Eric’s rich, at least by our standards. He lived in Vegas and worked as a mortgage loan-something-or-other. Whatever he did, it’s far beyond our comprehension. No one really knows why Eric moved back either, although I suspect it has something to do with pills and that his sister is a doctor here.

Eric bought an entire building downtown, something also beyond our comprehension. Once, I overheard him tell his brother-in-law that he only paid eighty grand for the whole place, they both laughed and I didn’t know why. It’s a four story building, the top three floors are one giant apartment.  I don’t fuck him just because he lives here, but it doesn’t hurt either.

Ben is here, so is Manny and Dave; the usual suspects. There was supposed to be band practice, but the drummer didn’t show up again. No one’s surprised. We’re just standing around Eric’s kitchen, shooting the shit. I’m here because I’m always here, wherever these guys are.

Ben grins, says he has something to show us. He pulls a VCR tape from his backpack, we all erupt in cheers. Last weekend, Eric dared Ben to make his own porn tape, not expecting Ben to go through with it.

“No fucking way, man,” exclaims Eric, “I can’t believe you did it!”

We follow Ben to the living room. Ben pops the tape in, we all gather around to watch, sitting on the floor in a half circle.

“Hey there, moneybags,” Dave says to Eric, “Why don’t you get some fucking furniture in here?”

Eric shrugs, takes a long drink from a bottle of vodka, then passes it to Manny. Manny shakes his head, so I reach for it.

Ben hits the play button. The first cut is dizzying. Ben pans the camera around, down to a shot of his erection, then to a shot of a heavyset naked girl with blazing red dyed hair. She blushes, pulling the navy blue bed sheets up around her. Ben yells at her, reminds her she agreed to it and she can’t back out now.

“Goddamn, dude,” laughs Dave, turning to Ben. “You always go for the chubsters.” Ben shrugs.

I haven’t met the girl, I probably won’t. Ben and I have our own complicated history. We claim to be best friends, but we’re also each others worst enemies. We used to fuck, but now we don’t. I fuck everyone else here on and off, currently it’s more Eric than anyone else.

Instead of setting the video camera on a table or dresser, Ben holds it the entire time, filming from his point of view. The girl protests, ducking under a blanket. The scene cuts off for a moment, the screen goes dark, then the movie starts up again. The girl’s face is now streaky with tears and mascara. Ben tells her to suck his dick, then the camera pans down to her taking his cock into her mouth. She looks unsure, hesitant.

Everyone is transfixed to the television. Ben’s hand grabs a handful of her red hair, forcing her head to bob back and forth. He keeps the camera steady. She chokes a little, but keeps sucking his cock. The tears dry up, now she gets into it, closing her eyes, using her tongue, moaning a little. She wraps her hands around his cock and deep throats him. Ben yanks her head back, says “Bitch, slow down, it ain’t a fucking Twinkie.”

Dave hoots, then reaches over to give Ben a high five.

The red-headed girl sucks his dick for awhile. The camera focuses on her mouth, her smeared lipstick, her heavy pale breasts. He tells her she’s lucky that anyone would even want to stick a cock in her. Suddenly he pushes her away. The camera pulls back, swivels, Ben’s face fills the screen with an enormous grin and a wink. He tells her to get on her knees.

The girl crawls slowly across the bed. She’s all pale sagging flesh, tits, bad tattoos. She stops and doesn’t even turn around to face the camera. She waits obediently, but unenthusiastically. Her legs part slightly, revealing a tangle of black pubic hair.

“What this bitch doesn’t know,” we hear Ben say on camera, “Is that she’s about to get an ass fucking.” Everyone in the room cheers, except me. I’m not totally disgusted, but not totally fascinated either. I don’t care much either way. I’ve been there, but without the camera, and I’ll probably be there again.

Ben pans down to his hard cock again, spreads her ass cheeks with one hand, taking a close up of her asshole. We hear him spit, then see his hand rubbing his cock. He rubs more spit on her ass, then he shoves his dick into her. She screams into a pillow.

My stomach turns.

I get up and go into the kitchen. No one seems to notice. I find my cigarettes, go out on the deck. I lean on the railing that overlooks the parking lot of Burger King. Cars pull into the drive-thru, muffled orders for fries and shakes echo off the building. I hear cheers and whistles from inside.

After a few minutes, everyone else comes out on the deck to smoke. They congratulate Ben, telling him how fucking cool that was. Ben beams as Eric pats his shoulder. Dave gives him another high five.

“Next time,” says Dave to no one in particular, “We should double team a chick and tape that!”

“Would you fuck two guys at once?” Manny asks me, hopefully.

“Yeah, I guess,” I answer, exhaling a stream of smoke at him.

“I get her ass,” Eric announces, standing on the other side of me.

“Fuck, no way man, it was my idea,” protests Manny. Manny and Eric start to argue. Manny barely comes up to Eric’s shoulder, he has to look up to yell at him. It starts to get heated.

Eric says my ass belongs to him, anyone else can have whatever other part they want. Ben says he can go get the video camera, right now even, if Eric wants.They all turn to look at me, a pack of jackals. I see the possibilities behind their eyes, each one imagining their own little scenario.