Bruno is lying on the front steps, the water bottle open and dripping beside him. Three men, dressed in black, step over him cautiously and open the door. It is not locked. They quietly file into the foyer and down through the various levels of the house to Veronica's room. She is resting in her bed, dressed in silk pajamas. They approach and stare down at her, each wearing black ski masks and breathing hard. The teen girl tosses for a moment before slowly opening her eyes and staring straight at them. Her eyes go wide. 'You're coming with us,' one of them growls. Cut to black over sounds of rustling and resistance.
8 Hours Later. Veronica struggles to see. Something is over her head and she begs the men to remove it. They rip it off, a pillowcase, and, for the first time, she is exposed to her surroundings. She is being kept in a messy storage locker and surrounded by two of the men, who seem almost as anxious as she is. 'Who are you?' she mutters. The two men look at each other, before turning back. 'You are being held until your father pays us what he owes us,' one says. Veronica lowers her eyes in fear. Her hands are crudely tied together, and she winches at the ropes. 'Do you think you could please remove these?' She begs. 'I'm obviously not going anywhere.' The men look at each other again, debating what to do, before the other pops open a switchblade and cuts her hands free. 'You better sit still,' he meekly warns, 'or else!' Suddenly, a door opens and a third man, the eldest of the three, comes strutting in the room. He sees that Veronica is loose and immediately rushes over, leaving the door ajar, to berate the other men for untying her. They tell him to chill, she promised not to run, and besides ... they all know she has nowhere to go. Calming down, the third man gets right into Veronica's face and tries to intimidate her. He warns her not to cross them or try anything stupid. They are trained professionals. They don't care how they make their money at the end of the day ... and disposal is much easier than ransom negotiations. Veronica clams up and agrees with everything that the man, who is clearly the leader, says. He seems to take great satisfaction from this power trip and tosses the phone into the hands of the other two men. 'Use this burner, boys,' he barks, turning back and flashing a sadistic grin at Veronica. 'Time to call daddy!'
24 Hours Later. Veronica sits slumped in a corner, sweaty and anxious, while the men try to talk to her father. This is the fourth call they've placed since the heist, and her dad is sobbing on the other end of the line. He can put together some of the ransom but not everything they are asking for. They are being unreasonable, and he begs for leniency. He hasn't called the cops, after all. He is playing along. Finally, the leader hangs up on him angrily. This is not going as he had expected. He lashes out at the other two men, waving his mac around, and telling them that they are being too soft on the girl. If they had the balls to send her father a special delivery, it would wrap things up quickly. Veronica shrinks back and whispers that her father is just trying to negotiate. That's what he does. He's always been cheap. He has the whole amount. The leader grabs her. 'So, what the fuck do you recommend we try next, then?' He yells.
36 Hours Later. Veronica sits quietly in between the two men, as the leader yells into the phone. He is telling the father that he knows about the hidden safe in his office and all the reserves he keeps there. As they argue, Veronica tries to whisper a few key details to help the leader prove his point. The father claims he emptied that safe out months ago. There must be some other way. Without thinking, Veronica stands up and yells 'Dad, Please!' This causes the father to panic, hearing his daughter in distress. The leader hangs up the phone abruptly and spins around, as the other two cover her mouth and pull her back down to the ground. 'I told you not to do anything stupid!' He yells. Slowly, Veronica removes the hand from her mouth and says. 'That wasn't stupid, that was exactly what you needed. He's nervous. Now, you just have to make him terrified!'
48 Hours Later. The three men sit in a corner, away from the girl, debating over what to do. The two men are becoming very antsy, urging the leader to just get rid of Veronica and abandon the job. She watches and listens closely, biting her lip. The leader argues that they should stick it out, they just need to do something that will really fuck the man up and get him to cough up the whole amount. It needs to be a real threat, no more pussying around. The room goes silent. 'You should all fuck me,' Veronica says quietly. 'Do whatever the fuck you want. Just send my father the evidence. As soon as he sees his daughter like that, he will cooperate with you. No more pussying around.' The men look at each other in shock. 'Does she have Stockholm syndrome or something?' One of them laughs nervously. Veronica stands up, shaking, and starts to under her pajama top. 'But, you need to make it look rough, make it look you ruined me. All three of you need to be in on it. Inside of me. Airtight. I want this to be done as much as you do.' She takes off her pants and stands naked before them. The leader flashes a smile and starts to approach her, as the other man chimes in to protest. 'What if she is playing us?' The leader tells him to stop pussying around, like the lady said, and get his phone out. It's picture time. The leader rests his hardware on the ground, kicking it to the side, as he peels off his clothes. 'Grabs the masks,' he tells the other man. 'We don't want to be recognized!' The three men strip down, put their masks back on, and approach Veronica. 'Are you ready, sweetheart?' The leader coos in her ear. She says YES and drops to her knees. BBBG Rough Sex Scene with Airtight DP penetration. Throughout the sex, they take turns taking photos. In the end, the three men give Veronica a full facial and make her pose for a picture. While they laugh and look at the photos (the audience never actually sees the photos), she quietly sneaks to the side of the room where the gatt was tossed, grabs it, and points it in their direction. Cut to black as shots are heard.
Over a black frame, a voice over of Veronica calling her father. She asks if he saw the photos. He says yes, crying. She tells him this will be the last time they let her speak to him unless he gives them what they want. Through tears, he agrees. She tells him to bring the full amount to a location that will be texted to him. He must come alone. He must not involve the authorities. He agrees. The phone is cut.
A final shot shows the father sitting, with a suitcase. A car pulls up and rolls down the window. It's Veronica -- dressed immaculately. She hushes her father and tells him it's ok, as a man in a black ski mask gets out of the car and collects the suit case. 'Will you let her go now?' the father pleads. As Veronica rolls the window back up, she hears the man pull the trigger and her father fall to the ground. The man in the ski mask gets back the front driver's seat and takes off his mask. It's Bruno. 'Where to now, Miss Veronica?' he asks politely. 'To the airport,' she replies.
A STATEMENT FROM LENA PAUL:
I've never felt drawn to expressing my own personal trauma in my porn because I generally find it a little inappropriate to air your dirty laundry online. However, when Bree approached me to write a story for Pure Taboo, I felt it was an opportunity to share my own experiences in a serious adult piece.
The parameters of my story stem from a recurring nightmare I had after being assaulted. I'd like to offer this project as my #MeToo, in that I wanted to create a story that women who've suffered trauma could feel empowered about watching.
A lot of women who watch porn, particularly rough sex scenarios, after experiencing trauma feel a lot of shame about it, despite it being an extremely common fantasy (top 5 actually according to some studies) for women.
It was my desire to thread the needle of empowering women while also placing my character in a seemingly dangerous or degrading setting to talk about how this juxtaposition can feel both complicated and pleasurable for viewers.
I hope, in the end, that Airtight Invasion will continue our industry's conversations about female empowerment and representation.