a bedroom with a new Kappa Omega Kappa member and was nearing the end of a vigorous lap dance. This guy was the third and final KOK who had filmed Jo’s blowjob. All three had agreed to delete the video in exchange for a “world class lap dance” from Lara. That is what she had promised them after Alan had tracked them all down.

The first guy had been putty. She had grinded on him for less than a minute before he had finished. The second guy had taken a couple of minutes longer but had finished all the same. The last guy though, he was proving difficult. Both physically and mentally.

She was lap dancing for Rob himself.

Unbeknownst to Lara at the time, Rob had handed his phone to a member of the crowd and asked them to film it before Lara had arrived on the scene. He hadn’t recorded it himself but the phone was his. And as such, she was **** to bargain with him.

Lara was disgusted at the idea of letting him put his hands back on her. When Alan had told her who the third and final person was, she had initially abandoned the idea. She hated the fucker. Alan had agreed, knowing what had happened between them before. But then guilt had then begun to set in. She had failed Jo. Twice in fact. First, by failing to bring Price down. Secondly, by telling Mike that she had been assaulted. Even if Jo hated her, Lara resolved not to fail her a third time. She’d do what she had to.

Rob had insisted on privacy and taken her to his new room in the Kappa Omega Kappa house. He had also gotten completely naked before she started. Lara would never normally allow this but figured she wasn’t in a position to argue. She wanted that video erased from existence.

She was ten minutes in and trying to finish him. Likely due to him already coming inside Jo’s eager mouth earlier in the night, Rob had proven quite resilient and was demonstrating some stamina. Lara was grinding fast and hard down on his bare cock as she undulated in his lap and moaned into his ear. She was still wearing her Tomb Raider shorts but was now completely topless, having removed the form fitting top several minutes ago at his urging. Rob’s hands were currently positioned between their bodies and he was aggressively groping her tits as she grinded on him.

“Come on, it’ll feel so good. Release for me. Show the Tomb Raider how much you can cum,” Lara whispered into his ear, hoping the dirty talk would get him there.

One day, Jo will appreciate the fucking nightmare I went through to help her.

“I’ll finish faster if you blow me,” Rob grunted back. The thought sickened her. Lara suspected it wouldn’t end there. He’d demand more and more. But she had a few tricks up her sleeve and was praying she wouldn’t have to go that far.

She readjusted her position on his lap and put one knee on the seat of the chair between his legs as she dipped her hand down, taking a firm grip of his cock in her hand. Rob inhaled sharply and she noticed him gritting his teeth. He was cut, and so Lara figured he was the type to enjoy a dry-jack. She gripped his skin firmly, and began to pump in shallow, short strokes but at a rapid pace. Her hand moved in a blur as she jerked him. She pressed her chest into his palms. Rob was breathing hard and Lara knew she was on the right track. He was close.

“Do it. Give it to me. I want to see it. I need to see it. To feel you explode in my hand. Blow your load for me....” Lara told him in between moans, feeling the exact opposite but saying it for effect all the same. She flicked her thumb over his head several times. It did the trick.

“Ah.... fuck....” he grunted and bucked his hips as he exploded. Ropes of his cum shot out of his cock, drenching her hand and hitting the undersides of her breasts before pooling on his naked stomach. She kept up her pace, her hand pumping him during his release as he shot load after load between their bodies.

Finally, his orgasm began to wane and the last few dribbles were expelled onto Lara’s hand. Her task complete, she got to her feet and reached for a box of wet wipes on the nearby desk. She cleaned his release off of her hand and wiped down her stomach and the undersides of her breasts which had taken the brunt of his orgasm. She was glad she had removed her top. It would have been ruined.

Satisfied that she was now clean, she turned back to Rob and threw him the box of wet wipes. He caught them but merely placed them on the arm of the chair, unwilling to do anything but bask in his post orgasm bliss. Lara was in no mood to wait. She picked up his phone and handed it to him, standing over him as he leaned back in his seat.

“I held up my end. A deal is a deal. Delete that video,” Lara said firmly. The first two guys had deleted the video prior to her dance. Rob had insisted on payment first. She had agreed. As Lara, looked at him, she was beginning to regret that decision.

“Well, yeah. You promised me a “world class lap dance.” I don’t think you delivered,” Rob said, looking up at her smugly. Lara couldn’t hide the indignation from her face.

“Are you serious? That was ten, fifteen minutes. Easy. Way more than just three songs. And don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy every second of it. The evidence is all over your stomach!” Lara said, her voice raising along with her frustration.

“Don’t get me wrong. It was okay. But world class? I dunno. World class lap dances usually end up with at least a blowjob,” he told her.

Lara sighed, trying to calm herself. “Listen, Rob. We had a deal. I did my part. If you hadn’t come, I would have blown you, sure. But you did. That’s not my fault, okay? Don’t be that guy. The guy who goes back on his word. Nobody likes that guy. Delete the video,” she said, appealing to his ego. She saw him consider for a second as he finally, mercifully, started to clean himself up with the wipes.

“No, I don’t think so. I was expecting to finish down your throat. That didn’t happen. So, new deal. If you want that video gone, then we are going to have a little more fun together in my bed over there,” Rob said, motioning his head towards his bed across the room.

“You don’t want to do this, Rob,” Lara said, her voice low and eyes narrowing.

“Oh, I really do,” he said, almost sneering at her now. Lara wasn’t going to agree to his terms. It was too far. Besides, she didn’t believe he’d keep his word anyway.

“Well, then I’m leaving,” Lara said, pulling her top back on over her head and pulling it down.

“Suit yourself. I’m keeping that video. Maybe I’ll upload it tonight. Let everyone see Buffy on her knees.”

“I’m leaving and taking the girls with me,” Lara said, adjusting her top into place while glaring at him.

“What?” Rob said, looking concerned now.

“You heard me. I’m going downstairs right now and telling everyone the party is over. Me and the girls are heading home early. And I’ll tell everyone exactly why. That their new brother is a lying piece of trash who extorts women and whose word is complete mud. They’ll know who to blame,” Lara said, enjoying the shift in power. He was starting to panic.

“You think I care?” he said, but both of them knew it was an act. He cared. A lot.

“I think you do, yeah. I think these guys only took you because of Will. And I think they’ll turf your ass out for costing them their chance with six lovely ladies. And I think you know I’m right,” Lara said, unable to keep the smile from her face.

He looked conflicted. She could tell he was torn. He didn’t want to give in to her but he equally didn’t want to be kicked out of the frat. She twisted the knife.

“They might even kick Will out too for vouching for you. He won’t be pleased with you, Rob. He’s not exactly the forgiving type, is he?” Lara said, goading him.

Rob’s eyes grew wide as he realized she was right. Lara knew they had been friends for a long time. Alan had told her that Will and Rob had known each other since childhood, where as Alan was a more recent addition to their group within the last few years. Lara didn’t know exactly what the pair’s friendship dynamic was like. Were they equals? Was he afraid of Will? Or afraid of losing access to Will’s money and connections. Either way, it didn’t matter. She knew she’d won.

“Fine, fine. You really are a cunt sometimes, you know that?” Rob said grumpily as he unlocked the phone and navigated to his videos folder. He made a show of holding it up in front of her and pressing the delete button dramatically.

“She wasn’t that good anyway. Clearly needs to work on her head game,” Rob said dismissively. “She couldn’t hold a candle to you. You suck cock beautifully. Must be all the practice,” Rob said with a sneer.

The barb stung a little but Lara didn’t say anything back. Ultimately, she had gotten what she needed. Jo’s career was salvaged. She wouldn’t have to deal with a video like that being passed around the office for the rest of her life.

Rob could say what he wanted. Lara knew she had done a good thing. She turned away from him and marched out of the bedroom and away from the naked man, her black Tomb Raider boots thumping with each step as she did.

***

“This had better be good,” Chief of Police Willis warned Mike as he took off his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair.

“Good is a relative term, sir. It might not be good, but it’s the truth,” Mike responded.

He was sitting in the office of the Chief of Police, by request. Mike finally felt like he had enough to make his case against Price and that it was time to make everything official. It was now or never.

“True or not, I find the fact that you are bringing accusations of such a serious nature directly to me and not to Captain Price.... I find it concerning. This is most irregular, Detective Hawthorne. Most irregular,” Chief Willis said, repeating himself as if trying to self soothe.

“I can’t bring the results of my investigation to Captain Price,” Mike told him.

“And why is that?” Chief Willis asked.

“Because Captain Price is the subject of the investigation,” Mike said. The Chief’s eyes went wide in complete surprise. He reluctantly sat down in his own chair and took a few moments to digest what Mike had just told him. Finally, he spoke.

“I know Edward Price, Detective. I know him quite well. In fact, I recently attended a dinner with him. Perhaps that makes me somewhat biased or not as impartial as I could be. I acknowledge that fact. That being said, I have a hard time believing that the man I know, a police veteran with decades on the **** and with one of the highest clearance rates in the entire country, is guilty of anything but being a fine officer,” Chief Willis said.

“Sir, that clearance rate is a lie. Captain Price and most of the unit have been fabricating the numbers that they are sending up to you,” Mike told him. There was no going back now. Mike knew his career was on the line. If he couldn’t convince the Chief to open an official investigation, he was finished.

“You’re telling me he is guilty of juking his stats?” Chief Willis asked. There was a hint of anger on his face now. Mike kept pressing.

“Not only guilty of that, sir. The list is long. Extortion. Taking bribes. Smuggling and transportation of automatic weapons across state lines,” Mike told him.

“That’s quite a litany of accusations, Detective. And you can prove all of this?”

“Yes. I can,” Mike said.

Mike produced a large photograph he had printed out merely an hour ago and slammed it onto the table. The Chief looked down at the picture, examining it. The picture showed a large truck from the rear with it’s doors wide open while several men unloaded a number of crates. One of the crates had it’s top open as a man inspected what was inside. Guns. Lot’s of guns. Price could be seen standing off to the side, but still in frame as he stared at his own feet.

Mike had been able to take the photograph by following the convoy through the checkpoint from far behind and tracking the trucks via his GPS that very night. When they had stopped, he had closed the distance and risked sneaking closer on foot to get the picture. He had been relieved to find that it wasn’t people being trafficked in the trucks but knew that, legally speaking, guns were actually far worse.

“When was this taken?” Chief Willis asked.

“A few hours ago. By me. I was tailing the trucks and Price,” Mike answered honestly.

“Detective, I feel it prudent to remind you that you are not a member of Internal Affairs. This kind of maverick police work is so far out of bounds, I don’t even know where to start. You shouldn’t be anywhere near this. If you had suspicions, why didn’t you report this through the proper channels?” Chief Willis asked, frustrated at what he knew was becoming a very large problem for him.

“Sir, Price has people in IA that are protecting him. If I had followed procedure, they’d have reported back to him. The investigation would go nowhere and he’d know I was targeting him. We had to go this alone,” Mike said.

“We?” Chief Willis asked.

“My partner and I. Sir, this didn’t just start tonight. We’ve been gathering evidence for months,” Mike said.

He watched as the Chief got up out of his chair again and started to pace back and forth, apparently deep in thought at how to handle this unwelcome bombshell that Mike had laid in his lap. Mike stayed silent, knowing he was better off letting the man think. Mike could hear the Chief muttering under his breath, repeatedly saying “most irregular” over and over.

Finally, and with a deep sigh, Chief Willis turned to look back at Mike. “Tell me everything, Detective Hawthorne. Lay it all out for me. I want every detail, from start to finish.”

***

“It’s time for the “Cumpetition” everyone!” a man announced to the crowd of people in the room. Lara didn’t know his name but she had a good idea that he was the chapter president. He was running things.

“What the hell is a Cumpetition?” Britney asked, from beside Lara.

“I don’t think it’s that complex, Britney. The key part is the word “cum” I think,” Sarah answered from the other side. “Let’s ask Lenny,” she said and grabbed him as he was walking by.

“Hey! Careful Sarah! I bruise like a peach,” Lenny said, rubbing his arm where Sarah had grabbed him.

“Yeah, yeah. You want me to kiss it and make it better?” Sarah said with a mocking tone.

“Actually, yes I do,” Lenny said.

“First, tell us about this “Cumpetition” thing,” Sarah said.

“Well, I am not officially a member of the KOK’s. I’m just a guest. But everyone on campus knows about it. It’s an open secret,” Lenny told them.

“And that secret would be?” Sarah asked.

“The pledges from every year that make it through hell week and complete all their challenges are given lap dances. In public, for the whole frat to see. There is a list of punishments and the earlier you.... er.... finish, the worse your punishment is. The guys usually invite round one of the campus sororities to perform the lap dances, but with you girls here, there was no need,” Lenny said.

“I did notice that this party was an absolute sausage fest. The only women here are the six of us,” Britney interjected.

“Well, that is by design. No sorority girls or girlfriends were allowed this year. The guys had a vote on it. It was a close run thing. Some of the frat wanted the sorority invited. They figured if they were around professionals such as yourselves that the girls would get competitive....” Lenny said.

Sarah cut across him. “And the guys would stand a better chance of getting laid?” Sarah asked.

Lenny simply nodded. “But those guys were shouted down by the rest, mostly the guys with girlfriends. They thought that the girlfriends might get jealous and start some trouble. So it was decided that it would just be you pros tonight,” Lenny said.

“Well, we do this for a living. It shouldn’t be a problem,” Lara said as Jenny and Jessica joined the circle of girls, leaving Jo the only one missing. Jenny had retrieved both her bra and white Marilyn Monroe dress from earlier and was fully clothed again.

Lenny hesitated and looked like he wasn’t sure whether to say anything or not. Lara knew Lenny was leaving something out. “What’s the problem?” Lara asked. Before Lenny could answer, a voice spoke from behind the group.

“Well, the frat decided you won’t be giving the pledges lap dances to test their stamina. You’ll be giving them head,” Will said loudly, his voice carrying through the group.

“Like hell we will,” Lara said, turning to face Will, her nostrils flaring in anger at the suggestion.

“You are being paid to be here. It’s part of the gig, sweetheart,” Will said condescendingly.

“We are paid to dance,” Lara said defiantly.

“Come on, Lara. Let’s be real. The rest is implied. We all know that you girls will do it. Ya know, because of the implication,” Will said, grinning at her.

“Well, you can take your implication and shove it up your ass,” Lara said, starting to lose her cool. Will seemed surprisingly smug and calm.

“Some of the guys thought you might react this way so I’m here to add a little sweetener to the pot. If all six of you girls agree to do it, and all six manage to make their guy finish, you’ll get an extra grand bonus. Each,” Will said. Lara glared at him.

He thinks he can just buy us. Fuck him, she thought to herself.

She was angry. Mostly at his suggestion and how demeaning it was. But a small part of her knew he was right. He could just buy them. He’d already paid for their presence. This was just another step. That was the reality of the situation. But it irked Lara to no end that this was chump change to him. He didn’t need the money and wouldn’t miss it. But he knew “regular folk” would jump at the chance.

“I’ll give you girls a moment to talk it over,” Will said as he grabbed Lenny by the shoulders and led him away from the group. Lara turned back to the other four girls.

“The nerve of that guy,” Lara said, shaking her head. “We are all in agreement about this, right?” Lara asked, expecting immediate assent.

She didn’t get it. In fact, Lara noticed the rest of the girls giving each other subtle glances as if deciding who was going to be the first one to break ranks. Unsurprisingly, Sarah was the first to speak up.

“I’m down. I’ve given head for a lot less than a thousand dollars before,” Sarah said with a slight grin. “And it’s not like we all haven’t had occasion to do this type of thing at the club.”

“This is different,” Lara said.

“Is it? Okay, so we have an audience. Who cares? I’m not shy,” Sarah told her.

Lara rolled her eyes. Lara remembered something Sarah had once told her. What can I say? I’m an exhibitionist, Sarah had said regarding asking Jack out in front of a dozen people. She was living up to that statement for sure.

Britney was the next to speak. “Yeah, sorry Lara but I’m with Sarah on this one. Be honest with yourself. If somebody paid for the premium package in the VIP, we wouldn’t even be discussing this right now. We would just do it,” Britney said, looking apologetically at Lara. She clearly didn’t want to go against her friend but felt the truth needed to be said.

Lara was loathed to admit her logic was sound but this just felt.... wrong somehow. Still, she was wavering. Jessica was next up and what she said sealed the deal.

“Lara, this is a lot of money. That thousand is on top of the five we have already been paid. That’s six grand for one night. That’s twice what I made last week. I’m not going to lie. I need the money,” Jessica said, staring at Lara with an almost pleading look on her face.

Fuck.

Lara knew why she needed the money. For her kid. And what kind of bitch would she be to stand in the way? Lara sighed. Her last hope was Jenny and the entire group knew which side she would come down on. Or at least they assumed.

“Jenny? Your opinion on this?” Lara asked.

“Well, I have a big moral problem with the entire thing,” Jenny said, a frown on her face. The rest of the group turned to stare at her in complete surprise.

Really? Jenny, of all people. Dave’s good-time-gal? She blows him daily! Lara thought to herself. As the rest of the girls all stared in shock at Jenny, her facade broke and she burst out laughing.

“I almost had you guys there,” Jenny said with a massive grin. “Of course, I’m in. This is no big deal. Let’s go for it,” Jenny said as the rest of them chuckled.

“That was some good acting. I really believed it for a second,” Sarah said as the giggling continued. When they eventually quietened down, Lara continued on.

“Okay, I get it. I’m not going to be the only holdout,” Lara said.

“We don’t want to make you do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing,” Britney said. Lara shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll do it,” Lara said. “But I think if we are going to do this, we should ask for some concessions first.” The others perked up, eager to hear Lara’s ideas.

“Firstly, I think we should ask for double. Two grand each. This is a group thing and it’s public. Very public. It’s worth more than usual. Will is footing the bill for this entire thing, and believe me, he can afford it. Agreed?” Lara asked the group. They all nodded, more than happy to let Lara negotiate a bigger paycheck for each of them.

“Secondly, I think we should ask for every phone in the room to be placed in a bag or a closet or something. There is no way I’m letting anyone film the six of us together on our knees,” Lara said.

“Fuck me, I didn’t even think of that,” Jessica said.

“Well, after what happened with Jo earlier, it’s fresh in my mind. So we collect one phone from everyone in the room first, yes?” Lara asked.

Absolutely,” Britney responded.

“Okay and lastly, there are six of us and six pledges. I’d prefer if this was selected randomly. I don’t want any funny business going on regarding who gets paired with who,” Lara said.

This was a selfish request. Lara knew Will would engineer it so that she would get him and Lara just couldn’t stomach the idea. She didn’t tell the rest of the group this but the idea appeared reasonable to the group. To her relief, they all nodded their agreement.

“I guess it’s settled then. Should we go ask Jo what she thinks?” Britney asked.

Sarah piped up quickly. “No fucking way. She could have joined us any time over here for the discussion. She didn’t. She’s decided to be a pissy little bitch tonight, I’m not bending over backwards for her. Besides, she’s already blown at least one guy here. Something tells me she won’t have a problem with getting paid for it this time,” Sarah said, clearly unimpressed with Jo’s recent antics. Lara wasn’t going to argue. She didn’t want the reason for Jo’s anger public knowledge so she just nodded.

“Right. I’ll go tell them what we’ve decided,” Lara said as she headed over to where Will, Alan and the KOK Chapter president had been standing, obviously watching the girls closely as they had talked.

“That looked like a fruitful discussion,” Will said. Lara ignored him and directed herself at the KOK leader.

“I’m Chuck, by the way,” he said as he introduced himself.

“Lara,” she said, nodding to him.

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense any longer,” Will said. Again, Lara didn’t look at him.

“We’ve decided that we’ll participate in your game,” Lara said.

Will and Chuck couldn’t keep the delight off their faces. Lara noticed Alan seemed both surprised and a little upset. He either didn’t like the idea of Lara giving a blowjob in public, or he wasn’t thrilled about everyone seeing him get one. Or both. But Lara couldn’t say anything to comfort him right now, not with the others standing right there. She continued with their demands instead.

“We have conditions. And they are non-negotiable. Firstly, we want double. Two grand for each girl. Half now, half on.... completion,” Lara said, instantly regretting how she had phrased it. Will spoke up. “I only brought enough cash for the original deal,” he said.

“We will take that now and you can Venmo the rest,” Lara said, not letting him off the hook. Will looked like he was going to argue before Chuck gave him a stern look. He changed his mind and simply nodded in agreement.

“Okay. Next. We want every phone in the room collected first,” Lara said. She caught a slight smile from Alan as Chuck started to argue.

“That’s not really feasible, Lara. There are forty-one brothers here, forty-two with Lenny,” Chuck said.

“Than I want to see forty-two phones in a bag before we get this started. We’re serious about this. And if we see somebody recording this in any way, we are walking,” Lara said. Chuck looked hesitant and Lara realized he clearly had planned on recording the event. She appealed to his better judgment.

“Think about it guys. If something like this went viral, the moral brigade would be out in ****. This is the sort of thing that brings frats down,” Lara said. She watched the cogs whir behind Chuck’s eyes as he realized she was right.

“Alright. No phones. I’ll make an announcement in a minute. Is that it?” he asked.

“Almost. There are six pledges for us six girls, right?” Lara asked.

“Actually, no. Four pledges. Will, Rob, Alan, and Mateo. The rest of them didn’t make the cut. We are giving one spot on the stage to Lenny for what he did helping Sam with his studies to stay on the football team,” Chuck said. “I’m taking the sixth spot. Perks of being in charge.”

“That’s fine. We’d like the pairings to be done randomly. Use an app or something. We think that’s fair,” Lara said. She finally looked at Will for the first time in the conversation. He didn’t look happy. He’d obviously planned to rig the pairings himself. She was sure that he had picked her. He was giving her daggers with his eyes but stayed silent as Chuck gave his agreement.

“It’s settled then. I’ll go sort the phone thing. Will? Pay the lady,” Chuck said as he left the group. Will produced a wad of cash held together in a money clip and held it out. Lara moved to take it but Will held on, firmly. She looked up at him as she tried in vain to tug the money from his hand.

“You only get the rest if all six guys finish. If that doesn’t happen, I’m not paying up,” Will said. He relinquished his hold on the money and Lara’s arm snapped back with the money clip now in her hand.

Lara knew he was angry. His little plan wasn’t going the way he had envisioned it. It made her feel better about the entire thing. He turned and walked away. If it was possible for somebody to “walk angrily” Lara surmised that this would be a good example of it. Alan leaned in and whispered to her.

“Well played,” he said with a grin.

“Thanks. I hope I get you!” she whispered back as she left him to return to the girls.

“Still no Jo?” Lara asked as she rejoined them.

“No. But she knows the score. Britney went and told her what we agreed to,” Sarah said, giving Britney some side eye.

“Y’all are too harsh. I just want everyone to get along,” Britney explained.

“Well, they agreed to everything. Here is half the money. I told them I wanted half up front. The rest is being sent by Venmo once we are done,” Lara said.

“Nice job, Lara. If the Pearl ever gets taken over by terrorists, we’ll send you in to negotiate,” Sarah told her. “You have the outfit for it already.”

“Well, I still think they are getting the better end of the deal here but I’ll shut up about it. Should we split this now?” Lara said holding up the wad of cash.

“You hold on to it for us, Lara. Your outfit is the only one with pockets anyway,” Jessica told her.

Lara nodded and slipped the money into one of the pockets on her shorts. A loud booming voice came from behind them. They all turned to look as Chuck had a microphone in his hands.

“The Cumpetition is beginning. Participants, take your places,” he announced over the loudspeaker.

“I guess that’s us. Oh, and they reminded me that we only get paid the rest if they all finish. So.... um....” Lara said, not sure how to word the rest of the sentence.

Sarah finished it for her. “So suck like we mean it. Got it,” Sarah said.

“Tact isn’t really your strong suit, is it?” Lara said.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders in response. “I just cut through all the bullshit and say things as they are,” Sarah said, unapologetically.

The group of costumed strippers strolled together to the front of the room. Lara could tell that every pair of eyes in the place was locked onto them. Lara had never done anything like this before and she figured everyone in attendance had never seen the like before either. At least not in person, anyway.

The girls walked up onto the slightly elevated stage and one by one in a straight line, all sank to their knees. The three dozen or so onlookers were all crowded around the stage in a large semi-circle. There was enough room for everyone to get a good view. The stage had clearly been designed to host musical performances.

This is going to be a very different kind of performance, Lara thought as she looked from side to side at her workmates, all kneeling with their backs to the spectators, still in costume and waiting to begin.

Lara was near the middle of the line with Sarah to her left, and Britney to her right. Chuck walked to the middle of the stage with a large iPad. The app on screen displayed a spinning wheel type pie chart with the girls’ names on it. Not their actual names, but the characters they were portraying. Lara was irritated at the degrading nature of being reduced to a character but also somewhat glad that her colleagues real names weren’t on display. Her own name was unfortunately the same as her character. There was no getting away from that.

Before he began Chuck leaned down to speak with Lara. “We collected forty-three phones, as requested,” Chuck told her.

Lara raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Forty-three?” she asked.

“Yeah, one guy had two phones on him,” Chuck answered as he stood back up and prepared for his speech.

Sarah leaned over to whisper in Lara’s ear. “Two phones? That guy is either cheating on his girlfriend or he’s a **** dealer,” Sarah said.

“Maybe he’s a spy,” Lara quipped back.

Chuck kept the iPad in one hand and raised the microphone in his other. He started to speak clearly into it, looking comfortable in his performance. Lara assumed he was accustomed to public speaking.

“Okay guys, most of you have seen this hallowed Kappa Omega Kappa tradition play out before but we have a twist this year, as you can probably already guess by the positions our girls have assumed,” Chuck said. There was a smattering of laughing from the crowd.

“The rules remain the same though. The longer you can hang on, the easier your punishment is. We’ll be using this digital wheel to decide the pairings. Oh, and as we don’t have six pledges this year, I’ll be taking a place. I’m exempt from the forfeits,” Chuck added to a chorus of boo’s from the crowd.

Lara heard a murmur from the crowd behind her that she thought sounded something along the lines of “I’m not voting for him next year” which made her smile a little.

Some of them think he’s taking advantage of his position.

“Our lovely ladies here have agreed to give it their all so I can’t imagine this will take very long,” Chuck said.

“Speak for yourself, minute man!” a heckle came from the crowd followed by some good-natured jeering. Chuck took it in his stride and kept going.

“Right. First up we have me. Let’s see who I get,” Chuck said.

Chuck tapped the iPad screen and the spinning wheel rotated a few times until it landed on “Jessica Rabbit.” Chuck looked thrilled as he moved over to stand in front of Sarah. Sarah gave him a brief smile as she looked up at him but Lara could tell she was a little disappointed.

Who did she want to get?

Chuck continued his introductions from in front of a kneeling Sarah. “Next up is our honored guest. Give it up for Lenny!” Chuck said.

There was a small round of cheers for Lenny as he stepped onto the stage. Chuck tapped the iPad screen and the spinning wheel rotated a few times until it landed on “Jennifer Lopez.” Lenny grinned widely as he walked over and stood before Jessica. Lenny leaned down and whispered something to her. Lara was too far away to hear it but whatever he had said, Jessica was in a fit of giggles so clearly it had been funny.

Is that really the same nervous idiot I met all those months ago?

“Next up is Mateo. And he gets.... Marilyn Monroe!” Chuck announced as the wheel stopped on Jenny.

A guy Lara didn’t recognize stepped up onto the stage and went to stand in front of Jenny. Lara was surprised. He was a little on the short side but very handsome. Jenny looked visibly relieved that she hadn’t been paired with some sort of troll.

“Rob is our next contestant,” Chuck announced.

Rob strolled confidently up on the stage but there was only a smattering of applause and no cheering. Lara couldn’t help but take great pleasure in the fact that he didn’t appear to be well liked. His earlier stunt breaking up Lara and Jenny’s lesbian performance had likely done little to endear him any further. Chuck tapped the iPad and the wheel spun again.

“Rob gets.... Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Buffy is back for the sequel, it seems,” Chuck said, the joke eliciting some jeering and guffawing from the crowd. Rob looked irritated as he went to stand in front of Jo. He’d obviously been hoping for somebody else.

He wanted me. Oh, he for sure would have wanted that after our last conversation. Rob would have loved nothing better than to dominate me with an audience. Tough luck, shit head.

“Now, it’s Alan’s turn. Give it up for Alan!” Chuck said. There was a loud chorus of cheers as Alan stepped up on the stage, by far the loudest of the night. Lara felt some pride as he waved to the crowd. He was clearly well liked by the group.

Fuck, I hope I get him.

Lara’s initial desire to be paired with Alan was taken over now by fear of the only other possibility. If she didn’t get Alan, Will was the only one left. The thought made her want to vomit. She wasn’t sure she could go through with it, despite what she had promised the other girls. Her worst fears were realized as Chuck spun the wheel one last time.

“Alan gets the Baywatch babe herself, Pamela Anderson!”

There was some wolf whistles from the crowd as Alan walked over to stand in front of Britney, directly to Lara’s right. Her red bathing suit costume was riding high giving the spectators behind her a nice view of her ass as she kneeled while also giving Alan a generous view of her cleavage. Alan’s eyes were flitting between Lara and Britney, not sure of what to say.

Britney broke the tension. “Here we are again, sugar,” Britney said softly while looking up at him. Alan’s mind flashed back to their encounter in the VIP where Britney had blown him as Lara watched and encouraged the pair of them.

Jo and Rob wont be the only repeat performance, Lara thought.

Lara had little problem with the idea of Britney giving Alan a blowjob. She had treated Alan to some time with Britney before, after all. But the idea of it happening now made her stomach lurch. Because it meant that she was left with her worst nightmare. She was left with Will.

“And so, that leaves Will who is paired up with the lovely Tomb Raider! Put your hands together for Will. He helped organize tonight and helped fund it. Give him a cheer guys!” Chuck said as he put down the iPad and microphone. Will sauntered onto the stage, delighted with life.

Despite Lara’s best efforts, fate had conspired against her. What sort of luck is this? Lara thought to herself as her mind wandered back to her night of Dungeons and Dragons. That night, she had rolled well. Right now? Lara felt like she had just rolled a critical failure.

Will reached her and stared down at her, hunger evident in his eyes. She was starting to panic. Lara looked to her right.

“Britney, swap with me. Please!” Lara said. She didn’t care how it looked. She didn’t care if it would reveal her secret relationship with Alan to Will and Rob. She had to act. But before Britney could answer, Sarah from her left interjected.

“I’ll swap with you, Lara. No problem!” Sarah said, eyeing up Will hungrily as she said it.

Lara was surprised by the offer, and also how eager Sarah appeared but didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth and agreed immediately. “Yeah, cool. You take Will, I’ll take Chuck,” Lara said quickly.

“Hang on a minute, that’s against the rules,” Will said, in no mood to be denied his prize. Lara looked up at Chuck who appeared as if he was about to agree with Will. Lara threw a hail mary.

“I’d rather have you, Chuck. You are the chapter president. You’re in charge. I have a thing for powerful men, you know,” Lara said, giving him some bedroom eyes. It was a weak attempt. It sounded obvious and a little pathetic, even to Lara. But Chuck seemed to buy it.

“It makes sense I guess. You are the leader of your little group. I’m the leader of mine. Yeah, let’s do it this way,” Chuck said, a satisfied smirk on his face.

You fucking bitch! Will thought to himself.

“Chuck, you can’t be fucking serious. Are you really going to let her manipulate....” Will started to say but Chuck cut him off.

“The decision is made, Will. You get Jessica Rabbit. I get the Tomb Raider. Don’t act like it is some sort of bad deal. I mean, look at her....” Chuck said pointing down at Sarah.

Will followed his gaze and looked down and to the side. Will was **** to admit, Chuck had a point. Sarah looked incredible. He’d been flirting with her all night for a reason. The red hair, the smokey eyes, the dick-sucking-lips. Her body was phenomenal as well. The way her dress hugged every curve made him want to rip it off and devour her. It was her breasts that tied the whole thing together. He had wanted to grab them, maul them, fuck them ever since he had seen her picture in Dave’s office.

Fuck it. She’s not a bad runner up. I’ll settle with Lara later, he thought as he looked down. He and Chuck switched places in front of the girls.

“Okay, Miss Rabbit. Show me what you can do,” Will said. Sarah, her ego boosted at being chosen over Lara licked her lips seductively in response.

“Let’s get started guys. Strip,” Chuck said to the line of standing men.

Each man, some more gingerly than others, started to undress. The shirts came off first. Lara thought Chuck’s body was unimpressive but to her left she saw Sarah eye up Will’s washboard abs in appreciation. All six men now moved onto their bottom half. Trousers, slacks, shorts and ultimately boxers and briefs were all discarded as the six men stood naked.

“Fucking hell!”

The loud and shocked exclamation had come from Sarah, to Lara’s left. Both the men and women in the line looked to see what had caused such an outburst. They all knew instantly. Sarah was looking on in wonderment at Will’s massive erection. It dwarfed all others on the stage standing at easily nine, thick inches. Possibly ten. Will looked positively thrilled as he was put on display for the group. They all just stared. Some in jealousy. Some in shock. Some in lust. Only one in confusion.

As Lara stared at Will’s impressive member, memories of the night of the pool party flashed through her mind. The **** that Will and Rob had spiked her drink with that night had done their job. They had made her pliable and suggestible. They had also made her mostly forget. But as she stared at it, fragments of memories filled her. Memories of blowing Will on a couch. More memories of leaning forward and taking his cock down her throat as somebody else fucked her from behind. They were fuzzy but they were there.

Chuck was the one to remind everyone that this wasn’t the Will show as he endeavored to remove the focus from purely him. “Okay, ladies. Ready, set, blow!”

Seemingly all at once, the women on the stage dove forward and opened their mouths. All except Lara. Her head was cocked to one side and her eyes unfocused as disparate images flooded into her mind. Foggy and disjointed memories flashed before her as she tried to make sense of them.

“Uh.... Lara?” Chuck said, breaking her from her haze.

She looked up at him and then around her. Realizing that she was the only one yet to start, Lara endeavored to put the distracting thoughts out of her mind and focus. She opened her mouth, leaned forward and wrapped her lips around Chuck’s cock.

Creating as much saliva as possible, she used her mouth and tongue to wet his length and slick him thoroughly. Once she was satisfied that he was sufficiently lubricated, she created a tight seal around him with her lips, and started to bob her head.

It was a debauched sight to behold, six beautiful women all on their knees in an unintended submissive sort of formation, pleasuring the men in front of them. There was an undeniable energy in the air as the entire room watched in rapt attention, their focus on the assembly line of women, each with willing mouths and eager tongues, each one committed to making their man come. You could sense the lust and excitement. It was palpable.

As the girls committed to their performance, the room became a cacophony of sexual sounds. A symphony of sucking and slurping punctuated by the odd male moan. The visual, a mixture of blonde, brunette, raven and red hair all a blur as heads bobbed at a rapid pace. Any oral connoisseur would have marveled at the varied techniques on show. Some taking their men deep. Others, either unwilling or unable to and availing of the use of their hands to supplement their mouths.

Lara worked Chuck’s cock in and out, her lips a tight seal on the way down as she ran her tongue along his underside, her cheeks hollowing obscenely as she sucked hard on the way up. Lara’s vision was mostly obstructed by Chuck’s body and his cock. She could only really see the couples to her direct right and left. A small part of her regretted demanding that nobody film the show. Lara wanted to know what was going on, who was doing well, who wasn’t. Above all, she wanted to see herself. Lara had watched Will’s recording of her blowing Alan dozens of times, enjoying it just as much each time. She’d watched her own stylishly edited session with Dave almost as many. It thrilled her to watch herself on film and some small part of her would have been willing to risk the public backlash if only to see how she looked taking Chuck’s cock.

She glanced to her right and saw Britney deep throating Alan with complete ease. Britney was hardly making a sound as she swallowed him again and again. Both she and Alan looked to be enjoying themselves. Lara knew Alan was close to seven inches and thicker than most, but for Britney he posed little challenge due to her lack of a gag reflex.

Sarah to her left however, was having no such luck. Her eyes were starting to water, her Jessica Rabbit makeup starting to run. She was struggling to take Will’s entire length and gagging audibly with each attempt. Will seemed to be reveling in her struggles but Lara knew how competitive Sarah was. She would no doubt see this as a challenge and be determined to show everyone what she could do.

Anyone on the stage or in the crowd who was watching closely would see Sarah close her eyes and focus on opening up her throat, relaxing as much as possible to combat the urge to gag, the urge to expel the massive invader from her throat. It worked. Inch by inch the behemoth in front of her disappeared into her mouth and down her throat until Will’s balls were practically resting on Sarah’s chin. She looked up at him as she swallowed around him, her eyes expectant, seeking some reaction or sign of approval. She got one, demeaning as it was.

“Good girl,” Will said loudly which prompted a chorus of chuckles from the crowd along with some ironic applause at her achievement.

Sarah didn’t seem phased by the reaction of the crowd and began to pull back and then slam down, appearing slightly more comfortable as she got used to the deep throat. Lara turned her attention back to her own man, but it wasn’t long before she heard a loud, male groan to her right. Lara recognized it. It was Lenny’s voice, Lara was sure of it. Both he and Jessica were too far to her right in the line to be able to see them without stopping. Had she been able to, she would have witnessed Jessica suck Lenny at a ferocious pace as her hand moved in time with her mouth, the hand moving up and down while adding a twist to Lenny’s long but thin shaft. Her mouth moved up and down roughly half his length while the hand worked the rest.

It was too much for him and he started to release his load into her mouth as his head tilted back towards the ceiling. As he came, Jessica took the entirety into her mouth, holding him there as she raised both arms into the air, as a sign of victory, swallowing his cum all the while. The crowd cheered, knowing that they had their first contestant to falter. Jessica swallowed the last of Lenny’s release and quickly stood and faced the audience. She bowed dramatically, claiming what she probably figured was her title of blowjob queen amongst the group. The “throat goat” of The Pearl.

Lara knew better. From experience, she knew Lenny possessed somewhat of a hair trigger. If you went hell for leather from the start, as Jessica no doubt had done, he wouldn’t last long. Lara figured that while Jessica was skilled, it was the luck of having Lenny that had led to her victory. And to his defeat.

Having pulled his underwear and shorts back up Lenny was getting some gentle ribbing from the crowd regarding his lack of stamina. “She was just too good, guys. I bet most of you wouldn’t have lasted half as long!” he protested as he started to leave the stage. Lara saw his face, clearly pleased as he passed her. He almost looked cocky. Lenny wasn’t immune to the punishments like Chuck was, but it seemed like he didn’t care. Almost as if he didn’t think he’d have to do his, despite finishing early.

And he wasn’t alone. Mateo soon followed. Jenny was lapping at the underside of his cock head with her tongue, just were his frenulum was located. Her mouth was open wide, the cock head just at the entrance as she repeatedly tongued this sensitive spot over and over while working his length with her hand.

“Hmph....” was all Lara heard as he undoubtedly started to come. Jenny dove back down, taking him fully inside as he came, her head moving in short, rapid bobs as he rode out his release. Lara remembered Dave had once extolled the incredible skill that Jenny possessed. Lara wasn’t sure if it was true or if Dave had merely been trying to make Lara jealous. Either way, Mateo seemed done and was the second one out. Which left only her, Britney to her direct right, Sarah to her left, and Jo at the start of the line.

Lara had been going through the motions, more focused on what was going on around her than she perhaps should have been. Lara put the sights and sounds surrounding her to the background and took Chuck’s length deep into her throat, relaxing her muscles as she felt the bulbous head kiss the back of her throat. She could taste the salty tang of his arousal on her tongue as she began to take him deep each time, her lips creating a tight seal. After a minute or so of repeated deep throating, Lara pulled back a little and worked the first few inches with her mouth and the rest of him with her right hand. With her left hand, she reached up and began to gently fondle his sack.

Lara knew each man was different when it came to their balls. Some men loved them being played with, others could take it or leave it and there was really only one way to find out. Chuck was definitely the former and Lara heard him inhale sharply as she did it. Due to his positive reaction, Lara fondled a little more aggressively, rolling his balls around in her palm as she sucked, still stroking him with her delicate fingers.

“Bloody hell....” Chuck said as he wrapped his fingers in her hair.

He didn’t **** anything, and left her in control. Lara figured he simply wanted something to hold on to so she redoubled her efforts. She felt him spasm and knew he was about to come. She increased her pace, her hand moving quickly up and down as she jerked him and sucked on his head as hard as she could.

He erupted into her mouth, filling it up. She didn’t let it linger, opting to avoid tasting as much as she could and simply swallowed quickly, taking each spurt down as soon as it entered her mouth. As his orgasm waned, she swallowed the last few drops and slid him out of her mouth. She licked his head clean in a perfunctory manner.

“Satisfied?” Lara asked, looking up at him.

“Happier then a pig in mud, Lara,” Chuck replied down to her before addressing the crowd.

“The Tomb Raider has talent, fellows! Yeah, this one has gumption,” Chuck said as he stepped back and got dressed, his choice of words leaving no doubt that he was from the south. The “good ol’ boy” type sayings seeming ridiculously out of place considering what was happening around them. Lara figured it was due to the endorphins still flowing through him post orgasm.

She got to her feet. With her task done, she could enjoy watching the others and give them her full attention. Lara had found it a little odd that the crowd hadn’t reacted much to Chuck’s finish but now she understood why. Most of the eyes in the room were squarely focused on Will and Sarah. She couldn’t blame them.

Lara had been concentrating on getting Chuck off but now it seemed impossible to ignore the visual in front of her. She became as transfixed as everyone else as she watched Will who now had a firm hold of Sarah’s head and was fucking her face in a merciless fashion. The sight of Will's gigantic, veiny shaft plunging in and out of Sarah's stretched, glistening lips was both obscene and mesmerizing. Drool and precum coated her cheeks and chin, her green eyes watering from the brutal facefucking. At some point, either Will or Sarah herself had pulled her red dress down to her waist, exposing her large and shapely breasts to the crowd. They were covered in fluids, both his and hers and were jiggling and bouncing erotically with each of his thrusts.

It wasn’t just the sight of it. It was the accompanying sounds. Guttural, **** sounds spilled from her throat each time the bulbous cock head rammed the back of her esophagus. The telltale sounds of her taking him, the “gluck-gluck-glurk-glack” that so often resulted from this kind of treatment. The slap of his balls hitting her chin as he pistoned in and out of her. These sounds dominated the room.

To her credit, she was taking it like a champ. The redhead's throat bulged obscenely each time his enormous dick plunged into her, his hips thrusting forward as his hands **** her head down on him.

“Take all of me, you cock-hungry slut!” Will growled aggressively.

Either he was so lost in his own lust that he was forgetting where he was or he simply didn’t care. While Lara and some of the others would be disgusted with that kind of rhetoric and behavior, there was undoubtedly some in the room with who Will’s stock would rise.

They’d call him an “Alpha male” or something along those lines, Lara thought.

Will was sweating with the effort now. It had the effect of highlighting his muscles and the contours of his toned stomach. Lara couldn’t have hated the man more if she tried but there was no denying how good the two of them looked together. If Sarah was a ten, he was close to it as well.

“This is so fucking hot,” Jenny whispered into Lara’s ear.

So enthralled with the spectacle in front of her, Lara hadn’t noticed Jenny and Jessica sidle up beside her. Lara could only nod in agreement absent-mindedly as the three girls, and the room full of men, watched on. Will was breathing heavily through his nose now, his lips pursed together and Lara figured he wasn’t far away. She was right.

“Get ready, bitch!” he shouted.

With a final, brutal thrust, Will hilted himself deep into Sarah's convulsing throat as he shoved her head flush against his pelvis. Holding her there, he threw his head back with a guttural moan, his balls clenching, as he erupted. But he didn’t come inside her mouth.

Pulling out abruptly, he blew his load with the **** of a cannon. He pumped his massive cock himself as thick ropes of cum flew over her head and across the room. Lara and the two girls stepped more to the side to avoid the deluge and many onlookers ducked out of the way lest they be hit.

Will readjusted his aim as the next burst hit Sarah squarely in the face. Sarah flinched as his seed rocketed out of him and hit her hard, over and over. It seemed to go on forever. Blast after blast splattered across Sarah's face and tits as he continued to roughly stroke his enormous dick. She shut her eyes tight as she was drenched in his cum.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sarah felt the blasts lose some of their power. She carefully opened her eyes back up. She looked quite the spectacle. Pearly ribbons of cum painted her flushed cheeks, smearing her already running mascara and lipstick into a debauched mess. Droplets of semen clung to her eyelashes. Dollops of it were in her hair creating a striking juxtaposition between the white cum and the fiery red hair. Her neck, breasts and basically her entire body had been plastered by him. He had created an impressive canvas.

Sarah gasped and sputtered, cum and drool dripping off her chin as she struggled to catch her breath. Her chest heaved and she simply stayed kneeling and recovering, painted in the lewd evidence of Will's explosive climax. Will had slowed his stroking, the last of his release not having the same **** and merely landing on the floor between them.

That left only two pairs left. Rob with Jo, and Alan with Britney. Lara had completely forgotten about the others while watching Sarah and Will’s display. Frankly, the entire room had. But now she turned to watch and notice Alan’s eyes closed, his face one of pleasure as he enjoyed Britney’s skilled ministrations.

There was a stark contrast with what she had just seen. This was not a frantic face-fuck, but a slow and sensual blowjob. Alan was simply standing there, his hand resting softly on top of her head as she worked him at a languid pace. It suddenly occurred to Lara that Britney was the only woman on the stage who appeared not to care. She wasn’t working hard and fast to get him off like the others. She had been edging him, teasing him the entire time. She was bobbing, sucking and licking in an almost slow and loving fashion.

A flash of jealousy hit Lara all of a sudden but she tamped down on it just as fast. Britney was just being Britney. Making him feel good and making sure he had a good time. But more than that, Lara realised something else. She wasn’t just going slow to give a stellar blowjob. She was doing it so he would last.

She wants him to win.

It made sense. Britney was a people pleaser. She knew Alan and Lara were together and Britney liked him. Winning this would surely enhance his reputation among the frat. There was just one problem with Britney’s plan. The other last remaining couple looked as far from completion as was possible.

Lara cast her eyes to her far left as Jo was giving a workmanlike blowjob, at best. She was bobbing on Rob’s short but thick cock but in a way that could only be described as mechanically. Rob looked frustrated. It didn’t look like he was going to finish any time soon.

Britney clearly realized the same thing. There was little point in delaying any longer. She slipped Alan’s dick out of her mouth for a moment. She looked up at him and whispered a question Lara could barely make out.

“Second place good enough for you, honey?” Britney asked in a low whisper. Alan simply smiled and nodded down at her.

She took him back into her mouth and started to deep throat him with gusto. As she took him to the hilt over and over, he started to groan. The constant edging had meant he was unable to resist the silky feeling of her throat swallowing around him. His eyes rolled back in his head. It had taken no more than twenty seconds of Britney’s best and he was coming down her throat. Alan’s eyes reached Lara’s as he came. He looked momentarily worried. Lara gave him an encouraging smile to let him know she wasn’t upset or mad.

Enjoy it, she thought to herself. It looked as if he certainly was. He closed his eyes and luxuriated in the feeling of the southern belle swallowing his cum down as she worked her lips around his cock.

When he was finished, Britney took him out of her mouth and started to tenderly lick him clean. When she was satisfied, she pursed her lips together and gave the tip of his head a soft kiss.

Alan reached down and helped Britney to her feet and whispered something into her ear that Lara couldn’t make out. Britney simply nodded back. They both walked over to where Lara, Jessica and Jenny were standing, watching the last remaining pair.

The crowd started to congratulate Alan on lasting. “I never thought you’d last with the Baywatch babe,” a voice came from behind them.

“Yeah, nice going, Al,” another said.

“I honestly don’t know how I did!” Alan shouted back to them before turning to watch with everyone else.

Jo was still going. Rob had gone from being frustrated to looking bored. And as Lara glanced around, she noticed that the crowd did too. Some had filtered away, no longer impressed after the other five girls had put on a better show. Lara could see Jo glance around with Robs dick still in her mouth. She looked worried that she was the last one left and Lara could tell she was getting tired, her blowjob having gone on a long time.

They don’t call it a “job” for nothing, Lara thought, knowing that Jo’s face and jaw would be feeling it at this stage. But try as she might, it didn’t look like Rob was going to finish.

Lara knew why. He’d already come twice that night. Once in Jo’s mouth earlier, and again in Lara’s hand in the upstairs bedroom in exchange for deleting the video. It would take a skilled fellatrix to make a man come a third time in such a short space of time. And Jo just didn’t possess the skill. The adage of “practice makes perfect” was an apt one. The other women on the stage simply had more experience. Jo didn’t. It was as simple as that.

Chuck stepped in and put a stop to things. He picked up the microphone and started talking. “It looks like we have our winner. Buffy did a.... good job no doubt but Rob has shown his stamina. Give him a round of applause guys!” Chuck said.

There was a somewhat muted cheer that followed and some light clapping. Rob roughly pulled Jo’s head off of him and pulled his trousers back up. “What can I say, guys? I’m just built different!” Rob declared loudly. It didn’t quite get the response he was hoping for so he switched gears, hoping some humility and a joke would work instead.

“In truth guys, I didn’t have to work that hard to last. She didn’t exactly rock my world, if you know what I mean. You’d think somebody like Buffy would be better at handling wood!” he joked. The crowd erupted in laughter at the joke as Rob left the stage and joined them to a few back-slaps, their reaction more enthusiastic now.

Jo was standing now and had heard what he had said. Everyone had. She stared after him, a look of shame and embarrassment on her face. Lara thought she saw tears forming at the corner of the blonde’s eyes as the tough facade she wore so well finally broke. Jo turned and fled from the stage, disappearing into the crowd.

Lara felt a pang of guilt and made to go after her. Britney caught Lara by the arm and stopped her. “Let me, Lara. It might come better from somebody else right now, ya know?” Britney said. Lara hesitated for a moment but eventually relented.

“Don’t worry. I’ll look after her,” Britney said, with a reassuring smile as she headed out to where last they saw Jo disappear. Lara turned to Alan, trying to put Jo’s ordeal out of her mind. With Jenny and Jessica having their own private conversation a few feet away, she figured she could chance a quiet word with Alan.

“So, stud. Second place. Not too shabby,” Lara said, leaning in close to him.

“Well, I tried. Really, it was Britney. She kept me in the race, to be honest,” Alan said, sheepishly.

“I’m sure she did. Interesting parties you Kappa Omega Kappa’s throw. I hope they all aren’t like this,” Lara said, smiling back.

“No. At least, I don’t think so. But I do know that Chuck and the guys have more games planned for tonight,” Alan said. Lara shook her head at him.

“I’ve done my part. No more games for me,” Lara said.

“So you’re heading home?” Alan asked, trying and failing to hide his look of disappointment.

“Actually, I was thinking I’d rather spend some alone time with you instead. Like we talked about earlier?” Lara said in a low whisper. Alan’s face lit up.

“That sounds amazing.”

“Have they given you your room yet?” Lara asked.

“Yeah. I moved in this morning, in fact,” he answered.

“Show me,” Lara said as she took his hand in her own. Alan grinned as he led her by the hand away from the stage and towards the stairs, leaving Jessica and Jenny behind.

“Where is Lara off to?” Sarah asked, rejoining the group after spending several minutes in the bathroom, cleaning herself thoroughly with some tissues and wipes. She had her Jessica Rabbit dress back on but there was a few stains towards the bottom.

“I’m not sure. She was here a minute ago,” Jenny answered. “I think she was talking to one of the pledges.”

“Speaking of pledges, I need to have a word with that Will guy. We need to have a word or two about respect. And he needs to.... um.... pay for my dress,” Sarah said absent-mindedly as she walked into the crowd to find him. Jenny and Jessica exchanged knowing looks.

“Something tells me that those two won’t be doing much talking if she finds him,” Jessica said. Jenny nodded in agreement as Chuck slid quietly up to the two of them.

“Wonderful performance, ladies. And don’t worry, I know that not all the guys finished but it was obvious you girls were giving it your all. I’ll make sure Will coughs up the rest of the dough,” Chuck said.

“Well, we appreciate that,” Jenny said.

“Of course. By the way, we have more games coming up shortly.”

“What kind of games?” Jessica asked. Chuck moved in between them and put an arm around each of their shoulders and started to lead them both away, a girl on either side of him.

“Well, obviously you’ve heard of spin the bottle before, right? Well, we KOKs have our own version....”

***

Lara looked around her as she walked through Alan’s new room inside the KOK house. His room was small and was on the third floor. Lara brought her fingers to her hair as she worked on loosening her braid. Her stint as the Tomb Raider was over and she wanted to feel her hair loose and free. As her hands worked through the braid, she cast her eyes over the room.

It was fairly spartan. White walls, plain carpet. A chest of drawers and a closet. There was a desk in the corner with a simple chair and lamp. The lamp was on and bathed the room in a soft, warm glow that was pleasing.

At least he has a double bed, she thought to herself as she enjoyed running her fingers through her now unencumbered locks of hair.

“Not exactly, the Ritz, is it?” she said.

“No, it isn’t but I only moved in today. I’ll make it my own in no time. You’ll have to visit in a while to compare,” Alan said.

Lara laughed as she turned and put both her arms around his neck. “Already planning my next visit, are we?” she said as she looked into his eyes. He leaned forward as if to kiss her but she pulled back a little.

“Um, if you didn’t want to kiss me right now, I’d understand. I know most guys have a thing about that. I can go brush my....” Lara started to say before Alan interrupted her by diving forward and initiating a deep kiss. She was surprised at first but returned it eagerly. She felt his tongue drive forward and she met it with her own, massaging it gently. When he finally pulled back from the kiss, he spoke again.

“Lara, I’d kiss you anytime, anywhere,” Alan said softly. Lara felt a flutter in her stomach. It wasn’t just what he said, it was how he said it. It was a good line, sure, but it didn’t feel like a line. He means it, she thought.

“Alan?”

“Yes?”

“Go lock the door,” she told him.

She released him from her grasp and he took a few steps away from her and quickly locked his door. He turned back around and they just stared at each other for a few moments. Then at almost the same time, they both began to free themselves of their clothes. Alan grabbed his shirt from behind his neck and yanked it forward roughly over his head, revealing his chest. Lara leaned down and pulled her boots off her feet, not bothering to undo the laces and then followed with her socks. She then grabbed the bottom of her form fitting Tomb Raider top and pulled it up and over her head, revealing her naked breasts. Alan reached down for his pants. The pair frantically disrobed in front of each other.

The whole process wasn’t smooth, sensual or sexy. It was haphazard and had a desperation to it. Within moments, both of them were completely naked. They stared at each other from across the room until Alan strode purposefully towards her, picked her up and carried her towards his bed. He lay her down, more gently than she was expecting and just stared at her as she lay on her back, looking up at him.

“I said I’d kiss you anywhere? Let me show you,” Alan said as he shifted down and lay between her thighs.

Lara hadn’t been expecting this but lay back fully, her head against the pillow as she opened her legs wide for him, giving him better access. She felt Alan's hands grip her thighs, his fingers sinking into them as he positioned himself. Unable to resist her curiosity, she tilted her head up and off the pillow and watched as Alan leaned in, his face hovering a few inches from her pussy. She could feel his warm breath there and it made her shiver in anticipation.

Alan dipped down and began. He was smiling to himself as he started to explore her. He softly kissed her lips a couple of times and then used his tongue to trace up and down her slit, enjoying her taste as he did it.

Lara felt a series of tingles run through her. She was surprised at his sedate pace. Lara knew from experience that most men, when they could be bothered to perform this act, attacked it clumsily. Alan was taking his time though, his mouth exploring every inch of her slick flesh with leisurely strokes and teasing flicks of his tongue. He kept at this for a while until he was ready to move on. He moved forward and Lara felt his mouth close to her clitoris. He did something then that no other man had done before. He started to lightly blow on it.

“Ohh....” She moaned, long and low in response to the trick. The sensation was bizarre but incredibly pleasant, and her back arched off the bed as Lara felt the nerve endings firing. It was then that Alan opened his mouth and latched onto her clitoris. She gasped. He had been warming her up steadily but his last few moves had caused her breathing to become louder and a little more ragged. His mouth now firmly on it, he started to suck as he began to increase the pressure and the intensity of his ministrations.

“Yes....” Lara gasped as she felt a dozen jolts of electricity shoot through her body. It felt incredible. She reached out and tangled her fingers in Alan's hair, as he worked his magic on her. Lara started to rock her hips subtly against his mouth.

After a solid minute of sucking on it, he eased back and started to run his tongue in slow circles around her clit. Over and over again, he traced the line of his circle with his tongue. It wasn’t random, he wasn’t guessing at what he hoped would feel good. This was a practiced technique.

Fucking hell, he is good at this.

Lara was a realist when it came to head. Many women were pretty poor at it due to lack of communication from their male partners. However, most men were sub-par for an entirely different reason. Selfishness. A lot of men felt like if a sexual act didn’t involve their own dick, it wasn’t worth doing. If they didn’t get pleasure from it, they weren’t interested. So on the rare occasion they would pull it out for a partner, they were clueless. Having a partner that was not only willing but talented? That was a rarity. And Lara was delighted to be experiencing it right now.

“Keep going, Alan,” Lara told him, her voice cracking somewhat. She didn’t want him to stop using his tongue like this. It was working. Encouraged by her words, Alan redoubled his efforts, his tongue swirling in his circle and occasionally flicking over her swollen clit with increasing fervour. He could tell she was almost there and knew how to make sure. Alan kept working his tongue as he plunged two of his fingers into her now very wet and dripping core. He started to pump them in out and curled them slightly as he felt her walls react to his touch.

“Ugh.... oh.... um....” Lara's moans escalated. They were loud and breathy as they built in pitch and volume. She was not normally this loud but she couldn’t help herself. Her body undulated beneath Alan's ardent attentions, her breasts heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. Alan could feel her tightening, her inner muscles clenching around his fingers as he brought her closer to the edge of her orgasm.

“Put.... put your whole mouth back on me,” Lara instructed between moans.

Alan did as he was told. He latched back on and sucked hard, devouring her completely. With a long and hard suckle to her clit and a curl of his fingers, Alan sent Lara crashing over the precipice into an all consuming, earth shattering climax.

“FUCK!” Lara cried out. Her body convulsed and her back bowed, her sex gushing and fluttering around his hand and mouth. Alan lessened the pressure slightly not wanting to overpower the feelings she was having and he slowed his stroking slightly as he nursed her through the orgasm. He stayed there, sucking on her gently as the intensity of her orgasm came to it’s natural conclusion and slowly faded. Eventually, he detached himself and slithered up the bed, whiping his mouth a little as he did it.

Lara was laying on her back, eyes closed, still panting from the experience. He waited by her side, with one arm propped up, resting his head on it.

“What the fuck was that?” Lara finally asked him in amazement as she opened her eyes back up and looked at him. Alan couldn’t have been happier at that moment as he realized he had exceeded her expectations.

“It was me, doing my thing,” Alan said, pridefully.

“Well your thing was incredible. Seriously, where did you learn all that?” Lara asked him. Alan decided to be honest. “My first girlfriend had a thing for oral. Like, really had a thing for it. She preferred it to sex. I mean, it’s still sex I guess but you know what I mean. So I got a lot of practice. And she had no problem giving direction. I guess I got pretty good at it,” Alan told her.

“You sure did. Remind me to send her a thank you card,” Lara said.

“Or a cunnilingus gift basket?” Alan joked.

Lara snorted in response and then stared at him. “Roll over. If ever a girl had to reciprocate, it was after something like that. I’m going to blow your mind,” Lara said as she pushed him onto his back and started to work her way down his body.

“Don’t, Lara,” Alan said. She looked up at him in surprise.

“Don’t? A girl could take offence, ya know,” Lara said, half jokingly. She hadn’t expected him to turn down the chance of a blowjob. She couldn’t recall many men who had.

“It’s not like that. I know how good you are, how good it would feel. The thing is, after the Cumpetition, I might only have one good round in me. And I want to be with you....” Alan told her trailing off as he said it.

Lara’s face changed in understanding. They still hadn’t had sex yet. Not properly, even after all this time and he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to go again. She couldn’t help but find it endearing.

She wasted no time. Lifting one leg over his body, she moved to straddle him as he lay on his back. Lara locked eyes with Alan. She didn’t tease him. She could have but it didn’t feel right. She simply reached down and grasped Alan's cock and lined him up at her entrance. Her eyes never leaving his, she sank down onto him with a low, drawn-out moan. Alan's cock was a good length and thickness. Lara could feel him stretching her open and filling most of her in one smooth and sensual glide.

“Oh man....” Alan said, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape. She smiled down at him as she began to move, slowly at first with a sensual roll of her hips. She followed this up by grinding down into Alan’s lap, taking him as deep as possible. Her inner muscles clenched and rippled around him, hugging his hardness tightly.

Lara noticed his eyes lock onto her breasts as she moved, the slow pace making them ripple and jiggle ever so slightly. She knew he wanted to reach out and touch and so she waited for him to do it. Only he didn’t. Lara was momentarily confused by his hesitation before she figured out why.

He’s never felt them before. Not really, she realized as she rode him.

He’d seen her naked. He’d felt her up a little but only fully clothed. In the months they’d known each other, her blowing him, the long phone calls, the making out, the breaking and entering, talking dirty to him as Britney swallowed him in the VIP, throughout all of it, he’d never gotten his hands on her properly.

He’s waited long enough.

Lara reached forward and grabbed his hands in her own, bringing them to her breasts and pressing them to her. Taking the invitation, Alan squeezed and cupped the soft flesh in his hands. She brought her own hands down, leaving him to explore of his own volition.

“I’ve thought about doing this for so long,” Alan said, marvelling at how the pliant flesh molded to him as he kneaded her tits. They felt incredible in his hands.

“Take as long as you want. We have all night,” Lara said as she leaned her chest into his hands, wanting him to enjoy himself as much as she had. He continued to play with her tits as she rode him, a large smile on his face.

Men are so easily pleased, she thought to herself in amusement as he squeezed and lightly touched them. She let him have his fun as she decided to pick up the pace a little. Up and down she went, beginning to ride him with increasing fervour, rising up until just the tip of his cock remained inside her before slamming back down, taking him to the hilt. Her breasts bounced and moved in his hands with each roll of her hips.

Alan finally brought his hands to her hips and grasped them as he thrust himself up into her, meeting her halfway every time. Lara leaned back, bracing her hands on Alan's thighs as she worked herself over his cock, now as rigid as it could get. She slammed down on him hard, over and over again. Alan scrunched his eyes up and pursed his lips together and Lara could tell he was close.

All of a sudden, with his hands firmly around her waist, he leaned up and rolled her over onto her back and lay on top of her. They were now face to face in the missionary position and he had stopped thrusting, merely holding himself still and unmoved inside her.

Alan looked down at Lara, his eyes drinking in every detail. He brushed a strand of sweat-dampened hair from her face, his fingertips trailing gently across her cheek as he did it. Lara gazed up at him.

“I was about to finish,” Alan said in explanation.

“I could tell. It’s okay, Alan. You can come whenever you want,” she told him softly as they looked into each others eyes.

“I want to make this last,” he told her, as he slowly started moving once more. She wrapped her legs around him, her heels resting against his back as he fucked her.

No, that’s the wrong word to describe this, she thought to herself. Before he had stopped her, she had worked her riding speed up to a rapid pace, but now he was in control and moving in a slow, sensual rhythm, each thrust a languid and gentle one.

Lara's hands slid over Alan's back, feeling his toned muscles as he entered her at his desired speed. He was fit and athletic and she knew this was no trouble for him. He could easily hold himself above her, not pressing her down with his weight the way some men would. She appreciated this, how not only was he considerate enough to do it but fit enough to pull it off.

Alan interrupted her thoughts when she felt his lips find hers, softly at first and then more insistent as he kissed her deeply. His tongue delved into her mouth, and she met it with her own.

They continued like this for several minutes, enjoying each other in what could only reasonably be described as making love. Eventually however, Alan couldn’t hold back any longer and started to thrust deeper and faster into her. Alan placed his head into the crook of her neck and Lara wrapped her arms around him as he succumbed to the incredible feeling of her warm, wet sex.

With a final, deep thrust, Alan found his completion. Lara felt his body tensing up above her as she held him in her arms. Alan groaned as he spilled his seed inside her welcoming heat. He whispered her name into her ear as he came.

“Lara....” he whispered, so low that it was barely audible.

She felt his dick spasm a few more times as he emptied the last of his load inside her as they slowly rocked together. They stayed like this, still connected for a few moments as she let him come down from his orgasm. She hadn’t come with him, but it didn’t matter. It had felt good regardless. A different kind of good, she realized.

He slowly pulled out of her and rolled to the side. She shifted onto her own side, pushed her back into him and grabbed his arm, draping it over her body and holding his hand in hers, close to her chest. They lay like this, spooned together with her being the little spoon, not saying a word. None needed to be said.

Alan felt her body against his, smelling the wonderful scent of her hair. At that moment, he knew he loved her. He wouldn’t say it aloud, of course. It would be unfair to her and put pressure on her to say it back. He didn’t want that. If she ever felt the same way about him, he would let her say it in her own time. But even if he didn’t express it, he knew it to be true. He held her close to him as he drifted off to sleep.

Lara stayed awake longer, not immediately succumbing to sleep. She listened to his breathing and thought about how much she enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms. How it made her feel. And how different sex with him had felt. She hadn’t felt used. Or like an object.

This thought lingered in her mind as she finally drifted off.

***

A deafening, high-pitched scream jolted Lara awake in an instant. It was a woman’s scream, almost ethereal in nature as if it was coming straight from a banshee. Alan stirred beside her and instantly jumped into action. He leaped off the bed and ran to the door, unlocking it.

“What the hell is going on?” Lara asked, getting out of the bed and reaching for her panties on the floor. Alan was struggling with his own underwear.

“I don’t know. Stay here,” Alan started to say as he left the room hurriedly.

Lara looked to her pile of clothes. Putting back on the Tomb Raider outfit was not an appealing option but she needed something to cover herself with. She ran to the nearby chest of drawers and pulled it open. She grabbed one of Alan’s t-shirts and pulled it on. It was massively over-sized for her, nearly coming down to her knees but it would do.

She ignored Alan’s request and exited the room, moving towards where she thought the scream had come from. She jogged down the corridor until she spotted a group of people huddled in a door frame. She recognized Britney, Jessica and Jo flanked by several Kappa Omega Kappa brothers just standing there, gazing into the room with disturbed looks on their faces. She brushed past them and into the room where Alan was already inside, consoling a crying Jenny.

Lara’s eyes scanned the room before she spotted Rob, laying on the carpeted floor. He was laying there, spread eagled, his limbs sprawled out awkwardly and unnaturally while on his back. His head lolled to the side with his eyes glassy and open, staring up at nothing in particular.

There was no mistaking it. Rob was dead.