The Sex Film (Part 2)
Kathryn M. Burke
Over the next several months, Ted took part in more than a dozen sex films—several times with Marge, twice more with Karla (who now thoroughly enjoyed penetration into all her orifices), and also with several other girls he didn't know. They were all young—whether students at the college or women from the community, he had no idea. But everyone was legal, as Jason earnestly assured him.
After one shoot, in mid-January, Henry pulled Ted aside and said, "Say, guy, we were wondering if you could bring in a female—"
"Me?" Ted interrupted. "It seems Marge is doing a great job finding luscious young things for the camera's delectation."
And my own.
"Let me finish, will you? I meant someone of your own age."
Ted gawked at him, flabbergasted.
"You know," Henry said quietly, "we also have a line of 'young-old' films where the lady is old and the guy is young. That's a pretty big turn-on for some of our viewers also."
"It is?" Ted said incredulously.
"Don't get me wrong: the lady has to be nice-looking. We don't want some dried-up old prune. You know what I mean? Personally, I think there are heaps of beautiful older gals who'd do just fine in one of our productions."
"I had no idea . . ."
"You bet! Maybe you're prejudiced, since you seem to like the young ones. But—"
"Hey! I like women of all ages!"
"Good for you. You must know some lip-smacking beauties in their fifties."
"You mean 'cougars'? Something like that?"
"Sure. Even women in their sixties."
"Sixties? Are you kidding me?"
"Hey, women are really taking care of themselves these days. I'm telling you, I've seen some scrumptious grandmother-types who I'd love to get between the sheets."
"Um, I'm not really sure I know of any such ladies—at least, any ladies who'd care to participate in one of your films."
"Well, just keep your eyes and ears open. Okay?"
"Okay."
Ted went home shaking his head at the thought. Perhaps he still retained a vestige of sexism, but the idea of women in their sixties cavorting with men in their twenties struck him as not at all appealing—even obscene, truth be told. But then, as he reflected further—and as he actually sampled some older women/younger men videos he found online—he began rethinking the matter.
And he also came up with a possible candidate.
There was a woman in the English Department, Judith Schaeffer, whom he'd known off and on for decades. In fact, he'd gone to college with her in Pennsylvania, and he knew she was a year younger than himself. He'd heard she'd been pretty wild as an undergraduate (but, much to his own regret, not with him), and he even heard stories that she was in the habit of taking on two, three, or even more men all at once. This apparently happened at frat parties, which on that campus could easily get out of hand.
But then she'd gone to graduate school and, soon after getting her Ph.D., married another young professor and promptly settled down. They'd had two kids, and Judith had worked her way up the academic ladder with impressive scholarly publications and numerous accolades as a teacher. About ten years ago she'd come to Ted's college, and he'd reaquainted himself with her after many years of silence. Then, two years ago, her husband had died of a lingering illness, and now Judith was a lonely and rather melancholy widow.
But she was still a real looker at the age of sixty-three. She'd always taken care of herself, and her sleek, curvy, well-coiffed appearance did seem to turn the heads of even some of her (male) undergraduate students. Whether she was aware of that or not, Ted didn't know.
So he sauntered over to Judith's office one day. The spring semester hadn't actually begun, but it would soon, and Judith was busy getting her books, papers, and other paraphernalia ready for the classes she would have to teach. She greeted Ted cordially but not all that cheerfully. Lately, she hadn't been very cheerful at all.
"How're things going?" Ted began neutrally.
"They're going," Judith said with a sigh. He could tell that she was both looking forward to retiring in two years and also dreading that same event. What would she do with her time if she didn't have her office to go to as a haven from her big and now empty house? He suspected she hadn't done any dating at all after her husband's passing, and was dismally resigning herself to the prospect of being a widow for the rest of her life.
Ted and Judith exchanged more idle chatter. And, because he had known her for so long, he didn't feel it beyond the bounds of good taste to ask whimsically, "So how's your sex life?"
She gave him an acid look. "You're kidding me, right?"
"Judy"—he was one of the few whom she allowed to call her by that diminutive—"you're a fine-looking woman, and it grieves me to see you not 'getting out there.'"
"You mean dating?" she said in disbelief. "You're not serious, Ted. No offense to you personally, but men of our age aren't exactly the most appetizing creatures in the world. I really don't want to get involved with being a caretaker for another invalid."
"Hey, I'm not saying you should
marry
anyone! Just be a merry widow! I'm sure you'd find lots of takers!"
"For a roll in the hay? Is that what you're suggesting?"
"Absolutely!"
"Once again, Ted, men in their sixties don't seem to have a lot of energy for that sort of thing—unless it's artificially induced, if you catch my meaning."
"Speak for yourself, ma'am!" Ted cried indignantly.
"I wasn't talking about you. I'm sure you're full of spunk."
You don't know that half of it,
he thought. "I was referring to younger men."
"You mean men in their forties and fifties? Well, maybe, but do you really think they'd be interested in old ladies like me?"
"You're not an old lady! I bet you'd be splendid in the sack! But I was thinking of even younger guys."
She gave him an exasperated look. "Oh, come on, Ted! You must know that men in their twenties and thirties regard a woman of my age as basically invisible. As far as sex goes, we're pretty much on the shelf. No young man would look at me twice."
"Don't be so sure of that. Can I ask, though, if you—well, still have the urge?"
Judith eyed him keenly. For all the teasing banter they'd exchanged over the years, Ted had never been quite so persistent on this issue before. "Yes," she said slowly. "I'm not exactly ready for my coffin, if that's what you mean."
"That's great! I can just see you with some brawny undergraduate—"
"Oh, Ted, just stop, okay? The joke has gone far enough."
"Who's joking? Listen, Judith," he went on intensely, moving closer to her as they sat in their chairs on opposite sides of her desk. "I don't know how much you know about porn films—"
"I know nothing about porn films," she said with distaste.
"—but there's a whole line of videos that show older men getting it on with younger women, and older women getting it on with younger men."
She peered at him severely. "How do you know so much about stuff like this? Are you telling me you watch these kinds of films?"
"Not only do I watch them, but"—he paused significantly and lowered his voice so no one outside would hear—"I've appeared in them."
There was a cavernous silence, as Judith stared blankly at her longtime friend.
"Look," Ted went on in a hurry, "I'll find one of them for you."
He fished out his smartphone and almost immediately brought up one of his more recent films—with someone he hoped wasn't a college student, as that might have appalled Judith so much that she might have run screaming from her own office. As he pressed the "play" icon in the center of the video and got it running, he handed the phone over to her.
She took the phone, and in seconds her mouth made a perfect O of shock and outrage as she saw that the older man in the film, having a grand old time with a cute ponytailed teenager dressed up like a cheerleader, was indeed the very man sitting across from her. She may never have seen a sex video before, but she couldn't take her eyes off of it, and she watched it for a good many minutes as if hypnotized. At one point Ted saw her snake her free hand down below the edge of the desk and in the general area of her groin—but then she pushed the phone back in Ted's direction as if it was poisoned, and with a beet-red face gazed at him.
"That's you, isn't it?" she whispered.
"Yup," he said with some pride.
"How many of these have you done?"
"A fair number."
"And who are these girls?"
"Oh, I don't know," he said evasively. "They get them from somewhere. But don't worry: they're all legal—eighteen or older."
"And you're telling me," she said intensely, bending toward him, "that there are videos of older women and younger men?"
"You bet! I can find some for you."
"That won't be necessary."
"I think you'd be a natural for them."
"Me? Why me?"
"Because you're beautiful and unattached and, oh, plenty of reasons."
"Well," she said decisively, "you can just forget about that. What you do in your spare time is your business—but count me out!"
"You don't know what you're missing, Judith. This is just a lot of harmless fun, and you make a little pocket money in the bargain."
"I'm not entirely sure how harmless it is."
"Well," Ted said, reluctantly getting up, "if you're interested, just let me know. The studio is only about twenty minutes away from here—easy to get to. Really, Judy, it's a ball!"
She glared at him as he drifted out of her office.
Ted shrugged to himself as he walked away. He'd given it a try—but Judith seemed pretty adamant in her refusal. Of course, maybe it was just the shock of even the suggestion of such a thing, which most people would have regarded as immoral and, if word got out, would jeopardize her career. But she was on the point of retiring, and she didn't even need the income from her professorship—so what would be the harm if she got drummed out of the university?
A few days later, Judith called Ted on the phone.
"You're saying," she began hesitantly, "this studio is only a short drive away?"
