Little Doll (10 page)

His hand pushed down upon my
shoulder, forcing my legs to fold underneath, leaving my arms partially raised. With the patterned wallpaper confronting me, I rested my forehead against it in defeat.

Juan’s hand gripped my
hair, tilting my head back to stare down at me from above.

“Have you ever been to a circus
, bonita?”

I didn’t respond
. I couldn’t. More to the point, I didn’t care to.

“I visited Vazquez Hermanos Circus as a child in Guadalajara.”

My neck was aching from being bent backwards and my eyes felt heavy in my head. Focusing on Juan’s narrative was growing intensely difficult despite knowing there would be consequences for 'insubordinate' behavior.

“
I loved it. I recall marveling at the enormous colored tents erected across the grassy field and the majestic vibe of the circus entertainers in costume and painted faces as they mingled around the guests before and after the show. But what struck me as the most magnificent sight of all was the lion. This enormous beautiful creature who in the wild would carry more majesty than a thousand Kings and Queens combined, yet in the ring, under the colorful dome, it was nothing more than a slave to those who controlled its every move. Ringleaders, who as a child, I had held in such high regard, had tamed this regal beast of an animal and stripped it of all its natural spirit and self-worth.”

Juan pushed my head back
down, easing the ache in my neck and shoulders. Cupping my chin, he turned my face gently to meet his as he squatted down next to me. 

“You
see, after the show had finished and the crowd had disappeared, I stood in front of the cage that held this lion. It was dark inside, but I could see his eyes glistening in the shadows. When I approached the metal bars separating us, the beast let out an almighty roar, baring his blunted teeth. You see, what I am trying to tell you, Laila, is that night changed my life. I realized that control didn’t just exist in one’s mind, there was a process of breaking the spirit of something so strong. It wasn’t impossible after all and even though the lion tried to frighten me, at the end of the day it was captive, behind bars, only released under strict control and punished if it ever did wrong.”

Juan’s eyes glistened now with amusement as he waited for his words to sink in. “You my love
, are that creature. My own personal toy to bring out whenever I want you to entertain me. If you disobey, then I will beat you until you break and learn your place. Your days of freedom are no longer. I
am
your ringmaster.”

Juan ran his thumb over my quivering chin in a show of
mock affection.

“Shhhh,” he soothed.
“You make a beautiful caged animal.” He stood but not before delivering the final blow. “Now don’t you go anywhere,” he taunted, laughing. “I’m not done for tonight.”

Moments
later, I heard the welcome sound of the door clicking shut. Unable to rein in the emotion, my shoulders shook violently with each sob and tear that fell. Gulping air between wails, cramps seized my sides as if I had been winded. The nausea I tried desperately to suppress returned with a vengeance and the contents of my stomach lurched from my mouth and onto the carpet in front of me. Only when my arms began to lose feeling did my cries cease and my mind become consumed with freeing myself from the belt.

I pulled against the bar
, hoping to loosen the leather or to find a weak spot, but my efforts worked against me as the belt tightened mercilessly around my purpling skin. There truly was no escape.

I hung my head in defeat. My life may not be
over, but my universe had shifted. I would never be the same after what Juan did to me.

I truly was a captured animal.

That poor lion.

Chapter Twelve

Laila

Time passed. How long exactly, I didn’t know. I no longer cared to know.

T
he door clicked open and I was immediately filled with dread. Instantly my body tensed, but I refused to turn around to acknowledge his arrival.

His body leaned over
mine and determined hands worked to untie the belt, his imposing physique casting a shadow over my defeated form. After some effort, the leather finally gave way from the bar and my wrists were freed. The pent up blood began to once again flow through my limbs, but my arms had lost all feeling. They fell limp at my legs, landing with a heavy thud, my body falling sideward onto the carpet like a tossed aside rag doll. I didn’t even flinch when a hand circled my upper arm pulling me to my feet.

His hand
let go and wrapped around my waist to balance and hold me from falling. Something felt different. Juan left this room having assaulted my body and now he returned to treat me with a foreign tenderness I wasn’t accustomed to from him.

“Hold on to my arm
,” spoke a voice that wasn’t Juan’s.

In an instant
, my head shot up to see Aiden’s concerned face, his chiseled jaw set in a strong line, the veins in his neck exposed with explosive tension.

We remained rooted to the ground
, caught in this strange embrace, the twitch in Aiden’s jaw the only movement. “What did he do to you?” he asked gently but his eyes seemed ablaze with fury.

No part of me wanted to
divulge the awful events to him or anyone else. Acknowledging it to others would make it become a different type of real. I wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. In fact, possibly never in this lifetime
–
the shame was too great.

That did
n’t stop my body from trembling and in response Aiden’s hold grew tighter. He held me steady for a few moments before reaching down the inside of my thigh. He ran his index finger upward then rubbed his two fingers together before I realized what he was doing.

As I
had been hoisted to my feet, Juan’s evidence of being in me ran down my inner thigh, leaving a trail of clear stickiness.

This was
humiliation at its inexplicable worst.

Aiden’s shoulders straightened and his muscular body grew tense. His capable arms lifted my languid and numb form off the floor into a gentle cradle. I knew I should be wary, on guard and show a degree of resistance, but I was overwhelmed with fatigue and this man who didn’t exude danger was wanting to care for me. At what cost, I didn’t want to know so I cast my suspicions to the deepest corner of my thoughts.

“Stay here,” he ordered, his voice robotic as he lowered me to the bed.

I heard
the sound of water running in the bathroom, and not long after that, Aiden returned, his dominating, statuesque form silhouetted by the light behind him. It was a mean feat not to be awestruck by his presence, despite all that had transpired throughout the night. He just looked so… capable!

Aiden closed the few steps between us, his features now gently illuminated by the soft lighting. A
gain, he lifted my limp body so that I nestled against his broad chest. That familiar scent was intoxicating, like a citrus orchard, and in a strange way it was comforting.

I was lowered into the
bath, the warm water that engulfed my body and the soap suds combined caressed my tender skin and stung the parts that had been dealt with roughly. A hand rose to my chin, but I pulled away quickly from his grasp. Juan had dug his fingers so deep into my skin I feared Aiden would do the same.

“It’s ok,”
he soothed. “I won’t hurt you. I’m not him.”  There was disdain in his cutting tone, but I knew it wasn’t directed at me.

Again he reached for my face
, the gentle touch of his fingertips against my skin sending electrons to every nerve ending in my body. This time I allowed Aiden to turn my head to meet his stony gaze.

“Did Juan do this to your face?”

“No, Hector. Then Juan…” I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Aiden’s
hand sank beneath the bubbles, his fingers lacing around my tender wrist. He studied the deep red marks the belt had left and gently attempted to massage the evidence away. I took this chance of distraction to study the man before me. While his touch was considerate and attentive, his face illustrated that of pure fury.

Aiden was
beyond just being a handsome man. He looked powerful in all of his features, with big, strong, broad shoulders, bulging biceps, and large hands that looked capable of almost anything. He wasn’t a muscle man, he was too lean for that, but it was obvious physical strength was a priority for him. I had no doubt other men eyed him with envy and women with salacious lust. Aiden certainly did not present himself as a threat like Juan did and, for that very reason, my own muscles began to relax and my mind grew calm as his kneading thumbs worked their magic.

“Thank you for helping me.
”

My gratitude extended
from the bottom of my heart, but due to being so emotionally wrecked, my appreciative tone sounded weak.

With a heavy sigh
, he released my hand back into the soapy suds and clasped his own tightly together. His outstretched arms rested on the edge of the bath tub as he lowered his head toward them. Aiden’s silence was deafening, every unspoken word hanging dangerously in the air before he finally said something.

“I was called out to a disturba
nce in the grounds,” he said solemnly before yet again falling silent.

Unsure of what he was talking about, I didn’t press the issue until it occurred to me what he was suggesting.

“I saw you leave,” I said as understanding dawned. “You didn’t see what happened?” My eyes were wide with grief and shock with knowledge that tonight could have potentially ended differently if it weren’t for this so-called disturbance.

“
I didn’t see but I heard about it. The callout was nothing more than a hoax,” Aiden continued along the same thought process failing to hide the bitter edge to his words. “It was a stupid move. I should have seen it coming. Juan, he …” Aiden clenched his teeth, causing a vein to bulge in his neck. “I saw you being paraded around – it's a common thing for all the new girls…,”

He drew breath
sharply again and wrung his fingers so tightly his knuckles turned white. “I may not have seen it, but Hector is furious right now and I'm guessing it has something to do with you. I’m sorry.”

I wanted to ask why he was sorry. I wanted to know why he cared. But the words couldn’t
track a path from my brain to my mouth.

Tears were now falling down my cheeks at
what he was admitting. Even though I doubted his intentions were honorable, no one had shown me kindness in so long. Not since being here. Now it was overwhelming.

“Please do
n’t let him come near me again,” I sobbed, sitting forward. I knew it sounded like I was pleading and I was at peace with that. Maybe he could be further swayed into helping me.

“If I had
stayed, he would not have laid a finger on you to begin with and he knows it.” There was sincerity in his words as his eyes met mine. “Like I said, it won’t happen again.”

Aiden
reached over to the basin and grabbed a washcloth. Submerging it into the bath, he wrung out the excess water and, cupping my chin, gently wiped the tears and mascara from my cheeks. I closed my eyes and allowed the heavenly warm water to caress my skin. I relished Aiden’s soft hands that made me want to melt into them and his breath sweet on my face. Perhaps the stark comparison between the touch of both men was playing tricks on my mind.

My eyes shot open to find
him staring intently back, a faint frown marring his features. Our faces were no more than eight inches apart and an unfamiliar magnetic pull existed between us.

Aiden cleared his throat and pulled his eyes away from mine, a sense of discomfort settling between us.

“Has there been any news about my brother?” I asked, aiming to be more professional in this game of kidnapping while struggling to ignore the vibes between us.

Aiden
’s head snapped to face mine, this time I knew the look of reproach was directed at me. I watched, feeling slightly reprimanded as he tossed the washcloth on the tub edge and turned to the towel rack to dry his hands.

“I have to go,”
he said coldly, his tone a stark contrast from moments earlier. It felt like a slap in the face from a man I was beginning to place my trust in. It was a foolish notion.

I was the fool.

***

Studying my reflection in the bathroom mirror
, I was now not surprised by Aiden’s quick departure. Both my cheeks were heavily inflamed and bruised from Hector and Juan’s battering. My poor bottom lip had swelled and dried blood formed on the thin slit. There were clear signs of strangulation marks which were also forming bluish bruises on my neck. My eyes were tired and the once bright blue hue now had lost its sparkle and hope.

I stopped at the threshold of the bathroom
while wrapping a silk gown around my body. Gazing numbly out into the bedroom, I noted the haphazard comforter on the bed. It was now a reminder of where the nightmare claimed all the pride I once possessed. How could I sleep in that bed knowing Juan could come in any time to repeat the process? The very thought made me want to vomit. Could I place my safety in Aiden’s promise instead?

The door to the
bedroom swung open, startling me from my tortured thoughts.

It
was Carlos.

“Get dressed
!” he barked. “Be ready in five minutes.”

He didn’t move.

“I'll be ready,” I stammered. Still, he didn’t move.

“Don’t be shy
, sweetheart,” he taunted. “You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”

“
Can you close the door?

“Say please.”

Inwardly I scoffed. Everyone is this house liked to play games, including the security.

Sophia entered the room and scowled when taking a look at my unprepared state.
She followed my gaze to the peeping brutes and swiftly slammed the door closed.

“Why are you not ready?
He’s waiting for you and he's pissed enough with you already, so hurry,” she scolded.

“What
more does he want from me that he hasn’t already done?” I sounded simple as my eyes followed her around the room.

She moved in silence
, ignoring my question.

“You
are too much trouble for him, gringa.”

Even she sounded
angry with me. She pushed a small handful of material against my chest. Ignoring the challenge in her eyes, I took the fabric and eyed it warily. The negligee was beautiful, but I didn’t want to be paraded around, not again! I had had enough shit in one night to last me a lifetime.

My nerves were on edge and
my emotions shattered. All I wanted was to crawl into the fetal position under a blanket where no one could find me and allow my body and mind to heal, if it was at all possible. My vision clouded over with tears and my throat ached like I had been punched. No matter how much I tried to swallow, the lump simply would not move. I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to play this game if I had any hope of coming out alive. My dignity and pride would be a little harder to repair.

“Don’t stare at it, put it on!”
Sophia demanded, her voice startled me out of my melancholy.

R
esigned, I undid the robe and let it fall to the ground, not caring that Sophia was seeing me naked. Why would I care? We had been making out for all to see less than three hours ago.

Slipping the silk garment over my body
, I studied my reflection in the mirror. The negligee was scandalously short, in fact, any shorter and my privates would be on full display. The back was worse. My curvy derriere shortened the length even more to the middle of each cheek. My full breasts were almost falling out of the lace cups. The beauty of the expensive piece of material was marred by the bruises and deep red markings claiming their spots on my body and tarnishing my usual milky skin.

“
Keep taking your time and you will have more of those, gringa.