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  Remembering my place and that Aiden was studying my every move, I looked back down at the floor, fighting to breathe without gagging.

  “Edward, I believe you remember Holland from the last time you stopped by. He helped me train Amy for you a little over a year ago.” Aiden’s voice, as usual, was strong and assured. It was impressive that, even with the horrible smell in the room, he was able to act as sophisticated and cultured as ever.

  Edward peered over at both Holland and me. I cringed as soon as I peeked up from beneath my lashes to see his face. One eye was a dark chocolate brown and the other was missing all together. The majority of his face was covered with a thick beard and mustache that bounced above his lips when he spoke. “Yes, I do remember Holland.”

  He stepped forward to shake Holland’s hand and the wind in the room shifted, delivering more of the putrid stink that seemed to emanate from his body. I closed my eyes in an effort to stave off my tears. Edward smiled and from what I could see, he had one or two teeth, both of which were stained an awful dark yellow-green with decay. As he stepped closer, I could see evidence of boils on his face, puss oozing from the sores and seeping out from behind the thick beard.

  Holland stepped forward, accepting the man’s hand, but then immediately scrubbed his palm down the leg of his pants once the man returned his attention to Aiden. I continued studying Edward, completely disgusted by his obvious lack of hygiene. His hair hung in thick greasy clumps down the back of his head, a large bald spot running from his forehead back to where the clumps began. His ears appeared long and wide, hair sticking out from inside, dotted with dark yellow wax.

  If that wasn’t bad enough, when Edward moved, there were large sweat stains running down from the pits of his arms and around his abdomen where rolls of fat buckled over his shirt. His clothes were stained with other substances that I was sure had been food at some point.

  “Edward, I’d also like to introduce you to our newest courtesan, Claire. In fact, I was hoping you could give me your opinion as an owner within the society. We’ll be delivering her to her owner in three weeks. I’d love to hear what you think of her.” Aiden turned in my direction, motioning for Edward to do the same. I looked up from the floor to see the disgusting man watching me. When our eyes met, he licked his blistered and hairy lips and winked at me with the one eye he had left in his head.

  My knees weakened in response to the horrendous reality that Aiden and Holland would allow Edward to touch me or even do something far worse. Inching closer to Holland, I attempted to hide, but he reached out to place me back in position by his side. He stepped away, leaving me on display for Edward’s perusal.

  Edward moved closer, the smell worsening as he approached. I tried to remain still, but I noticed how the chain between my breasts vibrated with the trembling of my body. Sparks of light shot off the small jewels splashing shimmering displays of color on the floor where my eyes were focused.

  I almost collapsed when he got close enough to touch me.

  The smell overtook me and I gagged, barely refusing the force of vomit up my throat. My body shook as I fought against the instinct to move as far away from Edward as possible. He reached out to cup my breasts, bouncing them up and down so that the chain tugged at the nipples where it was attached. The tears that I’d been resisting up until this point finally broke free and fell in cascades down my cheeks.

  “Oh, yes. She’s a nice one.” One of his rough, calloused and blistered hands released my breast and he ran his fingertips down my stomach, his uneven and jagged fingernails scratching over the corset as he lowered them to my hips. “I’m a little jealous of whoever bought her. I doubt there’s much hope he’ll grow bored with her and sell her any time soon, but hopefully we can work out an arrangement for me to have a little fun with her. Will you tell me who owns her?”

  He stood so close that his breath rolled down along my face and I gagged again at the smell of decay that emanated from his mouth. I attempted to hold my breath, praying that I wouldn’t pass out on the floor in front of him. However, even that would have been better than enduring the ungodly stink that surrounded this man.

  “Why not have some fun with her now?”

  It was a bullet to the chest, my entire body flinching in response to Aiden’s suggestion. There was humor mixed in with his typical condescending and arrogant tone and I knew that the bastard was enjoying this. I couldn’t look up at him, but I could imagine the evil smirk that so often crooked the corner of his lips.

  Edward’s hand moved between my legs and I had to struggle against moving away. His finger slipped between my legs tearing at the delicate flesh from the lack of lubrication. Even rubbing his finger over my clit didn’t help make me wet. He was too vile and too disgusting for words. My body rejected him as much as my mind, so his touch was painful in addition to being repulsive. Forcing a finger between my legs, he shoved it up inside me as his fingernail tore into the skin.

  I lost it. Courtesan or not, no woman should have to be in the same room as that man, much less being fondled by him. Stepping back and away from him, I didn’t care what Aiden or Holland thought about my behavior. I couldn’t allow Edward to touch me any longer.

  “Don’t touch me.” The words fell from my lips on a whisper, but they still echoed through the room, rendering every person motionless where they stood.

  Every person, that is, except Aiden. His boots pounded swiftly across the tiled foyer floor and by the time I looked up to see the anger tinged red on his face, he had his hand gripped in the back of my hair, pulling down on it so violently that the wind was knocked from my lungs when my back hit the floor. In what was only a split second, I went from refusing to breathe the putrid air to gasping for it with lungs that wouldn’t work. I struggled to catch my breath as Aiden gripped my face with his hands, forcing my eyes to his.

  “Calm the fuck down and you’ll be able to breathe again. Your diaphragm has spasmed, but if you calm down, it will relax.”

  I knew what he was saying was true, but adrenaline pumped through my body so fiercely it was muddying my ability to control myself. My heart thundered against my chest and I struggled in vain to pull in a deep breath. Although it felt like much longer, it only took a few seconds for my lungs to draw in air, but the panic had already settled so deep inside my body that I struggled against Aiden out of instinct, completely forgetting how I was supposed to behave.

  “Holland, get down here and hold her legs.” Releasing my hair, Aiden slammed his hands down on my shoulder, holding in me in place on the floor. It wasn’t long until I felt Holland’s hands slip over my ankles securing my legs so that there was no way for me to move.

  Aiden breathed heavily above me. “What you have done is extremely rude, Claire. Courtesans do NOT refuse the touch of a society owner.”

  I didn’t bother to look at him, choosing instead to keep my eyes trained to Holland’s face. He refused to look at me and I couldn’t tell if it was from anger or guilt.

  With a voice as crude as it was spiteful, Aiden said, “Since you don’t know how to greet the owners properly, I’m going to extend my apology by letting Edward have a taste. Spread her legs, Holland.”

  I shook my head, staring at Holland, silently begging for him to do something to help me. He wouldn’t look at me. He wouldn’t acknowledge his part in all of this by locking his eyes to mine and seeing the panic written across my face. With a strong tug, he overpowered my legs, pulling them apart and exposing me to Edward.

  I closed my eyes, my head falling back against the floor and rolling to the side as I dry-heaved.

  Silence hung heavy in those few tense moments, but it was broken by the high-pitched voice of Edward, “Even if I could get down on the floor with any hope of getting back up, I wouldn’t taste that bitch. If you want my opinion as an owner, Aiden, I say you cut your losses and take this one outside to be put down.”

  I felt something heavy suddenly pressing up between my legs and I opened my eyes to see
that he was pushing the tip of his shoe up against me. He pulled back and kicked forward, the hard tip catching my pelvic bone with such speed and force that a blood-curdling scream tore from my lungs. The pain spread out over my hips, shooting down my legs as if my body was attempting to lessen the pain by dispersing it.

  “Fuck that cunt. I don’t want it.” Edward spit out.

  Despite the pain, I was relieved until Aiden looked at me long and hard, holding his gaze to mine and ordering, “Holland, I want you to take Claire to the closet and leave her there. You will then meet me in my office once you’re done. Do you understand me?”

  Holland didn’t respond verbally, but Aiden released my shoulders and I was being hoisted back up onto my feet to be walked out of the room. I could barely move because of the pain in my pelvis, but it wasn’t until we were out of Aiden’s view that Holland picked me up and carried me the rest of the distance to another room I’d never seen before.

  I could barely focus on anything from behind the pools of tears that burned my eyes, however I did notice the large dark box that stood upright in front of us.

  Flicking several locks along the side, Holland opened a door and I peered into what resembled a pauper’s coffin.

  “Get in.”

  I shook my head. “Holland, I’m sorry. I…”

  “I said get in!” His voice frightened me. I’d never before heard him so angry.

  On a shaky voice, I begged, “I’m sorry. Please…”

  Shoved forward, I was given just enough time to turn around and face him before he shut the door and locked me inside.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Holland

  I couldn’t get any of it out of my head: the meeting with Edward, Claire’s reaction, and having to stand back and watch Rebecca be led out of the house by that pig of a fucking man while Aiden looked on without the slightest hint of emotion on his face.

  As he’d instructed, I’d met him in his office after Rebecca and Edward left, spending several minutes stewing in a chair facing his desk, wondering where he’d disappeared off to after escorting Edward out the front door.

  The entire scene was devastating, but it wasn’t any worse than what followed. As soon as Aiden entered the office, he crossed the room quickly, tossing the diamond studded nipples clips in my lap as he passed me on the way to his chair. I stared down at them, realizing that Claire had still been wearing them when I’d locked her in the closet.

  “I’ve just told your courtesan that she’ll have a new Master effective immediately.” He sat down heavily in his seat, the chair groaning from the sudden weight. “I’m also pushing back the timeline due to your fucking incompetence in training her!” His voice boomed across the desk and I flinched at the rage weaved into his words. Aiden almost never showed anger, but on the rare occasion that he did, it was absolutely terrifying.

  I kept my mouth shut. Nothing good would come from arguing with Aiden when he was this mad. In addition to that, I knew I’d fucked up and there was no excuse I could formulate that would convince Aiden. Not only had Claire failed miserably, she’d done so in a way that embarrassed Aiden. It was my job to ensure she wouldn’t fail in her behavior and thus, it was my fault that Aiden’s reputation had taken a hit.

  “I have three weeks to get her ready for her new owner. ONE week to have her ready for the presentation. Do you have any fucking idea how difficult that is going to be? I’ve lost the initial days with her, the days when her psyche is compromised by her own fear and confusion. She was supposed to be broken by now, Holland! What the fuck have you been doing?”

  In an attempt to mollify him, I spoke with a calm and collected tone. “I’m not concerned about her behaving for the new owner. It’s like you said, that’s three weeks away and…”

  “Don’t you dare give me the fucking good enough shit again. You’d be a fucking idiot to do so. I’ll throw you out on your ass, Holland. You can tuck tail and go home to your stepfather to explain to him how you’ve failed as a Master. You’ll lose everything. Do you understand me? Everything! Your family, your education, your friends…even our agreement will be lost.”

  My eyes opened wide at the threat. I couldn’t allow him to cut me loose. There was too much riding on all of this. Holding my hands up in mock surrender, I said, “Aiden. I’m sorry. Okay? You’re right and I’m wrong. I get that. I’m just as pissed about her behavior out there as you are.”

  Sitting back in his chair, he steepled the fingers of his hands and pressed the tips to his chin as he studied me. His voice was eerily calm when he finally said, “I don’t think that’s possible, Holland, because I’m pissed at both Claire and her miserable fucking excuse for a Master. Unlike you, I have two people who’ve shamed me by their piss poor performance. Not only are her actions a reflection of my skills, but so are yours.”

  “Aiden, I…”

  “I’d stop while you’re ahead, Holland. There is no argument you can make at this moment that will make what just happened in my foyer a non-issue. You saw how obedient Rebecca was being regardless of how much Edward disgusts her.”

  “Aiden, it wasn’t fair. Edward is the worst example of what the men are like in the society. I don’t understand why he was even accepted in the first place…”

  “Money and sex, Holland. It all comes down to money and sex, the two things that run the world. You seem to have forgotten that underlying principal. The society doesn’t give a shit what an owner looks or smells like. As long as the owner doesn’t leave a trail of fucking bodies or do anything else to threaten or jeopardize the society and its members, he is welcome to take part. It’s a reciprocal relationship between the Masters and the owners. You know that. So why you’re even questioning Edward’s inclusion is beyond any sane reasoning.”

  Standing up from his chair, he crossed the short distance to the window that looked out over the willow tree that stood in solitude against the beatific backdrop of the lake and land that stretched out from Aiden’s house. I didn’t recognize it until now, but it was always the same spot that he would watch so intently that I wondered the significance of that tree.

  “Never question the owners, Holland. You won’t get very far in this business if you do. Only one has been killed since the society started and it was because his kink was far too disturbing to believe that it wouldn’t eventually lead the police or other authorities back to the society. We have safety nets in place, yes. Why chance fate?”

  Aiden appeared to be thinking to himself more than talking to me. I pressed the conversation forward because it was in moments where he was thoughtful that I gained the most information about the society that had shaped so much of my life.

  “Are you saying there’s a chance we could be discovered? That if a courtesan were to escape or an owner were to suddenly develop a conscience, we could all be destroyed in the process?”

  Without looking away from the willow tree, he answered, “There’s always a chance.” Finally glancing at me, he added, “Do I think it will destroy the society and its members? No. You and I both know that some of the society’s finest would work quickly to cover up any issues that could threaten us, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing, or anybody else for that matter is willing to deal with the headache of having to bury the problem. We’re careful for a reason and any loose thread, any member that attempts to break the rules we have established is cut loose and subsequently executed in order to keep him silent.”

  I flinched at the thought. I’d broken several of those rules already in my pursuit to have Claire for myself.

  “Regardless, you have school starting back tomorrow. I’m sure with Claire’s absence, there is going to be one hell of a shit storm for you to deal with. Maybe not on the first day, but at some point this week. Remember to remain calm, Holland. Nobody can trace her disappearance back to us.”

  I nodded my understanding, not looking forward to returning to school when I knew that Claire would be in Aiden’s hands.

  …
/>   My return to school on Monday started out normal. Students bustled about, carrying backpacks stuffed with textbooks and papers as they diligently made their way to their individual classrooms. Most of them appeared happy and tan, most likely having just returned from some exotic vacation their parents had financed in an effort to make these years the most memorable of their lives.

  Standing near the steps that led up into the arts and humanities wing of the large campus, I watched as the students carried on, joking and laughing because they had nothing more important to worry about than school and their friends. I was jealous at times that all of them would go on to lead lives free of the constraints of a group of men that enslaved women, only to trade them like they were nothing more than collectibles.

  That jealousy would never cause me to change my ways. It would never spur me to leave the society based on some mission of morality. It was simply a jealousy that I couldn’t have one day free of the concerns of my position and responsibilities to some extremely powerful men.

  “Hey Holland. How was Spring Break? I tried calling you, baby. I was hoping we could get some time together.”

  A finger brushed across my cheek and I smiled down into the angelic face of Emma. In truth, the girl looked innocent, but she was one hell of a little slut. She didn’t need to be convinced to spread her legs and quite frankly, if the order ever came through looking for a petite blonde with pretty brown eyes, Emma would make an excellent courtesan. She was such a freak already that training her would be nothing more than breaking her down to release what already existed inside her.

  Reaching down, I brought her up into a tight hug, grabbing the back of her hair, weaving my fingers into the strands and pulling back roughly to nip at her bottom lip. She squealed, batting at my chest with her hands.

  I sighed. I had no problem keeping up appearances for the sake of the situation, but Emma wasn’t Claire. My mind raced with the ideas of what Aiden was doing to Claire at that very moment. Cringing at the thought, I smiled as I set Emma back on her feet.