The women laugh again, and it’s starting to feel like they’re making fun of me.
“If you want to use a phone,” the blonde says, “there’s a landline in the main room. None of us have cell phones.”
“Why not?”
Another woman speaks up—this one with deep green eyes and a permanent smirk on her face. “Because we belong to thesemen. They take care of us. We live here. We don’t need to worry about cell phones.”
“Besides,” the blonde adds, “we could never pay for one. We’re not paid anything here. We give these men the time of their lives, and they return the service by taking care of us.”
“You’ve never strived for anything more?” I ask.
Green Eyes shrugs. “Why would we? It’s either this or living on the streets. This is better; trust me.”
“But you don’t need to worry about that,” adds the last woman—she’s so skinny her ribs show through her skin. “You’re married to Matteo. You’re protected here.”
“What are your names?”
Blonde points to herself. “Jules. That’s Raven.” She nods at Green Eyes. “And that’s Isabelle.” She points at the skinny one.
“I’m Adelina,” I offer.
“Nice to meet you, Adelina. Why don’t you join us out here? We were just going to go party with the guys. You might have some fun.”
“Um …”
“Come on,” Raven urges. “You look like you’re all alone in there.”
She’s right. I am. And maybe their company will make this whole ordeal less scary.
“All right, then.” I force my body out of the room and shut the door behind me, following them into the main room, now crowded with the rest of Matteo’s men. I recognize some of them from my wedding, but I don’t see Matteo anywhere. The thought both comforts me and leaves me more confused.
“Everyone, this is Adelina,” Jules says, grabbing my arm and lifting it. I feel a little silly in my wedding dress when all the women are scantily clad and all the men are wearing leather and jeans.
A handful of the men rake their eyes over me, and a few give me what I can only describe as sultry looks. It reminds me of the look Matteo gave me when he threw me onto the bed.
“You can sit by me,” Jules says, plopping down onto a couch. I sit down gingerly next to her, careful not to get any stains on my dress.
“You’re the boss lady,” a man says, leaning over to talk to me. “How does it feel?”
I gulp. “I don’t feel any different. I don’t feel like the boss lady.”
“Well, you look good, that’s for sure.” He licks his lips.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
“I’d be careful flirting with her, Enrico,” Carlo says. “Matteo might beat your ass if he finds out.” He has his arm slung over Raven’s shoulders.
“Matteo isn’t here right now,” Enrico adds. “I don’t see what the problem is.” He turns back to me. “We all thought you and Matteo would be at it like rabbits all night. How come you’re out here with us instead?”
I flush at his insinuation. “I’m not a rabbit,” I say hotly.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” He smirks. “In fact, I’d love to see your panties.”
I turn away from Enrico. “You’re all disgusting.”
“Come on, baby,” Enrico says. “You’re now a biker’s wife. You might as well share with the rest of us. All the women here do.”
I don’t respond. All I can feel is the hot tears stinging the corners of my eyes.