Cassie
He entered the room, closed the door and stood there staring at me for what felt like an age, before he finally dropped his gaze to the red carpeted floor. He ran a hand through his dark hair and down his face, letting out an exasperated sigh. He walked over to a mini bar and made himself a drink, which he gulped down in one go. Then he turned to look at me again and smirked.
Who is my neighbor?
My already rapidly beating heart pumped faster. What could he find so comical about the situation?
He had offered me help, but never actually had any intention of giving it. Instead, he’d had me kidnapped, stripped, and put up for auction. There was a term for this: human trafficking. I hated it. Just thinking about the word made my blood run cold and my stomach turn.
I turned away from him.
Why me? I wondered.
It didn’t make any sense. I didn’t even know him. So why would he drag me into this? And who is he? Him, whose name I still didn’t know? He’d never told me his, even after I’d given him mine and said it was nice to meet him. His reply had been, ‘Yeah, you could say that’.
Yes, I could say that. Because, at the time, when I thought it was nice to meet him, he had been offering me help.
For a week I had been lusting after a man who apparently kidnaps and sells women.
It wasn’t my fault though. I couldn’t help the physical attraction I’d felt – and still felt – towards a man who looks like a God and knows it too. He had to know the power he had over women. I’d never felt so physically frustrated with anyone in my life. I’d never even felt that way towards my ex-fiancé. Josh was nothing compared to him. No guy I had seen was. And he knew it.
$7000. It’s nice knowing what I’m worth.
I wrapped my hands around my middle and stepped back until I felt the bed on the back of my leg. I sat down and started crying again, as I tried to figure out a way to get out of there. I needed to try, even though I didn’t know where I was. There were no windows in the place, and I hadn’t seen anything from the moment I was shoved into the trunk to when I was first brought into this horrible room.
“Please,” I whispered.
“What?” he snapped.
“Please, let me go.”
His voice didn’t waver.
“No.”
“Please,” I looked up at him. “Just let me go. I was never here so I won’t tell anyone. I’ll pay you back your money, and then I’ll leave town. Forever. I promise.”
He laughed.
“Don’t laugh at me,” I begged through a heavy sob. “Please, just let me go.”
“You are mine. I bought you, so now I own you.”
“You were also the one that brought me here to sell. Why?”
He didn’t answer.
“Please, just let me go. I’ll say nothing to no one. I promise.”
He walked over to me and ran a hand down my cheek. I flinched and slapped his hand away.
“Don’t touch me!” I complained.
“Don’t hit me,” he said.
“Hit!” I yelled. “You don’t want me to hit you?”
He said and did nothing. Instead, he continued to stare down at me.
All the emotions I’d been trying to keep hold of bubbled to the surface and overflowed as rage. I started hitting, kicking, screaming and yelling at him to let me go.
I hit his arm. “You sick bastard!” Smacked his chest. “I hate you, and I don’t even know you!” I kicked at him. “You can’t do this!” I tried to punch him in the chest. “You can’t keep me like an animal!” I aimed a fist at his face, but he caught my arm and pushed me away. “You can’t do this!”
I continued to rage at him until I could rage no more. Eventually, I’d worn myself out and collapsed on the floor.