Malik - Z.M (Book 1, Malik Series)

27.

I would have originally thought that the dinner party would have been held in one of the dinning rooms that the slaves and the slave owners were eating in yesterday when we had arrived.

But Zayn had lead me to a ballroom where guests dressed in exquisite, beautiful dresses and men who wore sharp suits. The slaves were dressed in nothing but a collar.

I was disturbed immediately when most of them had a lead on.

I feel my neck. He won't do that to me will he? I frown.

I was nervous, yes. Because I didn't know what to expect.

I was walking into a whole new world.

Each slave was paired with a man or woman, while Zayns shaves were dressed as butlers, crawling on the ground while balancing a tray of food on their back,

I widen my gaze as one crawls by our feet, offering us the food on the platter and I shake my head. This is so disturbing.

Zayn gratefully picks up the strange substance and chucks it in his mouth before groaning in appreciation.

"Are you going to collar me?" I whisper as we walk further into the ball room.

"If I can't trust you, yes."

"Zayn Malik." A man, around his thirties approaches Zayn with a carefree smile and a hug that kind of throws me off guard when Zayns smile stretches even further.

"Boots, mate. How are you?"

Boots? Seriously what kind of name is that. I half smile to myself.

"Yeah, I'm good, I'm good. You still hold the best dinner parties I see. Anything happening tonight?"

"We'll see." Zayn winks and I frown up at him as Boots looks up at me.

"I believe we haven't met?" Boots frowns.

My posture stiffens unintentionally and Zayn's arm that's around my waist tightens. "Yes this is Alissa."

"You're The Alissa." Boots smirks. "The one you're sacrificing for your brother? Man I hope you find him. I miss him."

"Yeah she's the one." Zayn nods.

Yes. I'm the one.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He shakes my hand and I nod awkwardly.

"Alissa, this is Boots." Zayn says before pressing his mouth to my ear. "He's not a slave owner he's just a friend, you don't need to call him sir."

I swallow and relax instantly. "It's nice to meet you too."

"I'll catch up with you later." Zayn says, pulling me away as Boots nods and raises his flute glass.

"He's a childhood friend. Completely harmless." Zayn says quietly as we come to a vacant table.

He gestures me to sit down by pulling out my seat, and I do. "His real name is Borhan, but he came from a very poor family. The only shoes he ever wore were boots."

I smile. "That's why you call him boots?"

He nods, smiling.

"I'll tell you all the ins and outs of the slave owners." Zayn says, shifting his seat closer to me.

I can't help the grin on my face.

"That one over there who's pigging out on all the food he can get too, his names Porky. Well, I call him porky, you don't." He half smiles teasingly and I grin. "Porky is known to have a a fetish for girls who are big."