Masquerade

by Derek Masters

  “I swear I’m not working with anyone,” I plead as I look away, fearing he’s going to slam his fists on the desk again. “I’m a nobody, I swear. I’m just a journalism student looking for my big break.”

  “Your big break? Is that what you thought this was going to be? What were you going to do? Steal my files and what? Turn them into the authorities? Were you trying to ruin me?” His wide eyes scare me as he stares a hole right through me. He looks like a possessed monster, ready to kill me himself. Maybe the cartel isn’t who I should be afraid of, perhaps it’s him.

  “No, I never would have gone to the authorities,” I quickly explain. “That’s not what this was about. I just wanted to be known for investigative journalism. I would have taken it to the New York Times or some other publication.”

  “So you weren’t going to turn me into the authorities. Your plan was to expose me to the entire world. What do you think happens after that? You think the authorities would just ignore everything? You’re lucky you got caught. You know that, right? If you had gone along with your plan and gotten away with it, there would be no saving you. You wouldn’t have just taken me down. You would have taken a lot of people down. A lot of very powerful people who wouldn’t think twice about making you disappear,” he snarls at me.

  “I know, I know. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was just looking for a break. I am just a nobody. I’m here with my dad. I didn’t even want to come, but he made me.”

  “You’re here with your dad? Who’s your dad?” He begins to worry because he has no clue who my father might be.

  “Senator Johnson,” I reply, hoping that his name will be enough to save me.

  “Senator Johnson is your father? You realize I’m his accountant, right?”

  “Yes, I’m very well aware,” I admit. Knowing who my father is doesn’t seem to be impacting my situation one bit. Maybe he doesn’t like my dad either; a lot of people don’t.

  “His information is in those files as well. Quite a bit of information, actually. You were willing to throw him under the bus as well to make a name for yourself? Your own father?” He turns his head and gives me some serious side-eye.

  “Yeah, well, he and I don’t have the greatest relationship,” I try to reason with him.

  “Yeah, but that’s fucking cold. So, your old man, what has he said to you about me? Is he what got you interested in seeing what’s in that computer?”

  “I wish I could say yes, but he doesn’t tell me anything. He only talks to me when I’m in trouble. I just came looking to eavesdrop on conversations looking for gossip. Once you approached me, I thought that maybe you were my way in to finding out some things that I wanted to know,” I say.

  “And look at you now,” he says, licking his lips.

  Dimos enters the room with Carlos right behind him.

  “Our team has met with yours, and they know the rules. We’re pleased with what we see, and we’re trusting you to keep her on your radar at all times. Do not fuck this up! There won’t be any second chances,” Dimos confirms.

  “Understood,” Brandon replies. “You have nothing to worry about. I will see to it that she never escapes the walls within my home,” he glares at me.

  “Don’t be shocked if we pop in now and again just to make sure she’s here at all times,” he warns.

  “Of course. My door is always open to you,” Brandon says, but I can tell that he doesn’t mean it.

  Dimos nods at Brandon. “We’ll be in touch.”

  The two men turn around and walk out of the room, leaving Brandon and me alone once again. There is an eerie feeling in the room, and I do not like the energy I’m feeling.

  What in the hell could possibly happen next?

  Chapter 8

  Brandon

  Jesus fucking Christ! I cannot believe the nightmare that this evening has become. My events are always the talk of the political world, but I’m missing it because I have to deal with this bullshit. Not only that, but I still have a lot of people that I didn’t get to speak to. How am I supposed to promise to make it worth their while to vote in the way I need them to if I don’t get any face time with them? This is bullshit! All because I couldn’t wait to put my dick into some young broad.

  Holy shit, I need to get ahold of myself. I was seconds away from the cartel doing me in forever, and I’m worried about politics? I should be reflecting on how lucky I am to be alive, but the old saying is true: a man’s work is never done. Besides, the same people who were wanting to kill me are going to have me on a very short, tight leash for the foreseeable future and I need this legislation to go my way if I don’t want my work for them to become even more difficult than it is right now.

  After closing and locking my office door, I take a seat in my chair and turn away from Chloe. Taking my fingers, I rub my temples in an attempt to alleviate the massive headache that’s developing. Stress is a powerful thing and I’m just now realizing how relieved I am that the cartel aren’t going to be taking this mistake out on me. At least not yet, and hopefully they never will as long as I don’t fuck this up somehow. I know I need to be careful and plan to be extra cautious going forward.

  The more I think about things, the easier it is for that feeling of relief to start becoming a feeling of excitement. I’m excited by the fact that I now have what I’ve wanted, or even needed, so desperately for so long. I’m excited by the fact that I now have a slave. I now have someone that I can use to take out every single sexual depravity that I have on. I now have someone I can use to make sure I never want for anything I desire for. I also now have someone I can take all of my anger out on, which I’ve needed a place to funnel that for quite some time anyway.

  I started the evening off angry and the more I dwell on things, the worse the anger becomes. Originally, I was angry about the situation with my ex, but now I’ve added a second woman to intensify those feelings. Who in the fuck does she think she is? How dare she try to break into my computer? I know she’s already given her explanations, but I’m not sure I can take those at face value. Why would I believe anything she has to say? I’m certain she was trying to save her own ass, but instead, she’s gotten herself into a much worse situation. Well, worse for her at least.

  “Oh my God, you saved my life!” Chloe says from behind me.

  Why in the world is this bitch talking to me? I am not in any mood to deal with her bullshit. I just want to sit here in silence while I figure out what my next move is going to be, but I have a feeling she isn’t going to let me do that. Almost as if she was right on cue, she continues her babble.

  “Seriously, I want to thank you so much. I’m pretty sure that man was going to kill me.”

  “You shouldn’t be pretty sure, you should be positive. I assure you that had I not intervened, he would have taken you somewhere and put a bullet in your skull,” I reply, realizing she isn’t going to shut the fuck up.

  “I know, and I didn’t mean to turn into this babbling idiot. I don’t know what came over me, but fear will do that to you. I’m really stronger than that, but you wouldn’t know from that performance. Seriously, I want to thank you so much for convincing them not to kill me. You just let me know what I can do to repay you and I’ll make it happen.”

  I turn to look at her, not even trying to hide the agitated look on my face. Is she being serious or is she testing me? For such a smart girl, she’s good at playing dumb. Or could it be that she isn’t playing at all?

  “What do you mean, Chloe? You heard the deal that I made with the cartel. The way you’re going to repay me has already been made and the decision is set in stone.”

  Chloe begins to laugh. Apparently she thinks this is some kind of joke or a game I’m playing. She doesn’t understand that the cartel doesn’t play games and neither do I.

  I turn my chair around and sit staring at her completely stone faced. Her laughter stops almost as quickly as it began when she realizes I’m not laughing along with her.

  “All t
hat stuff about me being your slave? Surely you weren’t being serious bout that.”

  “Oh, I was being a serious as can be. As serious as a heart attack.”

  Chloe stands up off the couch defiantly, showing that strong side that she was just talking about. I can see the wheels turning in her head and the look of disbelief on her face.

  “No fucking way,” she says loudly. “This is the most insane thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Seriously, do you hear yourself, dude? You want me to be your sex slave? There is no way in hell I would ever agree to that! This is crazy.”

  “What do you mean there’s no way you’d ever agree to this? You’ve already agreed. You couldn’t have forgotten so quickly. This conversation just happened,” I quip, being as condescending as I possibly can.

  “What? No, I didn’t!”

  “You most certainly did. I asked if you were prepared to be my slave in exchange for your life. You said yes. You don’t get to change your mind now that there is no longer a gun being pointed at your head.”

  “I mean, yeah, I know what I said, but I didn’t think it was serious.”

  “You’re not making any sense, Chloe. Why would I say it if I wasn’t being serious?”

  “Because the cartel was threatening you too! I assumed you said what your said because you were afraid you’d be killed right along with me. I only agreed because I thought it was a trick on the cartel to get them to let us go.”

  I start laughing loudly. With how stressful the night has gone, even I’m surprised by my reaction. The laughter grows as I think about what she just said. Before I know it, I’m laughing so hard that tears are streaming down my cheeks. Looking at Chloe, I can see that she isn’t amused, which makes me laugh even harder.

  “You thought we were tricking the cartel?” I ask as I try to regain my composure. “Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? You don’t trick the cartel. Nobody tricks the cartel. They’re the god damn cartel! They’d have my head for lying to them!”

  Chloe is going through all the stages of emotion in her head. She’s moved from disbelief to anger of her own. Her face is turning red and she has balled her hands into fists so tight that I can see her fingernails digging into her skin.

  “This is where I have to put my foot down,” Chloe yells. “I’m standing my ground on this one and there isn’t anything you can say or do to change my mind on this one. Those men were thugs who were only looking to intimidate me. I’m sure that they’ll forget all about me and our little arrangement before the night is over.”

  “So just to be clear, what are you telling me?”

  “I’m telling you that I’m a slave to no one!”

  She wasn’t kidding when she said she was standing her ground. She was glaring at me, waiting for any type of response. I truly think she believed everything she just said, but in reality, she doesn’t have a clue.

  “That’s fine.”

  “That’s fine? Just like that?”

  “Well, yeah. What do you want me to say? You said you’re a slave to no one. I’m not going to force you into something you don’t agree to.”

  “Oh, wow, I figured you were about to put up a fight over that. Listen, I’m really sorry for any trouble I caused tonight. I promise I’ll find a way to make it up to you. I’m just going to go find my dad and get out of here.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that.”

  “What do you mean? You just told me that you aren’t going to make me do something I don’t agree to. Well, I sure as fuck don’t agree to this so I’m going to go.”

  “No, what you’re going to do is sit your ass back on that couch and you’re not going to move until you’re told to. It’s no problem if you don’t want to agree to the deal we made. I think it’s fucked up, but it’s your choice. Now that I know what the deal is, I just need to call Dimos and let him know that you’ve decided against the deal after all. He’ll decide how to deal with you after that.”

  “You wouldn’t dare. That’ll look just as bad for you.”

  “I’m not the one who made an agreement and went back on it,” I tell her as I pull out my phone to call the cartel. Pressing the button, I put it up to my ear.

  “Wait, hang up the phone!” She pleads. “Don’t call them back in here. Did you see the look in their eyes? They have bloodlust. They’ll kill me with no hesitation. Look, I’m not your typical weak little girl, but I am begging you to have mercy on me. I have my entire life ahead of me and it’s not fair for me to spend it locked up in someone’s house. If you just let me leave, I’ll never reveal any of the information I learned here tonight.”

  “Is that right?,” I ask. “And why should I believe what you’re telling me?”

  “You’ve got the flash drive. You can destroy it before I even walk out the door. Without the flat drive, it would be my word against yours. I wouldn’t even be able to get anyone to listen to the story without any evidence.”

  “That sounds good in theory, but right now, I need you to know where my mindset is. I trust you just about as far as I can throw you. I’m willing to do a lot of things, but risking my own life for yours is not something I’m willing to do. I’m going to make this abundantly clear one more time. You only have two choices in this matter. You can either stay as my slave and I’ll make sure you’re very well taken care of, or you can die.”

  The confidence in her eyes has faded once again. The look on her face is one of defeat as she begins to realize that if she wants to stay alive, she doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Part of me wants to feel bad for her, but I can’t. She made her bed and now she has to deal with the confidence of her own actions.

  “Okay,” she whispers, choking back tears. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  “Good girl,” I reply.

  On my cell phone, I punch in the number of Thomas Dotson, the head of my security staff and asked him to meet me in my office. He arrives within a couple of minutes.

  “I need you to take Chloe to my bedroom,” I order. “I need you to remove the telephone before you leave and then lock the door from the outside.”

  He nods, grabs Chloe by the arms and leads her to the door.

  “Chloe, I’ll be in to speak with you shortly,” I whisper as they exit, heading down the hall towards my room.

  Chapter 9

  Chloe

  Feelings of panic rush over me as the bedroom door closes behind me, and I hear the sound of the key locking it from the other side. It may not be a federal institution, but for all intents and purposes, the room I’m standing in may very well be my personal prison.

  Taking slow, deep breaths in and out, I’m able to slow my heart rate before a full-blown panic attack sets in. I won’t say I’m relaxed, but I’ve managed to calm myself down enough that I’m able to think a bit more clearly.

  The first realization that jumps out at me is how eerily quiet the room is. The only thing I can hear is the faint sound of the second hand ticking from the clock hanging on the wall. This wouldn’t typically be anything that would cause alarm, but there is a large and rather loud event taking place on the floor below me. In the hallway just outside the bedroom door, I could hear the party, but there is nothing but silence inside the room.

  Soundproof. The room is silent! What kind of person needs a place that is soundproof? One with bad intentions, that’s who.

  Even though I’ve managed to calm myself down somewhat, my adrenaline is still very much flowing. Pacing back and forth from the door to the wall is all I can do. I’m stunned. Absolutely stunned. I can’t believe he’s serious about all of this. I can’t believe he really intends to keep me locked up in this room as his slave.

  I don’t want to be a slave. I am not a submissive person, and taking orders from someone is something I’m not sure I can handle for an extended period of time. I have my entire life in front of me. I have a fucking future. Sure, I might not be in school right now, but I am going to be a journalist one way or another. Is he really goin
g to take all of that away from me? How can making one mistake mean everything is over for me? My mistake did not have to be a life sentence. Who the hell does he think he is getting to play the role of the judge and the jury?

  What am I supposed to do now? Just sit here and wait for Brandon to come back? What happens after he returns? What is he going to expect from me? As someone who thrives on knowledge, I hate not knowing what to expect next. I can feel the sadness welling up inside of my chest. I’m about to lose it.

  Feeling my knees begin to weaken, I fall face-first onto the bed and start crying into the pillow. At first, I force myself to cry quietly until I remember that nobody outside the door is going to be able to hear me. That realization makes everything so much worse.

  At least I’m not dead. I have that going for me. Being shot in the head was the worst-case scenario here, but is this really a better option? At least if I was dead, the nightmare would be over. What will my life be like now? Will I just sit around waiting for him to pull me out like a toy whenever he wants to play with me? Will that be the only human interaction I have for the rest of my life?

  If I’m stuck here, how am I ever supposed to find my purpose in life? Certainly, this isn’t meant to be my life’s purpose. Where will I find joy?

  I’m trying desperately to control my tears, but I’m having trouble doing so. I know he expects me to be submissive to him in every way, so I don’t want to appear weak if he comes back in soon. Fuck that! I can’t just sit around here waiting like I’m a wounded duck waiting to be put out of my misery. I need to get out of here!

  Lifting myself up off the bed, I start looking for a way out of this mess. Starting at the door, I begin making my way around the room. I pull the curtains away from the windows only to find that they are locked tightly. No amount of force I try is able to make the locking mechanisms budge.