A cool breeze ruffled the grass where I was kneeling and it tickled my legs. I looked up at the blue sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. I took a deep breath to steady myself. I tried to get into the right headspace for this moment, but I didn’t think I could ever truly prepare myself for what I was about to do. It was now a couple of weeks after everything happened at The Golden Hive. I was taking my time as I adjusted back to life outside of it all. The main thing I focused on was making sure the other ex-escorts were doing well as they navigated the new world they were in. Dante and I were seeing each other almost every day and I would spend the night at his house most days because I didn’t want to sleep alone. I usually woke up with nightmares when I did. I continued to help with research and find evidence to help the case against Bernard and Valerie. I was even going into the office two days a week. Also, I started to take up boxing again. I basically had to start from
*Six Months Later*“Those slippery motherfuckers!” I yelled, pounding my fist on the table. Dante shook his head angrily. Bridgette leaned her head back and sighed. Charlotte was crying silently. Alice had her arms crossed and was staring blankly at the wall. We were at my office in the conference room since Dante had called us all here to tell us the outcome of Valerie and Bernard’s trials. He had been attending both of them. I wanted to go with him, but ultimately my therapist and I decided that it would be too triggering for me. When I got the call from Dante, I thought for sure that he was gathering us here to tell us both of them were found guilty. I followed their court cases closely with the help of Dante and the news, which was covering this story closely. But it turned out the news wasn't good. It was quite the opposite, actually. Alice was the first one to speak after my outburst. “But…I don’t understand how they could get away with this. Th
*Gabrielle*His lips met mine and everything else seemed to fade away. The noise of the party that was going on around us, the real reason I was here, the fact that I didn’t know this man or what he even looked like….it all didn’t matter. All I could think about was the feeling of his lips on mine. Automatically, I opened my mouth and allowed him to deepen the kiss. The way his tongue felt against mine made my head spin… and his taste. His mouth tasted like champagne and strawberries. I grabbed the back of his head to press his mouth closer to mine, digging my fingers into his hair. The stranger’s lips were strong, and he took control of our kiss and wrapped his arms around my waist. Usually, I wasn’t the kind of person to give over control to someone else, but this man clearly knew what he was doing. When he bit my lip lightly, I moaned into his mouth. I knew I should end the kiss—this was not the kind of thing I was here to do—but it just felt too damn good. I
“Gabrielle!” I was being gently shaken away. My head snapped up and Bridgette was standing over me. Early morning light was streaming in from the office window. I stretched and grunted as I felt my neck stiff.I had fallen asleep at my desk again. Good thing I didn’t have a partner or any pets to go home to. That was why I was the perfect person to go undercover. Bridgette was wearing the same clothes as yesterday and the bags under her eyes told me that she spent most of the night researching. “Everything is ready. Since the rest of the team is away on missions, I’ve informed them of the plan. You meet with someone from the society today for the preliminary checks,” Bridgette told me. Then, everything happened really fast. So fast that I barely had time to ponder what I was going to do. To consider what I was actually signing up for.She created a whole new identity for me. We kept my first name the same because I didn’t have enough time to prepare my
I couldn’t believe I’d just allowed this man to kiss me. And even worse, I actually enjoyed it. It was the best kiss of my life. I tried to tell myself that I wouldn’t have allowed the kiss to happen if I’d known who this man was, but to be honest with myself, I think I would have. It just felt too damn good. And he was even more handsome in person than in the picture I had of him in my office desk.But it didn’t matter how good his lips felt on mine. This man was bad news. Dante had something to do with what was going on here and I couldn’t allow him to distract me. My initial instinct was to demand answers from him and interrogate him about what was going around here. But of course, I couldn’t. I had to stay in character and act like a good escort trying to win his affection. “I think you’re breaking the rules, sir,” I said, fluttering my eyelids at him. “Isn’t anything beyond emotional companionship off-limits unless the escort initiates it?” Dante simpl
Everyone was staring at me, waiting for me to answer Dante. I didn’t expect it to be so hard to form a proper sentence up until now.“Of course, Mr. Faust. I would be honored,” I replied, placing my hand in his. The crowd clapped again as Dante led me out of the ballroom. As we walked out, I heard Miss Valerie introducing the next man to choose his companion. I hoped that all the girls would be safe tonight with those men. Neither Dante nor I said anything as he led me through the mansion. It seemed like he knew this place well, which irritated me for reasons I did not want to understand or investigate any deeper in my brain. We finally made it to his destination, a beautifully decorated private room. There was a white couch and a table with a bucket of champagne and two glasses, along with a tray of strawberries, cheese, and crackers. But what had my full attention was the large white bed in the middle of the room. I stared at it and my heart began to pump
I woke up the next day unaware of where I was. As I looked around the unfamiliar room, everything came back to me at once. Joining the society, the party, Dante’s kiss, and finally, agreeing to work with him. It gave me a headache just to think about it. I got out of bed and automatically looked for my phone. Oh, right. I wasn’t allowed to have my phone or any contact with anyone outside. I wished I could talk to Bridgette or anyone else from work. I felt lonely, even though I was in a house full of people. I checked the alarm clock next to me. It was already ten in the morning. I never slept in this late. My roommates, Charlotte and Alice, weren’t here anymore, and their beds were made. Quickly, I got ready for the day, not wanting to miss anything I could use in my investigation. It was strange not wearing my own clothes or using my own bathroom products. I took a quick shower and dressed in jeans and a simple black t-shirt. I left my new long dark hair down.
Valerie was the only one in the kitchen when I went down for breakfast the next morning. Even though I knew it was important to talk with her and gain information since she was in charge around here, I extremely disliked her. But I had to remain on her good side for the time being. I greeted her and served myself egg whites and fruit. Again. I sat next to her at the kitchen counter, even though I wanted to choose the seat farthest away from her. “I have some exciting news,” Valerie told me lively. “Oh, yeah? What is it?” I asked her, pretending to be just as excited. “Dante has requested to see you for a lunch date this afternoon,” she said. “Usually, we don’t allow visits on weekdays, but Mr. Faust insisted. He paid handsomely to be able to visit you,” Miss Valerie explained, then looked at me over her coffee cup. “Dante is one of our biggest benefactors. You need to show him a good time. Do you understand?” I nodded, gulping down my eggs. Not because of
*Six Months Later*“Those slippery motherfuckers!” I yelled, pounding my fist on the table. Dante shook his head angrily. Bridgette leaned her head back and sighed. Charlotte was crying silently. Alice had her arms crossed and was staring blankly at the wall. We were at my office in the conference room since Dante had called us all here to tell us the outcome of Valerie and Bernard’s trials. He had been attending both of them. I wanted to go with him, but ultimately my therapist and I decided that it would be too triggering for me. When I got the call from Dante, I thought for sure that he was gathering us here to tell us both of them were found guilty. I followed their court cases closely with the help of Dante and the news, which was covering this story closely. But it turned out the news wasn't good. It was quite the opposite, actually. Alice was the first one to speak after my outburst. “But…I don’t understand how they could get away with this. Th
A cool breeze ruffled the grass where I was kneeling and it tickled my legs. I looked up at the blue sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. I took a deep breath to steady myself. I tried to get into the right headspace for this moment, but I didn’t think I could ever truly prepare myself for what I was about to do. It was now a couple of weeks after everything happened at The Golden Hive. I was taking my time as I adjusted back to life outside of it all. The main thing I focused on was making sure the other ex-escorts were doing well as they navigated the new world they were in. Dante and I were seeing each other almost every day and I would spend the night at his house most days because I didn’t want to sleep alone. I usually woke up with nightmares when I did. I continued to help with research and find evidence to help the case against Bernard and Valerie. I was even going into the office two days a week. Also, I started to take up boxing again. I basically had to start from
“Now, you two come over anytime, you hear?” Alice’s mother called to us. We had just spent the afternoon at her house. Dante told Alice and her mom, whose name was Lacey, the truth about his mother’s hard life. The two women listened with wide eyes and tears. I was sure that it was hard to hear, but they needed to know the truth. Only then they would be able to fully heal. After Dante was finished telling everything, the mood in the bright kitchen was somber. But Lacey perked up and looked over at her nephew. She asked him if he would like to hear about how his mother was as a child and her family. Dante nodded enthusiastically. As he listened to how much of a happy and curious child his mom was, Dante’s face changed. His smile grew wider and wider. I knew that it was good for him to hear this. Knowing that his mother’s life hadn’t been all bad was really good for him. “You know what I remember most about your mother though?” Lacey asked Dante.
“Are you nervous?” I asked Alice as we walked down the sidewalk. “Yeah, it feels like my heart is in my stomach,” she replied. It was a couple of days later and Alice, Dante, and I were going to visit my team's office. It had been a very hectic couple of days—from talking with FBI agents, police officers, and continuing to help Bridgette and Jeremy research The Golden Hive. We wanted to gather enough evidence to strengthen the upcoming case against Valerie, Bernard, and all of the sponsors. Also, I’d been helping organize all the witness protection placements for everyone. Alice was the only girl who didn’t need to go into the program. She was staying with her mother and she recently told me that her mother had said that Alice going undercover inside The Golden Hive was the bravest, but stupidest thing she had ever done. But, thankfully, I had just helped move the last girl into her apartment, Charlotte. It was hard to leave her, especially when she kept crying
“Here, please drink something, Gabrielle. You’ve had a long night and it’s far from over,” Dante said, handing me a water bottle. But I didn’t take it. Dante, Charlotte, Alice, myself, and the rest of the other escorts were outside of the mansion. We formed a semi-circle and police cars with flashing lights were surrounding us. There were so many people in uniforms talking on walkie-talkies or walking in and out of the manor. It looked like the entire local police and the FBI were here. The scene before me was chaos. Two separate squad cars had driven Bernard and Valerie away. I was glad the FBI knew what they were doing. You never put the criminals in the back of the same car before questioning. You had to keep them separated so they couldn’t talk with each other about how to get their stories straight. I stared up at the mansion that had been my prison. It felt strange to be in the outside world after two months inside that house of horrors. If I felt weird, I coul
“Give me my goddamn laptop back, you little bitch,” Valerie hissed at me. I clutched the laptop that I was still holding in my hands. I held it in front of my chest like it was a bulletproof vest. She was stupider than I thought if she believed I was going to hand over the only bargaining chip I had. Sure, I had a gun pointed at me many times, but I wasn’t the one I was worried about. I was terrified that Valerie was going to kill the man I loved who was beside me, looking like he would take a bullet for me. I was even more scared for the terrified girl behind me who I just heard let out a little squeak of fear. Charlotte hadn’t even asked for this. When I thought about plan B, I never had any intention for her to risk her life too. “Good evening, Valerie,” I said in a calm voice, trying to convey a confidence I didn’t feel. "Why did you leave your own party?” I asked in a mildly curious voice. “From what I heard, your organization needs all the money it can get
All three of us were shocked into inactivity for a long moment. We stared at each other in horror, wondering how Valerie or Bernard found out about the missing computer in such a short amount of time. I was the first one to rise and slowly walked toward the hallway that Valerie’s office was down. My legs felt heavy, like I was walking through water. I peered around the corner and gasped when I saw the mistake I had made. I had forgotten to close Valerie’s office door when I left. Jeremy and Bridgette could only hack into the cameras for twenty minutes. Our time was up. I turned to the other two, gripping Valerie’s laptop tightly in my hands. “We need to hide. Now,” I ordered Dante and Charlotte. Neither of them argued or questioned my urgency. They knew the severity of the situation. Both of them knew what could happen if we were caught. We raced down the hallway in the opposite direction of Valerie’s office. Quickly, my mind raced considering
Charlotte stared at me for a moment, then she started laughing hysterically. She leaned against the wall and put her hands on her knees while continuing to giggle. Dante and I shared a look and I adjusted Valerie’s laptop I was holding. “Um, Charlotte? Are you alright?” I asked her with uncertainty coloring my tone. The young girl laughed for a few more moments and I had no idea what to do. It seemed like this was Charlotte’s breaking point. She had finally lost it. This house that she thought would be her saving grace, had broken her. I felt terrible that I had any part in it, however small or inadvertently it was. As we were waiting, Dante tried to take the laptop from my hands and leave, but I shook my head. “Plan B,” I whispered to him. He nodded. Finally, Charlotte seemed to calm down. Dante and I brought her over to a small alcove in the hallway with two chairs. We sat her down and I took the seat across from her. The last thing I wanted to do was si
I stared at myself in the mirror and let out a nervous sigh. I smoothed my hands down my red dress, the same one I wore at my first party here. I thought it would be fitting to wear the same dress since it was my last night here. No matter how the night played out. “You ready to meet Dante?” Alice asked from behind me. I turned around and studied her. She was wearing a black dress that suited her pale skin tone. I couldn’t even compliment how she looked because my throat was too dry. I nodded to answer her question and we walked to meet Dante. Thankfully, the hallways were deserted and we slipped into our usual room. Dante was already waiting for us. I stopped in the doorway because his appearance made me pause. He looked gorgeous in a black suit and red tie. When he saw me, his face bloomed into a huge smile. He pointed to his tie. “I was hoping you’d wear that dress so we could match,” Dante told me. We grinned at each other with stupid, happy look