The People Traders (15 page)

Saeed had stood back, keeping hold of the baseball bat, watching. "From now on that's all you wear during the day, but the nights can get a little cold so I'll have another blanket for you," he began. "You will be given clean clothes each day. Now please get dressed, then place your hands behind you back."

She dressed quickly and Saeed handcuffed her, then she followed the mother downstairs with Saeed following behind. Karen sat down in the lounge and the mother fastened her leg to the settee while Saeed unclasped her hands and handed her a book to read. She had read a little, the sedative only just beginning to wear off, when they gave her a small plate of biscuits and a cold drink for her lunch. Then they waited a short time for the second sedative to take hold before taking her back to the bedroom for the next session and leaving her asleep on the bed. Saeed returned around three in the afternoon and she was taken into the garden, then after dinner at seven in the evening she was returned to her room, more oils applied then left chained to the bed. Karen waited for a short time, then, convinced they were not going to come back, she began her workout, determined to remain fit and close to her peak, ready for when she could make her break.

The daily routine, over the next four days, of shower then oils was the same; each time they added a sedative to her breakfast, eleven o' clock drink and evening meal. On the Friday morning, the day before the auction, she was sitting in the lounge as usual, when Saeed joined her, taking a seat opposite.

"My mother's done a good job. You are more than ready, how do you feel?"

Karen shrugged. "The oils make me sleepy and light-headed, so it's nice to sit outside in the early evening and get some fresh air."

He nodded slowly, happy she believed it was the oil and not a sedative that was affecting her. "Yes, the oils are a little heady. Anyway, you need to know what is to happen to you now. Tomorrow will be filled with potential buyers calling to meet you in advance of the sale. I will leave you alone with each of them for half an hour, but will only be in the next room. They will talk to you, maybe some will ask you to stand and remove your shirt, even want you to walk up and down. You will do that without objection and anything else reasonable they ask of you, but they don't own you yet and you must refuse and call me if they want you to remove your knickers, or make sexual advances towards you. You're obviously attractive and have a nice body, but this meeting is not about that, this meeting is your only chance to make a good impression and sell yourself as a person, show that you're intelligent, a good conversationalist and most importantly, someone they would enjoy being with. Ignore them, scowl at them, and you might not sell. That would be bad news for you, Karen, as I'd have no other option but to accept offers from brothel owners. Believe me it is not a route you want to take. The auction takes place Saturday night. A number of sales will go on before you, mainly for the brothel owners, meaning you will be last on. I will come for you. The brothel owners will hang about hoping you don't sell and can buy you cheaply. What I'm saying now is for your own good; providing you've made a good impression and are sold in the sale, the successful bidder will want to take you immediately. If you haven't made a good enough impression then the brothel owners will be the only ones left. No matter what, you will be sold in the sale, have no doubts about that, so it's up to you who that will be. Either way, travelling clothes will be provided, and you'll dress quickly and be ready to go after payment. Have you any questions?"

Karen didn't say anything. What was there to say, soon she'd have a new owner and a new life.

"I was looking at your details in readiness for the sale and remembered you mentioned it was your birthday," he suddenly said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

She smiled. "It was yesterday, but thank you for remembering."

"I have friends in tonight, Karen. We'll celebrate your birthday with a drink. Perhaps you will dance for us; Assam says you're very good."

Her heart sank; tomorrow would be an ordeal and tonight she just wanted to be alone. However, there was no point in arguing. This man wasn't to be argued with; he'd drag her there if he wanted to.

"I'll dance for you, of course, it's just that I wanted to be alone tonight. But I've not got the clothes from the ship for the dance."

Saeed brushed her objection aside. "We have suitable clothes. Girls sold here are sometimes dancers and will perform prior to the sale. My mother will sort you out. Now I must return you to your room as I've many things I need to do. You will dance for me in the big lounge at nine-thirty."

After he'd chained her back up in the bedroom, she could hear Saeed calling his mother. Twenty minutes or so later she appeared carrying bundles of various garments. "Choose what you want to wear, then please fold the rest up afterwards. I will bring shoes for you later," she said, before leaving the room.

Sitting down on the bed, Karen rummaged through the assortment. Eventually choosing a particularly sexy g-string type of knickers with matching bra, a very short red silk skirt and a silky black top fastened with tiny buttons down the front. She stood for some time at the mirror, practising unfastening the buttons. With little else to do it passed the time, so she was glad she did. The buttons were more difficult than she'd imagined and she would have looked stupid without perfecting the knack of releasing them easily. Finally, happy with her routine, she flopped on the bed, lying back and staring at the ceiling.

Her mind was drifting back to home. Tomorrow would have been the day of the party, her eighteenth, and she'd been planning it for months. It seemed so long since she'd been taken, but in reality, only a few weeks. Her friends would be all going out tonight, as usual. They'd be stood at the bus stop now, planning the night. Starting at the Cafe Bar where the drinks were half price for girls, then, slightly drunk, they'd pile into the Kingsway just before the cover charge time came into force. She'd probably already be forgotten, just a mate that once went around with them. Some may even be happy she wasn't there, less competition for them. Karen laughed to herself; they'd no idea about life. She'd had a lover, been raped and was to be sold into a life of sex and mens’ pleasure at just eighteen. It sounded terrible and probably would be, but without any other option on offer, maybe if she threw her heart into it, life wouldn't be so bad. In some ways she'd be proud if someone wanted to pay for her, after all, from now on it'd be only sex. Besides, whatever Assam had said about Grant, she'd been in love and had wanted Grant to be her first lover. Karen still had the memory of that first time so vividly in her mind. She'd been scared, desperately scared. Not just of what would happen, but no man had seen her naked before. She'd been afraid he'd laugh at her small breasts, her thin legs and feel her shaking with fear and anticipation. Grant had been gentle, caring and held her tenderly in his arms, allowing her to relax, before taking her to heights she could only imagine before.

Brought out of her dreams when the door burst open, Saeed's mother stood for a moment and then came to sit by her side. She was carrying a bottle and two glasses in one hand, shoes in another. "As you've been a good girl and it was your birthday yesterday, you will drink with me your health, yes?"

Karen grinned and took a glass from her. The mother filled them both to the top. "Your good health. I hope you've much happiness, Karen, you're like I said, a good girl and shouldn't be here," she whispered in broken English.

Karen sipped the drink, it was something she'd never had but it tasted like cherries. She asked what it was but the mother could only give a complicated foreign word.

Then the mother's eyes lit up. "You want I read your hand? My grandmother had the gift; she spent hours with me, then one day I too could see."

"I'd love that," Karen said, her eyes shining. "Once I had my palm read in Blackpool, she'd said I'd have a long life. I suppose she couldn't foresee that this was going to happen to me."

The mother looked carefully at her hand and then up at Karen, her face full of fear. "You will have a long life, much happiness," she lied, but Karen had read her eyes.

"Please, I want the truth. I'm terrified of the future; if it's death at least it will be a release of some sort."

The old lady pushed her hand away and spoke slowly in French, so Karen could understand. "You shouldn't have been brought here because you bring death and destruction. It follows your life; many will perish because of you. I pray to God my Saeed's not among them."

Karen tried to make light of it. "I'm just a young girl, how can I bring death and destruction? Besides, nobody can really tell your future. Perhaps you're confused. Okay, one man died because he tried to help me, I agree, but I wasn't there and the other was murdered by Garrett. Both weren't my fault," Karen retorted.

The old lady clasped her hands together, looking down at the floor. "What has Saeed done? What has Saeed done?" she kept muttering. Then she stood and moved slowly to the door; in Karen's eyes the woman had visibly aged.

"Please don't go, tell me what am I to do? I don't understand your words, I've done nothing," Karen pleaded.

The woman turned, tears running down her face, her eyes sad. "It's in your hands, Karen, all there for those who can see."

Karen stared at her. "See? What for God's sake, just what can you see?"

The mother seemed at first to ignore her pleading but as she made to leave she stopped, keeping her back to Karen, mumbling in French. "I see only death, Karen, only death."

Then she was gone. Karen sat there stunned, not understanding her words or what they had to do with her. She finished off her glass and refilled it. By the time that was empty she felt better, even perhaps a little drunk, but she didn't care. The dance would be easier; she'd be indifferent to them watching and perhaps a little more fluid in her movements.

***

At about nine the mother came up for her, saying nothing, just releasing her ankle iron. Saeed came into her room and grinned. "You look nice, Karen, good choice of clothes," he said, at the same time turning her round and handcuffing her. "Now down the stairs quickly."

Karen had not been in this room before. A small platform was set up in the centre, tables and chairs surrounding it. She knew this must be where she was to be auctioned. In the room were six or seven men, all smoking and making the atmosphere heavy, stinging Karen's eyes. They'd been playing cards and now were stood around waiting for the entertainment. One handed her a drink and she took it gratefully.

Saeed, following her in, had taken a chair and placed it on the platform. "When you're ready, Karen," he called to her, at the same time sitting down on the chair, grinning.

She nodded, giving him a weak smile, then drained her glass. The others stood around the platform and one switched on a CD player. Karen told Saeed to sit back and place his hands to his side. Then she stood slightly away from him, keeping her eyes locked on his. As the music began she slowly began to move, swinging her hips and allowing her hands to move gently over her body, eventually moving closer and closer to him before sitting on his knee, rubbing herself gently against him. At the same time, she was slowly unfastening the buttons of the blouse, before standing and allowing the blouse to fall to the floor. Turning her back she wriggled her hips a bit more then pushed the short skirt down to join the blouse. Slowly, and she hoped seductively, she unfastened the bra before turning to face him, holding the bra tightly to her chest then allowing it to fall to the floor. This time she moved closer and sat again on his knee, with her face close to his and she whispered quietly into his ear. "Do I keep the g-string on, Saeed, or do you want me to go all the way?"

Saeed was enjoying her dance and turned his head, pretending to kiss her ear. "It's enough for these people, Karen, finish your dance with them on please."

She did as he asked and carried on for some time, finishing, as she'd done with Barry, astride his legs, pretending intercourse, before finally kissing him on the lips. All the men clapped and one handed her a drink, another, her clothes. Karen thanked them and made to leave but Saeed asked her to stay and sit at his side. They all returned to the card game and soon they were pouring money onto the table.

An hour or so passed; she'd watched them for some time and was fed up, sitting cross-legged on the floor, sipping another drink. The tone had changed now, becoming agitated, as the stakes seemed to go higher. Saeed was sweating as money was piled high on the table.

"I raise you one thousand," someone said.

Another pushed his stake into the centre.

Karen became more interested as the stakes went higher. She wasn't sure of the value and even the one's who'd already dropped out had their eyes fixed on the table. Eventually it was down to Saeed and another. This man was tall, well dressed and quietly spoken. They were talking English and he pushed another pile to the middle.

"I raise you five thousand, Saeed."

Saeed seemed restless, unsure of what to do. Then he made a decision. "I'll accept the five thousand and call you," Saeed answered.

The man frowned. "Money, Saeed, where's the money? You know the rules, no credit."

Saeed threw his arms in the air. "I'm out of money; I have no more in the house. I'll write a note, how about that?"

The man shook his head. "No money, you lose," he spat, and made to pull the money forward.