Page 17

The first thing I did was head to the bar area, where people sat at small round tables, sipping drinks and conversing with each other. Against the wall was a long, fully stocked bar filled with four bartenders rushing about.

"Poison Apple?" inquired a voice from behind me. A voice I knew all too well.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked Vic as he raised a tray of my favorite martinis toward me.

"Well, hello to you, too."

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm not saying you don't deserve to be here… but come on, man. This is Top Hill."

"I'm working," Vic explained.

As I took a quick sip of my drink, I stared at him. "How did you manage to get a gig here?"

"I'm not sure I can tell you. I can't exactly have you running off and telling your boss." He grinned cheekily.

"Really?"

He leaned in close, speaking in a soft tone. "I'm on a spy mission."

"Scandalous."

Vic shrugged. "When Alex found out your sponsor was working on building a club here, he got me a gig to gather intel."

"Is he paying you extra spy money?"

"Hell yeah," Vic chuckled. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be within a mile of all these snobs. Basically, Alex just wants me to find out who your boss is talking to so that he knows who he has to go to in order to get a club built here, too."

I glanced past him to a set of stained-glass double doors, eager to get out of the business talk. "Is that a balcony?" I could barely see outside, but through the very top of the glass, it looked like there was still some light from the setting sun.

"I think so. I don't know my way around."

I set my empty martini glass on a nearby table. "Come outside with me."

"Let me first fill up my tray so I don't get in trouble... Drinks are free for guests, by the way."

"Are you encouraging me to consume alcohol?"

Vic shot me a serious look. "After yesterday, I get it. I understand why you drink like you do. I wouldn't want to be sober, either. I want to hang out with sober Isaac more than drunk Isaac, but here, now… Drink up. I get it."

As he went to collect more drinks, I headed outside. The view was beautiful. We were so high up I could even catch glimpses of beyond the wall. It was all forest as far as I could see. Beyond that dense greenery were patches of earth where nothing could survive; the air and ground were toxic to living things. The only people brave enough to go out there were the scavengers. Traders that went from one megacity to the next to trade supplies. They were well informed on which safe routes to take and had the equipment to survive.

I chuckled when I remembered how afraid I was of the outside world as a child. I had heard tales of cannibals attacking cities. And a story about a never-ending, massive land hurricane that ravaged the entire east coast of the country. The people who were trapped inside it had to spend their lives traveling to remain in the eye of the storm. My old neighbor tried to frighten me by insisting that one day, that same storm would grow large enough to destroy this city and everything in it.

"Poison Apple?" asked Vic, spooking me a bit.

I took the offered drink with a small smile.

"I'm sorry that I stormed off last night."

My fingers traced his sharp chin. "I'm glad you did. I didn't want you seeing that."

"If I had stayed, I would have ended up in shackles. I wanted to destroy your sponsor for making you do that."

"It's fine. I'm used to it."

Vic shook his head. "It isn't fine, Isaac. That is rape, point blank, period. As a servant, you aren't allowed to say no, and that means that man raped you... and I hate that I'm powerless to stop it."

Those words made me pull Vic in for a kiss, even though it was pointless to fall for him. I wasn't allowed to date anyone out in the open, and I would continue to be forced to fuck other men. There would be no happily ever after for us, but I couldn't help wanting to be near him. Wanting to feel his touch and taste his lips. He was becoming my new favorite drug.

When he pulled away, he chuckled, "Those heels are obnoxious."

"I know, right?! It's not like I'm not a giant already. It wasn't my choice. My dipshit sponsor picked out this entire outfit. Even the hair, nails, and makeup."

"I like the hair. It looks cool."

With a shrug, I finished off my drink and plucked up another. "When I'm free, I'll never wear pink again. In fact, the first thing I'm going to do is dye my hair the wildest shade of green there is."

"Why green?"

"It's my favorite color."

A woman leaning out the door interrupted us. "Victor, we need you in here!"

Vic sighed heavily. "Duty calls. At least I'm getting paid well."

I leaned in for a quick peck before picking up another drink. "I'll see you in a bit. My sponsor wants me to mingle anyway." I downed one of the drinks and placed the empty glass on his tray before he headed inside.

Walking over to the balcony, I looked over the edge. There were chatting guests standing around, gathered around trees and flower beds. Chugging the last of my drink, I set the glass down and made my way inside.

I mingled amongst the masses, just like I was expected to do, eyeing the ones that looked the richest. Many weren't too interested in me, which just solidified my opinion that bringing me instead of a woman was a dumb idea. Still, I was happy to experience Top Hill firsthand. I thought I lived in a fancy suite, but it was nothing compared to this place.

"Holy fucking shit."

I spun around, ready to give a sexy eye roll to an adoring fan, but stopped short. My heart skipped a beat. Standing behind me was a shorter man, no more than five feet six inches, wearing a white and red suit and matching top hat. A sense of panic and the urge to run swelled in my chest as my heartbeat sped up.

"How the mighty have fallen."

Despite my efforts to remain outwardly calm, my hands trembled, and sweat speckled my brow. "Lucian."

His light brown eyes moved to my wrists, and he smirked cruelly. "Cute bracelets."

"Nice teeth."

His expression twisted into a scowl before a cocky grin split his lips. "I should be thanking you. If it weren't for you, I would have never met my husband… Well, we may have met, but I wouldn't have married him. I'm now wedded to the richest man in the city… So, I should thank you, but I won't. No, in fact, I'm going to encourage my husband to allow your sponsor to build his little club. Then, I'm going to pay to watch you get fucked in the most brutal ways allowed. By the nastiest men I can find. And they will have you, over and over and over again. By the time I'm finished paying for your services, you will be so used up that even Hobbs won't want you. He will toss you aside, where you can die alone in the Slog where you belong." Lucien leaned in close to whisper, "I will destroy you."

My jaw began to tremble so violently that my teeth clacked together. I turned, shoving through the crowd until I found another balcony that was blessedly empty. I slumped against the wall, sliding to the floor and pulling my legs close to my chest. My breathing was out of control, and my heart felt like it was going to pound out of my ribcage. There was something wrong with my eyesight; everything had phantom trails like I was high. I needed to escape.

Finally, the tears began to fall. When I wiped my eyes, thick black eyeliner streaked across my hands. Hobbs was going to be mad that my makeup was ruined, but that knowledge didn't stop the sobbing. I rocked back and forth as I fought to catch my breath. My chest hurt.

The door flew open, making me cry out in panic. But it was Vic, not Hobbs or Lucien, who stepped outside. He set down the serving tray and rushed over to me. "I thought that was you running out here." His fingers lightly brushed back a lock of hair from my forehead. "What happened? I swear if he hurt you, I'll fucking kill him." Vic was so angry, looking like he was going to charge into the building and beat the living hell out of someone.

"Just sit with me."

His fists loosened, and he sat next to me, resting a hand gently on my knee. "What happened, Isaac?"

I sniffled, "Anxiety attack. I'll be fine. I just need to calm down."

"Why?"

"I bet you've always been curious why I was in shackles."

Vic shrugged. "Kind of, but I figured it was none of my business."

I let my head rest on his shoulder. He didn't shove me off or object; he simply sat with me. How can I explain my story without making myself seem like the monster I feel like I am? "I've always had a shitty life. My childhood wasn't much better than my life now. In fact, this is better in a way. At least now I get nice things. I grew up in a place called the Slog. It's on the opposite side of the city from Sin District, and it's one of the poorest places you'll ever see. It's so poor that people don't even have proper homes; they live in handmade shacks made of scrap.

"My parents were worse than the living conditions. They loved beating the shit out of me. My mom would hit me just because I said I was hungry. They were both sadists and liked hurting me. When I was eleven or twelve, I met a boy I liked. We kissed, and somehow, my dad found out. After that, instead of punching me, he would rape me. That became my new punishment. My mom knew about it. There were times my dad would just fuck me right in the living area, and my mom would tell me to stop crying. She would say things like, "I thought you liked boys. You should like what's happening."

Vic's body stiffened, but he didn't interrupt. "When I was fifteen, I ran away. I hooked up with a gang of kids that hung around the warehouse district, Lowervill, and Sin District. We were all homeless, running from the same thing and terrified of getting caught. We had all heard the stories of the reform houses runaways were sent to.

"Eventually, the cops found us, and the group got split up. I went two whole days without food. Somehow, I ended up in the Sin District, in front of Lava Hut, that restaurant a block away from Hell's Gate. There was a half-eaten meal on one of the outside tables, and I just went for it. Of course, I got caught. I was terrified the man was going to turn me in, but he didn't. Instead, he took me home and fed me. Told me I could stay with him." I sighed. "That man was Trevor Hobbs. He was in his early thirties and lived in an amazing penthouse. It was like heaven. He bought me clothes, food, and all the other things a teenage boy could want. He never touched me, at first, not until a few months later… One day, he decided we needed to drink and let loose. So, he put on some music and kept feeding me alcohol. I danced half-naked for him. I wanted him to want me. The last thing I remember was him on top of me. That's it. Nothing else. I know we had sex; I just don't remember it. I fell head over heels for him. He made me feel wanted and desired. I ate it up because, before him, I felt like nobody cared if I lived or died."

Vic squeezed my leg in comfort. "That man manipulated you. He's a monster. He's pure poison."

"I'm the monster," I muttered.

"No, you aren't! You are a wonderful person, Isaac. He's the poison, and it's slowly eating you alive."

I was unable to smile at his kind words. "I'm not even finished telling my story."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Isaac."

A tiny grin curled on my lips. "I want to. That way, you can decide for yourself who the true monster is."

Vic nodded, wiping a tear from my cheek.

"Trevor revealed to me that he had a kink for voyeurism?. He talked me into having sex with other men while he watched and rubbed one off. After the men finished, he would take me. I didn't like having sex with other men, but I loved that Hobbs wanted me so badly afterward. When I turned eighteen, he talked me into filming porn. But after a few shots, I decided I had enough. I didn't want to sleep with anyone else. I wanted it to be just me and him. I wanted to be his husband and live happily ever after with the man I thought I was so desperately in love with." I groaned. "Trevor wasn't happy with that. He began ignoring me. There were days I didn't see him at all. And shortly after, a young man moved into the apartment I now live in. He was supposed to be the next big thing in gay porn. A bright, shining star." I gritted my teeth in frustration. "His name was Lucien Wittle. A short, perfect little pixie. A power bottom that could take a round of cocks like a champ.

"One day, after I came home from some shopping, I found the little twit on his knees in mine and Trevor’s living room, sucking Trevor's dick. I was furious. All I could see was red. Before they even knew what was happening, I yanked Lucien off Trevor by his hair and kicked him in the face. It shattered most of his teeth and broke his nose, but I didn't stop there. I beat the ever-loving fuck out of him. Trevor had to pull me off. Lucien ended up in the hospital, and I ended up in shackles." Closing my eyes, I drew in a deep, calming breath before concluding, "Lucien is here. I ran into him, which is why I had the panic attack."

"So, you ended up in shackles because of assault."

"I nearly killed a man," I hissed. "All because I was jealous. I loved Trevor more than anything, and I found him getting his cock sucked by some soft little pixie."

Vic got to his feet and held a hand out toward me. Hesitantly, I took it and allowed him to pull me up. "I'm getting you out."