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Prologue
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2024-10-29 19:42:56PROLOGUE
Vienna Carter watches, numb and desensitised, as her husband violently thrusts into a screaming prostitute. Her wrists are sore and painful from the rope clutching them together behind her chair. She is exhausted and can barely keep her soulless eyes open. Her mind is blank and beyond ready to shut down. She could fall asleep right now, even with the moans and cries piercing the air and the sound of sweaty bodies slamming against each other filling the room. But she shouldn’t. Not if she wants another searing slap to the face.
She almost wishes he would knock her out. Hit her so hard her lights would go off instantly. But she’s not sure if she would survive another concussion. Though right now, a coma doesn’t sound so terrible. In fact, it sounds pleasant.
Despite her efforts to stay awake, her head falls slightly. She tries her best to straighten it but fails. Her eyelids follow suit. They slowly droop over her eyes until her lashes touch. She is too weak to resist it as her breathing slows and the noise around her gradually quietens until it is almost inaudible. Slumber, dangerous yet deeply desired, takes over her slowly as she surrenders to her fatigue.
Vienna rests for the better part of three minutes when her head is violently jerked to the left, almost snapping her neck, the left side of her face burning with an excruciating pain, and hot tears spring to her eyes. The sounds that previously surrounded her, now replaced with pin-drop silence.
Her mouth hangs slightly open as the tears fill her eyes but refuse to fall down her face. She can feel the imprint of his palm forming on the side of her face. His hand comes up to her face and holds her chin. He slowly turns her head to face him and holds it in place. She is forced to look her tormentor, her torturer, the devil himself in the eyes.
His face is expressionless but she feels the anger seeping from his pores and coating the air.
“You are to do whatever I tell you to,” he says in a steady tone with a hint of malevolence. “And if I tell you to watch, then you fucking watch!”
He grabs her chin harder with each word before letting her head to fall.
The tears retreat behind her eyes as he walks back to the couch, the other girl, whose face was twisted with arousal, is now etched in fear.
Vienna begins to feel a foreign sensation fill her chest. She can’t recall the last time she felt anything, but if she had to guess, she would call this anger. Anger slowly boiling into repulsion.
What had brought her to this point? What did she ever do to deserve this? Why was she tolerating it? She knows she once had the answers to those questions, but right now, she can’t seem to remember
them for her life.
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I stare at her, waiting for her to laugh it off or whisper-shout ‘Gotcha!’. Nothing happens.“Is it really that hard to believe, Darling?” she says with a look of feigned hurt.“No, no. I just…” I trail off, not sure of what to say. “I’m just surprised. Meeting the owner on my first full day on the ship was not on my bingo card.“Expect the unexpected, Darling.” She sings while adding some layers of paint on Miss Nibbleton’s ears. “And don’t worry. If I end up hating you, I won’t order you off the ship or anything. I could… but I won’t.”That gets a small laugh out of me. “But I have a feeling we’ll be good friends, Vienna.” She says turning to face me again.“I would love that. And I’m not just saying that because you own the ship, though that does have its perks. Could you get me to cut the line for the water park?” I ask like a toddler asking a parent for candy.“I may be inclined to abuse my power a little. I’m sure the kids won’t mind waiting a few more minutes.” She says with a
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