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"You owe me huge, you know that, right?" Edith whispered behind her hand, leaning in to Oscar as they followed Rashaun and Mona upstairs.
"It'll take awhile," Oscar pointed out quietly. "Frozen assets and people trying to kill us and all. You know how it goes."
"I think you'll want to shower before we get started," Mona said, scrutinizing both Edith and Oscar just before she reached the top of the stairs. "You two look like you've been through hell."
"That's putting it mildly," Edith muttered, allowing Mona to guide her towards the open door of what looked like more of a private spa than a bathroom.
"Rashaun, he can use the guest bathroom," Mona said firmly, her hands on her hips.

The two men exchanged glances, shrugged, and turned down the hallway. Meanwhile, Mona bundled Edith inside the large bathroom and shut the door behind them. Inside, Edith found herself in a beautifully white-tiled bathroom complete with a center hot tub, a standing shower in one corner, and a long, marble countertop with his-and-her sink fixtures in stainless steel. There was a large, walk in closet that Mona entered, before exiting with a stack of towels in hand.

"Both knobs turn counter-clockwise," Mona explained, placing the towels over the top of the shower door. "Uhm, I've got some 'normal' hair products in there you can use too."
"'Normal' hair products?" Edith asked curiously.
"As in, not specifically for black folks' hair," Mona said, frowning slightly.
"Oh right, right," Edith blubbered stupidly, mentally kicking herself for not following the distinction that Mona was trying to make. "Sorry, it's been a tough night."
"What the hell happened to you two?" Mona asked quizzically, leaning against her bathroom counter. "Rashaun was glued to the computer last night, he was mentioning something about a gun fight in L.A."
"That was us."
"No shit, seriously?" Mona said, visibly surprised. "What happened?"
"I'd rather not talk about it, honestly," Edith said, feeling uncomfortable. The entire harrowing night began flashing before her eyes.
"Right, my bad," Mona apologized. "Anyway, there's some extra clothes in that closet. I dunno if anything will fit you properly, but it's gotta be better than that Dodgers sweater."
"Yeah, I don't even like baseball."
"Me neither...but Rashaun does. I'll keep it for him. Just toss it in that hamper."

With a friendly, if slightly forced smile, Mona excused herself from the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Taking just another minute to admire the bathroom, Edith eagerly took her stolen sweater and panties off. Edith had never felt so gross in her life, examining the various cuts, bruises, and scrapes that adorned her legs and arms. She turned the shower on and within minutes had the bathroom properly steamed up. Edith jumped in, sighing in utter relief as hot water washed over her. Edith stood under the shower head for at least five minutes, opening her eyes only to see dirt and grime swirl down the drain beneath her feet, literally washing the night away. In no hurry whatsoever, Edith took a seat on the shower floor and hugged her knees close to her chest. She shut her eyes and allowed the water to continue on its course.

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Oscar had just finished rinsing himself down, taking a minute to rest his forehead against the tiled wall. Though he was visibly calm and cool in front of Edith and Rashaun, Oscar felt a wave of anxiety at how twisted his situation currently was, unsure just what his next move needed to be. Whatever it was, it needed to be smart and decisive, as the stakes were high and simple. He knew it wouldn't be long before he and Edith would be tracked down by what he was safely assuming to be the vast and extensive resources enjoyed by Gideon Tal-Haim, the group behind the assault in Los Feliz, Edith's mysterious handler, and obviously, Mr. Avad.

As soon as he finished showering and dried off, Oscar threw on the spare jeans, socks, boxers, and El Camino College T-shirt that Rashaun had offered him. It would have to do for now and as soon as Rashaun could get him his stash of supplies and cash he left behind, he could go and buy more clothes for him and Edith. At the very least, he didn't look like a drunken bum anymore, but his shadow was scruffier and thicker than he would have liked. Oscar would just have to deal.

"Yo, you almost done in there?" he heard Rashaun ask from the other side of the door.
"Just finished," Oscar replied, leaving the bathroom.
"We're about start shooting again, if you wanna come in and watch," Rashaun said with a knowing grin.
"Sounds like fun," Oscar said. It wasn't the first time he'd sat in one of Rashaun's filming sessions; in fact, he'd even gotten in front of camera once, albeit while masked, as a favor to Rashaun. However, the favor to be repaid would be in the form of Edith performing in some capacity and Oscar was intrigued, if initially dubious about wasting valuable time. However, it was Mona's price for imposing, so Oscar had no complaints.

Oscar followed Rashaun back towards the stairs and into the master bedroom, where he immediately saw the lighting equipment placed strategically. Their bed had been pushed to the side and hidden behind a tall curtain, while a huge rug was laid down to disguise the furniture imprints. In the bed's former position was a gorgeous young blonde tied into a custom tickling chair, her bare feet locked in a set of attached stocks. Her hands were tied above her to the chair's attached post.

"Oscar, this is Kayla," Rashaun said, sweeping his hand in the blonde's general direction. "Kayla, this is my homeboy, Oscar."
"Hi Oscar," Kayla said, waving her hands as best she could. She was dressed in little more than red and black polka-dotted panties and matching bra. Kayla's long, straight, sun bleached hair was parted down the middle. She herself sported a rich, natural tan on virtually every portion of her lean, tight body. Her soles, from his vantage point, were long and pink, going perfectly with long, curling toes and wrinkled arches. It appeared her toenails were painted pink, from what little he could see.

Oscar pulled Rashaun aside. "Damn dude, where'd you find her? She's bad!"
"Homie, why do you keep acting surprised? This is what I do!" Rashaun said, waving his hand nonchalantly. "Kayla, where'd we find you?"
"Just jogging down the street from here," Kayla explained with a small, vapid smile. "I'm living in Huntington Beach for the year with some girlfriends."
"You mean there's more of you?" Oscar asked, dumbfounded. He noticed Rashaun's cocky smile as he nodded.
"Sure, but they don't know I'm doing this right now," Kayla said, thinking hard. "I'm actually a print model, but it never hurts to make a little extra money, you know?"
"Are your roommates models too?"
"No, just me," Kayla replied, furrowing her eyebrows in thought. "I live with a lifeguard, a secretary, and a nurse."

Just as Oscar was about to answer another question, Mona and Edith entered the room. Mona was now wearing a silk robe over her teddy, but Edith was now wearing a small white tank top, a pair of acid-washed skinny jeans held up by a shiny leather belt with an overly large belt buckle that Edith was trying, and failing, to cover up with the lower portion of her shirt. She held her stolen checkered Vans in hand along with a pair of black socks in hand, walking in barefoot instead. Oscar noticed Rashaun's eyes immediately pan downwards at Edith's feet, before he looked up and nodded his approval, flashing thumbs up at Oscar.

"Yo, where did you find her?" Rashaun whispered aside to Oscar.
"Don't worry about it right now," Oscar muttered, looking around to make sure Edith wasn't around. "I'll tell you later. Way later."
"Like that?" Rashaun asked, dismayed.
"Trust me when I tell you it's not an appropriate story at the moment," Oscar repeated darkly.
"Alright, alright, I believe you," Rashaun said, holding his hands up.

Oscar shook his head in relief and leaned gingerly against the wall, as Rashaun approached his erstwhile models. It looked like he quietly introduced Kayla to Edith, who seemed to frown at the get-up Kayla was in.
"You're not expecting me to get in that at some point, are you?" Edith asked warily.
"Not ready for a little light bondage?" Rashaun joked.
"No," Edith said flatly, crossing her arms, her eyes flashing irritably in Oscar's direction. Oscar rubbed his face in his palm, shaking his head. It looked like Mona was about to say something, but Edith headed her off. "I'm willing to do most anything else, just not the bondage. I kind of have a phobia about it."
"No problem then," Rashaun said quickly. "Just sit tight until we finish with Kayla's shoot, maybe you'll get some idea of what we do."

With a shrug, Edith stepped away from Kayla and took a spot along the wall with Oscar. Oscar shamelessly looked downwards at Edith's clean feet, her red toenails just as vivid and appetizing as the night before. Edith seemed to notice his gaze and wiggled her toes along the carpet in succession.
"Pretty good at the foot flirting, aren't you?" Oscar said.
"I know my audience," Edith teased, nodding her head towards Rashaun, who had sneaked another look at Edith's feet as well.
"But I gotta ask, after what happened already, what made you so willing to model for Rashaun and Mona?" Oscar asked.
Edith smirked, as if she was already expecting his question. "Easy. We need their help and we probably could use the extra money if I do a little bit more than what's required. Just as long as I don't have to get tied up....again."
Oscar nodded. "Shrewd."

Sharing a small laugh, Oscar turned his attention back to the makeshift set, where Rashaun was already behind the camera. Mona had removed her robe and was strutting seductively around Kayla, who looked up at her with false, amateurish fear. As she walked behind the blonde, Mona produced a riding crop with a feather attached to the leather wrist strap. Remaining silent, Mona began to poke and prod Kayla's bare skin with the tip of the crop, drawing a bit of a realistic flinch from Kayla each time. As she began running the tip up and down Kayla's ribs, she produced some giggling from the blonde, who tried unsuccessfully to retain a straight face. With a smoldering gaze into the camera, Mona climbed into Kayla's lap, facing away from the blonde. She stretched down the length of Kayla's legs, simultaneously lifting her own black stocking-clad feet into Kayla's face, which recoiled convincingly. Meanwhile, she stretched the feathered end of the riding crop and began lightly sweeping it across Kayla's soles.

Kayla giggled uncontrollably while she tried to keep her face away from Mona's feet. As Mona continued her light tickling, Kayla began to squirm against her bonds. Mona had to occasionally grab onto the bench in order to remain in place on Kayla's legs. Mona too began to laugh, though she did a better job of staying in character than Kayla, who was looking genuinely miserable as Mona continued to tickle her feet.

Oscar saw Edith flinch besides him, watching her curl her toes every time Kayla would react dramatically to the tickling. When Mona finally jumped off of Kayla's legs, Edith shifted around nervously. Oscar saw Kayla begin to calm down again, sweat beginning to roll off her brow. However, he knew Mona was only getting started, especially as she flashed a wicked smile to the camera as she produced a full feather duster from underneath the bench. Kayla's eyes bulged when she saw, likely because she had no idea it was there. Her feet wiggled helplessly in the stocks, all while Kayla frantically shook her head in a silent plea for Mona to relent.

Mona did not relent. Instead, she attacked Kayla's feet with a sadistic fervor that immediately made Kayla burst into howls of high-pitched, shrieking laughter. She shook around in the stocks as her feet tried to vainly defend themselves from Mona's feather duster onslaught. However, it only caused Mona to incorporate her satin-gloved fingers in the tickling. Tears formed in Kayla's eyes.

"Oh God, please stop!!!!" she pleaded into the camera in between laughs, arching her back from the torment. All the while, Oscar could see Rashaun laugh silently behind the camera, while Mona successfully fought any urge she may have had to laugh at Kayla's plight and maintained a cruel expression on her face. "No...No more!!!! Nooooooo!!!!!!"

Finally, after what seemed like 5 minutes of non-stop tickling, Mona laid off. Kayla slumped into the bench, red-faced and panting from the tickling. Tears had legitimately begun to stream from her eyes. Her feet hung weakly in the stocks. Meanwhile, Mona approached Kayla once more and lifted her face up with the business end of the riding crop. Sobbing, Kayla looked up into the camera.

"Aaaand, cut!" Rashaun shouted. Kayla smiled weakly at him.
"Are you okay?" Mona asked, finally shifting out of character and beginning to undo Kayla from the bench.
"Y-yeah....I'm okay," Kayla replied weakly, looking completely flushed and worn out. "I-I-I wasn't ready for that."
"Hey, that's what the guy wanted," Rashaun said, walking over to shake Kayla's hand in reassurance. "Way to be a good sport."
"I don't ever want to do that again," Kayla said.
"I don't want to do that ever," Edith muttered quietly.
"You might not have a choice," Oscar replied in her ear. "You did agree to this, remember?"
"I know...."

As Mona and Kayla quietly discussed something over a couple bottles of water, Rashaun stepped away from the camera and strolled over to Oscar and Edith, a huge smile plastered all over his face.
"Man, that went better than I hoped," Rashaun gushed. "Mona went hard on her, but damn if that's not what that customer wanted. Guy's got an imagination."
"Shit, that was a custom?" Oscar asked.
"Part of a custom, yeah," Rashaun replied, settling in on the perpendicular wall. "We already shot most of it this morning, now we're just setting up for the last part."
"What, there's more of this?" Edith asked, staring at Rashaun in disbelief. "How long was this custom?"
"Just a half hour or so, but this guy is one of our better customers. He likes making more or less the same custom each time too, here, I'll show you."

Rashaun beckoned Oscar and Edith to follow him towards the front of the bedroom, where he pulled a long black sheet off of a desk and subsequently off his Apple computer. With a click of his mouse, the black screen immediately turned on to a video editing program with small windows showing stills of clips he had uploaded. Roughly adding up the combined running times, Oscar estimated close to 45 minutes worth of content.
"Wow, you're using Final Cut Pro?" Edith asked, her eyes opening wide. "You're really taking this seriously, aren't you?"
"To be honest, we didn't buy such an expensive program just for this," Mona said, walking over with Kayla in tow behind her, looking as if the color fully restored to her cheeks. "This is just our side business, a hobby really. We make most of our money doing editing for music videos, web shows, other web sites, local TV, so on and so forth. We've even edited about 15 different movies. We just happen to use an actual professional grade editing program for fetish content."
"I was wondering why your stuff always looked so good," Oscar commented.

On cue, Rashaun clicked on a small window that looked mostly dark. The clip rolled inside, showing dark, shaky cam shots of Kayla jogging in full sweatpants and sweatshirt during the evening in different angles at different locations. A second window showed different shots of a woman in a long coat, stockings, boots, and sunglasses, presumably Mona, purposefully waiting in, and then stepping out of a Dodge Charger before walking down a driveway. A third window showed Mona time her walk right into Kayla, producing a prop, then Kayla staggering sideways and falling into the grass. Altogether, the various clip windows seemed to follow a rough storyline. Mona dragged Kayla into the house from different angles. Mona setting Kayla into the stocks, removing her own disguise, and then stripping her down to bra and panties. Mona tying Kayla into place. Mona's gloved hands playing with and manipulating Kayla's bare feet in stocks. However, there was a sudden gap in the story, as now there was footage of Kayla laying submissively in the trunk of the car, eyes wide open and tear-stained, then a close-up of Mona leering evilly into the trunk before slamming it shut, before she got back into the car, pulled out, and drove away.

"What's that gap supposed to be filled with?" Oscar asked.
"Oh, that's where Mona throws me into the garage in complete darkness, where I get attacked by Rashaun and have my feet tortured and molested," Kayla answered matter-of-factly. "We shot that last night."
Oscar and Edith exchanged uncomfortable glances, Oscar clearing his throat while Edith's brow furrowed. "How gritty," Edith said with a weak smile.
"We haven't uploaded that footage yet," Rashaun said hastily, as if he sensed how awkward Oscar and Edith were feeling. "I'm telling you, this guy's got an imagination. It's the 5th part in a series. He only likes to contract newcomers too, he's never taken us up on our suggestions of some of the more well-known models we've worked with in the past."
"Guy says he wants to capture 'genuine fear and shock', or some shit like that," Mona said with a laugh. "But hey, everyone's got their thing, and the guy pays."
"It must be hard to find girls who'd want to actually be in stuff like that," Edith said.
"You'd be surprised," Kayla said, the smile returning to her long, tanned face. "I thought it was really dark and creepy, like a horror movie or a thriller. That's why I wanted to do it. Were you going to do this too, Edith?"
"Who, me?" Edith asked, taken aback. "Oh, I don't think I'm a good enough actress, honestly," she said evasively.
"We were just going to shoot some standard foot fetish stuff with you," Mona said. "Your feet are really nice and we don't have a whole lot of unknown Asian models either."
"Oh, that's a relief," Edith said, exhaling. "I'm kind of camera shy."
"In more ways than one," Oscar muttered under his breath, making sure no one could hear him.
"Well, we gotta get back to shooting, Kayla's gotta be at work in another hour," Rashaun said, clapping his hands. "Did you guys wanna stay and watch?"

As much as Oscar was tempted and see what else the customer's darkly imaginative mind came up with, he knew it would actually be an ideal time for him and Edith to get started on some research. "Actually man, is there a spare computer we can use, Edith and I need to check a few things out."
"Yeah, go ahead and use the one in the guest room," Rashaun said. "Just, uh, use the VPN, alright?"
"The VPN? What the hell do they need to use the VPN for?" Mona asked suspiciously.
"Baby, I'll tell you later, alright?" Rashaun said. "Trust?"
"For now," Mona said, frowning at him.
"Thanks man," Oscar said graciously. Following Rashaun's pointed finger out the door, Oscar nodded at Kayla, who waved in return. As soon as they left the room, Mona shut the door behind them with a raised eyebrow.
"So what are we looking for before I have to go shoot?" Edith asked, remaining quiet.
"That's easy," Oscar replied, though he said so with utter seriousness. He hated having to do this at Rashaun's home, but he had no choice. "We're gonna go back to the beginning."
"Right, I get it," Edith said, catching on immediately. "Can you do that from here?"
"With Rashaun's VPN, sure. I just hope I haven't been locked out already."
"Before you try that, let me send out word to my middle man, maybe he can dig something up on his end too."
"Is he good?"
"Real good, it's what he does. If you can't get in, then maybe he can."
"Worth a shot."

Oscar immediately realized just how valuable an ally Edith could be. She already knew the game. Furthermore, she picked up the same wavelength immediately. She understood that Oscar's attempt to hack into Mr. Avad's secured network was incredibly risky, but absolutely necessary. There was still a lot of information that could be gleaned from the night before, if not physically. And as they sat down in front of Rashaun's computer and switched on his VPN, Oscar could sense that Edith too was feeling like they were finally being proactive for the first time since they got caught up together.