LoveLocked: Locking Down the Stepdaughter
SCENE 1
[Setting: A spacious, upper-middle class kitchen—expensive refrigerator, dishwasher, wine cabinet, pasta-maker, the works.]
[At a tall island right of center, SUE sits on a wooden stool, sipping morning coffee. She is early 40s, tall, with lustrous black hair, olive skin, and beautifully manicured scarlet fingernails. A plush red bathrobe barely contains her fit but voluptuous frame.]
[NIKKY walks in from stage right. She is 18 and resembles SUE, although rounder in the face. She wears boxers and a loose-fitting sweatshirt from Sarah Lawrence college that cannot hide her ample breasts. She has her arms wrapped tightly around her body.]
Nikky [eyes downcast]: Mom.
Sue: Nikky, baby. I didn’t hear you get in last night. Welcome home from college.
Nikky [wanly]: Thanks, Mom. I got home late.
Sue: I wish you’d checked in. It’s a long drive from college.
Nikky: Todd was up.
Sue: Oh, right. He did say he was going to be up late. I’m glad someone was here for you.
Nikky [sobs, then runs toward SUE]: Mom, mom, mom—
Sue: Baby, what’s wrong? [Hugs NIKKY.] You’re crying! What’s happened?
Nikky: Mom, it was Todd. Last night. After I got home. He came into my room.
Sue: Your stepfather? Your room? What happened?
Nikky: I was asleep. Just, you know, asleep. But then I wasn’t asleep. Something woke me up. It was a . . . feeling.
Sue: A feeling?
Nikky: Yeah. He, um. I woke up. Todd was in bed. He was touching me. You know . . . down there . . . .
Sue: Nikky . . . what are you telling me?
Nikky: He raped me, Mom! Todd, your husband, he raped me!
Sue: My God . . . okay. Okay, baby. I believe you. Let’s call the cops.
SCENE 2
[Setting: The kitchen, later that morning. SUE and NIKKY hold each other at stage right. TODD sits on a stool at the island. He is slender, pale, middle-aged, medium build, slightly flabby. Stage left are FEMALE COP and MALE COP.]
Todd: No, I didn’t molest her. She came home, she went to sleep, and I went to sleep.
Female Cop: In her bed.
Todd: No, in my own bed. I went to sleep in my own bed.
Male Cop: But first you visited her bed, right?
Todd. No. She went to sleep. I showered, then went to bed.
Female Cop: Showered? You just said she went to sleep, then you went to sleep. You didn’t say anything about showering.
Todd: What difference does that make? She went to bed, I showered, then I went to bed—
Male Cop: Showered to get her scent off you? So your wife couldn’t tell you’d been dipping it in her daughter?
[NIKKY sobs into SUE’s neck.]
Sue: Officer, please.
Male Cop: Sorry, ma’am. Just rattling the perv.
Todd: I’m no pervert! [to SUE]: Tell them, Sue! Tell them I wouldn’t do this!
Sue: I don’t know, Todd. It would explain a lot. Like, why you’ve been asking me to dress up in Nikky’s clothes.
Nikky: What?
Todd [warning]: Sue, don’t.
Sue: I thought we were just spicing things up. Putting my hair in pigtails. Having me call you “Daddy.” Making me pretend your . . . thing . . . was a tasty lollipop.
Nikky: Mom? What?
Sue: And thanking you for sending “me” to college. . . .
Nikky: Oh my God!
Todd: Sue, shut UP!
Female Cop [to MALE COP]: I think we’ve heard enough.
Male Cop: Get up, Sir. Please come to the station.
Todd [rushes at SUE]: You BITCH!
[SUE roundhouse kicks TODD in the stomach. He flies back into the island, then falls to the floor. The COPS roughly pull him up and handcuff him.]
Female Cop: Like a mule, ma’am. Well done.
Male Cop: Yes, indeed. No less than this piece of crap deserves.
Todd [spitting]: You’re my wife! My stepdaughter! I’m slaving to pay for that goddamned college!
Sue: That doesn’t mean you get to sleep with her!
Nikky: You don’t own us!
Todd: Dammit, I love both of—aaaagggghhhhhhhh! [FEMALE COP wrenches TODD’s arm, hard.]
Female Cop: Shut it, punk.
Male Cop: Someone obviously didn’t get the message.
Female Cop: You mean, “The radical notion that women are people”?
Male Cop: That’s the one.
Nikky [delighted]: I’ve got that tattooed at the base of my spine!
Todd [to COPS]: Fuck you! Fuck you! This is my family! I love them!
Sue: Monsters don’t have family, Todd. Officers, please get this . . . thing out of here.
Todd [rages at MALE COP]: Traitor! Gender traitor! You can’t—
[FEMALE COP bashes TODD on the head, then muffles him with a ball gag.]
Male Cop: Get used to that, bubba. Where you’re going, your mouth’s gonna be full a lot.
[TODD struggles. The COPS push him outside. SUE and NIKKY run to the door.]
Sue: Don’t be too nice when you put him into the patrol car!
Nikky: Don’t protect his head!
[Sound of a car driving off. NIKKY and SUE close the door.]
Nikky: Holy crap, Mom. I can’t believe you did that.
Sue: The kick? I’ve been at the gym—
Nikky: No, Mom. The play-acting. During sex. You did all that?
Sue [takes Nikky’s hands]: I’m sorry baby. I never thought it would go so far. Can you ever forgive me?
Nikky [hugs SUE]: It’s okay, Mom. You taught me what men are like. They’re weak.
Sue: That’s right, baby. Sisterhood is powerful. You’re my daughter, but we’re sisters in spirit.
Nikky: That’s right! [Looks around.] This is Todd’s house. But it’s full of horror. We need to cleanse it.
Sue: I think you’re right. [considers] We could burn it down?
Nikky: No . . . I was thinking we could exorcise its demons. I know! Let’s start a battered women’s shelter. And maybe a performance art space, just for women.
Sue: That’s a superb idea! I’ve got Todd’s fortune. . . . let’s do it!
[As NIKKY and SUE high-five, the scene freezes.]
[Male SPOKESMAN Voice Over]: Betrayal. Arrest. Impoverishment. It happens all the time, even to the finest of stepfathers. Could it happen to you?
[SPOKESMAN walks in, stands in front of still image of NIKKY and SUE high-fiving. The SPOKESMAN is in his early 50s, silver-haired, and black-suited.]
Spokesman: When you begin to love your stepdaughter, you have to think ahead. If your wife isn’t on board with it, she’ll betray you to a set of nonsensical “laws.” You’ll lose your reputation, your home, your money, and your freedom. Aren’t these reasons enough to consider LoveLock?
[Bottom of screen: LoveLock logo, url, and 1-800 number.]
Spokesman: LoveLock will keep your reputation and assets safe. It will also keep your family together. Just watch how our friend’s situation could have turned out differently.
SCENE 3
[Setting: The kitchen. SUE and NIKKY at stage right. TODD at the island. Stage left are two LoveLock EMPLOYEES disguised as policemen.]
Todd: No, I didn’t molest her. She came home, she went to sleep, and I went to sleep.
Employee 1: Okay, this is a he-said, she-said.
Nikky: What? He raped me!
Employee 1 [reassuring]: Don’t worry, young lady. We’ll get to the bottom of this.
Employee 2 [to SUE]: Ma’am, let’s get you and your daughter out of here. We’re going to put you in a hotel near the station.
Sue [to NIKKY]: What do you think?
Nikky [shrugging]: Makes sense to me. I don’t want to stay. This house is full of horror to me, now.
[SUE and NIKKY depart with EMPLOYEE 1. EMPLOYEE 2 closes the door to face TODD. Offstage a car starts up and drives away.]
Todd: Whew. You’re really from LoveLock? Not cops?
Employee 2: Correct, sir. Your wife’s programming worked perfectly. She called us, not the police.
Todd: Gosh! Thank you, LoveLock!
Employee 2: We’ll give your wife a booster. She probably doesn’t need one, but it can’t hurt.
Todd: And my stepdaughter? Nikky?
Employee 2: We’ll get her straightened out. Er, as it were.
Todd: That’s awesome sauce.
Employee 2: Sir, if I can ask—why did you move on the girl before calling us? Why not just give her to us right away?
Todd [considers]: Tell me . . . do you hunt?
Employee 2: Of course, sir. Every good American does, sir.
Todd: Would you rather hunt in a zoo? Or in the wild?
Employee 2: Ah, I see. Still, you were taking a considerable chance. Your stepdaughter could have gone straight to the police.
Todd: I know, I know. But now I’ve got that memory, right?
Employee 2: Right you are, Sir. Okay, per the normal treatment, we’ll have them back in two days. Booster for the wife, full coma and rewire for the daughter.
[SPOKESMAN V.O.]: Two days is our standard package, where the comatose subject is rebuilt from the ground up. But the LoveLock engineers never stop innovating!
Todd: Actually, I’ve heard you’ve got something new. Where the subject stays awake?
Employee 2: You’ve heard right. We’ve developed MANY new options, actually.
Todd: I’m listening.
Employee 2: Well, there’s the “RoughWire.” The subject is awake for 24 hours. It’s fairly painful, though.
Todd [shudders]: No, no pain. I hate that. I’m all about the pleasure. Well, unless I’m spanking them. But I love them, you know.
Employee 2: Of course, Sir—anyone could see that.
Todd: So what else?
Employee 2: Well, there’s the “TalkWire.” The subject works with a counselor for several days. Through guided conversation, she’s conditioned to see the world differently.
Todd: Hm. I do like the sound of that. No pain?
Employee 2: Absolutely not, Sir. We use a form of EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.
Todd: Sounds New-Agey. Or maybe Space-Agey.
Employee 2: It’s a bit of both, sir. But it’s effective. The method was originally developed to help people recover from psychological trauma. We’ve found a better use.
Todd: So it’s a mindwipe?
Employee 2: Oh, definitely not. The subject keeps all memories. It’s just that she reframes them. Views them differently.
Todd: Hunh. Tell me more. . . .
[SPOKESMAN V.O.]: With LoveLock, all things are possible. Including avoiding a public family tragedy and making a very personal triumph.
SCENE 4
[One week later. A posh living room. Stage right is an enormous television, mounted in a corner so viewers can clearly see it. Stage left is a sectional sofa. TODD and NIKKY are curled up together on the sofa. He is in jeans, a polo, and dark leather shoes. She is wearing her Sarah Lawrence sweatshirt and shorts, but is barefoot.]
Nikky [calling]: Mom! Hurry up! We want to get started!
Sue [from offstage]: Just getting the ice cream!
Nikky: Ugh. She’s always late.
Todd: Be good to your mother. She’s done so much for you.
Nikky [tweaks TODD’s nose]: For both of us!
[TODD squeezes NIKKY’s behind. She smiles, and they kiss.]
Todd: Love you, Baby.
Nikky: Love you too, Daddy.
[SUE walks in from stage left, in tank top and shorts. She holds two bowls of ice cream and balancing a third on her forearm.]
Sue: Okay, we can start!
[She hands TODD a bowl with a spoon. She sets the other bowls on the floor, then sits on the couch. TODD slings his other arm around SUE and kisses her cheek.]
Todd: Thanks, Love.
Nikky [presses remote button]: Let’s get started!
[The television comes on. Onscreen is an array of scene chapters.]
Todd: So, whaddya want to watch? “The Induction”? “Confusion”? “Resistance”?
[SUE and NIKKY look at each other and smile hugely.]
Sue and Nikky [together]: “The Turn”!
Todd [eyerolling]: We watch “The Turn” all the time.
Nikky: But it’s my favorite!
Todd: When you realized the truth?
Nikky [rocking on her heel and biting her lip]: Uh-huh.
Todd: When you knew you were my baby?
Nikky [moaning]: Yes. . . please. Please can we watch it?
Todd: What do you need to call me, pumpkin?
Nikky: Daddy . . . please, Daddy, can we watch it?
Sue [cupping her hand over TODD’s crotch]: We can make it worth your while.
Todd [laughs]: Like you two have a choice!
Sue: We know . . . but you like it when we pretend we do.
Todd: I like it better when you pretend you DON’T.
Nikky: Like that first night! When I put up my little fight with you.
Todd: I do enjoy a struggle. But not tonight. I’m tuckered out. Okay, we can watch “The Turn.”
Sue and Nikky [clap]: Yay!
Todd: I’ll get started. You girls eat your ice cream.
[SUE and NIKKY crawl to their bowls and start lapping. TODD activates “The Turn.”]
[On the television, SCREEN NIKKY sits in a comfy chair, facing the camera. A bulky black visor sprinkled with blue and white diodes masks her eyes. She is slumped and mouth-breathing, a string of drool hanging off her lower lip. From off screen, a confident MALE VOICE speaks to her.]
Male Voice: Nikky, let’s walk through what we’ve learned.
Screen Nikky [dumbly]: Okay.
Male Voice: So your stepfather touched you.
Screen Nikky: Yes.
Male Voice: And that made you feel . . . ?
Screen Nikky: . . . horny.
Male Voice: And feeling horny is . . . ?
Screen Nikky: . . . good.
Male Voice: And anything that makes you feel good is . . . ?
Screen Nikky: . . . good for me.
Male Voice: And therefore, your stepfather touching you is . . . ?
Screen Nikky [chewing her lip]: . . . nn.
Male Voice: I’m sorry?
Screen Nikky [struggling]: N-n-n-o-o-o . . .
[The visor flashes several times. With each jerk, SCREEN NIKKY twitches and takes short, sharp breaths.]
Screen Nikky: Uhhhh.
Male Voice: Nikky. When your stepfather touched you, you felt horny. Feeling horny is good. Anything that makes you feel good is good for you. Correct?
Screen Nikky [breathy]: . . . yes.
Male Voice: And therefore, your stepfather touching you is . . . ?
Screen Nikky [briefly hesitating]: . . . good for me.
[The visor pulses several times. SCREEN NIKKY spasms happily with a tiny orgasm.]
Male Voice: Again. Your stepfather touching you is . . . ?
Screen Nikky [panting]: Good for me.
[SCREEN NIKKY orgasms again.]
Male Voice: Say it.
Screen Nikky [panting]: My stepfather touching me is good for me! [orgasms] Oh my god. . . .
Male Voice: Keep saying it until I tell you to stop.
Screen Nikky: My stepfather touching me is good for me! AHH! My stepfather touchingmeisgoodforMEEEE—
[SCREEN NIKKY screams her mantra. The visor’s pulses increase. Her words fly to babble as she chases orgasm on orgasm.]
[On the floor, SUE and NIKKY have lapped up their ice cream. Still on all fours, they touch their crotches through their clothing.]
Nikky [panting]: That’s when I broke, right there.
Sue [throaty]: It’s so hot.
Nikky: G-g-god, I could watch this forever.
Todd [chuckles]: Hell, you’re gonna LIVE it forever.
[NIKKY moans and thrusts her hand beneath her shorts.]
Todd: Ah-ah, cupcake. You’re playing with something that doesn’t belong to you. Right?
Nikky [gasping]: Uhhh . . . please. . . . lemme—
[TODD bestows a ringing spank on NIKKY’s rump. She yelps.]
Todd: Bad girl!
Nikky: I’m sorry!
Todd: Sorry . . . who?
Nikky: I’m sorry, Daddy. Nikky’s been naughty.
[TODD slaps NIKKY’s rump, harder. She jerks and screams.]
Todd: Dumb bitch. When you’re horny, what’s your name?
Nikky [sniffling]: K- . . . K- . . . Kinky. A horny girl’s name is Kinky.
Todd: Yessss . . . what happens to a naughty Kinky . . . ?
Nikky [now KINKY]: She goes to kennel.
Todd: Where she . . . . ?
Kinky: Doesn’t get Daddy’s love.
Todd: And what else?
Kinky: Food.
Todd: That’s right. So what happens when Kinky doesn’t get Daddy’s love?
Kinky: Kinky hurts. She gets so lonely.
Todd: Does Kinky want to feel lonely?
Kinky: No! Please, Daddy. Kinky wants Daddy’s love.
Todd: And Mommy’s love, too?
Kinky [beaming]: Yes, please, and Mommy’s love, too.
Todd: Will Kinky be good?
Kinky: Yes, Daddy. Kinky will be good. Kinky will be so good for Daddy.
Todd: That’s my baby. Darlings, stand up. Lose those clothes . . . very good. Show Daddy how much you love each other.
[Now nude, SUE and KINKY kiss deeply. SUE massages KINKY’s ample breasts. KINKY cups SUE’s shorn pudenda. On the couch, TODD unbuckles and strokes his erection.]
Sue [moans]: Love you, Baby.
Kinky [giggles]: Love YOU, Mommy.
[KINKY kneels to lap at her mother’s bare vulva.]
Sue: OH! Your tongue is cold, Baby!
Kinky: Ith thuh eyeth cream, Mama.
[SUE moans and pulls at her nipples. With one hand, KINKY massages a breast; with the other, she pumps a finger in and out of herself. TODD masturbates.]
[SPOKESMAN walks into the living room]: Another happy family. Right, tiger?
Todd [pants]: You know it! [Looks directly out of the screen.] Thank you, LoveLock!
Sue [moaning]: Yes—yes—yes, thanks you LoveLock—oh, fuck, yes, baby, lick Mommy’s snatch—
Kinky [muffled]: Mmmmank Muu, MuvMock—mmmmmuuuuhhhhhhhhh—
[Camera focus on SPOKESMAN]: When seducing your stepdaughter, don’t take a chance. Call LoveLock. Our locks last forever!
[SPOKESMAN smiles. Background sounds of moans and gasps as KINKY sloppily laps SUE’s sopped sex. TODD, breathless with masturbation, urges them on. Fade to black.]