There’s a roaring in my ears, for I have not had a thing since breakfast, which was just a sandwich.
My breath catches in my throat as I gulp, knowing that I have to say something, have to plead with the man in front of me, to help me to pay off my poor Dad’s bills. For Liam O’Grady and Finn St Just are the realtor giants who are buying every property in sight, turning them into fancy housing estates for the elite. Lavish bungalows in gated societies, with pools huge gyms, movie theatres, and restaurants…the works. And they are also loan sharks… So I want to get them to loan me the money to get out of Dean Nelson’s clutches… It’s become an obsession with me and I have been planning and plotting over the months for this one encounter. Only, with one thing and another, I could not come over. First the oven at the bakery malfunctioned. Then the twins came down with fever… But now, I’m here, finally. And I’m not going away till I get the men to agree to help me. & I look up, way up, into the cold tawny eyes for the man is tall, towering over me. He is handsome, with mussed-up hair that verges on a beaten gold kind of blonde, and that’s an understatement. His clothes; that’s what I notice. An expensive white silk shirt, the sleeves rolled up carelessly, the trousers clinging to his strong thighs. L feel his eyes on me and look up startled, and my gaze focuses on the cruelty in his mouth. Instinctively, I know that he is a man who will extract a price for everything he does. Nothing will come free. I will have to pay if I ask him for help. But… My stomach churns as I begin to understand what I am letting myself into… & I swallow and open my mouth to speak, for the man is watching me, his face shuttered, only his golden eyes alive and curious. & His expression is disinterested, almost pitying as he studies me in silence and I feel as though the world has been shut out. The look he gives is one of neutral speculation. Like a man watching a particularly uninspiring show on TV. & I swallow again, my throat tight as I manage to get the words out. “Uhhh…I wanted…I wanted to …” But he’s already turning away, dismissing me, his expression bored. ‘Melanie,’ he says in that smoker’s voice, addressing the blonde who looks like she’s going to fall onto her knees and worship him, “I…” But I pounce, grabbing his sleeve in desperation and hear the worshipful Melanie gasp in outrage. ‘Please Sir,” I stammer and his eyes, widen slightly before they narrow to slits. “What?’ he growls and I hear my heart hammering. Surely everyone can hear it too? Something has changed between us; it’s in the air, a sizzle of chemistry? It feels like static and I step a little away. But his gaze, gold and intent, is now on me. I have his entire attention and I’m not sure I can handle it. * He nods at Melaine the blonde, a hand snaking out to grip my elbow. Firm, not painful. “I’ll find out what his young lady wants.” And before I know it, he’s propelling me out of the room. Just as I stumble away, I notice a door at the end of a corridor. A door with the legend, FINN ST JUST written in gold. But the man who is leading me, strides away from it, into the bowels of the building, away from the buzz of the front office, deeper inside… *** My father, the good man that he had been had made quite a number of mistakes in his short life. Indulging my beautiful stepmother, who flitted from one gathering to another in our small community was the least of his crimes. He adored Heather and he would have done anything to keep her happy. Expensive clothes, the latest footwear, handbags and perfumes; Heather just had to turn her puppy eyes on him and my Dad would rush to buy the shop for her! And when the twins were born, he loved us all, equally. * I liked to think that I was his special favorite. I had inherited my mother’s colouring and figure and I knew that when he looked at me, he saw her, the Spanish beauty she had been, with her curvaceous figure and her tempestuous deep brown hair, the ringing laugh, the dimples and the wide mouth. I was not beautiful like my Mama, Sophia Cruz had been, but I looked like her at times. “My wise little Bianca, ‘ he would smile, his brown eyes shining with love as he ruffled my brown curls that were untamable. And I would lean into him, my arms around him, safe and secure in his plump arms. & Heather loved us all in her absent, flighty way. So it fell on me to take care of the twins when she was going from one village event to the other, one hen party to another. & But as I grew older, I realized that something was wrong. Dad was growing more stressed. He would snap at us, and ignore Heather when she asked for a new dress or new accessories; the twins and I went to school in our old shoes and satchels, feeling a little like church mice. But it was also the state of the bakery that bothered me. I was sixteen and I could see that the place was becoming more run down with each day. & Perhaps that was why it was no surprise when I came home one day from school and found Dad in the large kitchen behind the bakery, speaking in hushed, worried tones to his assistant, a sensible grandmother of four named Alice, talking about the debts he had run up. Alice helped with the baking and my Dad ran a tight ship, with just the two of them and a young man who came in the afternoons to help with the heavy stuff. As I stepped in, Dad was speaking in a low voice, ‘…don’t know how to …debts…realtors…” He clammed up the moment he saw me in the doorway and refused to let me in on what he was discussing. I also knew, with a sinking heart, that he would never share his problems with Heather. She would probably have hysterics, I thought wryly.By the time I was fifteen, I used to go in and help Dad for he had fired the young man who came in the afternoons, for some inexplicable reason. I helped my father, having watched him back over the years. Old Alice remained but I suspected that she worked for a nominal wage now. Dad’s cake stands became sad-looking and desolate and we had fewer customers. On the home front, Heather was a disaster in the kitchen but luckily, I loved to cook. So I was practically running the kitchen at home as well. This was how I knew that Dad’s finances were in a bad shape for he would ask me to make do with the cheapest ingredients... & One afternoon, I saw him arguing with a man in a cheap suit with a pockmarked face, in the bakery. I had walked back home, for I had to help Dad with the scones that evening. They were arguing and the man was speaking in a loud, threatening voice, “Either you pay up or…” Dad froze when he saw me at the door, my backpack slung over my shoulder, mouth open. The m
I focus on the man who has spoken. He’s sitting, smoke curling from his lips and my heart drops to my stomach. This is the devil alright, and as handsome and evil as one, I think crazily. * The man is dressed to the nines, in a slate grey vest and lavender tie. It would look effeminate on another man, but this man makes it look more masculine. It’s probably the two days' growth of stubble on his strong jaw or the devilish glint in his black eyes. Whatever, he’s all man and I step back, suddenly afraid as I notice the glint of interest in his eyes, which sparkle as they rake my figure and face. “Eh, Finn?’ he asks, swivelling in his chair to take a good look at me, “Who is the little lady?’ I feel my face turn hot with embarrassment, and I square my shoulders. My hair is in a braided chignon at the base of my neck, and I can feel Finn’s eyes on my nape, but he just grunts. ‘Listen to her, Liam,’ he growls. * Liam O’Grady, I think, my heart pounding, he who is regarded as the D
Bianca It was only a lot later that I asked myself why Liam O’Grady had been so curious to know my age.I mean, why would you ask for a prospective employee's age before hiring her?It made no sense.But at that time, I was too overcome to think straight.At that time, I was feeling cold and confused. I was taken aback by the wealth of the people inhabiting those rooms. And I was overwhelmed by the proximity of two men who seemed to send my sexual cravings to never-before-plumbed heights! Liam leaned back and his hooded lids hid his expression, while Finn stood in the background, a menacing presence. I bit my lip and then, as I saw the way Liam O’Grady’s eyes fastened on my plump mouth, I hastily swallowed, cleared my throat and sat up straighter. It only made me come closer to the man before me, his blue eyes, like brilliant stones, locked on me. “Ummm…so, can you help me? Please?” And then, because I was a well-brought-up girl, I added quickly, “Sir?” The groan that came from
Bianca All the way home, in the rattling old bus, I kept trying to figure out what had happened there. I was a mess, my panties were wet and I had actually wanted to get down on the ground and offer myself that rakishly handsome rogue, Liam O’Grady. And to melt in the arms of Finn St Just, surrendering to him completely. Yes, Sir. I had suddenly metamorphized into a seriously horny virgin sex addict! As I got off at my stop, I decided to call one of my best friends to ask about boys and men and what to do…I was clueless. * But when I turned down the road leading to our home and the bakery, for we had begun to stay in the old house, I saw the sportscar that belonged to Dean Nelson, that my father had bought when he was married to my mother. It was tiny but cosy, in my eyes. Shabby but welcoming nonetheless. I ran the rest of the way, my shoulder bag thumping against my hip, fearing the worst, as I breathlessly covered the last few meters. * When I rushed into the front room,
Bianca As I sat there, sobbing at the enormity of what was happening, I felt like doing what my Dad had done; run away and end my life. But …I could not. Heather, for all her sins, was a good soul, kind-hearted and sweet but utterly clueless. And Anna and Rose, my sweet younger sisters, who were five years younger than me, deserved a better life. Nelson would not hesitate to prostitute them, I thought grimly if I was not around. A soft hand on my shoulder made me look up. It was Heather. She sank to her knees beside me, so that we were on eye level. “I’m sorry Bianca,” she said and I melted. I threw my arms around her and wept. “I failed you, I failed my husband, your father. But…I loved him and he never told me…” I pushed away and smiled, “It’s ok, Heather, I’m trying to get someone to help me.” A pair of brilliant blue eyes and a set of tawny eyes flashed into my mind’s eye and I shivered. Heather looked at me in concern. “No, darling,” she said and I felt Rose and Anna
To my shock, Liam O’Grady turned his smile on me but his eyes were …blazing. I stiffened.Job? I thought stupidly. What was he talking about?Had he misunderstood me yesterday?*But my stepmother was gabbing away cheerfully, blissfully unaware of the tension in the room. But then, she was nicely drunk, I thought wearily.Heather, whose hand he had been holding, clasped his with both her hands fervently, as she said, happily,“Oh, Bianca, it’s your lucky phase now, don’t you think so dear!”And she turned to O’Grady, still smiling benignly as she said, clucking her tongue at me with a mischievous smile,“Just yesterday she had a job offer and she turned it down…the naughty little girl!” I whipped my head around t give her a lethal look. Naughty girl indeed, I thought, fuming, and my anger shot up as I saw Liam O’ Grady smirking at me. Finn St Just gave an audible snort and I wanted to die of humiliation.Suddenly Heather saw my expression and stopped. She had figured out, a little
Bianca I rose, my cheeks hot with embarrassment and …I did not know what else. “How dare you…?” I began but Liam O’Grady nodded at his brother and gripped my hands. ‘We will take care of Dean Nelson. In return, you will be our submissive for a year.” The words sank in slowly and I recoiled in horror. “OUR submissive? Did you just say OUR submissive, Mr. O’Grady?” I stammered, as I went on, shock making me widen my eyes, ”You mean like…sleep with BOTH of you?’ “Ah lassie, ‘ said O’Grady almost tenderly but his eyes were hot and blue and openly laughing at me as he said, “Not just sleeping, love.” I pushed him away fiercely, throwing the sheets of paper at Finn, uncaring as they scattered wildly. Breathing hard, I spoke in a low voice, jabbing my finger at him. “So, I have to be your sexual slave for a year and in return, you will free me of my father’s debt?” I looked from one to the other. Finn was watching me, his face blank but Liam? His eyes were glowing with an unholy
All the way home, I thought of what my options could be. I did not want to look at the only solid option on the horizon. By the time I arrived home, I had made up my mind. I was going to meet Liam O’Grady and Finn St Just and agree to their…barbaric proposal. But I would have to make up a tale to tell dear Heather.*The news that we were to be evicted had already reached Heather who was hysterical with grief. The twins, who had come home to their weeping mother, were shaken and white-faced.I sank to the ground where Heather, ever the drama queen, was sitting, a bottle of vodka beside her.She reeked of drink.Putting my arms around her, I said quietly,‘I have a way out of this problem. Trust me.” The twins looked upset. They glanced at each other.“We heard you…speak about that dirty old lecher, Nelson.”And Rose, ever the softer one, began to sob,“Bee, you don’t need to sacrifice yourself for us!”I smiled thinly.If they only knew!But I stood up and said, “Make me a cuppa, the