belt.
“Like music, Eve?” Judy purred when her ample body was wedged behind the wheel of her crappy compact car, with a cracked windshield and obnoxiously loud muffler. I cringed when she’d started it up. For all the money she spent on designer clothing and shoes, you would think she’d spring for a decent vehicle. I couldn’t wait to leave this fucking place.
“How far is it?” I asked only a few minutes later.
Her dark, beady eyes cut to me before she answered, “Just a few blocks away.” We were on the other side of town, closer to the airport, where many industrial parks lay. As the sun faded behind the horizon, I swallowed the lump in my throat as we pulled into a parking lot dotted with a few cars.
I searched the area, wondering where in the hell we were. This certainly didn’t look like a place where women were bought and sold for sex, but then again, what did a place like that even look like? And these men had money. This wasn’t your usual grimy underground scheme. These men were willing to pay top dollar to get their needs met.
My stomach fell when Judy parked the car then went around the side to open my door. Her hand caught my elbow and her eyes burned into me. “Can't have you running.” Her voice was thick, dark with warning. “Listen, girl. You best behave. You give them a show in there, the best show of your life. You got that?” Her nails dug painfully into my elbow.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling more of that steel knit together in my spine as I stood tall and finally nodded. “I’ll do my best,” I gritted out, then pulled from her grasp and walked away, taking long, confident strides in my sky high heels. I couldn’t wait to get rid of her. I secretly hoped she’d stop at the bar on the way home tonight, drink too much, and then get behind the wheel of her shitty little Camry and wrap herself around a tree. I’d wished that same scenario in my dreams for too many nights. I fucking hated her.
This warehouse in the middle of nowhere was my future. Judy could burn alive in my past. I was ready.
My foster mother finally caught up, shuffling me through a side door of the warehouse, guiding me down one long hallway before we came to two large bodyguards posted outside a single door.
“Judy Rawlings with a delivery.” My foster mother nodded once at me. A delivery? I clenched my fists at my sides and bit down on my cheek to control my tongue.
The big brawny guy on my right nodded and opened the door, indicating for me to follow him in. “Not you. You wait outside.” He stopped Judy in her tracks, and a surprising sense of relief flooded me.
Judy’s eyes shot open as she froze, before she looked around the hallway, as if searching for a waiting room. Even she was out of her element here.
“He’ll be out soon. Just her.” The bodyguard placed a gentle hand at my elbow, his touch surprising even me. It was in sharp contrast with his linebacker physique and a voice so deep and ominous it sent shudders through my body.
The heavy door closed with resounding finality behind us as I took the first steps into my new life.
“Eve White?” A man behind a desk glanced at a single sheet of paper in his hands, then up to me. “Clancy. It’s a pleasure,” he introduced himself and my stomach churned with bile as I nodded and watched his eyes crawl up my body, taking in the short dress, the curve of my waist, and swell of my heavy breasts, before landing on my eyes again.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
The man didn’t reply, only turned his eyes back to his paper. “Eighteen last week? I’ll need to see your ID to confirm that, then I’ll get a signature and we’ll be ready for the next step.” I slipped the ID from the small clutch I’d been allowed to carry, and passed it to him.
I struggled to hold back the wetness behind my eyes. I’d thought I’d
“Like music, Eve?” Judy purred when her ample body was wedged behind the wheel of her crappy compact car, with a cracked windshield and obnoxiously loud muffler. I cringed when she’d started it up. For all the money she spent on designer clothing and shoes, you would think she’d spring for a decent vehicle. I couldn’t wait to leave this fucking place.
“How far is it?” I asked only a few minutes later.
Her dark, beady eyes cut to me before she answered, “Just a few blocks away.” We were on the other side of town, closer to the airport, where many industrial parks lay. As the sun faded behind the horizon, I swallowed the lump in my throat as we pulled into a parking lot dotted with a few cars.
I searched the area, wondering where in the hell we were. This certainly didn’t look like a place where women were bought and sold for sex, but then again, what did a place like that even look like? And these men had money. This wasn’t your usual grimy underground scheme. These men were willing to pay top dollar to get their needs met.
My stomach fell when Judy parked the car then went around the side to open my door. Her hand caught my elbow and her eyes burned into me. “Can't have you running.” Her voice was thick, dark with warning. “Listen, girl. You best behave. You give them a show in there, the best show of your life. You got that?” Her nails dug painfully into my elbow.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling more of that steel knit together in my spine as I stood tall and finally nodded. “I’ll do my best,” I gritted out, then pulled from her grasp and walked away, taking long, confident strides in my sky high heels. I couldn’t wait to get rid of her. I secretly hoped she’d stop at the bar on the way home tonight, drink too much, and then get behind the wheel of her shitty little Camry and wrap herself around a tree. I’d wished that same scenario in my dreams for too many nights. I fucking hated her.
This warehouse in the middle of nowhere was my future. Judy could burn alive in my past. I was ready.
My foster mother finally caught up, shuffling me through a side door of the warehouse, guiding me down one long hallway before we came to two large bodyguards posted outside a single door.
“Judy Rawlings with a delivery.” My foster mother nodded once at me. A delivery? I clenched my fists at my sides and bit down on my cheek to control my tongue.
The big brawny guy on my right nodded and opened the door, indicating for me to follow him in. “Not you. You wait outside.” He stopped Judy in her tracks, and a surprising sense of relief flooded me.
Judy’s eyes shot open as she froze, before she looked around the hallway, as if searching for a waiting room. Even she was out of her element here.
“He’ll be out soon. Just her.” The bodyguard placed a gentle hand at my elbow, his touch surprising even me. It was in sharp contrast with his linebacker physique and a voice so deep and ominous it sent shudders through my body.
The heavy door closed with resounding finality behind us as I took the first steps into my new life.
“Eve White?” A man behind a desk glanced at a single sheet of paper in his hands, then up to me. “Clancy. It’s a pleasure,” he introduced himself and my stomach churned with bile as I nodded and watched his eyes crawl up my body, taking in the short dress, the curve of my waist, and swell of my heavy breasts, before landing on my eyes again.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
The man didn’t reply, only turned his eyes back to his paper. “Eighteen last week? I’ll need to see your ID to confirm that, then I’ll get a signature and we’ll be ready for the next step.” I slipped the ID from the small clutch I’d been allowed to carry, and passed it to him.
I struggled to hold back the wetness behind my eyes. I’d thought I’d
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