DELILAH
Ipull myself off the floor after what seems like an eternity. It doesn’t matter where I fall asleep, or if I do at all…nothing matters. Turns out, everything was a lie. Nash was never going to save me. He was going to whore me out to any person who offered him a dollar.
How could I have been so stupid? So naïve? All I can do is shake my head in defeat, swiping away the tears that slip down my cheeks. The last thing I should be doing is crying, especially over him, but I can’t help it. I loved him, and this is what it got me. They say love is blind, and I believe it.
I balance on a blade’s edge of anger and defeat. I expected something that was never going to be, and now I have to find myself out of yet another shitty situation. I slam my fist against the mattress. I’ve escaped one cage, only to become trapped in another.
Stupid, so stupid. I squeeze my eyes closed in an ill attempt to escape what is now my reality, but my tiny sliver of escapism pops like a bubble when a knock resonates through the room and right into me.
My eyes pop open just as the door comes swinging open. I fly off the bed, my heart thundering, and my fists clenched. I’m ready for a fight, except it’s not a fight I’ll be getting, at least not yet.
“Get ready!” Grace orders, and her voice stuns me.
“Ready?” I ask, confused. “For what?”
“A man is coming to see you. He paid for an entire night with you, and the boss has asked me to get you ready.”
It takes me a moment to digest what she’s just said, so all I can do is stand there staring at her. Crossing the room, she snaps her fingers in my face.
“You should put something else on besides this.” She points at my jeans and shirt I found in the corner of the closet. “Did you hear me?” She does it again, and this time, I shake myself out of the stupor.
“I heard you.” My voice cracks. “But I never agreed to have sex with anyone. I never even agreed to stay here.”
Grace shakes her head. “None of us really want to be here, and your first client is always the hardest, but I promise you, it gets easier. Why don’t you put on a dress? Maybe the short white one; men love the innocent look.”
“No, no! I don’t think you understand me. I need to leave.” Panic clings to each syllable I speak.
“You can try to leave, but they’ll just drag you back here kicking and screaming. It’s easier if you just follow the rules. This place isn’t half as bad as you think it is,” Grace assures. “Now, feel free to freshen up with some makeup if you’d like. There should be some in the bathroom.”
“I’m not putting makeup on. In fact, I’m not doing anything.”
Grace shrugs her shoulders. “Whatever you say. It’s your tip that’s on the line. In the end, they always get what they want even if you fight them.”
They’re in for much more than a fight, but I don’t tell Grace that. She’ll find that out later once I’ve escaped this place.
“Fine. I’ll get ready,” I say through my teeth.
I let the rage and frustration fester. I’ll need those emotions to fuel me in my attack on whoever the man is who bought me for the night. I never considered myself a killer, but I’m at a point where I’ll kill to protect myself.
I sit back on the bed, and Grace turns to walk out of the room but pauses before she reaches the door. Looking over her shoulder, she says, “Look. I like you and don’t want anything to happen to you. This place is a sanctuary for most, and it can be that place for you too if you let it.”
“I don’t want to stay here, and if I knew what this place was when I walked in, I would’ve turned around and gone back where I came.” The end is a lie. There was no way I was ever going back to that hell, but at least there, I was safe and protected. Here I’m vulnerable and at the mercy of any man who pays for an hour with me.
Grace frowns. “I’m sorry you feel that way. They’ll send your client up in just a few minutes.”
I cross my arms over my chest and stare defiantly ahead. I’m trying my best to appear strong, while inside, I’m crumbling. I want to cry, surrender to the chaos, and let what has happened happen, but I can’t. I’ve been through too much in my life to let this be the thing that takes me out.
The room's silence is drowning, and anxiety rises with every passing second as I wait for this man to show up so I can attack him and escape.
Nothing in the room could be used as a weapon that will inflict permanent damage. A lamp sits on the bedside table, and I eye it warily, wondering if it will do the job I need it to do. I don’t have much strength behind me, but if I put my all into hitting someone with it, I could knock them out, and that might buy me enough time to escape.
I don’t get much time to contemplate it because the door to my room comes flying open, causing me to react without thought. With the lamp in my hand, I rush the doorway, hoping to catch the man off guard. I raise the lamp just as he steps into the room, putting all my strength into hitting him. I don’t look up, refusing to see him. What I need to do is knock him out so I can get out of here.
The lamp slips in my clammy grip, and all I can hear is the racing of my heartbeat.Thump. Thump. Thump.My eyes catch a glimpse of the sharp edge of the man’s chin right as I bring the lamp in a downward motion, but that’s as far as it goes. A hand comes out of nowhere and clamps around my wrist, stopping my assault.Oh, god.
“What the fuck, Delilah?”
That voice. I know that voice. It’s deep and rich like sin dipped in honey. I look up at the man standing in front of me.Lucas.A shiver ripples down my spine. He’s here. He came for me, but my next question is why?