by Riley Ashby
My breath caught. I was going to be … sold? That wasn’t right. Given away seemed more appropriate.
What have I done? What has he done? What kind of person does this?
This wasn't normal. This wasn't right.
He glanced up at my gasp but returned attention to his food soon enough. “Therefore, you will attend me for some time, until I determine the best opportunity to turn you over. How long will be determined as we progress … on how entertaining you are.” He looked at me, and I flushed again. He didn't elaborate on who I would need to convince or how.
“There is a meeting of sorts this weekend. It's going to be, to put it bluntly, a shit show.” I nearly dropped my fork, shocked at the harsh words uttered in such a business-like tone. He ignored me. “There will be drugs, women, and alcohol. You will drink only what I give you, and do not touch the drugs. Your job is to do what I say, look good, and stay quiet. If you can do that, you'll be rewarded. If not … we'll see.” He reached out to grab my chin again, and I froze. I had the feeling of being pinned by a wild animal, but I stilled willingly in his grasp. “Does that answer your question?”
I was able to nod slightly.
“Good.”
He finished his steak and dropped his napkin on the plate, pushing back from the table. “Karen will prepare you on Saturday morning. You need to be ready by midafternoon. I don't care what you do until then.” And without a backward glance, he left.
I sat in shock, slowly chewing my way through the rest of the food. As I finished, the same man who brought in the meal came to remove the plates. He gave me a curt smile; I remembered what Karen had said about Ellery hiring men who were much like him.
“Was the salad acceptable, miss? The chef threw together the recipe last minute, but she's excited for tomorrow. She's eager to try working with different foods. Please let us know if any of the food doesn't turn out right.”
I tried to return the smile. “It was wonderful. Please give her my compliments. I'm looking forward to what comes next.”
He smiled again and disappeared. I was left to find the way back to my room, alone. The house was a labyrinth, and I found myself trailing a hand against the wall to orient myself. I tried a few locked doors, and others that opened into other bedrooms or studies. Every room was draped in luxury: plush rugs covered hardwood floors where soft carpet fell away, art ranging in styles from baroque to modern punctuated the walls according to the style of the furniture. I lingered, examining the paintings more closely in some rooms. I found I approved of the style in many cases. Seeing more of the house had the additional benefit of putting me at ease even though I still felt adrift.
Finally, I found my room and gratefully shut the door behind me. My feet hurt from walking on the carpet in heels, and I kicked the torture devices across the room as I shrugged out of the dress, leaving it pooled on the ground. I fell forward onto the bed in my underwear and bra, wholly worn out from my anxiety even though I had done nothing but lie in bed all day.
I heard the door open behind me. “Please don't tell me I have to get a haircut now,” I mumbled into the mattress.
Silence.
Pushing myself up on to my elbows, I peeked over my shoulder to see Ellery standing in the doorway, the corners of his lips ticked up the tiniest bit.
“Oh, shit,” I exclaimed, leaping to my feet and then grabbing a pillow to hold in front of me. “Ell— I mean, Mr. King, I thought you were Karen.” I felt suddenly hot and was sure my whole body had turned pink.
As if realizing he was expressing emotion, his face dropped all trace of amusement. He stepped forward twice and then stopped short, his eyes looking me up and down. I held the pillow tighter against my chest.
“Is … is something wrong?”
He shifted his weight back, feigning relaxation, and studied me. “I seem to have forgotten what I came in here for.”
Honestly, my skin was going to boil off my body.
Advancing the rest of the way, he closed the distance between us. I backed up until my back smacked against the wall. He reached out a hand and quickly wrapped his fingers around the back of my neck, tracing his thumb lightly up the front of my throat. It was a power move meant to scare me, but instead I felt … excited. It was dangerous, different. I liked that. I swallowed, and his eyes fluttered closed for the briefest moment.
“I got lucky with you,” he said. His voice was so low I had to strain to hear it, or maybe it was the blood rushing through my ears that deadened the sound. “You'll be so much fun to have around.”
We stared at each other. The air crackled between us. I could practically feel the static. I didn’t know this man, or anything about him besides the nuggets of information he had deigned to give me, but his eyes spoke to me. I knew what he wanted me to do.
I wanted to do it.
My arms lowered and the pillow fell to the floor. Ellery's eyes drifted down my body, and his hand followed. His fingers trailed down my chest and came to rest lightly between my breasts. I fought to keep my breathing shallow, but I could feel myself pressing into his touch with each inhale. His fingerprints seemed to leave impressions on my skin. I couldn't see anything but him as he occupied every square inch in front of me.
I could feel his breath on my skin.
I tipped my chin up, and his eyes flew to mine. I licked my lips.
He was so close.
Then he removed his hand, stepped backward, and nodded curtly. “Until tomorrow, Sophia.” He turned and left, closing the door behind him.
It wasn't until I was turning the lock myself that I realized he had used my first name.
I woke up early the next morning not because I was well-rested or set an alarm. I didn’t even know where my cell phone was; I noticed it missing when I got back from dinner and hadn’t seen anyone to ask about it since then.
It was strange to wake up refreshed instead of feeling like I hadn’t slept at all. I hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in years. Despite my strange surroundings, and the odd interaction with my … host before I went to bed, I slept soundly. The clock on the wall announced it was eight o’clock, about the time I would have been getting to bed if I were coming home from my cleaning job.
The voices outside my window woke me. They were faint, but I was on edge and attuned to every little sound. Creeping to the window, I peered outside to see Ellery and the tall man—Castel, I guessed—talking below my window.
Don’t eavesdrop, I berated myself, imagining the anger either one of those men would express if they caught me peering down at them. All the same, my ears strained toward the sound, and my efforts were rewarded when I heard them say my name. Holding my breath, I flipped the locks on the window and raised it an inch. It slid up silently, well-maintained as I should have expected.
“Do you think I should really give her to him?” Ellery was gasping as he spoke; they were sweating and panting in gym shorts and T-shirts. It was strange to see them in such casual clothing. “It seems … antithetical.” He bent over at the waist, resting his hands on his knees. I could see the muscles of his back as the sweaty T-shirt clung to his body.
Stop noticing that, I thought to myself. I had much bigger things to worry about than how nice Ellery looked in wet clothes.
Such as who was this person they were talking about giving me to?
The gravel driveway crunched under their sneakers as they shifted. Castel dragged his hands over his face. “I had been thinking the same thing. But I don’t see a way around it. Her father was our ticket into his good graces. If we don’t do this, then we have to re-think. A lot.”
“Shit.”
“We’ll get her back too, you know. He’s not going to be around much longer, once we do this. She’ll get some therapy, and we can throw a nice chunk of change her way in exchange for her cooperation. This might end up being the best thing that ever happened to her.”
Ellery jerked upright. I couldn’t see his face, but he sounded irate. “You don’t believe
that.”
Castel looked away, pulled off his shirt and balled it between his fists. “No. I don’t. He’s going to eat her alive.”
These men were two of the most intimidating men I had ever met, and they were talking about this guy with a kind of … It wasn’t reverence or respect, exactly. Maybe recognition? Like they understood how dangerous he was, and they didn’t want to underestimate him.
And what did they mean, he wouldn’t be around? Were they going to kill him? Was I a honeypot for some kind of hit?
“What if …” Ellery wiped his face with his shirt. “We could give her a choice.”
Castel walked back toward him and leaned against the side of the house, resting in the scant shade provided as the sun rose steadily in the sky. “I thought she already made her decision.”
“That was before she knew what she was getting in to. She has an idea now.”
“You told her?”
Not exactly.
“I hinted. She seems smart. I’m sure she can read between the lines.” He drummed his fingers on the stone, biting his lower lip.
I scowled down at him. You don’t know anything about me.
Castel wrung out his shirt and tossed it over his shoulder. “Fine, give her another choice. If she doesn’t want to go, we’ll collect her father again. If she still chooses him … well, it’s all up to her.”
I knew what Castel was thinking. What he wanted Ellery to think. They could wash that blood off their hands with a clear conscience if they let me choose between handing over my father to an unknown fate or sending myself in just as blind.
I snorted at the absurdity of the idea. Then I clapped a hand over my mouth.
Everything had gone silent outside. They weren’t even walking back and forth any more.
“Are you awake, my little pet?” Ellery’s voice rang up through the window, clearer now that he was speaking directly to me.
I sank lower along the wall, shaking my head furiously. I was asleep. I never heard that. I absolutely didn’t eavesdrop on the man holding me captive, planning to give me away to a person with even more nefarious intentions. He definitely didn’t need to find out I was snooping.
He was going to kill me himself. I was done for—this was what I deserved for being so reckless, for giving myself up for my deadbeat father without properly understanding the consequences.
But really, what consequences could I have expected? Decent people don’t collect gambling debts in blood. Proper businessmen don’t lock women in rooms and take away their phones, even if they do give them pretty dresses to wear. I was not the person in the wrong here. I had acted selflessly, and now I was being exploited. That was on him.
Fuck this. They were talking about giving me away like I was a carnival prize. Not even that. This man they were talking about didn’t even have to do anything to earn me. I may have volunteered for something that wasn’t my responsibility, but it didn’t give this man an excuse to treat me like a piece of meat.
If he was going to send me out of here anyway, he’d know exactly how pissed off I was about it.
I shot to my feet, ready to defend myself. Castel was the only one looking back at me as I peered out the window. I relaxed for a microsecond before he spoke.
“I’d apologize if I were you,” he said. I glared at him from my lofty position, feeling superior if only for a second. He may be a brutish thug, but I had the moral high ground. He saluted me and turned his back, walking toward the cottage I had glimpsed across the lawn the day before. He didn’t bother to look back. It didn’t matter to him what happened to me. I was only a means to an end.
I slammed the window shut, which wasn’t all that satisfying since it was only open an inch. In an instant the door to the bedroom flew open without a knock.
I shouldn’t have let her stay. I let myself think with my dick, not my brain, and as a result I was stuck in one hell of a hard place. It was my punishment for even letting myself be swayed. I had no business looking at women while I was in this situation. To top it off, she was listening in on my private conversations.
I stormed through the house like I was on a mission, startling staff as I tracked dirt across the carpet and left sweaty handprints on the banisters. I didn’t bother knocking when I got to her room. It took everything I had not to kick in the door.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demanded as I stalked across the room to where she still stood by the window. She was wearing only a baggy T-shirt that barely covered her hips. I had to wrench my eyes away from her legs. Her body flattened against the window as I stopped right in front of her. “What makes you think you can listen in on my business?”
“You were talking right beneath my window,” she said. Her voice was low but not meek.
I bristled. “And that’s an excuse?”
She shrugged. I stifled the urge to throw her facedown on the bed and beat her ass red.
I took a step closer, so we were toe to toe. “Get this straight. This is not your house. It is not your room. It is not your window. You will obey my rules here or—”
“Or what? You’ll do what you’re already planning on doing and hand me over to a sex trafficker?”
Every muscle in my body tensed. “He won’t sell you.” You’re too beautiful.
“So … he’ll abuse me himself. But you’ll sleep peacefully because you gave me the choice…” she wiggled her fingers in quotation marks “…of letting him rape me or letting him kill my father.” She dropped her hands to her hips, standing up straight and closing the distance between us. Our chests touched. “How altruistic of you.”
As much as I berated myself, repeating Castel’s reminder to keep my eye on the prize, I couldn’t get this to sit right with me. It had been one thing to hand over a man who was already next to dead, who would be happy to do whatever it took to get his next drink. Sophie … Sophie was different. She was tired and overworked and took on far too much responsibility for her age. She didn’t deserve this.
No one does.
But here I was planning to hand her over anyway.
I didn’t want to think about it anymore. This was the plan that had been put in place. There was no other option. If I had to choose between Sophie or her … it had to be her. Every time.
“I thought I had made this clear, but allow me to reiterate: You gave up your free will when you decided to stay here. You have no autonomy. No freedom beyond what I allow you. You will give me your respect while you are here, or I will make your time with him seem like a vacation in comparison.”
She sucked in a breath, and her breasts pushed against my chest. I could feel her nipples through the fabric, rubbing against my sweaty skin. “Then put your money where your mouth is. Show me just how scary you are. Because right now, all I’ve seen and heard is a weak man who’s trying to suck up to someone more powerful than him for a favor by using a human being as a pawn. It’s pathetic.”
I already couldn’t think with her chest pressed against mine. Every remaining rational thought fled as I snatched her wrists and backed her up against the window, glass rattling in the panes, her shirt stretching up over her stomach as I raised her arms. I kicked her legs apart and stood flush against her, my body laid on top of hers.
“I’d watch my tongue if I were you,” I whispered, pinning her in place. She didn’t squirm, didn’t try to escape.
“Am I wrong?” Her voice matched mine, throaty and breathy.
“You won’t last long with that attitude. He’ll sew your lips together in order to shut you up.” Holding her wrists in one hand, I grabbed her chin with the other and angled her face toward me. “If you want to stay comfortable, I suggest you think of better things you can do with that smart little mouth.”
In response, she drew her tongue slowly across her lips, leaving them glistening in the morning light.
Unwilling and uncooperative, my body tightened in response.
Let go of her. Now.
I couldn’t
. There was an electric current running through me, pinning me in place. I couldn’t move.
“What would you suggest?” she asked, pressing back against me.
When did she suddenly develop this backbone? She had been pliant last night. It didn’t make any sense that she would be pushing back this vigorously. She needed to be broken of that stubborn streak—and fast.
The fire, the unrelenting anger that burned in my stomach, was shifting into something different—a much more pleasurable sensation coursing to my groin, redirecting blood flow that I had no control over. She rocked forward again, gasping when she felt my hardening length. I forced myself to smile past the painful tightening in my balls then leaned down to put my lips next to her ear.
“I don’t fuck bratty little girls,” I whispered. “You’ll have to figure it out on your own.”
She wrenched her hands free, shoving me hard against my chest. I planted my feet and grabbed her by the shoulders.
“I have been much more generous with you than anyone else in my situation would. Do not abuse my hospitality. Do you understand?”
She nodded, mute, biting her lower lip as her fingernails dug into my forearms. I pushed myself off her with a grunt. It was painful to pull away; my cock strained toward her through my loose shorts. Her eyes flicked to my obvious erection then back to my face as her cheeks flamed red.
“Stay here until the staff comes for you. You’ll have breakfast shortly.”
“Please don’t,” she said, finally breaking her silence. “You don’t have to be like this.”
That girl from last night, the one who had let me touch her chest, was back. She gazed up at me with pleading eyes, looking so small and breakable that I had to fight the urge to wrap her in cotton.
I let my hands slide around to her back, the bones of her spine pressing into my palms. “You want to be my pet instead?”
She sucked in a breath, fingers tightening even more on my arms. I couldn’t stop the thrill of excitement running up my center, causing my lips to part.