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I pointed to Giulietta and three of the men raised their hands as planned.
"Well, so much for keeping the anticipation going.” I shrugged one shoulder unenthusiastically. “Three out of five is already the majority which means girl number two wins."
Giulietta grinned proudly. "What have I won?"
"You get a mattress, blanket, and pillow. As well as your choice of dinner tonight—if you’re still here, of course."
"Still here? What do you mean?" Giulietta looked nervous.
"That leads me to my next big announcement. We have a special guest this evening. A potential buyer."
"What? No," the girls exclaimed and broke into panicked chatter.
"Quiet," I roared. "It is a very special guest we have today. And because of that, I expect all of you to be on your very best behavior. You do not speak unless spoken to, you do not move unless instructed to do so. You stand tall, and if all of you do as you're told then none of you will be punished. If you misbehave, the next girl in line will be punished alongside you."
"The next girl? Why?" Alessia asked.
"Some people care more for others than themselves, so this is just to make sure you all make me proud tonight."
"Sir?" One of my men peeped through the door, and I motioned for him to speak. Your guest has arrived."
"Good. Good. Right on time. Now, you girls stand up straight. Make sure he can get a good look at the merchandise he may be purchasing."
"You really think we are going to help you sell us?" Giulietta shot back.
I moved with lightning speed, my hand wrapping around Giulietta’s throat and slamming her back against the cage bars.
I was careful not to crush her throat, applying just enough pressure to scare her.
My angry face was only inches from her as I seethed. "You will not speak again until I tell you to. If you don't follow instructions perfectly, I will show you what true punishment is. You will see that we've been rather gentle with you this far. Most would have beaten you for no other reason than to help break you. Or would you rather I pass you around to all my men before selling you off? If I train you like that, you would only be good for the lowlifes as a cheap whore. I'm trying to sell you to high class men who will pay a lot for you. Where do you think you'd have a better life? Now, did that get through that tiny brain of yours?"
Giulietta nodded fearfully and I released her.
The door at the top of the stairs was out of view but the sound of it creaking open sent a shot of adrenaline coursing through me. We were so close to our plan’s finale, but all the work and time we'd put into it was on the line.
One of my guys came down the stairs, followed by a large man in an expensive suit. I didn’t know the man playing our buyer personally, but a long-time family acquaintance had been willing to loan us one of his trusted men. La Guerriglia, as the man was known, ran a large group of mercenaries. Their teams were the best I’d ever seen and La Guerriglia had helped us out on more than one occasion. He was loyal and a trustworthy ally.
"Welcome. Welcome. I apologize for the location, but it was all that was available that fit our needs."
"Hopefully the trip will be worth it. I'm eager to see what you have to offer," La Guerriglia’s man said.
"Of course. Please, examine our merchandise. I'm sure that you will see something to your liking."
La Guerriglia’s man strolled up to Francesca who stood awkwardly, fidgeting with the hem of her blue nightie.
He studied her intently for a moment before dismissively stepping back and moving on to the next girl.
Even knowing that the situation was all staged, it was an awkward and uncomfortable thing to watch as he stepped up to Giulietta, showing slightly more interest.
He couldn't seem overly eager, but he needed to make sure that she was the one he pretended to want. Giulietta was self-absorbed. Seeing their leader sold off would terrify the other girls but Giulietta wasn’t likely to care unless it was happening to her.
The man studied Giulietta longer than Francesca, making her turn around so he could see her at all angles. She trembled but did as she was told.
He didn't spend much time with Alessia either, quickly making his way to Mira.
She stood with her head held high even in her lingerie as she met his eye.
Mira trembled and I wasn't sure if it was fake or not. I held my breath, willing him to hurry things along as he twirled his finger, motioning for Mira to turn.
