He grabbed the fabric of my dress and ripped it with his bare hands. A long tear stretched down past my waist, my bra visible now that the material was falling apart. He yanked on it again until it was in two pieces. “You can leave the heels on. Lose the bra.”
“Fuck you.” I’d never been so degraded in my life, stripped and objectified because I was a woman and not a man. I spit in his face and tried to kick him in the nuts.
He blocked the hit then slapped me across the face. “Spit on me again, and see what happens.” His hand unclasped the back of my bra in one fluid motion. It fell down my arms and onto the floor.
How did my life turn into this? “You’re better than this, Crewe.”
“No, I’m not,” he said coldly. “When someone fucks with me, I teach them a lesson. Now you can try to avoid this as much as possible, but you won’t succeed. I have all the control. You have nothing.”
It was the first time I wanted to break down in tears. It was the first time I wanted to weep. All hope left my body when I realized I truly was just a piece of property, cattle to be sold to the highest bidder.
“We’re going to have dinner now. You don’t have to eat. You don’t have to talk. Just sit there.” He grabbed me by the elbow and guided me into the grand dining hall. My tits were out in the open, and only my panties covered my virtue. I passed Finley in the hallway, but he had enough respect for me to not stare.
Crewe pushed me into a chair then scooted me in.
I immediately covered my chest, my lungs tightening with impending tears. “Don’t do this to me. Crewe, please…”
“Lower your arms.” He grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them down. “Every time you cover them during dinner, I’ll backhand you.” He leaned over the back of the chair until his mouth was pressed to my ear. “Accept your fate. That’s all you can do at this point.” He walked out of the room just as Finley announced his dinner guest.
“Sir, Bones is here.”
What kind of name is Bones? The name alone made me shake. Whatever it implied was something I couldn’t handle. Without even seeing his face, I knew I would be terrified of that man.
Crewe and Bones shared a few words about the weather then Bones discussed his life in Rome. They headed to the dining room, their voices growing louder. I sat there in just my underwear, tears burning behind my eyelids. Some man was going to stare at me all through dinner—like I wasn’t human.
Bones walked inside, his face fair and his hair blond. He was large around the midsection, and the air around him was full of tense creepiness. When his eyes fell on me, I immediately covered my face, disgusted by his gaze.
Crewe’s hand moved to my shoulder. “What did we talk about, Lovely?”
I refused to lower my hands, to allow this sick man to see me. He had a thick mustache and evil eyes. He eye-fucked me while he looked at me, having no shame in seeing me as a prisoner. He was more terrifying than I expected him to be.
Crewe slapped me like he’d promised. The back of his hand smacked across my cheek. He put a great deal of force into it, making my cheek redden on impact.
I lowered my hands.
“She needs a bit of training,” Crewe said. “That’s all.”
“She’s fascinating.” Bones walked to me then leaned over, staring down at my body like he had every right to examine me. Then he extended a hand and cupped my tit.
I smacked his hand. “Don’t you fucking touch me.”
He pulled back his fist and slammed it into my face, making me cry out in pain. He pulled back to do it again.
Crewe steadied his hand. “One is enough, Bones. Why don’t you take a seat, and we’ll drink some of my finest scotch?” Crewe placed his body between us, protecting me with his size.
I shouldn’t have felt grateful, but somehow, I was.
Bones moved to the other side of the table.
Crewe sat beside me and asked Bones about his weaponry business. Apparently, Bones manufactured illegal weapons and sold them to the highest bidders from all around the world. I wasn’t sure what Crewe and Bones had in common, but it was obviously something.
Finley served dinner, but I didn’t dare eat a bite. I felt sick to my stomach. The pain from my eye was excruciating. I knew I would wake up with a black eye tomorrow.
Bones and Crewe continued to talk about business, focusing on Crewe’s experience in selling intelligence. They mentioned someone named Crow and his participation in selling weapons to their allies.
I was bored of the conversation but still terrified.
“So,” Bones said as he spoke with his mouth full. “Did you bring her along just to tease me?”
“No,” Crewe said. “This fine lady is for sale, actually.”
“Is she now?” He stared at my tits again, still eating. “How much? I’d love to give her a go.”
I wanted to hurl all over the table.
“Four million,” Crewe said. “The price is non-negotiable.”
“Four million? Are you out of your mind?” Food flew from his mouth as he spoke, looking oddly like a pig.
“She’s worth every penny,” Crewe said with conviction. “She’s got the feistiness you crave. Just last night, she snuck into my bedroom and tried to bash my skull in with a rock.”
Bones gave a hearty laugh, deep from within his throat. “She’s got spunk… I like that.” His blue eyes moved to me again, seeing right through my skin to my untainted soul. He wanted to take all of me, all the things I cherished.
“She’s got one hell of a mouth on her too,” Crewe continued. “It’s one smartass comment after another.”
“Even better,” Bones said. “But that price is pretty high, I’m sure you can agree.”
“Like you can’t afford it.” Crewe gave a charming smile, using his natural charisma even on men.
“Well, of course,” Bones said. “But I spend my money wisely. I can get a nice whore for a fraction of the cost.”
“I’m not a whore,” I hissed. I was tired of being discussed like I wasn’t even there. They joked about my spitfire personality, but they didn’t understand I was just trying to survive. What would they do if they were in a situation like mine? Give up?
Crewe patted me on the shoulder. “She’s right. She’s not. And that’s why she’s better. She was in medical school when I took her, so this will be her first rodeo. She’ll need to be trained. She’ll need to be broken. But that’s where all the fun is, if you ask me.”
Bones took another bite of his food and nodded. “You’re right about that.”
I twisted my shoulder, moving away from Crewe’s touch.
Crewe let me get my way and returned his hand to his lap. “I’ll give you a few days to think about it. But after the third day, I’ll open up the bidding to others.”
“I’ve got to ask, Crewe,” Bones said. “Where does the price tag come from?”
“Glad you asked.” Crewe drank his scotch before he continued. “You know Joseph Ingram?”
“Vaguely,” Bones said. “Name sounds familiar.”
“Well, this idiot paid me with counterfeit bills. He was stupid enough to think he could get away with it.”
Bones groaned quietly, his form of a smile. “That’s insulting.”