The Blue Genie

Nadia’s POV Who would have expected to find themselves in this predicament—tied up and bruised, sitting on the dirty, smelly floor of an empty room, waiting for their fate to be decided? Well, I would, since I orchestrated all of this. But I didn’t expect to be beaten so badly and left down here for so long. As I sat on the cold floor, I tried to assess my injuries and my surroundings, testing the strength of the bonds around my wrists and ankles. Hmm, quite sturdy, I thought to myself. Of course, they weren’t sturdy enough to stop me from escaping if I really wanted to. But I didn’t want to. I’d gotten myself into all this for a reason, and this was just the beginning. So, I buried myself in my thoughts and waited. Hours later, after my arms had begun to go numb from the lack of blood circulation, I heard the sound of multiple footsteps approaching. I immediately bent over and began sobbing, resuming my role as a dumb b***h. The door opened, and three men in black suits walked in. Following them was my cowardly boyfriend, who practically skittered into the room. I recognized two of the men in suits. They were the same brutes who had come to my apartment, beaten me up, and kidnapped me. Seeing them now, dressed in suits and all cleaned up, they looked so different. The third man stood tall, staring at me like a piece of meat he was contemplating either eating or throwing away. “Why is she tied up? And beaten, too? Why?” he asked his men, feigning anger. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he genuinely cared. But Adrian Thorne was a heartless motherfucker, and I knew that. His men must have been following his exact orders. “Untie her and help her to her feet,” he barked at them. His men rushed to my side, loosened the ropes around my wrists and ankles, and pulled me to my feet. I stood on wobbling legs and almost fell, but Adrian caught me. He steadied me without letting go of my arm, giving me a bit of support. Reaching into his breast pocket, he pulled out a white handkerchief and tenderly wiped the blood and sweat from my face. Why is he being so nice and gentle? I wondered. He must be trying to make me drop my guard and trust him. Pfft. In your dreams, pretty boy. As these thoughts ran through my mind, I kept whimpering on the outside, clinging to him as if my life depended on him. “Bring us two chairs,” he ordered his men. They left and returned almost immediately, carrying two wooden chairs, which they placed facing each other. He helped me sit on one before taking the other and positioning it opposite me. “You may leave, guys,” he said, without taking his eyes off me. “Not you, Jason.” My stupid boyfriend—ex-boyfriend, I mean—stopped mid-stride and scurried back into the room like the rat he was. “So, Ms. Jones, do you know why you’re here?” Adrian asked. “No, I don’t,” I sobbed. “Your men just came into my room unannounced and claimed that I now belonged to Club Blu and that my life was over.” I burst into fake sobs and hiccups, even throwing in a couple of fake coughs to perfect my act. He waited until I’d calmed down before asking, “Do you know who I am?” Of course I know who you are. “No, I have no idea,” I replied, feigning ignorance. “My name is Adrian Thorne. I’m a businessman, and Club Blu is one of my establishments.” “Okay, Mr. Thorne. What can I do for you?” I asked, trembling. “Well, you see, your boyfriend here…” He pointed at Jason, who was too afraid to look up. “…took out a loan from one of my establishments and has been unable to repay it.” I raised my gaze from Adrian’s face to Jason’s, then back to Adrian. “But what does that have to do with me? Why am I the one who was beaten and dragged down here while he’s standing here free?” “Well, unfortunately for you, Ms. Jones, your loving boyfriend here used you as collateral for the loan. He even provided your signature and video evidence to back it up.” I laughed. “No, that’s impossible! I don’t even know anything about any stupid loan. Please, I beg you, this is a mistake. I didn’t sign for any loan!” I pleaded frantically, trying to look as pitiful as possible. Adrian remained silent for a moment before pulling a couple of papers and a cellphone from his suit. He flipped to the last page of the documents and handed them to me. “Bottom right. Is that not your signature?” he asked. I took my time studying the signature as if I didn’t already know it was mine. “Yes, it is mine, but…” I looked up from the paper and faced Jason. “What the hell is going on, Jason? Why the hell did you use me as collateral for your loan? And how did my signature get on this paper?” I screamed at the coward. “I didn’t even know you’d taken out any loans! The only thing I remember us signing up for was that vacation lottery that…” I suddenly stopped, pretending to realize what was happening. “Wait! Did you trick me into signing this under the guise of it being a vacation lottery?” I asked Jason. He nodded without looking at me. “Look at me, you bastard!” I shouted. He finally raised his head, and the motherfucker had a s**t-eating grin plastered across his face. He even had the nerve to wink at me. Before I could say anything else, Adrian handed me the cellphone, which was playing a video. It was the video I’d playfully sent to my best friend last year when I needed a loan from her. In it, I was promising her that if I didn’t pay her back on time, she could have me as her slave. Of course, they’d edited out the other parts and kept only the section that suited their purpose. “Wait! I sent this to Becks last year. How did you get it?” I asked Jason. “Well, one night, after f*****g her brains out, she came up with this beautiful plan to sell you to Club Blu. That way, she and I could finally be together in the open, just like we’ve always wanted. And, of course, the loan would help us live a better life.” He paused, his grin widening. “So, thank you.” I acted shocked and heartbroken as tears rolled down my cheeks. I remained speechless, allowing his words to tear me apart. As much as this was no news to me, I still found myself hurting from his words. My best friend and my boyfriend wanted me out of their lives so badly that they’d sold me into a strip club. Who needs enemies, right? I looked from Jason to the video, then to Adrian. Funnily enough, the man looked pissed. His jaw twitched as he stared at Jason. “As much as I’d hate to do this, Ms. Jones, you’ll have to work in my club as a stripper until you’ve paid back the two-hundred-thousand-dollar loan your boyfriend…” “Ex-boyfriend,” I interjected. “Sorry. Your ex-boyfriend borrowed.” With that, he stood up. “Wait, sir, please! I had nothing to do with any of this. Please believe me!” I begged, grabbing his hand. “I’ll send someone down here to help you clean up and get settled in.” He walked out, and Jason followed. I sat there alone, sobbing. This has gone better than I expected, I thought to myself.