Surrender: Keeping Her in the Dark Vol. 4 (14 page)

There were a few groups of men standing around all pretending not to see each other. Salam and Amir went straight to a doorway and Salam used a gold card to unlock it. As we walked in another man had come out and was giving the same speech I had heard the night of Norah’s auction.

“We aren’t new to this. So I thought we would side step the instructions,” Salam held out his hand and gestured to my room. I walked inside and he handed me a card. “This is to place your bets,” he said.

I wanted him to say something incriminating. So far he was just a guy who had a friend of his give me a blowjob and now he lead me to a room. We hadn’t talked about the girls involved in the auction much at all. He handed me a menu and I started flipping through it.

“So where did this flock of girls come from?” I asked before he left the room.

“Some are from my place in Mexico and others from all over Europe.” He still hadn’t said anything incriminating.

“That’s where they were taken from, right? I meant where the girls are actually from?” I tried again.

“Well it’s all in the catalog,” he said. “Some were taken from the United States, some from Europe and others from Asia. We may even have a Russian in this group. Are you looking for something particular?” he paused.

“I don’t know. Maybe,” I shrugged. “I guess I was just wondering the amount of training I would have to provide.”

“How much training would you like to provide?”

“Well on one hand, training is fun. Having a woman fight, argue and defy me keeps me on my toes. On the other hand, I am getting older. Having a girl who is a willing participant would be easier.”

“I hate to disappoint you, Mr. Hastings, but none of these girls are willing. But like I said, we can discuss Amber after the auction.” He winked and walked out.

I sat in the big leather chair and again looked down at my watch. I didn’t think I would have to participate in this auction. I thought they would be here by now. I rolled my watch over my wrist. I had just given them enough evidence. He admitted he had taken these girls from various places and that they are not willing.

A voice came over the speaker and started explaining the rules again. Place the card in the slot provided. To make a bid push the button. If the button is green you hold the current bid, if its red, someone else holds the bid and you may bid again. If the light turns blue you have won the bid.

It was all too familiar to me. I remembered hitting the button many times to purchase Norah. She was very special and I had to have her. I wasn’t even sure how high the bid was because it didn’t matter. The money didn’t matter. Having Norah mattered and it was the only thing.

I prepared myself for the auction by rolling my neck and cracking my knuckles. But before the auction began the lights went out. All the lights. Everything was black. I heard loud voices, shouting, screaming and doors slamming.

There was a loud stomp outside my room and the door burst open. Three men in black all wearing lights on their helmets and holding very big guns stormed in the room.

“Get on the ground!” one of them yelled. I raised my hands but felt a hand on my shoulder pushing me to the ground. “Get on the fucking ground!” He shoved my face in the floor and put a foot on the back of my head. Another man pulled my hands behind my back and zip tied my wrists together.

They yanked my arms and raised me to my feet and I was escorted or as I like to call it, shoved out of the room to the hallway. Other men that had been in the group were all sitting on the floor with their hands zip tied as well. I was shoved to the ground and forced to sit with the group.

I looked around at the all the agents running around trying to see a familiar face but I couldn’t. Then I saw Agent Shaw walking from the other end holding Rashad Salam by the arm. He didn’t make eye contact with me. Neither of them did. Rashad had his head lowered and Shaw was shouting at other men walking around.

Shaw handed off Rashad to another agent who was waiting on the elevator and he looked at me just before the doors closed. He didn’t have one emotion on his face. He looked blank.

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall. I wondered if he thought I was responsible for this. I wondered who of his organization would survive this bust and if anyone would come after me and mine. I shook my head. At this moment none of that mattered. It was over. It was finally over.

Norah

“Are you sure you want to do this?” John asked me with his eyes in the rearview mirror. I nodded but didn’t say anything. “I wish you would reconsider,” he added. I shook my head.

“You know Mr. Hastings is going to fire me when he returns, right?” the car stopped in front of Nick’s house.

“No he won’t. I won’t let him, I told you that. I take all the blame. All of it. I’ll tell him I told you if you didn’t help me I would fire you,” I said. I took a big gulp and then a deep breath and held it in for a minute.

“How did you convince him to let me drive you tonight?” he asked.

“I told him he had to trust me,” I laughed. “Now remember,” I got serious, “At 10 o’clock, be outside the side window. It’s small on the side of the house and the glass is blue. I’ll unlock the window and get the key by then,” I said. I held up the bag of clothes and he nodded. I took another deep breath and he got out of the car. The door opened and he helped me out.

“Mrs. Hastings,” he said and I hiccupped.

“Excuse me,” I said.

“Stop holding your breath,” John said.

“I’m nervous.” His hand touched mine and he placed something the size of a keyless entry button in my hand. I started to look down.

“Don’t look down.” I looked back up. “It’s a panic button. If something…goes wrong,” he paused, “push it and I will be inside in 30 seconds.”

“You think of everything,” I smiled.

“Well by the way you are dressed, you are probably going to need it.” I tapped his shoulder and headed to the door.

He was right. I was dressed a little over the top tonight. But I needed to get his attention and keep it. I was wearing my black tube dress. It was tight, came down to my mid-thigh and was strapless. Liam hated it. He said it reminded him of the dress I wore the night he bought me.

Nick and I slow danced before dinner. He held me close and kept running his hands over my body.

“You look amazing in that dress, have I mentioned that?” he asked as he gave a butt a squeeze.

“Only about a million times,” I exposed my neck.

“That tattoo is very sexy. I think you should get more,” his voice was suave. I almost said that I always wanted more but Liam wouldn’t like it if I got another tattoo. So I just bit my lip instead. I tried to get away several times but he kept changing the subject and pulling me closer. I kept looking at my watch.

8:12

8:35

8:49

Time was moving so slow. But it didn’t matter. I couldn’t get him away from me long enough to go down the hall anyway.

“How’s your stomach?” he asked during dinner.

“My what?” I was distracted and couldn’t hide it.

“Your stomach? You didn’t feel well last night,” he prompted.

“Oh right. Yeah, well I got sick when I got home and I slept in today, so I feel better,” I said and I looked down at my phone again.

“Are you expecting a call?” he asked. I shook my head. “You keep looking at your phone.”

“I’m sorry. The Yankees are playing the Red Soxx tonight and I have money on the game,” I put my phone on the table.

“Oh, well in that case, let’s go in the den and watch it,” he stood up, wiped his mouth and gestured to the den.

He turned on the game and I tried to look like I cared.

9:10

9:12

9:18

I had to make a move now. I couldn’t waste any more time.

“Oh, did I leave my glasses here?” I asked. “I think they fell out of my purse last night. I’m going to go check the study,” he barely even looked up from his phone when I left the room.

I ran into the study and went straight for the desk. I figured a man like him would keep the key to the cage in his desk. Well I hoped really. Maybe a man like him would keep it in his bedroom. I didn’t want to travel up there.

I tried to pull open the top desk drawer but it wouldn’t budge. I looked around and saw a letter opener in a holder on his desk. I grabbed it and tried to pry it open. It wouldn’t budge.

“Fuck!” I said way too loud. I put the opener down and looked around the room again. I noticed a new vase of flowers sitting on the corner of his desk. They weren’t there last night. They looked funny and out of place to me. He wasn’t the kind of man who picked flowers from a garden. I didn’t remember seeing a garden. The flowers weren’t in this room last night and now here they were on his desk. I reached out and touched them. They were fake. Fake flowers. Again, Nick didn’t seem like the kind of man to have fake flowers in his house.

Just as I began to think I was over thinking the flowers, I noticed something. The water was real. Why would fake flowers require water? It didn’t make sense. Then I saw it. A key was in the water. I smiled at myself. I hoped like hell this was it. The brass key that would unlock Holly’s cage was sitting right in the water.

“Hot damn!” I leaned toward the vase and put my hand in the water. Just as my fingertips felt the key I hiccupped again and dropped the vase. It shattered all over the floor and of course made a very noise.

“Dammit!” I said to myself. I would never make it as an international spy of any kind.

“Norah?” Nick shouted from the other room.

“Ahh….sorry. I’m ahhh….” I ran around the other side of the desk and kneeled down. Before I could grab the key Nick walked in the room.

“What happened? Are you ok?” he walked closer to me. I stood up very fast.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just clumsy.” I looked over at the desk. “I was looking for my glasses and lost my balance. I’m so sorry,” I kneeled down again, but he grabbed my arms and pulled me back up.

“No don’t worry about it. I don’t want you to cut yourself. It’s fine. One of the girls will get it.” I didn’t want to leave the room. I knew if he got someone else to clean it up the key would be gone. I had to think of a reason for us not to leave this room. But I didn’t have to think of anything he had plans of his own.

He leaned me back on the desk and took my mouth. His hands were on my thighs. He moved my butt to the desk and spread my legs apart so he was between them. I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t want to shut him down but I didn’t want to lead him on either. My dress was enough of a tease, I didn’t need to actually tease him.

“God, you feel good.” He was kissing my neck and his hands were moving up my very short skirt. “Let’s do this, Norah. Let’s do this now, baby,” he was breathing hard.

His lips grasped my earlobe and his tongue licked my ear. His breath was hot. I tried to seem a little interested. I moved my hands to his chest.

“Doesn’t this feel good? It’s right. The time is now,” he said. He kept talking and all I could think about was the time. Time was ticking by and I still hadn’t opened the cage yet.

“I think it’s time too,” I said. “Let me go freshen up a little, and then I will meet you in your room,” I panted. I thought I could lean over to fix my shoe and grab the key. While I was pretending to freshen up I could still make it to unlock the cage. While Nick was upstairs in bed alone, I could be out the front door and Holly out the back.

But his whole attitude changed. The cool, calm, patient man I had been trying to get to trust me changed. He wasn’t cool or calm anymore. He was the cold, heartless, bastard I remembered from New York.

“No. No. No let’s do this right now. Here. Like this,” he pulled my dress down exposing my breasts. His lips moved down my chest and his hands became very aggressive between my legs. He rubbed my sex and pulled at my panties.

“Let’s take these off,” he moved his mouth down to my stomach and tried to pull them off.

“Ahh….just a minute. Umm, wait,” I held his shoulders. This wasn’t part of the plan. He was moving a little fast for me.

“What?” he said. “What’s the problem?” he looked up at me. Before I could say anything he was kissing me again.

“Nick, stop. Slow down. Not like this,” I squirmed. I didn’t want to completely stop him, but I didn’t want to let him too far either. He was already losing his patience and I was losing control of the situation fast.

“No!” he shouted and slapped the table with his hands. He stopped moving and just looked me in the eyes. Then he slowly moved his left hand to my throat. His grip was tight, so tight I almost couldn’t breathe.

“I’m done waiting, Norah. I’m done. This little teasing act you have going on is over. We are fucking tonight!” He brought my face to his with just his hand and kissed my lips.

“Nick, please,” I said. He shoved me back on the desk and moved my dress over my hips. I tried to stop his hands but he was too strong. I began to regret this whole thing. I had gotten in too deep. Now it was close to 10, I didn’t have the key, Holly was still in the cage, John was outside, and I was about to be raped on his desk. Control was officially lost.

“Nick,” but before I could say another word I felt his hand across my cheek. I covered my cheek with my hand. He took my chin and made me look at him.

“How’s it gonna be, Norah?” He covered my body again and struggled with the zipper on his pants. His mouth was on my neck as I tried to push him away.

“Please stop. Nick, please. Stop it!” I screamed and bit his ear.

“You fucking bitch!” He slapped me again and grabbed my hair. “I should have kept you tied up.” He was all over me. He ripped my dress and yanked my hair. I tried to fight him off but he was so big. His hands pressed my legs apart so hard it hurt. He rammed his fingers inside me while he tried to hold me down with one hand.

“Get off me! Get off me! Someone help!” I yelled. I had left the panic button in the other room in my purse.

I struggled to keep him off of me but I knew I couldn’t hold him off for long. I moved a foot against his chest and pushed him back. He took a few steps back and I grabbed the picture of his nephew and slapped him with it. It shattered leaving a long cut across his cheek, a cut on his eyebrow and his lip too. He touched his lip and looked at the blood.