He woke up in a blur. There was movement around him. There was music, he stared at the ceiling, he didn’t recognize it. The music wasn’t loud enough to bury the sighs, people moaning around him. His head was heavy, his arms and legs didn’t seem to respond to his brain telling them to move.
Where am I? Who are these people? What are they doing? Those words couldn’t come out of his mouth. These people were naked. They were … having sex … he was in the middle of these strangers … what the? He forced his head to turn, he was naked too, on a bed. He looked down on his bare chest, there was a head between his legs.
The hair … he knew this person, she looked up at him … Amber … he didn’t have enough strength to do anything but watched. There was a man in the shadow behind her, he too was naked. The man stepped into the light, it was clearer, he was entering her from behind, what the fuck is going on? It faded to black.
He jolted out of bed, they were gone. He looked around, he was in his own room. It was a dream, only it wasn’t, subconsciously it was his memory. a fraction of what happened that night. He was sweating, his heart pounded faster, harder. He could never have agreed to something like that. He was assaulted. His hands were shaking. He was assaulted and he can’t prove it.
There was a knock. He glanced at the clock, 11. 30 PM. He came home early that night and must’ve dozed off. The knock continued. He walked over to the front door with nothing on except his boxers. His hair was messy, his sleepy face straight out of the door greeted at the door.
“Amber? What the hell are you doing here?”
She pushed him in and stepped inside the flat uninvited. “Do you want the tape or not, Tom? I need an answer fast.”
He rubbed his face, “Do you have it with you?”
“Yeah … I’m bringing it with me all the time now … I can’t risk losing it,” she reached inside her sling bag and showed it to him.
He looked at it, his proof, he tried to reach for it. Amber quickly recoiled, “Not so fast … so you want this? ‘Cause I know someone else wants it too and I want a fair share for this.”
“Fair share? Are you fucking kidding me? You and your friends basically drugged and raped me and have it on film … and now you’re blackmailing me for this? I should go to the police and have you arrested … give me that tape!”
Amber laughed, “Rape you? Who would believe that? You took those drugs yourself, nobody forced it on you … you’re a big boy, you should take responsibilities for your own actions … anyways, what happened is nothing compared to what you’ll have to endure with your contract with Maxine.”
Tommy paused, nobody knew about his contract with Maxine.
“Oh … come on … you don’t get to be where you are now without making a pact with the devil?” she walked over to the sofa and threw herself on it. “What did you have to do to sign up? All I had to do was a nude audition to one of her senior directors … I got my first big break as a starring role in his big blockbuster movie and an exclusive contract with Arch Agency … she didn’t mention the blow job I had to do at the end of the audition … I gagged … the old fart smelled like piss and it made me want to puke … I heard other recruits had it worse,” her smile faded.
“And now you’re doing this to me? I’m sorry what happened to you, Amber, I didn’t know you had to go through that … but I can’t let you have the tape and trade it.”
Her smile was back on her face, a playful one this time, “I know … I’m not ‘doing’ this to you, Tom, I’m helping you here … I’m telling you, Maxine is going to ruin your life the way she ruined all her recruits and there’s nothing you can do except this …” she showed the tape again.
Tommy watched in confusion.
“I told her I will trade this for my contract … if I give her this, I’ll be out of Arch for good … she can’t whore me around anymore … God … I can’t even remember the last time I had sex with anyone under 40 … every job I got I whore for it, not to mention how many times I had to join her own sick playroom,” she was referring to Maxine.
“You’re going to give that to Maxine? How is that going to help me?”
She laid on the sofa and started undressing herself.
“What are you doing?” Tommy rested his hands on his waist.
“I’m helping you get your tape … didn’t you hear me? Help me remember how is feels like to have a good ol’ traditional one on one passionate love-making sex,” she was stripped down to her undies, her clothes were on the floor.
Tommy held his head, “Put your clothes back on, Amber … we’re not doing this … I’m not doing that.”
“No? Not even for your tape? I’m giving it to Maxine … you know I will … and your life is not the only thing at stake here … your girlfriend’s too … I know she’s working for her,” she looked at him seductively.
His face tensed, “You leave her out of this, I swear …”
“I heard she’s pretty too … Maxine loves the pretty ones … why do you think she’s in her office every day? To work? I bet she jerks off over her more than she does over you,” she laughed.
The thought of putting Charlie in danger weighed in on him, he never thought it was Charlie that Maxine really after. “She doesn’t have anything on her,” he denied it.
Amber slipped her hand under her panties and started to rub herself. “Are you sure about that? Tell me … how did she get into her school in the first place? Working as her assistant? She’s probably already putting her in her portfolio and spreading it to her business partners … they’ll fuck her, Tom, just like they fucked me … and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
It was a possibility he never considered, he was gripped by fear because he knew she was telling the truth. He went down on the floor, gathered her clothes. “Amber … please … I beg you … don’t do this, do you honestly want to let the same thing happen to another person? You have to give me that tape … I can get myself out easier and Charlie too,” he was on his knees.
She was half listening, half enjoying herself, she sighed, “I’m making this easy for you, Tom … I’m getting wet …” her eyes were dazed when she turned to look at him. “All you have to do is fuck me, right here, right now,” she took her hand out and took Tom’s hand. “Feel me, baby, you’ll like me better when I’m wet,” she said softly.
Tom yanked his hand away, “I’m not gonna do this, Amber, I’m not! Jeez … you need to put your clothes back on and leave, I can’t have you here like this and I don’t want to be rude.”
She saw the desperation on his face, that’s when it hit her, this guy really really loved his girlfriend. No guy said ‘no’ to her, they would do anything to have the chance to bed her, even if it was only to boast to their friends. Then again, they were all assholes. But this guy, he had humiliated her and respected her at the same time.
Amber sat up to face him, she spread her legs in front of him, dug her hands in his hair. Once upon a time, there was a man who loved her the way Tommy loved his girlfriend. But she took it for granted, all for the hope of fame and money. This was where she ended up. He had put her to shame by politely rejecting her. She stared into his eyes, their faces almost touching.
Tommy was backing away, but she moved swiftly and caught his thick plump lips with her mouth. He took her hands off of his head. He turned his face away from her, “No … stop it Amber … you need to leave.”
She didn’t want to believe it, she didn’t want to believe that he couldn’t be persuaded. She kept kissing him on his lips, on his face, to his neck. She took off her bra and pushed him to the floor.
“Amber! Stop!” he grabbed the side of her arms as she hovered over him. Her breasts nearly touched his chest.
They stopped in that position. His heart was beating fast, he felt violated, this time he was sober. He couldn’t bring him to push her away with force, he didn’t want to hurt her.
That’s when they heard a jiggling sound like a set of keys being pushed into the keyhole of his door and turned. It wasn’t locked, the door opened, and they could see the horror on Charlie’s face with Jeremy next to her.