Bruce smiles down at me, but it’s not a friendly smile. It’s the kind of look that makes you feel like you need a bath afterwards. His eyes are smallish and too close together, and when he smiles, I try not to cringe when I see how many teeth he’s missing. I grip the straps of my backpack and scurry past him, trying like hell to not touch him, but he’s the type of guy who has a decent layer of fat on top of a ton of muscle, and there’s no way to avoid touching him a little bit as I squeeze by. He makes a soft noise that sounds a lot like a moan when my arm rubs against his sizable gut. I’m just about to say to hell with all this and run down the stairs when he shuts the door and positions his massive frame in front of it.
I turn to Ruby and gone is the big smile that had just lit up her face, and in its place is a cruel grin that makes my heart speed up and my palms start to sweat.
“What’s going on?” I ask, darting my eyes back to Bruce, wanting to keep him in my line of sight.
“Welcome to your new home,” Ruby says. Her voice has morphed from sultry sexy to harsh and cold. “I’ll go over the rules while I show you to your room.” I follow her down the dark hallway, my eyes widening when deep moans start filtering out from behind the closed doors on either side of us. My heart is pounding so fast I feel lightheaded as the truth of what this is hits me full force.
“You don’t want me to just sit downstairs and smile, do you?”
Her harsh laugh momentarily drowns out the grunts coming from the room we’re passing. “Wow, you do catch on quick. How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-two.” I tighten my arms around my chest and force myself to take a couple of deep breaths. “I don’t want to be a prostitute. I can’t do this, Ruby. There’s been a mistake. My parents didn’t know this is what I’d be doing.”
She turns around, looking at me like I must be the world’s biggest idiot. “They know exactly what this place is. Hell, that debt your dad racked up wasn’t just from gambling. He’s a frequent customer of mine.”
Everything starts to spin as I brace a hand against the wall to steady myself. My lungs don’t seem to be working because as much as I try to suck in air, it’s not enough. Ruby’s saying something, but I can’t hear any of it. Her voice gets further and further away as everything turns black. When I wake, it takes me several seconds to figure out where I am. The room is small with a tiny bathroom attached to it, and there’s also a bed, nightstand, and dresser. I jerk up when I realize I’m naked beneath the bedding, pulling the sheet tightly against my chest.
“She lives,” Ruby says, giving a soft laugh from the corner of the room. She’s sitting in a chair, watching me with a wicked smile on her face. “You know, I knew you were going to make me a lot of money. You have an innocent look about you that men can’t resist, but I had no idea just how innocent you are.”
“What do you mean?”
“After you passed out, I gave you a shot to make you sleep for a bit while my doctor examined you.” She laughs again. “A fucking virgin. I hit the jackpot with you, Nina.”
“That’s why I can’t do this,” I say, hoping she’ll understand. “I’ve never been with anyone. I can’t be a prostitute. Please just let me go. I’ll figure out a way to pay off my dad’s debt,” I beg, willing to say anything to get my ass out of here. After what she told me about my dad, I never want to have anything to do with him or my mom ever again, but I’ll agree to pay whatever the hell she wants if it gets me out the door.
Her laugh is like a sharp smack to the face. “Oh, I don’t think so. I’m going to make a ton of money auctioning off your cherry. I also had you waxed while you were unconscious. Men prefer a smooth pussy, Nina.”
“How can you be so damn cruel? I don’t want to be here. You can’t fucking keep me here against my will.”
She stands up and walks closer to the bed. “How the fuck can you be so naïve? You think I’m cruel? I’m just doing what I need to do to make a living. This used to be a bar, just a regular bar for people to stop in and have a drink at, and I nearly went bankrupt. I had to learn a shit ton of things the hard way, but I learned them, Nina, and I clawed my way up, doing whatever the hell I needed to do to make it happen. You are a way for me to make money. That’s all you are to me, and before you go getting some grand fucking idea into your head, your door will always be locked, and even if you do manage to get out, the main door by the stairs is always guarded, and the men who will be visiting you don’t give a flying fuck that you’re here against your will. They all have things to lose by being caught here, and they’re sure as hell not going to risk everything to save your ass.”
I clutch the blanket to my chest even tighter, biting my bottom lip as the tears start to come. I’ve never been more scared in my life. I know she’s right. It’s not like Bruce is going to just step aside and let me out, and any man who comes to a place like this isn’t going to feel a moral obligation to help me out.
“Things could be worse,” Ruby says. “I know you think you’ve landed your ass into the worst situation imaginable, but, believe me, there’s a lot worse out there than this. I serve a lot of clients who are in high positions in society, so I need to have an impeccable reputation for being discreet and being clean. Every man is required to wear a condom, and if I find out they haven’t been, then they’re forbidden from ever stepping foot in here again. Also, all my girls are tested regularly to make sure you’re healthy.”
“I guess I should be thanking you that I’m not going to get pregnant from being raped and that I won’t get an STD.”
“You should be. I also don’t dope you up. You have no idea how good you have it, Nina.”
I refuse to show her any sign of gratitude. Could things be worse? Hell yes they could be, but that doesn’t mean that what she’s doing is okay. That’s like thanking an abusive husband for only giving you a broken arm when he could’ve broken both legs as well. No fucking thanks.
Ruby points to the dresser. “Your dad dropped off some things for you earlier, some clothes and books and toiletries. I’ll leave you to get settled. Don’t worry, no one will visit you tonight. I need time to set up the auction.”
She leaves, and as soon as I hear her lock me in the room, I run to the toilet and throw up. When I’m empty of every single thing I have inside me and then some, I stand up on shaky legs, looking around the small bathroom and letting out a soft gasp when I see all my possessions already laid out. The reality of my situation sinks in a little bit more with each passing minute. I grab my pink toothbrush, the one that I just used this morning before heading off to class, and brush my teeth. My brain refuses to put the two moments together. This morning feels like a lifetime ago, like a different world. I’d give anything to go back to it.
Feeling dirty after being examined while unconscious, I grab some clothes and take a shower, grimacing at how swollen and red I am from the waxing, before crawling back under the covers. The familiar flannel pajamas do little to put me at ease. It’s a long time before I eventually cry myself to sleep.
The next morning there’s a knock at the door. I freeze in the bed, scared to death there’s going to be a man on the other side of it, but when it opens, a young woman comes in carrying a tray of breakfast.
“Morning,” she says, giving me a shy smile.
“Can you help me?” I immediately ask, jumping to my feet and quickly crossing the distance to stand before her. “Can you help me get out of here? I don’t want to be here,” I plead with her.
She gives me a sad smile and sets the tray down. “I’m sorry, Nina. I can’t help you.”
I’m not surprised that she already knows my name. No doubt Ruby gave her special instructions to ignore every damn thing I say.
“I don’t think any of the women want to be here,” the girl admits softly.
