Not one he'd looked forward to, but he'dhad a good life overall, and it was getting better.Carl was thus disappointed when he strode through the front...oor to an empty house. His wife Janet was just sitting therewatching the news. At least she was wearing clothes suitablefor dining out."Hi, honey," she greeted him warmly. "We're meeting Jim andLilly at Rusterman's. Put on a suit." Oh, man! Why can't those guys make into the 20th century. Gotta be the only place in town you hafta dress up. Where have you been?”“In college. What the Hell.” Not a question.The crew loaded up and Missy peeled out. Burt rode shotgun.One sixteen was crowded with cars heading north.“Oh God,” said Burt.“Ain’t it great.” Also not a question.“Missy? You’re what... 15?”“Pulleese... 16 ... almost 17.”“You don’t look it ... but ... you Are driving. What’s under the tarp in the box?”“Beer.”“Great ... just great. You know that’s the princess riding back there?”“She lowered the age of consent.”“When did she do. Many of us are intimate with each other. That’s why we have these parties.”Susan stared at me for a long time and I held her eyes, hoping she got the fairly obvious message that I’d just carpet-bombed her brain with.Finally, she said, “You mean ... most of these people sleep with each other?”I snickered again in my licentious way, “I don’t think anyone sleeps too much when they’re together.”“How often do you have parties like this?”“Every two weeks most of the year. We sort of skip December. She began by wrapping one of the sections of rope around Karen’s wrists and securing them until they hung below her stomach. She then took the second piece of rope and wrapped it around her thigh and calf which bent her knee and locked her leg in a ninety-degree angle. After restraining her other leg in the same configuration, she began speaking.“What are your safe words, little girl?”“If I want play to stop completely, I say the word ‘Red’ or ‘Mercy.’ If I want you to slow down, I say the word.