Bending Bethany (11 page)

“I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret. I’ll get out. I’ve been waiting years for this moment.” I faked a smile, but my damp eyelids betrayed me.
 

Julian only shook his head, hair falling in his eyes and shielding his watery gaze from me. I squeezed his knee, then stood, a painful ball rolling in my stomach at the thought of what the next twenty-four hours might hold.
 

As much as they'd tried, they couldn’t protect me from all the horrors at home. The first night I failed to earn less than a grand doing “modeling” as she called it, Judy smacked me across the face and hollered she couldn’t wait till I turned eighteen so she could dump me on some asshole.
 

I’d shuddered then. It’d been her simple prophecy.
 

Think you’re done when you’re eighteen, sweet Eve?
 

Not likely.
 

My brothers, my saviors. I am so thankful I’ll never have to know what I would have done without them in this ugly world.
 

“I love you, boys.” I placed a kiss on Grant's forehead. All the tears had been shed in the days and weeks leading up to this. We were each empty, the pain in our hearts a permanent cross to bear. I hugged each of them tightly, knowing this wouldn't be the last time I saw them, but unsure of when the next time would be, and I walked out the door, to my fate. The next twenty-four hours would change everything.

two

Eve

I reached the bottom of the stairs as Judy leered up at me, an over-priced fur coat draped over her shoulders. She reminded me of a mean Stepford wife, her hair styled in a perfect bob. I shuddered when she placed a hand at the small of my back.

“You look friendly.” I felt her claw-like nails scrape my back in a gentle warning, then suddenly she tugged fiercely at my arm. I gritted my teeth harder than I ever had, thinking it was just a few more minutes. A few more minutes and Judy would be out of my life forever. The only thing I worried about was my boys, my brothers, being left behind.

“I guess this is goodbye,” Judy snarled.
 

“Get your hands off me,” I snapped out of the side of my mouth, and felt her hand drop to her side. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was scared.

She croaked. “Now I remember why I’m glad to get rid of you, you little bitch.” I felt the rancid stench of her breath wash across my neck, and I wanted to shriek and pound her with my fists until she was bloody and brutalized.

But I didn’t. Instead, I stepped away, reaching for the door, thankful that I wasn’t allowed to take a bag. Nothing from my previous life allowed. The only requirements were high heels, a short dress, and red lipstick. All girls were to dress more or less the same to allow the men the chance to see them at their best. No bruises or broken spirits allowed. This was a high-end auction, only the most beautiful women on the block. My stomach turned in another slow flip. I shoved a lock of hair behind my ear and tried to control my anxiety.
Deep breaths, Eve Marie White. You can do this.
You
can
do this. Forget the baggage. You can get through hell and back with heels, a great dress, and red lipstick.
I’d only have to prove it.
 

Judy escorted me down the steps of the derelict two-story and opened the car door for me. I cringed when she leaned over, her breath washing across my low neckline as she buckled the seat belt.

“Like music, Eve?” Judy purred when her ample body was wedged behind the wheel of her crappy compact car, with a cracked windshield and obnoxiously loud muffler. I cringed when she’d started it up. For all the money she spent on designer clothing and shoes, you would think she’d spring for a decent vehicle. I couldn’t wait to leave this fucking place.
 

“How far is it?” I asked only a few minutes later.
 

Her dark, beady eyes cut to me before she answered, “Just a few blocks away.” We were on the other side of town, closer to the airport, where many industrial parks lay. As the sun faded behind the horizon, I swallowed the lump in my throat as we pulled into a parking lot dotted with a few cars.
 

I searched the area, wondering where in the hell we were. This certainly didn’t look like a place where women were bought and sold for sex, but then again, what did a place like that even look like? And these men had money. This wasn’t your usual grimy underground scheme. These men were willing to pay top dollar to get their needs met.
 

My stomach fell when Judy parked the car then went around the side to open my door. Her hand caught my elbow and her eyes burned into me. “Can't have you running.” Her voice was thick, dark with warning. “Listen, girl. You best behave. You give them a show in there, the best show of your life. You got that?” Her nails dug painfully into my elbow.
 

I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling more of that steel knit together in my spine as I stood tall and finally nodded. “I’ll do my best,” I gritted out, then pulled from her grasp and walked away, taking long, confident strides in my sky high heels. I couldn’t wait to get rid of her. I secretly hoped she’d stop at the bar on the way home tonight, drink too much, and then get behind the wheel of her shitty little Camry and wrap herself around a tree. I’d wished that same scenario in my dreams for too many nights. I fucking hated her.
 

This warehouse in the middle of nowhere was my future. Judy could burn alive in my past. I was ready.
 

My foster mother finally caught up, shuffling me through a side door of the warehouse, guiding me down one long hallway before we came to two large bodyguards posted outside a single door.
 

“Judy Rawlings with a delivery.” My foster mother nodded once at me. A delivery? I clenched my fists at my sides and bit down on my cheek to control my tongue.
 

The big brawny guy on my right nodded and opened the door, indicating for me to follow him in. “Not you. You wait outside.” He stopped Judy in her tracks, and a surprising sense of relief flooded me.
 

Judy’s eyes shot open as she froze, before she looked around the hallway, as if searching for a waiting room. Even she was out of her element here.
 

“He’ll be out soon. Just her.” The bodyguard placed a gentle hand at my elbow, his touch surprising even me. It was in sharp contrast with his linebacker physique and a voice so deep and ominous it sent shudders through my body.
 

The heavy door closed with resounding finality behind us as I took the first steps into my new life.
 

“Eve White?” A man behind a desk glanced at a single sheet of paper in his hands, then up to me. “Clancy. It’s a pleasure,” he introduced himself and my stomach churned with bile as I nodded and watched his eyes crawl up my body, taking in the short dress, the curve of my waist, and swell of my heavy breasts, before landing on my eyes again.
 

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
 

The man didn’t reply, only turned his eyes back to his paper. “Eighteen last week? I’ll need to see your ID to confirm that, then I’ll get a signature and we’ll be ready for the next step.” I slipped the ID from the small clutch I’d been allowed to carry, and passed it to him.
 

I struggled to hold back the wetness behind my eyes. I’d thought I’d done all my crying in the weeks and months leading up to this, thought I’d worked over every angle and was finally prepared for tonight. But of course, there was no being prepared. I just had to hope and pray that whoever purchased me tonight would be at least kinder than Judy. That was the only hope I had left to pray for.
 

“Get her to sign this, tell her the money will be wired to her account in the morning. We’re done here.” Clancy thrust a few forms at his guard then caught my elbow, escorting me across the office to a doorway hidden among shelves of books.
 

“So…that’s it? I—I never have to see her again?” The words quaked from my lips as anxious anticipation coiled in my stomach. No more Judy. Through those doors and into my next life. It couldn’t be that easy, could it?

“What, you wanna say goodbye?” The man’s crooked grin and gleaming eyes nearly pulled me in. Made me feel safe and protected, like he actually did have a shred of kindness buried in his heart. Maybe this was one of those agencies that took care of their working girls. Had I, in some small way, lucked out?

“No, no. No goodbyes.” I shook my head and swiped at a single stubborn tear at the corner of my eye.
 

“Good. We don’t have time for lengthy goodbyes, Shoshanna has to get you ready for your big reveal. He will be here in less than an hour.”

My heart nearly shuddered to a stop. “
He?
”
 

“Got a special client that saw your file and took an immediate interest in you. Tonight is a formality, as long as he likes what he sees in the flesh,” his eyes jumped up and down my body again, “and I have no reason to see why he wouldn’t, you’ll be going home with him tonight.”
 

My heart thundered at a million miles a minute as I took in his words. “I’ve already been sold? I thought there was an auction.” I struggled to wrap my brain around this new turn of events.
 

“That’s the case for most girls, but it seems you’re not most girls.” His eyes darkened a minute, then looked away, “We have a client uninterested in any of the women, but when he saw your file he didn’t hesitate.”
 

His words rattled on repeat in my head. Nerves hummed through my system as every fiber of my being was suddenly on edge, the ramifications of this night finally hitting home. I would be another man’s property, and he would use me up and throw me away. I was put on this earth to be used by men, my purpose no greater than what they saw in me.
 

But then I sucked in a sharp breath, letting my eyes fall closed for an instant as I thought of the faces of Julian, Mason, and Grant. Their constant encouragement, their laughs, and their love, and their willingness to fight with fists to protect me. I lived for them. They were my everything, and they would be worth all the pain my heart would endure at the hands of a monster. They’d saved me on countless occasions. Now I would save us, once and for all.
 

“Shoshanna will take you in here.” The man opened another door between the bookshelves that led down a long hallway of countless more doors. “Mr. Strong has been very particular. This is the first time we’ve been able to find someone he’s agreed upon,” he perused my body once, “so it’s very important to us that he’s a satisfied customer, but as long as you appeal to his baser needs, I think this arrangement will work out just fine.” He gave me a half smile of encouragement before pressing me into the room and closing the door with a resounding click.
 

“Hello, Eve. I’m Shoshanna.” A tall, blonde, well-put together woman in a fitted dress and heels reached for my hand. I took hers, shaking it nervously. “First things first, let me see if we need to work on the landscaping.” She told me to lie back on a table that I recognized all too well.
 

I swallowed the anxiety and pulled up my dress, spreading my legs to reveal my bare skin to her.
 

“Nice.” Her eyes appraised my legs until she arched a brow at the top of my thighs. “No underwear allowed. Didn’t you get the instructions?” she purred and hooked a finger in the elastic of my panties.

“Yes, I just thought I could take them off once I arrived here.” It took all the grit I had to slide the cotton down my legs and reveal myself to her.

“You’re very well taken care of, aren't you?”
 

“I was just waxed two days ago,” I said simply. Judy hadn’t wanted any redness for my unveiling tonight. I had to be the walking embodiment of physical female perfection. I’d nearly cringed when she’d said it. Nothing like being reminded that you're only good for one thing in this life. My virtue was Judy’s pot of gold. The realization made a tremor of pain roll through my system.
 

“Perfect. Well, your hair looks good.” She twisted a lock through her fingers. “Nice and soft, that’s a bonus. Your make-up is flawless. I have to say, I usually get girls that I have to do the full makeover for. You’re perfect.” Her eyes gleamed then, and some small part of me shone at her praise.
 

“So let’s talk details.” She pulled me up by my elbow, hovering close to me as if confiding like a girlfriend.

“What do I have to do?” I asked meekly.

“This will be a little different from what we normally do. Usually there’s an auction and a small group of our preferred clientele will meet and spend a few minutes with each asset, then they offer a price and it’s either accepted or not. Now, our company is set apart because we require a reserve. Our clientele is private—non-disclosure agreements must be signed to protect both parties. But Mr. Strong has requested something different. It’s up to him to work out the details with you, but I must tell you, once you’re sold, you must follow his instructions. Your name is on a binding contract, and while most of our contracts have a short duration, three months is the maximum we’ve allowed in the past, but Mr. Strong has asked for two years,” she added, her hand pressing at my elbow.

“Two years?” I nearly choked, my brain filling with all the reasons why that wouldn’t work. How could I get out? How could I save Julian and Grant and Mason? I was signing my life over to this man.
 

“Yes, well, the flipside to the long contract is he’s offering a very handsome deal.” Her eyes held mine as if imploring me to listen, to hear her out. “I know you’ve been through a lot, Eve. All the girls that come through my door have, but you’re being offered an opportunity. It won’t be easy, Strong seems to be a very headstrong man, but the reward will be sweet. You just have to be committed, and you’re smart.” She smiled then. “I can see it in your eyes.” Her smile turned down as she dusted a fingertip across my jawline. “Smart, young, and beautiful, with a stubborn fire burning bright. You’re perfect.