I felt so relieved to hear those words. But the bitch was still planning my death. I didn’t think I’d fully convinced him yet.

“I’m serious! I’ll do anything you want. We can have a threesome right now. I do anal sex too. Whatever you like. You guys into kinky stuff? You can tie me up, it’s okay.”

I had my hand in his pants by then, pulling on his cock. I tried to pull it completely out to suck him, but he spoke with undeniable authority.

“Stop now! I’m not going to hurt you. We are not having sex. Kindly remove your hands.”

No mistaking his command, he didn’t want me in his pants. I’d lost my initiative. My only bargaining chip gone. I wondered if he was gay. That would be so ironic, killed by a gay man who had no appreciation for my offer. If I couldn’t seduce him, how would I make it out of this alive? Lia glared at me with one of those looks, her I’m-gonna-enjoy-peeling-your-skin-off look.

“But … she … she wants me dead.” I whined to Enrique pointing at Lia.

He looked at me funny – then it hit me. I’d basically admitted I knew what she was thinking. I had opened the lid to Pandora’s Box. He smiled down at me.

“You are a telepath, how interesting.” He looked towards Lia and back down at me. “I’ve tried repeatedly to teach her to block her mind from this kind of intrusion, but it would seem she lacks the aptitude for it.”

He addressed Lia. “You understand you’re broadcasting your every sick thought to this poor girl and she’s mistakenly assumed we are of the same mind.”

Lia glared at me with vitriol potent enough to poison the New York City water reservoirs. She imagined new horrors committed against my flesh: impalings, severing of limbs, flaying the muscles from my bones. She hissed like a reptile. I flinched away from all that malice and horror. I leaned into Enrique’s embrace, the very same guy who I’d been fighting with a moment ago.

“I’m not a mind reader. It’s obvious she wants me dead. I mean … just look at her.” I tried to play the denial game.

Enrique shook his head in disappointment. “No lies. We know what you are. It cannot be hidden from us.”

I tried again. He interrupted me. “Ahht! No lies Esperanza. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. Do you trust my promise?”

I wanted to so bad. But she still wanted me dead, and I couldn’t get into his mind. I nodded yes, but how could I trust a man whose thoughts I couldn’t read?

“Okay then. No more lies. You must not lie to me. Ever. You are what you are. And for this reason I must decide what to do with you.”

“Please let me go home …”

“Ahht! Shush. No more drama. I have made you a promise. I’ll not harm you, and neither will Lia.” She shot daggers of pure hate at Enrique holding my naked body snuggly in his protective arms.

He glared hard at Lia. “You’ll not harm Esperanza. I forbid you to hurt her.” It seemed like his voice had changed, a strange tone of command.

Lia growled in frustration, literally grooowwled like an animal. She most definitely hated me, with such focused hatred that I’d never seen before. A fanatical, maniacal kind of hate. Very disturbing.

Enrique looked back down at me, almost nose to nose as I huddled in his steel-cable arms. “We’ll speak more of this later. I think you need some clothes and a rest.” He used that intense gaze. I felt pretty certain he tried to hypnotize me. Not happening.

“That Jedi mind trick crap doesn’t work on me.” I blurted it out, like a fool.

But I did feel tired, worn out, sore. I’d probably have some good bruises shortly.

“Yes, and therein lies the problem.”

He carried me through the hallways of his mansion-like penthouse to a monstrous bedroom with an awesome view of Central Park and a ginormous king-size four-poster bed. It was an orgy bed. Four or more people could fit in it comfortably. As he dumped me on the bedcovers, reality settled in. Though alive and well, I wasn’t going anywhere.

“Please let me go home.” I grabbed his hand as he stepped away from the bed. “Please! Faustino will be looking for me. He’ll hunt me down. You don’t understand. I really need to go home.”

“No. I’m very sorry, but that life is over now. I’ve yet to decide the role you’ll fulfill here, but your former life as a prostitute is finished. Think about it for a while. You’ll no longer be required to sell your body. You may find this a change for the better. I’ll bring you some food and clothing shortly. You can wash up in the restroom.” He handed me the remains of my torn bathrobe that he’d scooped off the floor earlier.

“How wonderful. I get my very own bathroom for the first time ever, but I’m a god damn prisoner.”

He tried to get away scot free, dump me in my cell and just walk away. I put it back on him. “I’ve had some asshole telling me what to do my entire life. This is just more of the same. So I don’t have to sell my body, you still have me here. Might as well have my body, it’s the same. Either way you look at it I’m not free to live as I please.”

He studied me. A momentary glimpse of emotion crossed his features, perhaps sympathy. Then he nodded and locked the door from the outside leaving me alone, caged, contemplating the new mess I’d made of my life.

In the luxurious bathroom, I stood in front of the mirror assessing the damage. I looked like shit. My left cheek was red and swollen, my lips puffy and bleeding, and my left eye had begun to change color. It wasn’t the first black eye I’d been given by a man, and probably wouldn’t be the last. My elbows were raw from my landing on the hardwood floors, I’d broken a nail on my right hand, and my arms had bruises from where he held onto me too tightly as we fought. Standing there butt naked, seeing how horrible I looked, I started to cry.

I exhausted my tears with some cursing and a heavy dose of self-pity. A hot bath sounded good. Sometime during my relaxing bubble bath, a care package had been magically delivered. A bathrobe, nightgown, and a very expensive cocktail dress hung on the bathroom door. The bedroom revealed a whole four course meal from Chang Wo’s Chinese Restaurant.

The food smelled heavenly. I hadn’t really eaten much since I woke up, and it was already past midnight. I downed the spicy szechuan beef, mu shu pork, and sweet-n-sour chicken with rice. The awesome meal went a long way towards soothing my frazzled nerves. I’m such a simple creature when you break it down. Food, clothes, and shelter. That’s really all I needed. But this deal also came with a bottle of red wine on ice. I don’t think you’re supposed to drink red wine with Chinese food, but I didn’t give a shit.

It was good wine, not that I know anything about wine, but any spirits were welcome at the moment. I had worked my way through most of the bottle by the time my new Master let himself into the room.

I slurred. “1998 was a very good year.” I held my bottle up in salute. I had grown attached to my bottle, reluctant to let go. It would serve as a decent bludgeon if that psycho bitch came anywhere near me.

“So it would seem.” Enrique sat next to me on the plush cream colored sofa I was camping out on in my new terry cloth bathrobe. “What are you watching?”

On the forty inch flat screen I viewed a rerun of ‘twelve corazones’, a dating show on one of the Spanish channels. I liked seeing all those young attractive people from all parts of Latin America smiling on TV, happy, doing whatever they wanted, with nice shiny new visas. I aspired to be like them someday, just a normal person enjoying life in America. Isn’t this supposed to be the land of the free?

My attitude creeped out from under my drunken smile. “It’s gay porn – what do you care?”

I thought about smashing my Cabernet Sauvignon over his head to make my escape, but I still had a few swigs left. I didn’t want to waste that last bit, might need it to make it through the rest of the night. Besides, he didn’t really feel threatening. I felt like I could trust him, my captor. How stupid is that?

He seemed so civilized, cool and collected. I’m sure he only smacked me as a way to get control of the situation. And the fact I kneed him in the nuts probably had something to do with it. I needed to watch out for that psycho Lia. Not this man.

He didn’t react to my bait, so I tried another tactic. “What are you gonna do with me?” I shifted my legs, allowing my bathrobe to part just enough to flash a little bit of shaved pussy. He smiled at the blatant invitation.

“Does everything with you revolve around sex?”

I opened my legs wider and pulled back the hem of my robe. He had an unobstructed view of me from the belly down.

“I imagine that’s what most men think about in your presence, you’re an extremely sensual person. I suspect it’s your dominant trait.”

“Sex is my life. It has been since I was fourteen. I’m very good at it. Wouldn’t you like to find out?” I smiled as my hand creeped down my belly to stop between my legs, touching myself as he watched.

“I bet you are. Esperanza … you’ve had it rough. I don’t mean tonight, I mean in general. For that reason I truly regret what I must do. But I see no other acceptable alternative.” Then he struck hard and fast, right in the neck. It wasn’t one of those friendly little nips. He chomped on my neck, and it hurt. He latched onto me with his iron grip and sunk his teeth in so deep I thought for sure he’d take a chunk out of me.

Then it hit, a wonderful joyous euphoria. It started between my legs and worked its way all throughout my body. He had me clawing at his back moaning and groaning with it. Starbursts and fireworks, a roaring rush like no other. A full-bodied orgasm, convulsions and all.

I found myself wrapped around him humping on his thigh, making this guttural grunting noise. I was so damn wet. He made me squirt. My thighs were soaking wet from the world’s most awesome orgasm ever. I’m pretty sure I called out his name a few times along with God, as if the two were interchangeable. For those minutes he held onto me sucking the life out of my neck, he might as well have been God for all I knew. Yes, it really was that good.