9 or 10 years before another fateful party, shortly after the turn of the millenium...
 
Leopold Jones, a mediocre lawyer in a small local law firm and painfully aware of that fact, had the requisite bald pate with black hair having retreated down as low as his ears, the requisite rumpled white shirtsleeves and little round eyeglasses, the requisite long hours and was now slumped forward onto his desk, sighing deeply. Not an uncommon position to see a man of his (early middle) age and posi

 Even though it wasn't the largest sorority on the campus, claiming a membership of perhaps a hundred, BEB was known for throwing some of the most 'exclusive' parties - where the great unwashed masses of horny male lowlives and bland, boring female hangers-on did not make an appearance. Although they were meant to be nights of fun first and foremost, the often unspoken addendum was that these selective nightlong revels were the best place to meet up with alumni and those from the rarefied s

It was a warm and balmy October, thanks to the contribution of sea breezes rolling in. That was forutnate, not only for the tykes trick-or-treating, but for the grown-ups (and college-goers, if they could be construed to fit in that category) to get the most milage out of their parties, with the treats sought being mostly of the alcoholic variety and the tricks consisting in how best to command the attention of attractive or eligible members of the opposite sex.
 
That certainly seemed to

 Crossing her legs elegantly, Mary casually browsed through the contact list on her cell phone with a single manicured thumbnail. Two days since she'd last heard from Bhamini, and by now it was now obvious that the brown-skinned beauty had accomplished nothing except providing some lucky woman with an exceptionally filling meal.
 A slight frown creased Mary's red-glossed lips as she deleted her former friend's contact information with a few perfunctory taps of a finger. Mary had learn

 Amanda, her hands folded and her head tilted bashfully to one side, did her best to keep her gaze up. "Umm, Lin?" she asked. "Listen, I was just thinking, I really owe you a lot. I probably wouldn't have made it this long here at Swallowbrook without you looking out for me. And wow, we sure made a great team yesterday, huh?" Amanda asked, resting her hand on the back of her neck. "Well, anyway Lin, I really, really value our friendship and I wouldn't want to do any

 Swallowbrook University, a prestigious women's university on the east coast, was
 
something of a subtle trap. Renowned for its sports teams and school spirit, Swallowbrook was
 
also an excellent source of valuable business and political connections. But even though it
 
attracted many of the daughters of the upper class, Swallowbrook U. never had any shortage of
 
scholarships to send out. Academic, athletic, musical, need-based, contest-based... all the
 
u