Animal: A Prisoned Spinoff Standalone

by Marni Mann

  I turned my body toward him. “Dean, let’s talk.” I paused, waiting for some type of strange response, but he said nothing. “I brought you here before taking you home because I want to get myself a special present. Something beautiful. Something I’ll keep for the rest of my life to always remind me of you. Wouldn’t you like me to have something like that?”

  He nodded.

  We sat so close, the outside of my thigh touched his. My lips wouldn’t go anywhere near him, and I really didn’t want my hands to either, so I leaned just slightly into his arm. The new angle gave him a much better view of my chest.

  “Look, Dean.” I pointed at the stage. “Do you see that?”

  “An animal?”

  I smiled even though he couldn’t tell with the scarf blocking my cheeks. When he finally glanced back at me, I said, “Yes, an animal is up there. And all those animals are holding extra-special presents. One of the presents is going to be just perfect for me.”

  The announcer’s voice clapped through the speakers as he moved on from the painting, and dings followed until the bidding closed. None of it seemed to capture Dean’s attention.

  “You want it?” he asked.

  “Yes, I want it, and I’d like you to buy it for me. Do you think you can do that?”

  He nodded again and tried to stand up, but I stopped him.

  “No, Dean, you can’t just go up there. You have to use this.” I showed him the remote. “When something comes on the stage that you think I should have, I want you to tell me, and I’ll hit this button.” My finger hovered over the green one. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Now, what do you want me to have?”

  He gazed at the stage and watched the giraffe holding a box that contained a man’s watch.

  “No,” he slurred.

  At least he knew that wouldn’t be the right gift for me. Maybe he was processing this better than I’d thought.

  While Dean continued to gaze at the stage, I took a peek around the room. Mina hadn’t told me that much about the operations of The Auction. I knew we weren’t allowed to just show up. Reservations had to be made well in advance, and our information had to be provided to whoever ran things here. But details—such as who all these people were, where they’d gotten these items to sell, and how the police didn’t find out about this place—I didn’t know.

  And I didn’t think I ever would.

  “Turn your eyes to the tiger,” the announcer said. “Item number eight-seven-three-nine-six-nine is now up for bid.”

  I felt something on my arm. When I looked down, Dean was rubbing my elbow with just the top of his knuckles. It didn’t come across as sexual, more like a gesture to get my attention.

  “That,” he said, nodding toward the stage.

  My eyes flitted to the back of the room where a tiger stood in the center. Hanging around her neck was a diamond on a simple silver chain. Even from all the way over here, I could tell how large and beautiful it was.

  Excitement sparked in my stomach. “You want me to have the necklace?”

  “Yes.”

  I held my thumb over the green button. “Tell me when to press it, okay?”

  “This is a five-point-three-carat diamond,” the announcer said. “Cut, round. Color, D. Clarity, IF. Bidding starts at sixty thousand.”

  Dean rubbed my arm a little harder. I took that as his way of telling me to hit the button, so I did. Then, I heard the beep immediately.

  “Bidding is now sixty-five thousand.”

  Dean’s finger pushed further into my skin, and I responded.

  “Bidding is now seventy thousand.”

  I knew the limit on his credit card, his annual income, how much he had paid for his house, that he hired escorts to come to his place on the nights he didn’t feel like going out. So, I knew he could afford this necklace. I just feared the price would get too high, and he would start having second thoughts. Before that became an issue, I needed to give him a little encouragement. If the man loved sex enough to pay for it, then that was something I could use to my advantage. And, just because I promised it didn’t mean I would ever follow through with it.

  “Dean,” I groaned into his ear, “how would you like it if we went to your house after this? If I walked you to your bedroom, sat you on your bed, and slowly took off all my clothes until I had only the necklace on?”

  “Bidding is now eighty thousand.”

  “And then I took that diamond and stuck it on my tongue, getting it all nice and wet, and then rubbed it so, so gently over the tip of your dick.”

  “Bidding is now eighty-five thousand.”

  “Would you like to see how pretty that diamond looked on my naked body? And how it would feel on top of my tongue when I sucked you off?”

  The sound of his breathing told me that he liked the thought of it, and so did the way he dug his nails into my skin.

  I tapped the button.

  “Sold to number twenty.”

  I had won the necklace.

  More importantly, I had gotten Dean to spend eighty-five thousand dollars.

  Wynter hadn’t told me how much she’d earned during her first auction. My total could have been so much lower than hers, making me look like a complete fool. Or maybe my number was much higher, and Mina would be prouder of me than she’d been of Wynter.

  Dean gazed at me, his finger still on my arm. I wasn’t sure if he remembered what number we were.

  “We got it,” I told him. “The necklace is ours.”

  “Yours.”

  God, I loved the sound of that. “Yes. Mine.”

  A man approached our love seat in a costume identical to the bartender’s—a deer mask on his face and brown paint on his torso. “Number twenty”—he wasn’t asking—“please come with me.”

  Dean and I followed him through the crowd, and I noticed all the employees were dressed as deer, even the women. The only other animals were the ones on the stage. And, because of the reach of the skull’s horns, they all seemed to walk so gingerly.

  The deer stopped along the side of the room, close to the partition of glass, and pressed his hand somewhere near the floor. A door opened—one that blended in so perfectly, I never would have known it was there.

  The hallway we stepped into was dark. Like the entrance, sconces lit the way until we reached a small room with a table and computer.

  “Your signature is required at the bottom,” the deer said, holding out a piece of paper.

  I grabbed it, placing it in front of Dean. I couldn’t predict what Dean’s response would be, so I thought, if I translated what needed to be done, it would move along faster.

  I lifted a pen off the table. “Before we can go back to your house, you need to sign this, Dean.”

  Dean took the pen and scratched his name on the required line.

  “Cash or credit?” the deer asked.

  “Credit,” I answered. I leaned into Dean’s ear. “Pay the man, baby, so he’ll give us the diamond, and I can put it on my body.”

  Dean took out his wallet and handed the deer his credit card. The deer went over to the computer, typed something into the keyboard, and returned a few seconds later. He asked for another signature and went back to the computer. With Dean being a little more talkative out in the main room, I expected him to say something even if it were just a word or two. But his lips stayed closed, his eyes on me, his knuckle still on my elbow.

  When the deer came back a third time, he handed us a small velvet bag. Before I got a chance to thank him, he turned around and left the room. Just as the latch clicked into place, a couple walked in. The woman’s long dark hair was in a messy braid resting on her bare shoulder, and I noticed tattoos on the man’s fingers. Both had on bright pink scarves.

  “Tye,” the woman said, stepping closer to me.

  I instantly recognized Mina’s voice, but I didn’t speak her name in fear that I wasn’t supposed to.

  “Dean,” the tatto
oed man said as he approached. “A limo is outside, waiting to drive you home. Come with me, and I’ll take you to it.”

  “Home,” Dean said.

  “Yes, home,” the tattooed man repeated.

  Dean’s hand left my elbow, and he followed the tattooed man out the door, never looking back at me once.

  After it closed, Mina stepped closer and rested her hand on my shoulder. “You did amazingly well tonight, yerekha.”

  “Where is he taking Dean?”

  “Home.”

  Her answer mattered although I wasn’t sure why. I had no connection to Dean whatsoever. But getting eighty-five thousand out of him was enough. I didn’t want anything else to happen to him, too.

  “Will he get there safely? Or is there a part of this you haven’t told me?”

  “Keep your voice down,” she spoke through gritted teeth in a tone I’d never heard from her before.

  I didn’t like it, and I didn’t like the way it made me feel.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, speaking just above a whisper, “but will he be okay?”

  “You were hired to pick up the mark, bring him here, and get him to spend as much money as possible. You weren’t hired to ask questions or to care about what might happen to him. He’s a number to us. Nothing more. You’ll have a new mark waiting in your email tomorrow morning, and this entire process will repeat. Do you understand?”

  I nodded, my hands shaking. I squeezed them together to try and still them.

  “Good. I knew you would.” She picked up a chunk of my hair and gently twirled the end, softly setting it back down. “I’m so proud of you, yerekha.”

  I wanted to make her proud and happy with everything I’d done tonight. Knowing I’d upset her enough to raise her voice killed me.

  As I thought about what she’d said, I realized she was right. I had to shut off my emotions and treat these marks like they were just a number. I couldn’t care about what happened to them once they walked out the door. My only objective was to bring the men here and make money for The Achurdy, which ultimately meant more money for myself.

  “I’ll do better next time,” I said. “I promise.”

  “But you did so well this time. You broke the record.”

  The pain in my stomach started to dissolve. My hands stopped shaking. I was smiling behind my scarf, and I was sure Mina could see it on my lips.

  “I did?”

  “Wynter set the previous record at seventy-two thousand. Do you know what this means?”

  I shook my head.

  “It means, you were made for this job, and you’re going to be my top girl. Wouldn’t you like that?”

  “Yes, I would love that.”

  If Mina thought I’d be her top girl, then that meant she wanted to keep me. All of the worry and anxiety had led me to this moment, and I had done better than any of the other girls on their first night.

  I’d made it.

  She held out her hand, and when I didn’t immediately respond, she said, “The diamond, yerekha.”

  I dropped the velvet bag onto her palm, and she tucked it inside her clutch. I hadn’t even gotten to see it, hold it, or try it on. It would never be mine.

  “The deposit will appear in your bank account tomorrow morning.”

  The money wasn’t going to go into the account I’d used all through high school and up until now. I still had that one, but The Achurdy had given me one, and that was where they’d pay me. When I had been hired, several thousand had been deposited. Mina had told me that it was money for me to live on until my commissions kicked in. If she thought I needed that much cash to survive, I couldn’t imagine what she considered a fair wage for tonight.

  “And I’ll be paid the morning after each job, right?” I clarified.

  “Yes. We’ll deposit your commission the following morning. The more you work and the higher you bid, the more you’ll make.”

  That sounded easy enough.

  When you’d lived on so little for so long, any amount sounded like a lot. But these amounts weren’t just a lot. They were life-changing, as she had promised.

  “Tomorrow, I want you to spoil yourself rotten. Have Wynter give you the name of the spa we all go to, and let them pamper you all day. You’ve earned it.”

  Wynter had told me about some of the treatments she’d gotten done there, and I never understood why she needed it. She had perfect skin and an unbelievable body. But maybe that was just it. She didn’t need it; she wanted it and had the money to spend.

  It was hard to believe I would ever get to that point.

  “I’ll think about it,” I finally answered.

  “Oh, yerekha, this is just the beginning. Soon, you’ll be living a life you only dreamed about.”

  “It’s hard to wrap my head around that.”

  She looped her arm through mine and led me to the door, standing just beside it. “When you see a beautiful car on the road, you’ll soon have the money to buy it. You’ll have your jewelry custom-made, purses straight from the designers, clothes from the runways in Paris. It’ll all be yours.”

  Money was something that went toward bills. It wasn’t supposed to be spent foolishly. It was like food—a means to survive and nothing more.

  Until now.

  “I have a lot to learn, I guess.”

  “Wynter will help. So will I. But I want you to remember, every dollar in that account is yours. You don’t have to share it with anyone, especially not your family, and no one will ever take it away from you.”

  Mine, I repeated in my head.

  “So, what happens now?” I asked. “Do I stick around until The Auction closes?”

  “No, honey, it’s time for you to go home and relax. When you wake up tomorrow morning, check your email for your next mark, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow night. We’d like to put you on three nights a week for now. As you get more experience, that will increase to four or sometimes five nights. Does that sound okay to you?”

  “It sounds perfect.”

  She turned the handle, and we moved out into the hallway. After a few paces, we paused in front of an elevator. Mina hit a button on the wall, and the door slid open.

  “A limo is waiting for you outside. Don’t forget to leave the scarf in the back seat. You get a new one for each auction.” She released my arm and held the elevator open, signaling for me to step inside. “Make sure to wake Wynter when you get home. She’s going to be so proud of you when she hears what you’ve accomplished.”

  “Okay”—I couldn’t stop smiling—“I will.”

  “I love you, yerekha. Sleep well.”

  The door shut before I had a chance to tell her how much I loved her.

  And I truly did.

  Mina gave me more encouragement and care than my own family.

  That was all I had ever wanted.

  Now, I had it.

  I had everything.

  Beard

  Layla and I weren’t scheduled to meet Panig until ten that morning. But, by six, I was staring at the fucking ceiling, unable to sleep. Last night kept replaying in my mind, and nothing I did would make it stop—not downing shots of vodka, not even making a late-night run to the strip club so that Lefty could suck me off.

  I’d now seen Layla’s pussy twice, and neither time, I’d touched it. That was a record for me and one I wasn’t proud of.

  She knew I wanted her. She knew her girlfriend was a consolation prize. She had to know I wasn’t a patient man, and I wouldn’t put up with this for much longer. If things were going to be strictly business, then she needed to keep her cunt covered. But, if things were going to become more, she would have to let me taste it.

  Fuck this shit.

  I was going to get my answer now.

  I got in the shower and quickly washed my body, making sure Lefty’s scent wasn’t anywhere on my flesh. When I stepped out of the tub, I dried myself off and walked to my suitcase, throwing on the outfit that was folded on top. Once my wallet and ph
one were in my pockets, I went downstairs and had the valet pull up my car.

  I was parked outside of Layla’s building for only a few seconds when the stripper came out the front door. She was in tight black yoga pants, a sports bra, and sneakers with buds in her ears and her cell strapped to her bicep. I watched her thick ass jog up the parallel street until she disappeared from my view.

  I couldn’t have planned this better.

  I dug out my phone and started typing.

  Me: You awake?

  Her reply came back within seconds. As my business broker, I fucking loved how tuned in she was to work. As someone who liked to show me her pussy, I appreciated that she wasn’t playing hard to get.

  Layla: Yes.

  Me: Busy?

  I thought I knew the answer already, but I didn’t want to tell her I was parked outside her building, like a fucking head case.

  Layla: Just drinking coffee. I’ll need a few more cups before my brain really turns on. Why? What’s up?

  I’d come here without a plan. I just knew I needed to see her and get all this shit straightened out. But, if I told her I wanted to talk about last night, there was a chance she’d put me off until our meeting later. I couldn’t wait that long.

  My eyes shifted a little to the right, and I immediately had an idea.

  Me: I wanna see the building in the light. Headed there now. Meet me?

  Layla: As long as you ignore my lack of a suit, absolutely.

  I wished she’d wear as little as she’d had on last night when she was spread across her bed.

  Me: See you in 5 minutes.

  Layla: I’ll bring the coffee.

  I sent a few texts to Shank and Diego, making sure everything was all good at the prison. Shank responded with a screenshot of The Pit. It looked like there were two new arms, a foot, and what appeared to be an ear on the ground.

  Fuck, I missed the screams.

  I locked up my car, and by the time I got to her building, Layla was waiting for me outside, holding two plastic to-go mugs. She wore the same pants as the stripper, which cupped her pussy and showed the slim gap between her delicious thighs. Her tank was cut low, revealing the bulge of her tits, and there was a Dolphins hat on her head.