~GEMMA~
Leonardo picks up the Montblanc pen.
He rises from the black leather chair. He looks down at me.
"Get up, Gemma."
I stand. My body is becoming hot. The air in the VVIP now feels like an oven.
I am now a girl who just traded her life for one precious life….my sister's.
"You have only a day," Leonardo dictates, his cold eyes possessing, and terrifying– the only emotion he permits. "I will drop you off at your apartment. Prepare. Pack only what you deem essential. You will not see that place again in the next decades."
"No sir, I will find my way home," I mutter trying to escape his presence.
"No one tells me no, Gemma," He utters in a dead tone.
He doesn't touch me, yet the claim is physical. I am now his property.
The walk through the club floor is like someone on a death sentence. People move aside in fear as we pass.
I see terror in their eyes. I know they see the fear in me but they can't do anything and the quiet, intimidating figure next to me.
It's as if they know I'm in a bit of trouble.
When we finally step outside, the fresh air hits me like a bucket of cold water.
I walk toward the car before someone opens the back door for me to slide inside the car. He slides in next to me, and it feels like the whole world shrinks.
I concentrate on my breathing, determined not to give him the satisfaction of any visible reaction. I sit as far away from him as possible.
Leonardo nods at the driver who looks at him for permission to start the vehicle.
He is sitting comfortably reading some documents. His face is as emotionless and cold as an iceberg.
My mind is wondering on how I should tell my sister that I'm now a personal stripper to a cold, ruthless man and won't be staying with her.
She doesn't even know I'm a stripper. She thinks I'm a waitress.
I am still lost in thoughts when a sleek leather portfolio lands heavily in my lap.
"This is your personal copy of the contract," Leonardo states, his hand sliding across the seat until his fingertips brush the soft denim of my thigh—a proprietary, physical claim. "I suggest you read it. Everything you need to know is in there. The rules and regulations of the contract are in there."
"Hate me. But know that your hate means nothing against my need. You comply because you value her life more than your pride." He says to me without looking away from the documents.
I turn my head, my jaw tight. Then I look down at portfolio on my lap.
I bring the papers out of the leather and I stare at the title... ROMANO GLOBAL EXCLUSIVE SERVICES AND NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT.
I suddenly feel the urge to throw up.
"I already know the terms," I say, my voice trembling but holding firm. "Debt is canceled. Chloe is safe. Tuition, housing, security are all guaranteed. That is what matters."
"It is not what matters," he corrects, the car's rumble magnifying his deep voice. "Open it, go through it. Any mistake you make has a punishment. So, you must understand the gravity, Gemma."
I open the documents. Lo and behold, there's a lot of rules.
"These are all the rules I have to keep?" My eyes widen as I turn the pages.
"Yes, and if you disobey one rule, you will be punished by it" he says sternly, without emotion.
How did God create a handsome looking man like him but he chooses to be a monster??
He reaches over, snapping on the dim interior reading light. He points a clean finger at a paragraph highlighted in pale yellow.
"Read rule No. 7 aloud," He commands.
My hands shake as I hold the heavy, official document. I force the words out, tasting the bitterness.
"Rule No. 7: THE SUBMISSIVE AGREES TO MAINTAIN A STATE OF ABSOLUTE AND CONTINUOUS AVAILABILITY TO THE DOMINANT, AND SHALL NOT INITIATE, PURSUE, OR SUSTAIN ANY COMMUNICATION, RELATIONSHIP, OR TRANSACTION WITH ANY THIRD PARTY, INCLUDING FAMILY OR PREVIOUS ASSOCIATES. All INFORMATION REGARDING THE STATUS AND SAFETY OF THE PROTECTED INDIVIDUAL (CHLOE RUSSELL) SHALL BE DISSEMINATED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE PRINCIPAL. ATTEMPTED CONTACT BY THE SUBMISSIVE CONSTITUTES IMMEDIATE AND IRREPARABLE BREACH AND A PUNISHMENT."
"Meaning?" he prompts, leaning closer. His breath is warm, but at the same time icy.
"Meaning... you are the only thread connecting me to her," I answer, swallowing the lump in my throat. "I can't call her. I can't write to her. If I try to see her, you will void the contract and I will be punished."
"Correct." He retracts his hand, only to slide it around my back, resting it against my spine. "You are an asset and should be submissive to Romano Global. The past is purged. Your sole purpose is my function. Any distraction from the outside world jeopardizes your performance, which jeopardizes my control, which jeopardizes Chloe."
He shifts his weight in the seat. The muscle of his leg presses against mine, a continuous, subtle invasion of my personal space.
"Now, turn to rule No. 9. This is the rule of your physical existence."
I flip the pages, dread building into nausea.
My breath hitches. "All purposes?"
"Physical, mental, emotional," he confirms, his voice dropping to a low, intimate growl. "Your body now operates to a single rhythm…..mine. Gemma, you are kinetic. And that motion is mine to command, whenever, wherever, and however I require it. But when I touch you, you will move for me."
The car slows, pulling up to my pathetic, dimly lit apartment complex. Two massive, unmarked black SUVs flank us instantly. The sheer scale of the armored escort is the final, undeniable proof of my changed status.
"Go," Leonardo commands. "One day. Prepare. My men will retrieve you at 8:00 AM sharp. Don't try to run. You will only make me angry."
He reaches out, not to restrain me, but to lift the contract from my lap. He hands me a small, sleek digital tablet instead.
"This contains the same document in a secure, digital format. Study it. Memorize the constraints."
I take the tablet. It feels impossibly light and impossibly heavy.
I should be happy I'm finally holding the tablet I always wanted to have but I feel terrible.
I shove the door open and stumble onto the cold street concrete scraping my worn jeans. I don't look back.
I burst into the apartment. The lights are off.
I tear through the hallway and fling open the door to Chloe's tiny room. I switch on the light.
She is there. Safe. Sleeping soundly, a mass of blankets and tangled blonde hair. Her lips are parted, a soft, innocent curve.
The sight of her unburdened face is a physical relief, the only thing that proves the contract was worth it. She is my everything. My last piece of light.
I sink to my knees, leaning against the doorframe, sucking in air that smells of cheap college textbooks and microwave popcorn.
The fear that he planted a man in here, that he was lying, recedes.
I look at the textbooks piled on her desk. History of Modern Art. Pre-Med Chemistry. Now, those books are guaranteed. The tuition is paid by the Don. The debt is canceled.
I walk toward her desk, running my finger over a student ID card. Her life is safe, and protected by the very monster who owns me. I won't be paying off Marcus's debt….. I am financing her future.
I grab the tablet to read all the rules.
"THE FOLLOWING ARE THE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE DOMINANT AND THE SUBMISSIVE;
THE FUNDAMENTAL OF THE CONTRACT IS TO ALLOW THE SUBMISSIVE TO BE THE DOMINANT PERSONAL STRIPPER.
RULE NO.1: THE DOMINANT AND SUBMISSIVE AGREE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ALL THAT OCCURS UNDER THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT WILL BE CONSENSUAL AND CONFIDENT.
RULE NO. 2: THE DOMINANT WILL CANCEL THE DEBTS OWE BY THE SUBMISSIVE IF SHE AGREES TO THE TERMS.
RULE NO. 3: THE DOMINANT WILL ENSURE THE SAFETY AND EVERY EXPENSE OF THE SUBMISSIVE SISTER IS COVERED BY THE DOMINANT.
RULE NO. 4: THE SUBMISSIVE WILL MOVE IN WITH THE DOMINANT.
RULE NO. 5: THE SUBMISSIVE WILL AGREES TO ANY SEXUAL ACTIVITY DEEMED FIT AND PLEASURABLE BY THE DOMINANT.
RULE NO. 6: THE SUBMISSIVE WILL ALWAYS STRIP FOR THE DOMINANT WHEN HE NEEDS IT.
RULE NO. 8:THE SUBMISSIVE WILL EAT REGULARLY TO MAINTAIN HER HEALTH AND WELLBEING FROM PRESCRIBED LIST OF FOOD.
RULE NO. 9:THE DOMINANT MAINTAINS THE RIGHT TO DICTATE ALL ATTIRE, PRESENTATION, AND PHYSICAL ENGAGEMENT OF THE SUBMISSIVE. THE SUBMISSIVE'S BODY IS THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF THE DOMINANT FOR THE DURATION OF THIS AGREEMENT, FOR ALL PURPOSES DEEMED NECESSARY BY THE DOMINANT, AND THE SUBMISSIVE SHALL OFFER NO RESISTANCE.
RULE NO. 10: THE SUBMISSIVE WILL OBEY ANY INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY THE DOMINANT.
RULE NO. 11: THE SUBMISSIVE WILL NOT TOUCH THE DOMINANT UNLESS GIVEN THE PERMISSION.
RULE NO. 12: ALL PERSONAL COMMUNICATION DEVICES OWNED BY THE SUBMISSIVE MUST BE DESTROYED OR SURRENDERED TO ENTERING INTO THE DOMINANT ESTATE.
RULE NO. 13: THE SUBMISSIVE HAS NO FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT WITHIN THE DOMINANT'S ESTATE AND SHALL ONLY MOVE WITH ESCORTS OR DIRECT, OR EXPRESS PERMISSION.
IF THE SUBMISSIVE KEEPS THE RULE, SHE WILL BE REWARDED EXTRA, BUT IF THE SUBMISSIVE FAILS TO KEEP THIS RULE WILL FACE A SEVERE PUNISHMENT.
I sigh as I press the off button. Too many rules that I can't read anymore.
I hate my life, most importantly, I hate by brother for making my life miserable.
Now, I'm trapped with a monster because of him.