Collateral Damage (13 page)

"Fuck me!" I moaned as the head of him inched inside. "I need you to fuck me!"

His hips jutted up and stretched my pussy open in one brutal thrust. He grabbed my hips, making me ride him hard and fast. Each fierce penetration brought me closer .

. . so close I could . . . .

Oh, God!
"Darryl!"

"Such a pretty, tight cunt." He growled. "I could stay inside you all night."

Yes!
I undulated over him, stroking his solid chest, digging my nails into his flesh as yet another climax built up.

"Don't let her come yet." The mattress shook as Cyrus returned. "Make her wait."

Darryl held me still, and I panted as climax dwindled away. He raked his fingers through my hair and slammed his lips against mine, thrusting his tongue into my mouth in the same way I wanted him to thrust into my body.

Something hard prodded my back hole, and liquid shot into me. I choked on air, overwhelmed by the sensation. Then Cyrus was pushing into me. His dick strained, and I fell forward onto Darryl, hissing as my asshole stretched and burned. Vince had prepared me for this a little, but . . . .

Vince! How could you forget him?

Vince had wanted me to save this for him. And I'd wanted to. How—
why—
had I forgotten?

Guilt shoved me away from pleasure as Cyrus strained to fill me. And then the guilt vanished. And there was only the glorious feeling of being between these two men who'd completely claimed me. They began to move, and I could only hang on to Darryl as wave after wave of ecstasy tossed me about. Teeth ripped into my shoulder and throat; brutal and erotic bliss made me moan. Dicks slammed in, dragged out, harder, faster. The oil coating made their bodies slip against mine and filled the air with roses and arousal.

"Say my name, Nicole." Cyrus gasped into my hair. His fingers dug into my sides as he drove into me harder and harder. "Scream it."

"Cyrus. Oh, Cyrus!" I cried out, the next orgasm so violent it felt like it would rip me right open. "God, Cyrus!"

A snarl brought my attention to the door. To Vince.

He shook his head and backed out. The door crashed into its frame.

My blood and body turned to ice.

Both Cyrus and Darryl grunted as they came.

Reality returned as they pulled out and left the bed. I lay there, stunned.

Couldn't understand what had just happened. Why would I do this? With Cyrus and . .

. and Darryl! Of all people.

Cyrus chuckled and tossed me his robe. "I believe you will understand if you think really hard, darling. As I told you, I could make this pleasant. And it was. Wasn't it, Darryl?"

"Very." Darryl sneered at me, pulled on his robe, and then headed out. He stopped in front of the door and looked over his shoulder. "I prefer resistance, but this was worth it just to see that look on your face."

Chapter Eleven

Lacy didn't bring me to Vince's room. Or my own. Instead, she led me past my door to where the hall made a sharp turn into another. One door on the right. Double steel doors at the end.

The arena?
I stopped short and wrenched away from her, evaded her grab for me, swiveled—two big men blocked my escape. The two who'd raped me in the van after Darryl.

"Get her in the holding cell," Lacy told the men as she sneered at me. "I hope you enjoyed fucking my man, you little whore." She stepped aside as the men ripped away my robe and shoved me up to the single door. "'Cause I'm
really
going to enjoy what comes next."

One man opened the door, and then the other pushed me. Hands came from all around, catching me before I fell. Feeling them on my naked body, on my arms and hips—I panicked. Let out a wretched scream and tore free of them. Scrambled to a corner and covered my head with my arms.

My bare feet padded across the packed earth floor. I whimpered when someone touched my shoulder.

Not again! Please not again!

"Relax," a soft, feminine voice said. "No one here will hurt you."

I looked up into the face of an Asian woman with big, brown eyes and sweet, childlike features. Sleek black hair covered most of her body, but didn't hide that she had a woman's figure. Then again, some develop young. I bit my lip and shook my head. She couldn't be more than . . . .

Her lips curved a little as she held out her hand. "Save your horror for yourself.

I'm twenty-five. And I'm probably better suited for whatever they have planned than you are. I was a hooker for years . . . . I'm used to using sex to survive."

"But you're a teacher?" For God's sake, why had I said that like I found it hard to believe? I had no right to judge her. And I didn't. Good for her that she'd pulled her life together. "I mean—"

"I teach high school. Algebra. My record was sealed . . . ." She shrugged.

"Unfortunately, here, my teaching skills don't matter much. I doubt Alrik will choose me. I have no clue how to make math interesting for a child that young. I tried my best, but—"

"Jesus, did you see the bruises on her ass, April?" A slender, blond man crouched down beside the Asian woman and squinted at my hip. "They've used her good."

"Damn it, Steve! Will you back off?" April elbowed him in the gut and cast a glance back into the room at another man standing in the shadows. "Deal with him, Ric?"

Ric, a man darker than Darryl, but as wiry as Steve, pushed away from the wall.

"Why? It's obvious they've been playing with her. And you heard what Lacy said. She's a preschool teacher. Perfect for Alrik. She doesn't need our help; she's as good as in."

"As if any of us wants to be 'in,'" April said.

"Better than the alternative," Steve said under his breath, reaching out as though to touch my bruises.

April slapped his hand. "Leave her alone, asshole!"

"Fuck you! I'm just making sure she's okay."

While they continued to argue, I took a moment to get my bearings. The "holding cell" was one big, unfinished room. Bare, cement walls. A rounded ceiling. Dirt floors.

Nothing else but the four . . . . I spotted another woman, huddled up in the far corner behind Ric. Stringy, bleach-blonde hair hid her face. Her shoulders shook in silent sobs.

I rose, skirted around April and Steve, and then went to sit beside the woman.

"Are you okay?"

"No!" She hiccupped, and her double chin jiggled. "I always thought I was too disgusting for a man to want me . . . ." She spread her thighs a little, revealing smears of blood. "Now I wish I was!"

"Fuck this." Ric slammed his fist into a wall, and everyone winced at the meaty
crunch.
"This is all of us. They won't come again until they're ready to bring us to the arena. I'm not waiting."

He strode up to the door and swung it open.

The blonde woman screamed.

April and Steve shouted. "No!"

Ric backed into the room. Three men—the two who'd put me in here and Darryl—followed.

I hugged the blonde woman and buried my face in her hair, praying Darryl wouldn't notice me.

After a span of silence, I couldn't help but steal a glance at the faceoff in the center of the room.

"I think you must like this, Ric." Darryl hauled back and punched Ric in the jaw.

He laughed as the taller man crumpled to the floor. "How many times is that now, Eddie? Three? Four?"

"At least." The beefy man with the light brown hair unzipped his jeans and then hauled Ric up to his hands and knees. "But I never get tired of it, do you, Jed?"

"Nope." The slightly smaller man took something from his pocket and then went around Ric to shove it in his mouth. Thick straps were secured around Ric's head. "He's pretty good at deep throat once you get around the gagging."

My eyes widened. The 'thing' was some kind of metal gag—with a metal ring to force Ric's mouth wide open and a hole for . . . .

Jed slid his dick along Ric's cheek, and then caught his jaw, forcing his head up.

"Take a deep breath for me, hot stuff."

He rammed his dick into Ric's mouth.

Eddie grunted, and I watched, horrified, as he pushed his cock between Ric's ass cheeks. "Come on. Loosen up. You did it without lube last time."

As the two men forced themselves on Ric, Darryl approached me. "I need to get hard for my turn, Nicole, but you wore me out. Feel like doing a man a favor?" He laughed when I glared at the floor. "No? How about you, Tobi?"

The blonde, Tobi, squirmed away from me and then crawled to Darryl. Without a word, she pulled out his erect cock and slurped it into her mouth.

Sucking, slapping flesh, grunts, and muffled whines filled the room. I covered my ears with my hands and pressed my forehead against my knees. All sounds of fucking. Of desperate, raw fucking. And I couldn't take it. I needed Vince. With his needles and his belt. Both—either—would be more than welcome. They'd show he still cared.

"Nicole, listen to me," April said, suddenly holding me, gouging my shoulders with her nails. "Don't let them get to you. That's what they want. Darryl is watching you."

She spoke quietly, probably so he wouldn't hear, but I knew he did. As I sat there, trembling, he thrust harder and harder into Tobi's mouth, and I could almost feel him inside my body doing the same. I'd betrayed Vince, and he'd left me to this. To Darryl. To Cyrus.

"I hate to see you this way, Nicole," Cyrus said.

He was there. Standing over me.

"I'm sure he'll get over it." Cyrus took a knee and held up my suede collar. "He gave this to you . . . . I'm sure it means something to you both. I thought leaving it on you would help."

He put the collar on my neck, and I felt April shy away. With this token, I became the enemy. I had an unfair advantage.

I tipped my head back and watched Cyrus straighten the sleeves of his charcoal gray suit jacket. I was pretty sure Cyrus wanted me to be aware. He'd set me apart.

Taken my potential allies away from me. All of them, from Vince to April. He'd done a damned good job.

"I will see you in the arena, precious." Cyrus blew me a kiss as he backed to the open door. "And, if it's any concession, Alrik chose you."

Ric's strangled scream muffled the sound of the door snicking shut.

* * * * *

All the other teachers snuggled together in one corner, Steve fast asleep, Ric and Tobi comforting one another, April staring at the wall.

Lying on my back on the floor, I traced the tiny scabs on my stomach, trying to bring myself back to where Vince had taken me. He'd wanted me to learn something—I still couldn't say what—but the memory took me from there . . . just a little . . . like a daydream in the middle of a nightmare.

"Come here, Nicole." April whispered, glancing at the door. "You must be cold?"

Cold? Yes, maybe a bit
. The chill seemed far away, but it made me shiver. Being naked didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was potential warmth, not too far away.

"We don't want her here," Ric said, holding Tobi tight. "She's a pet, you all heard what Cyrus said. She pissed off her master, but in the end, she'll live through this."

"She didn't ask for this anymore than we did . . . except maybe you." April stood and crossed the room, pausing halfway. "You feel bad for Tobi? Well, did you think of her before you gave them a reason to come in here?"

"Shut up, you fucking skank." A low growl sounded in Ric's chest. "You're no better than her. If you played nice with your friend Lacy, you'd be set."

"Don't listen to him." April stretched out at my side. She touched my collar and made a little, needy sound in the back of her throat. "I would give anything for one of these. It means there's someone out there that wants you. But I don't get it. Why are you here?"

"I screwed up." I fingered my collar, and my chest tightened. What had I done?

And why? It didn't make sense! "He wanted me . . . but I strayed. I can't explain it."

"Is he one of
them?
"

"Yes. No." I inhaled. "I don't know."

"Then that's a big no," April said. "If he was you'd
know
. I'm that way with Lacy.

But she was my friend."

"Was?" I couldn't make sense of that. How could Lacy be other than the selfish, possessive woman I thought I knew? "What happened?"

"In a situation like this, you find out who your real friends are." April hugged me and burrowed her face into my shoulder. "But she helped me. Do you want me to help you?"

No! Just let it be over!
But it wouldn't be. Not by a long shot. They would do whatever, whether I was ready or not. And not being ready meant leaving Alrik to the other teachers.

But could they teach him anything? I meant the things that would make him a whole person. A person strong enough to deal with all the messed-up shit. Would he be like Vince or worse? Vince might be redeemable. I could forgive him. But could either of us forgive ourselves if we didn't protect the boy?

Not likely.
I reached back and took April's hand. Held it between my breasts. "I'll take any help I can get."

"Find a place in your head, a safe place where you can lock away the part of you that you don't want them to touch." She inhaled deep and then exhaled a huff of hot air.

"Just make sure you don't lose yourself there. I think that's what happened to Lacy. She locked up her good side and lost the key."

My safe place. I hadn't expected her to suggest something I'd already done . . .

but I was glad she did. I'd forgotten I could go there. I'd made Vince into my savior and stopped trying to save myself.

"You're thinking. Don't." April whispered. "Just go."

The thick, glass wall re-erected in my mind, and all the crayon suns rose, glowing around me. Light and laughter filled the room. Not the laughter of the children from the daycare. Alrik's laughter, followed by a deep chuckle.

"Are you coming, Nicole?" Vince patted the big, pink cushion beside him. "We need you
to change the end of the story."

They needed me. Not just for the story, but that would do for now. Bringing them into my safe place reminded me why I had to be strong. Reminded me that no matter how powerless I was beyond these walls, I still had something to offer. If I could get through tonight, and tomorrow . . . .