by Naomi West
“Have you thought about the deal I made you?” Lorenzo asked.
“I have.”
“And?”
“I know you can do better.”
I reached into the duffel bag that I carried. No one flinched because it had been searched at the front entrance and had been deemed ‘safe’ to bring inside—that is after they emptied it of any ammo and took off with it. Some people think that the money is all in the guns themselves, but quite a bit stems from the ammunition. After all, you can’t do any damage with a chamber full of blanks.
“Take a look for yourself,” I said as I placed a Glock on the table that separated us. I had polished it up, and even in the dim lighting, it gleamed like the Hope Diamond.
“Donny.”
A large man that I recognized as the one that had purchased chocolate eyes at the auction stepped forward. He dropped a handful of bullets in his boss’ palm before stepping back and reassuming his position in the shadows. Shame on me for not noticing him earlier. How many others were hiding just out of sight?
Lorenzo took his time examining the piece. He even fired a round into a wooden bench.
“It penetrates pretty deep,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Much like yourself, I am assuming.” He grinned. “Oh, there’s no need for modesty here. We all know what you did to the curvy bitch. She couldn’t walk straight coming out of that room.”
Is that true? I wondered. I had been rough with her, sure, but I didn’t think I had been that out of control.
“I like it,” he said as he slipped it into the holster at his hip. “It feels nice in my hand.”
“Then you can see that these guns are high quality. You won’t find a batch quite like them.” I leaned forward. “And I mean you no disrespect, but we both know that the number you quoted isn’t the one I’m going to accept.”
“So, you want more money, is that it?”
“I have to cover my own expenses—surely you understand that.”
“Let me have this one as a loan for now so that I can properly put it through the wringer, and if I’m satisfied, then I’ll consider raising the price.”
“I believe the gun will speak for itself. You won’t be disappointed.”
He smiled. “I am sure we will cut a deal sooner or later, but I’ll have you know that I drive a hard bargain.”
“As do I.”
He glanced at his watch—a Rolex. “I’m wanted elsewhere.”
“Don’t let me keep you.”
I got up to leave, but he placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a hearty squeeze.
“Please, I insist.” He motioned toward a door, and again, the trio of girls came marching out.
At once, my eyes locked with hers.
“Might I save you some time in the future: don’t bother with the other two.”
Lorenzo smirked. “You fancy her, hmm?”
“Call me a repeat offender.”
His smirk deepened. “I don’t blame you. And just so you know, until this deal is made, no one is allowed to touch her. Consider it my treat.”
“That is very generous of you.”
“I hope you consider returning that generosity.”
There was no doubt about it now. He was definitely trying to use the girls to bribe his clients. In a way, it was incredibly smart because most men would fall for it, but as I said, I’m not most men.
“Enjoy.” He winked before walking away.
I took chocolate eyes by the hand and dragged her towards the fuck room like I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her because, well, I couldn’t. She had possessed my thoughts since the last time we were in the throes of passion together. There was just something about her that had me under a spell. Not only was she the best fuck I’d ever had, but she was sexy as hell to boot.
“Undress,” I said.
Across the room, I noticed a stereo system. I turned it on and upped the volume until it was ridiculously loud—it would make it much easier to have a proper conversation with the woman even if we had to stage it during the fucking.
When I turned around, she was still standing there, fully clothed. Acting as any horny man would, I took her and threw her onto the bed. She started to struggle against me, but I held her down.
“Stop,” I said as I planted my lips on hers. It worked wonders in calming her down. Her body melted against mine. “The music is playing, so they won’t be able to hear us, but we still need to pretend.”
“You mean you want to fuck me and leave just like last time?”
“I would consider myself lucky if I were you,” I responded as I took off her clothes. “You heard what Lorenzo said. While the deal is in the works, I’m the only man that gets to touch you, and I’m a whole lot better than some of these other guys.” As I spoke, I leaned into her neck and brushed my lips against it to make it seem like I was throwing her some dirty talk.
“So, what’s the plan then? You’re just going to keep fucking me until you make this little deal of yours and then what? You’re going to leave for good?”
I took off my clothes and rolled us over so that she was lying on top of my body. My cock was rock hard and poking against her stomach, but it wasn’t time for me to use it just yet. Instead, I focused on teasing her first because why not have a little bit of fun while I was there? And one of the best things in life was taking a girl to the brink of erotic insanity.
As the music blared, my fingertips found a home on her asscheeks. They danced and tiptoed all around. I teased her by skirting around her hole for a bit, but I would never go in dry. I had to imagine that must hurt like a motherfucker.
“Suck,” I told her as I pressed my fingers to her mouth.
Those pouty lips of hers were starting to get to me. I was half tempted to just have her blow me as she had the night before. “Not until you tell me what you plan to do to help get me out of this place.”
I turned the tides and positioned myself on her, taking control. Without warning, I plunged into her velvet depths.
Fuck. She was tight—almost virginal. Her walls hugged my every inch in a vice grip.
“You haven’t told me your name,” I said as I slowly rocked my hips, fucking her slowly.
After what Lorenzo had said about her not walking straight, I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again. Sure, I wanted to make the whole thing believable, but that was pushing it—even for me.
“Cora…” she said breathily as she wrapped her arms around my neck and raked her nails along my shoulders.
“Cora,” I repeated with the slightest of smiles. “I like that name.”
“And yours?”
Next, her legs hooked around my waist. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that she was genuinely enjoying herself.
“Andrei. Andrei Valeri.”
“If you’re trying to do the whole James Bond introduction, then you’re supposed to start with your last name first,” she whispered against my ear, and somehow, those words were the sexiest ones I had ever heard.
It wasn’t really her words that mattered but the deep sultriness of them. They slithered into my mind and tightened around my brain until it didn’t work anymore. All I could do was fuck her and fuck her hard. The rocking of the bed was almost louder than the music.
“And how’d you get here, Cora?” I asked after regaining my composure and slowing down a bit.
I nearly pulled out of her hole before slamming back in again. She screamed, and God, what a heavenly sound it was. Wanting to hear it again, I slammed into her a second time. She arched her back, and that was when I took it upon myself to switch positions. I pulled her onto my lap as I settled against the headboard.
“Ride. But take it slow.”
She did what she was told, but I didn’t think it was because she had too—I think she wanted to. There was ecstasy painted all over her face, and that wasn’t the kind of thing you could fake.
“I…” She panted, unable to say much as she bounced up and down alo
ng the length of my cock.
“Take it slow,” I repeated as I rested her hands on my shoulders so she would have something to hold on to. “Slower. There you go,” I praised once she had hit that sweet, sweet tempo.
“I was walking home on my own.”
“Ah.” I nodded.
The classic setup. A group of bad men see a vulnerable girl and take full advantage of her.
“Has anyone done anything since you’ve been here?”
The color drained from her face, but she shook her head no.
“They’ve tried, haven’t they?”
This time, she nodded.
Suddenly, I pulled her hair and smacked her ass. I didn’t want the surveillance team to think we were up to something other than fucking each other’s brains out. So that was what I did. I barreled through her pussy until I lost count of the number of times she quivered around me. I was pushing her and pushing her hard, and every time I thought her tank was empty, she somehow gathered up the energy for yet another round.
My cock was dying for release. I had pretty good control when it came to holding back, but she certainly made it difficult. At the same time, all I wanted to do was pound her through the night. My balls ached, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep it up for much longer.
“Are you ready for it?” I hissed against her ear.
“Yes…” she moaned.
Before I could explode, I pulled out and pushed my tip against her mouth. As obedient as ever, she opened it and started to suck me off. All it took was a few bobs of her head.
“Fuck!” I growled as I pinned her head to my crotch, forcing her to swallow every last drop. If that wasn’t convincing, I didn’t know what was.
Feeling a little lightheaded, I collapsed onto the bed and nearly took her into my arms. Knowing better than to display such affection, I pushed away and started to put on my clothes.
“Let me guess, you’re going to leave, aren’t you?”
“I know it must be difficult for you being in the dark like this, but all you have to know is that I need to pull off this deal with Lorenzo if I want to get a good position in the new Valeri venture.”
“And what does that mean?”
“It means that, for both our sakes, let’s hope that Lorenzo buys those guns off me.”
I turned on my heels and left. Part of me wanted to turn around and kiss her on the forehead for some reason, but that would be a foolish thing to do. Lorenzo respected other sadists, and until we struck a deal, I had to pretend to be just as sick as him.
Bargaining with Lorenzo was like pulling teeth, and it took much longer than I expected. I ventured to the warehouse a handful of times over a period of two weeks, and every time he gave me a lame ass excuse as to why he couldn’t go any higher on the price. It didn’t matter what I did or what I said—he was completely deaf to reason.
The only saving grace about the whole thing was the fact that every time I entered his territory, it meant another night with Cora.
Damn, that girl… She has a body like a backroad, and she sure knows how to drive you crazy.
It was still rather awkward for us to talk, but little by little, we were starting to confide in one another. But I still hadn’t told her about my plan. To save her, I would suggest adding her as a part of the price. Lorenzo could always find another girl, but a stack of scrubbed guns—now that was hard to come by.
But he was being a stubborn asshole. For the millionth time, he had lowered his offer, and he refused to budge. It seemed this was a hill he was willing to die on. But I wasn’t about to give up just yet. I needed to get the most of out him first. That was the only way that any of this was going to work.
And it had to work because there was a lot on the line. My family, for one, and Cora, for another.
Why is she so important? I kept asking myself. And why does this dark, twisted transaction have such a weird feeling to it? Could it be—
Fuck no, I cut myself off. Absolutely not.
25
Things were strange in this bizarre new world, but thankfully, Martina had been nothing but a good friend. I suppose it was true what they say: “birds of a feather flock together.” And we were definitely on the same rocky ship. Sticking together made us stronger.
“Let me braid your hair,” she said one afternoon when neither of us could sleep.
“Why?”
“One, I’m bored, and two, that Prince Charming of yours might like it.” She winked and made a lewd gesture.
I rolled my eyes. “He’s not my Prince Charming.”
“Hey, it beats the fat fuck that I’m forced to screw every other night. At least Andrei talks to you and lets you know what’s going on and what his business is with Lorenzo—that’s something. My bastard just flops on top of me like a dead fish. I’d switch places with you any day of the week, honey.”
She sat me down in front of the mirror and started to comb my hair with a gentle hand like she had done it a thousand times before.
“You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to, but do you have any sisters by chance?”
She stopped and looked at me through the mirror. “Two. They’re twins. They turned seven the day I was taken. I had just left my mother’s house after the party when it happened. She had insisted I stay there the night, but sometimes I’m as stubborn as a mule. Boy, do I regret not listening to her now.” She had this faraway look on her face, and I felt bad for asking because I didn’t want to reopen any wounds. “But I can’t go back and change the past now, can I?”
“Your family probably notified the police —”
She held up her hand to stop me from talking. “Don’t bother wasting your breath with that. There’s no hope. The police are never going to find us here, and even if they knew we were locked up here, they wouldn’t risk it. They know better than to nose around Lorenzo’s territory without the boss’ permission.”
“But they’re cops. I don’t think they need a mob leader’s permission to do their jobs.”
She laughed. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but our police force is pretty corrupt. I should know. My father was one of them. He used to take bribes from men like Lorenzo to turn a blind eye.”
“And did he?”
“Of course he did. Lorenzo is the kind of guy that’ll threaten your family. My dad didn’t want to risk sending any of us to an early grave, so he did what he had to do to survive, but in the end, it didn’t matter—he still wound up in a body bag.”
I gasped. “Oh my God, Martina, that’s horrible.”
She sectioned my hair and remained quiet for a while. I couldn’t be sure, but her eyes looked a little glossy like she was just about to cry. I wanted to say something and comfort the only friend I had in this place, but my mouth refused to operate. So, I took her hand and gave it a squeeze, hoping that was enough to tell her that I cared.
“All I want is to be able to see them one last time,” she whispered. “They had such stupid faces when they laughed, and I always took that for granted because I never thought I’d get ripped away like this. There were so many times where all they wanted to do was play, and I pushed them away because I thought they were annoying.” She choked back a sob.
“Oh, Martina.”
I got up from my chair and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tight. She cried against my shoulder. It was the first time that I had really seen her break down since I had been brought here. She had always seemed so strong and resilient, but she had suddenly reached her breaking point. I rubbed the small of her back and rocked her gently until she was able to calm down.
“You’ll see them again someday.”
“I’m starting to doubt that.”
We both sat down on Alice’s bed. Alice had been taken early that morning, and she had yet to return. I still didn’t know her story, or what her voice really sounded like.
“Hey, don’t give up,” I told Martina as I tightened my grip on her hands. “When I first got here, you told
me with such determination that you were going to get yourself out of here.”
She looked down. “I can’t see a way out, Cora. I’ve tried.”
I bit the inside of my lip, wondering whether I should tell her about Andrei’s promise. For some reason, I had kept it to myself. Maybe I thought it would be easier that way, in case I couldn’t save her too, but now I was starting to wonder whether I would be able to leave her behind. We had gotten so close in such a short amount of time; I wouldn’t want her to rot in this place while I wandered the land of the free. I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
She wiped away her tears. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.”
“Anyway, back to that braid.”
For a while, I allowed her to do whatever she wanted to my hair because it seemed to help with her anxiety. More than once, she destroyed her handiwork just to start anew. My scalp was starting to hurt, but I didn’t tell her. If this reminded her of her twin sisters, then it was the least that I could do.
“So, this fat fuck of yours, does he keep picking you or does he pick Alice sometimes?”
“Oh no, it’s always me.”
“Well, I hate to say it, but it’s kind of obvious why he does that. I mean, Alice is completely broken.”
“I know,” she said, her voice soft. “She was a bit livelier when I first showed up, but now… She’s a real mess. She’s nothing more than a dead-eyed doll for the clients to play with and torment. Only the real sickos pick her. Or if Lorenzo has business with a common drug dealer, he’ll throw her his way like throwing a dog a bone.”
“That’s horrible…” I shook my head. “Lorenzo is a total asshole. How can he live with himself?”
“Some people are just demented in the head.” She tapped her skull.
I stopped and looked around, something dawning on me then. “Hey, Martina?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever wondered whether this place is bugged?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, do you think we have cameras watching us right now?”
Her response to my question was flipping the bird in a complete three-sixty around the room. If there were cameras, then she didn’t give a flying fuck.
