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She nods. “The women mainly, all desperate to be noticed. I tried to disguise my interest because I didn’t want to be labeled as one of them.”
She pushes the mug of coffee across the counter toward me and sits beside me on a bar stool.
“I sensed his eyes on me, though. Watching me as I worked and studying my movements. Some would call it creepy. I loved it.”
“What happened next?”
I’m enthralled by her story, and she laughs softly. “One night, I was cleaning up at closing time. Mr. Ortega was working, and Cesare came into the club for a bottle of whiskey. He moved behind the bar to take one from the shelf and backed me up against the counter as he reached past me. He appeared in no hurry to leave and stared into my eyes with that dark gaze that brought me immediately to my knees and before I could even react, he kissed me so passionately I swear I didn’t breathe once the entire time.”
“Wow. That’s so hot.” My eyes are wide as she reminds me our men take what they want as if it’s their right and for some reason that is acceptable because of who they are.
“I swear I couldn’t have told him to stop if I wanted to and I didn’t. If anything, Ineverwanted him to stop.”
“Then what happened?”
She looks a little shame faced. “He pulled away and stroked my face, his dark eyes burning into mine and said in that sexy voice that gets me every time, you’re coming home with me.”
“That’s…” I can’t even begin to describe how wrong that is, and she nods, laughing out loud. “Arrogant. I’m positive Cesare invented that word because he didn’t even ask. He never has and despite the fact I wanted to go with him so badly, I turned him down.”
“Wow, way to go, Stephanie, you’ve got some balls.”
She grins. “Outwardly, but inside I was a hot mess. I wanted to go so badly, but I didn’t intend on falling in line like every other woman before me and I’m guessing there were many.”
“Guessing?”
“I never actually saw him with anyone else. None of them, really. For hot men in a candy store, they appeared impervious to the lap dancers and many women who stopped by their table. They were the untouchables. Look but don’t touch, in public, anyway.”
“So, there weren’t any women. I find that hard to believe.” I shake my head because there is no way in hell I believe that.
She shakes her head. “Oh, there were women alright. Ones they paid for a few hours and then sent packing. It made me determined never to be one of them and I heard the stories of the society women who yearned to be even noticed by them. That’s what I was fighting against because despite the fact I worked as a waitress in a lap dancing club, I never performed. My clothes stayed on, and I had the protection of security because my sole purpose was to keep the customers’ glasses full.”
“What did Cesare say when you turned him down?”
I’m intrigued, and she rolls her eyes.
“He didn’t accept my answer. He merely gripped my wrist hard and repeated, ‘you are coming with me whether you like it or not’ and he swept me up into their world like a tornado passing by and carrying me along with it.”
She grins, her eyes lit with so much love for the enigmatic man she calls her own, and says with a smile, “He took me to another penthouse across town. It’s where Mr. Ortega conducts business and I never knew this place existed until he brought me here after…” She shivers and gulps a shot of caffeine before saying, “Anyway. He took me there and within twenty-four hours, I fell hopelessly in love with him. He was nothing like I imagined and made me feel so special, I would have done anything for him. I still would.”
“How did you, um…?”
“End up with Mario?”
Stephanie shivers. “Cesare went out of town on business. It was common, and he was away more than at home. By then we were an item and from that first night, inseparable. I worked in the club occasionally, but only because I insisted and only when he was there. It was his only concession, and I wasn’t about to argue with him because it wouldn’t have ended well. Anyway, that day I headed out for some fresh air. I went jogging around Central Park most days and even though Cesare always made me take a protection team to jog behind me, I foolishly decided I wanted to be normal for once and slipped out alone. I knew it wouldn’t be long before they found me, it almost became a game of mine testing how long it took them to appear by my side, so when two men jogged up close behind me, I never gave them a second look.”
I stare at her with concern as her face falls, and she gulps, “We turned the corner, and they pressed a gun into my back and told me to come quietly and not to make a scene. The fact it was early, and nobody was even around, made that statement ridiculous, but I didn’t ignore the terror inside as I was guided toward a waiting car on the edge of the park. The door opened, and they pushed me inside, where Mario was waiting.”
She turns and the expression in her eyes sickens me as she says in a sad voice. “Before I could scream, he injected me with something and I woke up on that fucking stone altar in his house of horror.”
I reach out and cover her hand with mine, squeezing it reassuringly as the tears slide down her face.
“The rest you can kind of guess. It wasn’t pleasant, and he broke me. I realized the only way to survive was to play the game until the opportunity arose to escape. I never thought that would happen though, because we were treated like animals and chained up when not in use. Many girls fought and paid a heavy price, but I worked smart and soon gained their trust of sorts. I was allowed more freedom to clean and maintain the cleanliness of the mansion, and that was a lot of help to pass the time. I didn’t fight them in the obvious way, but I planned my escape almost every fucking hour.”
“I will never be able to thank you enough for helping me that day.” I say with heartfelt thanks, and she smiles.
“I was happy to help someone escape from the madness. Diana visited sometimes without Mario. Occasionally, she would come and check up on things, usually before another ceremony. Making sure everything was ready and perfect because Mario expected it. He would fly into a rage if he found just one thing out of place, and I figured she was just making certain he remained happy. Then she surprised me by telling me that Mario would bring a woman here and make her his wife. My job was to stop that from happening.”
She sighs. “I was so afraid and wondered if they were testing me, but Diana showed me the way to the tunnels and told me what to do. I had only ever been the hunted before and never realized there were exits embedded in the walls, which made sense when Mario sometimes appeared in front of me rather than behind. It became his own personal playroom, and he liked to play a lot. He would give you a head start and then taunt you with fear as he got closer and closer, using his whip to bring you down and then using it to punish you for running in the first place.”
