King's Harlots 1-3

by J. M. Walker

  A horn honked outside the house, interrupting the questions banging around in my head. Peeking out the window, I saw a black town car and knew instantly by the churning in my gut that it was either Charles or one of his bastards.

  “We have to go,” I told Meeka, reaching out for her hand.

  She nodded, sliding her fingers in mine. She looked up at me through dark lashes, her teeth chewing her bottom lip.

  I kissed her mouth, letting my lips linger. “Whatever you do, do not let go of my hand.”

  She nodded again, squeezing my fingers for added effect.

  I didn’t want to scare her but I knew how these men worked. They preyed on the weak and would do everything they could to get her alone. But I wouldn’t allow it. It would be over my cold dead body before they harmed her.

  “Let’s get this shit over with.” So I could spend the rest of the night showing her I wasn’t an asshole. Not to her, at least. I felt like I was having a never-ending conversation with myself of should I or shouldn’t I. She made me weak in the knees and my dick hard as a rock. Even before we kissed the first time. I always thought she was beautiful, but that kiss sealed the deal. She had to be mine, and I would do everything I could to make her see it.

  “Don’t leave my side,” Meeka pleaded. “Whatever you do.”

  “I promise.” We left the house, greeted by a large man in a black suit.

  He didn’t look our way but opened the door to the back of the car.

  Holding Meeka’s hand, I guided her into the vehicle, watching her face go from solemn to worried.

  “Don’t look so excited to see me, dear girl.”

  Charles. Shit. I was naïve to hope that he wouldn’t be there and would be waiting back at the house. And as soon as I sat in the car, I realized that the windows were tinted past the point of seeing so I wouldn’t be able to trace the way to his place. Fucking great.

  “We’re surprised you came to pick us up,” I told him, holding Meeka against me. My nose burned, tingling with the scent of sex. She smelled like me. Under normal circumstances I would be proud of that fact, but knowing Charles could probably smell it as well, my inner Alpha beat on its chest with a possessive roar.

  “I had nothing better to do.” Charles smirked. “It smells like …” He lifted his nose in the air. “You two finally fucked.”

  Meeka bristled beside me.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I bit out through clenched teeth. There was no way that I wanted to talk about sex with him. Especially not when it came to Meeka and me.

  “I don’t like a liar,” he said, his voice dripping with venom. “But you’re lucky I like you. Now, tell me, how is the training going?”

  “It’s not like you’ve given us enough time, but—” I cupped Meeka’s jaw “—she’s doing well.”

  “She,” he repeated. “You’re a better man than I because my toys are not referred to as human. They're toys. Playthings. And they are not female or male.”

  “That’s where you and I are different. I don’t play with toys, and I sure as hell don’t fuck them.”

  Charles chuckled. “Touché.” Pouring a drink from a bottle in a bucket of ice, he handed me the tumbler. “Cheers. To friends and playthings.” Repeating his movements, he poured liquid from another flask for himself.

  God, I hated the fucker. I didn’t say anything and held the glass up to my lips, waiting for him to take the first sip.

  He took his drink, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. “Give her the drink,” he demanded.

  “No.” There was no point in asking why.

  “Do it or I will force her to take a drink while my men hold you down.”

  Shit.

  Meeka’s eyes widened, looking up at me. Her gaze begged, pleaded with me not to let her take a sip. Who knew what was put in the amber liquid.

  “What’s in the drink?” Knowing there was probably nothing in it but I couldn’t trust that. How would I know? The drink smelled like liquor. That was it. And if something else was put in it, there would be no way I could decipher the difference between the two.

  “The fact alone that you think I put something in it hurts me.” Charles grabbed his chest, his mouth curling into a wicked smirk. “Give her the drink. I’m not asking again.”

  “No,” Meeka whispered, her eyes wide. “Please.”

  “Drink it,” I told her, my voice firm. I held the tumbler to her mouth, cupping her jaw. God, please forgive me. My blood pounded in my ears, an icy cold shiver racing down my spine.

  Something flashed behind her eyes. She took the glass from my hand, glaring my way before chugging the drink back.

  She swallowed hard and coughed, shoving the glass back in my hand. So many words went unsaid. She was mad at me. She hated me. She never wanted to speak to me again. I could have handled it but her silence was worse. It drove me fucking insane not to hear what she had to say. I was the type of person who didn’t speak. Meeka had done enough for the both of us over the years. I came to expect it and now, she was pissed. But alive.

  I cupped her jaw, forcing her to look at me. Searching her face, I let out a deep sigh when nothing changed.

  “I told you there was nothing in the drink.”

  ELEVEN

  Meeka

  THE LIQUID BURNED my throat but heated my skin. My head became light and fuzzy but I was grateful. Yes, I was pissed beyond measures that I had to drink it but there was no point in arguing. Charles scared me. He looked at me like he could see inside of my soul. He was the monster that creeped in the dark shadows of my room and he had no problems showing it.

  “Now that we got that out of the way, how is the training going? Anything I should help with?” Charles glanced my way, his face impassive. Crossing his leg over the opposite knee, he scratched the dark scruff on his strong jaw. “I’m experienced, Meeka. I know everything there is to know about training a woman into a toy for her Master. I’d be happy to go over some things with you.”

  “Like fuck,” Asher snapped.

  “Ah, there you are. I almost thought you had no emotion. You could have proved me wrong but your actions speak louder than your words.” Charles shrugged. “You just ruined it for her.”

  “What are you talking about? I’ve done everything you have asked. If you want your money, you won’t lay a hand on her.”

  “Oh, yes. Money. I almost forgot about that.” Charles kept his gaze locked with mine. “How does it feel knowing you’re worth a million?”

  I gasped, clapping a hand over my mouth.

  “Don’t listen to him, Hummingbird. He’s trying to get under your skin,” Asher muttered in my ear. “And you’re fucking worth more than a million dollars.”

  I bit back a smile, trying everything in me to play along with the twisted charade. I wasn’t sure what was going on. Not being told much, I had to go with what was given to me.

  “How much has Ash here told you?”

  When I didn’t say anything right away, I earned a hard look from Charles. “He-he’s told me enough,” I answered, my voice cracking.

  “How much is enough? And don’t you answer for her,” he snapped at Asher. “I’m talking to your pet. If you want to keep her, you will shut your fucking mouth.”

  My stomach twisted, churning with disgust for the man sitting across from me. How could anyone just throw away another human being?

  “Answer me, Meeka. What do you know?” Charles undid the buttons of his suit jacket, revealing the butt of a gun.

  My eyes burned, but I refused to cry for him. He probably bathed in the tears of children. “I know you train girls. You break them, molding them into what you want, and then you sell them to prospective buyers.” I didn’t know how much of that was true, but I knew I had to say something. “I also know that I am supposed to do as I’m told.”

  “And do you?”

  I swallowed hard, thoughts of only a couple hours before reigning my mind. “Yes.” My cheeks heated. It was like I had
given him every detail about the delicious experience Asher and I shared. It was disconcerting, knowing in his lifestyle that your sex life was not private. At all.

  “Good girl.” He sat back, taking a sip of his drink.

  “Why do you care?” Asher asked, frowning. “She’s supposed to be trained to be a toy. That’s what you told me. Why are you showing interest?”

  “So many questions.” Charles winked. “You will soon find out.” His gaze slid back to mine. “We all will.”

  Something had changed since the first time I saw him. Even though it was only a couple of days before, Charles looked at me like he wanted to eat me alive. Like he wanted to rip off my skin and cover himself in it. God, I watched too many movies. But by the sheer look of dark hunger in his gaze, I knew something had switched. I just prayed that whatever it was, I wouldn’t be alone when I found out.

  “Now, Ash. It seems to me like you’re new to this industry. Let me tell you a little about how it works.” Charles pulled a manila envelope from his inside pocket. “These are contracts. For both of you. Every single item, you have to do at least once and mark it off. If you don’t, trust me, we will find out.”

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Asher took the envelope and opened it. “Why do we need contracts? You already know I’m on the same page.”

  “What I know is that you’re a quiet fucker.” Charles pointed at me. “Bring her around and you open.”

  Asher shifted beside me, flipping through the pages of the contract. “You know you can’t pull this on me if you want your money. You also know that I have connections. I can bring you more business. Meeka is the toy that keeps me satisfied.” He smirked. “Trust me. You don’t want to deal with me when I’m not happy.”

  I knew he had to be dramatic to get his point across, but I also knew that Asher meant every word. He had a temper problem. The school counselor had tried so hard to throw him into anger management but he only got into fights. He wasn’t the type to talk about his feelings. Except to me. I could get Asher to open up and spill everything, but now that we had sex, I wasn’t so sure.

  “That may be true but it’s worth a shot.” Charles gulped back the rest of his drink before placing it in the cup holder. Giving me a dark stare, he nodded once. “Kneel. On the floor.”

  My jaw clenched, my hands curling into fists.

  “Do it, Meeka,” Asher said, giving my hand a light squeeze.

  Complying, I lowered to the floor, kneeling at Asher’s feet.

  He kept his fingers locked in mine, careful not to let me go.

  “I think we need to up the lesson. Come here,” Charles demanded, his dark gaze piercing into mine.

  “Not going to happen,” Asher told him. “She only listens to me and no one else.”

  My heart raced on permanent overdrive. My skin prickled with tiny bumps of fear. It was only the beginning and already I was ready to give up. Charles scared me. No one should be held against their will to do things that would even make the Devil himself cringe. In my job, I had seen monsters, but never like him. All of the emotions Charles was displaying never reached his eyes. He was the epitome of a sociopath. No emotion. No heartbreak. It almost made me wonder what had happened in his childhood to cause him to be this way. Was he like Asher? Did he have a horrible start to life and just couldn’t deal? With Asher, it helped him become stronger.

  “Does she now? What if I separated you two?” Charles words dripped with venom and power. He was a Dominant man in the way he took control of the room with just a dark stare. The air was thick with superiority, the battle of Alpha male flying through the car. Asher didn’t back down like Charles had hoped he would. When he looked away first, I mentally fist pumped the air.

  “I think we need to make something clear.” Asher cupped my jaw, leaning down to my ear. “Trust me.”

  I nodded slightly, giving him the reassurance that no matter what he said, I trusted him completely.

  “Meeka is my toy. My pet. She does and says what I tell her to. She’s already broken to appease me and no other man will change that.” Asher’s words were cold and uncaring. They sent a flutter of anxiety racing through me even though I knew he had more respect for me then he was letting on.

  It’s all an act, Meeka. Trust him.

  I had to repeat the words over and over in my head. Asher was good at his job. He should have been an actor because I almost believed the words he was saying.

  “Is that so?” Charles asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “You’re better off not second guessing me right now. If you want your money, you will understand the fact that Meeka is mine and mine alone. If anyone touches her and that includes you, I will rip off your head and piss down your fucking throat. What you do to those girls? It will be nothing compared to what I do to you. How do you feel about being skewered on a stick? No? Not your thing?” Asher feigned a yawn. “Didn’t think so. Maybe you’ll think twice next time before you threaten me and my toy. She’s bought and paid for. I don’t want to have to go through the act of training another one. I’m too old for that shit.”

  “And that’s why you have us,” Charles reminded him.

  “Nah. Not my thing. I don’t share, and I definitely don’t play well with others. She was used once before me.”

  “Who trained her?”

  “That’s none of your damn business.” Asher wrapped his hand around the base of my neck, rubbing his thumb up and down. That small touch was soothing, and it calmed my racing nerves. I knew Asher could take Charles but who knew how many more men he had under his beck and call.

  “You’re a difficult one to crack, my dear Ash.” Charles pressed a button, speaking into the intercom. “Take us around the back. I have to remind our dear friends how we play.”

  “She already knows what happens if she doesn’t listen, but if you feel the need to be extra dramatic, then by all means.” Asher waved a hand in front of him. “You do realize, though, that if she misbehaves, what you show her will be nothing compared to what I do to her when I get her home.”

  “Oh, do tell,” Charles clapped his hands together. “I love a little story of what happens to the toy that has been bad.”

  Asher laughed, cold and maniacal. “If only she bruised easily.”

  “Fuck, I love some pale skin that turns purple fast.” Charles groaned. “Speaking of which, I need to show you a new device we got.”

  “And what kind of device is that?”

  “Oh, you will see.” Charles tapped the back of the window shielding the front seat from the back. It rolled down a couple inches, revealing two large men. “Well?”

  “We’re here,” the one stated, his voice deep and rough.

  I had no idea where we were going. I didn’t know what would become of our situation. Asher being with me kept some of the fear at bay but his acting messed with my head. He would never speak to me that way under normal circumstances. Although he was demanding, something told me that I hadn’t experienced all of that yet. His dark and dangerous desires could no doubt bring me to my knees. His dirty words melted me into a puddle of heated bliss. Once. Once was all it took for me to be begging at his feet, pleading that he do everything he wanted to me as long as he promised me the greatest pleasure in return.

  My skin tingled, my nipples puckering at the memories of his mouth on me. It had been fast. It was nowhere near enough. An ache spread between my thighs, my body needing him back inside of me.

  When we came to a stop outside of a large building, although the windows were tinted, I could see that the mansion was old. Weathered paint, vines growing up the sides of the house. It was a house taken out of a horror movie. It was eerily perfect for the solemn mood that had taken over the vehicle.

  The car drove around the building, heading to the back of the house. A cloud had taken over, putting a permanent darkness above the rafters of the roof. If only the walls could talk.

  “I shouldn’t be so excited, but I am,” Charles exclai
med. “I love it when a fresh pair of eyes sees what’s in store for them if things go wrong.”

  “Nothing will go wrong,” I blurted, snapping my mouth shut as soon as the words left my mouth.

  Asher stiffened beside me.

  “Ah, little thing has a voice. It’s about time you spoke.” Charles grinned. “Get out of the car.”

  Knowing I would probably hear of it later from Asher, I excited the vehicle. A part of me didn’t care what happened, but then I had to keep reminding myself of the girls who had gone missing. The new victims. The old. Jay's sister. Jay herself. She had been taken and screwed up, having to take some time off for herself and Angel. God, I couldn’t even imagine, and there I was being selfish. If Vega had been any indication of how evil these men were, Charles was the Master of it all.

  Standing on shaky legs, I wrapped my arms around myself. Knowing I wasn’t supposed to show any emotion, I held back a gasp at the sheer idea of what happened behind these walls.

  A warm hard body stepped up behind me, fingers wrapping around my arm.

  I inhaled. The scent of spicy cologne filled my nostrils mixing with the hint of sex. I knew it was Asher just by the firm but gentle hold he had on me. He was letting me know that I didn’t need to worry. I was his. For how long, I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t think about that right at the moment. Although, it was a badgering question that wouldn’t leave me alone.

  “I need you to be strong. Not for me. But for you.” He kissed the top of my head. “Let’s get this shit over with before I kill him.”