LILLY

It was crazy the next three days. People came and go. Taking measurements of me. I was getting treatment such as facials, hair cut, and manicures- things that I would think twice before putting my hard earn money on.

I finally get a breather in the room when he walks in with a white box. Doesn't speak, doesn't look, just sits on the bed and opens up the box. It was a first aid kit. He holds his hand out for mine and I put it in his large hand. He whispers under his breath "Good girl." And slowly removes the bandage around my wrist. I hadn't changed the bandage before. This was the first time I was seeing the damage I had inflicted on my body. He had stitched it up and it was really good work. He inspects it left and right "It'll take a couple more days but you're wearing gloves at the ball."

"Gloves?"

He stays quiet. I ask out of curiosity "How did you learn to stitch?" His hand stops but then he continues cleaning around the stitches and then puts a fresh bandage on top "My mother taught me."

"Is she a doctor?"

"Surgeon."

He packs his kit and gets up "Dinner will be ready in 20." And closes the door. He wasn't keeping the door locked anymore. I could get out whenever I want. I even tried his promise on TV last night and I could watch. There were only a few selected options. Mostly Disney animations.

I get up and walk to my duffel bag. He got me everything to the Z on the list I made two days ago. Underwear, bras, pads, and even the bag I requested from work.
The bag was a way for Sarah to notice something but nothing happened.

♡

CARTER

My heart was pounding in my chest. Today was the bidder's ball. I swear to god if Lilly messes this up, I will- "Romano?"

She wore a black dress that hugged her curses perfectly. A slit to show off her leg, it hugged her breasts and hips perfectly. She wore long black gloves that pulled up to her arm. Her long hair was straight and kept down. Black strapped heels. A diamond bracelet around her right wrist and diamond earrings in her ears.

She certainly had my attention and I wouldn't doubt that she will have all of them too.
She walks down the stairs looking nervous as hell. I held up the little black box I kept on the counter and popped off the lid. She looks at it and asks "It's a masquerade?" I nod "This year's theme is Masked Bidders." I take out the silver mask that was purely made from rhinestones. I offer to tie her for her and she turns around. The air around her smelled like strawberries and cinnamon. Gently placing the mask on her eyes, I tie the silver lace behind her head, making sure not to get her hair in the knot.

She looks back at me, fixing the mask around her eyes. The rhinestone went perfectly with her ruby lips.
I tell her one last thing "My name is not Romano." She looks up at me, her cat-like blue eyes shocked. I grunt "It's Carter." And then I open the door and she follows me out in silence.

♡

We reach the massive castle-like mansion my dad booked for the evening.
I park the car and take my black leather mask from the backseat. I put it on and fix the hair on top. I could feel her gaze on me so I ask "How are you feeling?" She replies "As I wanna close myself inside my room." I chuckle "I get that."

I get out of the car and make my way to her side and open the door. I held up my hand and he was hesitant for a second before taking my hand and getting out. As soon as I was out of the car, I knew all eyes would be on us.
I link our fingers together to show that she didn't belong in the bidding like other girls were.

We make our way up the steps and stop at the bodyguard where you had to put your weapons outside. Weapons weren't allowed and neither were cell phones. I take out the knife from my waistband and another one strapped to my ankle. I almost laughed at Lilly's reaction to the knives. I take my phone and turn it off, keeping it in a plastic bag. I fix my jacket and then I grab Lilly's hand, stepping in.
The theme was masquerade but the aesthetics were pure gold and yellows. It was already packed with all the mafia men my father was acquainted with. I say to Lilly in a lower voice "You stick to me no matter what, okay?" She nods and holds my arm with her other hand.

♡

LILLY

I hated this. I was constantly under their gaze. And their eyes weren't even on my face. They were on my hips and my waist and breasts.

We were not even 10 minutes into this ball and everyone kept coming at us, meeting him. He introduced me to them while they don't even lift their gaze to their women. Or introduce them back to us. They mostly pretended that the women either don't exist or they weren't important. And the women were even weirder- they didn't seem to care about being introduced.
Romano mostly talked to them in another language- Italian, I think- but once or twice they kept looking at me and Romano would pull me closer to his side. His hand was never on my waist but on my upper back.

We finally get done with the last one and I spot the bald guy coming to us. That same girl with him but she wasn't afraid anymore. She looked... dull. Like she had given up. She was dressed pretty in a golden dress as they wore in the 40s. Her blonde hair curled like Hollywood waves. And bright red lipstick that looked like it was made for her. She smiled but her brown eyes did not. The bald man looks at me and shakes hands with Carter "Romano, it's always a pleasure meeting you." Romano does not smile but he does shake his hand "It's nice to see you again Russo."

Russo pays attention to me "And you are?" Romano bites "My date for the event." Russo nods "Have we met before?" I wait for Romano to answer but he stays quiet this time, wanting me to answer. I just shake my head without speaking a word. Didn't trust my voice at the moment. Russo's smile was like spiders crawling up my exposed skin. I wanted to hide, I wanted to cover myself, I wanted to run from him. I had seen the spark in his eyes when he bought that girl. I had seen the spark in his eyes when Romano had his hands inside my underwear in front of the crowd. I had seen the lust, the disgust, and the longing in him.

I still remember her name. Anastasia.

Romano takes a breath but his face is so cold and calm. As if he knew the world was beneath him. I, on the other hand, was freaking out but I was thankful for the mask I was wearing. It gave me some cover. I looked at the long gold table and my stomach grumbled. Romano looks at me and I knew he was fighting an eye roll at me. Russo gets busy with someone else and we walk down to the table. It was magnificent. A long table with nothing but food. Every type you could ever imagine. Every taste. Salty, savory, and sweet- all of them piled at a singe long golden table. I pick up the red grape and Romano pats my hand, lowering my hand away from my mouth and steps closer to me. I crane my head and he shakes his head. I keep the grape back "What?" He sighs and holds my waist with his hands, holding me. He holds my head to his chest and I fight to step away but he says "Calm down and listen to me." To the people looking at us, it would seem like we were hugging or having a sweet romantic moment. He brushes my hair gently "Do not eat any of this food. It's not pure. It's drugged. All of it. The fruits too. That's why you won't find anyone eating them." My eyes find women that were on the far left corner "They're eating it." He lets out an exasperated breath "Because they're about to be sold. They just don't know it yet." My eyes go wide "You keep them drugged?" He kisses the top of my hand and I control my body to not flinch instantly.
He says "It's a three-day event, Lilly. On day one, you buy the girl. On day two, you fuck her as much as you want. And on day three, you shoot them. Their food is drugged so they wouldn't resist or cause trouble." I shivered in his arms and he holds me tighter. My heart was breaking for those girls "Why would you do that to those girls?" He didn't answer, he just said "Stay patient for some time. When you're really hungry, you tell me. I'll get you clean food. Okay?" I ask again, my gaze fixed on those poor girls. My voice was hoarse as I felt bile rising to my throat "Why would you do that to them?"

His fingers go down and up on my bare skin and I shuddered. He was so good at pretending. So good at acting. Just so damn good at lying.

He breathed in my hair "Just be glad you're on the one up there with them." I pulled back, hating him even more "I once was." He knew what I was talking about but he didn't say. Just looked down at my hand and took it in his, linking his fingers with mine. I had to play the part of his trophy girl for three days.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your host for the night, Rafael Romano." The crowd went wild. Clapping for a man that comes up on the stage wearing a white tuxedo. Black hair and brown eyes. Fine lines on the corners of his lips but he was the perfect image of Romano but older and scarier. He smiles at the crowd but his eyes are on his Romano and me "I'm so glad we're all here to this 27th Annual Bidders Ball." The crowd clapped again. He was doing this for 27 years.
27 years of selling women and killing them too. 27 years of crime and no one does anything.

He goes on "I'm so glad my son Carter is here with me today." The crowd turns back to him and my grip tightens on him. He confidently nods at them as a greeting and strokes his thumb on the vein on my wrist gently. The crowd puts their attention back on the host and waits patiently. I know what they were waiting for because the next second men in black suits - bodyguards- were dragging these drugged women in beautiful dresses up the stairs on the round steps that were made for them to stand on them like Barbie dolls. My throat felt tight because they didn't know what fate they were about to meet. They didn't know they were about to be sold to men who would rape them for three days. They were just happy to be on those steps behind Rafael Romano.

It was getting even harder to hold in my cry because I knew how it felt to be on that stage, listening to how people bid on me just to have me, have my body under them.
I took in a deep breath and I feel his gaze on the side of my head but I didn't dare look at him. If I did, I would cry and run away. And if I embarrassed him, there would be a bullet between my brows very soon. I had to stay alive so I could end them, end their crime. I had to come out alive from this. I had to. I owe it to all the women they sold.

My gaze finds Anastasia again and Russo just keeps grabbing her ass no matter how many times she pushes his hand away. I felt disgusted but he catches. He smiles and raises his champagne to me. I divert my gaze and look up at Carter as he silently listens to his father. Calm and collected as if nothing could ever faze him. Nothing could ever scare him. Why would it? He was the mafia son. He was born into this and he took pleasure in it.

Rafael says "The bidding starts now. Got your paddle ready?" Everyone raises their golden with black numbers on them, hooting with happiness. Women laughing out loud. My gaze go to the food on the table and the men were eating the food too. They don't just traffic women, they traffic men too. They made sure everyone was satisfied. The women of the mafia were hungry for them and I could hear two of them whispering about which one would they bid for.
Carter says "Stop looking around like a lost puppy. Look ahead." I ask "Can I go outside for air? I feel too suffocated." He hisses "Not my fucking problem. Stand still." I sniff, holding back my tears and he looks down at me again, letting my hand go and pulling me into his side by his hand on my back. He says "If you run out now while they bid on those girls, you will look like a coward and those women will eat you up alive in the next three days. Look alive." I sigh and do as he says and he was right. Three of them were already looking up at me and one of them particularly was staring at me even when I caught her gaze. Then she looked at him and then at me. Carter follows my gaze and curses "Fuck. Selena."

Selena?

"Do I hear 7 million?" I hear Rafael say out loud. A guy shouts, holding his paddle high "7 million!" Rafael smiles "7.5 anyone?" He looks around the crowd and no one says a thing. He smiles wider, banging the gravel on the wooden slab "Sold for 7 million!" The crowd cheers again as a bodyguard grabs a girl with short blonde hair and drags her down the stairs and pushes her into a man's arm that bought her. He kept laughing as he held her tight even if she wanted him to let go. He didn't.

♡

One by one, they were all sold to either old-aged men, women or younger men. The other males who were on sale were sold too. A young woman bought 2 young males that hardly looked 19 for 20 million dollars. Cash right on the spot.

I kept my breath held for hours because I was afraid that Romano would drag me up those stairs too to sell me but he didn't. He kept his grip on me tight and when it was all over, he pulls me towards the golden elevator before people could even speak a word to him.

We ride the elevator up and I ask "Where are we going?" He rubs his temple "To our fucking room, Lilly." I swallow "Our room?" He nods "Three-day event means that you gotta stay here too. You can't leave. Everyone is locked in."
I ask meekly "Can't I just have my room?" He hisses "Lilly, remember when I fucking said that you have to do everything I say? That includes shutting the fuck up." And then I'm quiet.

Locked in for three days. I couldn't contain my anxiety for the three hours we spent watching as all of them get sold one by one. How will I contain it when I have to live here for three days? God, help me.
I touched my cross necklace again, this was the only thing he didn't care about, that he didn't take away from me yet. My mother's necklace.

The elevator doors slide open and he grabs my wrist, pulling me out of the elevator. I barely could keep up with these heels but thankfully I don't trip.
He pulls to the end of the hall and pulls out a keycard from his jacket, putting it in the slot and pulling me inside. He closes the door and locks it too. He pulls out another keycard and looks at me "This room is your only escape from them. So here, have this." He places the keycard in my hand and walks in, taking off his jacket. I notice how his shoulders move, tense, but he's quiet. He throws the jacket on the bed and walks to the bar and pours himself a glass of whiskey. Drinking down in one go and then pouring another. I watch as he unbuttons his shirt and takes it off, throwing it on the floor. Stretching his back. His tattoos stretched with his skin. The tatted arm was interesting to me but scary as hell too. The bulging muscles under those tattoos would crush me. If he were to hold my neck, I knew he could choke me to death with a single grip.

He downs the second glass and then pours a third. He looks at me and says "If you need one, make one for yourself. Stop fucking staring at me." I avert my gaze and look anywhere but at him. He says "Your clothes are there." I watch him point to something behind me and I find two small black suitcases side by side. He says "Yours is the left one. There are clothes in there for you." I didn't remember anything about packing.

I take the suitcase and put it on the bed, opening it up to find dresses and night wear but thank goodness it wasn't those short silk nightgowns but actual sweatpants my size and t-shirts. I noticed the shirt and dress too but I didn't pay attention. I just needed to get out of this dress.
I pick out the sweatpants and t-shirt to wear for the night and look at him "Can I take a shower?" He narrows his eyes "Why the fuck would you ask me?" I nod because it was stupid of me.

I walk into the bathroom and close the door. Before I could take off my dress, I stop as I notice the shower stall. The walls of the shower stall were made of transparent glass. He could see me taking a shower. My heart picked up and I shake my head and walk out again to the bedroom. He asks as he's sprawled on the bed, a glass of whisky filled to the brim and his phone in his other "What happened?" I shake my head "I changed my mind." I hold the t-shirt close to my chest and he figures it out in seconds and curses under his breath. He gets up, puts on his discarded T-shirt, and walks out with his booze "I'll be back in 15."

As soon as he's out the door, I take no time in taking off the dress and walking to the shower, and washing out the cans of hairspray used in my hair.

♡

I sit on the bed, drying my hair. Grateful for a change of clothes. And right on the mark, the door opens and he walks in. The way he couldn't balance, I knew he was drunk and that had me in fear but he doesn't acknowledge me. Just walks to the bathroom and closes the door.

I wait some minutes for him to come back so I could ask for something to eat but I hear the water running. He stumbles in the shower and takes his shirt off. Throwing it out and then next he unbuckles his pants and pulls them down until he's standing in his boxers. But those are off too in seconds. He doesn't even care he's naked in front of me. He gets under the water spray and pushes his fingers in his hair. His eyes are closed as he looks up to get his hair wet. His hands are on the glass and he lets the water spray hit the back of his neck. His eyes closed in contentment.

His tattoo covered half of his chest and then went down his arm to the back of the hand. I don't know what were the others, I just knew the one the back of his hand. A rose. Beautifully designed for a cruel man. My eyes go down his chest to his stomach. A scar on his pelvis that went down to his hip but no more tattoos. Then my gaze goes down to his bulging thighs, no tattoo there either. Just white tiny scars.

I look up again just to make sure no more tattoos were there only to find him staring with a smirk and brows raised. My cheeks go red because I have been caught. He tilts his head and without warning his hands go down his body and he grabs his cock, gently stroking it while his eyes stay on me. My breathing gets heavy but before I close my eyes I catch him give himself a stroke that makes him part his lips. I lie in the middle of the bed, gluing my eyes to the ceiling but I couldn't escape the sound of him masturbating. His soft moans were faint but not faint enough to escape my ears. I lay there frozen till he grunted and I knew somehow that he reached the peak of this pleasure. Then the shower is off and the door opens. He walks out. I didn't dare look because of the fear that he might be naked but no, when he came into my vision, he had a black towel wrapped low around his hip. He pushes his hair back and says "You're getting my fucking pillow wet with your hair, Lilly." I look up at the pillows and he was right. My hair still had water drips in them. I sit up and dry my hair with a towel again as he gets himself a pair of shorts out of the suitcase. He goes back to the bathroom and comes back wearing it. And that only.

He looked sober now somehow. I said, "I'm- I'm hungry." He looks at me and with a single nod, he grabs his phone and dials.

♡

10 minutes later, room service brings in a cart with pasta and a burger. A can of cola.

He points at it "All yours. Clean food."
I grab the pasta and fork and soda and sat on the couch with my legs crossed under me, digging in without even looking up. I was that hungry.
I look up as I chew and I find him surveying the cart. I ask "What are you doing?" He says "You'd be surprised by knowing how many people are ready to fuck me over." But once he's satisfied with something, he nods to himself and walks back to the bar for another glass of whiskey. God knows how many he had tonight.

He asks as he pours into his glass "Is the food good?" I swallow after chewing "Yes." He just hums in response and walks back to the bed.
He lies down and says "Don't think about sleeping on the couch. You're sleeping next to me." I don't know if he knew but he did. I was exactly thinking about that.
I say "I'll be fine on the couch." He pushes himself up on his elbows and warns "Lilly," I began nodding "In bed. Got it." He huffs and lies back down.

I'll just sleep when he's asleep.

♡

He's snoring gently, the room is dark. I wanted to sleep on the couch but I couldn't.

I get in bed slowly and get under the covers. It was freezing but I don't how he was okay with all that in just shorts. His hair still looked wet from the shower.

I'm about to fall asleep when I shriek as it thunders outside. My heart beats fast. He moans in his sleep and I put my hand to my mouth to stop the noise. I hated the sound of thunders. Hated the loud sounds of them. Hated how my heart reacted as if I jumped off a cliff or something.

It gets quiet for some minutes and as I know I'm about to fall asleep another bolt thunders in the sky. I choked a cry this time and he grunts "For fucks sake, Lilly. What the fuck is wrong with you now?" He's closer as if trying to find my face in this dark but all I can see is the silhouette of him and the smell of whiskey on his breath. I swallow "I hate the noise." He sighs "What do you usually do when it thunders?" I answer feeling stupid "Hold on to my teddy bear."

He curses under his breath and then he throws his pillow at me "Fucking hug or have sex with it, I don't care. Just stop and let me sleep."
And that was it. I grip his pillow tight between my arms and bring my knees up. The pillow smelled like the shampoo I used and then I drifted to sleep.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

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Love, Hope
♥️♥️