by Melissa Jane
Hector finally broke the silence.
“What is this about, miho?”
“Juan only knows how to teach fear,” I said with disdain. Laila’s shoulders sagged at the memories my words aroused.
“Fuck you, puto,” Juan spat, yet he still appeared amused by the scene unfolding before him. “It is in her best interest if she has some fear. Otherwise the commissioner is faced with disobedience from the very start when he should expect compliance. It is part of the purchasing price. You know that.”
“I can teach her how to be intimate and pleasure her buyer without the fear.”
Juan snorted.
“That’s bullshit and you know it! What she needs, I can do,” he said arrogantly. “You can’t teach her to be submissive, Aiden, you’re not versed in this type of play so why don’t you go back to watching the perimeters.”
With a point to prove, I turned my attention back to the stricken girl. “Get down on your knees now,” I ordered.
No movement. Of all times to defy me, she had to do it then. Juan’s derisive laugh grated on my nerves. She had purposely or inadvertently helped to prove the asshole's point. Fuck that!
My right hand slid quickly up her neck to grab a fistful of her hair. Another distressed sob reached my ears yet I made my expression seem indifferent as I put my lips to her ear.
“For Christ’s sake, Laila, just do it!” I hissed, my voice a whisper only she could hear, the tone stern. I wasn’t here to fuck around.
Without making a sound, Laila slowly sank to her knees. I released her hair and stood by her side.
“Now on all fours…”
Her look of desperation almost got me. I stared coldly into her eyes though it was difficult not to get lost in them.
“Please,” she begged breathlessly, her face crumbling, “why are you doing this?”
Again, Juan’s mocking laugh rang out.
Perhaps at that moment she realized the alternative to resisting my commands would be dealing with Juan. Conceding defeat, she fell reluctantly forward onto her hands, eyes glued to the patterned rug beneath, her tears free-falling in a dead straight line.
Juan shook his head again in disbelief.
“This is fucking ridiculous. She needs work, Aiden. Considerable work. She is still so full of pride. Alexsonov will not stand for ignorance and you know it.”
“I know,” I replied, unchallenged. “I’m not finished yet.”
I refocused my attention back on the girl.
“Laila, crawl to the couch.”
She did as instructed this time without hesitation seemingly resigned to her fate.
“Now stand up and bend over the couch.”
Again she followed my every word. Standing on shaky legs, she bent over the back of the plush lounge, her toes barely keeping contact with the carpet. I approached and with two hands, I gripped Laila’s slender waist and pressed my groin against her voluptuous ass. Loud sobs escaped her mouth breaking the watchful silence in the room.
“Stop it,” I instructed calmly.
At the sound of my voice, her sobs escalated. I lifted her silky negligee over her waist and, using my booted foot, I kicked her legs open, cursing the Lords’ name under my breath for my throbbing cock and the sight before me. Rubbing my hand tenderly over Laila’s backside, I massaged each cheek in a circular motion. She continued her sobbing. I decided enough was enough and was forced to slap her right cheek with full force.
Laila squealed from both pain and what I assumed was surprise so instead of quieting her she only sobbed louder.
“I said, stop it, Laila!”
Despite my growing impatience, my voice was controlled and calm. My hand returned a second time to her already throbbing cheek, radiating a flaming red hand print, a stark comparison to her porcelain skin. Instead of inflicting more pain, I took the softer approach and massaged the sting out. From above, I could see Laila bury her face in one of the cushions, muffling her sobs to avoid further punishment.
“Good girl. Shh, calm yourself,” I continued the massage until I could feel her stop shaking. My touch was having the right effect and if she kept it up we could get through the night without any other dramas. My hands travelled along her slender back, tenderly rubbing her shoulders. Using both hands over her arms I stood her upright, letting the silk negligee fall back down over her ass.
Laila’s chin was quivering uncontrollably and I sensed another flood of tears coming. Cupping it in my hand, I turned her stricken face toward me. Although the whites of her eyes were bloodshot, her sapphire blue irises glittered like the sparkling gems they were.
Snaking my hand to the nape of Laila’s neck, I pulled her forward before she had a chance to resist. Drawing her close enough to feel the warmth of her wavering sweet breath against my lips, I savored the look of vulnerable desire haunting her features. She didn’t look at me like she did Juan, even now when she had every right not to trust me, she still couldn’t disguise the wanting curiosity.
Her hooded eyes flickered with uncertainty until I could no longer resist the woman quivering in front of me. Closing the space between us I crushed my lips to Laila’s, a soft moan reverberating from her mouth to mine. A whole lot of sweetness was the only way to describe her taste. She tried to pull away from the contact but was met with my hand firmly secured to the back of her head. There was no escape for her.
Forgetting we had an audience, I gently sucked on Laila’s luscious bottom lip, my teeth grazing her soft fullness. She groaned and that only spurred me on, her tongue finding mine matching my eagerness stroke for stroke, lick for lick. She was finally relaxing, her body molding gently against mine, deepening the kiss, compelled by her own apparent desire. I couldn’t deny it, lust exploded through me for this young woman who was robbing me of all sense and logic.
Despite Juan already having her, I wanted Laila there and then, I wanted to possess her mouth and ravage her body. My cock was aching for the woman who could very well be my ruin, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care because I could feel her enjoying it as much as I was, a sick sense of pleasure rippling through me knowing this was exactly the state I needed her to prove my point.
With much reluctance, I pulled away from the embrace. Her eyes were still closed, her lips deep red and swollen, but she was still wanting. She was fucking beautiful.
Moments passed before her eyes flickered open and realization of her actions hit her with a rush. The confused ecstasy vanished from her face and was replaced with cheeks ablaze with humiliation. Suppressing the urge to smile at her response, I turned to face Hector and Juan head on while blocking Laila from the inquisitive and disbelieving stares of the four other men in the room.
“Did she kiss you like that, Juan? Or was she fighting you the whole time you were on top of her?”
Behind me Laila whimpered, in front Juan snorted with derision. “This little show of yours,” Hector said, clearing his throat. “it's nothing in comparison to what she has already experienced tonight, she has gone further than this already.”
“Has she? I don’t believe so.” I replied, unperturbed by Hector’s words of doubt. “You threw her into a flame pit with no knowledge of what to expect or how to behave. I am not at all surprised by her reaction; in fact, under the circumstances, any other girl would have done the same and you know it.”
“That was hardly a display of compliance,Aiden. If your intent was to convince me by –”
“Small steps are all it takes. Less resentment equals less chance of defiance.”
“Perhaps,” was all he could offer.
I wasn’t deterred. Laila was different to other girls. With her, Hector had to start from scratch. Most of the other girls who came here wanted to be here.
“You haven’t even taught her the basics yet… that’s what I am for,” I persisted, unwilling to let this go any way different to my own plan.
“The basics are all she will learn from you, Aiden,” Juan said with spiteful vehemence. “
You cannot expect her to be a quality sale when you know nothing of this trade. Substandard transactions will ruin our reputation.”
He was clutching at straws and turned to Hector, arching an incredulous brow.
“Is that what you want? We already have a fucking contractor MIA, and now fucktard over here wants in on destroying the business.”
Finally, Hector broke the silence. His words couldn’t have sounded sweeter.
“If you can teach this bitch new tricks, the job is yours.”
Chapter Sixteen
Laila
Aiden had remained at Hector’s insistence in the lounge while Carlos and Raul escorted me to my room.
My mind was fighting a losing battle with a barrage of emotions. I wanted to be angry, to lash out at someone. I wanted to cry until the tears stopped flowing and my body ached. I wanted to be kissed again, the way Aiden had done only moments ago. What the fuck was wrong with me? I shouldn’t be feeling this way, especially after his deception. I always knew he was one of them, hoped he would set me free if he cared, but he was no different to the others.
“Wait!”
The two brutes and I turned simultaneously at the sound of the voice.
Juan powered confidently down the hall, alone and on a mission. With the slightest flick of his fingers, he indicated for the guards to move away from me. The usual panic I felt when he was near surged through my body once again, the hairs on my neck standing on end. Taking my arm in his hand, Juan pulled me against his hard body, his eyes penetrating mine. With his other hand, he pointed to the bruise and cut skin on his face.
“Don’t be fooled by this or his little game. I’m coming for you later.”
Before I even had a chance to respond, Juan turned on his heel and headed back down the hall.
Fuck!
My chest hurt from my pounding heart. I was scared and I knew I wasn’t hiding it well.
Turning and pushing my way past the bemused brutes, I slammed the bedroom door behind me. Still not feeling safe, I locked myself in the bathroom, collapsing against the door, falling onto the cold tiles.
Aiden. Juan. Hector. My future sale. It was all too much!
I couldn’t think straight. I was going bat shit fucking crazy in this house of horrors. The problem was, I didn’t know who I had to work out first, who I had to place as a priority. The man who promised me safety and betrayed my trust by nominating himself to train me? The man who was hell bent on personally seeing to my destruction, or the man who would own me and subject me to a life of slavery? What a choice!
In the end, Aiden won. He was my future for the next two weeks and somehow I needed to learn how to deal with it. I needed to make sense of it. More importantly, how could I, under the nauseatingly sordid circumstances, have allowed myself to kiss him back? I hadn’t even been granted the time to recover from all that Juan did. Instead, the man I foolishly thought would care for me, somehow managed to amplify the amount of hurt I was feeling.
A gentle knock on the door startled me from my thoughts. Panic quickened my heart rate again.
“Laila, open the door,” Aiden said in the gentle but assertive way only he could.
“Go away, I don’t want to see any of you,” I choked, overwhelmed with sadness.
“It’s just me here,” he soothed.
“Any of you includes you!”
“Just let me explain.” He sounded almost desperate, a stark comparison to the demands he made of me earlier. He was a chameleon, changing whenever he felt necessary to get what he wanted.
“Go away, Aiden!” I yelled, ignoring his pleas.
“I won’t hurt you, I promise, just open the door and let’s talk.”
“I don’t want to talk with you? You’re just as sick as all the others,”
“Damn it, Laila.” He sounded frustrated. “I know it seems like that, but…”
He seemed to be struggling with my accusation. Whatever sick game he was playing, he could keep it to himself. I knew I would be the loser in it.
“Seems?”
“I don’t want to be discussing this through a door so just unlock it and I will try to make sense– ”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses. There are no words you could say to make this better. Just…” I struggled to swallow the painful lump in my throat. “just don’t pretend to want to help me anymore, you only make it worse.”
“Laila –”
“Please… just please go away.”
How dare he insult me by believing words could repair the damage he had caused tonight? I had been the one on the receiving end of his treatment, not him. I had been the one humiliated and violated for the millionth time, not him. And yet he had the audacity to assume I would want to talk about it? I was stupid for believing the man who had helped me earlier could have given even the remotest shit about me.
There was once again silence on the other side but I had no clue if he was still there, waiting for me. When I heard the faint click of the bedroom door closing, I still didn’t dare move. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of tricking me into thinking the coast was clear only to be ambushed as soon as I opened the door.
My options were limited and comfort played no part in it. I laid my towel next to the door on the cold tile floor and closed my eyes, allowing exhaustion to take its hold. It wasn’t ideal, given my aching battered body, but I was so tired… of everything!
***
I awoke with a terrified start. With the heavy drapes pulled closed, the room was as dark as a moonless night, but I didn’t have to see my surroundings to know where I was. The question of how I got there raced through my mind as my heart pounded like a drum in my chest. The softness of the pillow beneath my throbbing head, and the mattress nurturing my weary body told me I was back in my bed.
Turning on the lamp on the side table, I waited until my eyes adjusted to the soft glow illuminating the space around me.
Sliding off the mattress, I was momentarily surprised by the feel of silk fabric running down my legs. I was no longer wearing the indecently short negligee from the night before; instead, the piece I wore now was a far more modest length, hanging just above my knees. Blood drained from my face as I clung desperately onto the edge of the bed. Whoever had moved me from the bathroom had also taken it upon themselves to redress me. I couldn’t recall being woken at any stage throughout my few hours’ sleep and I certainly was not aware of a surplus of more conservative clothing floating around.
I simply did not remember a thing!
Cursing my own stupidity, I made my way over to the ominous bathroom door. Pushing it open I discovered that the towel I had used for my makeshift bed had been cleared and a fresh one hung from the rail. I definitely wasn’t responsible for that.
The bedroom door unlocked behind me and I spun on my heel to meet my intruder.
Aiden stood expressionless, arms crossed so that his biceps bulged. The raging anger I felt toward him wavered slightly as I took in the sight before me. While I no doubt looked as awful as I felt, Aiden still managed to appear devastatingly handsome in a tight-fitting black shirt and jeans that hung perfectly off his hips. He was fresh and gorgeous. Asshole!
Regaining my composure and survival objectives, I stood, stoically holding my stance until he finally broke the silence.
“Sleep well?” he asked calmly.
“What happened?”
I didn’t care for small talk. I had gaps to fill.
“A lot happened.” The corners of Aiden’s mouth twitched. “To which are you referring?”
“This,” I said and gestured from the bathroom to the bed and back again. His gaze didn’t need to follow my motions; he already knew what I was implying.
“You’re welcome! I’m no expert, but I do know that cold tiles could not be overly comfortable.” He was clearly amused. I, however, was not. There was something about the confidence he exuded in this situation that pissed me off. He was so assured with the velvety smooth words r
olling off his tongue.
“The door was locked'” I complained, but my response sounded pitiful even to my own ears.
“And you were being so stubborn, I knew you would stay in there all night so I carried you out.”
I hated the fact he was mocking me.
“That doesn’t make sense! I was asleep, not dead. I would have woken and felt myself being carried.”
And there it was, a megawatt beautiful smile I found both so charming and condescending.
“Oh, you felt me pick you up. You even wrapped your arms around my neck.”
“I did not!” I replied, incredulous and mortified.
He simply nodded.
“I hope you don’t mind that I changed you into something more… you,” he said, gesturing at my nightdress. My cheeks flushed furiously at the thought of him doing something as intimate as undressing and redressing me. Unconsciously, I wrapped my arms protectively around my chest as if it would create a boundary between us.
Aiden’s brows creased together, his head tilting to the side watching my reaction. “You know I have seen you naked already and in rather… revealing positions, so there is no need to be shy.”
Although my blood began to boil at his attempt of familiarity, I was truly grateful the surface area of clothing I wore in this place had drastically increased and that he, after all that had transpired, had been decent enough to think of me.
My gratitude didn’t stop my curiosity. “How do you know this is more me?”
“Juan has your luggage from the hotel you were in at San Diego.” His smile faded and the light I had seen in his eyes now replaced with a hardened emotion. “I saw some the items while they were searching through it.” His tone made no apologies.
“Oh.”
It was all I could say. I had been unwillingly cut off from the outside world and the life I led before travelling to San Diego in search of Ethan. I had hoped my belongings at the hotel would alert the local police that foul play had been involved. Such a foolish thought had pulled me through the endless days of torment knowing surely a search had been undertaken. There was a fragment of me that believed my left-behind suitcase with ID would be my savior; now I was truly lost with no evidence to point authorities in the right direction