Little Doll (9 page)

“I
do not appreciate blatant ingratitude, especially from whores like you.”

Who the fuck was he calling a whore?

He released my neck but only after smashing my head into the wall behind me. I was sore all over and suddenly not sorry but pissed off.

“What do I
possibly have to be grateful for exactly?”

The trembling in my voice was not from any fear but more my rising anger.

Hector’s lips snarled in derision, baring a gold tooth behind his canines.

“
The girls you saw in that room are all there because they are reliant on my generosity. They provide a service suitable for my needs and that of my guests and in return they are rewarded with the necessities of life. You are no different, you are used for a service and in return I house you well.”

He spoke as if
I was ignorant to his supposed humanitarian act.

“
You house me well? I am a prisoner here, against my will! How is that housing me well?”

“You must have angels watching out for you from above.”
Hector laughed, as if dismayed by the whole situation.

“And why is that? What angel would want me in a place like this?”

“Because if you were any other girl you would be dead by now.”

“Right, because of Ethan I am different. What about the others, do
you abduct them all too?”

“
Only the special requests. You will never come into contact with them.”

“
No one would be in this hell of their own free will. What do you do, threaten their families with torture or death if they don’t comply? Brainwash them into thinking you are their savior? This is sick what you are doing!”

I couldn’t hide my contempt no matter how
much my sense of self-preservation pleaded with me.

His face seemed unperturbed by my insults yet
his eyes flickered with a flaming temper.

“
Not every girl is born as fortunate as you. When they see an opportunity to help themselves and their family they take it. No complaining, no defiance. I only accept premium quality in my business, my clients expect no less. When I don’t have a girl who meets the criteria of one of those clients, I stop at nothing to find the right girl, whether she comes willingly or not.”

Hector’s hand came
up to my face, causing me to flinch at the movement. He laughed at my apparent fear of him but I simply wasn’t ready for another beating. Instead of resorting to more punishment, his temper seemingly abated for now and he drew a tender line with his fingers from my eyebrow to my lips. His voice was nothing more than a gentle whisper that would later feel like another punch in the face.

“
You on the other hand, have a debt to pay off. So look around you.” His fingers dug painfully into my chin as he moved my face from side to side. “Take a look at your luxurious abode and tell me again how ungrateful you are of my hospitality. You know how much of a kick I would get from hearing those words from your pretty mouth.”

Hector’s voice had taken
on that all too familiar sinister tone and I had no intention of rising to meet his challenge.

I remained quiet, yet that too seem to anger him.
Yanking me to my feet, he dragged me a few extra steps into the bedroom before throwing me like a rag doll to the floor.

My head hung low, my body aching all over
as I sat haphazardly on the plush carpet. Pain seared my scalp as Hector grabbed my hair in a fist, pulling my head back at an unnatural angle. His cigar-reeking face came down next to mine and it took all the will I had not to choke on the toxins.

“You
really are a stupid fucking bitch,” he hissed.

Despite my resolve, tears were making an unwelcome appearance. I didn’t want the asshole to see me cry,
as if in some way it would validate his sense of control to see my weakness.

“I don’t care what you think of me.”

Why I kept opening my mouth, I had no idea. To save face? Maybe. I was growing to realize he was a man with a short fuse and raging temper that would surely see the end of me quicker than I ever imagined.

“You think you can fool me with your fake bravado? Do yourself a favor and don’t fuck me off more than
you already have. You see, if you didn’t believe in God before tonight you should do now. My guests have taken to your supposed inexperienced naiveté and that, you fucking whore, is the only reason you are still breathing right now.”

H
is tone was scathing and I didn’t doubt the sincerity of his words.

With a grunt, he released my hair
, allowing me to fall into a heap on the floor. I crawled on all fours to move away from him but not fast enough. Hector swung hard, his expensive dress shoe slamming into my ribs, the force propelling me onto my back. I was winded beyond words and gulping for air only made the pain intensify. I made no effort to quiet the groans that escaped my lips as my chest seized with cramps. Before being taken captive, I had never, thankfully, experienced being physically assaulted by anyone. How professional fighters did this for a living was beyond my comprehension.

Hector stood over me, a polished shoe on each side of my stomach, his menacing face looming over me from above. “In fact,
it will pay you to keep in mind that I own you. You answer to me, you do everything I tell you to do and you better start worshipping the ground I damn well walk on. It is me who determines your future, not you.”

A swift backhand across my face left my cheek screaming in agony and
my already split lip throbbing in pain.

“S
top...”

“Shut
the fuck up!” he yelled. Spittle flew from his mouth, landing in a shower over my curled-up legs.

“Remember
, chica,” he said through snarling teeth. “Do not fuck with me or I will destroy you!”

I believed every word.

Chapter Eleven

Laila

I was hurting, every part of my body aching beyond its limits. The quality of my fate was hanging precariously in the balance and I knew with fast-growing resentment I would be a fool to take Hector’s threats lightly. Cooperating with my captor’s demands was an element I could control; complications that arose from those demands would be out of my hands and, without a doubt, limit my chances of remaining unscathed.

The grand
room had been a death trap. The overbearing heat radiating from the abundant lights in the room had caught like fire in my lungs, sweat forming over my body, trapping pores from breathing. For an hour, twenty sets of eyes critiqued my every movement. Passing out had
not
been my intention!

“That was quite a performance out there.”

My pounding heart galloped in my chest as I reluctantly turned to face the intruder.

Juan, arms folded casually across his chest, stood le
aning against the bedroom door. A few beats passed, our eyes remaining locked in battle, not one of us daring to be the first to look away. While Juan exuded an arrogant confidence, I on the other hand was struggling to keep my trembling undetected. After the face off with Hector, I had not yet prepared myself for another round in the ring.

His sudden movement surprised me when he straightened from the door and advanced toward me like a predator set
on toying with its vulnerable prey. I was in danger, I knew that, but there was nothing I could do to stop this man being alone with me.

Juan’s strides were slow
and deliberate, his eyes travelled languidly over my half-naked and now bruised body.

“I’m here to collect what’s mine.”

Juan was eerily calm, yet his voice was riddled with coercion. Lost for words I struggled to rise to the challenge. “I’m not yours.” It was all I could manage, unwilling to accept the fate he had in mind for me.

“Oh, but that’s where
you're wrong, mamasita.”

I noticed it instantly, like a spark penetrating the blackness of the night. He wasn’t here to taunt, he was here to hurt me and there was not an inch of remorse in his eyes. The calmness evaporated from his demeanor, instead replaced with uncompromising lust
. Scurrying backward toward the window, my knees become my only shield of defense.

A smile twitched the corners of his mouth
as Juan seemed amused at my lame attempt to create space between us.

“I helped you back there,
don’t you remember? You owe me. We all saw the way the old man was looking at you.” Juan was snide and arrogant but his strength lay in smooth talking. Making people question their own thoughts to suit his advantage. “Of course you remember. He would have had you in front of all the guests,” Juan said, as if visualizing the act for himself. “He would have had you and we wouldn’t have stopped him because we know he is good for it. Galvez has plenty of money to buy you and is one of our top ranking clients. But…” A perverse smile spread over his face. “First things first. Hector has other plans for you and so do I, although mine differ a little to his.”

He stalked closer, deftly unclipping his belt buckle. I knew from the moment our eyes connected that fatal day at the café there was something
inexplicably sinister and dangerous about him. Hindsight taunted me from its safe place within my head and yet again I found myself wishing I had listened to my intuition that sounded its alarm bells loud enough for the whole of San Diego to hear.

Unt
hreading the leather belt through his trouser loops, he tossed it onto the bed before slowly unbuttoned his shirt, each movement calculated, designed to intimidate me. Pulling the shirt off to reveal his finely sculptured tanned body, it was obvious he was a proud and confident man.

“You like what you see, mamasita
,” Juan smiled shamelessly. He wasn’t asking and I wasn’t interested in responding to his assumption. Pulling me to my feet with relative ease, Juan found little resistance, just my dead weight. He maintained his grip, drawing me in close, his body heat radiating between us.

We stood face to face, my aggressor
's molten lava eyes burning into mine, his jet black brows creasing slightly with a determination I would struggle to fight. He snaked his hand around the cusp of my neck, his long fingers digging into my sensitive skin as he pulled my face closer to his. Panic soared within me when our mouths became only a hair width apart, a faint scent of alcohol on his breath. We were both breathing heavily, but for completely separate reasons. Terror racked my body and uncontrollable lust consumed his.

Before I could blink
, Juan’s lips pressed forcibly down on mine, trapping me between his unforgiving hand and demanding mouth. My split lip screamed in agony but he paid no concern to any hurt he was causing me. His tongue, in desperate search of mine persisted in trying to break through my tightly sealed lips until finally he forced entry.

Groaning with pleasure at the sudden access
, Juan’s tongue found mine despite my best efforts to evade him. He licked and stroked with a rhythmic pressure, adding force when he felt my resistance against his hand. Pushing against his chest for reprieve, I only met rock hard muscle that wasn’t going to budge. Juan breathed heavily through his nose, the warm air hitting my face throughout the struggle. Finally relenting, he pulled his mouth away from mine, his expression primal and predatory. Juan wasn’t going to leave it at a kiss. He wanted more and I dreaded to think what that might mean for me.

“What a treat you are
,” Juan began in a husky whisper, his index finger caressing my jaw bone. “My thoughts are only of you and how much I need to have you.”

Still holding me firmly in position
, his lips met mine again, but this time they were much softer and gentle, the intimate tenderness of his touch catching me completely unawares.

After a few moments
, Juan relinquished my mouth and with his thumb swiped the stray tear falling down my cheek.

“You are my greatest find yet
, mamasita. And you just walked straight up to me, out of nowhere as if it were fate. Our worlds were meant to collide that day.”

His words almost sounded sincere
, as if he truly believed what he was saying. In any other context, they would be considered romantic, but now in this moment, every word he spoke made me sick to the core. Just like someone flicked the light switch on and off I watched nervously as the seriousness faded from his expression and was instantly replaced with the sinister look I had become so accustomed too.

“A beautiful girl like you surely would have had many men sharing her bed
. Am I correct in my assumption?”

Juan’s grazing finger stilled on my jaw as he assessed my demeanor. “I bet I know what you would enjoy having done to you, what excites and gets you off.”

I cast my gaze over his shoulder avoiding his lustfully driven suggestion. “Perhaps after I finish pleasuring you, the favor could be returned… you see I have certain needs I know you would be able to fulfill.”

My mouth opened slightly in protest over his
assertions, but he was quick to place a finger over my lips to hush me. I took it as a warning and decided against openly demonstrating my repulsion. Instead, my teeth clenched shut to the point of aching and I knew I had to keep my cool and ignore the baiting.

A low chuckle reverberated from Juan’s throat as his hand left my arm and slipped down the front of my panties to cup my sex.
He rubbed hard before pinching my clit between his fingers then laughed at my attempts to buck away from him.

My hand rose to his cheek
, connecting with a loud, angry slap, his barely surprised face snapping sharply to the side. I froze with horror at what I had done, his darkened, tempestuous eyes unnerving me. I was oblivious to his actions that followed until I felt the sharp pull of my hair. He swung me around until our bodies connected with my back against his chest.

Pulling
me closer, I could feel his erection pressing against my lower back, his spicy cologne filling my nostrils. It wasn’t an unpleasant fragrance, but it was extremely overpowering and only added to the nausea I was already experiencing. Juan jerked my head back to see my face, his lips twisting into a snarl as he spoke.

“You shouldn’t do that
, carina, it turns me on. But let’s not kid ourselves, you’re a girl who likes it a little rough, I can tell.”

He didn’t wait for my response,
instead pushing me toward the bed, forcing me down until my body bent over the edge of the mattress. Juan’s hand pushed the side of my face into the softness of the comforter, his erection between my ass cheeks threatening me with gentle thrusting movements.

My muffled pleas
broke the silence, but they fell on deaf ears as Juan tore the thin material that was my panties from my body. 

“Please stop, please! Don’t do this.”

Paying no attention to my pleas, Juan wedged his knee in-between my legs to prize them open.

As
his hand moved between my thighs, Juan’s throaty groans of pleasure mixed with my gentle sobbing, filling the space around us and highlighting the brutal fact I was alone with a monster. There were people here under the same roof, but no one who was concerned for my safety or willing to set me free.

With a sharp pull, my bra
suffered the same fate as the panties. His hand seized my shoulder, flipping me roughly onto my back and moved me further onto the bed. A louder groan escaped Juan’s lips as he took in my nakedness, his eyes hooded over with undisguised lust.

When his
eyes met mine, danger flashed its warning signals like a beacon through his chocolate brown irises. My stomach dropped with the dreaded realization of what was about to occur. A sense of foreboding plagued my thoughts. Was this really my destiny? Had my once structured and independent life been broken down to become nothing more than a possession, a novelty for someone else’s amusement?

When Juan began unzipping his trousers and lowering them to the floor
, I stole the opportunity to scurry to the far side of the bed, a futile act that would only spare me a few brief moments. As anticipated, my efforts were in vain. I made it no further than halfway across the mattress before his vice-like grip circled my ankle, pulling me screaming back toward him. Kicking wildly with my free leg, I aimed for his smug face, but like a pro footballer he caught my flailing limb with one hand in a matter of seconds to effortlessly regain control.

Climbing on top to straddle me
, Juan clasped my tear-stained face in one hand, his fingers ruthlessly digging into my skin. I pushed forcefully at his arms in an effort to throw him off balance, only to find determined muscles bulging under my resistance. Without skipping a beat, I moved to claw at his face. My nails were long enough to do significant damage to his handsomely groomed features, but again he outpaced me. I did not doubt that Juan had come into this room having already pre-empted my every move.

In one swift action
, he collected both my hands, his long fingers wrapping around my wrists before pinning them above my head.

His eyes were alight with the thrill of this sick game he was playing and a cruel smile twisted his lips. My every struggle and whimper only egged him on like a school yard bully until I buried my face into my right arm as a futile means of escape.

“Don’t hide your face,” he warned. Reluctantly, I turned back to face him. “I want to see the fear in your beautiful eyes.”

As he kneed between my thighs again
, spreading me open and leaving me vulnerable, I twisted and contorted my body to buck him off.

With my chest heaving with exert
ion, Juan lowered himself onto me, pressing eagerly against my opening. My body responded by trembling with terror, a sight that only widened his smile. Through blurry vision, I saw Juan wink at me a microsecond before pain seared through my groin and a scream escaped my lips.

He eyed me such sickening
delight I knew I was in for a long night of pain and humiliation.

“From now on you’re going to be my little whore
!”

***

With his belt in hand, Juan straddled me, a sated look on his proud face. After he finished his deed, I was too weak and sore to protest, giving him the perfect opportunity to continue his abuse. Gathering and binding my wrists together with the leather belt, Juan pulled me off the bed only to have my legs collapse beneath me.

“Move,” he
demanded, yanking me toward him.

“
You don’t have to tie me up. I won’t try anything.”

I
was so uncomfortably tender, all I wanted was to sleep.

“It’s only for a short while until I return for more,” he smirked once again as he noted my failing breath.
I was exhausted, destroyed… and unwilling to move.

It didn’t seem to matter as
Juan dragged me over to the window, pulling the curtain aside to reveal the security bars. Wrapping the rest of the belt around the iron, I found I had no leeway with length. It was too short for me to stand or to sit comfortably. The horizontal bar that cut across the window prevented me from moving the belt higher or lower.