Page 15 of Sacrifice

Goddamn it, Arabella is far from a whore. She’ll never know the likes of what that life is like. However, she’s been naughtyand tried to take her cat back. She’s fought me at every turn. I told her that a lesson was in order.

“The.. the stylist said. You treat all your whores like this.”

A tear falls down her cheek, and her shoulders shake.

“I told you to behave. That if you didn’t, things would be bad for you.” I grab her chin roughly and squeeze. “The punishment for disobeying me is the streets. It seems that’s the life you want.”

I’m a fucking bastard. The idea of her being near any other man makes me want to kill everyone around us. Her tears flow freely as she closes her eyes. “Please don’t. I swear, I’ll be good. Please.”

“Mm. The way you beg is so beautiful. But your virginity will fetch a handsome price. I’m not sure I can pass up that opportunity to get the money Carlos stole from us,mi reina.”

Her uncontrollable crying does me in. If only she knew I’d kill for her. “Please, Vincent, oh God, please I’ll be good.”

Aribella throws her arms around me, and I smile. Victory. The feel of her willingly hugging me makes me giddy.

“No.” She looks at me, devastated until I continue talking. “You’re not going to be working on the streets. Get it through your head, you’re mine. And mine alone.”

The look of distrust is written in her eyes as she looks up at me. It’s clear as day that she’ll not believe me. This is smart of her, but I’ll have her wanting andneedingme soon enough.

Hell, I’ve treated her like property, and I plan to do more to her to make her scream my name, but to sell her?Fuck that shit.

Never. She’s mine. The madness is creeping in. Fuck, the mereideaof her wanting to touch someone else makes me livid. I take a deep breath as she starts to talk.

“My brother sold me to you—well bartered me for his own life. That makes me indebted to you.” Aribella sounds so defeated as her shoulders slump and her arms fall away from my sides.

Turning us around so we are facing the makeshift mirror, I hold her around the stomach. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met,mi reina. This is not what I wanted them to do.” I touch her hair, and for once, I give her a genuine smile.

“This looks amazing and maybe it will grow on you.” I bend down and kiss her exposed shoulder.

“For now, let’s take off the makeup and get you dressed into something more comfortable.”

The way she smiles at me melts some of the ice around my chest even further. Shit, this girl owns me and she doesn’t even have a clue.

“I can’t. All the dresses are the same. High slit with a cinched waist.”

Growling, I move to the makeup table and see the cleaning towels. I’m angry with myself. Mostly, because had I told Miss Terrington to call someone new, the old crew wouldn’t have shown up and treated her like this. Yes, they have helped every one of the high dollar escorts in my business to become successful and professional looking. But they werenotsuitable for my Aribella.

“Sit down over here, please.” When she comes to me without a fight, I feel proud of myself.

“Such a good girl.” I kiss her forehead and the blush on her face says a lot. She likes to be praised. I file that information away for later.

Taking out a wipe, I use it on her face, cleaning the whorish makeup off. “Tell me everything the women said and then I’m going to have someone fix this shit show.”

“Thank you.” She touches my arm, and the tingling in my stomach picks up. Fuck me.

“Johanna, the manicurist, I really like her. She told me my hair and nails would grow on me. That I should call her anytime,even if it’s just to talk.” Aribella looks at me through the mirror. “Can I see her again? I think she could be a friend.”

“Good. We will see. First, you have to learn to behave.” I boop her nose, and that twinkling laugh of hers hits me. Swallowing, I continue to wipe her face. “Go on.”

“The hairstylist didn’t talk to me. She talked to the clothing stylist and asked her what she should do.” Aribella shudders and I continue to wipe her gently.

“When the person who does makeup came in, she was very nice. She explained if I ever wanted a more natural look, all I had to do was call her. Her card is on the settee. The clothing stylist wouldn’t let me look at it.” Aribella sighs and stops talking.

It worries me how she seems to fold in on herself. Wiping the last bit of makeup off her face, I tilt her chin upwards. “The woman’s name is Mora. She started as an escort for me. Her intel and ability to make the other girls feel safe helped her move up in the ranks.”

“Oh.” There’s hurt in her eyes. Fuck, Mora really did a number on her with such a brief encounter. “She didn’t make me feel safe. If anything, she made me feel inferior.”

“I know,mi reina. Tell me what she said.” Bending down so we are eye to eye, I kiss her softly before I let her continue.

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