Chapter One

     Ilang oras na simula noong makulong ako dito? Apat na oras na ba? Ibig sabihin ay hating-gabi na kung tama ang pagkakabilang ko. Tila susuko na ang takipmata ko.

I exhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. When I was about to decide whether or not to sleep, the cage shook lightly, and I looked up to see little Anthony unlocking and pulling open the top door of the cage.

"Hi." I grinned at him. "Tapos na parusa ko? Pinapalaya na 'ko?"

Hindi niya ako sinagot, he bent down inside and tangled his arms under my armpits and pulled me out.

"Anthony, malaya na ba ako? Gusto mong makipag-sex sa akin?" Pinalibot ko ang braso ko sa leeg niya, nilapit ko ang labi sa kaniya pero bago pa magdikit ang mga labi namin ay binaklas niya ang braso ko na nakapalibot sa leeg niya at tinulak ako palayo.

Nagsalubong ang kilay ko, nagtatakang nakatitig sa mukha niyang pilit niyang iniiwas. Iniwasan niyang tignan ang katawan ko.

Huh. Weird. Anthony was one of the men working in the bar, as a bouncer and sometimes a bartender. He was always down whenever I ask for sex, he'd always compliment how beautiful my body was and how much he wanted to screw me. Nevertheless, I just shrugged the thought and scurried down the stairs with him following behind me. I was only teasing him anyways, I didn’t meant that.

Balak kong pumunta sa girl's vanity room para kumuha ng damit na masusuot. Mapapahamak lang ako kung maglalakad-lakad ako nang n*******d. Alam ko na kaya kong protektahan ang sarili ko, pero may mga kalalakihan pa rin sa paligid na mas malakas sa akin. I gasped in surprised when the leash around my neck tightened and I was pulled back by force.

"Hindi d'yan, Mildred. Duon." Tinulak ako ni Anthony papunta sa kabilang direksyon.

"Am I not allowed to put some clothes on before I go and fuck whoever I'm fucking tonight? I'm thinking a foreplay first, you know, para ma-enjoy ko rin?” I dropped my head back, he brushed past me while holding the leash and pulling me behind him like a dog.

I sighed and simply followed him. The carpeted staircase brushed my bare feet as he led me upstairs. My eyes rolled to the hideous paintings hung on the boring walls as we turned to the first corridor to the right. He came to a halt in front of the VIP room's entrance.

"Importanteng customer na naman ba 'to?" Bumuntong hininga ako.

"I'm sorry, but your buyer might probably be worse than before." He only said casually before pushing the door open, he motioned his hand inside, persuading me to enter.

Worse?

I swallowed. As I slowly approached the room, my eyes darted around and my lips trembled. Anthony wasn't looking at me, and he wasn't looking inside the room either, as if he'd seen a ghost there and was afraid to look back.

"Darling, Mildred! Come in!" Boses ni Miranda ang narinig ko, may humawak sa pulsuhan ko at hinila ako papasok. Naramdaman kong bumukas ang pintuan sa likod ko. "Guess who wants you?”

I trailed my eyes to the canopy bed across the couch where Reynold was sitting with a mischievous smirk on his face. I found him.

I knew I was screwed as I stared into the dangerous depth of those eyes, which seemed to want to suck me in and look deep into my soul. The soft silk of his hair draped flawlessly over his head and caressed his forehead. The next feature I noticed was his chiseled jawline that could cut a wood, followed by his cheekbones, like the bridge of his pointed nose, were high and proud.

His eyes flickered to me in slow motion, and the way his long eyelashes swayed gracefully almost hypnotized me. His natural thick brows twitched a little, his forehead wrinkled, and his round eyes narrowed. In my opinion and belief, he looked exactly like a devil would be. Enticing. Lustful.

I watched as he inhaled a thin cloud of air through his glossy parted lips, which were wet as if he had just licked it before my eyes caught up with him. His head swung slightly to the side, his gaze falling gently on my lips—or my breasts.

Sa hindi ko maipaliwanag na dahilan ay gusto kong purihin niya ang katawan ko, gusto kong manggaling ito mismo sa bibig niya kahit na alam ko sa sarili na may maganda talaga akong pangangatawan. Sinubukan kong tumayo nang tuwid ngunit nanghihina ang mga binte ko at naging bayolente ang pagkabog ng puso ko.

His elbows rested on the top of his knees as he sat on the bed, his legs apart and his hand clasped between them. Inside his black tux, he wore a white shirt and trousers that were loose but tight around his hips.

This was the first time I'd seen him in person, I'd only heard rumors about him and seen his pictures on social media. Everyone was born having curiosity, so I once asked Reynold who he was and he told me, "the devil himself." Nang tanungin ko pa siya ulit ay sampal lang ang natamo ko dahil nakakarindi raw ang boses ko.

Hindi ko pa siya nakikita na bumibisita sa club, nagpapasalamat ako duon. I heard more about him from other people, primarily from my club co-workers who liked to gossip. He was described as cold-hearted and ruthless, with no compassion or humanity when he kills people. He transports and distributes drugs both domestically and internationally, and he was formerly one of the country's most powerful mafias, owning three or four gambling establishments—if my memory served me well.

He was referred as the devil and a killer by everyone. They claimed he killed his men just for flirting with women while on duty, and that he could easily kill a homeless elderly man who grabbed his shoes on the streets by accident. When he becomes bored with his girlfriends, he kills them as well. He was insatiable, always wanting more, and you'd feel obligated to give it to him.

"Mildred." Miranda was standing behind me, her chin on my shoulder and hands holding my arms still. "This is your new owner... Zaccheus Gonzales."

The hairs in skin rose, the air around me felt cold all of the sudden when his name was mentioned.

"Oh? Bibilhin niya ako o gusto niya lang ako ngayong gabi?" Milagro na hindi nanginig boses ko, mas himala na nakapagsalita pa ako. Inalis ko ang mga mata sa kaniya at nilipat kay Reynold na nakaupo sa couch na ultimong pinagmamalaki niya na pag-aari niya ang club at pag-aari niya ako.

"No, honey, you'll come home with Mr. Gonzales and make him happy." Miranda shifted to the couch and sat beside her husband.

"Ang bilis naman, kakabalik pa nga lang sa akin eh." My voice didn't falter, but I was aware that I'm standing awkwardly, I suddenly wanted to do something with my hands.

"Aren't you ecstatic that someone requested specificaly for you... again?" She gave me a pointed look, she returned her attention to Zaccheus Gonzales. "This is Mildred, she can be a little violent and disobedient, I'm sure you already know that.

"Does she have good qualities?"

My breath hitched once he spoke with rasp in his baritone voice, it vibrated repeatedly inside my head. I swallowed, casually walking to the bed—but not towards him. I sat on the side, pulling my feet with me.

"Smart, talented, amazing, I'm good in bed and I ride like a pro." Ako na ang sumagot dahil alam kong hindi makakaisip ng sagot ang mag-asawa. All they knew was how to degrade me.

Miranda was smiling but you could see the discomfort and disgust in her eyes while she followed my movement. Reynold, on the other hand, was only doing that I-just-won-a-lottery-worth-billions type of look. How much did I cost this time? How much money did this guy offered to buy me?

I pulled my knees to my chest, staring at Zaccheus Gonzales' broad back and sharp shoulder blades under his dark, fancy tux. I was close enough to catch a whiff of his manly perfume, his scent had a mixture of cigarette.

"I want privacy with my pet," he demanded.

Miranda and Reynold did not hesitate. "Sure, sure, if there's a problem with Mildred, spank her, grope her. She loves that." Reynold suggested, his hand on his wife's back as they both rose from their seats.

I giggled, putting my finger between my teeth in the process. "Paano mo nalaman? Hindi pa naman tayong dalawang nakakapag-sex, but you have already shove your dick inside mouth. Thank God, it's tiny though."

His eyes darkened, Miranda glared at me and then pulled her husband out of the room before he even decide to murder me. The door shut close, the room became silent, I was sure the drumming of my heartbeats could be heard to the four corners of the room.

Bahagyang nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang tumayo ito, nakatalikod pa rin. Mataas siya, sigurado akong kahit baba niya ay hindi maaabot ng height ko. Bukod duon ay malaki ang katawan niya, nakatingala ako nang harapin niya ako. Nagkita ang mga mata namin, napalunok ako at wala sa sariling umatras pasandal sa headboard at umupo sa taas ng unan.

Tumigil ang paghinga ko nang kumilos siya upang tanggalin ang suot niyang tuxedo. For a moment, I saw the trace of his abs and wide chest through the fabric of his shirt when it shirt stretched against his stomach.

I released a shaky breath. "Do you kill people?" I wasn't in my right state of mind.

He took off the right sleeve, his muscles in his bicep and arms stretched and the veins in his forearm protruded. Surprisingly, his skin wasn't tainted like most mafias. He looked clean and decent.

Bahagyang tumaas ang makapal niyang kilay sa naging tanong ko. "I do, why?"

"Will you kill me?"

"We'll see."

I sunk my teeth into my lower lip. "You wanna fuck right now?"

He didn't answer.

"Wala ako sa mood," dagdag ko.

"I'm not gonna fuck you right now, Mildred."

So he would later.

Natanggal niya na ang tuxedo niya, napaigtad ako nang ihagis niya ito sa akin. Tinanggal ko ito sa mukha ko, umirap ako at saka sinamaan siya ng tingin, maliban na lang sa iba siya nakatingin. Matiim siyang nakatitig sa relo niya at gumalaw ang panga niya.

"Put that on and follow me, we're going home," he strictly ordered.

"Gabing-gabi, magmamadaling-araw na rin yata. Akala ko dito ka magpapalipas ng gabi saka inaantok na ako."

"Nagbago isipan ko." Pinagkrus niya ang braso, pakiramdam ko ay mas lumaki pa ang braso niya nang gawin niya iyon.

Umalis ako sa taas ng kama at pinakita sa kaniya ang dalawang kamay ko na naka-posas. Inisang-hakbang niya ang pagitan namin, tila napaso ako nang hawakan niya ang pulsuhan ko at madaling in-unlock ang posas gamit ang susi na hindi ko napansing hawak niya. Hinagis niya ito sa kama kasama ang posas. Binitawan niya rin agad ang pulsuhan ko.

He merely held my hand for a fraction of a second, yet it felt like he had been touching me for a minute. His hands were large, calloused, and warm.

"We're going, you follow me.”

I rolled at my eyes when he repeated his statement like he thought of me as a fool. "Lead the way, Zaccheus."

That was my specialty. I loved taunting my new owners by calling them by their first names, even though I'm supposed to address them as Master.

Though he didn't seem to mind. "Put that on."

Sinuot ko na ang tuxedo, tila naging bestida ito sa akin dahil sa laki. Hinila ko ito sa harap pasara nang matakpan ang pangharap ko. Inasahan ko na hahawakan niya ang tali na nakasabit sa leeg ko at gamitin itong pang-kontol sa akin, sa halip ay tinalikuran niya lang ako at tumungo sa pinto. Binuksan niya ito at lumabas ng silid, tahimik ko siyang sinundan at dinuduyan ang dalang braso sa magkabilang gilid.

Dalawang metro ang layo ko sa pagsunod, masama ang tingin sa likod niya.

As though he knew what I was thinking, he looked at me over his shoulder, his dangerous dark eyes glinting beneath the darkness inside the club.

“Stay close to me.”