Free Little Doll by Melissa Jane Page B

fast and unexpected.
    He advanced on me like a raging storm and , with each hasty step I took backward, he took two forward. I backed against the wall and a microsecond later Hector had me caged in.
    He placed an arm each side of my head, his cologne obnoxiously filling my airways. Hector had mastered the ‘if looks could kill’ face and, at that moment, I had the unwelcome sense I was not going to come out of this alive.
    “ You are not the first bitch to come through this place, girl. As easy as it is to keep you alive, it would be just as easy to discard your body on the street.”
    The thought unnerve d me but I remembered what both Juan and Aiden had told me.
    “ From what I hear, you need me!”
    He scoffed and I knew I was venturing down a dangerous path. But this battle wasn’t just one -sided. I may as well be dead if that were the case.
    “That may be so. But I am a very wealthy man and could quite happily cut my losses if it means unburdening myself. However, I am also a keen business man and I hate losing.”
    “Selling women is not good business ,” I replied, my voice shaky.
    He ctor leaned in close so only I could hear his words. “I beg to differ. You are going to make excellent business for me.”
    Hector closed the distance between our faces, his mouth on mine in a bruising, degrading kiss that acted more as a warning. He pulled away, a self-righteous, satisfied sneer contorting his features. Stepping back, he uncaged me and turned to address Juan.
    “You are right , my boy – she does taste good. I am sure she will received very enthusiastically. Now come, vamos.”
    He gestured to all in the room to follow him.
    The brutes attached themselves to my arms once again and guided me through a door at the rear of the lounge room.
    Passing Aiden along the way , I saw he made no effort to move from his chair. He was not following and, for some reason, I was sickened by the thought. His brief display of kindness had left me almost dependent on his presence, as if he would protect me from the evil within the house.
    The barely -lit passage came to an end. We passed through another door and my mind spun at what I saw. The room we entered was just as elaborate as the lounge room except there were four other women dressed exactly as I was. They each wore suspenders, lace panties and a matching bra. The only difference being that I was in white and they wore black.
    My stomach dropped with nervous apprehension at what that small difference could mean for me. I was being singled out and that was a scary enough thought on its own. All the girls in the room were stunningly beautiful with long dark hair and deeply bronzed skin. What struck me as odd was they showed no sign of being here against their wills; in fact, their faces lit up with apparent delight when Hector and Juan entered the room.
    Hector beckoned to one girl who was fixing her makeup in the ornate mirror at the far end of the room. She turned and I recognized her as Sophia. Immediately dropping the lipstick tube on the counter, she approached Hector like a diligent puppy. She listened attentively to his Spanish instruction and said nothing in return, only nodding her head.
    The goons released my arms and Hector and Juan left the room through a different door to the one by which we'd entered.
    I stood alone, feeling heat rising to my cheeks, embarrassed by the provocative nature of my outfit. The raven-haired beauties in the room openly assessed my appearance, their clear lack of warmth making me want to cry. I felt isolated and vulnerable.
    From behind, s omething thick and heavy wrapped around my throat. In my obvious state of discomfort I had blocked out my surroundings and dropped my guard. It was a dangerously stupid thing to do in a place like this.
    “Keep still,” came an impatient voice. It was Sophia.
    Feeling numb mentality and physically, I did as I was told. Touching the foreign object I felt a mixture of emotions. I was saddened,