ADRIANA'S POV
I LOOKED like I just won a million dollars in the lottery as I basked all day.
I had that exact amount in the account and the thought that alone made me over zealous.
For one, all the debts I had were cleared and I had been getting ready to get the preparation for my mother's hospital bills in NYC.
There was a saying that money makes the world go round, I had thought it to be a mere figure of speech till this moment, I could literally feel the world spinning while I stood fixed still not knowing what to do with the rest of the money in my account.
"Carolina, if you had a million dollars what would you do?"
Calolina was a stripper as well who danced with me on Wednesdays, the thing about her was she spent her money on drugs but when she was sober and not on anything she made a lot of sense talking.
We closed for the day and as I made my way home I could still hear her voice at the back of my head telling me what she would do if she had that amount right now in her account.
Of course she thought I was speaking to her in literal terms but she had made a lot of sense about starting off a clothing business and quitting stripping.
The bus home was odd and I felt like I was being followed every step of the way as a matter of fact it had looked like I was being followed all day.
I got out of the last bus and made my way into the Estate. There was still the feeling someone was walking behind me so I dipped my hands into my bag and circled it round the pepper spray I always had handy.
When I got to the part with more lighting I looked over my shoulders and saw no one.
I wasn't ready to take more risks so I increased the pace at which I was walking.
When I reached the front of my house I was surprised to see the cars parked out, I thought to myself the possible reason before my mum's name stuck to the back of my mind.
Could it be that she was dead and these were the cars of the sympathizers? I thought to myself as I dashed into the house as fast as I could.
I bumped into a man, and from how hard I felt I knew definitely it wasn't my step father this time.
My eyes went from his well polished Italian shoes, up his suit or his dark eyes that were piercing down at me as if he could devour me in just one gulp.
I looked around at the room as quickly as I could, there was a lot I could pick out in that one picture and it was the fact that we were all held at gunpoint including myself as the man had a gun pointed at my temple.
I trembled…
"Where is my fucking money?" He demanded.
All through that while I had been wondering who Massimo Grey was and had pictured one of those fat perverts at the club but how wrong I was, he had the most perfect face that I couldn't quite describe– He was evil or at least he was faking the look to get under my skin.
"What money?"
I felt a sharp sting in my face and as my ears rang all I could hear was the sound of Mother's voice calling my name.
"If I get to ask again someone is going to die." As if to show he meant it he walked over to where my mother was and pointed his pistol at her… just her.
"Adriana what money are they talking about?" She tremendously shook as she spoke.
Already I was bleeding on my lips and all it took was a slap, he cocked the gun and I could see he didn't fucking care if she looked sick or not.
"Wait!" I screamed.
"I have your money, I needed it for my mother's hospital bills. That was the only thing I took from it, I sorry. I’m going to return it, I promise."
He listened as I spoke and walked into the kitchen, punching hard on the wall that I wondered if he bled from how hard it echoed.
He called one of the men over who walked up to him, when he walked back again it was with a bottle of whiskey.
He poured it into an empty cup that looked like he had been the one to use it .
"Come here!"
I needed no one to tell me before I crawled on all fours to where he was.
"Stand."
I was starting to wonder what was at the back of his mind as he asked that I should stand up but I did it anyway.
"Strip."
My fingers trembled. There was no way in the world I would do that right there, not with everyone present.
I heard the sound of the gun cocking again.
"You know I have been thinking about your fucking body since I saw your pictures, can't seem to get it off my head…so don't keep me waiting."
My mouthed a please but it seemed he had made up his mind, I didn't blame him though, I stole the man's fucking money.
"On a second note, why don't I make you my personal stripper as you seem to be good at doing that …Or what do you think Marcus?"
The man he had called earlier nodded his head.
"Well we have a deal at hand." He said. "I kill everyone here or you become my stripper… My personal one."
This time I heard the sounds of guns cocking.
"What is your decision don't keep me waiting, Patience is not one of my virtues."
I knew he lied about that part of being patient, the man could have easily killed everyone of us but he didn't.
I took a deep breath in, here I was in the presence of Massimo Grey, being asked to sign some sort of deal… a deal I know would cost me my freedom.
“F-free my family, I’ll b-be y-your stripper.” I stuttered and in that minute, I knew that my life was taking another drastic turn.
ADRIANA’S POVIT WAS becoming so tension filled, as the time ticked. I could hear everything, every single one of it as though it was in the same phase as my heart– Heavy and slow.The sound of vodka being poured over ice making a sizzling noise. The heavy Cigar smoke that washung in the air making breathing difficult and with it came tension, a lot of it.I could see the burning gaze emanating from Massimo from behind where he was sitting– He didn't look like a happy man sitting behind that desk. As a matter of fact he looked far from it, regardless of the frown and all I still had to admit he looked quite handsome.I occupied a chair in front of him, looking not so good with the imprint of his hand on my left chin, leaning back on the chair I could see the displeasing look he gave me.He had asked earlier on if I was the only one involved in this swindle even threatened to find out if someone else was involved, probably a boyfriend but I had convinced him I had none.I looked uninte
MASSIMO'S POVLEANING back on the soft sofa with my legs crossed, my attention was divided between the thick mist of smoke floating into the air and her pretty face that was quite remarkable.Looking at her from a far off she looked incapable of this theft, but when you look at the dark side of the business she was involved in, you'd know better.Strippers were never really to be trusted no matter how gentle they seemed; it was just in their nature to do dubious things.I could feel every bit of anger trickling down my nerves, despite how subtle I might seem at that moment, but it was strong enough that I had to keep choking it down with a cup of whiskey.Despite all that, It burned in my throat, as I could feel every bit of it expanding on my chest, like a virus willing to rip my soul apart.My eyes skimmed the expanse of space as I searched across the room for Marcus, my one and only reliable guard; wiping my hand with a napkin. I was agitated at the fact that he was yet to be bac
CHAPTER 8ADRIANA'S POVI DIDN'T know what to feel about everything that was happening right now, it was all so unexplainable.Be it nervousness, anxiety or any other emotions, everything happened so fast I couldn't keep track of it.My feelings were a mixture of all the negative emotions you could think of, and in its trail, it left me feeling jittery. I didn't know how to react to the fact that I was going to live with this absolute stranger, and to be used for whatever he intended to do with me.I tried to study him for a while, his face, his looks. He did look rich– Obviously, but that wasn't the only thing that got my attention.It was this dark looming expression he had that was hard to explain, it was as though he kept it secret for a purpose.We drove in a different car from the rest, with my face glued to the glass as I watched life speed past me. A soft music played from the radio and its peaceful tune made my mind drift away with diverse thoughts plaguing it.I couldn't
Adriana’s POVThe cold water from the shower overhead trickled down my face and skin, leaving a numb chillness in its wake and despite the fact that I was bathing with clean water and I could perceive the sweet scenting soap on my skin, I still felt really dirty and stinky, like filth.“No matter what you do Adriana, you’re filth and filth you’ll remain for as long as you live!” Amy’s harsh words rang in my ears like music from a broken tape, and for the first time in my life, I welcomed it. I welcomed her insults and her down talking; and I welcomed every other negative feeling that came with being the unwanted child… the black sheep.I distinctly remembered how I used to desperately clamor for her attention and then after mother remarried, I began to clamor for a sense of belonging, for love, for care until I realized that all I had been doing for the most of my childhood was clamoring for things that I couldn’t get… things I could never have.Tears leaked out of my eyes as I thoug
Adriana's POVTHE music suddenly stopped and so did I. I knew it was unprofessional for me to stop dancing as the music stopped but I had been looking for that opportunity ever since I begun dancing.I could feel his razor-sharp focus running across my skin like trickling water and raking through every fibre of my being, it made me so nervous that when I finally got to the pole, I looked at it as if I did never danced on one before.I couldn’t even bring myself to touch it, let alone hold it due to the amount of anxiety that his eyes were making me feel. It was the kind that an entire club had not been able to me feel as I was able to do this almost every night, but with him it was different. His steely gaze was making me jittery, and this thing quite impossible.As expected, it didn't take long for him to snap and then he began to yell at me asking me if I was going to dance eventually or wait till it was finally Dawn.With trembling lips I responded that I was going to dance and the
Adriana's POVMassimo hadn't been joking when he said he needed me to dance for him every damn night. At first, I had thought that he’d been joking until he literally made me do it. He was like a walking alarm clock. Everyday, the moment the clock hits eight, he would burst right into my room like someone in a hot chase, and then sit on the couch with his legs spread, giving me a very lustful look. It was the usual… it was becoming quite a ritual.Within that look, I could sense impatience, and in most cases I could also sense danger… a kind of danger that would most definitely consume me whole if I didn't get my ass up to do what he wanted. I reluctantly got up, still holding his stare. I had already worn lingerie under, so I stripped slowly, bending over to remove my pants. The pole was beginning to sicken me now that I looked at it, but I didn't have a choice. I wrapped my legs around it, sliding down the pole to the ground.My legs, most especially my inner thighs were every s
Adriana’s POVNow I understand why people in psychiatrist hospitals found it sickening to be cooped up in a room for a long period of time. The fact that it only made them crazier related to my present situation so much that I could almost imagine myself clad in their shabby garments.I could almost think that I was fast turning into a psycho because these days, my routine was basically the same. I'd wake up, sit and stare, and then begin to think of the different ways I could give Massimo a painful but slow death. I only get food if he's in a good mood, and if he's in the best of moods, I get to eat twice.Right now, he was in my room and it seemed like he was in a good mood today. In fact, he had been in a good mood for most of the week as he hadn't even made me dance for him since the week began; moreover his look was different.It was less scornful and it was lighter. He simply sat and watched me from the couch, with a wine glass in his hands and a very heavy look in his eyes.
Adriana’s POVThe only thing I could hear aside from myself thinking was the incessant sound of the wall clock ticking. If I said I wasn't cold, that would be a lie. I was cold as fuck, but I didn't think I'd be able to stand up to get under the duvet or even find something to protect me from the harsh weather. Ever since last night, after Massimo had fired the gun and I had been thrown into this room, I had fallen to the floor and that was where I remained even till now. The tears that had dripped from my eyes continued slipping out even after hours and now I could swear that my eyes were already puffy and red even though I couldn’t see them. The silence that dwelled with me that night was sickening and the darkness… was something else altogether. I was so scared, scared of the dark and scared of Massimo that now he had slowly become an object of my nightmares.I was scared of what he would do to me. If he had been able to kill Jack without a second thought, Jack who had worked w