A furious pounding on the door roused Paul from his brooding. Opening it, he greeted the person he liked least in the world.
"Hi, Melanie. What miserable twist of fate brings you here?"
"What the fuck is this game you're playing with my sister?" Melanie demanded.
"No game," Paul answered. "It's over. I asked her to marry me. She turned me down. Nothing more to the story. Good news is you never have to see me again. And in better news, I never have to see you again. So win-win there."
"Fuck that," Melanie sneered. "You can't just give up."
"I won't stick around where I'm not wanted."
"Try to remember how we were raised, moron."
"You mean the church?"
"It wasn't a church," Melanie spat. "It was a damned cult. Sons of Elmer. And there were rules for girls. Jennifer can't get married until she gets permission from either her father or from Elmer himself, may he burn in Hell.
"That's stupid."
"It's bullshit!" Melanie agreed. "You know that and I know that. Even Jennifer knows it's bullshit. But she can't just throw off the lessons she's learned since childhood."
"But your father is dead. How do I get his permission?"
"You can't," Melanie gloated. "He isn't just dead. He hanged himself in his jail cell. Suicide removes all his status in the Sons of Elmer. And Elmer himself died in a shootout with the FBI. May he burn in Hell forever. There is nobody left who can give permission."
"So what are you doing here? Are you suggesting that I have her move in with me? Forget marriage?"
"No, Jennifer couldn't handle that. She needs to get married," Melanie said. "But there is a loophole. She can't have sex until she's married. She can't get married without permission. But if she does have sex, she is required to get married. She'd be ruined in the eyes of the cult, if there were any members left to condemn her. But if she has sex and some man is willing to marry her, she is required to do so. If she has sex before marriage, permission to marry is automatic."
Paul shook his head. "I've tried. God knows how hard I've tried. She won't sleep with me."
"Of course not. It's against the rules. But she comes crying to me in the middle of the night. She desperately wants to sleep with you. She's aching for your dick. She would beg for it if she could. She just can't make herself do it. So it's up to you."
"Up to me?" Paul asked.
"You have to force her."
"Oh, Hell No!"
"You have to," Melanie insisted. "Jennifer wants to be a wife and a mother. She wants the happy American life. And as bizarre as it sounds to me, she wants that life with you."
"I want those things too."
Melanie nodded. "I know. You're an unattractive buffoon with almost no redeeming qualities, but I know you love my sister. That's why we're having this conversation."
"I hate this conversation."
"Good," Melanie said. "I would not want this to appeal to you."
"You're basically asking me to rape your sister."
"I know. But if you do it gently enough, she'll forgive you. And then she'll be free to get married. Try to get her pregnant if you can. That should seal the deal."
Paul shook his head. "Even if I was willing to go through with this insane plan of yours, I couldn't. I don't have it in me to rape a woman."
"That's bullshit." Melanie gave a harsh laugh. "Every man has it in him. It's part of your instincts. It's an evolutionary advantage, making sure the strongest and the most dominant men pass on their genes to a new generation. "
"Maybe so, but I'm not a caveman. I have morals and a respect for women."
"You pussy. I'm telling you that this is the only way to save Jennifer. If you don't do this, your morals and your respect will leave her stuck in her dark place forever."
Paul thought about it for a minute. "Okay. I'll try."
"No! You can't try. You have to do it. You have to commit. You can't flake out on this. I am absolutely serious when I tell you this will save Jennifer's life."
Paul held up his hands. "I don't know if I can. We're talking about an act of violence against someone I love."
"Right," Melanie said. "We are. And let's get one thing straight. If you hit her, I will kill you. That's not an exaggeration. I grew up in the damned cult too. I butchered many goats and sheep. I'm not squeamish about slicing your fucking throat if my sister gets a black eye. But if she gets a little bruised while you hold her down, I can live with that, just so long as you free her from Elmer's clutches, may he burn in Hell forever.
"I could never hit her," Paul protested. "I don't think I can do any of this."
"Yeah, I kind of figured you'd be like that. So we're going to practice."
"Practice?"
"Yes. You're going to take me out on a date and we'll rehearse this thing, step by step. I will teach you how to rape my sister."
Paul stared at her in amazement. "You're fucking with me, aren't you?"
"No. We're doing this. Go get cleaned up. This is a full-on dress rehearsal. I'm already ready. Figure out where you're taking me for dinner. But make it someplace you'd take my sister. I'm just the stand-in so you can practice."
"One question. If I'm going to practice my rape skills, and you're going to be my homework, how do I know when to stop? Are we going to use a safe word or something?"
"No safe word. You're not going to stop."
"You want me to...?"
Melanie scowled and spit on the carpet. "No! Eyuchh! Of course I don't want you to force yourself on me. You are a loathsome, wimpy cockroach of a man. It is my hope that you will marry my sister, give her a child, then make her a young widow. But for my sister's sake, I will put up with you huffing and puffing on top of me. I need you committed. There's nobody else who can get my sister through this without completely destroying her. You need to do this. You need to ignore all resistance and make it happen. That's what we're practicing. My part is to hit you and fight you and call you every vile name I can think of. Your part is to overpower me, get my pants down, and stick it in."
"So, you're telling me I have to rape you, then use that experience to rape your sister."
"Exactly. Go get cleaned up."
Paul went and showered, confused and embarrassed at the strange adventure he was about to embark on. He and Melanie hated each other. He didn't like her interfering in his relationship with Jennifer. Taking Melanie on a date was unthinkable. But the planned end of this date was inconceivable.
But he went through the motions of getting ready. Thirty minutes later, he and Melanie were riding in a stony silence to the Italian restaurant he'd picked out. He never took Jennifer there, but maybe that was part of the problem. A fancy restaurant upped the expectations.
He pulled into a convenience store on the way and killed the engine. Suspicious and hostile, Melanie demanded to know why.
"Condoms," Paul explained wearily. It should have been obvious.
"No," Melanie vetoed. "Not part of the plan."
"You don't want me to wear a condom?"
"This is a dress rehearsal. You wear now what you'll wear for your date with Jennifer. Maybe not the same clothes, but the same attitude and determination. And if you're gonna get her pregnant, you won't be wearing a condom. Besides, if you're going to be holding her down, you really won't have your hands free to open the package and roll the thing on."
"What if you get pregnant? And how do you know I don't have any diseases?" Paul demanded.