‘Don’t you already have a girlfriend?’ I asked.
The question was sufficient to dent his fragile façade. He muttered a negative response before leaving abruptly. I was not disturbed again until a guard brought my breakfast a little later in the morning. Like everyone I had thus far seen on the boat apart from the two men in charge, he was Asian.
I wondered how long he had been at sea. How long since he had been with a woman. It was unlikely that these guards were allowed to mess with the prisoners. As he put the cereal bowl on the table, I caught him eyeing me up.
‘Why don’t you stay with me for a while,’ I said. ‘It gets very lonely here by myself.’
I sat down and unbuttoned the top two buttons of my blouse, teasing him with the merest suggestion of cleavage. My boobs are not massive, but for this part of the world they were well above average size. I was confident they would be better than anything he had seen before.
He appeared confused and I did not know whether it was because he had not understood me or because he knew that whatever was to potentially happen next would land him in serious trouble.
‘It’s okay,’ I said. ‘I will not bite, at least, not unless you want me to.’
I scooped up some bran and let the milk seep onto my spoon. As I brought it to my mouth, I let the fluid dribble down my chin and onto my chest.
‘I can be so clumsy sometimes,’ I said, rubbing the liquid over my skin with my free hand.
Subtlety was not something I had ever needed when it came to men. Unfortunately, this time I seemed to have overdone it. He nervously made a move for the door.
‘Wait,’ I called, careful that my words would not leave the confines of the cell. ‘Please stay. I will not tell anybody. It will be our secret.’
He poked his head out into the corridor and had a quick glance either side before coming back into the cell. He then pushed back the door, leaving it slightly ajar. Any approaching footsteps could still be clearly heard, but if he was caught with me behind a closed door questions would be asked. I slid off my chair and onto my knees. I then made my way to him making sure that I kept eye contact the whole time. I fumbled about with his belt buckle whilst keeping my gaze focused firmly on his. You should always maintain eye contact when giving a blow job.
I could see that he was nervous. Sweat dripped from his brow, but he was powerless to resist as I slowly loosened his gun belt and removed it from his waist. Thankfully, I managed to get the gun in my hands without having to go near his cock. A girl has to have clearly defined boundaries. As I rose to my feet, I kept the weapon targeted squarely at his chest. I had never pulled a trigger before, but at this distance it was impossible to miss. The only problem I now faced was how to stop him from raising the alarm once I left the cell. I took a step back to bring me closer to the table. I reached down and picked up the cereal bowl with my left hand and tossed the contents onto the floor. I then threw it to him and he caught it with both hands.
‘Knock yourself out,’ I ordered.
‘Wha?’ he protested.
‘Knock yourself out,’ I repeated.
This time I did a simple mime for him. When he did not do as told, I waved the gun a little. He quickly responded by ramming the bottom of the bowl into his forehead. The resulting blow appeared painful, but he remained conscious.
‘Again,’ I ordered.
As the bowl connected with his skull a second time it cracked in two, splitting evenly down the centre. He looked back at me almost apologetically. I have to admit that I felt bad for the poor guy. I have seen men demean themselves in my time, but this was a new low.
Before I had time to come up with another plan, his body stiffened and his eyes rolled back into his head as he fell limply to the floor. Clay was now standing before me and he had a pistol in his hand. He held it by the barrel with the handle facing outwards.
‘Did you really think that would work?’ he asked. ‘I mean, seriously, asking a man to knock himself out with a cereal bowl.’
I blushed as I took a moment to go over the plan retrospectively in my head.
‘The next time I need to get a man out of my way, I will just shoot him,’ I said, hoping to regain a bit of kudos.
He saw through my bluff immediately. I never was a particularly good actress. Before I could take in what was happening, I found myself passing the gun to Clay, whilst two more armed guards pointed machine guns at my tits. I guess the barrel just follows their eye line.
As the unconscious soldier was carried out of the cell and dragged away down the corridor, I felt a brief pang of guilt. The poor bastard was likely to meet with his fate long before me. Unlike me, he had no bargaining power.
‘You’ve had your little fun, now it’s time to talk figures,’ said Clay. ‘I want to know how much you are worth. What is the going rate for a rich bitch like you?’
‘Are you asking me to set my own ransom? Isn’t that your job? What kind of kidnapper are you?’
His presence visibly shrunk.
‘Are you actually in charge or should I be speaking to your boyfriend?’ I asked.
‘You better watch your mouth,’ he snapped. ‘I’ve been running girls through this continent for some time now and I have dealt with smarter than you. Now that I know your daddy is such a big shot, I am thinking that I should raise my price a little. I may even be able to start a bidding war as that South American mercenary proved there is more than one interested party.’
If he thought the senator would pay even a dollar for me, he was mistaken. In fact, I could not think of anyone who valued me less than the man who had raised me.
‘I would not build your hopes up,’ I told him. ‘I’m valued a lot less than you think and you are only going to make yourself a liability. My father does not like publicity.’
He sniggered loudly.
‘You have to be kidding me,’ he replied. ‘Your father’s one of the biggest media whores there is. Hell, I would not be surprised if he released a song about the whole ordeal just to milk the public’s sympathy as well as their purse strings. He could potentially make more money out of this whole affair than me.’
At first I was confused, but then it hit me. Ben really had talked last night and I absolutely loved him for it. Clay actually believed that I was just some Hollywood rich kid. Manipulating this idiot was going to be even easier than I had thought.
‘You should ask for at least seven figures,’ I told him. ‘Dad made over thirty million dollars last year from touring alone.’
His face lit up. The fool was already writing cheques in his mind. This was the happiest I had ever made a man without taking my clothes off.
I told him that I was only prepared to co-operate provided that he did not harm Ben or the girls. Despite knowing that there would never be any money paid to secure my release, it was important that I did everything I could to buy time whilst I waited for Esteban to bring help. The more concessions that I asked for, the more believable was my ruse. By the time Clay left, my bargaining position had improved considerably.
***
Barrett made a full recovery and was back on his feet by my second day on the boat. This was a real pity as Clay would never be as susceptible to my wiles with his buddy still around. I needed to keep both on side in order to delay them from making the call to my “father” for as long as possible.
‘This doesn’t seem right,’ said Barrett. ‘We already have a good offer on the table; why risk it? If we start an unnecessary auction we could draw attention to ourselves. If that happens, she’ll be worth even less than those other whores waiting in the cargo hold.’
I am sitting right in front of you.
‘We shouldn’t rush this,’ replied Clay. ‘If we play it right, we can make enough to retire on. I agree with the girl: we should deal with her old man directly.’
‘You agree with her?’ asked Barrett, disbelief showing in his voice. ‘Since when did we let the merchandise have a say in how we run things?’
‘Her old man thinks she is on holiday,’ replied Clay. ‘He doesn’t even know she is missing. When he does not hear from her for a while, he will start to get nervous. That is when we should make our move.’
I nodded almost subconsciously. Barrett picked up on my movement in the corner of his eye and slammed his fist against the wall in anger. He winced as the force of the blow reverberated up his arm and across to his back wound. I tried hard not to laugh at him. He really was a complete tool. Clay stood up to try and calm his friend down, but the larger man was having none of it.
‘Are you fucking this bitch?’ asked Barrett.
‘This isn’t the time,’ replied Clay.
‘Just answer the question. Are you fucking this bitch?’
Right now I am fucking the pair of you and loving it.
‘No, I am not fucking her,’ said Clay.
You want to though.
Barrett glanced over at me and as he did so, he seemed to accept his partner’s denial and his temper cooled a little. This meant he was now a regular psychopath as opposed to a raving lunatic. I liked it when they bickered amongst themselves. The more Barrett tried to poison his friend against me, the more susceptible Clay became to my charms. After further deliberation they decided that they wanted to make the ransom demand without delay. I needed to think of an excuse quickly.
‘You’re forgetting about the time difference,’ I said. ‘America is sleeping right now. We should at least wait until tonight. Knowing Dad, he will become spooked if you wake him and then he’d be more likely to call the cops.’
I looked to Barrett, as he was the one that I knew I needed to convince the most. Thankfully, this time he did not voice an objection.
‘Tonight it is,’ said Clay. ‘We will come get you at eleven. I suggest you try to sleep this afternoon as it will be a long night.’
They both rose to leave.
‘Wait,’ I said. ‘There is one more thing.’
Clay turned back to face me, whilst Barrett just brushed my words aside.
‘I’m through with this bitch,’ said the larger of the men. ‘Whatever she wants; you can deal with it.’
With that, he disappeared into the corridor. The change was only slight, but with his friend gone, Clay softened a little.
‘This better not be a game,’ he said.
‘No games. I just want to see Ben. If I am going to co-operate, I want to know that he is okay.’
‘That’s not a problem.’
‘Alone,’ I added.
‘Forget it.’
‘In that case, the deal is off. Without my co-operation there will be no civilised negotiation. You will be forced to take a much more hostile approach and in turn, Dad is more likely to involve the police. Hell, he may even get the CIA onto you guys. Now wouldn’t that be ironic?’
‘I’ll give you five minutes.’
‘Half an hour.’
‘Don’t push me. Ten minutes and that is my final offer.’
‘Agreed.’
***
Ben was brought to my cell directly after lunch. This was another act of cruelty, which was most probably at Barrett’s insistence. He would have thought that we were less likely to be in the mood for sex directly after eating. What he had not realised was that my plan was far more noble than merely satisfying my carnal needs. Once we were alone, I told Ben what I had in mind.
‘You are planning to escape?’ he asked.
‘Tonight,’ I confirmed.
‘Is it even possible? They have us all under constant surveillance, they’re armed with machine guns and we are in the middle of the ocean, possibly hundreds of miles from the nearest land, which could be hostile even if we got to it.’
‘If you are after a dull life, you picked the wrong girl.’
At first, he was unsure, but then he relaxed and started to smile. It relieved me that they had not taken his spirit along with his freedom. Before seeing him again, I had worried that he might have been beaten or even tortured. Thankfully, he did not suffer from so much as a black eye.
‘I take it you already have a plan,’ he said.
This time I was the one smiling.
‘A master plan,’ I confirmed. ‘All you have to do is stay awake and stay alert. I will do the rest.
Chapter 3
Clay came to see me at precisely 6pm. I knew this only because he was wearing a watch. With no window or clock in my cell, it was not easy trying to keep track of the time. Fortunately, the ship ran to a timetable that was not too far removed from my own body clock. I generally woke shortly before breakfast and went to bed when I became tired. Food usually arrived not long after hunger set in. The only part of my day that did not run to a regular timetable was these unscheduled visits from Clay and they were becoming more frequent.
‘Have you had time to think about what you are going to say tonight?’ he asked.
What else did I have to do with my time apart from think? He made it sound like we were lab partners preparing a presentation together. I actually slept with my last lab partner. No way was this jerk going to be so lucky. All I intended to do was to make him think that he had a chance.
‘Is it not more traditional that you will be the one doing the talking? After all, it is not like I kidnapped myself.’
He sat on the bed. I stood and walked over to sit on the table. The more I kept my distance; the more he would want me.
‘I have been doing some research online,’ he said. ‘So far I have found no reference to you in any story relating to your father.’
Shit! – Had I been rumbled? If so, this would surely jeopardize any plan I had of escape. I had been counting on him not exposing my white lie for a little while longer. My future was collapsing around me and I had no idea how to stop it. Just moments earlier I was a million dollar hostage, but now I faced the prospect of being sold on as a cheap ten dollar whore.
‘I can explain,’ I offered.
‘You don’t have to explain,’ he said. ‘I know precisely what you are?’
‘You do?’
‘Yes.’
He paused, as if he was so proud of what he was about to tell me that he did not want to have to give the words up.
‘You were abandoned,’ he finally added.
‘I was abandoned?’ I replied, before quickly correcting myself; ‘I was abandoned.’
‘That’s right. Your parents gave you up. I can only imagine how that rejection must have made you feel.’
‘You have no idea how I feel.’
‘Do not be so sure. You and I have more in common than you might imagine.’
‘So what is your point?’
‘We don’t have to be enemies, you know.’
‘Er, yes, we do,’ I told him. ‘Friends do not hold one another to ransom. Or do you plan on switching places with me?’
‘Unfortunately, I am not worth quite so much. What I mean to say is that perhaps there is a way in which we can both profit from this venture.’
He gestured for me to move closer. I picked up a chair and moved it next to the bed. There was no way that I was going to share a mattress with him, but I needed to hear what he had to say.
‘Go on,’ I urged.
‘Don’t get me wrong,’ he began, ‘I am sure that your father loves you very much, but you cannot deny that you have not been deprived of so much by his giving you up. He owes you.’
He was playing straight into my hands. I had planned on seducing him to get what I wanted, but I now got the impression that he would soon be offering himself to me regardless. The fool actually believed he could get both the money and me.
‘So what are you saying; rather than issue a straight ransom demand you want me to try and extort money from him?’
‘Money that you are entitled to,’ he added.
I got back to my feet and began to pace around the small amount of floor space that I had been afforded
. I wanted him to think that I was seriously considering his offer. In truth, I had been thinking of pitching the same idea to him myself.
‘Like you say; this is money I am entitled to - so why should I share it?’
‘Need I remind you where you are?’
‘Okay, let me rephrase that. Why should we share it?’
His back tensed. It was time to move in for the kill. Weapon of choice; the kiss of death. There is nothing deadlier. I walked back to the bed and this time I did sit next to him.
‘You and I could be good together,’ I said. ‘Barrett may be your friend, but he is holding you back and we both know it. Come with me and I can get you more money than you could ever imagine.’
He did not take long to think it over.
‘What have you got in mind?’
This was too easy. The best part was that rather than thinking about how he could spend the money, I knew that he was only thinking about what he would do to me once we were free.
‘Firstly, you have to persuade Barrett to drop this whole ransom charade. From the impression I got, I do not think he was keen on the idea anyway. I will tell my father that I am in trouble and need money right away. He can afford it, so he won’t ask too many questions. I figure we can hit him for more cash maybe once a month.’
I leaned in to kiss him, but he placed his finger over my mouth when I was just inches away from his.
‘What about that boyfriend of yours?’ he asked. ‘Am I to believe that you’ve lost all affection for him all of a sudden?’
‘Do you really think that I see my future with him? I was only with him because he saved my life and that was down to luck more than anything. I think it’s about time that I got me a real man, don’t you?’
He slowly withdrew his finger and we kissed. I had to give him a taste of what he was to expect should he come through for me. He placed his right hand on my left breast, but I was quick to push it away.
Stealing Asia Page 17