Chapter Twenty-Two
Song: Tomorrow - Stonebwoy
*Unedited* (1am lol)
I was in front of a large dressing mirror. Women I didn't know were dressing me up like a doll. My lips were coated in lip-gloss, my hair had been curled and my face was covered in foundation. The realisation of what was about to happen to me hit me hard in the face. When it was nearing nine pm, the other prostitutes and I were transported to a different mansion. The ride took so long that I became car sick, and it was difficult to keep my food down.
During the ride, it was the same as before. Women of the same colour spoke to each other. Barbie was not in my van, but Ginger was, and she kept shooting me annoyed looks. It had come to my notice that the other women thought that I was 'the boss' girl' just because I stayed with him. It was laughable, to be honest. I began receiving the envious looks I've been subjected to my whole life. At least something felt normal.
The new mansion was quite identical to the previous one, except this one was at a more remote area, if that was even possible. There were no signs of life, not even birds. It was truly ominous; how the other women didn't even look the least bit frightened was over me. Kofi pulled the van door open and the women began to disembark. They stared up at the mansion whilst Kofi held out his elbow for me. I slung my arm through his as we went into the building. Ginger glared at me, making me avert my eyes.
"You look so nervous," Kofi whispered into my ear. He was so close that his breath fanned over my exposed neck.
"I am nervous," I replied.
"No one's going to want to be with you."
"That's good news. I guess I'm going to be looking nervous all the time then."
He managed a smile. "I'm afraid that's not enough. Even I must admit that you look edible tonight." He said. I turned to him with wide eyes as he stared on with an innocent look in his eyes. "I mean, more than you usually do."
"Are you okay? You sound a bit under the weather." I stated, feeling his forehead.
He pulled away from my touch, laughing in undertones. "On a more serious note, I do not want to hear any complaints."
I sighed. "I don't even know what I'm doing! How can you not expect any complaints? To be a prostitute, I don't know, don't I have to have some experience?"
He sighed and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. "Perhaps having you work tonight was a mistake."
"You think?"
"You really have to have this problem taken care of."
"What problem?"
He stared purposely.
I glared. "I'm not sleeping with some random man."
He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to if you don't want to."
"Really?"
"I mean, your fiancé is coming tomorrow. Just sleep with him and get it over with."
I choked. I coughed, trying hard to breath as Kofi gently patted my back.
"You must be the only person I've ever met who can successfully choke on air. What a way to die. Death by choking... on air," he laughed.
I stared at him incredulously. "Do you not understand how I feel about this?"
"You said you love him. I don't see why you wouldn't want to sleep with someone you love."
"That's not how it works!" I bellowed.
Kofi shushed me just as we reached a large empty space in the mansion. We had been talking whilst walking, though not loud enough that the other prostitutes could hear us; that is, until I yelled. We were in a room with only a huge chandelier in the middle of the ceiling as decoration.
"This is the auction room."
"Auction room?"
"A room where auctioning takes place."
I glared at him. "I got that." I wondered why we were whispering. "What are you going to auction?"
He gave me a 'duh' look.
"No, no," I facepalmed. "You can't be serious."
"I think I am."
"You sell them? Wow, prostitution, and human trafficking. You've really outdone yourself."
"Why thank you. This was all my idea; my parents' strategy was less effective. I'm glad someone appreciates my creativity."
"I'm going to buy you a sarcasm detector."
"Inappropriate but okay."
"I'm not going to get auctioned tonight, right?"
"No, you still have to sleep with your fiancé."
"Ex-fiancé. And there's no way I'm doing that."
He completely ignored what I just said. "It's not exactly human trafficking because it's not as if they don't agree. I don't sell them though. They're usually rented for a night or more. Sometimes, customers do buy them."
"I thought you said no one is allowed to leave."
"Unless they're bought, which is very rare. People hardly fall in love with prostitutes. On the rare occasion that they're bought, they end up becoming sex slaves."
"That's... horrible."
"Dance with me," Kofi said, turning me to face him.
I hadn't noticed that soft music had begun playing in the room, or that the other female prostitutes were dancing with mighty fine men. They must be the male prostitutes. As my eyes slowly inspected them, I realised that they were probably the finest my country and the world had to offer. Such beauty, such perfection; yet they'd chosen to spend the rest of their lives as sex slaves.
"They don't teach you how to dance in your village?"
"Sadly, no," I said, stepping on his foot with my unbruised foot for good measure. My bruised ankle was healing to a point where I couldn't feel much pain anymore, but I guess wearing heels was a very bad idea.
He bit back a curse. "I try to be nice, and this is how you repay me?"
"I was wondering why you were being so nice to me."
"Trust me, I have no ulterior motive. Sometimes, it's just really hard to be mean to you."
"Really?"
"Yes. You're hopelessly ignorant, awed by almost everything around you, you're smart and... you don't let carnal desires rule you like almost everyone I've met. You're not what I expected."
"What did you expect?"
"The opposite of everything I just said, except you being ignorant. I didn't expect you to be ignorant, until I heard you had come from a village. You are ignorant about most things, but not stupid. I expected you to be dumb as a doorknob; you know, being this beautiful."
I ignored the compliment. "And you've known me how long? Three days?"
"I'm very good at studying people."
I sighed. "When is this stupid thing starting? I want to catch some sleep... before tomorrow."
He pulled me to his chest, and I lay in his arms. Frozen.
"It's all part of the dance," he muttered. I could hear the irritation behind his voice. "Trust me, you still make my fists clench, I'm in no way happy with you."
Happy is a strange word to use in a situation such as this.
"So, you mean to say you still hate me, but you've developed some kind of respect for me?"
"Exactly," he patted my back affirmatively.
I looked around the room and saw that all the dancing couples were embracing like we were. I wondered if it was some rehearsed kind of dance.
"I see."
"Do you think your fiancé still loves you?" He asked, unexpectedly.
My fingers dug into his fancy suit. "What does it matter?"
"I can't have him trying to buy you."
I gritted my teeth in annoyance. "I thought we're allowed to leave if we're bought."
"Everyone but you," he stated.
"Why?" I was clutching on his suit in anger, surprised I hadn't choked him to death already.
"See, the others came here willingly. They're beautiful people, who have given up on life, love, family; everything really. It might surprise you the kind of backgrounds these people come from. I mean, it's not cheap to look this good. Like I said, they have no reason to live. They might look beautiful and the picture of perfection on the outside, but they're irreparably broken on the inside."
As he spoke, I glanced at the smiling, flirty faces. They had to be wearing masks then, because their smiles were too bright, their perfect white teeth glowing like fireflies. They looked too happy.
Maybe, that was the problem.
"You on the other hand, have not lost your will to live. You're in love, you have family that you must care about. You have dreams. You have hope."
"That is a problem because?" I whispered. I had meant to sound sassy, but that came out shyly, as I pulled back from our embrace and gazed into his eyes.
"They don't care about my illegal business. They appreciate it, it's their escape from reality. You, on the other hand, have everything to lose. You won't go quietly. You will try to bring me down, bring all this down just to get back to the ones you love," he stated. His eyes were undecipherable. "that's why I can't let you go."
"That doesn't even make sense," I wailed. For some reason, tears where threatening to break through. "I will have no motive to bring you down if you just let me go."
He smiled. It was a smile filled with cruelty and conspiracy. "I won't let you go. I won't entrust my family's business into your hands. One word from you and my family will be destroyed. We'll all be put behind bars."
"I promise you Devan -"
"Shut up. That is only a small part of the reason though. About five percent."
"What other motive would you have to keep someone you hate so much around?" I asked. I wiped my tears away and continued to stare at him irately.
"I see you as a challenge. You've lost the love of your life, your family will probably die from starvation, or they'll be lynched, or they'll die from grief, or they'll never forgive you," he laughed like there was something funny. "I see the cracks. I see potential of a broken person in you." He grabbed hold of my face, his hold gentle, and stared into my eyes. "I will break you Elorm."
* * *
The auction was about to begin. The buyers - or should I say renters? - were arriving. They were men and women of class who probably didn't want any attachments. Perhaps they were people who were married, who wanted to break their marriage vows but not leave behind any witnesses who could blackmail them. Perhaps they were people who had reputations to uphold, who couldn't be seen with any random person. They knew prostitutes wouldn't pester them or demand relationships or most importantly, get pregnant or get them pregnant. Simple casual sex partners who they were unlikely to ever cross paths with again.
"Aye, we're going to have a problem," Kofi said beside me.
I bit my tongue and dug my nails into my palms so hard that they soon began bleeding. It took everything in me to stop myself from jumping up and ripping his head off. How dare he talk to me?
"I shouldn't have brought you out here. Just look at how many eyes are on you."
My head shot up and almost immediately, felt the weight of dozens of eyes on me. They were mostly men, but there were two women who were staring at me seductively. "No," I whispered, my heart beating faster with fear.
"Don't worry, they aren't even gay." Kofi said, noticing the two women. "They're just really adventurous when it comes to sex. Gangbangs, BDSM, transgender sex, heck even hentai if it were possible. They're hoping to try everything."
I had no idea what the terms he was stating meant. "I'm not sleeping with a woman."
He scoffed. "You're speaking like you have any say in who you will sleep with. You will bed anyone who rents you." He was making it so hard for me not to kill him. "But not tonight," he stated. He pulled me into his side and put an arm around my waist.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Shut up and play along if you don't want your first time to be with a dildo."
I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I put my arm over his and he went stiff. I smiled triumphantly. I would do anything and everything just to make him uncomfortable.
One of the women strode over comfortably. "Hello Kofi," she smiled. Her teeth looked brighter than my future.
"Lisa, it's such a pleasure to see you again," he offered her a smile.
"Likewise," she replied. Her eyes strayed and fell on me. She was tall with a curvy body and perfect dark copper skin. The woman had big brown eyes, a button nose, lips would put Kylie Jenner to shame, heart shaped face and voluminous jet-black hair. She kept her hair natural so it was like a crown atop her head. It reminded me of the thick bush Michael and I had once hidden in just to talk. The place where he had first told me that he loved me. "Who's this beauty?"
I cringed.
"This is Elorm and I'm afraid that she's off the market." He said, he turned to me and smirked.
"Really? I thought you didn't like casual affairs." She said, unconvinced, whilst ogling me with lustful eyes.
"Did I ever say that she was a casual affair?"
"Oh," she looked surprised, then looked at Kofi. "Really? A prostitute? I thought you detested us primitive beings." She joked.
"She's no prostitute. I'd appreciate it if you kept your eyes off my girl," he said amicably.
She laughed; fake as it was and eyed me before she left.
"Your girl, eh?"
"If you ever tell anyone I said that," he let the threat hang.
A lot more men - fortunately - came to greet him, but with the way they were staring at me the whole time, they'd just come to gawk at me.
"Beauty isn't always a blessing," Kofi laughed.
My feet and the bruised ankle were killing me in those heels. Why I had even agreed to wear them, I had no idea.
"I'll bet you're just soaking up all this attention. Don't worry, by Saturday, you'll be servicing them too."
I wondered what his face would be like when his customers came to complain with limbs missing.
"It's time. Come," he said.
A pulpit had been erected and there were two seats behind it. He signalled me to have a seat and I almost thanked him, fortunately stopping myself at the last second. He took the one next to me. A man came forward and began the auction.
The bidding had begun. My mouth was opened at the ridiculous prices I was hearing. Who pays nine hundred big ones just for a night with some stranger? Good God, this world You created. Ginger was the next prostitute to be auctioned. She looked lovely in a long red bodycon dress that hugged her perfectly and complimented her beautiful hair. Ginger must've have really caught their eyes, because her prices were going ridiculously high. In the end, the other woman who had been ogling me won the bid for her. She had wasted two thousand, six hundred and eighty cedis on that red-haired brat. She shot me a wink before going in for her prize.
Barbie was up next. She looked sexy, clothed in a short black romper that left little to imagination. The low-cut neckline put her full, perfectly round breasts on full display, whilst the fabric tightened her curves quite nicely. The romper was really short. Short enough that you could see a portion of her flawless butt. As she went beside the auctioneer to be auctioned, she cast me a sympathetic smile. Her auction went well too. She went for two thousand and two hundred to a man whose face I was too queasy to study. The whole thing was disgusting to me; the way people were being auctioned off like objects.
Lisa rented three male prostitutes, all of them broad chested and easy on the eyes. The black males generally got the highest prices amongst the males, followed by the Hispanic men, then the white men. Soon enough, all the prostitutes were rented for the night, the auction was over and I was positively scarred for life.
The auctioneer looked at me for a moment, probably wondering whether I was one of the objects to be sold. Kofi glared at him and he turned back to his audience and announced that the auction was closed. I saw many disappointed glances being shot my way. I shuddered, the thought of how many people who wanted to be with me frightening me.
"Ready to go?" Kofi asked.
"Like I have a choice," I rolled my eyes. "Not that I want to stay here."
"I'm glad you're beginning to accept that you have no say in your life choices any longer."
I glared at him.
"Come on," he took my arm and began dragging me out of the mansion. Just before we could leave, my eyes caught him. It was Mr. Mark, Justus and Stacey's father and he was walking with Barbie, his hand resting on her ample butt. I never realised that he was the one who had rented her. Last time I checked, he had a wife. How despicable. Of course, he was Justus' father! I mean, you need an equally disgusting person to raise a rapist. Stacey was probably a nasty person too.
When we were back in Kofi's car and on our way back to the mansion, he spoke up. "I hope you're ready for this Michael person."
"I could never be ready."
"Whatever rocks your boat. Just make sure you're no longer a virgin before tomorrow."
"What do you mean? He's coming tomorrow. Surely, you don't mean I should sleep with you."
"No, of course not!" He sounded annoyed and I saw him clench the steering wheel. I smiled victoriously. "There has been a change of plans. I believe he can't wait to see you."
"What do you mean?"
"He's already there. He arrived during the auction."
My heartbeat ceased. "Stop the car."
"You're in no posi -"
I cut him off by jumping at him and turning the wheel. The car ventured off the abandoned road and we went straight into the forest. It was a miracle that we didn't run into a tree. Kofi had shoved his foot onto the brakes just in time, but the car did run into a hedge or bush of some sort. I wasn't a very grave collision, but it was enough to propel his head forward and smack it against the steering wheel. The airbag pushed against my face and his limp one, throwing us back against the seats. My nose, which had been bruised when Fluffy kicked me, ached slightly.
I gasped for breath, shocked that I had just done that. The car was ruined, we were in the forest in the dark, where we were vulnerable to any predator; especially him, seeing that he was passed out.
"Kofi," I reached out and touched his bloody face. The impact from the hit had caused the skin to split open and a small rivulet of blood gushed from the wound. I threw my seatbelt off and rushed to his side of the car. I pulled open the car door and dragged him as far as I could from the car. I'd seen cars explode in movies and I was not about to die in a car explosion. It wouldn't be cool.
"Hey." He was cradled in my arms, looking serene and less like the villainous bastard he was. I slapped him softly. He was out cold. "Devan!" I yelled, then slapped him with all the strength I could muster.
His eyes flew open and he stared at his surroundings in confusion, then his eyes fell on me. "Why did you slap me?" He jumped away from me. He touched his hand to the wound and pulled back his wet fingers, looking shocked.
"You were refusing to wake up, and it was too tempting."
He glared at me.
"If it makes you feel any better, that felt so good! You definitely had it coming."
"Why would that make me-" he cut himself off, touching his hand to the wound again. I felt bad at that point for injuring him. He frowned, the pain etching its effect on his face before he glared back up at me. "Are you crazy? Do you realise what you've done? How do we get back?"
"I asked you to stop the car. Quite nicely too. You refused."
"So you try and kill us?" He bellowed.
"Not exactly. I wasn't really thinking straight. I'm glad we'll be delayed though. Lord knows I'm not ready to see him yet."
He looked like he wanted to kill me. "You must think you're so smart." He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a phone.
Crap.
"If we can't get to him, I'll bring him to us."
"No, no, please, call anyone else but him. He doesn't even know where we are!"
"Ever heard of Google maps?"
I frowned. "No."
"Of course. Village girl, I forgot." He rolled his eyes. He opted to text Michael instead. I heard a notification, meaning that Michael had replied.
"No, stop. Please don't make him come here."
He glared at me. "Why would I do anything nice for you? You should be grateful I'm even letting you sleep with him. If I were trying to be a terrible person, I would've let Wolfgang ravish you to his delight. Throw in a few lessons here and there."
I shuddered at the thought.
"Better yet, that's a good idea. I mean, the first time, you'll be a clueless newbie. You need to do it a couple of times before you start working."
"I'm not sleeping with anyone."
"Yes, you are," he glared at me. "If you annoy me, I will let one of the male prostitutes have you for as long as he thinks it will take to get you ready."
"Anyone is better than Wolfgang."
He looked diabolical. "Wolfgang it is! Either you lose your virginity to the man you love, or to my brother, whom you hate so much. It's your choice, really. What? I'm not a completely terrible person, you do get some choices."
"Things are too complicated between Michael and I for this. Besides, he's engaged to someone else."
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her."
"Gosh, you're despicable." I spat in disgust.
"I don't see why you're so against this. He's the man you love and you know he doesn't love his new fiancée. It doesn't have to mean anything, the sex. Just forget your past problems and enjoy the time you have left with him. When he leaves, you're never going to see him again."
Never. The word rang in my ears repeatedly. I had taken him for granted. All the time we had together. I was so stupid. I needed to lose him to love him. I realised how much he meant to me and the actual extent of my feelings for him. Kofi was right. I had always wanted to lose my virginity on my wedding night, but it didn't seem possible. I'd rather lose it to the man that I loved, than to Wolfgang or some random stranger.
"Fine."
"What?"
"I'll sleep with him," I felt my heart break into tiny pieces as I uttered the words.
"Perfect!" He said delightedly. He paused, staring at me gleefully before he added in a whisper, "I told you I'd break you Elorm."
"You don't even know me. Why do you hate me so much?"
He shrugged, uninterested. We waited on the isolated road for more minutes than I could count, until I spotted a black range rover approaching. My heart leaped into my chest. I recognised the car. It was one of Michael's numerous cars, and my favourite because it was one of the few big ones. The others were small and too fast for my liking and besides, he could only safely drive them in the city where the roads were immaculate.
I wanted to throw up or pass out, but it seemed like my body had recovered from the drug that Justus had given me. Luckily, he hadn't overdosed me. Kofi told me that I could've died or even forgotten what had happened, both of which would've been absolutely horrible.
The car stopped, and even though I couldn't see through the windscreen, I just knew that he was staring at me. I squirmed, uncomfortable. I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
The car door opened, but it wasn't the driver's door. It was the passenger door. I frowned.
Kofi got to his feet, a cruel smile on his face. He went over to the car and pulled open the driver's door. He began to talk, but I was too focused on the passenger's door, trying to figure out who he knew enough to have brought along.
Perhaps it was Nathan. He had promised to visit me when he called Kofi a while back, but I wondered why Michael would willingly bring a strange male to see me. He couldn't have gotten over me, over us so quickly.
Michael finally stepped out and when our eyes met, I froze. I felt shaken to the core, seeing all that raw pain behind those beautiful irises. He stepped forward, almost like he was in a daze. I felt like he was going to crouch down and take my hands or kiss me or something romantic like that, but my heart stopped beating for the second time that day when Etornam strode over from the passenger door and draped her slimy arm over Michael's shoulder, shooting me a malicious smirk and a wink.
* * *
Elorm's dress

It was 1:31am when I completed this chapter. I think that deserves a vote, don't you? ;)
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