CHAPTER 31
The day before, Halim waited at the dining table until Sonya came out of her bedroom. She'd just woken up and was groggy.
“Sit down, Sonya. I want to talk to you.”
“What’s up? Did I do all right last night? I’ve been out of it lately. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“You did fine. In fact, Sheikh al Hamar is quite fond of you.”
“Oh, that’s good, I guess,” Sonya said. Just then, the image of al Hamar bullying his way into her room flashed into her head, causing her to shudder with revulsion.
“He was drunk last night,” Halim said, recognizing Sonya’s discomfort. “But he’s harmless.”
“Okay. Thanks for stopping him.”
“I always protect you, don’t I? But let’s get to the point. The sheikh is an extraordinarily wealthy man. A billionaire. He is accustomed to getting anything he wants, and he’ll pay whatever it takes to get it.”
Halim paused, but Sonya didn’t speak. In the back of her mind, she guessed where Halim was going with this, but she couldn’t consciously process that he was really about to ask her to have sex with the sheikh.
“In his country - well, it’s my country, too - the custom for aristocrats is arranged marriage. It’s not considered necessary to know someone well to marry them, not like here in the US with all the romantic nonsense. So while this might sound weird, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense for everyone involved. But you don’t even have to marry him. He only wants to take your virginity.”
“You sicko. I knew it… besides, who says I’m a virgin? That’s crazy.”
“Ha. Dmitri inspected you for me, and Dr. Karim confirmed it. So you’re a virgin, unless you’ve been naughty in the past two weeks? I doubt it.”
“You sent Dmitri after me, to… to inspect me? And now you’re pimping me out? What about all that bullshit, protecting me?”
“Clearly, I don't want to pimp you out. That's why nothing happened last night, and why I didn't even let those men slap you on the ass. I’m not putting you on a street corner or renting you by the night. This is a one-time situation.”
“I’d rather die.”
Halim held back his laughter when she said that, knowing Sonya would soon die, but death wouldn’t save her from pain and humiliation, because the sheikh would have his way with her before killing her.
"You should get some value out of losing your virginity. Think about how many of your friends gave theirs up for free, or for a six pack of beer on prom night, maybe they even got a hamburger and fries first? I'm sure Dmitri took you to a nicer restaurant than that. But I'm glad he refrained from fucking you. He scored quite a business opportunity for us when he found your cherry intact. I guess you’re not his type anyway."
“Damn you. Why don’t you fuck that sheikh yourself? I’m out of here.”
"That's fine. Here, try this new perfume before you go."
Halim pulled out an odd little bottle from his pocket and brought it toward Sonya's face. She turned her head away, but it didn’t matter. The drug was too strong. Even a few droplets on her skin was enough.
Halim didn't want to wait around to drug her food again, and he needed to make sure the dose was heavy. Sonya began to get drowsy and stumbled toward the bed.
"You're a little prude, Sonya Valentina. That's why I never bothered trying to fuck you myself. You'd probably have fallen in love or something awful like that. But I'm glad you're so 'innocent' and uptight, because you're exactly what the sheikh likes to play with.”
Halim didn't care about gaining Sonya’s consent. He certainly wouldn't have shared the money he got for her. And he didn't even think it would be better customer service if Sonya slept with the sheikh willingly, since al Hamar preferred girls who were unwilling.
Halim had discussed the deal with Sonya only because he was curious to see what she would say. He was glad she responded the way she did. He liked girls with principles.
He liked to destroy them, that is.