Buttons and Lace (Buttons 1)

“I was until I was kidnapped.” My voice was more poisonous than snake venom.

He set the chart down then positioned himself at my entrance. “This will only take two minutes.”

“Don’t fucking touch—”

He stuck two fingers inside me and felt around, checking my channel as well as my ovaries. He swabbed a Q-tip inside me and deposited it into a plastic bag. Then he removed his gloves. “Done.”

I’d been touched against my will, and I hated it. I hated the fact I had no rights. I was tired of people trying to rape me all the time. I hated the fact I was so close to freedom, and I made the mistake of turning back. I saw red—deep, crimson red. I wanted to kill every single man on the ship.

If I had a gun, I would do it.

***

I was drugged before being transported onto land. I had no idea where they took me or how I got there. I assumed we went by car, but I didn’t remember feeling the vibration of an engine or listening to the sounds of a radio. A dark sack was over my head, so I couldn’t see anything even if I wanted to.

When I woke up, I was in a bedroom. The bed actually had a frame and contained quality sheets. There was a window with closed curtains made of ivory fabric. A dresser sat in the corner, designed with the same color.

Where was I?

I jumped out of bed and immediately headed to the window. I threw the curtains open and prepared to jump out. If it was a twenty-foot drop, I was still going for it. I could crawl down the side, using a drainpipe if I had to.

But when the curtains parted, I saw nothing but metal bars.

I was trapped—again.

The door opened and a woman entered—a beautiful one. She had luscious dark hair, perfect makeup, and a figure that would make all women envious. “I was wondering when you were going to wake up.”

I stared at her in surprise. Sarcastic words wouldn’t help me. Idle threats wouldn’t do much either. I had no idea what I was dealing with. During my journey across the world, I hadn’t come across a free woman—until now. “Who are you?”

“Your stylist. And I’m going to turn this...” She pointed at my hair and my clothes. “Around.”

“Excuse me?”

“The auction is tonight, and we have a lot to do. So let’s get to it.”

“The auction?” The one the men told me about?

“Yes. You’ll be bought...along with a few others.”

“Uh, I don’t think so.” I was getting the hell out of there.

She sighed, like she’d been anticipating this. “Look, I’m just doing my job. Don’t make this more difficult for me, and I won’t make this more difficult for you.”

How could she say that to me? This was a worse betrayal than being kidnapped in the first place. “I’ve been kidnapped, and I’m going to be sold so I can be raped. And you’re cool with that? As a woman?”

Sympathy never entered her eyes. “Sometimes we’re the bug. Sometimes we’re the windshield.”

“Then why don’t you be the damn bug?” I snapped.

She held up a remote and hovered her thumb over it. “Don’t make me use this.”

“What is it?”

She pressed the button, and the second she did, electricity shot up and down my leg. It was so hot it burned against my skin. My heart palpitated, and I thought I would have a heart attack and die. I crumpled to the floor, my knees growing weak.

She released the button. “Don’t make me do it again. I’m not like those beasts. I don’t want to hurt you.”

She was a freak just like the rest of them.

“Just do what I say, and let me work on you.” She stood over me, looking down at me in her designer dress. “We won’t have any problems if you listen to me. And the more beautiful you are, the more likely you are to attract a good master.”

“A good master?”

“Yes. The kind that lavishes you with gifts, takes you on expensive trips, lets you have whatever you want—”

“In exchange for opening my legs.”

She shrugged. “There are worse things, if you ask me.”

“Then you’ve never been a slave,” I snapped.

“Actually, I have.” She looked me in the eye, the shame and pain absent. “I’m a slave now. He’s a wonderful man. And I can honestly tell you I love him.”

Just when I thought I met a normal person, she turned out to be a psycho. No one in their right mind would love their master. No one would ever forgive them for turning them into a slave. No one in their right mind would feel thankful. She had a serious case of Stockholm syndrome.

“Now let’s get to work.”

Chapter Four

Pearl

Ten girls were auctioned that evening.

The room was filled with a sea of tables lit by candles. Men sat in their designer suits, their faces covered with masquerade masks that hid their features from view of their competitors. It was so dark in there that the disguise was unnecessary.