by Marie James
I roll my shoulders and walk up to the man. Crouching down beside him I pat his pockets. “If I get stabbed with a used fucking needle,” I threaten as I reach into his pocket.
My fingers hit a roll, and my eyes go wide. Pulling the wad of cash from his pocket, I stare at the money. I grin up at Vito. “This may be easier than I thought.”
“Not so fast,” he says taking the cash from my hand. I watch as he pops the rubber band on the money. The twenty on the outside is protecting a roll of nothing but ones. “Less than a hundred here.”
Most people would put their larger bills on the inside of their money to make it look like they have less than they do. This idiot has done the complete opposite.
“Just look at it this way,” Vito says counting the money. “You’re debt just decreased by forty-two bucks.”
Frankie laughs, and it pisses me off so bad I want to kick the still sleeping guy on the ground.
“Come on,” Vito says stuffing the meager cash into his pocket. “We got a few more before the night ends.”
I follow him out of the alley just to walk a few blocks and take care of a few more guys. After the fourth guy, I’m pretty certain we’re just robbing people, and it sits heavy in my stomach. I constantly remind myself this is only a means to an end, but that was harder to swallow when the last guy fought back, and I was forced to pop him in the nose to relieve him of the thirty-eight dollars he had in his pocket.
“If I keep doing this,” I tell Vito wiping the vagrant’s blood off of my knuckles and onto my jeans, “I’m going to need some fucking gloves. I don’t want to walk away from this fucking job with AIDS or some shit.”
Both he and Frankie laugh at me as we walk back to the car. Frankie drives us back to the casino, and I follow them into the attached hotel. It’s only ten to twelve stories high, but the reception area is cleaner than I would’ve expected from the condition of the attached casino.
A short elevator ride, which required a key card Vito produced from his wallet, takes us to the tenth floor. Vito stops in front of a room and uses the same keycard to open it up. “This is where you will stay while you’re working off the money you owe,” he says stepping inside and flipping on the light.
The room is musty and hasn’t seen a renovation since probably the seventies. I can tell by just a quick look at the bed that I was probably more comfortable when I was in the desert. I guess I should be thankful they’re not keeping me in that dank room beside Vinnie’s office tied to a chair.
“Thanks, man,” I say with as much appreciation as I can muster.
“It’s not the best, but it could be worse,” Frankie says from the doorway.
“I’m not going to complain about a free room.”
They both laugh again as Vito turns to leave the room. “It’s not free Mr. Cock.” He pats his pocket where the money is that I pulled off the men is stashed. “You almost made enough tonight to clear the cost of the room.”
The door closes with a resounding thud as I realize I now owe more than the twenty thousand I was swindled into borrowing. Fuck. My. Life.
Chapter 17
Aviana
Twelve days. That’s how long Vito says I have until my dad’s extension is over. Less than two weeks and my borrowed time is over. I’m no closer to finding a way out of here than I was over a week ago when I arrived. Since Darby went to the casino opening thing with that guy Frankie, the other women have been even less welcoming. Catty to the point that when I enter a room, they pick their things up and leave.
I speak or say hello and they literally don’t even acknowledge my existence. It’s like seventh-grade year before my boobs came in all over again. You’d think grown women would be different than teenagers, but they’re not. I guess I should just be glad they ignore me rather than being aggressive. Small blessings; I guess I should count every one I get.
Darby only had a few books in her room, but I borrowed The Collector by John Fowles from her. Unaware of what it was about, I thought I’d give it a try. Turns out it’s about a girl getting abducted; her captor hoping she’ll fall in love with him. Needless to say, I didn’t get very far in it because it resonates and hits way too close to home with my situation right now. So it lies deserted on the bedside table.
I’ve yet to return the book to Darby because I’ve been distancing myself from everyone. I’m certain a doctor would diagnose me with depression at this point, but seriously, who wouldn’t be depressed dealing with the shitty hand my life has been dealt recently?
Darby has also seemed a little distant herself since her date. I want to ask her if she’s okay, but I’m not certain she’d want to talk to me about whatever happened while she was gone. I don’t know that I’d consider Darby a friend since I’m stuck in this situation, but the longer I go without seeing if she’s alright, the more guilt I feel over the entire situation.
I climb off my bed and head out toward her room. Rather than making it all the way to her room, I notice her sitting on the couch staring blankly at the TV, which is on mute.
“Hey,” I say sitting down on the cushion beside her.
“Hey,” she says in a less than Darby manner.
She sits silently with her eyes focused on the TV screen. I watch the muted TV for a while before speaking up.
“Are you okay?” I ask softly.
She frowns. “I don’t know.” It’s an honest answer, I can tell. What I’m not sure of is if she wants to talk to me about what’s going on.
I decide to push a bit, the worst thing she can do is tell me to fuck off.
“Did something happen on your date with Frankie?”
She huffs. “It wasn’t a date. He made sure everyone knew that.” She shakes her head in disappointment. “He let anyone who asked that I was pretty much a paid escort.”
I wince. It may be her job, but the exclusivity of this place somewhat protects the girls here since they only interact with the guys from the SINdicate.
“Asshole,” I mutter in her defense.
“And to top it off,” she continues, “He had me do a gangbang with some of the other guys. Now Vito is pissed at me, and he’s the best tipper.”
I reach for her hand and hold it without saying a word. I have no clue what to say in a situation like this.
“Most days are fine, but since that night, I can’t help but wonder if I’d be okay if I wasn’t here.” She sighs and drops her chin to her chest.
“Can you leave?”
She shakes her head no. “I have to fulfill my contract. If I try to leave there’s no telling what will happen to me.” With that information right there, I know these women are just as much captives as I am.
“And you can’t turn them down because you won’t meet the requirements of the contract,” I say absently.
She huffs a weak laugh. “I have no problem whatsoever with the sex. That’s the best part. Honestly, all of the sex is no different than life would be outside of the SINdicate.”
I tilt my head at her. She mentioned she was a stripper when Vito found her but never hinted that she was a hooker before coming here.
“I’m pretty much a nympho,” she admits with a smile. “I love the sex. All kinds, all the time. It’s being stuck in this building day in and day out that drives me crazy the most.”
I nod because I’m in the same mindset. I hate not being able to leave and at least, feel the breeze on my face, or run down to the store for a diet soda.
We chat for a little bit longer, and she seems to be in better spirits when I leave her on the couch to go to bed. I hope things begin to look up for her. I seriously miss having someone to talk to, and two depressed people talking to each other is a recipe for disaster.
***
The scratch of BT’s beard on my chin and cheeks is the sexiest thing I’ve felt in months. The rumble of his chest and the feel of his smiling upturned lips against the soft flesh of my stomach has me writhing under him. I moan softly when his hot tongue flicks my belly bu
tton and the sensitive skin just below it.
I’m in heaven. When I reached out to grip him through his jeans as we kissed, I fully expected him to push my hand away. A faint memory told me as I reached for him that he wouldn’t let this get any further than kissing. I must have broken down a barrier at some point because the feel of his hard, thick cock in my hand was heavenly.
He lifts his head slightly to smile at me, and I feel the cold metal of his dog tags tickle the swollen flesh at the apex of my thighs. The whisper soft touch is gone quickly only to be replaced with a skilled tongue and moving lips. I never knew I could enjoy teeth until BT bites my hardened clit and lashes at it with his tongue.
Gripping the sheets in my clenched fists, I’m certain I’ll tear them before long. The growl in his throat as I rotate my core against his working mouth tells me he probably wouldn’t mind if I rip them to shreds. With hands on the backs of my hips, he pushes my legs up higher and settles his full body on the bed, as if he plans to stay there a while. Fuck, at this point I hope he’s packed a bag and plans to move in.
Jesus, the scratch of that beard against my most sensitive flesh unravels me. Instinct is that I need to be quiet, but the assault I’m under makes it impossible. I release my death grip on the sheets and reach for his ruffled hair instead. The pleasure he’s giving me is so intense it’s borderline painful. I fist a clump of his hair and grind my hips harder against his mouth. He takes it in stride, licking and sucking on every inch of flesh his mouth and tongue can reach.
The orgasm of my lifetime begins at the base of my spine and low in my belly. The explosion from my climax has my back arching off of the bed and my eyelids fluttering. I’m liquid as I come down from my high. I crack an eye open as I feel him move on the bed.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he husks as he moves up my body.
I watch as he lines himself up at my center. “Are you ready for me?” He asks on a groan as he pushes the first bare inch inside of me.
Before I can answer with a resounding yes, he slams inside of me to the hilt.
I cry out. Sitting up in bed, confusion hitting me immediately as the room I’m forced to stay in comes into focus, and the dream of BT fades away. Just how my life would go, having the orgasm of a lifetime while sleeping instead of enjoying the real thing. My body still hums from what he was able to do to me while I dreamed.
Chapter 18
BT
“You were holding out on me Shane,” I tell the half-naked man as I pull another wad of cash from his back pocket.
The first night with Vito and Frankie was the only night they had me trolling for bums in the back alleys. I’m thinking they were trying to see if I’d actually participate. I must have passed with flying colors because the next night they had me busting down motel doors, much like they did to mine after the phone call with Vinnie.
It’s only taken a few nights of working with these guys to realize the way they operate. They’re preying on weak men; men who are so down on their luck they have no way of ever getting back on top. If they were even at the top at some point in their life.
Vito never tells me what each person owes; he just pockets every single penny we pull off of each guy. The motels have also disclosed that not only are these guys getting loans in cash from Vinnie, but there is also a narcotic element to their business. That, of course, is speculation since neither Vito nor Frankie will tell me one fucking detail about the organization. I’m just their muscle, a way to keep them from having to get their hands dirty or break out into a sweat.
I shove Shane back down on the bed. He’s so fucking high I don’t think he realizes completely what’s going on.
I hand the money to Vito and watch as he counts it. The amount really doesn’t matter; it’s not like I’m going to be working here to pay all the money off.
“Where to next, boss?” I follow Frankie out of the room.
“Crazy thing, Cock.” Yeah, they’ve both been calling me that. I remind myself to punch Shadow in the nose the next time I see his ass. “The last guy on our list is just a few doors down.”
We walk up a creaky flight of stairs and Frankie points to another door. The awesome thing about the motels and their occupants is that they are so old school they have actual keys to lock them and nine times out of ten the people inside are so drunk or high they don’t lock the doors. I check the doorknob and BINGO, unlocked. I shove the door open and shake my head when I see the guy inside with his head bent over a mirror covered in lines of coke. Expensive habit for a guy who’s borrowed money from Vinnie and his crew.
“What the fuck?” He yells but doesn’t release the rolled up bill in his hand. The white residue on his nostrils clearly indicates he’s been going at it a while.
I walk up and snatch the rolled up money out of his hand. Every penny counts right?
Just as I’m pulling him to his feet to check his pockets, I hear Vito say, “Jackpot!”
I look over at him and see him holding a duffle bag open. It is practically stuffed to the top with strapped up cash. I drop the guy back down and don’t even care that he’s practically slumped on the disgusting couch.
“That’s fucking mine!” He screams again. I look back at him. I can’t help but think he looks like the still-shot of a bank robber I saw on TV a few nights ago. This is fucking ridiculous.
“Only in Vegas,” I mutter as Vito zips up the bag and heads to the door.
I follow him out, and once we’re back in the car, I finally speak. “Half of that goes toward what I owe right?” From the looks of the amount of cash in that bag, it’s enough for them to cut me loose.
“That guy owed two grand. So, a thousand of this goes towards what you owe,” Frankie interrupts.
I hope the relief I feel doesn’t show. The last thing I need is to be turned loose before I find Aviana, but at the rate I’m going with these guys, I’m beginning to lose hope.
After driving in silence for a few minutes, Vito finally speaks up. “Let’s go get some pussy.”
“Hell yeah,” Frankie says. I see Vito sneer at him and wonder just what that pissed off look is about. It seems Frankie is grating on his nerves, and their already less than stellar working relationship is even more strained.
“I’m here to work,” I tell Vito. “I don’t have time to waste hunting down and trying to find a chick to fuck.” Sex is the last thing on my mind, but worse yet is being put in a situation where they expect me to fuck some random girl as a means to prove my forced loyalty to the SINdicate.
“There’s always time to worry about pussy,” Frankie says with a quick laugh.
“I got just the place, Cock,” Vito says with a huge smile. “Full of an array of women guaranteed to be a sure thing.”
Jesus, we’re going to a whore house.
Confusion washes over me as we pull up to the valet in front of The Golden Dragon. “Here?” I mutter.
“One stop shop,” Vito says slapping me on the back as Frankie hands the keys to the car over to the valet attendant.
We head to the elevator, and Vito pulls out the magical key card that gets him in everywhere and inserts it into the slot provided in the wall.
“When can I get one of those cards?” I tease him, knowing ‘never’ will be the answer.
He winks at me. “When you’re clear of your debt,” he says and in my mind, it translates to ‘never you stupid fucker.’
Vito hits the button for the top floor, and I inwardly groan about the stupid shit that may go on up here as we ride all the way up. I just want to find Aviana and get my ass out of the city. Just thinking of grabbing her and running makes my skin crawl. There is so much other shit going on with these guys, it’s hard for me to turn a blind eye to it.
I’m not a fool; I know this shit goes on all over the world, but her safety is my number one priority. If she’s safe, then I can live with the guilt of leaving behind all the other injustices going on in this city. I am but one man, I remind myself.
&nbs
p; The elevator opens with a muffled ding, and we’re standing in a small vestibule with nothing but a huge steel door in front of us. Vito puts the first key card back in his pocket and pulls out a red one stamped with The Golden Dragon’s emblem on the front. He slides it into the slot and the locking mechanism whirls. The door makes a double beeping sound and opens.
Vito pauses before I can cross the threshold and I almost walk into his back.
“This pussy isn’t free,” he begins to explain while walking forward again. “If you fuck one of these girls, it comes out of what you earned tonight.”
Fat chance of having to worry about that fucker. We step into the room and wait for the door to close behind us. I look back at it and realize without a key card like the one Vito is shoving back into his wallet, there’s no way out.
I let my eyes scan the room and can tell instantly that they’ve just converted the hotel hallway into sort of a living room area. There are rooms to the left and right down long hallways.
I see a flash of blonde and turn to look in the direction of the movement and my eyes land on the beautiful face of Aviana. Her eyes widen, and I shake my head slightly, hoping she understands not to give anything away.
“I want that one,” I say pointing directly at her.
Chapter 19
Aviana
I guess as far as being a captive goes, this place isn’t so bad. There’s food, the beds are somewhat comfortable, and although there are no premium channels, we at least have basic cable. Who am I kidding? This is better than how I was living back in Tampa. My apartment was in a horrible part of town, and basic cable was a dream rather than a reality there.
Darby and I are sitting on the couch making our way through a Kardashian marathon when I hear the double beep of the front door. Darby perks up, but I watch as her face falls when Vito steps through the door.
“This pussy isn’t free. If you fuck one of these girls, it comes out of what you earned tonight,” he explains to someone standing behind him.