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I do not want her.
“She beautiful. Her hair is long—” or it was. I’d be devastated if she cut it. “And her eyes are big with long lashes. She doesn’t wear makeup, and she has a dash of freckles on her nose.” I remember them as if it were yesterday. I’ve dreamed of every curve and line of her face. I know where every freckle is and how badly I want to kiss them.
“Well, Mr. Benedetti, you sound entranced. Why not ask her to marry you? You don’t need all this, and why would we tie the knot when we both know marriage isn’t something we want together? You’re handsome, baby, but it wouldn’t work between us.” She taps my cheek lovingly.
I smile, spinning her on the floor, and it causes everyone to gasp. “That is why. If I want to keep my position, I have to marry, and I’d rather marry someone I trust. I can’t ask her because I don’t know where she is.”
Daphne squints her eyes at me, knowing I’m not telling her something but ignores it. “We don’t have to do any of the married couple activities. You aren’t my type, sugar.”
I snort, shaking my head. The only woman I want sexually is Mable. “No, we don’t even have to sleep in the same room. This can be business. Nothing more.”
“But I have to think of my work. I might lose some clients. I don’t know,” she exhales, stepping away from me as the song ends.
“I’ll pay what you lose, but I doubt you will. I bet people will pay more to be with you knowing you’re married to such a powerful man. How forbidden is that? Don’t your clients like that?”
She taps her chin with her finger, giving me a thoughtful appraisal. “Yes, they do.” She snags another glass of champagne. “I don’t wear rings, baby. I want a necklace. I need my fingers to always be free.”
My heart soars with the hope that she’s actually considering this. This would be the ideal situation. “And you wouldn’t care that I’d hide away in my studio? Kill…mangle…whatever I need to do?”
“Honey, I wouldn’t care if you fucked another in front of me. That actually might be kind of hot.”
I chuckle at her honesty. She wouldn’t have sex with me, but she’d watch me have sex with someone else; typical.
“No one will see my partner. I’ll have to kill you, Daphne.”
“Aw, you’re no fun. How is this marriage going to work?” She winks, teasing me, but Daphne lets out a long, weighted breath. The kind that tells me she can’t believe what she may agree to. “Okay, I’ll do this for you, but only because I love you and consider you my friend.”
I cup her face gently, relief unlike anything else I’ve ever felt before, then embrace her in my arms. “Thank you. I swear, I’ll be the worst husband in the world to you.”
“I sure hope so, Dri. I’ll be in touch.” It’s a deal, or should I say, match made in heaven.
Chapter Three
Mable
My head smacks against something hard and unforgiving, waking me from a deep sleep. My eyes open to darkness, and a headache pounds at the base of my skull. My head sways, rolling back and forth across the coarse carpet.
I try to move my hands next, but something binds my wrists together. The material is rough, and as it rubs against my skin there’s a slight burn. I think it’s rope. Next, I try my feet, but my ankles are tied too.
Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Oh my God, I’ve been kidnapped. Okay, be smart. Everything will be okay.
I have to continue to tell myself that. If I don’t, I’ll get lost in fear, and I can’t do that. I have to survive this.
The gag in my mouth tastes horrible. It’s wet from my spit. I try to push the gag out with my tongue, but it’s tied too tight. Tears spring to my eyes, and that fear begins to sink in, wrapping around reality.
What if I’m going to be sold?
The thought has my mind racing with horrible possibilities. What if I’m not even in Greece anymore? What if I’m on my way to a human meat market, or I’m getting sold to the highest bidder? What if I’m forced into prostitution and become addicted to drugs?
I had read the statistics of kidnapping and what could happen while I was redesigning the website for the police department. That horrifying information seared itself into my brain, and every so often I think about it.
Now all I can think about is where I’m going and if there will be horrors waiting for me. Will I be sleeping on a dirty floor? Will I be abused?
This is not how I pictured losing my virginity. I waited all this time for nothing. I should have gotten it over with. I’ll probably be sold for top dollar. Men like virgins, right?
My entire body begins to shake from adrenaline and shock. I feel like I’m going to wake up from a bad dream. It has to be a dream. This doesn’t happen to people like me. I stay to myself. I’m introverted. I barely have friends. I only have Lilly. I don’t talk to anyone at work, and I don’t have any family.
Shit.
