Page 33 of Captivated with Them

“I’ll do whatever you need me to. Just don’t hurt the others.”

“Good girl. That’s what I like to hear.”

My skin crawled, but I couldn’t let him see. To keep the others safe, it was important I play along and do what he wanted. But my heart sank at the idea of being sold off to another man. What was it with these powerful males, that they needed a subservient woman rather than one they were equal to? I thought that said a lot about them and how they clearly needed their egos stroked more than they needed a challenge.

“Make yourself presentable,” Frankie told me. “I’ll give you half an hour.”

He backed out of the room and closed the door behind him.

I sank onto the edge of the bed and covered my face with my hands, holding back a sob. Should I give in and succumb to my fate? What was the point in fighting all the time when nothing was going to change?

I touched the necklace at my throat. We were all joined, the four of us, our lives entwined. That didn’t just end because someone had come between us. If anything, it should only make us more determined to be together. Giving up wasn’t going to help anyone.

With a sigh that came from the depths of my soul, I forced myself to my feet and went to the closet to select a dress. Not that the dress even mattered. These men weren’t interested in what we wore, not really. Perhaps they liked to have a beautiful woman on their arm, but mostly they just liked the power they held over us.

My thoughts went to the other two girls who were currently here. I assumed their fate was to be the same as mine. I wished there was a way I could help them, but I couldn’t even help myself.

I selected a short red dress and carried it into the bathroom to change. The red contrasted well with my dark hair and pale skin. I used a little makeup to highlight my lips and cheeks, and mascara to thicken my lashes. Kodee, Ryan, and Dillon would have approved. Sudden tears pricked my eyes, and I flapped my hands in front of my face, trying to dry them. Frankie wouldn’t be impressed if he came to collect me, only to find me with mascara streaked down my face. Though I knew from experience that some men liked that kind of thing. The sight of our tears and the sound of us begging made them hard.

The door opened without even a knock preceding it, and Frankie stepped through. He looked me up and down and gave a nod of approval.

“He’ll be pleased with you.”

“Who will?” I dared ask.

“Your new master. And if you value your life, Rue, you’ll be thankful to him for taking you. You can’t stay here once the trial is over. Everyone will have seen your face. Joe Nettie has a lot of friends, as you’ve already discovered, and there will be plenty unhappy with your appearance in court.”

I couldn’t help myself. I had to try. “So, let me go back to Kodee and the others. We can all leave together.”

“And what do I get out of that? My bank balance will be looking pretty for some time after what I’m being paid for you, and if I let you go to them, they’ll have to leave as well, and then I’ll lose the city’s best forgers.”

I had nowhere to go with that, nothing more I could offer or suggest. He was always going to take care of himself at the expense of others, and I knew nothing I could say would make any difference. Perhaps I should have been happy he was speaking to me at all, rather than hitting me and telling me to shut the fuck up and get on with what was wanted of me.

“Now, come with me,” he continued.

I put my head down and nodded. I had no choice.

He led me out of the room and down through this wing of the house. I passed other doors and wondered who was behind them. I hadn’t seen the two other girls since the other day. Were they even still here, or had they been moved on already? I listened hard, trying to get any sense of there being life behind the doors, but it was impossible to tell.

I was led through the house to the drawing room. Leather couches, dark wooden paneling on the walls, expensive rugs covering the floors. As we entered, a man who’d been sitting there, nursing an amber beverage in a heavy-bottomed glass, rose to his feet. His suit was expensive, his dark hair slicked back from his face with product. I guessed him to be in his late thirties to early forties. He wasn’t ugly by any means, by there was a coldness to his expression that I recognized as being shared by many men like this. They’d shut off their hearts from any genuine feelings, anything that meant something real. They worshipped gods of money and power and respect, and to them, little else mattered.

“Hello.” He smiled, one corner of his lips curling. “Rue, isn’t it?”

I nodded, keeping my gaze cast down. He took hold of my hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing the back.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Rue. My name is Davide Fleming.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, too, Davide,” I lied.

He still hadn’t let go of my hand, and I wanted to yank it from his grasp, but I knew doing so would displease him.

“Come,” he said, “sit with me for a while.”

I did as he requested and perched my ass on the couch beside him. I would rather have sat on a different couch entirely, but I knew that was going to piss off Frankie, who was watching from the doorway.

“Have you heard of a country called Malta?” Davide asked. “It’s in Europe.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m afraid I don’t know much about other countries.”

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