Array Ashley - Murderville

“We have to get her, pops,” A’shai urged as they bid against each other. Samad refused to lose the woman that he came for. He smiled at Baron in between bids, loving the competition. A’shai waited on pins and needles as the two continued to bid. The bidding kept getting higher and higher and everyone in the room began to get excited at the two men bidding on the belle. They were on their feet, watching the two men go back and forth. Neither of them were budging or batting an eye and the bid got up to $125,000.

In the beginning, Samad enjoyed the friendly competition, but when he saw that Baron wasn’t budging he began to grow impatient. He was tired of the games and stood up and yelled, “A half a million!!!” as he looked over at Baron and winked. The crowd erupted and began to clap at the unprecedented bid. The place was on fire. Baron shook his head. He wasn’t prepared to pay that much for one girl for one night.

“We can’t take her home like some of these men. This is only for one night, and it’s not worth it,” Baron said explaining why he decided to concede.

“Pops, you have to get her,” A’shai said as he began to worry. Baron conceded, and the announcer closed out the bid.

“Going once… going twice… sold to number 23! That was amazing! Give both of these gentlemen a hand. This has broken the record for the highest bid ever. Give them a round of applause,” he said just before the two gentlemen got a standing ovation. While everyone was laughing and clapping, A’shai clenched his teeth and fought back tears. He began to put together a plan in his mind to get his girl. He wasn’t about to let her slip away again.

LIBERTY HAD NEVER BEEN SO NERVOUS IN her life. She had a $500,000 price tag on her head and even she knew that she wasn’t worth that much. How am I supposed to live up to that price? What does he expect of me? she thought as butterflies danced in her stomach and she wrung out her fingers tightly while pacing back and forth in Samad’s great room. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as she tried to calm her nerves. I know how to satisfy a man… he’s just like the rest of them. I can do this. Stop tripping Liberty, she told herself. She was trying to put Samad on the same scale as all of her previous clientele, but it was obvious that he was in a league of his own. She had messed with many men before, but Samad’s wealth ran deep. As Liberty walked around the room looking at all of the antique furniture and expensive artwork she knew that Samad’s money was old. He wasn’t new to this. There was nothing gaudy or flashy about the way that he lived, but everything about the remarkable property indicated that he was royalty. It was quite intimidating. She heard the doors clang open and watched as Samad entered the room. He was far from handsome… in fact his looks were quite unattractive. His lean figure was too slender for her tastes and his large nose took up too much space on his small face. He turned her off, and as he approached Liberty she tried to erase the look of contempt that crossed her face.

“Welcome to my home… your home,” Samad stated. “You’re a very beautiful girl, Liberty.”

Liberty lowered her eyes to the floor to avoid staring at his face. “Thank you.

“Umm… my things. All of my clothes, my jewelry, and my car are back at the mansion. When can you take me to go get them?” she asked.

Samad put a finger beneath her chin so that she would look him in the eyes. He turned her face to the left and then the right as if he were inspecting her. “You won’t need those things here,” Samad replied. “You will have an entire wardrobe fitted personally for you and you will have a personal driver to take you wherever you would like to go. Someone as special as you deserves to be catered to.”

Liberty smiled slightly, blushing as she warmed up to him a bit. His ugly appearance was rivaled by the charm of a Casanova.

“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable here, Liberty. I would like for you to be my mate. Get to know me and I think you will like the situation that you have been brought into,” Samad stated. “You hungry? Would you like some food?” Samad held out his hand and waited for Liberty to grasp it.

Liberty sighed, figuring that she may as well become accustomed to Samad. She grabbed his hand and smiled as he led her into the chef’s kitchen.

“I’m going to make you a native dish that my mother used to make me,” he said.

“Where are you from?” Liberty asked curiously.

“The Middle East. I was born in Egypt but I was raised in Iran,” he responded.

“Do you have any family?” Liberty asked.

He looked her in the eyes and reached out to touch her cheek. “You are my new family,” he said seriously. “And you will give me my first son I hope.”

Caught off guard, she didn’t know how to respond. She hadn’t expected him to request a child from her. It wasn’t even something that she had ever thought of. The world was too corrupt to bring another soul into it, but she knew that her opinion did not matter. She cleared her throat and nodded her head in compliance while giving him an unsure smile.

“That’s my girl,” he answered.

Despite the fact that he had personal chefs on call, he fixed her a homemade Persian meal from scratch that she actually enjoyed. The fact that he was trying to impress her made her relax slightly, and she found herself having a genuine conversation with him. As they sat side-by-side at the dinner table, he wiped food from the side of her mouth.

“I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this formal dinner thing,” Liberty said as she blushed in embarrassment.

“Don’t apologize. I know the places that you have been, and the conditions under which you were forced to live. Those days are over. You are mine now. You no longer have to use your back to provide a lifestyle. All you have to do is be my woman, and I will take care of everything else,” Samad said.

She was surprised at how nicely he was treating her. His hand rubbed her shoulder gently, massaging her stress away. He looked at her clothing… the expensive couture dress that she had worn to the ball. “We have to get you some clothing… something more suitable for your new life here with me,” he said. Unable to contain himself he leaned in to kiss her. Liberty’s back stiffened at first, but the feeling of his hand stroking the nape of her neck so gently caused her to relax. She reminded herself that he had paid too much for her to turn him down. She opened her mouth and invited his tongue inside as she kissed him back, throwing her inhibitions to the wind. She reached for him as her fingers skillfully began to unbutton his Ralph Lauren dress shirt, but he stopped her as he took her hand inside his. He kissed the back of her wrist.

He helped her up from the table. “For the next few days I want you to rest. Your body has been through enough for now.”

Not used to being rejected, Liberty frowned in confusion. “You don’t want me?” she asked.

“Of course I want you, but I want you to want me back. This is no longer a job, Liberty. Become my woman,” he whispered. He led her upstairs to the master bedroom where he unzipped the back of her dress. “Rest for the night. I will see you at breakfast in the morning.”

Liberty watched as Samad left the room, leaving her head spinning in confusion. If he didn’t want sex, she didn’t know what to give him. It was all she had to offer. She hadn’t given her companionship to anyone since she was a little girl. She didn’t even know how to love a man anymore. In her eyes they all wanted something… including Samad… she just hadn’t figured him out yet.

Liberty awoke to the sound of people talking around her and as she slowly opened her eyes she noticed two women standing at the foot of the bed. The doctor’s masks they wore over their faces let her know that they were medically trained but she felt violated as one of them said, “Put her feet in the stirrups,” without even acknowledging Liberty.