The Cunning

10

Downstairs sounded like a typical house party—bottles hissing open, chatter, music, laughter. If anyone were to walk in right then, they wouldn't know it was a brothel, not unless you really looked at the girls and the ratio of eight men for every one of them.

They were all on the thin side, pale beneath layers of foundation and blush Lily had painted on them. None of the smiles reached their eyes. All three of them had a China doll appearance. Any track marks were expertly concealed, even in the revealing clothes. These girls were all thigh gaps and push-up bras. Madison didn't have a thigh gap. Her thighs rubbed against each other in the short black dress. The heat from all the bodies was making them sweat.

Jase watched her hesitate on the stairs through the smoke of his cigarette. Her body language was painfully readable. Her eyes flittered about, assessing her surroundings with her arms across her chest, nervously grazing her collarbones with her fingertips and trying to cover her exposed flesh.

Benny didn't like nervous girls. He didn't have the capacity for empathy and wouldn't entertain the idea that the girls needed a gracing period to adjust to their new lifestyle. As far as he was concerned, they all had a role to play, and Madison wasn't taking to hers as fluidly as he would like. This is going to be a long night, Jase thought.

A long time customer approached her. He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her away from the wall she was backed up against and leaned into her ear. Jase could only assume he had whispered something vulgar from the revolted look on Madison's face. She ripped herself away, snarling at him and ready to lash out. The man didn't take too kindly to this.

"Don't touch me-" Madison started and was promptly cut off when Jase put himself between them.

"You ought to get your birds under control, Jase. I pay good money to visit," the man said with indignation.

"Sorry Jack. She's new," Jase explained, casting a disapproving glare down at Madison. "She's still learning the ropes." Madison scowled right back at him. It amused Jase. Even after learning what happened to Annabelle for stepping out of line, it hadn't thrown her for long. She was determined; he'd give her that. Stupid but determined.

"We can soon sort that." Jack grinned, hungry eyes glued to Madison's chest. Madison caught a gag in her throat and reared back, preparing to spit at him when Jase yanked her into the corner of the hallway.

"You're not helping yourself," he seethed. She opened her mouth to argue when Sam joined them.

"What's going on?" he asked. Madison averted her eyes. She could push Jase somewhat because he clearly didn't want her to talk, she wouldn't try her luck with the others.

"Nothing, I just had to remind her where she was," Jase replied.

Sam nodded. He didn't like Madison or her attitude or how there was more anger than fear when Jase reprimanded her. Adam was right. She was going to be a handful. Sam couldn't understand why Jase wasn't clamping down firmly before her rebellious behaviour blossomed into a more significant issue.

"I can remind her for you if you want?" Adam said, catching the conversation on his way to the toilet.

Madison stiffened, hoping she hadn't done enough to warrant a private 'conversation' with the likes of Adam, especially now she had a deeper insight into what that could entail. She watched Jase through her lashes, anxiously awaiting his response. He had felt her stiffen, that tiny contraction of muscles giving her away. The air around them was loaded and for a moment, Madison was genuinely scared. She relaxed when he finally shook his head.

"No, it's fine. You'll be on your best behaviour for the rest of the night, won't you?" His tone dared her to talk back with all three of them present. She swallowed her pride with a subtle nod. It was wise to pick her battles carefully. "Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"Yes," she replied. Adam leaned into her ear.

"Watch yourself, little one," he teased, "you don't want to give us a reason to mark that pretty face of yours." She didn't react, and he grabbed her cheeks, squeezing hard enough to leave bruised imprints. "Would we?" Spittle flew through his gritted teeth as he attempted to intimidate her. Madison felt she was being tested, forced to cower. She did, not liking the direction this was heading in if she kept on being stubborn.

"No," she said. Adam smiled, shoving her face away with a bitter laugh.

"That's a good girl." He left with Sam in tow. Angry tears brimmed in Madison's eyes, wetting her lashes and making them clump together like thick spider legs.

"Don't cry," Jase said. It wasn't an attempt to soothe her, it was an order—full of authority, the same as everything else he said. "Behave. Walk around. Be polite. Give Benny what he wants for a while, and you can go back upstairs," he said. He left her standing in the corner on her own, exposed and vulnerable, with several sets of eyes watching her the way a predator watches its prey.

Jase had bargained to save himself trouble. All she had to do was grit her teeth and bear the miserable evening for a few hours before she was removed. Easier said than done but not impossible. Ignoring the ache in her cheeks, Madison walked out into the kitchen and grabbed one of the fruity beverages Lily said they were allowed. She tossed the cap into the bin and plastered on her best smile.

*

Would you listen to Jase? Or would you cause a scene and make things as difficult as possible for the boys?