“Why?”
“Enough with the fucking questions.” He plonks down in a chair opposite the bed, searing me with a burning scowl from across the room. My bottom lip wobbles as we sit in silence until I hear something that turns my blood to ice.
Nicole screams.
Jumping up from the bed, my hands fly to my mouth with terror when a slap rings sharp, followed by a crash that sounds like chairs toppling over. “Sit down,” the guy orders, but I don’t listen. I can’t.
Shuffling back, I don’t stop until my back hits the wall furthest from the door, as if being away from it will make me feel better. When there’s another scream, my knees give, and I sag to the floor. Tears flow out of my eyes, my chest heaving up and down.
What’s happening?
If I thought this night couldn’t get any worse, the door opens, and Blake walks inside slowly, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigar. Lifting it, he sucks on the thick end, blowing out heavy, gray smoke as he closes the door behind him.
“Why is she on the floor?” he asks, his eyes on me. The guy shrugs, and Blake steps forward. “Stand up.”
Using the wall as support, I get up, afraid of what will happen if I don’t. Both men stare in a way that makes my stomach twist, but it’s Blake’s stare I feel the most fear from, especially as he rakes down my body like he’s trying to find something about me that he might like. When his lips curl upward, bile threatens to spew past my lips, reminding me of those times boys at school would leer and shout out at me, calling me all kinds of nasty things.
When he takes another step forward, my back presses into the wall—something that seems only to amuse him. “Do you think she’s worth the money that cunt sister of hers owes?”
The guy, who is now leaning forward, breathes out audibly. “I don’t know, Pops.” Are they father and son? “She’s young. It might be more hassle than it’s worth.”
“Hmm,” Blake murmurs thoughtfully, facing me again. “She’s a pretty thing, alright. The rest of these bitches in here are getting loose and dirty. I’m up for a challenge. A little kitty to train.”
“You’ll have a hard time keeping the rest of them off her,” he warns. “Look at her. A couple more years and she’ll be the best-looking bitch in this place.”
Blake’s lips slither into a smile, and something about it is cruel. They’re speaking about me as if I’m not in the room. Almost as if he’s doing it on purpose, Blake takes another few terrifying steps forward and laughs when I whimper. Like this is a game, and I’m entertainment. It’s not long before he’s in front of me. So close. He’s on my skin even though he isn’t touching me. Staring down at me, smoke and spicy aftershave bind around my neck. It’s in the back of my throat, bitter and tangy.
My muscles stiffen when he pulls his hand out of his pocket and lifts it to my face, raking a calloused thumb over my cheek. “I’m going to have fun with you, baby.” Grabbing my hand, he tugs me forward. “Come. I want to see you.”
“Please,” I whisper as he takes me back over to the bed. Sitting, Blake positions me so that I’m standing between his long legs.
“Can I leave?” the guy asks.
“No. Stay,” he says, not taking his eyes off me. Off my face. My hair. My body. “You think I don’t notice, Nick?”
“Notice what?”
“That you don’t fuck.” He turns to face him. “I admit—we need a good clear out. Get some new bitches in. But even on our rides, you don’t fuck the whores. The guys have noticed. I have noticed.” Nick shrugs, but it’s clear Blake is making him uncomfortable. “If you want to be a leader one day, you have to be a man. Those pricks out there will eat you alive when I’m gone. They won’t follow a pussy who won’t even fuck a pussy. You got that?”
He nods, though it’s evident he’s angry given the way his nostrils flare. “Yeah, Pops.”
“See this as your first lesson. Sit and watch how a real man does it.” Letting go of my hand, Blake leans back on the bed. I want to move, run, but I’m rooted to the spot. “Take off your dress, babe.”
My eyes bulge, hands instinctively flying up to grab the straps of my dress. I can’t take off my dress. Nicole told me not to wear a bra. She said the lining of it would show through, and it would be stupid. All I have on is that thong she made me wear.
Made you wear.
More tears blur my vision and stream down my face. “Put music on,” Blake says, waiting for me to obey his command I don’t want to follow. Standing, Nick goes over to the stereo I didn’t notice in the corner of the room. After pressing a button, the guitar shrieks through the speakers loudly. “Come on, baby girl. Take off your dress.”
“W-Why?”
“Because I said so,” he says, his tone darkening. Coldness impales me when he mouths, “Off.”
My head shakes, but the action causes the room to spin. Before I know what’s happening, I feel myself falling forward into Blake, who catches me. “Fucking hell, Nicolas. How much did you give her?”
“Not a lot,” he defends, though I sense he’s lying. “She won’t pass out.”
Grunting, Blake stands, and a gasp flies out of my mouth when my feet suddenly leave the ground. Carrying me over to the bed in his arms, he places me down on top of it. My body sinks into the middle of the mattress as he sits next to me, and I want to move away, but my arms and legs are heavy and weak. I can’t move. What’s wrong with me?
I let out a cry. Despite being unable
