Chapter 7

I 've been sitting on the bed for what feels like an eternity, waiting for someone to come and fetch me. But no one has arrived. I suppose that's a fortunate turn of events for me. Maybe they've forgotten about me, and this is how I'll spend my time here...

Suddenly, the door slides open, interrupting my thoughts. I hear approaching footsteps and swiftly rise from the bed. Before me stands a dark-skinned young woman. She's dressed in a short black leather skirt, a vintage crop top, a black leather jacket, and black ankle boots. She exudes a certain edgy charm, and she must be Anna, as George had mentioned.

"Come with me," she says, her expression void of emotion, before turning her back to me. I nod and hastily follow her as we exit the room. I breathe a sigh of relief as we stand outside the door, finally free from that place.

She turns to me and says, "Let's go."

"Where are we headed?" I inquire, walking alongside her. She shoots me a stern look but doesn't respond.

"Sorry," I mumble, quietly trailing behind her as we make our way to the elevator.

I understand these people are affluent, but couldn't they simply use the staircase? It's not like we're in a towering skyscraper or anything. Once the elevator reaches the second floor, we step out. Anna leads me to a door on the left and knocks. The door opens, revealing a sophisticated woman.

"Hello, Madam Maya," Anna greets her.

Madam Maya smiles and replies, "Hello, Anna." She surveys me from head to toe. "Another newcomer?" she inquires."

Anna smiles and says, "Yes, please instruct her on what to do, just in case she's needed for any specific purpose like the auction."

Did she just mention an auction? I remember the consigliere saying that I wouldn't be auctioned. Stay calm, Kemi, she said it's just a precaution.

I notice the woman examining me as though I'm a commodity about to be sold.

The woman continues to smile and remarks, "She has an impressive physique," her gaze lingering up and down my body.

"Indeed, he always seeks the finest," Anna chimes in, offering me an encouraging smile.

Could these two just stop? This is becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"I will ensure she's well taken care of. Don't worry, Anna," the woman reassures.

Anna nods and departs. I avert my gaze from the woman and nervously fiddle with my fingers.

"Come inside," Madam Maya invites me, opening the door wider. I enter the room and find myself in a moderately-sized office. It's modestly furnished with a desk, a couple of chairs, a small table, and a large bookshelf. I wonder about the purpose of the books; I hadn't expected these people to be avid readers. There's a window offering a glimpse of the outside, and to the left, a glass door that's not transparent, preventing me from seeing what lies beyond.

Madam Maya takes a seat behind the desk and gestures for me to sit across from her at the table. I settle into the chair, my hands tightly clasped together in nervousness.

She grins and says, "Relax, I'm not one to bite," evidently noticing my apprehension. Yeah, they all say that and then bite later on.

"Let's not waste any time; you're Kemi, correct?"

Of course, and I'm sure you're already aware... That's what I want to say, but then...

"Yes," I simply respond.

"You might be presented at an auction soon, so you need to prepare and understand how to make an impression on the potential buyers."

Oh, dear God, no. He promised he wouldn't auction me off, but then again, I can't trust that man's words.

"How to impress potential buyers?" I ask with a perplexed expression.

Ignoring my question, she inquires, "How old are you, Kemi?"

"I'm 21," I answer, wondering why she's asking.

"You're old enough to know how to attract a man, right?" She asks, grinning at me. "I'm certain you do."

My eyes widen, "Attract... seduce a man?"

She frowns, "Why are you sounding like an amateur? Are you a baby? Have you never been f**ked?"

I avert my gaze from her and nervously fidget with my fingers. Could she be any less direct?

"Wait, you're still a virgin?" she asks, catching me off guard.

I raise my head, surprised by her question, and detect disbelief in her eyes. Should I deny it and claim I'm not, or should I admit the truth? After all, I am, and it's not as if it's a crime.

"I... Of course, I'm not inexperienced. I know about those things."

Certainly, I'm aware of those things, but trust me, I haven't experienced any of them.

She regards me with a skeptical look. "So you're not a virgin, then?"

Oh God, could she please stop with these questions?

"Well, do I have to answer that?" I inquire.

She frowns briefly before suddenly breaking into a broad smile. "I'm astonished. You're 21 and still a virgin. You must have kept away from men."

When did I tell her that, and why does she sound as though it's a crime? It's my choice since it's my body, isn't it?

"I didn't say I am," I deny.

"But you didn't say you're not," she points out.

I look away, pursing my lips.

"Strip," she says briskly, and I raise my head in confusion and shock. Did she just say what I think she did?

"I should undress?" I repeat, as if I didn't hear her correctly at first.

She simply nods, waiting for me to comply.

"W... Why?" I stammer, fear beginning to grip me.

She frowns deeply, "You ask a lot of questions girl. I said strip!" She yells causing me to flinch.

My hands tremble as I reach for the hem of my shirt. Tears are already forming in my eyes even when I am trying to hold it in. 

I lift my shirt over my head exposing my bra before wrapping my hands around my bare body.

"Go on, I said strip. Is this what you call stripping? Stand up and do it properly."

I swallow hard and stand up from the chair and start unbuttoning my trouser. After unbuttoning it, I pull it down slowly to my legs, exposing my black underwear.

Now I am almost naked, with only my pant and bra remaining. Suddenly I hear her groan in annoyance before she stands up walking to me. I take a step backwards and she stops.

She sighs, "You're going to make this hard for yourself, Kemi. Do you want me to bring men over to help you do it properly?"

Men? Oh crap! That shouldn't happen.

I shake my head before taking off my bra and my underwear leaving me completely naked. She smiles staring at my body, her hands across her chest.

"Wow, you are clean. Nice hips." She tilts her head to look at my behind. "Nice butt too, a good size for your body. Nice breasts, sexy nipples."She grins as she keeps checking me out like I'm one of those girls about to be sold for prostitution. Wait, isn't this even the same thing? "Have they been touched before?" She asks taking me by surprise.

Oh goodness! Please make her stop already. I don't answer her but simply turns away.

She sighs, "Have they been touched? You had better answer me Kemi or you'll regret it."

I gulp, "Yes but not bare." I reply.

She regards me with an amused look and remarks, "Wow, which corner of the world have you been residing in, girl? Did you even have any fun during your teenage years?"

I remain silent. What can I possibly say? My teenage life is a period I'd rather not revisit. I spent most of that time labeled as the girl who was accused of forcing herself on a guy at school. After what happened with Isabelle, I had no other friends, and while my peers were enjoying their youth, I was struggling to make ends meet for my family.

"I have met all type of girls, both virgins and non virgins but at least, they have all had experiences in one way or the other but you?..." She shake her head at me. " l'm sure you have never even been fingered" She laughs.

Oh goodness, she didn't just say that. So what if I've never been? lt's not like I committed a crime. I am not 29 yet, I'm only 21 and besides, this is Nigeria. You cannot just go around having fun with boys because our mindsets here is... Well... Very complicated. Having sex or this kind of fun with the wrong guys will taunt you and you'll regret it. Nobody wants to fall in love; everyone claims to be chasing the bag.

"Lucy!" She calls out and then, the door opens and a young girl wearing only a G-string and a bra comes in. Her beautiful fair skin could have been perfect if not for the scars that are clearly visible on her body. They look like marks from whips or being beaten. Why is she looking like this?

"Yes, Madam Maya," the girl responds without sparing me a glance.

Madam Maya continues, "This is our new recruit, her name is Kemi. She's inexperienced and has much to learn."

Lucy, the girl, finally looks at me and nods.

"Fetch her something to wear first," Madam Maya instructs, and Lucy nods before disappearing into the inner room through the glass door.

I can't help but shiver from the cold. They seem to have set the air conditioning to a very low temperature.

"What does it mean to be auctioned off?" I inquire, wrapping my arms around myself for warmth.

Madam Maya smiles before returning to her seat.

"You're not a child, so you should at least have a sense of what it entails," she shrugs. "Well... it simply means you're being sold to the highest bidder," she explains.

I shudder in fear. Sold to the highest bidder? It's as if they're auctioning off merchandise. Wait, so instead of goods, they bid for girls?

"And the person gets to take me away?" I ask further.

She nods, "Exactly. Whatever the person does with you is no longer our business."

"What can the person do?"

"Make you a sex slave? Make you do dirty works for them? Nothing new." She shrugs.

"Nothing new?" I almost lose my balance upon hearing that. Do these people have any sense of morality at all? What's worse is that you wouldn't even know about all these things happening in this mansion. They seem to cover everything so meticulously.

"Do I have to be auctioned?" I inquire.

She gazes at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. "You're already looking pale, girl. Relax. That's how the other girls were when they first arrived. You'll get used to it, don't worry."

Just as I'm about to respond, the door to the left opens, and Lucy enters, holding what appear to be underwear. Or are they? They certainly seem like it.

"Here it is, madam Maya." She says showing them to her.

"Make your choice, Kemi." Madam Maya says gesturing to the underwears.

Wait, this is what I am going to put on?

"Am I wearing just this?" I ask in disbelief.

She sighs, "Stop asking questions, will you?"

I sigh and move closer to Lucy and collects whichever my hands touches first.

I put them on and wrap my arms around my body because I still feel naked.

"You should get used to wearing that." Madam Maya says before pulling out a paper from an envelope on the table.

She takes out a pen and stretches it to me. "Sign here." She places the paper on the table with the pen on top of it.

I slowly make my way to the chair and sit down, taking the pen in my right hand. What's the point of reading the contents? I don't really have a choice anyway. I quickly sign the paper and place the pen back on top of it.

Madam Maya reaches for the document and smiles. "You didn't ask any questions this time. I was expecting you to inquire about what the signature is for."

I shrug. "I still have to sign it anyway."

"You didn't have to, though..." Her words make my eyes widen. Wait, what?

"You could have declined to sign it but in exchange for something else."

I'm intrigued. "And what would that be?" I ask.

"To stay here," she states flatly.

I stare at her in confusion. What on earth is she talking about?

"What do you mean?"

"The content of the paper is that you accept to be auctioned and if you had refused to sign it, you wouldn't have to be auctioned but simply do any work you're told to do here. That includes sex slave, work as a maid..."

"Work as a maid??" I ask in shock. Why didn't she tell me earlier?

She laughs, "Yes. But you see every job here have its risk. Sometimes there's no difference between the job of a maid here and a sex slave."

Wait, if I hadn't signed the paper, I had a choice to not be auctioned?

Tears rolls down my cheeks, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Where's the fun if I do that?" She says with a grin. "Most times, the girls don't read it because they feel they have no choice either way. Even some, who read it, still signed it while others who asked if they have a choice, are working as sex slaves and maids now."

"Does this mean much?" I inquire.

"Of course," she nods.

"But can't the consigliere decide whether I go or not?"

"Yes, he can, but that's only before you signed this paper, darling."

"What?"

She continues, "Well, you see, girl, this paper you just signed will be sent to the boss or the underboss for approval. The consigliere doesn't have a say in it."

Wait, there's an underboss too? There's another boss apart from the boss? Who is that?

"But..."

She interrupts me, "It's not the end of the world, girl. You might get lucky and be bought by a kind man," she smirks. "It's just that nice people aren't always in the auction," she chuckles.

"Take her away, Lucy," she instructs.

Lucy turns to me, "Let's go."

I stand there, still confused by what just transpired. Lucy walks over to the bookshelf and pulls out a book halfway, and suddenly the shelf slides open, revealing a door.

Huh? So there are secret compartments in this house.

She stands in front of the door, and then I hear a robotic voice saying, "Face recognized," before the door opens. Now, where does this door lead to?

Lucy turns to me, saying, "Let's go."

I walk to join her, and as soon as she steps inside the dark area, I quickly follow. The door closes behind us, and the space is illuminated as the lights turn on.

"Follow me," Lucy instructs, and she begins to walk through the passage, with me following closely. As we proceed, I start hearing faint voices screaming from behind locked doors on either side.

"Where is this place?" I ask, hoping she'll provide an answer.

"It's obviously a hideout, Kemi," Lucy responds, rolling her eyes.

"I know, but..." I start to say before Lucy interrupts me.

"Girls are taught how to be prepared for the auctions and how to do other stuffs here. Let me just say, dirty works are done here."

"Are there men here?" I inquire, my voice filled with panic.

She gazes at me and asks, "Do you fear men that much?"

I lower my gaze.

She nods, "Yes."

Her response sends panic coursing through me, and I turn to her. "There are?"

"Yes, Kemi, there are men here. Who else would teach you if not men?"

My voice quivers as I continue, "What do you mean? Will they...will they, like...you know..."

"They won't f**k you Kemi..." She says bluntly, cutting me off. "They would simply teach you other stuffs that we females can't."

Isn't that the same thing? I do not say anything else and just quietly follow her. We turn left, passing doors on each side, and the yells and screams become more audible.

Lucy walks up to the third door on the right after we make a turn and knocks. After a few seconds, someone opens the door, and she enters while I follow behind. I see a dark-skinned guy wearing a black polo and jeans.

He smiles and greets, "Hello, Lucy."

Lucy shakes her head at him, saying, "What's there to smile about?"

The guy's smile quickly disappears. Could this girl be any less harsh?

Lucy introduces me, saying, "This is Kemi." She turns to me. "Kemi, this is Mike. He'll be assisting you with your dresses and you can ask him questions."

Mike grins broadly at me, "Hello, Kemi."

So there are people here who genuinely smile? It looks genuine, or does he always just smile?

"Hi," I respond before looking away from him.

Lucy informs us, "This will be where your practice takes place. Someone else is coming to join you, so you'll both practice together. Don't worry, it's another girl." She adds before turning to Mike. "I'll be back for her later. If she's causing any trouble, you know what to do." She gives me a stern look before leaving me alone with Mike, who continues to smile from ear to ear.

I wrap my hands around my bare body with hands and sit on the couch close to the bed. I look around the room and can see some weird equipment arranged close to the bed. I have seen such things on the internet before so I know they are used during sexual activities. The ones that look like handcuffs, whips and others are arranged there.

Mike sits on the bed, crossing his right leg over the other as he faces me.

"Kemi, I want you to relax your mind; no one will hurt you, okay?" he reassures me.

Lies.

I nod, offering a forced smile. "Thanks, Mike."

He nods in return before taking out his phone.

"How did you get yourself involved with the mafia, Kemi?" he asks me as he taps on his phone.

Trust me; you don't even want to know. I had no idea I was getting involved with the mafia either until I started hearing terms like 'consigliere,' 'underboss,' 'capo,' 'boss.'

"It's a long story. Can I ask you a question first?"

He nods.

"You know the mafia is illegal, right? Aren't these people afraid of getting caught?"

"Getting caught?" He chuckles. "How will they get caught when everything is done in disguise? You only see what they want you to see."

"In disguise? So you mean no one knows about the sex slavery, and criminal activities going on here?"

"Yes, no one knows. Everyone here is already a part of the mafia and cannot disclose anything done here, or else it won't end well for them," Mike emphasizes, indirectly warning me to keep my mouth shut now that I'm involved.

"Who is the underboss?" I inquire.

"The underboss is the one who will become the boss after the current boss. He happens to be the younger brother of the consigliere."

The younger brother? Wait, isn't he the one my father owes? He's the underboss?

"Does that mean he holds a higher rank than the consigliere?" I ask, seeking clarification.

Mike sighs, "It's hard for you to grasp how things work here, but you could say that."

The younger brother holds a higher rank than the elder one? Well, I suppose you can't judge a book by its cover.

"Could you please explain further? I need to understand," I insist.

He sighs and nods, "The consigliere serves as the advisor to the boss. He has his own power and responsibilities, so you can't definitively say the underboss outranks him. However, after the boss, the consigliere is expected to become the advisor to the underboss, but I'm not entirely sure about that."

"Why not? What do you mean?" I press for more information.

"The consigliere and the underboss may be brothers, but they don't always get along," Mike explains.

They don't get along? But they're siblings. "But aren't they brothers?"

"They are half-brothers. The consigliere's mother isn't the one who gave birth to the underboss."

"Oh, I see. They have different mothers then. The underboss' mother is the younger wife, isn't she?"

"I'm not in any position to discuss that. Forget about the underboss' mother," Mike dismisses the topic.

I nod slowly, absorbing this new information. If the underboss holds a rank seemingly higher than the consigliere, shouldn't he have more power to prevent me from being auctioned off? "Can the underboss decide not to send a girl to the auction?"

"Well, if the girl has signed the contract, it would be submitted to the boss for approval, and only the boss can decide not to send someone to the auction. Although, if the underboss has the authority to approve it, he can choose who to send and who not to. But most of the time, it's the boss who grants approval."

I feel a sinking sensation. "So the consigliere can't do anything about it?"

"He can, but only before the girl signs the contract. Suppose he takes an interest in any of the girls brought in; he can request the boss or underboss not to send her to the auction."

"Can't he make such a request even after the contract has been signed?"

"Hmm, well, technically, he can. However, he would need a very compelling reason for it to be granted."

So the consigliere lied. He had intended to auction me off from the beginning. Tears welled up in my eyes as I imagined someone purchasing me for their own pleasure. Even if staying here might be a form of hell, I would prefer it over being sent away to an unknown fate.

XOXO