Enslave Me Sweetly (20 page)

I
didn't have a long wait until my summons.

Within an hour, two men entered the cell to get me. Expensive Cologne and Smashed Balls. How lovely. A reunion.

“Time to go, sweetheart,” Cologne said. Curiously eager, he unchained me and tried to help me to my feet.

I slapped his hand away and stood on my own.

He frowned when he spied the puffy red scuff marks on my wrists and ankles.

“You should have told me you have such delicate skin,” he scolded.

“When should I have told you? Before you abducted me? While I was sleeping?”
Idiot.

“There's going to be trouble for this,” he muttered.

“Too bad for you.”

Frowning, he shook his head. “I liked you better when you were asleep.”

“Well, I never liked you.” He might be the kindest of all of the guards, but that didn't make him any less of a slaver.

He sighed and waved me over. “Come on.”

“Why?” I remained where I was. “Where are you taking me?”

“Shut your mouth!” Smashed Balls shouted. “You don't ask questions. You just follow orders.”

Still I remained stubbornly in place.

“We need to get you cleaned up.” Cologne motioned with his fingers again. “Come.”

“They're taking you to the bathroom to give you a shower,” the blonde whispered.

“They like to watch,” the redhead added defiantly, her voice loud and echoing.

Balls stomped a menacing step toward her, his intent to slap her evident by the raising of his palm. Eyes narrowed, I jumped in front of him. His arm stilled.

“I'm ready.” I straightened my shoulders. “Lead the way.”

He flicked the redhead a you'll-pay glare and spun on his heel. I followed him out of the cell, and Cologne took up the rear. They were so confident in their abilities and strengths that they didn't blindfold me or even try to hide their identities. Idiots, I thought again.

Though I remained on alert, I cast my gaze over my surroundings. Without a doubt, we were underground. Water dripped from the ceiling and dirt lined the floors. The only light sprang from thin bulbs that hung from equally thin wires.

My mind raced with strategies. They planned to watch me shower; I planned to thwart them. But how? They could overpower me by sheer numbers. They could even stun me with a pyre-gun, then clean, molest, or rape me without my being able to protest. That raised the question of why hadn't they stunned me already. Why hadn't they stunned me to bring me here?

Time, I realized in the next instant. A stun lasted twenty-four hours. They must need my cooperation for…what? My hands clenched at my sides, but I never slowed my step. I lifted my chin, remaining alert as we entered the foyer of the home. Cologne and Smashed Balls stopped to chat with the three men cleaning and vacuuming, preparing the room for…a visitor? For Lucius?

Would he arrive soon to purchase me? My knees almost buckled in relief with the possibility. EenLi would be here, too. Having watched him for weeks, I knew he oversaw all transactions personally. This could all be over in a matter of hours. The possibility was so wonderful that it seemed too good to be true. Surreal, even.

Amid the men's chatter about what the women in the cell needed, I finished my study of the room. There was a spacious living area off to the side, complete with couch, a large holoscreen, and several plush velvet chairs. Empty beer bottles littered a rectangular coffee table. Though there were no windows, lace curtains draped a section of the wall, giving the illusion of glass.

Very domestic and cozy.

Strong male hands gently pushed me forward. “Walk,” Cologne said, his conversation with the others finished.

I followed Balls down the hall. Plain, dingy yellow walls closed in around me. They were devoid of any decoration, probably so that the slaves wouldn't have access to a makeshift weapon. There were four doors at the end of the hallway. One of them led into a small, cramped bathroom, which was the room we entered. It had brown plaster walls, a splintered floor. An enzyme spray hose slithered from the far wall, and a toilet pushed against the side.

In front of me, Balls stopped, turned, and folded his arms over his chest. He was very thin, and his skin looked dry and flaky. He was also balding. No wonder he had such an attitude problem.

“Strip.” He smiled slowly, evilly. “Then shower. And make sure to clean yourself real good, or I'll have to clean you myself.”

I heard the rustle of Cologne's shirt as he too crossed his arms over his chest. That really pissed me off. Of all the men I'd encountered in this house, Cologne seemed the most gentle, the most concerned for the women. Yet he too was willing to humiliate me so he could get his rocks off.

Turning to the side, I gave both men my profile. Unconcerned. “I'll strip when both of you leave.”

Balls arched his brows in smug amusement. He had wanted me to resist. Wanted to scare me. “Strip. Now. Or I make you do it.”

“Leave. Now,” I replied. “Or I make you do it.”

Cologne sighed, and the sound drifted through the small bathroom. “We're not going to hurt you. Just watch.”

“Just violate my privacy, you mean.”

“This is your last chance. Strip on your own,” Balls said, “or strip with our help.”

One, I didn't want them to see my weapons. And two, getting naked most likely meant rape. No, thank you. A cold sweat broke out over my skin. Not good. Unlike humans, my sweat made me more attractive. The beads of moisture made my flesh look like polished, dewy gold. Glittery. Like a fairy. I didn't want to be attractive at this moment. I wanted to appear mean and ugly, capable of any evil deed.

Knowing the other women had endured this, yet had had no way to prevent it, turned my fear to protectiveness. “If you help me undress,” I said slowly, carefully, “there will be a fight. A to-the-death fight. Understand?”

“Raka, you're a woman.” Wearing an expression that begged me to understand, Cologne stepped toward me. “You can't hurt us.”

Balls moved toward me, as well. They were trying to close me in, to threaten and intimidate me with their strength.

“But I'll get hurt, and that will make me damaged goods. See, I talked to the girls. I know why we're here. We're being sold as slaves. Your boss wants top dollar for me, doesn't he?”

Silence reigned as they considered my words. I didn't know how long or often I could get by with that particular threat, but I'd use it as long as I could.

Thankfully, it worked.

“You win,” Cologne said on a resigned sigh.

“What!” Balls shouted.

“There are no windows here. The only exit is the door. We will be here, waiting, and if you try to escape, we will punish you. Whether it decreases your value or not. Do you understand?”

“Coward!” Balls slammed his fist into his open palm. “We're not walking away. Hold her, and I'll cut those fucking clothes off her body.”

Anticipating an attack from him, I bent my knees slightly and centered my energy. He never moved toward me, however. Cologne grabbed him by the arm and flung him outside the bathroom. The smaller man crashed into the wall and slithered into a heap on the rotting wood floor.

“You will not always get your way,” he said to me. “It will be best for you if you realize that quickly.” With narrowed eyes, he strode from the room and shut the door behind him. “You have fifteen minutes. Get clean and put on the clothes resting on the toilet lid.”

I glanced at the toilet. A sheer pink sheath draped the lid. I lifted the material between pinched fingers. Pantaloons and a halter top. They were dressing me like a harem slut. Wonderful.

Frowning, I turned on the shower by punching the labeled buttons. Hot spray instantly misted the porcelain tub. I didn't climb inside, however. I spent most of my fifteen minutes watching the door and finding ways to hide my blades under the new sheer outfit.

Only once did someone try to sneak inside. As the knob turned, I said, “Do it and die.” The door remained firmly shut after that, not opening until I knocked and said, “All done.”

In the end, I only managed to conceal one knife. I wrapped it around the back shoulder strap of the top's internal bra. The other, well, I had to chuck it between slabs of wood on the floor.

I would have liked to study my reflection in the mirror. I'm sure I appeared dainty and fragile, a sex slave desperate for her master's attentions. The low-riding bottoms started at the flare of my hips, and my shirt—if it could be called that—ended just under my breasts.

My two guards were frowning when they opened the door, but their eyes widened and their mouths dropped when they spied me. Balls even reached out to trace his finger over my collarbone, but I gripped the offending appendage and twisted. He yelped and used his other hand to slap me.

I felt a sharp sting, and my head snapped to the side. Slowly, I faced him with narrowed eyes and wiped at my now throbbing lip. Warm wetness greeted my fingers.

A gleam of horror entered his brown eyes. “You tell anyone I did that,” he said quietly, menacingly, “and I'll kill you.”

Oh, how I wanted to slit his throat just then, but I did nothing. I nodded as if I cared about the warning. He backed off, pivoted on his heel, and strode away.

“You okay?” Cologne asked, his concern unwanted and unneeded.

“I'm fine.”

“Time to go, then.” He nudged my shoulder, a demand to move. My gaze bore into Balls's back as I followed him into the living room the guards had been cleaning earlier. The moment I stepped inside and saw what awaited me, I froze. My abrupt stop caused Cologne to ram into my back, shoving me forward. He tried to help me regain my balance, but I slapped his hands away.

When I steadied my feet, my pulse leapt and my blood alternately heated and chilled. This was it. My sale. The cleaning crew was gone, and in their place was Jonathan Parker, Lucius, and another man, an other-worlder I didn't recognize.

My gaze locked with Lucius's. I was beyond happy to see him. He gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head before his eyes narrowed on the bruise on my lip.

Fighting a smile, I forced my attention elsewhere. The other-worlder seated next to him was a Targon, the most feared race of warriors ever to come to Earth. Our government would do anything to have a few of them fighting for us. They were a tall, built race, to be sure, but that wasn't their main worth. Their telekinetic abilities surpassed even the Arcadians.

This one was handsome, as muscled as any man I'd ever seen. He had dark hair, eerie amber eyes. Light, light skin. He was wearing a gold necklace with a dull, ugly stone in the center. My gaze narrowed on it. Was it used for interworld travel?

When would EenLi arrive? A wave of impatience crashed through me, and I wasn't sure how I would react when I saw the bastard.

“I'm so glad everyone could make it,” a heavily accented voice suddenly proclaimed.

EenLi.

Heart drumming erratically, I quickly scanned the room. Where was he? I didn't see—I sucked in a breath. There, on the large holoscreen above the couch, was EenLi's smug, smiling, ugly face. He glowed bright pink. He was very happy with himself.

Disappointment nearly felled me, nearly dropped me to my knees. I'd expected him here, to see to the details of this sale in person. Damn. Damn!

His bald head gleamed brightly in the fluorescent lighting. That same lighting made his large, pupil-less white eyes and pink skin appear translucent. Very eerie. And completely at odds with his cowboy shirt and the red bandana tied around his neck.

I desperately wanted this bastard dead. He was evil incarnate, and he deserved to die. I felt as if I'd been waiting forever, and now it seemed I had to wait even longer. Technology allowed for many things, but we still couldn't assassinate a man through a television. Damn this, and damn me!

Lucius and I were now at a major disadvantage. If either of us acted, we wouldn't get EenLi and we'd blow our covers and most likely be killed in the ensuing crossfire. And there
would
be crossfire. Guards were posted all through the house; the moment they heard gunshots or screaming, they'd rush inside this room. If Lucius and I were killed, the women below would be sentenced to a life of rape, humiliation, and servitude. I couldn't let that happen.

I exhaled a breath, fighting past my disappointment, not knowing what to do at this point.

I cast my gaze at the men sitting on the couch, noticing little details I'd missed before. Each man held a cigar and a glass of Scotch. How quaint. A real bonding moment for them.

“You,” I said to Lucius, trying to act shocked and horrified when the image of him gave me my only sense of peace. If EenLi knew I was an agent, I didn't want him to suspect who I was really working with. I leveled a faux pleading gaze on Parker, even tried to rush to him before Balls grabbed my arm and stopped me. “Jonathan, you have to help me. I've been abducted, and—”