A door opened behind me and I turned to see Mark walk in with a petite Latina behind him; she was holding a tray of food.
“Good morning,” he said. The look he gave me was almost apologetic. Was he regretting he’d brought me? Had he gotten in trouble the night before?
“Good morning,” I answered in a soft voice.
The woman put the tray on the table in the corner and then left the room after giving Mark a small curtsy.
“How did you sleep?” Mark asked.
My brows twitched. “Okay, I guess. I didn’t wake up at all.”
Mark smiled. “You seem to be a sound sleeper. You didn’t make a sound when I brought you in here.”
I looked around. “I’m still at the hacienda?” I asked in confirmation.
He nodded and glanced around the room. “In one of the nicer guest rooms.” He motioned with his hand to the corner. “Eat.”
I went to sit in one of the two armchairs. The table the food was on was knee height, so I picked up the plate of eggs and potatoes and held it while I ate.
“Normally, the girls eat in their dining room, but you slept through breakfast, so Nathan said to have you eat up here.”
“Oh.” As soon as I took a bite, I realized how hungry I was and began to eat quickly.
Mark sat down in the chair next to me. “After you eat, I’ll take you to Pasha and she’ll get you cleaned up. Then Nathan wants to see you.”
I glanced up at him. “What did I do to upset him last night?”
Mark grimaced. “Nothing, really. He didn’t realize how inexperienced you were. Then again, neither did I.”
“You didn’t tell him?”
“We don’t communicate much when I’m out… retrieving.”
“Retrieving?” I looked at him.
Mark shrugged. “Sounds better than kidnapping.”
I frowned and began eating again. “Is he still going to…?” I said after a few minutes. “I mean, if I’m not any good, why am I still here?”
“Skills can be taught.”
“Oh.” My stomach churned at the thought. “Do the girls do anything besides… sex?”
Mark chuckled. “When we have guests, and sometimes even when we don’t, they put on performances. Dancing,” he said in answer to my unasked question. “I suppose it’s a type of belly dancing.”
Dancing didn’t sound so bad, and I’d had a secret interest in belly dancing ever since Stacey started taking classes a few years ago. She’d tried to get me to go with her, but I’d refused.
“As long as they behave, they actually have quite a bit of freedom. They rehearse every day. They have hobbies. The compound is large and there’s a nice garden behind their house.”
A garden sounded nice. “Are the men mean?”
Mark shook his head. “We’re not allowed to abuse the girls, unless they’re being punished. Those with rougher appetites know which girls like that sort of thing and utilize them. Nathan does his best to keep his guests from hurting the girls, but it happens sometimes.”
I shuddered and put my plate down. I’d eaten most of the food and had lost my appetite for any more.
“The girls are nice. Nathan doesn’t tolerate cattiness. Being a bitch will earn you a harsh punishment. They have their own house with living areas, a dance studio, and other things. You’ll have your own room there. Your room is your room. No one goes in there, including men, unless you want them to. With the exception of Nathan, of course.”
I imagined Nathan could do anything he wanted to.
“The men can have the girls in their rooms and vice versa. They have their favorites, and as long as guests aren’t here and everyone is doing what they’re supposed to, Nathan doesn’t care who fucks who.
“The girls will help you out with anything you need. The men know to keep their hands off you until Nathan says so.” Mark’s eyes grew intense. “If anyone touches you before then, come tell me. You’ll be told when the restriction is lifted.”
“Does that include Jason?”
“Nathan told Jason he could have you with his permission. I assume that hasn’t changed.” He glanced at my plate. “You done?”
I nodded and stood when Mark did.
“Pasha will have clothes for you to wear,” he said as we left the room.
I noticed the room I’d been in was right next to Jason’s room. My heart began aching for him again.
Mark led me downstairs, through the stone courtyard, and down the small path leading to the women’s house. A cheery living room opened up to the right of the entrance and we found Pasha there. She and Mark spoke in Spanish for a few minutes, and then he told me he would be back later to get me.
“Eventually, you’ll be allowed to wander around alone,” Pasha said, leading me to the room where she’d waxed me the night before.
Pasha proceeded to give me the equivalent to a spa treatment while telling me about living at Nathan’s hacienda.
She was in her late-thirties and had been with El Patrón for ten years. Occasionally she was used for sex, but for the most part, she was more of a matron for the girls: choreographing their performances, making sure they behaved, keeping them well-groomed, and a host of other things.
El Patrón was a good master, she said. He treated everyone fairly but expected prompt obedience.
I had experienced that already.
Pasha was thrilled to learn I had studied dance, but I protested when she called me a dancer. All of the girls did well, but few were excellent dancers.
There were seven girls besides Pasha: Leandra and Yolanda were from Panama, Laurie was from London, Amé was from a small town in France, Hanne was German, and Madison and Julia were American. They were all in their early twenties, with the exception of Laurie and Amé, who were nineteen. They were the newest girls before I had arrived.
Madison, one engineer’s daughter, had come when she was twelve but hadn’t been ‘used’ until she was an adult. Julia was Mark’s sister. The others had been bought in the slave market.
I was shocked when I found out Mark had brought his sister here, but Pasha wouldn’t give me any more details as to why Julia was here, other than she was here willingly.
After Pasha gave me a facial and cleaned my fingernails and toenails, she put me in a bath with scented oils. Pasha washed and conditioned my hair and then, when I got out of the bath, trimmed it and gave me a simple style, making my long, sable-brown waves curl down my back and around my shoulders. It was so soft and shiny; I could hardly keep my hands off it.
I was given a pale green dress made from the softest cotton I had ever felt. The flaring skirt hung just above my knees and the low, fitted bodice had spaghetti straps. No shoes, of course. No panties, either.
When I went to look at myself in the mirror, I stared. I looked beautiful! “That’s me?”
Pasha grinned. “That’s you.”
I grinned. Who knew it would take being kidnapped by an arms dealer to feel beautiful for the first time in my life? What will Jason think when he sees me? I grinned at the thought.
Mark returned a few minutes later as I was sitting in the living room with Pasha and Yolanda, a bubbly twenty-two-year-old with silky, dark brown hair and round, brown eyes.
He stared at me for a long moment before clearing his throat and speaking. “You did a good job, Pasha.”
Pasha grinned. “A diamond in the rough.”
He smiled at me. “Ready?”
I nodded, standing slowly and following Mark back outside.
The day was very warm, but not uncomfortable. A cool breeze kept the hot sun from being unbearable.
“You look good, Kyra,” he said in a quiet voice. He looked like he wanted to say more but didn’t speak again as he led me across the courtyard toward an open doorway under the patio covering.
Mark stopped outside the entrance of what looked like an office and knocked on the door. “I’ve brought Kyra, sir.”
Nathan was seated behind a huge desk in
the corner of the room. He looked at me like he had the previous night when I’d been introduced to him. “Come,” he said in a commanding voice.
Mark gave a nod and then turned and left as I stepped slowly into what I assumed was Nathan’s office. The floor was the same dark wood as in the other rooms I’d been in, but the walls were painted in a soothing, light brown. A stone fireplace commanded the attention of the wall opposite the entrance, a large seating area in front of it. The furniture was all heavy, made of wood and leather.
When I reached the side of Nathan’s desk, I stopped, uncertain of what to do. He looked at me intently, studying my eyes. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, Patrón,” I answered. I wasn’t sure if I should look away or not, but figured it was best to not look away, since he’d gotten upset when I’d looked at the ceiling the night before. “I’m sorry if I angered you last night,” I said in a voice not much above a whisper.
His gray eyes widened slightly and then softened. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Kitten,” he said in a gentle tone.
I blinked in surprise. His eyes looked almost… regretful, like after he’d spanked me.
He looked at me for a long moment and then shook his head slightly, as if to clear his mind, and his eyes turned firm. “Go sit in front of the fireplace. I have some things to finish up.”
“Yes, Patrón.” I turned and walked over to the fireplace. The furniture sat on a thick rug and I settled carefully into place, sitting back on my heels, back straight, hands on my thighs. I glanced up and saw Nathan watching me, but quickly brought my eyes down to the rug. “I’m sorry, Patrón.”
He didn’t say anything, but I heard his fingers on his computer keyboard a few minutes later.
Nathan was a handsome man, especially when he smiled. I wondered about his choice of profession. I had no doubt he was American; I’d heard him briefly speaking about growing up in California last night. Was he innately an evil person? An opportunist? Was there someone else controlling him? The thought of someone controlling him made me want to laugh; that would never happen.
“What are you smiling about, Kitten?”
I jumped at his voice. I hadn’t realized I’d smiled and my cheeks burned. Would he punish me for smiling? For my thought? “I was wondering why you chose your profession,” I said, carefully keeping my eyes downcast.
“And that thought was amusing?” He didn’t sound angry. I wished I could look up and see his face. Facial expressions tell far more about a person’s feelings than the tone of their voice.
“I…” I swallowed. He wanted answers immediately, but I was hesitant to share my thoughts. But to not speak would certainly earn me some sort of punishment. “I… I was wondering if someone made you do what you do and then realized the thought was ridiculous.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You seem more like the type to give orders rather than take them.”
He chuckled. “An astute observation. I stopped taking orders from people a long time ago. Unless you count a sales order for a weapon.”
I allowed myself a small smile, hoping he wouldn’t be angry, but kept my eyes on the brown, oriental rug beneath my knees.
The clacking of computer keys resumed, intermixed with the clicking of the mouse. The sound was hypnotic and I closed my eyes, listening to the rhythm.
Finally, the room fell silent and I heard a drawer open and close. Nathan stood and walked over to where I knelt and sat down on the couch next to me.
Nathan’s hands appeared in front of me and swept to the sides of my head at the same time something cool touched my neck. “Lift up your hair,” he commanded.
I quickly did so and heard a click and then felt something heavy resting around my neck. My hand lifted to my throat automatically and felt a thick piece of round metal sitting there.
“That is to help motivate Jason to do his best work for me.” Nathan’s voice was hard—harder than it had been earlier. Had I angered him again? “It’s locked, so you can’t take it off.”
“How does it motivate him?”
“You’ll find out.” He stood and held out his hand.
Nathan led me out of his office, across the courtyard, and down the steps I’d walked up last night. Now that the sun was up, I could see the grounds, and they were beautiful. Vines hung on the various stone buildings, making them look like giant green bushes. The grass was so green and soft and it tickled the bottoms of my feet as I walked. Plots of flowers lined the stairs and various points around the area. Large trees dotted the grounds with a couple of the girls lying under the largest one, chatting. A pool on my right was surrounded by all sorts of green plants and flowers.
Amazed at the beauty of it all, my head moved back and forth, trying to see everything. I inhaled deeply, drawing in fresh air scented with sweet flora and spicy pine. Distracted, I failed to look where I was going and stumbled on something in the grass, almost falling before Nathan caught me.
“Watch where you’re going, Kitten,” he said, arms around me as he gazed into my eyes, his expression kind. “You’ll have plenty of time to look around.”
“It’s so beautiful,” I said, smiling up at him. “What a wonderful place to live.” The words were out of my mouth before I remembered I was here as a sex slave. My cheeks burned and I tried to look away, but he caught my chin in his hand.
He stroked my cheek gently for a moment before bending down and kissing me on the mouth, caressing my lips with his for a moment. My lips parted in surprise and his tongue darted into my mouth, thrusting slowly in and out.
I was startled at the tenderness of the kiss; he hadn’t kissed me last night. I clung to his arms, enjoying the hardness under the soft linen of his shirt.
His hands cupped the back of my head, fingers buried in my hair. I let out a soft moan against his mouth as his tongue became more demanding, teasing my mouth. Nathan held me against his hard body as if he never wanted to let go.
When he pulled away, ages later, my lips felt bruised and swollen, and I looked up at him in wonder. His ragged breathing and wide eyes mirrored the surprise I felt.
He blinked several times and then suddenly released me, making me realize how weak he’d made me with his kiss. I struggled to get my legs to support me and held out my arms to my side for balance. I’d never been kissed like that before—a knee-weakening, lip-bruising kiss that made my heart pound so hard.
Without warning, he turned and began walking away, his long legs swiftly covering a large distance. The girls lying under the tree stared at me, surprise evident on their faces. But surprise at what? I couldn’t imagine Nathan being shy about his sexual exploits. I stared at them, wondering at their expressions.
“Kyra!” Nathan’s sharp voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked over to see him standing with his hands on his hips, frowning.
I stumbled for a few steps before my legs had recovered enough for me to jog to keep up with his long strides. He walked toward the far corner of the grounds, where a tall and wide stone building stood next to a shorter one.
The shorter building had several large archways and looked like it might be a garage, but it was dark inside and I wasn’t sure if the dark shapes inside were cars or not.
The larger building had four tall garage doors, two of which were open. Loud noises and a slightly sour smell came from the large opening. Men shouted, hammers banged, and then a small explosion rattled the windows.
I looked at Nathan, expecting alarm on his face, but saw only satisfaction in his expression.
“Ouch!” I exclaimed as I stepped on something sharp. I looked down to see I had stepped into a gravel driveway of sorts. The rocks were sharp and I stepped back into the grass. This must be one of the areas Mark had talked about; where women weren’t supposed to go.
Nathan had taken several long steps into the gravel with booted feet, but stopped when I cried out. He walked back to me and scooped me up as if I weighed nothing. Without thinking about it, I w
rapped my arms around his neck as he cradled me against his chest. I caught a whiff of something delicious as he held me—something spicy that emanated from Nathan himself.
Beyond the sharp gravel was more grass and then a cement driveway. Nathan put me down when he reached the grass, and I followed him inside the larger building.
It was filled with large machines, tables, piles of materials, and what looked like a high school chemistry lab. The men inside greeted Nathan respectfully in Spanish. There were maybe thirty men in the large room; many of them looked like they might be natives of Panama.
Along one wall were several metal and glass doors. One opened and a man in his early forties emerged, along with Jason.
“Jason,” I whispered, my heart beginning to pound.
He grinned when he saw me and the two men hurried over to where Nathan and I were standing.
“Kyra!” Jason exclaimed, opening his arms as he approached me, but Nathan pulled me away and behind himself.
“You don‘t touch her without permission, Jason,” Nathan said in a warning tone.
My eyes filled with tears as I watched Jason glare at Nathan. “It’s bad enough you took her to bed with you last night. Now you won’t even let me touch her?”
“She’s my property.” Nathan’s voice was low and slightly threatening. “I can do whatever the fuck I want with her.”
Jason glared at him, jaw set firmly. “Fine. May I please hug my girlfriend?”
“No.”
Jason let out a low growl and took a step toward me. Suddenly, a slightly numbing feeling erupted against my neck, quickly turning into the sensation of a thousand needles poking into my skin.
I screamed and fell to the ground, clutching my neck. When I touched the metal Nathan had put around my neck, the needles moved into my hands, as well.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” Jason yelled, reaching for me.
Nathan pushed him back as I curled into a ball, screaming in agony. Tears ran down my face as I tugged at the metal necklace, but it only made the feeling more intense.
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