Indulgence (363 page)

“The part that proves you’re stronger and more flexible than
you think you are.”

My head thudded against the wall as I dropped it back. I
wasn’t done holding onto freedom, which meant I was going to keep pissing
people off.

Eventually, it’d be the wrong person.

If I latched on to Alley’s idea, I had to admit defeat. I
could either try to be what Kirk wanted, and take orders or hold on to the hope
that I’d get out of this place. As long as I was torn between the two, the
confusion would never end.

“I can’t just turn it off.”

“You’re just afraid of what will happen when you do. There’s
already no going back.”

The door opened and Miles waved his hand for us to come out
of the apartment. Alley and I each grabbed our bags of laundry and followed the
men to the elevator.

Neither of them said a word to us. Kirk pressed “7”, but as
soon as the elevator stopped again, he grabbed my arm and nodded for Alley to
leave first.

“Remember what I told you? You get in trouble and she shares
the responsibility.”

“Yes, Master.” I glanced past him to Miles. I definitely
didn’t want to piss them both off at the same time. Having already experienced
the two of them working together to torment me in the hallway, I couldn’t
imagine what they’d do for a serious punishment. I wasn’t sure that would be
survivable.

Miles held the elevator door open until Kirk was
satisfied—patting my ass as he nudged me off the elevator.

Alley and I were standing in what looked like a large
lounge. Mostly girls filled the room, except for the two men standing next to
the elevator. Presumably guards assigned to make sure none of the slaves were
up to anything questionable.

“Everyone has an assigned laundry day,” she whispered,
leading me to a door on the opposite side of the room.

The other girls were scattered across the room, most wearing
lingerie and none of them were more modestly covered than I was. They gathered
in groups of various sizes, some lounging on the floor and whispering, while
others had gathered around tables covered in clothes and shoes.

Although they appeared to be going on with their business,
the sideways glares were unmistakable. I felt like the new girl who just walked
into a classroom a few months before graduation. Being left chained to the bed
was far less demeaning.

Alley pushed open the laundry room door, and held it open
with her foot so I could pass.

“Does everyone just come down here to hang out?”

“Sometimes. There can be lots of fun to be had down here.
It’s a lot more fun than staying around the apartment all day with nothing to
do except clean or watch TV.”

The laundry room was three times the size of Kirk’s
apartment. Many of the washers and dryers were already full, but Alley and I
walked to the back of the room and started loading up washers with the contents
of our bags.

I picked at the clothes in the bag. Not only was it filled
with some of my new clothes, most of it was Kirk’s dirty laundry.

“So, in addition to sex, laundry, and cleaning…. What do you
normally do?”

“You mean responsibilities or fun? Although I’d categorize
sex as both of those things.”

“Responsibilities. I’m more concerned with the things that
could get me in trouble.”

Alley snorted. “Then do whatever Kirk tells you. And stop
talking back.”

“Does everyone know every detail of last night?”

“Everyone knows Kirk wouldn’t have done what he did without
a damn good reason. But you had him worked up in more than one way.”

I wanted to dunk my head in one of the washers, not only to
hide but to wash away the imagery. I dropped the last pair of underwear in a
washer and closed the lid. “He’ll barely look at me most of the time.”

“Well, earn it, sweetie. Ever think it’s because he gets a
hard-on when he does and he doesn’t feel like wrestling you to take care of
it?” She put her hand on her hip and popped it out, giving me a
straight-mouthed stare.

“It’s like being in the Twilight Zone.”

Before I could close the lid on the last washer, another
girl stepped into the room and cleared her throat. The same girl who had been
crouched behind Ross’ desk giving him a blowjob on my first day. At least today
she was wearing clothes, sort of. Since Kirk had given me a pair of shorts and
a T-shirt today, I wondered if everyone intentionally dressed in lingerie or if
it was the only thing they were ever given.

“Don’t start, Kat,” Alley said, rolling her eyes. She
pressed the start button on all three of the washers she’d filled and jumped on
top of the third to sit down.

“I just wanted to see the princess in person.”

Princess
? I wasn’t sure what the hell she was talking
about, so I kept my head down, trying to figure out the controls on the washer.

Alley scoffed and jumped off the washer, setting the dial on
each of my washers and pressing the start button. Then, she looped her arm
through mine. “Come on; let’s go find a deck of cards.”

As we tried to leave, Kat stepped in front of us.

“You obviously don’t do anything for him,” she smirked,
reaching up to touch my hair, and then scowling.

I figured it out then begged for it not to be true. She’d
been the one that Kirk had used while I was tied and tortured in the room
below.

“So, why does he waste his time on you, instead of a girl
who can actually get him off?” She smacked her tongue inside of her mouth and
leaned against the large counter in the center of the room.

“I guess you’re not
that
good.” It was bad enough
taking the inferiority shit from Kirk and Ross; I certainly wasn’t taking it
from the blow girl.

Alley pulled on my arm and shook her head. She started for
the door, but Kat grabbed my other arm, and I found myself to be the human rope
in a game of tug o’ war.

“You think you’re special now,” Kat whispered through
clenched teeth, “but he’ll throw you away and you’ll be down here with the rest
of us. Be careful where you step.”

She released my arm and I stumbled backward into Alley. Kat
spun around and slammed through the door.

I rubbed my hands over my face and pressed against my
temples.
Please let me wake up, even if it’s on the floor in Kirk’s room.

“Just stay away from her,” Alley said. “Rummy?”

I blinked. “Cards. Right.”
That’ll fix everything
. I
sat down at one of the small tables in the corner near the laundry room, while
Alley went off to find a deck of card. At least, I could keep an eye on
everyone from here.

She sat down and began to deal while I picked up my cards
one at a time and organized them by suit.

“Have you ever pissed one of the men off?”

“Ross. Don’t even ask about that. But it was shortly after
that Miles sort of claimed me. Which also pissed off Ross, so he’d use me or
give me away just to push Miles’ buttons for a while. His attentions turned to
other girls though. I think he gets bored fairly easily.”

“Not reassuring for the new girl.”

“Sorry.” She gave me a half smile and sat down the deck,
turning one card over and putting it in the discard pile. “Miles and Kirk have
managed to change a lot since then. They’re well respected, and between the two
of them, have nearly as much power as Ross, simply because of their rapport
with business partners. All you have to do is make it through initiation and—”

“Initiation?”

“That’s what we started calling it. Milo moves around the
girls every few months, so every once in a while we get new girls—they’ve
usually already been trained, but Ross likes to do a little extra breaking in
before he deems that they’re allowed to stay. Kirk didn’t tell you about any of
this?”

“I shook my head.”

“Just…” she looked away, “follow orders and you’ll be fine.”

“Comforting,” I mumbled. “I’m horrible at that.”

“Kirk and Miles are a lot alike,” she whispered, “at least
they realize we’re still people.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, adding “initiation” to
my list of worries as Alley took her turn.

The elevator door opened and a group of men stepped off. One
of the guards pointed to a few of the tables in the middle of the room and then
a string of men came in carrying boxes. My gaze locked on one of the men, as
green eyes turned on me.

Gabe
.

I panicked and lowered my head, hoping that he hadn’t
actually noticed me among other girls. All of the girls started gathering
around the boxes and the men, including the main guard struggled to keep them
under control. It was like the first rush of Black Friday.

“It’s a flippin’ free-for-all when they bring new clothes in
here,” Alley shook her head and laid down a card. When I didn’t move, she
glanced over her shoulder again. “Just stay away from him and you’ll be fine.
He’s not going to try anything with everyone around.”

I drew a card, but I was still paying more attention to
keeping track of Gabe than a stupid card game.

Three girls broke from the crowd and came our way-each had
an armful of clothes.

“Come on, Alley,” one of them said. “I know Miles buys you
everything you want, but a game cannot be more interesting than free clothes.”

Two girls grabbed her arms and ushered her over to the group
while the third—a tall redhead, grabbed my hand and tugged me out of my chair.

The tiny woman was stronger than she looked and I eventually
rose to my feet. “I really don’t—”

“You need it, new girl.” I couldn’t figure out why they’d
care. Less competition seemed like a good thing, and I already had piles of
clothes that I hadn’t even looked at.

My eyes scanned the room for Gabe as she dragged me closer
to the mob. She pulled me to the front of the group then disappeared. With
everyone touching me and pushing past me to get to the clothes, my airway
tightened.

I couldn’t see Gabe anymore, and no one had gotten onto the
elevator, so he still had to be in the room.

My heart pounded and I fought to get away from the girls,
backing across the room until I was clear of the stray hands.

I looked around again and saw Gabe standing next to the
elevator, green eyes focused on me. His mouth twisted to the side, and I slowly
stepped backward.

I had no idea where Alley had gone and most of the other men
were paying more attention to the girls fighting over clothes, or slipping off
their clothes to try on their new acquisitions.

I felt a door behind me and shoved it open.

A stairwell.

Oh, god
, I thought,
I’m dead one way or another
.
I couldn’t go back or they’d know, and I knew that almost anything moving
forward would get me caught. But I ran anyway. Putting as much distance between
me and Gabe as possible

Flight after flight, my heart beat out a tense chorus as I
waited for either a door above or below me to open.

And then, it happened. As soon as I neared the third-floor
landing, the door opened. I pressed myself against the wall and attempted to
creep back up without being noticed, but my breath came in loud huffs and I
knew I was anything but discrete.

Footsteps came from above, and I froze. My palms grew slick
as I held tight to the railing behind me. A tanned figure rounded the staircase
below me.

Miles.

He crossed his arms and stared up at me. He didn’t even seem
startled to see me, which meant he was probably looking for me.

He also didn’t seem eager to grab me. I stepped away from
him and looked up. A tattooed forearm appeared just above the railing.

Kirk slowed his pace as he descended the last flight. He
knew I was pinned. I looked from one man to the other, then dropped my head,
and sank to the floor. Surrender was the only choice that might keep me alive
long enough to explain.

“I’ll meet you in the basement,” Kirk said to Miles.

Miles nodded, looked us over once again, and disappeared the
way he came.

Kirk lifted me to my feet. His tight jaw moved, but he
didn’t say anything. Silence was more terrifying than threats or violence.

“Please, don’t kill me,” I whispered, on the verge of
letting the tears break free. “I—god, I didn’t mean to—I freaked.”

“You didn’t mean to run. Seems like quite a feat to happen
by accident.”

“I saw Gabe. I panicked.”
Please understand
, I
silently begged.

Never Go Back

Kirk took me by the forearm and dragged me down the last two
flights of stairs and through the door to the first floor.

He’d told Miles that he’d be in the basement, so I assumed
that meant he’d be doing something with me first.

Then, I saw the door we were approaching. He shoved the door
open and pulled me out on the catwalk.

Miles and Ross were waiting at the bottom of the stairs and
my guts turned to stone. “Please,” I mouthed.

At the bottom of the stairs, Kirk shoved me forward. “On
your knees.”

I fell to my knees in front of them. Trying to hold back the
flood of tears—all the while wondering if they’d do me any good. At least
crying would show my remorse.

“She said she saw Gabe and panicked,” Kirk said.

“Where’s Alley?” Miles asked.

Oh no
, I shook my head. “They brought in clothes, two
girls dragged her off and I lost track of her. Gabe saw me and… I didn’t know
the door led to the stairwell.”

“But you thought once you got there you may as well run for
it.”

Ross shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away. “You
really think she’s worth the trouble.”

Kirk groaned.

Please. Please, say yes. At least say maybe.

“She will be worth it.”

“You’ve yet to show any evidence of that.”