Educating Marri Ch. 01

A college girl becomes a prostitute to pay the bills.

The fire alarms were blaring everywhere and everyone was scrambling to get out. I grabbed my purse and hurried out of the room. I joined the small parade of girls heading down the stairs and out of the building. I didn't see any smoke or fire, but I wasn't crazy enough to go looking for it.

Once I was outside, I found Kelsey, my perky blond cheerleader roommate, and asked, "What's going on?"

She shrugged, her eyes riveted on the fire trucks and police cars. There was one ambulance in their midst but the EMTs were just standing there talking to a couple of firefighters. The hoses were still attached to the trucks and the police officers were basically directing the flow of people and stopping anyone from going back into eh dorm.

After what seemed like forever, the dean of students showed up and started talking to the fire marshal and police chief. After a few minutes, she picked up a megaphone and called for everyone's attention.

"All right, everyone, I know all of you are confused and concerned, but I've just been assured that there has not been a fire."

Everyone started talking at once and she held up her hand in protest. "However, there has been a large break in the water and sewer lines.

"That means this dorm is now closed until further notice. The police will escort all of you in by groups to retrieve your belongings and you will all be temporarily absorbed into other dorms. Hopefully this will all be cleared up by the weekend. Thank you."

Kelsey was furious. "They can't do that! They can't make up stay with other dorms! We're all cramped enough as it is!"

I wanted to point out that if she didn't bring so much useless shit, her living space would be bigger, but I didn't say anything. The last thing I wanted to do was waste my time and energy on being angry with her. I was too focused on my graduate work. I didn't' care where I lived as long as I go to my classes.

We were only allowed to take what we would need through the weekend and would be quickly ushered off to our temporary dorms. We saw workers going up and down the stairs to the basement, all of them wearing protective clothing and masks. I started doubting it would be as simple as the dean led us to believe.

* * * * *

Two days later, I was sitting on my roll out bed reading one of my thick textbooks when the announcement blared through the intercom speakers. "All displaced students are to attend a meeting tonight in the assembly hall at six p.m. Again, that's all displaced students to the assembly hall tonight at six p.m. Thank you."

I hoped that meant we'd be back to our own dorms but I still wasn't sure. It seemed unlikely they'd call a meeting for it instead of just telling us to go back. Needless to say I was less than optimistic when I found a seat in the assembly hall that night.

Once everyone was settled in their seats, the dean took the podium, the fire marshal and another man sitting behind her. "All right, everyone," she began, "I know all of you are anxious to know what is going on with your dorm, but I'm sorry to say you will remain in your temporary housing for the time being."

I groaned along with the rest of the audience. I'd been put in a room with two of the most obnoxious undergrads I'd ever met who seemed to think the purpose of college was to get laid and drunk as much as possible.

She went on tell us how the basement of the dorm had been completely flooded, allowing many different types of bacteria to contaminate the building. HAZMAT teams had taken the rest of our personal belongings and put them all in a temporary storage building erected on the other end of campus. We'd be able to go through them over the weekend to pull out what we needed.

The fire marshal spoke up and told us how the dorms we'd been splint into were now officially overfilled and we would only be able to stay there through the end of the semester for legal and safety reasons. But he also assured us it wouldn't be an issue since he was confident everything would be taken care of within a week.

After the meeting, I trudged back to my temporary dorm and was more than a little pissed off to find all of my things thrown haphazardly into shopping bags and shoved into a pile. Only one of the roommates was there and she was busy primping.

"I packed all of your stuff," she said, barely glancing at me.

"Yeah, well, I'm not leaving," I snapped. "The dorm is still closed."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, clearly not happy about having to share the cramped space indefinitely. "Whatever," she muttered. "I've got a date."

She left me alone and fuming. I ripped the bags open and tried to rearrange my books. This was turning out to be the worst semester I'd ever had. Thank God I'd be back in my own dorm soon. I couldn't stand living with these two airheads much longer.

* * * * *

"Goddamn it!" I yelled, crumpling the letter into a ball and tossing it aside. Lori, my partner for the research paper, looked up from her book in alarm

"Marri! What's wrong?"

"I can't believe it! Those bastards are keeping the dorm closed 'until further notice'! I've got to find a new place to live!"

"That's awful! Can't they move you to a different dorm?"

"The other dorms are filled to capacity. We're breaking the fire codes as it is. And there isn't any money in the budget to put us in hotels or rent out a shelter. They'll keep us all until the end of the semester, then we're on our own," I huffed.

"So what will you do?"

"Look for an apartment, I guess. Of course I'll have to pick up a job. That means I'll have to drop at least one class next semester. Son of a bitch!"

"Don't worry," she said. "It'll work out somehow."

"I don't know how. Where do you live again? It's off campus, right?"

"I live in a house on the other side of town. A bunch of us live there together."

"How do you afford it?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"I guess so. As long as you're not selling drugs or something."

She laughed. "Nothing like that. Believe it or not, I live there rent-free. They also feed us and pay us a little extra besides."

"How do you manage that? Sounds too good to be true."

"All of us work for the owners. We earn lots of money for them. It more than covers our expenses."

"What do you do?"

"We're escorts."

"You mean like hookers?" I was shocked. Lori always seemed so "nice-girl".

"Sort of, I guess, but it's all very professional and safe. We never leave the house and we're monitored the whole time. The clients are screened ahead of time for criminal records or any diseases."

"Doesn't it bother you, though? Having sex with all those guys?"

"No. I mean, it did at first, but they have this one guy you always get on your first night. He's really sweet and gentle. He makes love to you, really. He focuses on your pleasure."

"He's that good, huh?"

She grinned. "Better than you can imagine."

"But how about the rest of them? They can't all be good."

"No, but the ones who aren't are usually satisfied if you talk dirty and give them head all night."

"Wow." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"You want to come in for an interview? I know they have a vacancy right now."

"Oh, I don't know..."

"Look, it's a job, right? It will pay for college and give you a savings besides."

"I guess I could go talk to them..."

"Okay. Let's go."

"Right now?"

"Why not? We're not getting any research done anyway."

Lori drove, and we didn't say a word until a huge, Victorian-style house came into view off a dirt side road.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah," she told me.

"So what do I have to do for the interview? Do a striptease or something?"

"No, silly. You talk to the owners, fill in some questionnaires, and let them see you naked. Then you get a physical and tested for STDs. Then you sign on and you're in."

"How long does it take?"

"Just a couple of hours."

"I don't know," I said. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"Marri, it's just a job! Once you've got your masters, you're done. Or even before that. They only want you to sign a one-month contract at a time. You're not going to get a better deal anywhere else. Believe me, I've looked. You get all of the days to yourself, plus one weeknight and one weekend night off. Just go talk to them. Trust me."

"All right." We pulled into the driveway and I tried to calm down. She was right about one thing. My parents had paid for my undergrad work, but now I was pretty much on my own. I really wanted my masters and couldn't think of any other way to get it. And I'd have to be out of my dorm soon.

We got out of the car and she led me to a large, ornate door. She unlocked it and turned the handle.

I followed Lori to a door marked "Private". She knocked and a man in a suit answered it almost at once. He was in his mid to late forties and was very handsome except for his thinning hair.

"Lori! Hello! I see you've brought a friend."

"Yes sir," she replied. "Mr. Earl, meet Marri Sands."

"Marri. Charmed," he said, shaking my hand. I noticed he was looking me up and down and I couldn't help it. I blushed.

"Are you interested in our job opening?"

"Yes."

"Well then, come in to my office and meet my wife. We can talk in there."

"Okay."

"Lori, thank you." She smiled at us and left. Mr. Earl led me into his office. A woman I could only assume was his wife was sitting at one of two desks. He shut the door behind him.

"Beverly, my love, Lori has brought us a new applicant."

She turned, looked me over carefully, and said, "Really? And do you realize exactly what kind of business we run here?"

"Yes, Ms. Earl," I replied. "Lori told me about it."

"And if a man were to approach you in your room upstairs and demand that you suck his cock while he watched you masturbate, would you do it?"

"I suppose."

"Have you ever been in this line of work before, Marri?" Mr. Earl asked.

"No, but I really need this job. And a place to stay."

"Would you be willing to get a physical and let us see you nude?" Mrs. Earl asked.

"Yes."

"All right then," she said. "Fill out these questionnaires and I'll make an appointment for you at the clinic we're affiliated with. Once we get the results of your cultures back, we'll go from there."

"Okay."

I did what I was told. I filled out the mountain of paperwork and stole a few glances at the Earls. I realized she was the more serious of the two, but I could deal with it. I still couldn't believe I was doing this. I swallowed hard and handed back the forms.

"Well, everything looks fine in the preliminaries," she said, flipping through the papers. "As long as the HIV and other tests come back clean at the end of the week, you're cleared. Now, if you'll just take off your clothes and let us get a good look at you."

I stripped quickly. I was uncomfortable but tried not to show it. She walked all around me, looking solemn. He just kept smiling. Finally, she cleared her throat.

"Well, Marri, we can offer you the job once the tests come back. You would start working next Friday. You will have every Saturday and Wednesday off. For your first night, you would be seeing Lawrence, our resident trainer. I'm sure Lori has told you about him."

"Yes, ma'am."

"So, will you be joining us here at Torch?" Mr. Earl asked.

I gulped.

"Yes, sir."

I finished dressing and signed the two-week trial contract. I decided to wait to move in until I was absolutely sure I would be staying.

Lori drove me back to the dorm.