Bought to be his queen

Prey In The Spotlight

June stood frozen, her body screaming in pain, her mind reeling. Leaving. The word echoed in her head, heavy and terrifying. Where could she possibly go?

"Leave where Ma?", she whispered, her voice trembling.

Evelyn ignored the question entirely. She stepped closer, looking June up and down with a critical, disgusted expression.

"You look like a beggar", Evelyn said sharply. "If you are going to be handed over, you must at least look appealing. We are going out to buy you a dress. Something tight and sexy."

June’s stomach twisted into a tight knot. A cold dread settled deep in her bones. A sexy dress. For whom. The implication was heavy and sickening. She had a terrible feeling about all of this, a dark premonition that she was being prepared not for a new life, but for a transaction. But fear kept her obedient. She nodded weakly, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Yes, Ma."

As June turned to leave, Lily stepped forward, a bright, wicked smile playing on her lips.

"Mother, let me take her", Lily said sweetly, linking her arm through Evelyn’s. "You’ve had such a long morning dealing with her mistakes. Let me handle it. I know exactly what kind of dress she needs to wear to please whoever is waiting for her."

Evelyn considered it, then nodded. "Very well. Take her. But do not be late. Everything must be ready by one thirty tomorrow."

"Of course", Lily replied, her eyes gleaming as she looked at June. "We won’t be long."

June followed Lily out to the car, every step sending sharp aches through her bruised legs and back. She hoped, foolishly, that despite Lily’s hatred, they would simply go to a shop, buy a dress, and return. But as the car drove past the shopping district and headed toward the loud, neon-lit part of the city, June’s heart began to hammer against her ribs.

"Lily, where are we going?", June asked timidly.

Lily didn’t look away from the road, her expression cold and excited. "We aren’t going to any boutique. There is something I want to do first. After all." She turned her head, grinning widely. "Today is your last day with us. It will be the very last chance I ever get to play with you."

June’s blood ran cold.

The car pulled up outside a loud, crowded nightclub. Music thumped heavily from inside, vibrating through the pavement. Lily stepped out, grabbing June’s arm in a painful grip, digging her fingers right into the fresh bruises on June’s upper arm, and dragged her inside.

It was loud, hot, and reeking of sweat and alcohol. Lily had already texted her friends, and they were waiting in a private booth, bottles of expensive liquor lined up on the table.

"Look who I brought", Lily announced loudly, shoving June into the center of the open floor near their table. "My dear stepsister June. Today is a special day, so we’re going to have a little fun before she leaves us forever."

The girls laughed, cruel and shrill. June stood there, hugging her arms around herself, trying to make herself invisible, but Lily wouldn’t allow it.

"Don’t just stand there like a statue", Lily snapped. She kicked June’s leg out from under her, forcing her to stumble. "Dance. Come on. Show us what you’ve got. You’re going to be doing a lot of it soon anyway, aren’t you?"

June shook her head, tears pricking her eyes. "Please Lily, don’t."

"Dance", Lily screamed, grabbing a glass of clear liquid from the table and hurling it straight at June.

The vodka splashed against June’s chest and face, cold and burning, soaking into her already damp clothes. The smell was overwhelming. June gasped, wiping her eyes, but more drinks followed. Lily and her friends laughed as they poured their cocktails, whiskey, and beer all over June, soaking her hair, her dress, drenching her until she was dripping wet from head to toe, sticky and reeking of alcohol.

"Look at her, she's a mess", one of the girls giggled.

"She looks better this way", Lily said, circling June like a predator.

June was shivering, humiliated beyond belief, her body throbbing from pain and cold. She tried to cover herself, but Lily grabbed her hair and yanked her head back.

"You’re leaving tomorrow June. You’re going to belong to a stranger soon. But before you go, you need to remember exactly what you are."

Lily tilted a full bottle of beer and poured the entire contents onto the floor right in front of June’s feet. The liquid spread across the tiles, foaming and sticky.

"Clean it up", Lily ordered coldly.

"I, I don’t have a cloth", June whispered, trembling.

Lily’s eyes narrowed. "I didn’t say use a cloth. I said clean it up. Use your mouth. Lick it off the floor. Every drop."

June’s face burned with shame. "No, please."

"Do it", Lily shrieked, kicking June’s knees from behind.

June collapsed forward, her hands hitting the wet, sticky tiles. She looked up, pleading, but Lily’s friends were closing in, blocking any escape. Knowing there was no way out, knowing that resistance would only bring worse pain, June lowered her head. She pressed her face to the dirty, alcohol-soaked floor and began to lick. The taste was bitter, stale, and foul. Tears mixed with the liquid on the floor as she did exactly as she was told, humiliated in the worst possible way, while Lily and her friends cheered and laughed, recording the whole thing on their phones.

This was her life. This was what she was worth. Nothing. Less than dirt.

"Good", Lily purred, watching her with delight.

Suddenly, the heavy door of the VIP entrance at the back of the club swung open.

The loud music seemed to fade into the background as a silence swept over the group. A man stood in the doorway, tall and imposing, his presence filling the entire room. He wore a sharp black suit, expensive and perfectly tailored, and his dark eyes swept across the scene, landing instantly on June, kneeling on the wet, sticky floor, covered in alcohol, tears streaming down her face.

It was Adrian.

He didn’t speak immediately. He stood there, calm, terrifyingly composed, looking at her with an unreadable expression that made the air feel heavy.

Lily stopped laughing, her smile faltering as she saw him.

Adrian’s gaze shifted slowly from June to Lily, cold and sharp as a blade. Then, he spoke. His voice was low, steady, and absolute.

"Get up", he commanded.

June froze, her lips still tasting the bitter alcohol from the floor. She lifted her head slowly, her eyes meeting his across the room.