"One of the girls. She used to be a teacher before she came here, and Madam has made her my teacher for as long as I can remember."
"So, you're homeschooled?"
Zell shrugged. "I guess you can say that."
I supposed that explained some things. I didn't know any kids who were homeschooled, so maybe they didn't know how to recognize sarcasm. "Well, I don't want you to braid your hair unless you want to. Let's just sit here for a while, and then we can leave. Sound good?" I suggested.
"Sure." She continued to stand.
"You can sit on the bed if you want. I won't bite."
"Okay." Zell moved to sit behind me, her back against the metal-barred headboard.
Scrolling through Insta, my friends were at a party, as usual, while I was stuck in a room and my father was down the hall cheating on my mother with a whore. It wasn't the first time he'd cheated on her. I'd seen him numerous times with various women getting in and out of his limo. At first, I thought they were business associates, but then they would kiss, and I had the real answer as to who they were. While my mother was at home, drinking her nightly martini, my father was getting laid. Like tonight.
I hated him.
As I sat on the end of the bed, I thought to myself that maybe bringing me to the brothel was his way of making me follow in his footsteps. I was already selling for him—for the family business, and now he had introduced me to prostitutes. Was he grooming me to be like him?
"Frank Jr.?"
I snorted. "It's Frankie."
"Oh," Zell breathed. "I like that better."
I grinned, still looking at my phone. "Me too."
"I was just wondering why you don't want to have sex with me."
I paused for a moment and then turned around, bending my knee to rest it on the bed, my other foot on the floor. "Don't get me wrong, princess. I'd fuck you in a heartbeat."
"Then why did you say we aren't going to?"
"Because you don't want to." I honestly didn't think any of the women at the brothel wanted to. Sure, maybe the money was good, but was it really something they enjoyed? And the way Zell reacted when I chose her … I was almost certain she didn't want to, especially since she was a virgin.
"I … I have to."
"Why? Why are you even here if you don't have sex with clients?" I questioned.
Zell scrunched her eyebrows. "What do you mean? I live here."
I furrowed my brow. "You live here?"
"Madam is my mother."
My mouth fell open. "Are you serious?" She nodded. "You're telling me that your mom just sold your virginity?"
She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Although, as I thought about it, my father had almost done the same thing because if I were a virgin, he was going to pay someone to take it.
"When do you turn eighteen?"
"Not until the end of January."
"That's only about a month away," I stated.
"Okay?"
"And what do you plan to do when you turn eighteen?"
She tilted her head slightly. "Why does my age matter?"
"Because you'll be an adult."
"So?"
"So, you can leave and do whatever you want to do."
Zell snorted. "I can't leave."
"And why not?"
"Madam won't allow it."
I stared at her for a moment as I processed her words. "Are you telling me that you can't go outside?"
"Yes. I used to be able to go and feed the ducks at the park, but that stopped when I was twelve."
"You mean you haven't been outside in over five years?"
"Well, I've been out on the balcony when Madam isn't home."
"Zell—"
A knock sounded on the door, interrupting me. "Let's go," Dad called out.
"Shit," I muttered under my breath.
"What do we do about the sex thing?" she asked.
"I told you that we're going to lie."
"Right."
I stood, not wanting to keep my father waiting or he'd become pissed. "Promise me that as soon as you turn eighteen, you'll leave this place."
"I can't." Zell stood to follow me out.
"Why not?"
"Because the guard at the elevator will stop me."
"What about the other girls?"
"They can't leave either."
"Why?"
She shrugged. "I don't know."
I wanted to take Zell by the hand and take her with me, show this Madam lady that she couldn't keep this poor girl locked up. But leaving with Frank Russo wasn't necessarily the best idea either because there was no telling what he'd do to her, especially since I didn't know his relationship with Madam.
I placed my hands on the side of Zell's arms and looked down into her azure eyes. "What if I come back? We can figure out how to get you out of here?"
"You'd do that?"
I shrugged. "If you want me to."
"How would we do that?"
"I don't know yet, but I'll come back if you want."
She smiled again. "I'd like that."
I watched Frankie walk toward the elevator with Mr. Russo and Madam. True to his word, Frankie had told Madam that I'd satisfied him completely and that he would return. I wanted him to return because I liked talking to him. I also liked that he didn't make me have sex with him. I was so nervous.
I stared at my new friend as he got into the elevator. Before the doors closed, a hand wrapped around my wrist and started to lead me down the hall toward the back staircase. When I turned to see who it was, I realized that it was Clarissa. "I need to clean the room," I stated.
She let go of me. "Shit. Okay. Go clean it and meet me and the girls in Erin's room when you're done."
"Why?"
She furrowed her brow. "Because we need to make sure you're okay."
"I'm okay." I smiled, thinking about my new friend. I was excited to tell them about him.
"Zell, you just had sex for the first time. We're going to take care of you afterward."
"I—" I was going to tell her that Frankie and I didn't have sex, but the clicking of Madam's heels became louder, and I knew she was on her way toward us.
"Come to Erin's room when you're done," she whispered and then hurried to the back staircase.
I nodded and walked into the room she had used with Mr. Russo, hoping Madam wasn't coming to speak with me. The clicking got louder and louder as I started to strip the bed, and just before Madam arrived at the room, I remembered the cameras. I had seen them in the last five years I had been cleaning the rooms, but I was so nervous I had forgotten about them. I sucked in a breath. She was going to know Frankie and I didn't sleep together. She would know he lied to her. Oh my gosh, I was screwed. Or was I? Frankie had said that I'd satisfied him. He didn't say that we had sex.
"You do whatever he asks. I don't care if you don't know how or if it hurts. He is to be satisfied, and if he isn't, it will be your head."