Maddie was beautiful, and while I tried not to focus on her physical attributes, I couldn’t help but picture her in various positions on the bed behind me. My thoughts were in bad taste, but as long as I didn’t voice them, no harm, right?
She watched me intently, her eyes never leaving my face, and for the first time in my life, I felt scrutinized, but I couldn’t say if it bothered me one way or the other.
Finally, she shifted her feet and looked downward, clutching her towel as if she feared the material would suddenly disappear.
“Oh, sorry. I should let you get dressed.” I turned and moved to walk away.
“Can you wait for me? I don’t want to go out there by myself.”
With my back still to her, I said, “Of course.”
Her plea disturbed me. I hated that she thought I would make her fend for herself in a place she didn’t know, around men who were strangers to her.
Although… I was a stranger to her.
A fact I wanted to rectify and soon.
16
Fully dressed back in the clothes I arrived in, I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the shell of the person looking back at me. I barely recognized myself. My chocolate-brown hair was dull and lifeless, much like my pale green eyes. My skin was pasty and slightly sunken in, blotches of discoloration painting my cheeks and neck, the sight of bruises a common thing for me to see on myself.
“He said you’ll be fine,” I muttered to my reflection, breathing in and out to calm my rising nerves. My vision blurred with unshed tears, and for a second, I contemplated locking myself in this bathroom, refusing to go with Lincoln out to the common area where his president was waiting on me.
I’d trusted before, and it hadn’t worked out for me. Why would this time be any different?
Lincoln rapped twice on the bedroom door before entering. “You ready? They’re waiting.” They? I shook my head so fast I was surprised I didn’t fall over.
He was next to me a few strides later, placing his hand on my upper arm. Leaning down so he could look me directly in the eyes, he said, “Maddie, don’t be frightened. Our club is nothin’ like theirs. We don’t treat women like they do.” I heard his words, but they weren’t registering. Fear tore through me, and before I knew what happened, I’d bent over the sink and threw up.
Lincoln quickly grabbed my hair and held it away from my face as I continued to dry heave, rubbing my back in small circles to try and soothe me.
“Please don’t make me go out there,” I sobbed, holding on to the vanity for strength.
“It’ll be okay. I promise.” His tone was calm and filled with compassion, pity even. The sentiment didn’t offend me, because if someone pitied me, then maybe they wouldn’t be inclined to hurt me.
Groaning, I clutched my lower belly, the discomfort I’d been experiencing recently only getting worse. And throwing up didn’t help my overall situation.
“I have to pee,” I said when I straightened up, Lincoln’s arms falling to his sides.
“Uh… okay. You take care of what you need to, and I’m gonna go see if Marek will come back here instead. Would that make you feel more comfortable?” I nodded, relieved I didn’t have to leave the confines of the room.
Once he left, I closed the bathroom door and sat down on the toilet, an odd sensation erupting before a small trickle of urine finally came out, the stinging pain making me scrunch my face until I finished. It felt like my bladder was full, but it wasn’t, the urge to go to the bathroom plaguing me more than was normal.
I was one step back into the bedroom when the door opened, two guys walking in behind Lincoln.
“Maddie, this is our club president, Marek,” Lincoln announced, pointing toward the man directly behind him, “and this is Stone. He’s the club VP and my father.”
Both men looked to be in their late forties, if I guessed at their ages correctly. Marek had short dark hair with a bit of gray on the sides and the most brilliant blue eyes I’d ever seen. For an older man, he was handsome, his trimmed beard adding to his ruggedness. At first glance, he appeared to be serious, a hard man, but when he stepped closer, closer than was comfortable for me, I watched his eyes soften, his expression relaxing while he captured me with his stare.
Surprisingly, I didn’t fear Marek like I thought I would. He oozed strength but compassion toward me, for now at least. Or was this his ploy? Would he play the sheep until the wolf decided it was time to emerge?
Marek motioned for me to sit on the bed. Once I rested on the edge, I counted every breath that left my body. Lowering my head, I didn’t dare look at any of the men standing so close for fear of what I’d see. I waited in silence with my hands clasped in my lap, my muscles becoming sore with the anticipation they’d shove me back on the bed and have their way with me.
“Maddie.” A tear trailed down my cheek at hearing my name, and I couldn’t pinpoint if it was because I heard a trace of compassion in Marek’s voice or because I still feared what may happen. “Look at me,” he said, his tone firmer than seconds before.
I lifted my head but closed my eyes, my bottom lip trembling because I didn’t want to see their expressions, especially Lincoln’s. Had he handed me over to his president and VP? Would he get special treatment for bringing in a woman they could do with as they saw fit? Even though Lincoln told me no such things would happen, I didn’t believe it. Not fully. Not yet.
The bed dipped beside me, and my lids opened. Lincoln’s hand covered both of mine, and he whispered, “It’s okay.”
“Fuck,” Marek shouted, making me flinch. “What did they do to her?”
“Unfortunately, this looks all too familiar,” Stone added, a statement I thankfully didn’t understand, and didn’t want to. When I glanced over at the club’s VP, I saw the resemblance between father and son, although Lincoln’s hair was much darker than Stone’s dirty-blond strands. They had the same shape eyes, nose, and mouth, and while Lincoln was clean-shaven, his dad wore a long beard, giving him an edgier, more hardened appearance.
Stone stood off to the side while Marek moved until he stood directly in front of me and extended his hand. “Let me get a look at ya.”
“It’s okay,” Lincoln murmured next to me when I hesitated to stand. How many times did the guy have to assure me no harm would come to me before I believed him?
Looking into his soft brown eyes, I gave him a curt nod before slowly rising from the bed, standing in front of the president of his club like the frightened girl I was.
I trembled like I’d been standing in the cold for too long, my teeth chattering while my muscles twitched.
“I need to inspect you, okay?”
“Why?” Lincoln asked, and I had to admit I was curious as well. Did he need to inspect me to prove I was worthy enough to be in their company? What kinds of things would meet his approval? I didn’t understand anything that was happening, and while I tried to mentally escape my surroundings, every time I glanced over at Lincoln, he brought me right back.
“Because he needs to see what he’s dealing with,” his father answered, leaning casually against the door like this was an everyday occurrence, and for all I knew, it could be.