Free Whatever It Takes by Marie Scott

self-consciously and tucked a stray lock of
hair behind her ear.
    “It’s about time Mace found a good one. He’s really a great
guy, you know. He deserves better than his last girlfriend. What a bitch.”
    Before Laurie could correct Mona about the relationship—or
lack thereof—between she and Mason, Dewayne cut in.
    “Oh, she knows what a bitch Brook is; she’s the one I told
you about. She laid her ass out.”
    Mona gasped and then laughed loudly. “Sweetheart. You’re
adorable and amazing. I love you. It’s not just a crush. I love you.”
    Everyone at the table laughed and Laurie couldn’t help but
join in. She finished the last of her beer and Mason replaced it with one of
the two he’d carried over. She smiled and thanked him before taking a drink.
    Laurie lost track of the time as she sat in the booth with
Mason and his friends. She liked Mona a lot. She had an enthusiastic and bubbly
personality that was contagious and Laurie spent most of the night laughing and
talking with the woman. Mona had some great stories and appeared to have a long
history with Dewayne and Mason. She seemed sisterly to Mason but more intimate
with Dewayne. Laurie didn’t think they were a couple but they were attentive to
each other, perhaps friends with benefits.
    At first, Laurie was a bit uncomfortable with Mason’s
closeness. She was hyper-aware of every move he made. Every time his shoulder
bumped hers or his hand brushed her back, a nervous jolt shot throughout her
whole body. The sexual tension weighed heavily on her nerves and she didn’t
think she was going to be able to stand it for long, but the more beers she
drank the more comfortable she became with the situation. She lost count of how
many she had but every time she finished one, Mason seemed more than happy to
replace it.
    “So what do you do for living?” Mona asked her.
    “I’m a law student.”
    “No shit? You must be really smart.”
    Laurie laughed and shook her head. “Not really, I just spend
every waking moment with my face in a book. It’s actually pretty damn boring.
What about you? What do you do for a living?”
    “Isn’t it obvious? I’m a stripper. What else could I be with
a rack like this?” Mona motioned to her large breasts.
    “Duh, a rocket scientist,” Dewayne teased her.
    While everyone laughed, Mona elbowed him in the ribs then
turned back to give Laurie a wary look.
    “Are you one of those sorority girls?”
    “ Hell no.” Laurie assured her. “I checked out the
sororities my first year here, even started to pledge with one. It only took
about three hours to change my mind. I don’t want anything to do with the dumb
fuckery that goes on in those places.”
    That brought laughter from everyone.
    “What exactly qualifies as dumb fuckery?” Mason asked. “What
did they want you to do?”
    “Yeah, I’ve always wondered about that. Is it like the stuff
they show in the movies?” Mona leaned forward, eager to hear more.
    Laurie grimaced at the memory of her day spent with the
sorority girls. “Well, first off, those bitches wanted us to run around and
clean the house in skimpy underwear, which was doable—there were only women
there and I didn’t care if any of them saw my ass. Then they decided our next
mission would be to go to the Kappa Alpha frat house in our underwear and
bring back their crest. They said to use any means necessary .” She took
another drink of her beer and shook her head. “So I said fuck no. They
got pissed off and wouldn’t give me back my clothes so I walked back to my dorm
wearing a tablecloth I ripped off the goddamn refreshment table. The upside is
I spilled cherry punch all over their ridiculous white fur couch and they didn’t
stir up a fuss over it because the administration would have busted their
stupid asses for hazing. Anyway, I’m not welcome at any of the sororities or
any of their functions anymore.”
    She said the last part with a fake pout then grinned and
turned her