14 Months 02: November

14 months - November

Sophie had woken feeling much better than the day before. With a clearer head, she could take in everything she had been told. The Alliance and their game. The fact that being an orphan and having no one to care if she just disappeared for a year made her desirable to this man. Michelle and being sold. Had she been sold? She tried to remember the night of Halloween, but she couldn't get past the man who had tried to take her from the main club floor. There had been something so familiar about him but also something about his crazed expression that had scared her. She shook her head and dragged herself back to her current situation.

There were facts she needed to consider, things she knew to be true. Fact number one: she was in a house outside the city with no phone, no wallet and no way of returning to ask Michelle what the fuck happened. Fact two: the people here were nice to her, seemed to care about her well-being. A doctor had been provided, good food, and Darius, who had looked after her so gently last night, cleaned and bathed her and provided her with clothes without demanding anything from her. Fact three: Darius did expect something from her; he wanted her to play his ridiculous game. Fact four: He promised her more money than she could earn alone and a new future if she did play along with his game. She'd done worse for money and there was a certain element of safety in his proposal. If he had wanted to take advantage of her, he had every opportunity last night in the bathroom when she had been naked and vulnerable. Fact Five: She had nowhere else to go and no one to care if she ended up on the streets again — no one except this man.

She should be grabbing this opportunity with both hands. It wasn't any different to working the club and giving lap dances and private shows to strangers. He'd said they could negotiate a contract and she considered that. Just because she was bought and paid for didn't mean she didn't have limits or reservations and she needed to make that clear. She tried to remember what he had told her about the game and his expectations. She would be at his beck and call every hour of every day. He would provide clothes and tell her how to look and dress. She would have to tone down her attitude and act the part of a sweet and loving girlfriend with all that suggested.

"What was it that made her hesitate?" she wondered as she opened her eyes and stretched before sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"Good Morning, Sophie," Trent said quietly with a smile.

"Trent," Sophie gasped and put a hand to her chest. "What are you doing here? Have you been here all night?"

"I'm here to make sure you have everything you need," he shrugged. "I wasn't here all night though, Darius was with you most of the night."

"Darius was here all night?" she asked, repeating his words. She did a mental check of her body. She didn't feel like she'd had sex, but how would she know after taking that tablet to help her sleep, maybe he did take advantage of her. He had seemed so sincere when he had said he wouldn't touch her until she was recovered. "Whatever, it doesn't matter," she sighed. "I need to go to the bathroom, and you can relax, I feel fine today, no need to follow me there," she snarked at him forgetting to check her attitude and stood up. The problem was that she stood up too quickly and wobbled a little before regaining her balance. "Head rush," she explained and held out a hand to stop him from moving to her side to assist her. Then she walked normally to the bathroom with no dizziness although she still felt a little weak.

Sophie once again checked herself for any evidence that Darius might have taken advantage of her during the night and found none. There was no way a big guy like that could fuck her while she was comatose and she wouldn't feel it the next day. She went to the sink and washed her hands finding a toothbrush in its packaging and toothpaste resting on the bench, she cleaned her teeth and washed her face already feeling one hundred per cent better than she had yesterday. She ran her fingers through her hair and seeing it made little difference dug in the drawers for the brush Darius had used the night before.

"Sophie, are you alright? Can I come in?" Darius asked through the door.

"A closed door never stopped you before," Sophie called back while finishing pulling her hair into a ponytail with the hair ties she found in the drawer along with the brushes. She watched in the mirror as he entered and raked his eyes over her. "I don't suppose you have any more clothes in my size? Some underwear maybe?" she asked.

"You could suppose that," Darius nodded. "Come with me." He led her across the bathroom to the door to his room and opened it, heading toward the closet space reserved for her clothes.

"Whose room is this?" she asked, curious if he was giving her someone else's clothes. A housekeeper or the cook Trent had mentioned, maybe even worse, his real girlfriend.

"At the moment it is my room, but it will be our room once you have agreed to the terms of our contract," he spoke in a business-like manner.

"The girlfriend clause, right," she nodded, trying to keep her expression neutral as she took in the space that she would share with him if she stayed. "I have some questions about that contract," she said with as much confidence as she could muster.

"I would be disappointed if you didn't," he chuckled, unable to help his enjoyment of her sassy attitude toward him. Most people he came into contact with were intimidated by his sheer size and presence but not this diminutive girl, and he couldn't help but admire that. "It isn't much of a wardrobe, but it should do for while we are here," Darius opened the closet for her and indicated a small set of drawers beside several hanging skirts shirts and dresses.

"This is mine?" she asked and stepped forward to take a better look.

"I have been planning to take you from Michelle for a while now," he said with the ease of a man who held no guilt about what he had done.

"What happened to Michelle?" she asked almost afraid of the answer.

"We took her, the night we took you and delivered her with the evidence we had gathered about her human trafficking activities to the Federal police. You witnessed us subduing her and panicked which is why you were subdued as well, or you would have had that explained to you when I took you from that place before the raid to shut the club down occurred. There was also the body of one of your co-workers in a locked room downstairs. She had refused to go with the man she was sold to, and she was beaten too badly to recover. Had we known we would have done something about that before her death," Darius said with a growl.

"Michelle wouldn't kill one of the girls," Sophie gasped in shock.

"Michelle didn't, the man she sold the girl to did. She was in way over her head and unable to stop the men she was indebted to who killed the girl and left her for Michelle to deal with," he said gently. "Her arrest was possibly the best thing to happen to her, she couldn't have gone on much longer the way she was, and she probably saved your life by contacting the Alliance rather than her other associates. So perhaps not all of your trust in her was misplaced. Unfortunately, that couldn't be said for the other girls who have gone missing."

"The woman you're describing is not the Michelle I knew. I find it so hard to believe, and because of that, I doubt everything you're saying," Sophie took a few steps back away from him.

"That is something I can remedy after breakfast," Darius said, concern for her reaction evident in his voice. He wasn't used to people doubting his word. He was a man of honour, and it was a rare day when he went back on his word. "You can believe me, but if you need proof, I can supply that. Get dressed, and we will go downstairs for breakfast." Turning his back on her, he pulled out his phone and walked a few steps further away from her and the closet as he sent off several texts to his contacts.

Sophie looked in the underwear drawer. There were no cottontails or sensible underwear and given her options, she pulled out a pair of pale pink lace panties and matching bra set. Then she chose a knee-length swing skirt and soft shirt with a sweetheart neckline. It wasn't her usual casual style of jeans and a T-shirt, but it would do for now. Clothes could be another area of negotiation if she stayed. Sophie slipped on a pair of white chucks and turned to face Darius again.

"You look lovely," Darius complimented and held out his hand to her. "Come, let's have breakfast."

Sophie took his hand and looked around curiously as they left the bedroom and went downstairs. It was a big house. She guessed it needed to be with all of the people staying here. Once in the kitchen she was introduced to Margaret, the cook, and guided to a seat at the large island in the middle of the space.

"I don't do fancy like they have in those big hotels in the city, you'll get good old-fashioned healthy meals here," Margaret said, sliding a bowl across the bench to her.

"Porridge?" Sophie questioned.

"With Honey," Margaret said with a nod. "Would you like some blueberries as well?"

"Yes please," Sophie said intimidated by the woman and not wanting to voice her aversion to the breakfast she had been given. She picked up her spoon and took a mouthful. Unlike the glutenous mush she had been prepared to force down, this porridge was smooth and creamy with only a hint of the honey flavour through it. The blueberries enhanced the taste and feel, and she ate happily finishing off the bowl with a smile. The whole time she ate Darius had been preoccupied with his phone, so when she finished, she slid from the stool she had been perched on and walked toward the sink.

"I'll do that," Margaret said, holding her hand out for the bowl.

"I don't mind, I'm perfectly capable of cleaning up my mess," Sophie pulled the bowl away and took another step towards the sink.

"This is my kitchen, and I don't like people in it. Give me the bowl and let me do my job," Margaret groused unhappily.

"She's very territorial, Sophie. Give her the bowl and come with me, we have things to discuss," Darius instructed in the no-nonsense all business voice she had come to expect this morning.

Sophie handed the bowl over and moved toward Darius. He placed a hand in the small of her back and guided her down a hallway to a large office space. Walking to his desk, he pulled an extra chair around beside his.

"Take a seat," he encouraged, and when she hesitated added, "Please." Sophie sat where he indicated, and he moved the keyboard of his computer closer to her. I have told you nothing but the truth since we met and have given you no reason to doubt my word, but I also understand that you are missing memories of the night you came here and that you have a relationship of some trust with Michelle. So, while we are waiting for a call from one of my associates, you can google the club and see the news about the raid for yourself. Or would you prefer your phone?"

"You have my phone?" she queried.

"You have had your phone the entire time, it has been sitting in your bedside drawer which I am guessing you haven't looked in yet," he chuckled. "I'm not the monster you think I am Sophie. You can trust me."

"Okay, whatever," she shrugged and turned her attention to the computer typing in the name of the club and choosing the first news story that came up in the search results. It was just as he had said. A raid had occurred in the early hours of November first with most of the employees being arrested for prostitution and drug-related crimes including the owner of the club Michelle Lowry who faced additional charges related to organised crime, and federal police were holding her in connection to the murder of one of her employees. She looked up at a tap on the door.

"You wanted Miss Whites phone?" Trent asked as he entered the room.

"Great, put in your code so Trent can set up the Wi-Fi for you. There isn't much of a signal out here in this remote part of the country for mobile devices that aren't on the right network," Darius explained.

Sophie took the phone and unlocked the screen before handing it back to Trent and watching as he set up her phone to the local wifi.

"I'm guessing Michelle won't have her phone on her if she's been arrested," Sophie said when Trent handed the phone back to her. It was sad that she had no one else to call to verify what had happened. She had Gavin's number, but she didn't think he would talk to her even if she did call him. The distinctive sound of skype rang through the speakers and Darius clicked the mouse a few times to bring up the image of a man in a stark room.

"Elliot, this is Sophie White," he introduced, turning the webcam to show Sophie only in the picture and give her a full view of the screen. "Sophie this is Elliot Pascoe, he is the legal counsel heading up the defence of Michelle Lowry."

"Hello," Sophie said, frowning at the man and wondering why she was being introduced to him.

"You won't have much time to speak, so choose your questions carefully, understood?" he asked in a brusque manner.

"Okay," she answered uncertainly, and he turned what must have been a laptop or tablet around to show the woman on the other side of the desk. It was Michelle, in handcuffs and a blue chambray shirt. "Michelle!" Sophie exclaimed in a gasp.

"Sophie, why did you want to talk? You should hate me right now," Michelle said in a defeated voice, but there was a slight edge of anger to it.

"It's true then? Did you try to sell me like I was a cow?" Sophie couldn't help the rush of disappointment.

"Things were getting out of control and, well, Monica died," Michelle said without admitting to the sale then she closed her eyes and shook her head. "I couldn't let that happen to you, and this was the best way to get you out of harm's way. You have to believe me. The Alliance will pay you well, and after a year you can do whatever you want, open your own club or that retro piano bar you talk about sometimes," Michelle said. "You were so much like me when I first hit the streets," Michelle shook her head as if to rid herself of that thought.

"Two minutes," Elliot said from off-camera.

"Despite what you or anyone else thinks I did care about you and the girls. Stay with the Alliance Sophie. It's one year, then you can make your own rules and live your own dream," she encouraged. "Not the nightmare I created for myself but something better. They will treat you better than any of the arseholes I gave you to," she said. "Look, I'll be in here for a long time, but one day when I get out, I better find you in a much better place," she looked to the side of the camera to Elliot.

"But you sold me?" was the only thing Sophie could say in her shock.

"You ungrateful little bitch, I was giving you a better future why shouldn't I get something out of the deal," Michelle seemed to revert into the hard-hearted businesswoman who dealt with clients and suppliers instead of the understanding former whore who cared about her girls. "Just play the game, and don't go back to the streets or another club. This is your chance to get out, take it or end up like Monica or Kylie."

"Time," Elliot said, and the camera went black.

"Kylie? What happened to Kylie?" Sophie asked the black screen and sat, looking it as if expecting answers and not moving for a long time. Darius let her have the time she needed to process the information she now had. He wished there had have been an easier way or that Michelle had kept her shit together, but it was what it was, and Sophie had needed the proof.

Sophie jerked as if coming back to her senses, there was no point going over and over what she could not change. She had wanted proof, and she had it now. She had nothing to lose and nobody to care if she disappeared forever into the Alliance. With resignation, she turned to look at Darius.

"Why would you want me? I'm just like her," she said quietly. "Michelle said it herself."

"You're nothing like her. You wanted proof that I have been nothing but truthful with you. You have it. Trust me when I say you are nothing like her and that you have your whole life in front of you still," Darius replied, breaking from his domineering business mode to comfort her.

"Show me the contract. I'll read it then we can discuss what we both want out of this deal," Sophie said with a voice devoid of any emotion as if resigned to her fate. Taking the folder he offered her, she stood. "I'm going to go and sit in the sunshine if that is okay," she announced. "Alone, while I read this."

"Backyard, please," he indicated the direction she should go. He would have Trent watch her. He wasn't leaving her totally alone right now when she seemed so withdrawn and lost inside her own mind.

*****

There'd been a pool in the backyard which surprised Sophie, and she had sat in a sun lounger reading through the document. Being outside in the sun and having the freedom of fresh air and space to move around made her feel better. She hated feeling trapped. The worst time in her life had been when she had felt trapped and unable to move away from her foster father. She'd barely gone to school that final year with him and hadn't officially graduated. It hadn't seemed to matter at the time because she had always struggled at school but finding it hard to decipher the contract she wished she had have tried harder at school.

The contract seemed pretty straight forward, and even though some of it seemed like a foreign language to Sophie, she got the general gist of it. She'd have to clarify a few things and others she would have to negotiate. She may be a whore, but she had limits to what she would and could do. No bondage or restraints or trapping her into a situation she couldn't get out of easily would be allowed, that would be non-negotiable for her just as he expected fidelity from her.

"It's hot out here, would you like a drink?" Trent asked as he approached her.

"I was about to come in and discover if I had a swimsuit hiding somewhere in that big closet," she said, hating the interruption but knowing Darius had left her to her thoughts for a while now and she shouldn't be surprised that someone was checking on her. "I drink sounds good too. What's the time?"

"Ten thirty," he said, looking at his watch to confirm his words as she stood.

"I can grab a drink from Margaret, it's fine. I'm sure you have better things to do than to watch and wait on me all day as well as all night," Sophie said with a derisive laugh.

"You're my job," Trent shrugged.

"I'm your job?" she asked incredulously.

"Yep, but until you sign that contract there isn't a lot for me to do except check that you have everything you need," Trent said and walked with her into the house.

"I don't understand," Sophie shook her head.

"Come and sit, we can have a drink and a chat about me and my job. I know everything has been a bit of a blur so far, so it will be a nice to give you some answers," Trent grinned. "Honesty breeds trust, so if you have any questions, ask away. I want us to trust each other, Sophie."

Sophie took a seat and waited for him to ask Margret for some of her home-made lemonade. He seemed so at home here and comfortable with everyone, including herself.

"Let's see. I'm like a personal assistant. Once you sign the contract, there will be a lot to do to get you ready to meet the Alliance. It will be difficult to juggle what you want to do with what you have to do for that meeting and include all of Darius's needs as well. He's a busy man, and while he has taken a month away from work to make sure you are fully informed of what the partnership will entail and the difference between being his partner in the game and his girlfriend in his day to day life, he still has responsibilities and obligations to meet. His schedule is crazy, and I am closely linked to his Personal Assistant, Scott, who is running his office while he is here with you," Trent said.