Chapter 6

“I’ll go get you some ice. And you could probably use some aspirin too.”

They both started at the sound of a key being turned in the lock.

Nick casually entered the room and Alan made no effort to disguise his anger. “What the fuck are you doing in here?” Nick was obviously drunk and that made him more dangerous. Nick’s eyes flashed with anger before striding toward the girl cowering on the bed. His eyes raked over her naked body and his lips curved in a covetous smile. “I see the little slut is awake.”

The girl was scared, really scared. She’d huddled all the way to the top of bed, covering herself with her hands and hair – trying to pull the comforter up from under her body. He was struck by the fact that she hadn’t reacted to him that way while they were on the bed together.

She had seemed more pissed off than frightened of him, but only after the blindfold came off and she realized who he was. It could mean one of two things: one, she felt like she knew him based on their very brief encounter, or two, she didn’t find him threatening. Either way, her thought process seemed asinine.

Alan glared at Nick who was eyeing the girl as if he wanted to simultaneously kill her and fuck her. Given what he knew of Nick, it was possible that’s exactly what he wanted.

There was a test here.

Alan forced himself to regard Jair as if he mattered, “Well, I’m not sure that’s the name I’ll go with, but yes, she’s awake.” Alan glanced coolly at the girl over his shoulder, just the barest of looks. He quickly noticed her pleading expression, and added, “And quite spry.” He smiled.

Need and lust were unchecked on Nick’s face, and Alan knew all too well what men like him fantasized about doing to scared girls. Without hesitation, Nick staggered toward the bed and wrapped his filthy hand around the girl’s ankle and pulled. The girl screamed and clung to the bedpost.

Alan turned swiftly, grabbing her around the waist as she was dragged across toward the foot of the bed. He pulled her into his arms and sat casually, his back against the headboard, his left foot planted on the ground. The girl scrambled into his lap and buried her face in his shirt. Against his chest her frantic, pleading sobs vibrated his entire body. She was using him as protection? Interesting.

Alan winced as her fingernails dug sharply into his ribs. Swiftly, and deftly he pried her fingers from his shirt and captured her wrists.

“No, no, no, no, no…” tripped over her lips repeatedly while she attempted to once again gain sanctuary in his arms. Alan, suddenly irritated by the thought, spun her in his arms using her own momentum. After securing the girl’s wrist between her breasts, he held her tightly against him.

Nick made another grab for the girl’s ankles.

“No,” Alan said calmly. “You’re job was to get her for me, not to hit her, or fuck her.”

“This is bullshit, Alan!” Nick shouted angrily, his thick accent made him sound barbaric. “That little bitch kicked my face, and I could have done more than slap her. I should get something for that.”

At the sound of his name, Alan’s grip intensified to the point of strangling all the sobs out of the girl in his arms. The ensuing silence effectively punctuated the rage in Alan’s stare. It took Nick a moment to realize what he’d done. The glaze over Nick’s eyes cleared in full realization, and the drunken stupor, for a fraction of a moment, cleared. And that was enough. Alan could see the Arab understood his mistake at declaring his name to the girl.

Suddenly remembering the gasping girl in his arms, Alan loosened his grip. She sucked in breath after breath, so concerned with getting air in her lungs it seemed that for the moment she had forgotten to resume her crying. Within Alan’s tensed arm his captive made hoarse, mewling sounds, but he made no effort to reassure her of her safety.

With his free hand Alan reached for her chin and tilted it up for Nick to see. “It could take weeks for this to heal.” His fingers dug into the girl’s face as his temper rose.

The room was filled with tension and then the silence broke with the sound of the girl’s sobs.

“Fuck,” he sighed, “You’re right.” He paused, adding through clenched jaws, “Don’t tell Memphis. It won’t happen again.”

The man wasn’t as stupid as he seemed. He knew hitting the girl was the least of his transgressions. He’d offered the girl his name. Names had power. Nick had to know what he’d done would cost him. If not, Alan would have to make sure of it. As a mercenary available to the highest bidder, Nick’s bread and butter were earned in the acquisition and safeguarding of high-end pleasure slaves. One word about these juvenile mistakes and his contracts would dry up. And one word about Nick fucking with Alan, and Memphis would see to it that Nick dried up, preferably in the desert somewhere. Still, the very idea that Alan needed protection from anyone was an insult he didn’t take lightly. “I’m my own man Nick,” he spoke the name with venom, “Why fear Memphis from thousands of miles, when I could kill you in just a few steps?”

Nick stiffened, but he kept his mouth shut.

Oh yeah, Alan thought, you’re my bitch. Alan’s voice was sugar, laced with arsenic, “Now, please…go get our guest some aspirin and an icepack. It seems she’s got quite the headache.”

Nick left the room without another word, tension lined his body, and Alan smiled.

Once alone, the girl in Alan’s arms broke down completely. “Please, please, I’m begging you, don’t let him hurt me. I swear to God I won’t fight anymore.”

Exasperated, Alan let out a wry laugh, “Now, you don’t like to fight? What makes you think I won’t hurt you?”

Through distorted sobs he heard, “You said you wouldn’t. Please don’t.” She added emphasis to the word ‘please’. Alan hid a smile in her hair.

No longer willing to expose her beautiful curves to Nick, he leaned across his captive to retrieve the end of the comforter. In doing so, he pressed her face-down into the mattress and his unbelievably hard cock pressed against her bottom. She shook so fiercely, Alan wondered how her body could endure it. He released her wrists and covered her body. “You need to calm down pet. I don’t want you to go into shock.” She only whimpered in response.

Alan laughed and stroked her hair, “I promise you pet, if you do what I say, you will always come out better than you think.”

Nick returned holding the items Alan asked for. His captive’s shaking intensified.

Obviously still angry, Nick tossed Alan the aspirin. “Anything else?” he said bitingly. Catching the bottle in one hand, Alan shook his head and made a tsk-tsk sound. He removed one aspirin and another similar looking pill from his pocket. He made a gesture for Nick to come closer, and handed over the pills.

“Don’t be so sensitive Jair. It only makes you more unattractive.” Nick snarled. “But I’m sure our guest thinks you’re lovely. She’s agreed to play nice so long as you don’t hurt her.” Beneath the blanket she stopped shaking all together, her body suddenly tight as a bow.

He stood up from the bed. “Go on, make nice. Offer her the gifts you’ve brought.”

Nick gave Alan a suspicious look, but approached the bed and held out the glass of water. Her eyes were wide, filled with an anguish Alan no longer understood.

“Go on, pet.” He made a point of using the moniker, not surprised to find that when her eyes shot to his, her expression was no longer one of anger, but appropriate fear.

When he made no further comment, her trembling hand finally reached for the pills and glass. She was extremely mindful of not touching Nick. That was smart. The glass rattled against her teeth as she swallowed, but she managed not to spill any.

When the glass was empty, she handed it back to Nick, careful again not to make casual contact with his fingers. Her eyes stared past him toward Alan. They were quite pitiful.

“Give thanks you whore,” Nick spat when she simply curled into the fetal position. Alan frowned, but he let the remark pass.

Her eyes once again searching Alan’s for direction, she finally mumbled feebly, “Thank you,” before pulling the comforter more tightly around herself.

At Alan’s dismissive look, Nick left the room. And once again, Alan was left alone with his puzzling acquisition. He carefully approached the cotton covered mass on the bed, sat, and leaned in close to her face. “You’re very proud,” he whispered. “As kind as I have been, you’ve been a brat. But for the man who would rape you, you show nothing but obedience…that says a lot.”

“Go fuck yourself,” was her small, raspy reply.

He let out a burst of laughter. “Well, you’re nothing if not interesting.” And that was the truth. For some reason, he’d known that from the beginning, and yet, he had not expected this. His laughter ebbed away slowly and when next he spoke, his voice was cold but velvet, “But you know… I’d much rather fuck you.”

The cotton mound twitched, and then contorted violently as she turned over and scurried backward, gripping the comforter to her chest as if it would be enough to stop him. He couldn’t help but laugh. Her eyes shot daggers at him, but he could already see her pupils were dilated. Her stomach was empty and the drugs were working fast. Considering the dose he’d given her, she was high as a kite. But cute.