Chapter 21 #2
When the attendants were done, the three of us stood side by side in the den. The excessive makeup made us look like clowns. Our white Roman dresses clung to our damp skin, sheer and thin, leaving nothing to the imagination. The straps dug into our shoulders.
The cloth hung mid-thigh, leaving us bare beneath.
We weren't allowed to wear thongs tonight.
No dignity for any of us.
Hector walked in a slow circle around us, his grin spreading with every step. "Look at you all," he drawled, eyes traveling down our bodies. "Perfect little offerings. You and Becca will bring me a fortune tonight. Layla stays with me."
Becca flinched when he reached out, his thumb grazing her cheek.
Layla closed her eyes when he ran his hand down her arm, his fingers deliberately pressing over her bandaged ribs.
She flinched, but made little fuss. She seemed relieved that he was keeping her, while Beck and I would be thrown to the wolves.
Of course, it wasn't her fault; she was just another nobody in Hector's chamber of horror.
I stood stiffly, fists clenched at my sides, refusing to give him the satisfaction of shrinking away.
"Green eyes," he whispered when he stopped in front of me. "You'll be the star of the evening."
His laugh was low and maniacal.
"My guests will pay top dollar to break that fire in you."
I swallowed my rage, locking it deep inside. It took all I had not to spit in the scumbag's face.
As dusk fell, the guards returned. They herded us out of the apartment, across the courtyard, and toward the mansion.
The night air was a little cool against my bare legs, goosebumps rising as the sound of music floated from the grand house ahead.
Lanterns lit paths, masked guests already arriving in sleek cars, limousines and SUVs.
The sound of laughter carried through the gates, dark and predatory.
Joyful for the customers, a nightmare for us.
We were led up a white stone spiral staircase, guards flanking us on either side. Becca walked stiffly, her hand brushing mine when the guards weren't looking. I squeezed once—silent, desperate reassurance.
Layla lagged behind, pale but determined, her lips pressed tightly as if holding back every ounce of pain.
At the top of the stairs, Hector was waiting. He wore a mask of gold and black, the face of some ancient god twisted into a sneer. His suit was flawless; his presence commanding. He looked at us like a king about to parade his spoils of war.
"Perfect," he said, snapping his fingers.
The guards yanked the doors open. The music swelled, laughter spilling into the night.
Beyond the threshold, chandeliers blazed overhead, golden light cascading over a ballroom filled with predators in masks.
The smell of perfume and cigars hit me like a slap in the face.
It was completely overwhelming. My eyes flicked across the room. Almost every mask was black and gold.
Maybe a symbol of evil, I don't know.
"Welcome to the party, my beauties," Hector murmured, leaning close enough that his breath skated across my neck. "Time to show the world what you're worth. Only the highest-paying customer takes you home, green eyes."
Before I could even process anything, we were shoved into the ballroom, on display like lifeless porcelain dolls. Every eye turned toward us. The noise of the masquerade crashed over me like a tidal wave.
Light, laughter, music—too loud, too bright, so very wrong! The crystal chandeliers threw golden fire across the ballroom, catching the walls, every jewel, every champagne glass and every creepy mask.
Dozens of them.
Men in silk and velvet, their faces hidden behind demons, beasts, and kings. Hollow laughter, and voices dripping with greed. I could feel their eyes on me, Becca and Layla.
A hundred hungry stares raked over bare skin beneath our thin Roman dresses. We weren't human to these monsters.
All of us, including the girls from the cottages, were nothing but product.
Hector led us into the spacious area, his mask glinting under the glow of the room, his voice booming like a master of ceremonies.
"Gentlemen!" he called, spreading his arms wide. "Welcome to my home. Tonight, I give you the finest treasures Mexico has to offer."
The crowd erupted in loud applause and lewd laughter. My stomach twisted, and my heart fluttered.
We are so fucked!
Guards shoved us forward, making us follow Hector across the shiny floor. My leather sandals slapped against the polished stone, each step a humiliation. Becca tumbled beside me, her arm brushing mine, her breaths short and shallow. Layla limped just behind us, cradling her bandaged ribs.
He wasn't selling her, so I wasn't sure why he ordered her to attend. Hector led us in a slow circle throughout the room, presenting us like prized mares.
"Rare eyes, rare beauty," he bragged, gripping my chin and tilting my face so the crowd could see.
"My green-eyed jewel."
The men leaned closer, eyes grinning behind the masks, voices dripping with hunger. One reached out and touched my arm. His fingers were damp with sweat. I jerked back, but Hector only laughed. "Easy, gentlemen. All in good time."
He pushed Becca forward next.
"And here we have icy blue fire. Innocence broken, but not lost. Look at her spirit, trembling but alive. She has an interested buyer, but he hasn't come forward with payment yet, so she is still on the market. Her specialty is knife play. She has been trained well in that area."
Loud applause echoed throughout the entire room.
The fucking bastard was making Beck pay for my deceit.
Her eyes darted to mine, wide and terrified.
She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, refusing to cry here in front of all these creeps.
I wanted to scream, to rip Hector's mask from his face, but I couldn't. The wolf was in his den surrounded by many guards.
I'd be foolish to attack him, and all it would bring me is a beating or worse.
Layla was last. Hector gripped her arm, lifting her bandaged wrist for display.
"This one knows how to handle pain," he crooned.
"She's endured more than most could survive. That makes her valuable, but she isn't for sale. I brought her here tonight to show you what we train our girls to accept. All of them can take a beating and large amounts of abuse. We want to make sure you get what you pay for."
The room erupted in sickening applause again, not for us, but for Hector and what he could offer all these monsters tonight. He ordered Layla to mingle with the guests. As he led Becca and me to the stage near the orchestra where the cottage girls stood, he bent low, his words for us alone.
"Smile for my guests, ladies. Tonight, they'll decide which one of you sucks their cocks first." He grinned wickedly. "They may even have you eat their fucking asses."
He was disgusting!!
My lips refused to move. My chin stayed high, my heart pounding so loud I thought the whole room would hear it.
"Look at them!" Hector's voice boomed across the ballroom as he pointed to us. He raised his champagne flute, his mask gleaming under the chandelier. "The finest merchandise in the world. Yours to sample. Yours to buy."
The men cheered like animals, masks tilted slightly to allow the sparkling liquid to flow easily down their throats as they toasted. The orchestra shifted into a darker melody, violins harsh and theatrical.
Guests circled closer, inspecting us as if we weren't living, breathing humans. Fingers brushed our skin. A man in a silver mask grabbed a cottage girl by the jaw, forcing her to open her mouth to check her teeth. She didn't resist, didn't blink. She had no fight left in her.
Another man wearing a black bull mask tugged at the hem of Becca's dress, smirking at the way she gasped and yanked it back down.
He chuckled, his voice thick with a European accent.
"What are you hiding from? I hear you are trained in knife play.
If you end up with me, I'm going to make you bleed… .every day."
Becca's hand trembled, clinging to mine, but she didn't speak. Her silence was louder than a piercing scream. I got it. We were both horrified and frightened. The room was full of evil animals, and it wouldn't be long before we were sold and separated forever.
One of the cottage girls collapsed to her knees, legs too weak to hold her. The crowd laughed. Two guards hauled her upright like she were a doll whose strings had gotten tangled.
"Tonight, my friends," Hector continued, raising his voice over the jeers.
"You are not bound by law, by morality, or by consequences.
Tonight, you are free. Take what you desire.
Indulge in every urge. For tomorrow, these girls may belong to someone else.
As you know, every girl on the grounds is disease free and has the best medical care at their fingertips. "
He smiled evilly.
"All are free to be fucked however you desire, except green eyes. She sustained some injuries last night when I brutally violated both holes."
Without warning, he pulled up my skirt, pushing me forward until I was bent over, my whole bottom exposed to the filthy pigs ogling us. Two guards grabbed my arms while Hector spread my legs wide.
He spread my lips open while I struggled in the guards' grip.
"Look at her red, swollen pussy and asshole.
You are free to inspect her, and sample her anywhere else on her body if you wish.
She needs to heal before she gets thoroughly fucked again.
I am asking seven hundred thousand dollars for her, and she's worth every penny. "
The guards let me go, and I stood up quickly, pulling my skirt down over my lower half.
The room erupted, voices overlapping, masks tilting closer to all of us on the stage.
Champagne spilled onto the floor as hands reached out to touch, squeeze and pinch the girls on display.
No one had gotten to me or Becca yet, but it wouldn't be long.
One man got close to me, whispering what he would do if he won me. I almost puked right there.
I locked my gaze on the chandelier above, refusing to give them my eyes.
Refusing to give them a piece of me. Beside me, Becca's breath hitched.
Layla came to stand in front of me. "I'm so sorry he's doing this to the both of you.
I know this doesn't really matter, but I hope you and Becca end up with a kind master.
" She scurried off the stage before Hector spotted her.
I couldn't see him anywhere in the room.
I know she meant well, but her words didn't make me feel any better. If anything, I felt worse.
This was a fucking nightmare, but underneath all the horror, one thought came to mind.
Atlas.
Where was he? Why hadn't he come for us?
Tears burned the corners of my eyes as clawing hands grabbed at me from every angle. Fingers dug into my arms, nails scraped across my skin, pawing, probing like I was nothing but flesh to be devoured by evil demons.
The kind that haunt your dreams. My dress slipped from my shoulders, the thin fabric tugged and torn until I was half exposed under the chandeliers' glow.
The surrounding laughter blurred into a single roar of cruelty. I couldn't keep track of which mask belonged to which monster. They were all the same— circling, feeding, clawing.
A hot mouth pressed against me, teeth sinking into the soft curve of my breast. I didn't flinch, didn't scream, and I didn't fight. I just… shut down.
My mind slipped somewhere else, somewhere beyond the ballroom, because I couldn't survive here. Not awake, not present. The pain, the shame, the stench of sweat and cologne…it all dissolved into a void.
I went blank.
Empty.
For the first time, I didn't care if I made it through the night. I didn't care if I lived or died.