Chapter 12

For the next two weeks, Laurie's routine of sexual madness remained approximately the same. Five nights a week, from ten until two in the morning, she performed a half-naked go-go at The Cave. She was committed to the nightly perversions of Vince Carbo and Sid Laska. Most of the time these events took place in Vince's office and in front of a mirror. She was additionally subjected to the caresses of the male patrons, who, convinced that the purchase of a drink entitled them to a share of Laurie's shapely body, felt her whenever the opportunity presented itself. Sometimes these feel-up jobs made Laurie very hot, but other times, because of her extreme fatigue, they made her irritable and shorttempered.

When her night at The Cave was finally finished, it had only begun in quite another realm. Eddie invariably wanted her to come up to his apartment, her inhibitions were tamed with drinks, and a sexual orgy was the inexorable result. Sometimes Eddie's hippy friend was an active participant, sometimes he just watched, and other times they were alone. Laurie was able to alibi out of these get-togethers on two occasions; but she finally reasoned that it was best to play ball with Eddie Prohaska in order to get the information she sought.

In this regard, Laurie had done everything he asked. She'd let him take lewd Polaroid shots of her, also permitted Al to take pictures of Eddie and her in various positions of sexual intercourse, even allowing the two men to change places: Eddie behind the camera, Al on top of her. She'd of course, baited them with loaded questions, suggesting that they were running out of thrills, that they ought to try something "way out."

"And tonight," she gushed excitedly to the professor during a phone conversation, "it's finally happening."

"What's finally happening?"

"A big blast at The Cave after closing hours. A select group."

"You think this is it?"

"Could be. They've been having these love-ins for the past several months," she told him, "but I was considered too young and too square."

"And now you've managed to change their minds."

"Something like that." And she wished secretly that she could change his mind. She knew he cared for her ... perhaps considerably ... but was it enough?

"I wish I could be there to help you," he said.

"So do I, Jim. I wish a lot of things."

There was a brief lull in the conversation. Finally he spoke:

"You'll come here after it's over with, won't you?"

"I've been coming to your place every night since this thing started, haven't I?"

"Almost."

"And we've made love every night, haven't we?"

"Yes."

"Then I doubt if tonight'll be any different," she said.

He grew silent again and when he again spoke, he wanted to know if she was doing all right in her studies. She told him she was scraping by and she'd cram to catch up when this was over with.

"D'you ever see that Danny fellow?" Jim asked.

"No. What brought that up?"

"I just wondered about him, that's alL I suppose I shouldn't have mentioned him, but ... well, I've always felt sort of guilty about your fall-out."

"Don't. Don't even think about it. I'm old enough to know what I want, Jim, and what I want is you, Jim. You."

"I know, Laurie. I know."

"I'll see you tonight, Jim."

"G'bye, Laurie."

"Cbye."

The wild blast at The Cave was sweet goodbye to sanity. It was held in the basement; a recreation room deluxe. The windows were sealed against peepers, dull red lights prevailed, and some twenty or more couples and assorted singles sat around drinking, petting, talking about the "new world." They wore street clothes, most of them fashionable and erotic, and the mood of the party seemed to be: how much can we drink and how fast can we drink it?

Laurie shuffled for herself: Eddie was late and Vince and Sid were busy with the drinks. She recognized some of the college crowd, others were strangers. The age category ranged from the very young-some of the girls were obviously in their teens-to those in their late 30's. There was some dancing going on, here and there some kissing and to the unschooled this mild gathering was no different than a million-and-one other social get-togethers; quietly cheerful, boasting the usual number of climbers and the usual number of bores.

But the liquor consumption soared, the tone of the party grew more frivolous. Girls, especially the younger ones, were prone to giggle, and as Vince and Sid moved in and out of the crowd, bore down with more trays of drinks. Laurie could only wonder where it was all headed. Laurie herself was beginning to feel the drinks and she could readily imagine how some of the lesser experienced and younger girls must be getting bombed. One such girl, a blonde of about 18, staggered up to Laurie and said:

"I had a boyfriend when I came here, but I seem to have lost him. If you see him...."

But before she could finish the sentence she was joined by a new escort, who quickly waltzed her up to a tray of drinks, introduced himself and proceeded to take the girl and the drinks to a solitary bench in the comer. Laurie watched them and it was not long before the new drinking part her had his arm around the dazed young blonde and was staring boldly down the front of her dress. The girl was giggling, amused by whatever it was the youth had said, and the ribaldry that had so suddenly visited the girl was now the order of the evening. Everywhere that Laurie looked, she saw hand-holding, promiscuous embracing, and in some cases, out-and-out feeling up.

"Having a good time?"

Laurie whirled. Eddie had swept up behind her and held her in embrace.

"I don't know if I am, or not," she said, hungering for information. "Nothing's really happened and you didn't tell me what to expect."

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he told her," and as far as nothing happening-they wouldn't start anything before I got here."

"Why not?"

"Cause I'm the ringleader of this wretched and wonderful little group." He kissed her forehead, tweaked her breasts, all in the same motion. "It would be unfair to start proceedings without the ringleader. That's against the ringleader's union, y'see, and you daresn't violate their rules." He laughed.

"Silly!"

"Are you ready?"

"Of course," she said, a little frightened, and wondering whether he would now dispense LSD pills or hand out pot, or what?

He released her, stood on a chair, and begged for silence. "Are you all ready?" he shouted.

There was a loud chorus of hearty approval. Everywhere Laurie looked she saw people setting down their cocktail glasses. Puzzled, she put hers down too.

"When I give the signal," he shouted over the din, "you all know what you're to do right?"

More shouts. Ed dropped his hand, apparently "the signal" and leaped down from the chair. He came to Laurie's side.

"This is it, sweetheart. You wanted thrills and something straight from hippy-land and this is it."

"But Ed...."

"You're on your own, baby doll. S'long."

"Ed...."

The lights suddenly went out. The place was chorused with screams and giggles. With a start, Laurie felt a man's hands violating the top of the low-cut dress she'd worn. She slapped vainly at the hand and fell backwards, catching herself before she lost total balance. The hands pursued her.

"Relax ... enjoy yourself," a stranger's voice said to her.

Laurie fought the hands. But now another pair of hands pulled up her dress. Cool air flushed her bare thighs. She screamed; however, it could scarcely be heard over the pandemonium that had broken forth.

"Stop it!" she screamed. "Take your hands off me!"

"Gladly," a voice said. "If it's that private, I don't want it."

Laurie spat at the darkness. But the hands that were on her thighs were more persistent. Spit and cursing and kicking wouldn't drive them away. She felt her panties being pulled down. A second person seized her by her waist. A third person, maybe a fourth, was bent on tearing the top of her dress open.

Laurie fought them with all her strength. She could have defended herself against an endless swarm of them, but there was no defense for the violent rebellion of her own body. When strange hands caressed and fondled her body, struggled to remove her panties, then touched her in that special and intimate place a woman usually reserves for her true love, Laurie was lost.

"Please don't touch me there," she begged. Please ... p-please!"

Her panties were dragged off. Strong hands tore at her dress. The fabric ripped. Rough hands wedged in the straps of her wispy brassiere. It too was ripped from her body. Then her breasts burst forth and hot lips seized and sucked her nipples. In the same instant, she felt herself being fondled in the wild of wild places. She relaxed, for it was better to be a willing and thrilling victim of rape than to be a battered and punished unwilling victim. And it came to her as she listened to the cacophony around her that this same thing was happening to the others: Mass rape. An orgy extraordinary!

When the dim red lights came on seconds later, Laurie saw that her presumption was correct. No one had escaped the sensual ritual: a Roman and Greek orgy that would test the imagination for years to come. Everyone was naked. Everyone was lusting. A sexual circus beyond belief.

Feeding on Laurie's breasts was a college youth in his early 20's. Laurie hadn't been able to get much of a look at him, but she could testify to the hotness of his tongue, the eagerness of his lips. The sensation was heavenly and he was well-experienced in the art of kissing a young girl's breasts and knowing how to make it feel good.

The man at her feet was much older, maybe 35. He was well-built, dark-haired, and he smiled easily. He was crouched in a line parallel with her body, his hand tenderly stroking the invitation of her widely spread legs.

"You're new," he said.

She nodded.

"Crazy, huh?"

She nodded again.

"Is what I'm doing ... does it feel good?"

"Are you kidding?"

He started to withdraw his hand. Laurie seized his wrist.

"Then you like it."

"Of course I like it."

He continued with new zest. He worked his fingers feverishly, prying away at her secrets the last one left. Meanwhile, the boy at her breasts sucked relentlessly and throbbed with excitement. Laurie assisted his excitement, taking firm hold of him and boldly massaging him. The youth groaned. The whole room groaned.

Laurie's excited mind and body groped at the sights about her. The young blonde who'd spoken briefly to Laurie was on her knees in front of Vince Carbo. Her lips were parted and Laurie knew what was next.

Eddie was making out with a bosomy redhead, who in turn was being assaulted from the rear by Tri-Central's first-string quarterback, a strapping lad of about 250 pounds named Joe Corbetti. Despite the force of the twin attack, the redhead was in no apparent pain. She was doing a perverted version of the bumps-and-grinds, thrusting first to Eddie, then to his muscular cohort.

Sid Laska was rolling over and over with a fat girl, experiencing difficulties that needed no description. Another girl, a black-haired one of about 20, was evidently, judging from her screams a virgin-or had been until just moments ago. Now, pinned by a burly woman in her late 30's the young girl was being punishably raped by a monstrously-endowed older man, possibly the older woman's husband.

When the girl's violation had begun, her screams were loud and violent. But now that she'd tasted the glory of his charge, felt the magnificent enormity of his desire, her screams changed to moans of delight. She'd been oriented to the thrilling wonderment of sex, and now that she knew what it was she couldn't get enough of it. She wanted more and more and more, an insatiable hellcat who took on two more men shortly thereafter; later, a third.

"Gets you, doesn't it?" the man who was kissing Laurie's thighs said.

"Y'mean...."

"The watching. Sometimes it's even better than the doing."

"Watching never gets that good," Laurie exclaimed, drawing the man's face down to her body. "Kiss me," she murmured. "Kiss me all over."

"But not up here," the other youth said. "Up here is mine." He licked Laurie's bright-red nipples.

"Okay," she said, filled with new fires, "divide the territory."

Laurie then swooned. The two men did more than divide the territory. They consumed it. Their hot mouths went everywhere. They rolled Laurie's willing body from one side of the rug to the other. They kissed her up, down, front, back. Their tongues roamed the curvy small of her back, explored the cushiony hillocks of her behind, and welcomed the fuzzy warmth of her front. She soared and crashed and soared and crashed, and when the lights again went out, one sweaty youth was pumping himself up and down between her legs; another one was sitting on her chest, his excited physique looming over her face.

"What are you waiting for?" the youth on her chest asked.

Laurie opened her mouth to answer him. He lunged forward. Suddenly Laurie couldn't speak. It just wasn't possible.

At around five in the morning, weak and exhausted, Laurie dragged herself away from the melee and dressed with what was left of her clothes. Some of the people had left, others were passed out, and an ambitious and over-sexed dozen or so, Eddie Prohaska included, were still busy making out, dreaming up new perversions or retrying the old ones.

She climbed the stairs wearily, stumbled through darkness and found a phone. She'd call Jim, ask him to come and get her.

He answered his phone on the seventh or eighth ring. Laurie let him come awake, then she told him where she was, that she needed a ride.

"And I think I've good new for you. No LSD, no pot, no nothing."

"Y'mean...."

"A wild sex club, Eddie's the head of it, and that's it Everybody gets together and screws everybody else-you wouldn't believe it if you didn't see it-and there's no drugs, no marijuana-just sex kooks, and the kookiest sex kooks that ever was."

"Your grammar stinks," he said laughingly.

"So does this place, Jim. Come and take me home."

"I'll be there in 20 minutes," he promised.

"Hurry, Jim," and she was going to add, "I love you," but she decided she'd wait till he arrived.

She hung up the phone, started to turn away, and then a stinging slap in the mouth spun her around. Stunned, off-balance, she started to fall. A hand gripped the front of her torn clothing.

Two more vicious slaps, one of them a wicked back-hander, tore at her mouth and knocked her partially senseless. Blood trickled from her lips into her mouth.

"You sneakin', double-crossing, mealy-mouthed bitch!" Eddie called her. "Playing the tramp all this time and meanwhile you're just a spying, two-bit stool pigeon." He caught his breath. "I always thought something was fishy about you. You were too easy all of a sudden.

"And then I saw you sneaking upstairs just now and I said to myself, 'Now, Eddie, what is this cute little bitch up to?' So I decided to follow you and find out." He slapped her again. "Next time you wanna know something, ask. And you can tell your professor friend that we've got more sense than to fool around with drugs and pot. We may be weird, but not that weird. And we've got a particular dislike for finks, so get your ass to hell out of here!"

Crying softly, Laurie marched obediently to the door. Eddie unlocked it, then gave her a swift hard kick in her buttocks. She sailed out over the steps, landing on the rough concrete, scraping her bare legs and her face. She crawled up to a sitting position.

Eddie howled at her, "And don't come back, you bitch!" And then he slammed the door and she was alone with her tears.