Bittersweet

Awakening

Cordelia's POV

As I sat across from my boss, things didn't make much sense he had a sinister look on his face that was usually replaced with a gentle smile. I swallowed the lump in my throat and pushed aside my fear, something just didn't feel right. " Mr Jones, you wanted to see me." I squeaked quietly, his dark eyes scanned down my body and an amused smirk appeared. " Yes, I did." He stated as he stood up, there was a bulge in the front of his pants near his crotch causing my stomach to churn." Feccia." (Scum) I muttered to myself in Italian, my natural roots, he made his way in between my legs as he pushed himself back against his desk, giving me the perfect view of his...member.

" Miss Romona, I've noticed you've been coming in late recently..." He started, yes, he was going to fire me. I sighed, " I'm sorry, Mr Jones, I'm really struggling at home right now with Bills and I just got an eviction notice-" I went to continue about the problems I had been struggling with for months now when he held up his finger in order to hush me. I silenced myself immediately not wanting to lose my job any faster than it was deemed to come. Before he could start again I couldn’t help myself and blurted out, “ Are you going to fire me?” She chirped quietly, her head down to the ground. 

Mr Jones face softened slightly, “ No...I simply need you to run an errand for me..” He said moving back to the front of his desk and sliding open one of the drawers, Mr Jones pulled out a very large yellow envelope and handed it to me, “ What’s this?” I asked curiously, weighing it in my petite hands, it was definitely a heavier, bigger envelope that must have held very important information about the company, it was the only logical thing.

“ It’s some Paperwork that I was asked to fill out...I need it to be taken to this address.” He said sliding a notepad over with an address on it, ‘442 Broad Street’ I looked up from the address and faced Mr Jones, “ I don’t understand...Why me?” I asked, confusion written all over my face.

“ Because I see potential in you, you can do this. Just drop off the paperwork and I’ll send you your bonus and you can pay your rent and be on with your day.” He smiled, but this smile wasn’t genuine, it was cold and secretive. But my naive self went along with it anyway and agreed. I should’ve seen the red signs when he looked my body up and down with his piercing eyes that practically stabbed daggers into my soul. Nevertheless, I took the envelope and left the office and headed to my car in the parking lot.

Typing in the address into my phone, I turned on the GPS and began driving to the destination...Once I started driving into the fancy part of New York, I checked the location once again to make sure I was in the right place. Finding the address, I parked my car in the garage, stepping out of the car there was many men and women wearing masks and formal ware as I made my way to the front door. An African American with a massively built body guarded the door, there were many other people that lined up all away around the block to get in, there must be a special event held tonight was my immediate thought. I took in a deep breath and marched up to the bodyguard and tapped his shoulder, he stood at least a foot and a half taller than me and his hulk frame would most definitely crush my skinny, 5’7 self.  

Hulk finally turned toward me and stared down at my frame, I must have looked like a wreck because he stared for a while before noticing the envelope in my hand, he swiftly took it from my hands and read the label, ‘ Delgani ‘ huh, I’ve never noticed that before...he motioned me to follow him. I received a few glares from future guest, but luckily I would just be in and out...Oh, how wrong I was…

We walked down a long dark hall that appeared to be in the basement of the hotel, I gulped nervously as I followed him, he pushed me into a room and locked it, “ Hey! What are you doing?” I asked panicked. He completely avoided my question and pulled out his walkie-talkie and spoke in Italian,  “ Jordan Jones è arrivato con la ragazza, cella 13, manda giù lo stilista per prepararla.” ( Mr Jones came through with the girl, cell 13, send down the stylist to get her ready.) This couldn’t be happening...

A few minutes passed before two women walked into my cell with cases of make-up..and a lingerie outfit on a hanger, I frowned and the woman rolled her eyes, and then sighed and grabbed a pair of scissors and cut my clothes off, “ What the hell!” I yelled trying to cover myself when she cut off my underwear and bra leaving me completely bare. “Get it the shower now.” She ordered, pointing to the showerhead in the corner of the room, my cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but I walked to the showerhead and turned it on and began scrubbing my body with the soap they had given me and washed my hair. I turned the handle off to the shower.

“ Put  it on.” The woman groaned with a thick Italian accent, motioning to the skimpy Lingerie, my eyes widened disapprovingly, it wasn’t that I was insecure of my body, I was Italian and Greek, I knew I was very easy on the eyes, I had long dark black hair, and green eyes with fair tan skin, I was a bit skinny, but fit due to doing Yoga every day for the past 3 years, I was 21, turning 22 in a few months. “ Get Dressed.” She ordered once again. I sighed and grabbed the clothes and quickly began getting dressed avoiding her sharp gaze. The lingerie was skimpy, to say the least, it was black and see-through lace with a collar around the neck, what was I? A dog?

Once I was dressed the other girl that looked around my age began combing my hair and curling the ends, ‘my hair was naturally straight so good luck trying to get it to curl’ I thought with a small smirk forming at my lips. Don’t get me wrong, I was scared shitless of what was to happen to me after all of ‘this’  has already happened, I’d only imagine it would get worse, but I needed to be calm, collected, that was the best way not to get killed and I might be able to find a way to escape. “ Fatto!” ( Done! ) The woman exclaimed after she had painted my face to most likely look like a w***e or s**t maybe even a prostitute.

Hulk came into the room and grabbed me roughly and put a leash onto my collar, I glared at him as he yanked me roughly to follow him, I hissed in pain and my hands immediately flung to my throat to get it off, but it was locked with a key, of course. Getting dragged down the dark hall I was shoved into a pitch-black room, I looked around but saw nothing, when suddenly a bright light shone down on me, I immediately clenched my eyes shut and wrapped my arms around my body when my vision adjusted, tinted glass was surrounding me, as a few more women were shoved into the room next to me, many sobbing, others hooked on some type of drug. 

Getting thrown into a world of bitterness and nothing but evil could really kill, I was never the fragile innocent little girl everyone saw, I was me, I was badass. I knew my power and I knew my worth, "I'm going to get through this..." I whispered to myself barely audible to myself, suddenly the man stopped in front of my face, his icy blue eyes searching my green ones for some type of reaction, you won't get it. He had dark black hair that was neat but held messy locks in it, fair olive skin, plush lips, he picked up a strand of my ink-black hair, twiddling it between his rough fingers, I kept my gaze on his, refusing to show weakness, who would want a disobedient girl?..." La voglio. Quanto?" (I want her. How much?) He asked in Italian, I immediately translated and my emerald eyes widened in fear as the older man looked down at the paperwork I had brought in earlier that day, " 500,000" He stated quietly. The man nodded in agreement and made a swift motion to two large men that soon came up to me and grabbed my shoulders, yanking me towards a metal door, that lead out of the auction room.

Holy Shit...My boss just sold me in an auction for 500,000 dollars...