Sold to Survive

……………. I waited for the sound of my Father entering the room as I mixed the drink my heart still in my throat, I was in trouble and I knew it.

“We’re done” My father’s voice was shaky as he pushed open both of the double doors. “I want you all to take your leave for the evening… something has come up” he scanned the room “The same girls will be on offer tomorrow come back to make your purchases”

“Trouble Jarrod?” one of my Father’s ‘clients’ asked walking over and putting his glass on the bar top, I took it and turned to wash it. “Messing with Egan Croft is dangerous business my friend”

“Egan Croft is nothing to worry about” I don’t know who m y Father was trying to convince but it wasn’t working for me “His son is the real danger… TRICIA WHISKEY NOW” he slammed his hand on the bar making me jump I reached for a clean glass and poured his whiskey into it and put it on the bar. “All of you find your way out” My father instructed I looked up nervously and saw finger prints on his throat, only one man could have done that.

“One Request Jarrod” one of my father’s friends said as the girls were escorted from the room through the secret door in the paneling to the rooms below where they were kept like animals chained to a filthy bed each with enough drugs pumped into them to keep them out of it enough not to fight back.

“What?” My father put down his glass and looked at him

“More girls to view” he shrugged into a heavy wool expensive jacket “More… high class girls”

“Huh, you have more money” my father grunted, money made him forget about everything else.

“Oh I have the money but I also have a friend that has let’s say come into a lot of money through certain deals that have gone down in Europe and the Squabbling over what’s left of the territory left from Croft and Novak Getting the Kalifs out of the way” His friends in haled and draped a Burberry scarf round his fat neck “So I’ll bring him along he’s looking for a little play thing from what he’s said”

“The more the merrier as long as the pockets are deep, and as ever transactions are cash only” My father reminded him as he walked out of the den. The silence in the room was enough to make my ears bleed.  I turned my back to wash the crystal glasses, taking care not to get anything on the dress. I cleaned off the bar and felt my Father watching every movement I made.

“Make sure that bar is stocked” his voice dripped with malice “I do not want you leaving this room when there is a viewing happening especially if it’s going to be high end” I nodded slightly “What price?” I looked over my sholder at hm he was looking me up and down. “I want to know what you did to get Croft to champion your corner” I began to shake my head “Did he touch you?’

“No” I dropped my head.

‘Oh he wanted to” my eyes shot back to his “They pay more for virgins you know” I felt my cheeks flame red. “Finish up and go to bed” he barked I threw away the trash and walked round the end of the bar he gripped my face as I went to go by him. “You are nothing you know that… to Croft you’d be a disposable sex toy passed round him and his boys before your throat would be slit and you’d be found in a gutter” he tipped his head looking at me “These type of men are all the same why do you think they come back time and time again” I was shaking so hard my knees wanted to give out “They pick the whore take the whore and throw her away like a dirty rag… but the virgins are more fun to break” he bit his lower lip, I wanted to throw up “They scream more and succumb eventually, you’re whore of a mother did” I felt my eyes get wide “Go to bed” he pushed me away sending me sprawling across the floor as he stalked to the secret door and pushed it open, I knew he was going to do his own testing of the merchandise god help the poor girl.

I pulled up the skirt on the dress and took off the shoes and got to my feet willing my legs to work, I was really nervous now. I’d expected a beating like ones I’d taken before one so bad when I was fifteen I’d almost died till he’d finally brought me to the hospital and told them I’d ran away from home and was on the streets and was attacked, he’d got the police to believe I was a danger to myself and had mental issues so they had restrained me to the bed until I was well enough to go home. I pushed open the door to my room on the same floor as my father’s bedroom and the seven other ‘guest rooms’ only my room was more for show I wasn’t allowed to sleep in the bed I had to pull out the couch, the warm down comforter on the bed again was for show where I had old blankets that were worn so think you could almost see through them. I stripped out of the dress and hung it up putting on old sweat and a hoodie I took my work wear to the room at the end of the hall and put them away there was literally a million dollars of clothing shoes and jewelry in this room, but it was only for wearing when I was working, I came out and closed the door and walked back to my room and curled up and lay listening like every night o the deep tick of the clock in the wall, I was waiting for the beating to come… but what I didn’t know this was going to be a whole different level of punishment for Dante Croft embarrassing my Father……………….