Loosening Up Bk. 06 Ch. 21-25

"Some people out there love you," Mike told her with a comforting grin. "They're paying to download the full DVD versions of your movies. At least, take solace, you may be getting some fluky emails, but you'll also be getting a royalty check from me next month. People tell you you're a bad girl but they sure want to watch you in action."

Christie rolled her eyes. "I want to change careers. Well, I want to do a little bit of porn and a lot of something more socially acceptable to the outside world, not the other way around."

Mike shrugged and teased, "Your adoring public is making a statement."

On campus the next day and her first day back at classes, Christie had a bodyguard that Mark had provided walk with her from her car to the various classes she had, and then to the student union for lunch. The woman was about thirty, armed to the teeth without showing, and admittedly dangerous in the martial arts to any threat.

Everywhere the two of them went, other students increasingly stared at her or whispered to their friends and pointed. Christie thought about how she'd liked being an exhibitionist, but this was eerie and strange in not a good way. Even a couple of her professors seemed surprised to see her in class, and paid her more than usual attention.

Christie's student email account had a message from the Dean of Students, asking for a meeting with her as soon as it could be arranged. She called the Dean's office and set up a meeting for Tuesday afternoon, after her morning classes and lunch.

Tuesday morning, a pretty brunette stopped Christie and Marcia, her bodyguard that day, on the steps of the sciences building as Christie came out from one of her computer classes.

"Hi, I'm Marcie North, do you have a minute?"

"Errr, if you're going to bitch at me for how I made some money, the answer is 'No'."

"To the contrary. I'm the head of the Professional Woman On Campus, a group that tries to help women get the necessary credentials and succeed in the business workplace after graduation. We're an 'Up With Women' kind of group. The board of the group talked at our meeting yesterday about you because of the adverse press. We kind of guessed what was going on, and we want to support you through all the shit we think you're going through. We don't care how you made some money to help with college, but we do care that people might use it against you in getting a decent job or in terms of staying in school. We want to be your friends."

Christie loosened up and looked relieved. "I'm doing better now. I got a scholarship, so I don't work as much doing the videos as I used to or dance as much at the club. I figured I'd get noticed some day, but the hate mail surprised me." She filled in Marcie on what had been happening and even showed her some of the emails on her phone. She also mentioned the meeting with the Dean.

Marcie said, "If the Dean gets on your case, tell him that PWOC is supporting you. Lord help the campus if they were to expel you. Every woman student, their moms, and many hundreds of others would take the whole campus to war and dissemble the administration limb by limb."

"Really? Over me?"

"It's not so much you as it is the principles about how women are treated versus men, the double standard, the unequal treatment for jobs and opportunities, and more. I can go on for hours. A guy does porn and he's a stud; see the difference from what you're going through." She laughed. "Just know that you have a powerful group of women behind you, and I'm sure even the power of a national organization. We'd love to have you join us and even talk about your experiences if you're ever up for it. You have a positive following and not just those crazy nuts that emailed you."

"Wow!" Christie said. "That's the first good news I've heard about all of this since some nerdy guy posted his 'discovery' on the Internet a week or so ago."

Marcie got some contact information and the two women arranged for a further meeting the next day. Christie hurried off to her next class with her bodyguard Marcia at her side.

Christie found herself fidgeting and feeling all fluttery just before the meeting with the Dean of Students. His office was in the administration building. As it turned out the Provost of the university also joined in the meeting -- a woman who appeared to be about seventy years old.

The Dean's secretary ushered Christie into Dean Holcutt's office. Marcia waited in the lobby. He, in turn, introduced Provost Marietta Collins to her. They sat in three comfortable chairs in front of his large and very cluttered desk. Christie sat on the edge of her chair, almost as though she was prepared to leap into the air and bolt for the door.

"Miss Lee, thank you for seeing us. This is a strange meeting for us to be having because we have never had a situation like yours before. I assume you have an inkling of why you are here?"

"I presume it has to do with the manner I chose to make money to help finance my college education," Christie said. She tried a smile but it didn't come off well.

Provost Collins said, "It does. I also suspect that you may be expecting some dire result from this meeting, such as expulsion or discipline. I assure you that we have no plans in that regard."

Christie breathed easier and sat back slightly on that bit of news, but was still curious about why she was there.

Holcutt spoke, "I'm curious; do you think the university should have any position regarding your past behavior?"

Christie spoke in measured terms, "My family was poor and I am the first member to ever go to college. When I graduated high school I had no money and basically no marketable skills. A friend recommended me for a job at the Club Ecstasy, and that in turn led to my being approached about doing some adult films.

"I have continued my affiliations with the Club and Circle-X Productions, and am close friends with the owners of the Club and the video company. I have to admit that I still dance or act for them, but in a greatly reduced role. I do have some cash flow from those appearances as well as royalties from my prior video appearances."

Holcutt and Collins nodded in understanding.

Christie went on, "College is expensive. The tuition is very high for someone like me, and then there are normal living expenses. I have a private scholarship of sorts to help me pay and live. That comes from the Bennett Foundation."

Collins asked, "And how do you feel about what you did -- the videos, I mean?"

"I have always enjoyed sex, been a bit of an exhibitionist," Christie began in an honest tone, "and I felt empowered and mainstream doing them. I became good at what I did, and it earned me a lot of money AND let me save up quite a bit of money. Contrary to what many believe, everyone in the adult industry is not on drugs or a whore. I have to admit, at the start when I did have no money, I did have to resort to selling my body to get by. Those days are far behind me."

Holcutt said, "If we take any action against you, our general counsel tells me you could sue for reinstatement and damages. We do like to think of this place as a moral institution and that we share some values about propriety and restraint."

Christie spoke, "Dean Holcutt, Provost Collins, in the past week I have received several hundred emails, texts, and Facebook posts threatening me, telling me what a bad person I am, and even how one person plans to kill me. There is a woman sitting in the waiting room for me that is a bodyguard because of that. My boyfriend insisted that she be there."

Collins asked, "Is he a student here?"

"No. He is Mark Worthington."

Both Holcutt and Collins glanced at each other with worried expressions and shifted forward in their seats. Holcutt gasped, "The billionaire?"

Christie nodded. "He also happens to be one of the owners of the Club Ecstasy. Another is Owen Bennett."

Collins made the leap, "And I take it that you have met Mr. Bennett as well?"

Christie nodded, "Yes. He's a close personal friend and was instrumental in helping me attain the scholarship I have. He's also a neighbor. We live in the same cohousing complex."

Holcutt and Collins both looked at each other and smiled. Holcutt said, "Both men are trustees of the university, as well as large donors."

Christie just nodded. Inside her mind, she had a cheerleader's uniform on and was doing jumps and screams of joy because her team had pulled ahead by a winning margin.

Collins asked, "If another college coed were to ask you about doing the films you did, and want to pursue that line of employment, what would you tell her?"

Christie chuckled, "At this point, I'd discourage her. Doing porn is not for the faint of heart. Without telling tales out of school, I do know that several dozen other coeds from this and other schools have worked for the same production company I did making adult films. I'm sure that some had similar motivations, but for others there may have been other reasons. One girl I met was just doing it as a lark. The company I work for pays well and treats the women ethically and professionally; that's not the case across the industry, but it should be."

Holcutt said, "We suspected as much. That still means that we have no action to take about either them or you. We do want you to know that you have avenues here at the university for counseling, advice, mentoring, and even student aid and loans should you need them. We'd like to avoid the adverse publicity that may accompany you in this regard, and I hope as your tale becomes more public that you will think kindly about this institution."

Collins interrupted with a slight laugh, "Except for our high tuition and fees."

Christie said, "A woman approached me from some group on campus that dealt with women's rights. I think she said it was PWOC. Based on what I heard, I support their position about equal rights, equal pay, and equal treatment. The porn industry exists because it provides something the end consumers can't get elsewhere in more legitimate ways. I do think that sex should be more open and that the workers in that industry should receive equal treatment under employment law just the way I expect to be treated once I have my degree in computer science and engineering."

Collins nodded. "We agree with you, more or less. Christie, if you need someone to talk to please come and see me. I assure you that anything between us would remain confidential and never go on your student record."

On that note, the meeting ended. Christie connected with Marcia, her bodyguard, and they headed back across campus so Christie could attend a two o'clock class.

That evening, Christie met with three reporters to simultaneously respond to their request for an interview and for them to get her story. Erin was one of them along with a woman from the Tampa Times, and an older man from Murdoch Publications representing about four-dozen magazines, newspapers, and scandal sheets. Besides the interviews, Christie also gave each paper a nice professional head shot photograph of her smiling and looking pretty for the camera -- nothing racy.

Erin stayed around after the others had left. "You handled yourself very well and professionally with them. I didn't want to ask, but how did your meeting with the Dean go this afternoon?"

Christie shrugged, "It was short and kind of a nonevent. I think they really wanted me to know that I was on their radar. They offered help if I felt I needed it. They were a little blown away that I name dropped two billionaires on them who also happened to be university trustees. After that, I knew I had them by the short hairs. Other than that, it's back to the academic grind."

Erin smiled, "Are you going to work at the Club this weekend?"

Christie laughed, "I thought I would. You might even mention that in your article."

Erin joined in, "I think I will. It'll help boost attendance."

Joyce sat at the patio bar having a glass of Chardonnay over ice, the same drink that Dave enjoyed next to her. Mark stood with the couple. They had been talking about how the story 'broke' regarding Christie being outed on campus regarding her career in porn and working as a stripper at the Club Ecstasy. Neither were now a full-time job for her the way they had been; nevertheless, the papers made it seem as though that was all she did with a side note of 'Oh yeah; she's studying computer science and engineering at the nearby university'.

Joyce said, "Maybe if I were younger I'd do something like that if I had no other way to make some money."

Mark chuckled, "You could always get a job at minimum wage or close to it."

She replied, "You can't subsist on that -- or even twice that amount. I volunteer at one of the women's shelters, so I had to study about just how much money someone had to make to be able to afford ashared apartment, food, used car, and so on. If you were lucky a minimum wage job would earn you eighteen thousand a year, all things considered. The minimum you need to have a safe and affordable lifestyle in this geography is about forty-two thousand."

Dave commented, "Christie was making six figures working at the Club and doing the videos for the last few years before she stopped."

Joyce looked surprised, "You mean over a hundred thousand?"

"Yep.

Mark nodded, "That's what we figured, too, in some of the programs we support.

Dave teased, "That begs the question, Joyce. Would you do an adult video -- a sex video -- for a day that paid you two thousand dollars?"

Joyce was silent and studied Dave and then Mark. Finally, she said, "If I was destitute I guess I would have to consider it. I think that it'd take over two or three hundred hours at minimum wage to make that amount of money. At eight hours a day, that'd take over a month assuming you worked every day."

Dave said, "Well, there may be other considerations. Let me give you a data point about the Circle. You know that Mike Holiday lives here, in the house behind you; and he runs Circle-X Productions that makes some of those videos. With only one or two exceptions, every woman in the Circle and every man in the Circle have appeared in an adult video.

"My wife, Alice, appeared as Alice Angel and won an award for her performances in the MILF category."

"MILF?" Joyce asked uncertain.

"Errr, it stands for 'mother I'd like to fuck'. Emily won in the senior category, Kat won as a top editor, and Mike got an award for his company. We're all up on his website."

Joyce sat back somewhat shocked by his admission. She'd met all of the people repeatedly on her visits to the Circle. She stammered, "But ... I know all those people."

"Does what I just told you change your opinion about them in some significant way?:"

"Everyone is so nice ... and now ... I understand if someone forced them to do it, but they did it voluntarily. Someone forcing you to do things like that is really ... Oh, never mind."

Dave pondered her somewhat cryptic reference. He told her, "You can perhaps better understand what Christie is going through on campus. Some people that thought they knew her have been taken by surprise that she did something they categorize as immoral, illegal, and fattening."

Joyce said, "I guess I have to think harder about what I think. I reacted negatively at first, but I don't have any rationale for either a positive or negative reaction when it comes right down to it."

Dave teased, "I understand. To help your frame of mind, I would be happy to have you join us some night when we go to the Club Ecstasy. These days we go about one or two evenings a month, often when Christie is going to perform. About the other issue, Mike is always willing to let somebody watch when he's shooting a video. There's a lot more to it than meets the eye -- a lot of behind the scenes stuff: makeup, planning dialogue, and even rehearsing some of the things before the cameras even roll."

"You mean I'd watch people ... having sex?"

"Precisely. Whatever Mike is shooting. Most of his subjects these days are young men and women, and many come from the university. What makes Christie unique is that she got outed by somebody that felt his judgments counted more than others. Erin might balance things out, I'm told."

Joyce sighed, "You always give me so much to think about. I've had people watch me having sex, and it wasn't something I was comfortable with. This seems different. I think I know myself until I show up here, and then I find many of my boundaries, values, and beliefs challenged."

Dave laughed, "That's what we do. I guess you did very well with your challenges about going without underwear and flashing some stranger. You should try doing that again, only this time if you're willing flash your pussy." He laughed to indicate it was all in the name of fun.

The concept of balancing things out came to fruition with a feature article on the front page of the 'Life' section of the Sunday paper. Erin did have good connections in the Sarasota Herald, and she'd gotten exposure in a good way as far as Christie was concerned.

On one hand, Erin recapped the articles that had appeared in some of the other newspapers about a student at a major university having done pornography for a few years in order to save enough money so she could go to college without piling up huge student loans. The article was sympathetic to Christie, and if anybody took a beating it was the university for their sky-high tuition and then an aggressive collection of extra fees for basics that most students had to buy if they were attending. The fees were not unlike the airlines charging additional fees for luggage, legroom, early boarding, and so on.

The article went on to comment on Christie's remarks about how she felt empowered and professionally satisfied that she was taking action on her own behalf to better herself. The article also tilted towards women's rights in a male-dominated society, even emphasizing how well she'd been treated by Circle-X Productions in terms of pay and benefits. Erin called it a plug for a friend of hers over dinner. Mike loved it.

A companion article addressed by name what Elton Nimrod had done in an attempt to destroy another student's academic career, moral standing on campus, and ultimately that student's career opportunities and job prospects. The article was not kind, and emphasized that Elton had probably been using porn to facilitate his masturbation habits and then he tripped across Christie's videos. Elton had been called and asked to make a statement by Erin, however, his comments amounted to an admission that in his judgment he'd taken the right action.

The companion article took a very dim view of Elton or anyone's actions to defame another individual, particularly when they were in an obvious situation to better themselves and their station in life.

Although it was a little unclear how the reporter had done it, Erin had also gotten negative statements about their son's action from Elton's parents who happened to live in a town south of Sarasota named Osprey. They were quoted in the article as saying, 'We tried to raise Elton to be a good man and to be tolerant of others. We regret his disparaging comments about Miss Lee and the smear campaign that he has tried to raise. His actions do NOT reflect those of his parents or someone else with a genuine Christian viewpoint of forgiveness and charity. While we don't use or approve of adult videos, we acknowledge that that segment of society exists and needs to be tolerated, especially in situations such as this where all the participants were consenting adults.'

Erin made sure that a complimentary issue of the newspaper was delivered to the Nimrod home along with a free one-year subscription. Nothing further was heard on that front.