Hold Me

by Talia Ellison

  If I can get the opportunity, maybe I can snatch the pills from her at the party when she’s too busy to notice. Then I could take one and get it analyzed somewhere. Actually, if Raphael’s dealing them, then it might be easier to get him arrested. Then again, maybe it’s not Raphael. Maybe it’s one of his friends. They could be all working together for mutual benefit.

  The car suddenly stops, and I realize we’re in front of a brightly lit building. It’s a casino and a hotel of some kind, not some creepy abandoned house that I might have expected. It is apart from all the other buildings though, and surrounded by a fence. I can see people in expensive clothes milling around. “Wait, how big is this party?”

  “Oh, most of the people here aren’t invited and don’t know what they’re missing.” Alessandra laughs. “The party is just being hosted here, you know, for better discretion. If someone sees you around here, they’re going to assume you came to the casino or to the hotel.”

  I let out a long sigh. Of course. Katherine told me Raphael and his men weren’t stupid. I can see multiple guards standing at the door, and no one is paying any special attention to them since people expect them to be here to protect the important guests and all the expensive cars in the parking lot.

  “What? You don’t like it?” Alessandra raises an eyebrow at me.

  “It’s not that. I’m just... a little bit nervous. That’s all.” I force myself to smile. I can do this. It isn’t as if I haven’t pretended to be happy at a million parties that didn’t interest me. I can fake interest in whatever I want, even if it makes me uncomfortable. At least I hope I can.

  As we’re striding through the long hallways, our heels clicking against the white marble floor, Alessandra grabs me by the arm and takes me to the end of the hallway, straight to a door that doesn’t have a room number on it. She knocks three times and the door opens. A tall guy with a white mask covering most of his face peers through the opening, his smile widening when he sees Alessandra.

  “Hello, Xen,” she says.

  “Allie.” The man’s dark eyes travel to me. “I see you brought a friend.”

  “Yep. I did. Now, will you let us in or are you going to gawk at us?”

  Xen steps aside, letting us into a long, mostly empty hallway. To my left is a big hanger rack and a box with masks. Alessandra quickly grabs two and hands one to me.

  “Put this on,” she says, as Xen types something into his phone. I look at him as Allie puts on the mask that covers most of her face but leaves her eyes and mouth visible. The mask is completely white except for the black floral embroidery around the eyes. Alessandra glances at Xen as I put on my mask. It’s soft from the inside and doesn’t press on my face like I expect it to. It’s strange though, and a little exciting.

  “Don’t worry about Xen. He’s just making sure you’re on the guest list. I assure you no one will ever find out you were here. Now come on.” Allie waves at me, and I follow her down the hallway to yet another door.

  As I pass through it, I find myself in a huge room. A gasp is stuck in my throat when I see a naked girl tied up to a table, a gag ball in her mouth. Her head is lolling back over the edge of the table as a masked man dressed in a suit unzips his pants and pulls out his cock. I immediately avert my gaze, glad that no one can see my burning cheeks under the mask.

  Alessandra has gone farther into the room, toward what looks like a bar. There are white and black couches in front of it, and men and women in masks sit there, drinking and chatting. At the feet of one of the men is a naked man on his knees, a collar around his throat, his back covered in red welts. I stop and look around, and I think I’m going to go dizzy from the sheer number of all the naked and masked people.

  “Relax. It’s just a party.” Alessandra taps me on the back, making me jump. “Here.” She hands me a glass of a yellowish liquid.

  I take a tiny sip and realize it’s champagne.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’re into this kind of thing, so I brought you to one of the tamest parties.”

  I swallow and look around the room. Yeah, that was a good choice on her part. But I already feel out of place here. I look for any sign that the naked people, who might be actual sex slaves and not just playing, don’t look happy about what they’re doing, but all I can hear is the moaning of the girl nearby.

  Her eyes are closed, her lips parted, as a guy pumps into her, his fingers tightly wrapped around her wrists and pinning her against the table with an almost bruising force. I can see light bruises all over her legs, but how can I know if that’s something she wanted or not?

  My gaze falls on the couple pressed against the wall. A masked woman is clinging to a naked man, her lips spreading into a smile as his hand roams up her leg and under her skirt. As they kiss, their tongues intertwining, I look away. Maybe this has been a huge mistake. I shouldn’t be here.

  I turn around to find Alessandra and tell her that I’m leaving, but then I see a familiar face across the room and my heart skips a beat. I freeze in place, unable to move a single muscle, as a slow tremor runs up my body.

  A tall masked man grabs Caleb’s chin and pulls him in for a rough kiss. Caleb doesn’t fight him, his naked, muscular body rigid. I know he hasn’t seen me yet and I don’t know if he’ll recognize me with the mask... if he even looks in my direction. The man then flips Caleb around and shoves him over the table so hard that I gasp. As the man unbuttons his pants, Caleb is perfectly still, his eyes focused on a spot on the floor.

  I want to look away, but I can’t. My heart is beating so loudly that my whole body is pulsing with it. As the man runs a hand across Caleb’s back and squeezes his ass, I notice the red welts raising all over Caleb’s skin. Caleb grimaces as the man slides his cock inside of him, and my knees nearly give out.

  The look in Caleb’s eyes when the man painfully grips his hair and tugs his head back cuts through me like a knife, and I can’t breathe. He doesn’t want this. He doesn’t enjoy it. I don’t know what has made him agree to this, or if he even had a choice, but it doesn’t matter. My vision is getting blurry, and I want to stop this, stop the unknown man from hurting Caleb, but I can’t just go over there and tell him to stop.

  I don’t know what to do that wouldn’t cause even more trouble for Caleb and me. I’d never get us out of here alive. A dark part of my mind reminds me that I would rather not let anyone who hurt Caleb walk out of this room alive. Still, I take a deep breath and force myself to look away.

  “Hey, you’re spilling it!” Alessandra comes toward me and I realize I’m still holding the glass of champagne in my hand, and it’s tilting so much that the champagne is seeping out.

  “Shit.” I straighten the glass and set it on a nearby table.

  “Have you seen anything you like?” Alessandra searches my face, and I force myself to smile.

  “Maybe.” I focus on her silver earrings in the shape of an apple until my head clears a little and I can feel my legs again. “So, are you going to introduce me to our host? I’d like to thank him for letting me come here.”

  Actually, I want to meet the man so I can place my hands around his neck and strangle him, but I know it’s not going to be that simple. Still, I need a clue for the cops, and if I keep saying that to myself, maybe I’ll manage to do this without showing my utter disgust with what is going on in here. Alessandra glances at the couches where some masked men are sitting, but I’m not sure who she’s looking at.

  “Maybe later. He’s busy now,” she says, then turns on her heel and looks at me over her shoulder. “I’m going to...” She bites on her lip. “Enjoy myself a little. Hope you don’t mind that I have to leave you. Unless you want to join me.”

  “No, you just go. I’ll be fine here.” I have no intention of going anywhere with Alessandra. I almost can’t believe I’ve been friends with her for so long and not known what she’s been doing.

  I head toward the bar and order some vodka-orange juice, then gulp down the whole thing. The mask on my face is get
ting irritating and itchy, but I know I can’t take it off. For a moment, I wish I could see other people’s faces, even if that meant they could also see mine, just so I could remember them when I give their details to Lloyd.

  When I turn my head, I see Caleb walking across the room, his gait slow and stiff. The man with the mask is laughing and drinking with some woman, and I grit my teeth together. I could kill him for laying his dirty hands on Caleb. Before I know what I’m doing, I get in Caleb’s way. He stops, his eyes wary, then his lips spread into that fake smile of his that doesn’t reach his eyes.

  “Can I do anything for you, my lady?” he asks.

  “Caleb... are you okay?” I try to reach for him and pull him a bit aside so we’re not in everyone’s view, but he avoids my touch. His perfectly composed smile falters, and he looks at me like he’s seen a ghost.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” he says, his face paling.

  “I know. I just...” I haven’t seen any cameras anywhere, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any, so I lean forward, hoping Caleb won’t step away. “I want to help you,” I whisper into his ear, and he flinches.

  “With what?” His brows draw together in confusion.

  “I’ve seen what that man... what that man did to you. You didn’t enjoy it.” I say quickly into his ear. His whole body stiffens as his wide eyes look at me.

  “I don’t know what you think you saw, but you’re wrong,” he says. “You should leave now. This isn’t a place for you.” He steps around me and starts walking away. If it hadn’t been for the quiver in his voice, maybe I’d have believed him.

  “Caleb...” I turn to go after him, but then I stop dead in my tracks as I see a masked man approaching Caleb.

  “Caleb!” the man yells, his voice laced with anger, and Caleb immediately stops to face the man. Without hesitating, the man lifts his hand and slaps Caleb hard across the face. I flinch, curling my fingers at my sides. “What was that, huh? Apologize to the lady. Now!”

  Caleb reluctantly turns toward me, his eyes slightly narrowed. “I apologize if I offended you,” he says, lowering his head. The masked man looks at me, and I’m glad I’m wearing a mask too so he can’t see my face.

  “I’m truly sorry for this slave’s behavior,” the man says to me, his voice turning friendly. “If you want to punish him yourself, I’ll gladly...”

  “No, that won’t be necessary,” I say. Is this Raphael? The man is slightly taller than Caleb, and he’s lean and muscular. I can see his hair is black, and his eyes are gray or light blue. The mask covers most of his face, so I’m not sure how old he is, but he doesn’t seem very old.

  The man sneers at Caleb. “Leave.”

  Caleb simply turns around and walks away, and the man steps toward me.

  “You’re Alessandra’s friend, aren’t you?” he asks, offering me his hand. “I’m Raphael. Your host. I hope your night is not unpleasant.”

  His grip on my hand is strong and I squeeze his hand back. My skin is tingling and I want to pull my hand away and wipe it on my dress. I can’t believe I’m here holding hands with a true monster and there’s not a goddamn thing I can do.

  “Unpleasant?” I force myself to smile, and pull my hand back. “Quite the contrary.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Now if you’ll excuse me...” He smiles at me and strides off toward one of the men at the bar.

  As I look around, I spot a sign for the restroom and immediately head there. When I’m sure no one can see me, I wash my hands, take off my mask, and splash some water onto my face. While I stare at my reflection in the mirror, I wonder what I can do. Caleb is clearly here against his will and I can’t let Raphael keep doing this. I know where these parties are being held now, but I have to make sure no one finds out I’ve been the one to reveal the location.

  All I need to figure out is when they’ll gather here again. I reattach my mask and head out. I see an empty black sofa not far from the couches, so I sit down and cross my legs. From here, I have a good view of the couches, some tables, and even of a strange wooden structure of some kind.

  Raphael takes a seat on one of the couches, taking a cigar out of the pocket of his suit jacket. He’s talking to another masked man, who is lounging on the couch opposite Raphael. A girl is kneeling on the floor and sucking the man off, and he and Raphael are talking as if nothing’s going on.

  After a while, I’m surprised I’m still here, but then Raphael raises his hand and waves at someone across the room who I can’t see. A couple of moments later, a nude man with short messy dark hair and blue eyes saunters toward Raphael, his lips tightly pressed into an angry line. The man seems to be of the same age as Caleb, and he’s almost as handsome. His muscular chest is covered with bloody scratch marks that go all the way down his lean body.

  On his hip, there’s a tattoo identical to Caleb’s. Raphael says something to him, and he only looks angrier until Raphael says something else. The man closes his eyes for a moment, then climbs on the couch next to Raphael, who immediately pulls him close so the man’s head is resting on his lap. The man’s chest rises and falls rapidly as Raphael runs his hand over his back.

  Putting out his cigar in the ashtray on the table, Raphael picks up a small bag and slips something between the man’s lips. A couple of moments later, the man’s body relaxes and he closes his eyes. I notice my nails are digging into the arms of the sofa, so I get to my feet. I smile at masked people and give them curious looks, even bite down on my lip from time to time, but when I’m done circling around the room, I know there are at least ten armed guards in the corners, ready for action if something goes wrong.

  There’s special bathroom for the slaves or the workers, as Alessandra called them, and the door is guarded by an armed man. I counted at least ten naked and twelve masked people, not counting Alessandra and me. I don’t even know where Alessandra is. Another door near the bathrooms is locked with a keypad, and she might have gone through it.

  The room doesn’t have any windows, and I still can’t tell if there are any cameras. The bartender isn’t wearing a mask, but I’m not sure if he’s another worker or just a regular bartender. I decide to wait for Alessandra, even though there’s not much more information that I can get. I doubt anyone will say anything incriminating or identifiable around here, but I need to know when the next party will be so I can tip off the cops. I don’t know how I’ll do that yet, but I need to get Caleb out of this hell.

  Alessandra finally reappears, and she nearly trips as she comes toward me, her makeup smeared, her dress wrinkled. She leans on my shoulder as we sway toward the door.

  “Had fun?” she asks, her breath smelling like cigarettes and alcohol.

  “Totally,” I say as we go toward the exit. We dump the masks into the box and Xen opens the door for us. I flash him a smile before stepping into the well-lit hallway of the hotel full of unsuspecting people. Glancing behind me at the room and the door once again, I try to memorize every step.

  “Want to come again? There’s another one next Monday,” she slurs.

  “I don’t know yet. I have an exam on Tuesday.” I help Alessandra toward the parking lot.

  “Exam?” Alessandra stops and frowns at me. “You fucking kidding me, girl? You’d miss this ‘cause of an exam? What’s wrong with you?”

  “I’ll think about it. Come on. You’re drunk.” As I drag her to the car, I look back at the hotel. There won’t be another party. I’ll make sure of it.

  As soon as Raphael lets go of him, Caleb rolls over to the other side of the bed. As Raphael releases a content sigh, Caleb closes his eyes and hopes Raphael will tell him to leave. He fights the urge to pull the sheets over himself because he can’t stand the man’s touch or eyes on him.

  “You were amazing,” Raphael says, and Caleb rolls his eyes, glad that Raphael can’t see his face. His jaw clenches and he has to take a deep breath to stop himself from fidgeting. His whole body itches as if his skin were too tight, and he wants to rub
at it until Raphael’s scent is gone forever.

  When Raphael places his hand on Caleb’s waist, Caleb barely manages to suppress a flinch. Raphael has touched him so many times that he’s used to it, but today it’s different. His thoughts fly back to Lilith. She finally saw him for what he really is. Why did he even dare to hope that he could have at least a few moments when he could be someone else? Someone who isn’t just a toy to be used. Now there’s no chance Lilith will ever see him as anything other than a whore.

  “Caleb?” Raphael says softly, his heavy, warm hand tracing circles across Caleb’s back. “Look at me.”

  Caleb bites down on his lip, and reluctantly turns around to face Raphael. He wipes all emotion off his face when he looks up into the worried blue eyes. A wave of nausea rises inside him. He hates that look in Raphael’s eyes and his gentle touch, as if the man cared one tiny bit about him. Sometimes Caleb likes to pretend that Raphael truly cares, but today he can’t. Not after what Raphael has just done to him.

  “What’s wrong?” Raphael asks, placing his hand on Caleb’s cheek.

  “Nothing,” Caleb quickly says, but Raphael’s eyebrows rise up and his touch turns from gentle to painful as his nails jab into Caleb’s skin.

  “Don’t lie to me. You know I hate when you do that.” Raphael grips Caleb’s chin.

  Caleb swallows, his heartbeat increasing. If he doesn’t say anything, he or Jade or Isaac will get punished for it. And if he lies again, Raphael will know, which will only make the punishment worse.

  “You’ve been acting strange lately,” Raphael adds, letting go of him, but his eyes are still intent on Caleb’s. “Is it because of that client? That woman you offended last night?” Anger flashes in Raphael’s eyes and Caleb goes perfectly still.

  If Raphael finds out what exactly Lilith told him yesterday, things could go terribly wrong for both Lilith and him, or maybe not. For all he knows, Lilith will lose interest in him eventually. He’ll never see her again, except maybe at some party. And for some reason, that thought hurts so much that his chest tightens and it’s hard to breathe. He wishes more than anything that he could turn back time and just make sure Lilith never sees him.