Italian Rhapsody Ch. 04

Note: Because of the negative feedback, I rewrote the end of Chapter 3. Please disregard the way it ended. I hope readers will enjoy the last chapter. It might feel like a completely different story, but I feel it was necessary to right the wrong choice I made in having Roxanne have sex with Vladimir. Because of the choice I made, I had to include a little violence, but I kept it to a minimum. I just hope the story is accepted by literotica.

Vladimir had an itch that needed scratching, and only Daniel's woman could scratch it. And if she didn't scratch that itch, she was not getting her nephew back until she did. If he had to blackmail her, then so be it. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed a number. After leaving a short message in Russian, he hit the power-off button on the phone.

While making sure Roxie was not paying attention to him for the moment, Daniel listened to the message that was left on his phone by Vladimir. It was in Russian, but he understood it. He wanted him to go into Cefalù and wait for him there at a bar that they used to hang out at.

They made their way down La Rocca and arrived back at their cabin a few hours later.

Letting her know what he was about to do, he convinced her to stay at the cabin until he'd return in an hour or two.

As soon as Daniel left for town, Roxie went back into the house and closed the door behind her. She decided to rest until he returned.

Unknown to Roxie, Vladimir had been looking appreciatively at her for the last little while, liking the way her shirt molded her full breasts.

Fully clothed, she lay down across the bed and closed her eyes. Memories of Daniel filled her mind. His wicked smile. His deep, sexy laughter. His strong arms holding her. His soft lips taking hers in a ravenous kiss. His body covering hers. Her hand crept to the juncture of her thighs. As she caressed her breasts with one hand, and between her legs with the other, she stopped suddenly. Her eyes flew open. She willed her breathing to slow from its frantic pace. Taking several deep breaths, she sat up in the middle of the bed and crossed her legs at the ankle.

Her thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock on the door. Not thinking that it could be anyone but Daniel, she got out of bed and started toward the door, and called out, "Come in."

The door opened, and in walked the man she was so curious about. Her heart sped up in excitement. Or was it fear? Fear of what this man was capable of. He was Daniel's friend, and he trusted him. He used to me a member of the Vor V Zakone; a powerful criminal organization in Moscow.

"Where is Daniel?" she asked Vladimir.

"As far as I know, he is in town to get food," he lied. But by the time he would be back, it will be too late. You will not see him again, he wanted to add, and just watch the expression on her face change to horror. But not just yet. First he wanted a taste of her without using force. And he needed to pass the time while waiting for this cohort with the jeep.

Her eyes looked like emerald pools, her lips like the dewy petals of a rose. Soft and sweet. Irresistible. The breeze stirred the curls at her neck, drawing his gaze to the creamy skin at her throat. And lower, to the cleavage above her shirt. He wanted to kiss her, he realized. Really kiss her. But the question was, would she let him? Would she resist or succumb? Slap his face or kiss him back? It was a gamble, Vladimir decided, no matter how you looked at it. As if reading his thoughts, she took a little half-step away from him, but Vladimir reached out to cup the nape of her neck, so soft and alluring, and gently pull her back to him. He would have her, willing or not. She was an unusually beautiful woman. In the sex trafficking business, usually the young girls and women were skinny or slim. But with this plump American woman, he'd make an exception. She was beautiful enough, and her plumpness would be an asset. He knew that there were men who wanted women with more flesh on their bones. She'd be popular among the Arab customer, who he knew liked plumb women.

She knew something was very wrong. Fear froze her for a few seconds. She had to get away, warn Daniel he was in danger. Vladimir Trakirov was not Daniel's friend. Something had come unhinged inside him. But even as she struggled to free herself, she saw another man coming toward them from the open door. At first she thought it was Daniel and tried to cry out a warning. She was reaching for the door knob of the bedroom, but Vladimir's hand slipped around her neck and clamped over her mouth and nose, pulling her back against his hard body. Her fear deepened as the other man moved from the shadows into the moonlight, but she didn't recognized him. Neither did she understand his words.

"Let's get this over with," he said in Russian to Vladimir.

"Hurry up," Vladimir replied in Russian

Vladimir dropped his hand from her mouth long enough to pull a saturated cloth from his partner's outstretched hand. In the brief instant it took for him to raise it to her face, Roxie opened her mouth to scream, but barely a sound got out as he slapped the cloth over her mouth and nose, stifling the noise. Panic bubbled up inside her. She couldn't breathe. Within seconds the fumes of whatever was saturating the cloth, overpowered her. Her knees buckled and she slipped silently into unconsciousness.

Her body was placed in the second man's car, and the men left with their victim unconscious in the back seat.

"Can I have her?" Vladimir's partner asked when they were on a paved road, heading to Messina, on the Strait of Messina. They intended to take her to Vlorë, Albania, and from there, to the region of Tropojë. It was there in the northwest where young girls and women were sold as sex slaves, was especially bad.

Never, he wanted to tell him. She's mine. "When we get to our destination," he replied, "take her aboard the ship, and lock her in my cabin. If she wakes up, inject her with the drug I gave you."

"Can I have her?" he asked again.

"Not until I tire of her. Understand? I don't share."

Daniel was waiting in a bar when his phone rang, and he dug it out of his pocket. He looked at the caller ID and saw Vladimir's name. He flipped it open, holding it to his ear. "Vlad! Where the hell are you? Are you coming or not? I'm getting impatient sitting here while Roxanne is all by herself."

"Really? Good to know."

Vladimir's voice sounded different. Somehow, Daniel knew something was very wrong. Fear tore through him. "Vladimir! Where's Roxanne?"

"Where you think? Your pretty lady is with me, keeping me and my friend company." He paused a few seconds. "I got to tell you, Daniel, she is quite good in bed," he lied. "She and I have enjoyed each other very much."

Fury churned in his chest, gripping his heart like a vise. He had to clamp his lips together to keep from screaming out profanities and threats. Caution was required when it came to Vladimir's violent tendencies. He was a very dangerous man, and he fought down the crazy part of him that longed to kill to evil bastard. His free hand plugged one ear to dull the bar sounds and he lowered his head to growl into the phone. "What did you do to her? If you hurt her, I swear I'll find you and kill you myself." It was too rash; he knew it as soon as he said it.

"Watch your threats, Daniel. Understand? I have woman you love." The sound of Vladimir's voice convinced him to back off.

"What did you do to her?" Daniel repeated the question.

"Why? You want her back? You love her?" Vladimir taunted. "Maybe I tell her about your involvement in her brother's death. I don't think she like it very much if she knows about you working for her grandfather."

Daniel knew Vladimir's past involvement was in human trafficking, and that meant that Roxie was in serious trouble. He couldn't believe he befriended the Russian. If Roxanne found out from Vlad about him being there when her brother and his wife got killed, it could very well be that she would hate him and wouldn't want anything more to do with him. If the man were standing in front of him, Daniel's hands would be around Vladimir's thick neck, choking the life out of him.

"How much you think I could get for her, Daniel?" he goaded. "Five thousand? Ten thousand? Maybe even fifty thousand? I know some men that would pay much more for woman like Roxanne. She's is pleasantly plump for my rich Arab customers. Yes, I figure out that I could make lot of money selling her. Nothing personal, Daniel. Just business. You understand, right?"

"Please...let...her...go, Vladimir," he said with emphasis. "She doesn't deserve what is going to happen to her. She doesn't need to know about me being there when her brother died. I didn't kill him, his grandfather did. If I could have saved him and his wife, I would have. If I would have intervened, I would be dead also. You know that. I love her and I don't want to see her getting hurt."

"You think I care?" His voice had become calm. "I care not if you love her or that you marry her. If you married her. What I care about is making money. More the better. I have buyers waiting to have look at her lovely, plump body that I have enjoyed so much."

"I'll give you double," Daniel offered in desperation. "I have enough money."

"Even if you give me double, Daniel, I can get more if I keep her and let my Arab customers use her lovely body."

"You greedy son-of-a-bitch. I'll give you triple."

"No deal. I rather tell on you so she forget about your betrayal."

"You are a dead man, Vladimir," Daniel shouted in fury. "I'll hunt you down and execute you myself you fucking animal. I promise that I'll find you."

"Good luck," Vladimir said, and hung up.

Daniel knew that Vladimir would most likely head to Tropojë. It was a very bad part of northeast Albania. Human smugglers from there were especially brutal. And if he'd run into anyone from there, he was going to kill them, no doubt about it. For the misery they caused countless girls and women, men like them didn't deserve to live.

It was simple to play weak and helpless when you were puking your guts out on a cold steel floor. Whatever had been used to knock her out had a brief but nasty effect on her stomach. And whoever had done it had bound her wrists and ankles with rope, connecting them with a string of another strand that wasn't long enough for comfort, forcing her to keep her hands between her knees even while she was sprawled on the floor. It made being sick pretty darn awkward.

She'd wiggled some distance away from the smelly mess on the floor. She was still bleary-eyed and groggy when Vladimir crouched in front of her, holding a cell phone in his hand. He was speaking to her, but she could barely hear him as she struggled to clear her head. She blinked as he talked, trying to make her eyes focus. Where was she? A dark doorway loomed to her left and a long hallway lay behind Vladimir's squatting form, a bulb on its ceiling the only source of light. "Where am I?" she mumbled.

"Never mind. Just know that you have to behave," he ordered. "If not, you will be punished."

"Why did you do this to me?" Roxanne asked.

"I am selling you," he replied calmly.

Selling her!

"Or more like renting you out to whoever has interest in you. Mostly rich Arab men from Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. I'm greedy bastard who doesn't care about anyone but himself. I left Mafia to be on my own. Figure I make more money that way. You should be honored that I pick you."

She realized the dire circumstances she was in. The ropes were making it difficult to escape, though. Maybe she could get him to release her if it were something a bit more serious than asking for a drink of water.

She squirmed. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Hold it."

"No! I don't think I can."

He thought, then nudged her thigh with his foot. "You can wait. If you can't, then stand hunched over and take baby steps. Eventually you get to bathroom. Might be entertaining to watch."

That was an awkward picture. "I...and how do I do my business once I get there? You will still have to untie my hands."

He grinned leeringly. "I'll be glad to unfasten your pants for you and pull them down."

Talk about sickening. Now that she knew who he was, and what he was capable of, it was unthinkable to let him touch her. "No thanks, I think I'd rather hold it."

His smile remained. "All right, I untie you. Since we are on ship, you have nowhere to go."

Vladimir untied her and herded her toward a door. He led her to where the toilet was and pushed her in. "Do your thing. I'll wait right here."

Never before had she felt fear like this. If someone handed her a gun right now she wouldn't even hit a wall. Daniel was probably frantic right now, wondering what had happened to her. She was completely on her own.

As soon as she stepped out of the toilet, Vlad's huge hand curled around her nape. "Why don't you just let me go, please," Roxie pleaded as she was led to a room with a bed and shoved her inside.

"Not going to happen. I have plans for you. Plans that make me lots of money."

"What the heck is wrong with you?" she demanded as she tried to twist free of his tight grasp.

But his fingers pressed tighter into her soft skin and he all put picked her up, and tossed her onto a couch. "Don't even think about moving from there," he said, and went to a where a bottle of water and vodka sat and poured one glass each. She knew he had some not-so-nice plans for her.

She sat silent and waited, every second agonizing. Vlad returned to where she sat and handed her a glass.

"Drink up," he said.

She gulped down most of the water before stopping. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she watched him finish his vodka. He took the glass from her then touched her hair in a surprisingly gentle gesture.

He gave her a look that seemed...sexual. "This isn't how I wanted things to go at first, but when I thought of possibilities, I changed my mind. It was not hard decision."

Oh damn. Damn it, damn it, damn it. Her adrenaline shot up and her pulse started pounding like a jackhammer.

Despite her heightened anxiety and her increased pulse rate, the room was moving in slow motion. She tried to lift one of her arms and it felt like it was weighed down by lead.

"You drugged me again!" she accused.

"I like my women to fight. Drugging them is coward's way, but the man who wants you gets off by knowing they're helpless." He shrugged as he made his way closer to where she was wobbling precariously on the couch. "I don't mind reluctant women. Makes it more exciting when I overpower them."

"You're sick," she slurred. "All of you involved. Sick bastards."

He put his hands on her shoulders and she cringed, trying to fight him off. She was as weak as a day old kitten. He pushed her down and unbuttoned her shirt. He pulled it off her and went to work on her jeans.

"Nice lingerie," he murmured as he stared down at the pink lace bra and panties. "I'll leave them on for your first customer. He likes pink."

As he moved away she whispered brokenly, hoping a miracle would happen. "Please, please, don't do this. I don't deserve this. Please, don't rape me."

The sound of the door opening made her slowly turn her head in that direction, hoping for a miracle. But when her gaze met the lecherous gaze of someone she didn't recognize, a dark-skinned man, her heart sank and she knew there was nothing anyone could do to save her now.

There was a metallic popping sound. A moment later Roxie screamed in pain. The bastard was cutting her. Another scream. Two more screams. And then silence followed by flesh slapping flesh, and soft weeping.

The rapist let out a satisfied grunt, and then he gave her a slap. Finished, he pulled up his pants and zipped back up.

"Vlad, she's all yours," he said with a smirk. "I know she's messier that you usually like them, but I don't think you'll have any complaints. She has a very nice body. If I didn't have any urgent business to attend to, I'd take her with me. She'd make a very nice temporary plaything for me."

"No problem," Vladimir replied.

"Don't kill her, though. Make sure you keep her secure and out of sight. I have a shipment of young girls coming in tonight. Easy transaction and I make another few million."

"I'll keep her drugged enough that she wouldn't be problem."

The man left, shutting the door and leaving them alone. "Why the tears?" Vladimir asked mockingly. He's gentler than most. Maybe you'll like me better."

Roxie lay sprawled on the couch, pain shooting through her body as surely as the blade had cut into her skin. Vlad was looming over her mostly nude form but he was not smiling. He didn't like passive women, he'd said.

Well that was fine by her because the drug was wearing off and if Vlad gave her just a little more time, he was going to have one heck of a fight on his hands, because she wasn't going to lie here and take it like she'd been forced to do for the last guy.

Rage ate at her. It was eating a hole in her very soul.

There was nothing more horrific than being so helpless that she hadn't been able to move. She could barely speak. And it hadn't been enough for the bastard to just rape her. He'd gotten off on making her bleed.

The smell of her blood filled her nostrils. Smeared all over the front of her body where he made a deep cuts. He hadn't minded the mess. He'd wallowed in it like a gluttonous pig.

Vlad left the room and Roxie right away tested her ability to move. Some of the drug had worn off and she could move her arms and legs. She looked around for something, anything, she could use as a weapon. She wasn't strong enough yet to get off the couch, but she could make the bastard sorry he ever touched her.

To her surprise, the knife her rapist had used on her was within a few inches from her grasp. She leaned as far as she could, straining and reaching for the blade.

She bumped it, moving it slightly. She tried again, wincing when the edge sliced her fingertip. It was a small price to pay for getting her hands on it. She turned it so she could grasp the hilt and then she took it, transferring it to the hand closest to the inside of the couch, and then she tucked her hand between the back of the couch and her side.

Vlad returned a minute later with a cloth and a small tub of water and set about cleaning the smeared blood. First he cleaned the shallow cut at her hairline. He frowned when he realized she was still bleeding from her cuts.

He looked...angry.

"There was no point in this," he muttered. "No need to cut you at all, much less so deep. You need stitches."

"Please, Vlad," she rasped out, trying to buy time. "I'm an American citizen. I just want to go home. No one will know of this. I'll forgive and forget."

"I believe you." His lips thinned into a firm line. "But, no, daughter of pastor. I have plans for you. After I have my turn, I let you recover until you heal."

He slowly wiped most of the blood and then finally gave up. He stood, and she was disgusted to see the bulge at his groin. Despite his seeming disgust, he was certainly turned on, blood or not.

"I wanted you to be able to fight," he said in irritation. "No fun when you just lie there."

Come on, you bastard. Come and get some. You'll get your fight.

He unzipped his pants, not even bothering to remove them. He shoved them down enough and then he yanked her legs apart and was on her and inside her in a painful thrust that momentarily froze her in her shock.

"Come on, fight me," he snarled, thrusting faster, causing her breasts to move around with his powerful strokes.

"Be careful what you wish for," she hissed, reaching for the hidden knife with her left hand.

His eyes widened in shock just as she nailed him right in the jaw with enough force to break it. Pain knifed through her fingers, but she ignored it. Then she raised her right hand that was holding the knife and plunged it into his shoulder.