Lacross exploded through the Razzles entrance two hours before it opened. By the way employees scattered, Betty thought the towering man wielded a Tommy gun instead of a doctors bag. When the manager approached him, Lacross produced a small notepad and spoke. “Prepare the females who were hired since the 13th.”
Betty was one of them. Before long, She was lying on the desk in the manager’s office. The surface had been cleared and covered with a crisp white sheet. An orchestra produced a haunting melody from a radio in the shadows as Lacross hovered over her.
“It’s been told that Cleopatra inserted small pebbles into her vagina as a form of birth control. Arabs invented this technique to control their camel population. She was royalty and wanted to control what grew from her. So she used a tool of man. Nothing can do more damage to this world than an unwanted child. And we certainly don’t want any coming from you.“
Betty was rigid like a doll. He lifted her knees and her skirt slid open.
“A German gynecologist named Grafenberg developed this little device.” He held up a small object. It looked like a stainless steel nail. “It’s going inside you now.”
His gloved hand disappeared under her skirt like a magician. Betty gasped.
“Hold still.” He ordered impatiently.
A moment later his hand was empty and the procedure was over.
“If you happen to expel the device, do not let anyone into your vagina. Notify your manager and we will make an appointment to replace it. If you think you’re pregnant. Don’t do anything stupid. Notify your manager and we will make an appointment to remove the embryo. You’re done, now go.”
Betty repositioned her skirt as she exited the room, and Lacross shouted, “Next!”
At some point, everyone who was anyone in Citadel came to Razzles. The members of the Silver Spoon Circle were no exception. It fact, they were its greatest patrons. They engorged on the offerings at Razzles quite often. The Silver Spoons were an exclusive club of the twenty most powerful men in Citadel. They were its royalty. Their membership included; financiers, speculators, politicians, industrialist, capitalist, oilmen, moguls, tycoons, and playboys. The Silver Spoons were very special guests. When they came to dine, they got whatever they wanted. When they arrived, the Razzle girls dropped what they were doing and lined up to welcome them.
The Spoons looked like a million bucks in their tails and tux. They were polished and well groomed. But once the Razzle girls had them alone and peeled away their veneers, there was nothing special. In public these men were erudite and statuesque but behind closed doors there was nothing to brag about. Betty played along. She did what they wanted, got their money, and banked it. It was green like everyone else’s.
Over time, Betty got to know all of the Silver Spoons. They all liked to brag. They talked open and unashamedly about everything they did, even crimes. They weren't discrete. They didn't care. They flaunted it. She knew what they did and how they operated, inside and out of Razzles. They got away with everything and people were hurt. In a way, Betty wished that someone would hold them accountable. But no one did.
Everyone outside of the Silver Spoon Circle were their playthings. People could be activated into servitude with coins from them, like a mechanical, children’s bank.
The Spoons loved what Betty did for them. She could tell what they needed. Her empathy made her a chameleon lover. Each one of them wanted something different and she gave it. The control she had over these powerful men made her feel superior. She was a formidable pleaser. She could take their power and make them weak. She loved it!
For Betty’s father, his big plan seemed more like a dream than a reachable goal. The expense of survival crept up on him. He fantasized of returning to pioneer days and living off the wilderness. No one could take that away. He began to feel resentment. He looked at the people he was forced to clean up after with new eyes, with angry eyes. Betty noticed changes in her father. The kind face she loved had eroded to a scowl. He took to muttering to himself, and snapped at his daughter often. She couldn’t tell if being poor had poisoned him or if the shelter was driving him mad? Eventually he became ill. When he did Betty got very scared. She thought he was invincible.
She felt guilty for going out and having so much fun at night while her father was sentenced to a hospital bed. She couldn’t bear to see the mountain of man she had known reduced to a shriveled, trembling stranger. He lay there muttering about the simple life he once had. She wanted to bring the man she loved back from the brink and thought she knew how to do it.