Chapter 16
Lipovsky was ungentle,almost brusque, as he shoved me toward Andrei. Together, they navigated me through the compound until we reached our destination. The moment the threshold of the new room was crossed, a cold sense of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Around a small, spot-lit stage, a cadre of men loomed like sharks waiting for their feeding. With a forceful hand, Andrei nudged me toward the stairs ascending to that glaring platform.
My gaze flitted across the sea of faces, each one a mask of anticipation. My breath stalled in my chest when I spotted a man at the far end of the room, his eyes anchored on me. For a fleeting second, I questioned my own senses—could they have slipped me something, creating a drug-induced illusion? But the slight nod of his head confirmed the truth. There, amidst the throng, was my mentor, Harlen Drago, his stare laced with silent fury.
“And now, gentlemen, what we have here is a true-blue princess,” announced the man in the center with a sneer. “This spirited lady requires someone who can break her defiant spirit. She’s got a taste for the rougher side, making her catch for any man with a taste of the darker depravities. Bidding starts at half a million dollars.”
Paddles went into the air as men vied for my ownership. With every hand that held up the wooden number, my mind cataloged the faces of the walking dead. As the commission for my body rose, a final call of one and a half million dollars bellowed into the room. The man’s Cheshire-like smile made my skin crawl. But just as the auctioneer made one last call, Harlan’s voice carried above the noise.
“Three million dollars.”
The room was blanketed in silence as men turned to see who had entered the game with undoubtedly the largest bid of the night. He stepped out of the shadows and spoke again.
“Three million dollars.”
I waited with bated breath to see if anyone dared to go against his offer. When the last call for any other bidders was uttered, I nearly fell to my knees when the man motioned to Harlen, congratulating him on the winning bid. Andrei climbed the steps and snatched me by the arm.
“Looks like you’ve got a home, Princess.” He pushed me down the steps and forcefully guided me into a small room off the main auction room. “Wait here. I need to make sure the money is transferred before your owner collects you.”
Slamming me inside the confines of the tiny space, I took several deep breaths and looked around. I had to believe Harlen’s presence in Columbia was on purpose. We’d spoken of the possibility I might need him here, but I hadn’t called him—so who had?
The sounds of the lock and the hinges squeaking forced me to turn. Harlen stepped through, followed by the man I’d traded my soul to find—Aleski Lipovsky. Andrei smirked as he tugged the door closed.
“Ms. Anastasi, it would appear you’ve turned out to be well profitable after all. Mr. Carbon, I hope you can handle her smart mouth.”
Harlen crowded into my space, his fingers tangled in my hair as he jerked my head back, exposing my neck. “I think I can find something for her smart mouth to do,” he said, leaning in and tracing the column of my neck with his tongue. When his mouth reached my ear, his words were barely a whisper. “I’m sorry for what I’m about to do.”
His free hand circled my neck as he began to apply pressure. He pushed me against the wall, his massive frame pressing me into the metal surface. Releasing my hair, he held me in place with enough force to limit the air I could take in. His hand, once tangled in my blonde locks, shoved between my legs. The whimper slipped past my lips before I could stop it. Tears welled in my eyes as the man who’d saved me in Columbia breached the tender flesh at the apex of my thighs. Cutting my gaze toward him, my heart pounded as I watched his expression harden. This was an act—a show for the two men watching with sick fascination.
Harlen removed his fingers, bringing them to his lips, and sucked them into his mouth. “Everything about you belongs to me now.” Dropping his hand, he let my body collapse to the ground. He faced Andrei and Aleski, “If you don’t mind—I’d like to break her in without an audience. Voyeurism isn’t my thing, and since I paid a handsome amount for her, I’d like to sample her fully before catching our flight home.”
Aleski stepped forward and squatted beside me. Gripping my chin in a punishing grasp, he forced my eyes to meet his. “I didn’t get to fuck that pussy of yours, but based on what I just watched, Mr. Carbon will ensure you’re destroyed for anyone else. I’m just sorry I can’t deliver your battered body to your family once you’re used up.”
He shoved my head back, slamming it into the hard surface behind me. Andrei spat on the ground beside me, his foot connecting with my side before he took leave with Aleski. As soon as the metal door shut, Harlen dropped to a squat beside me. He turned my head to his own, his grip not nearly as hard as Aleski’s had been.
“We gotta make it look real. Cameras.” He jerked his head slightly, causing my eyes to follow his motion. Sure enough, cameras were mounted in the corner. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
I gave a slight nod. “How…” my words trailed off, the question unspoken but clear.
“You have people who care about you.” He smiled. “Stand up.”
Harlen helped me to my feet. He pulled me against his body and wrapped his arms around my middle. “I hate that we have to do this, but it needs to look like I’m fucking you, Carmela. While they might have left us alone in this room, you can bet they’re watching. I’m going to hold you against the wall, and my pants are going to appear open. We need to sell it to them. I need to get rough. Can you handle that?”
“If it gets me out of here and in a position to gut Andrei and then Aleski Lipovsky… you can fuck me, Harlen.”
“I think your boyfriend would kill me if I even considered sticking my dick in you.”
I gasped at his words. “You know Alex is alive?”
“Not exactly, but the woman who found me made it clear if I was more than a friend, he’d probably kill me with his bare hands. I don’t blame him, though. If we’d met at a different time, I’d feel the same. And as sick as this is, seeing I’m about to pretend to fuck you,”—he lifted my body and shifted us, so his back was to the eye in the corner—“you’re like a daughter to me.”
“We’ll find her, Harlen. If she’s alive, I promise we’re going to find her.”
His eyes closed briefly. “I’ve accepted Kate is dead.”
Harlen slammed his body against mine, his hand dipping beneath my tattered dress. He pushed the material up, exposing my naked breasts. His palm cupped the swell of my bosom as he pinched the nipple. He avoided making eye contact as he mimicked thrusting into me. His hand left my chest as he wrapped his fingers around my throat.
“Make it look real.” He mumbled as he slammed my back into the metal wall. Despite pretending, his cock was semi-hard. “Sorry, I can’t help my body’s reaction to you, Carmela.”
“It’s okay. Honestly,” I pretended to scream in agony. “You probably need to get off so I can wear your mark. Think you can get off on me?”
He squeezed his eyes closed. “Not like this, I can’t.”
I hated what I was about to do, but to avoid anyone suspecting this was a ruse, I knew I needed to pretend again. “Get mad at me and drop me. Force me to my knees, and I promise I’ll make this look real, Harlen.” He leaned forward to mimic a bite along my neck, and I cried out in mock pain. “Just close your eyes and pretend I’m some hot pussy you’ve wanted to fuck.”
Harlen dropped me, my knees hitting the floor. I winced at the real pain coursing through my legs. He gripped my hair as I tugged his pants down, freeing his massive shaft.
“Damn, Harlen. I had no idea you were packing this kind of cock.”
“Not the time, Carmela. I don’t know if I can do this.”
“You don’t have to do anything. Trust me, you’ll forget all about where we are in a minute.” Taking a deep breath, I wrapped my fingers around his massive shaft and leaned forward. “Don’t look at me differently after this… please.”
Harlen glanced down just as I swallowed his dick. His semi-hard shaft grew hard against my tongue. I could tell he didn’t want to enjoy what I was doing, but like any man, my mouth was like magic. He grunted as I took him to the root. I’d master this game, using my skills to turn men into putty—only this was a man I cared about. Revulsion boiled inside my stomach as I continued my ministrations along his rigid member. Not wanting to drag this show out, I worked his cock hard and fast.
Glancing up at him, I could tell he was close. He wouldn’t look at me, but he began to thrust into my throat. His dick pulsed along my tongue, and just when I thought he would cum, Harlen pulled free and exploded across my face and chest. He let go of my hair and stepped back. Giving me his back, I watched as he fidgeted with his pants, tucking in his shirt.
“Let’s get out of here.” Turning to the door, he avoided eye contact, making me feel nothing but shame. I knew he didn’t mean to make me feel like trash, but as I pushed to my feet and followed him out of the door, his cum covering my body, I felt exactly like the person I believed I’d become.
And when the eyes of the disgusting men saw what he’d done to me, I knew I was exactly what they saw—a whore.
“Looks like you’ve gotten a taste of what you paid for.” Lipovsky smirked as he stepped closer. “But to ensure she doesn’t try to run off again,” He stepped forward and jammed a needle into my neck. “This will keep her malleable for your trip home.”
“What the fuck?” Harlan growled. “I don’t like my girls fucked up on drugs. If I wanted that, I would have taken one of the strung-out whores you have for sale.”
“No worries… it will wear off. Though she might want more since it’s been in her veins for a few days.”
I blinked rapidly at Harlen, my body once again betraying me as it became Jello. He barely caught me before I dropped to my knees.
“Jesus Christ. I should demand a portion of my money back for this, you sick fuck.”
He pulled me against his body and held on as he navigated us away from Lipovsky. We’d barely made it outside when it happened. The cool metal pressed against my head as Harlan was knocked to his knees.
“Did you think you’d fool us, Mr. Drago?”
I tried to move my body to shield Harlen, but the drugs had done just as Lipovsky promised. I was useless at stopping what was coming.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about—you’re going to regret this, Mr. Lipovsky. I just spent three million dollars, and this is how you treat me?”
He spat on the ground beside me. “Do not play me for a fool. I’ve known who you were since the moment you stepped inside tonight. Your daughter Kate is beautiful. She’s brought me immense amounts of pleasure… and tonight, I imagine she’ll bring me a nice fee.” Harlan stiffened but didn’t speak. “I see I’ve struck a nerve.”
Andrei kicked at my pliant frame—I curled in on myself, avoiding the brunt of his boot. But instead of causing me pain, it gave me something else. Strapped to his leg was his blade. Using all the strength I had, I pushed myself forward and grabbed the metal from its sheath. Despite the drugs running rampant through my body, I willed myself to act.