“So do we have a deal?” Gianluca di Caivano gazed at the young man sitting opposite him. He noted the bead of sweat that had broken out on his forehead, the nervous fidgeting, and the look of fear and anguish as he said. “Yes, but – but, on the condition that you don’t hurt her” He stammered. Gianluca smiled, greatly amused by the sight of this child, quaking with fear, as he made the above stipulations, he impaled him with a look, and drawled in a smooth Italian accent, “according to the terms of our arrangement, she is mine, I can do as I please with her, and believe me” he said, his eyes flashing “I intend to take full advantage of that fact”. He smiled, but his eyes remained icy. The young man got up, faltering slightly as he made his way to the door, he hesitated and turned as though wanting to say something, he looked at the man to whom he had just sold his girlfriend, he opened his mouth, then decided against it, turned, and left the room.

Adam Griffin shivered and pulled his coat tighter. As he walked he pondered briefly at what he must look like, he knew this neighbourhood well enough to know that anybody who saw him now would automatically assume that he was a druggie, or something along those lines, based solely on the fact that he seemed to be ambling aimlessly at two in the morning.

He abandoned the subject to focus on more pressing matters, like the conversation he had just had with Gianluca di Caivano, the one where he had agreed to trade his girlfreinds body in exchange for thr the clearance of his insurmountable debt.

He breifly considered returning to Gianluca di Caivano’s office and to tell him he had changed his mind. He stopped and turned, looking from side to side as though torn, eventually, he sighed, accepted defeat and continued home. A thought occured to him, and not for the first time, he wondered whether he had been manipulated into the positin he was in now. Gianluca had been adamant that this was the only option he was willing to consider.

Gianluca had never hidden the fact that he was attracted to Gabrielle, infact Gabrielle was the only one who wasn’t aware that he wanted her. Despite knowing this, Adam had never thought upon it, for the simple reason that, Gianluca di Caivano was a notorious playboy, so he simply assumed the only reason he paid any attraction to Gabrielle was because, firstly, she was a woman and second, she still had a pulse! He didn’t know why, but for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this whole catastrophe seemed to be working altogether too well in Gianluca’s favour.

.Adam