The morning sun burns my eyelids like I've personally offended it. I squint against the glare as Selena and I sit on a bench outside the hotel, waiting for Irina to arrive. My watch says 9:04 AM, but my body insists it's still the middle of the night.
"You look wrecked," Selena observes, pulling a cigarette from her silver case with practiced fingers.
"Feel wrecked," I mumble, rubbing my face. My jaw is sore, my back covered in scratches, and there's a hickey on my inner thigh that throbs when I shift position. After our first round, Selena had given me maybe twenty minutes to recover before demanding more. We didn't stop until 3 AM, collapsing in a tangle of sweaty limbs and satisfaction.
She lights her cigarette, the flame briefly illuminating her face. Even after a night of minimal sleep, she looks good, silver-streaked hair pulled into a perfect bun, not a wrinkle on her crisp white blouse. Meanwhile, I probably look like something that crawled out of a dryer's lint trap.
"You might be one of my biggest regrets ever," she says suddenly, exhaling a thin stream of smoke that curls upward in the morning light.
My stomach drops. "Did I fuck up?" I ask, panic rising in my chest. If she reports back negatively to Irina...
Selena takes a long, thoughtful drag of her cigarette, studying me with those calculating green eyes. "No," she says finally, tapping ash onto the pavement. "I mean I shouldn't have sold you. I could have just thrown you into my house and used you all to myself."
"What, you'd just lock me up and use me as your personal sex toy whenever it's convenient?"
To my surprise, Selena bursts into laughter, genuine amusement dancing in her eyes as she flicks ash from her cigarette.
"Perhaps," she says, composing herself. "Or maybe you'd prefer to return to my facility? I could arrange for you to resume your promising fútbol career."
"Fuck no!" I snap, sitting bolt upright despite my body's protests. "Don't even joke about that. I'd rather die than kick another ball."
She laughs again. For a moment, I can almost forget she's partly responsible for my entire nightmare situation.
Her laughter cuts short as a familiar black SUV pulls up to the curb. Irina rolls down the window, her expression unamused. Dark sunglasses hide her eyes, but the rigid set of her jaw tells me everything I need to know about her mood.
"You're late," Selena calls out, not bothering to stand.
"Traffic," Irina replies curtly, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. "Get in, Matthew."
I rise on shaky legs, my body protesting every movement. Selena stands too, placing a hand on my arm to steady me.
"He's a little worn out," she says with unmistakable pride. "We had quite the night."
Irina's mouth tightens into a thin line. "I can see that."
I shuffle toward the SUV, feeling caught between these two powerful women. The tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife, and I have no idea why.
"Thank you for the loan," Selena calls as I open the passenger door. "I'll be in touch about another appointment soon."
I climb into the SUV,. Before I can even settle properly, Irina reaches over and snaps the shock collar around my neck. The metal feels cold against my skin, a harsh reminder of my reality.
"Did you have fun?" she asks, her voice tight as she adjusts the collar. Her fingers are quick and efficient, not gentle like they sometimes are.
"I wouldn't call it fun exactly," I mumble, not meeting her eyes. "Just tiring."
She doesn't respond, just puts the SUV in drive and pulls away from the hotel with enough force to push me back against the seat. The hickey on my thigh throbs painfully as I shift to get comfortable.
The silence between us feels loaded, heavy with something I can't quite identify. Irina's knuckles are white on the steering wheel, her jaw clenched so tight I can see a muscle twitching. I've never seen her this angry before, and I have no idea why.
I risk a glance at her profile. With those dark sunglasses hiding her eyes, her face is unreadable, but the tension radiating from her is unmistakable.
I sink deeper into the seat, trying to make myself as small as possible. My chest tightens as I remember just how completely alone I am. No matter what happens, I'm just property being passed around.
"Selena was laughing pretty hard when I drove up," Irina says suddenly, breaking the silence. Her voice is dangerously calm. "Did you tell her some jokes while you were fucking her all night?"
I flinch at her tone, my hand instinctively moving to protect my neck where the collar sits. "No, I…"
"Don't lie to me," she snaps, cutting me off. "I saw how comfortable you two looked together."
My stomach twists into knots. "It wasn't like that. I was just doing what I was supposed to."
She slams her hand against the steering wheel so suddenly I jump. "What you were supposed to do was be professional! Not make her laugh, not make her want to book you again!"
The SUV accelerates as her foot presses harder on the gas pedal. I grab the door handle, suddenly terrified she might crash on purpose.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, though I'm not entirely sure what I'm apologizing for.
Irina yanks her sunglasses off, her gray eyes burning with fury. "You're mine. Do you understand that? I own you."
"I only did what you sent me to do," I say, my voice coming out smaller than intended. "You're the one who rented me out to her. What was I supposed to do? Be terrible at it?"
Irina's eyes flash dangerously. For a terrifying second, I think she's going to reach for the remote in her pocket. Instead, she yanks the wheel, pulling the SUV into an empty parking lot with a screech of tires.
She turns to me, her face inches from mine. "You weren't supposed to enjoy it!"
Her words hit me like a slap. The accusation in her eyes burns right through me, and I suddenly realize what this is about. She's jealous. Actually jealous..
"You're better."
The moment the words leave my mouth, I see her expression shift. Something flickers in those storm-gray eyes, surprise, satisfaction, maybe even relief. The tension in her shoulders eases just slightly.
"I'm what?" she asks, her voice dangerously soft now.
I swallow hard, my throat dry. "You're better. At everything. It wasn't even close."
She studies my face for what feels like forever, searching for any sign of deception. I hold her gaze, willing her to believe me. It's not even a lie, Selena was intense, but with Irina, it's different. More electric somehow.
Her lips press together, and a heavy sigh escapes her. The fury that blazed in her eyes just moments ago dims like a candle running out of oxygen. She turns away from me, putting the SUV back in drive, and pulls out of the parking lot with considerably less aggression than before.
The silence between us shifts. I watch her profile as she drives, her jaw no longer clenched but set in a line that speaks of resignation rather than rage.
We drive in silence for a few more minutes, the tension slowly bleeding out of the SUV like air from a punctured tire. I keep my eyes fixed on the passing scenery, afraid to look at Irina and risk reigniting her anger.
"I'm sorry," she says finally, her voice soft. "I lost my cool back there."
I don't say anything, just nod slightly. My heart hammers against my ribs as I focus on staying perfectly still. One wrong word and I might set her off again.
The silence stretches between us until she speaks again.
"Only two more," she says, her eyes still fixed on the road ahead. "And then never again, okay?"
I nod again, relief washing over me. "Okay."
My voice comes out steadier than I expected. The thought of only having to do this two more times makes the tightness in my chest ease slightly.
"Are either of the other two, you know... weird?" I venture, immediately regretting the question as it leaves my mouth.
Irina glances at me, one eyebrow raised. "Everyone's a character, Matthew."
I sigh, sinking deeper into my seat. That's not exactly reassuring.
"But like, are they mean?" I press, needing to know what I'm in for. "Cruel or anything?"
"No one will mistreat you," she says firmly, turning her attention back to the road. "I've made that very clear in our agreements."
I nod one more time, not missing the fact that she didn't deny they might be weird. Just not cruel. I suppose that's something, at least.
As we drive back toward her house, I stare out the window and wonder what kind of "characters" are waiting for me next. At least there's only two more to go. Two more strangers to please.
And then what? Freedom? No. Just exclusive captivity.
But somehow, that feels like progress.