I sensed him in a way I can’t describe. Like he was all around me, heat swirling off his body to lick against my skin. I felt the intensity of his stare like a physical blow, and I didn’t like the judgment in his turbulent gaze.
His bodyguard, no less lethal, no less potent, made me pause. Max doesn’t need a man like that to keep him safe. He’s capable of doing that all by himself.
So why bring a bodyguard at all?
Max?
None of the others ever offer their first name to me. I’m female, and therefore have no status in their world.
But Max saw me.
He saw me, and I felt the walls pressing in, restricting my breathing, and making my pulse race. It won’t be possible to avoid him, but I make a vow to limit any interactions with that man as much as possible.
There’s something about him that screams, Stay the hell away!
Why then do I yearn to get closer?
I make my way into the Oasis and brace myself to deal with the lecherous stares of the men.
Mr. B and Mr. H lounge in the Oasis surrounded by a bevy of girls in training. I wonder what happened to the girls they bought the last time they were here. Are those girls still enslaved? Or did something worse happen to them?
I give a little shake of my head and approach the men. “Mr. B, Mr. H, are you being treated well?”
Mr. H assesses me head to toe, lips twisting into a grimace. “I heard the rumors, but didn’t believe. You are with our host then?”
“Tomas sent me to see how you were being treated. Is there anything I can do for you?” I pointedly turn my attention to Mr. B, the less repulsive of the two.
Mr. B leans his head back and opens his mouth as one of the girls feeds him a ripe grape. He arrived earlier today and already dressed down in shorts and a thin cotton shirt. Feet propped on one of the many cushions, he moans contentedly as two girls rub each of his feet.
The rules are clear. The men cannot touch the girls, but they can suggest. Good marks from the guests give the girls points back in the pens where they’re held and trained.
Which only means the girls are eager to please.
Suggestions become insidious coercion and the perfect motivation to break any resistance a girl might have left. But that’s not the worst offense.
These girls have been abducted, tortured, abused, and sexually trained. Misery unites them, but a fierce competition separates them. How much misery they experience ties directly to their performance with the guests. High marks are rewards, while low marks get punished.
I’ve seen them demonstrate their burgeoning skills on Tomas and his trainers. All I can say is competition is fierce. It never ceases to surprise me how low people can go to save themselves from misery.
I should know. I’m the worst of the lot.
When I look at them, chunks of my soul splinter away and shatter at my feet. There will come a day when all that remains of me is an empty husk. When that happens, there will be nothing separating me from the broken girls inside this room.
Before the evening bell is rung, there’s no doubt in my mind what will happen. The scum-sucking rapists will gorge themselves on hedonistic pleasure, without regard for the cost in lives lost.
I chat briefly with Mr. B and Mr. H, as briefly as I can make it, then I take my leave.
My instructions are to greet the men and ensure their needs are met. Three more men will descend on The Retreat before the day is done.
What Benefield really desires is to parade me in front of his guests as the woman who chooses to stand by his side in this vile place.
When I return to Benefield’s study, I slam to a stop. Max is there, as is his bodyguard. Their lethal presence vibrates in the air and sends a shudder ricocheting down my spine.
“Ah, Evie, have you met our newest guest?” Tomas makes a sweeping gesture toward Max.
“We met in the hall, when I was on my way to the Oasis. Mr. B and Mr. H are settling in well. The girls are seeing to their needs.”
“Wonderful.” He gives a flick of his fingers, ordering me to his side.
I glide across the room, aware all eyes are on me, and wrap my hand around Benefield’s arm. His bicep flexes beneath my fingers, a display of strength he can’t help but make.
I give a squeeze and brace for the inevitable. I refuse to openly embrace him, resorting to intimate touches such as this to demonstrate my loyalty, but he loves showing others my compliance.
His large hand reaches for mine. He lifts it, kisses the back of my hand, and wraps his arm around my shoulder, folding me against his hard frame. If I had a knife, I’d stab him. The only man in this room I want touching me is the one staring at me with thunderous anger. Max’s hard gaze takes me in.
“Your woman, I presume?” His deep baritone rumbles in the air. It slams into my chest and presses on my heart. In any other place on the planet, I’d die to have his attention turned on me. Now, I simply want to crawl under a rock and hide from shame. Breathing out, I overcome my instinct to run.
“She is.”
“You are a lucky man.” Max’s eyes pinch with simmering anger. His bodyguard stands at the back of the room, his face as expressionless as the rest of his body.
“I was explaining the week’s events to Mr. S.” Benefield gives my hand another squeeze. Keeping my knuckles pressed lightly to his lips, he focuses his attention on Max as he feathers light kisses over the back of my hand. “He’s a first-time visitor.”
“Tomas runs an excellent establishment. Whatever your desire, we will meet it.” I lean into Tomas, sealing my fate while battling the disgust and revulsion flooding my veins.
My words consign a poor innocent to her fate while doing what exactly? Saving my skin from a similar fate? I need a knife so that I can stab Tomas, then end my misery with a slash to my wrists.
“My tastes are—eclectic, but I have no doubt I’ll find exactly what I seek.” Max’s hard gaze turns on me, eyes storming with malevolence and savagery. “For a price, I’m sure anything is possible.” His attention shifts to Tomas, where the two men wage a staring contest for a beat too long.
Tomas’ body stiffens, then suddenly relaxes. “Of course, everything has a price.”
My muscles contract, a fear response, and I fall back against Tomas with a gasp, unprepared for the fury raging in Max’s gaze.
“We can discuss—possibilities later, but pleasure before business.” Tomas’ grip on my hand tightens. He looks between me and Max as tense silence writhes in the air.
I return Max’s glare with determination and conviction to survive this nightmare.
As one of the monsters, his need to destroy and inflict pain vibrates in the air around him, building up a dangerous charge in the air.
I feel it on my skin. I feel it in my bones. But most importantly, I feel it in my soul. This is a man who will destroy me.
I need a hero, someone to help me escape this hell, yet the universe keeps delivering monsters to my doorstep.
Max makes no secret of his interest in me. There is no hidden subtext in his exchange. His hungry gaze slides from my face all the way down to my toes, taking time to linger where he wills.
My body responds, bracing for war, and preparing for the battle to come. But Tomas is not a man who likes to share. That gives me some sense of relief.
“How interesting…” Tomas slowly lowers my hand. “I think I have exactly what you seek.” Tomas releases me from his side. “Luv, why don’t you finish greeting the guests.” His attention swivels back to Mr. S. “Now, to facilitate your stay, let’s speak specifics. The more I know about your tastes, the better offerings I can provide.”