Sold into Slavery (6 page)

As she’d traveled these past eighteen months, the thought of returning to law school had receded further and further from her mind. Though she’d had no idea what else she wanted to do, at least her sudden windfall no longer made what she was going to do with the rest of her life such a pressing issue.

And now that choice had been stolen from her. Her life might well be over. At least the life she’d known.

Leah’s ears pricked at the sound of muffled voices on the other side of the cupboard door. After a moment, the door was pulled open, letting light into the space. Leah, who had been dozing fitfully, came wide awake. She rolled to a sitting position, drawing up her legs and crossing her arms over them.

“The master is ready to see you.”

Chapter 4

The same two thugs who had manhandled her earlier were standing just outside the cupboard door. Leah had no idea how long she’d been held beneath the stairs. It felt like an eternity. Even though she was terrified at what the man they called master wanted from her, she was desperate to get out of the dank, musty enclosure. Even more, she was desperate for something to drink.

On her hands and knees, she crawled out of the space. Though acutely aware of her nudity, she started to stand, but was pushed roughly down by one of the men. “Master says you crawl. Master says untrained American girls are no better than dogs.”

Leah felt her face heat at these words, but she didn’t try to rise again. The men sandwiched her, one in front, the other behind, as she began to crawl along the gleaming hardwood hallway. She was led back into the large main room of the house, to a broad, curving set of thickly carpeted stairs.

The men forced her to stay on her hands and knees as she climbed the stairs. Her muscles felt like jelly, her arms actually shaking as they supported her weight. It seemed to take forever to get up those stairs, but once at the top, one of men stopped her with a touch to her shoulder.

“Wait,” he said.

The other moved toward a set of large doors made of rich, dark mahogany and knocked softly. Leah heard a deep voice say, “Enter,” from behind the doors. The man opened both the doors and turned back to the other henchman, who reached down, giving Leah a smack on the ass, indicating she was to move.

Humiliated and frightened in equal measure, Leah crawled into the room. It was a bedroom, though as large as her entire apartment back in the States. There was a huge bed over which hung a canopy of flowing, dove gray silk embroidered with hundreds of what looked like diamonds, sparkling in the early morning sun that poured through huge, floor-to-ceiling windows, beyond which she could see the ocean.

So she’d been left to spend the night in that wretched cupboard, while this bastard slept peacefully in his sumptuous room. Khalil wasn’t in the bed at the moment, but was sitting at a round table covered in a white linen tablecloth, a bowl of fresh cut fruit, a crystal goblet filled with what looked like water and a silver pot of coffee in front of him. There was a second, empty chair across from him.

Khalil was wearing a black silk robe and his dark hair was wet as if he’d just come from a shower. Leah would have killed for a shower at that moment. Not to mention some of that fresh fruit and some water, please, some water.

Khalil stared down at her, lifting an eyebrow. “Ah, the golden American beauty. Have you learned your lesson, little one?”

Not entirely sure what the lesson had been—most of yesterday’s events were shrouded in a fog of terror and pain—Leah said anyway, “Yes, sir.”

Lifting his chin, Khalil waved toward the two men, who bowed in unison and left the room, closing the doors behind them. Turning back to Leah, he smiled, baring his perfect, white teeth. “Come,” he said. “Sit here beside me.” He gestured toward a small, flat pillow on the floor by his feet.

Leah would have much rather been invited to sit in the chair across from him. She wanted to swipe the glass of water and chug it down, and then grab the fresh fruit with both hands and stuff it into her mouth. At the sight and smell of the fruit, her stomach had come awake with a vengeance.

Still, kneeling was better than crouching like an animal on her hands and knees, her bare breasts swaying. She crawled to the pillow and set her bottom down on it, drawing her legs up in an effort to hide some of her nakedness.

Khalil shook his head. “No, no, do not cover yourself. A slave girl never covers herself. It is a sign of great disrespect.”

Fuck you, you dirty, filthy, nasty bastard.
Hoping her face remained neutral, Leah forced her legs to unfold. She felt herself blushing as Khalil eyed her body, his dark eyes glittering.

“Much better.” Turning back to the table, Khalil lifted a tiny coffee cup and took a sip. “I trust the beating you received and the one night under the stairs will be sufficient to remind you that slaves only speak when spoken to. Or more to the point, only when asked a direct question.”

He selected a piece of pineapple and placed it in his mouth. He chewed slowly while Leah salivated. “As to how you must address me going forward, sir is a gesture of respect, but it’s not enough for a mere slave. You will call me Master. Understand?”

For the first time since she’d been captured, fury overcame terror. She felt her mouth turning down into a frown, despite her effort to keep her expression neutral. Khalil picked up the glass of clear, lovely water and tilted it to his lips, taking a long drink. Setting down the glass, he chose a plump, red strawberry from the bowl of fruit and popped it into his mouth.

Leah nearly whimpered with need.

Play the game. They’re just words. You won’t be able to escape if you end up dying of thirst.

Forcing herself to speak, Leah managed, “Yes, Master.”

Khalil nodded, as if he were a king accepting his due. Who the hell was this man?

“Are you thirsty, slave?”

Again the fury threatened to bubble over at his degrading appellation. Leah was nobody’s slave! But thirst won out over pride. Leah nodded, even managing to add, “Yes, please, Master.”

She watched as he lifted the glass of water and handed it down to her. A brief and sudden fantasy of throwing the water in his face and then breaking the glass over his head flashed through her mind, but Leah knew she had no chance against this strong, well rested and well fed man, not to mention two thugs who were probably waiting just outside the door.

She drank what was left of the water, quickly draining the glass.

“More?” Khalil asked, lifting the crystal water pitcher.

“Yes, please…Master,” Leah forced herself to say. If Khalil noticed that her hand was trembling as she held up the glass to be refilled, he didn’t remark upon it. Once it was full, she drank again, the pure, cool water flooding her parched mouth and throat.

“Care for some fruit, little one?” Khalil plucked a raspberry from the bowl and held it out between thumb and forefinger. Leah noticed the thick gold ring he wore on his index finger. His nails were manicured and buffed to a shine.

She reached for the tiny piece of fruit, but Khalil shook his head. “I’ll feed you. It amuses me to do so.”

Leah opened her mouth, silently congratulating herself on not trying to strangle the bastard. Food was more important than dignity right now. She chewed the delicious berry, watching hungrily as he selected a chunk of banana. He continued to feed her several more pieces of fruit, the net result of which was, her appetite now thoroughly whetted, she was hungrier than ever.

But instead of offering her something of more substance, Khalil lifted a thick linen napkin and daubed at the corners of her mouth as if she were an infant. “That’s enough for now. You shall have a meal later this morning, once you are showered and properly groomed.”

Before she could stop herself, Leah began to plead, “Please, sir, uh, Master. You can’t keep me like this. There’s been some terrible mistake. I’m an American citizen.”

“Not another word!” Khalil boomed. He was glowering down at her, fury moving like a storm over his face. “Foolish, evil girl! You said you had learned your lesson! Now you go on babbling as if you had a right to speak! You have no rights! You exist now solely for
my
pleasure.”

He took a breath and ran his hands down his chest, as if trying to regain his composure. Speaking in a quieter voice, he continued, “And just so you understand once and for all, little one, there has been no mistake. I paid a very high price for you, my blond beauty, and the sooner you reconcile yourself to your fate, the better off you’ll be.”

He lifted a small bell from the table and rang it. The doors to the bedroom opened at once and the two men came striding in. They stopped a respectful distance away, their thickly muscled arms crossed over their chests.

“Take her away,” Khalil said imperiously. “It is clear the girl requires further punishment. Beat her, muzzle her and take her to the kennels.”

Leah was again dragged to the room with the whipping post. As before, the two men forced her to stand against the post and wrap her arms around it so they could chain her in place.

Again she felt the stinging bite of knotted leather against skin still tender from the first beating. They whipped her back and ass until she was sagging against the post, the weight of her body supported solely by the chains around her wrists.

When they let her go she slumped to the ground. She was covered in sweat, which stung along her back and sides. Her face was streaked with tears and snot. The only sound in the room was her whimpering cries—both men remained silent and stoic-faced, seemingly indifferent to her suffering.

One of them used a bandana to wipe her face, none too gently. The other produced a sort of leather harness with straps attached. The two men knelt on either side of Leah, one pinning her arms behind her back while the other strapped the contraption over her mouth and jaw. This, she realized with horror, was the muzzle that bastard Khalil had referred to. The leather that covered the lower half of her face was soft, but completely confining. Once the thug was done buckling the muzzle behind her head, Leah could still breathe through her nose, but her jaw was locked shut.

The men stood and the stockier of the two flipped Leah over his shoulder, carrying her as the Russian had done. They passed along the hallway and down the stairs. Leah heard voices as they made their way to the front door. Though she couldn’t see much from her uncomfortable vantage point, she was vaguely aware of people sitting and standing in the large room. Shock and fear, along with physical pain from the whipping, prevented her from taking in much of the scene.

They passed through other rooms and arrived at a door that opened to the outside. Leah could hear the sound of barking dogs in the near distance as they moved through some kind of courtyard in the warm morning air. When they passed through the gate of a chain link fence the barking grew louder, mingling with excited yelps and whining.

All at once, a pack of dogs surrounded them, bared, pointed teeth and snarling lips in Leah’s line of vision. Her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. Were these monsters going to leave her here to be torn to shreds by a pack of rabid dogs? She realized she was screaming with terror, but her cries were muted by the muzzle.

The man set her down on her bottom in the dirt, and the dogs closed in around her, sniffing and growling. “Wait! Help! Don’t leave me here!” Leah tried to cry, but her jaws were clamped shut by the leather.

The gate clanked shut behind the men and Leah was left alone, naked and defenseless amidst a pack of vicious dogs. Curling in on herself, she hid her head in her arms, her muscles rigid with terror as the dogs closed in around her. She tried to gird herself for what she knew was coming, praying it didn’t last too long. But instead of sharp teeth ripping through her flesh, she felt the slobbery wet kiss of a dog tongue moving over her cheek.

Jerking her head back, Leah opened her eyes. She was nose to snout with a handsome German Shepherd with soulful brown eyes. To Leah’s stunned relief, the dog gave a happy bark and began to wag her tail. 

Another dog, a sleek black hound of some kind, nosed between Leah’s legs, sniffing at her crotch. Leah, sitting in a patch of damp dirt, realized with dismay she must have wet herself in her fear. Scooting away from the curious animal, Leah closed her legs. She felt weak with relief to realize these dogs were friendly, and not the rabid killers she had feared. Tentatively she held her hands, palms down, for the dogs to sniff. There were eight of them altogether, all large animals who appeared to be in their prime.

Pushing herself to her feet, Leah stood tall over the pack, wishing she could speak to them. She looked all around the area, searching out any possible guards. Seeing no one, she reached behind her head, hoping to unbuckle the harness. She was unable to get it off, however, as a small padlock had been secured through the buckle, rendering it impossible to remove.

At least she wasn’t bound hand and foot. She was free to move around the kennel, which was really more of a large, fenced-in dirt yard. There was a large water trough in one corner, with eight empty metal food bowls nearby. There were various dog bones and toys scattered around the area, and a tin roof extended out over one corner of the space, offering shade. On the dirt beneath the tin canopy stood what looked like a long, low trampoline.

Leah walked toward the trampoline, the dogs keeping her company every step of the way. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a kind of large outdoor dog bed. To prove the point, several of the dogs climbed aboard and curled into nap position, heads on their paws, tongues lolling in the mid morning heat.

Leah moved toward the water trough. She would have been more than willing to drink from it, but the muzzle precluded that opportunity. At least she could wash up a little. Reaching into the trough, she splashed handfuls of the cool water over her body, trying to clean herself as best she could. Several of the dogs jumped excitedly around her, trying to bite at the splashing water. A couple of them nosed empty tin bowls and looked back at her beseechingly.