v
It's Murder
Chapter 12
My body flinched and my eyes shut at the sound of the leather strap on bare flesh but Emmett grabbed me tightly and whispered in my ear.
"It's not her, Edward. It's not Bella."
I opened my eyes again and looked more closely. He was right. This girl could indeed, almost be Bella but she wasn't. For a start, she was younger.
She finally tossed her hair back and looked at me. Her body was crossed with red welts; old and new, and even as it sagged in near defeat, she managed to tug and turn herself away from her tormentor. She shared one thing with Bella. She was spirited. Bree stared at me with wide, desperate eyes. Brown, so like Bella's. They begged me to rescue her. She had realized it was better to be used and tortured by just the one devil than the vast variety of men Aro would introduce her to.
"Well, Mr Masen, what do you think?" Aro asked anxiously, his greedy hands rubbing together.
She may not be my Bella, but she was somebody's 'Bella', somebody's girlfriend, daughter, wife, child, and I could not leave her here.
"Fine, but like you, I'm not sure she's absolutely perfect for me. As you say, she's very young and not quite up to par , and it can be a little boring completing their training. But her looks are spot on. I have a soft spot for petite brunettes. I'll take her, but maybe I should see what else you have to offer me. Maybe you have another just like her?" I winked.
His assistant said something to him quietly, too quietly, and Aro frowned.
"There is in fact one other girl here who could almost pass as Bree's twin. But she would be very expensive indeed. She's barely started working for me and she's very popular."
I swallowed the bile in my throat and hoped I looked more sick than sickened.
"Sounds awesome," Emmett said for me. "Let's go see her. What's her name?"
"Izzy. She's very lovely but also very talented," Aro assured us both, now willing to acknowledge Emmett as well if my brother was going to be my enabler in these purchases. "Maybe we could find someone special for you as well."
"Well, it is almost my birthday," Emmett said cheerily. His eyes sparkled and darkened but not because of lust like Aro assumed. Emmett wanted a fight, and the more girls he saw enslaved by this pitiful excuse for a man, the more likely it would be that he would snap, and possibly snap the little man's neck.
"Only if you behave," I warned him.
He got the message and calmed down.
We followed Aro through dark tunnels until we came to a surprisingly modern state of the art elevator cleverly hidden in an ancient brick wall, and descended down to the workplace of his slaves.
"So, what type of woman would you prefer?" Aro asked Emmett.
"Me, I'm a connoisseur of blonde ladies," he answered. " But none of these currently desirable skin and bones type. The curvier the better. Do you think men who fancy these flat chested starving waifs really prefer teen boys? That's my theory. I like a woman who is built like a woman."
"Oh, I know who would be just perfect for you," Aro giggled. I swear I would one day let my brother rip this man apart just because he took such pleasure in trading in women. It was like a personal shopper squeeing over finding the ideal outfit of clothing for you.
Shrieks and cries of both satisfaction and agony assaulted our ears as the doors opened.
"Welcome to the dungeon. Otherwise known as the Palace of Pleasure, for obvious reasons.
Now, to our right we have the boudoir our submissives rest in between appointments, so we can look them over later, but first off, I want to introduce you both to my two best Dungeon Mistresses, Rose and Izzy."
After the extreme letdown of Bree not being Bella, I tried not to get my hopes up too high, but when he opened the door to our left, my eyes almost fell from my head.
A dozen naked men were situated around the room, manacled to walls; or beating young girls manacled to walls, and the whole setup would have disgusted me too much to stand be here except,on a raised platform, overseeing the various forms of activity, stood two amazing women, both of whom I knew well.
Rose Hale caught my eye and grinned, but it was Bella who caused my mouth to gape. She was dressed in a skin tight black leather Dominatrix outfit , like Rose, and wielding a rather long whip in her hand. I was beyond shocked that even though she may have thought this was the only way to find Riley, that she would take on a role where she had to abuse the girls working here.
"Aro, I see you have brought us two new customers ready to feel the lash of leather against their tender skin," Rose smirked, and I got the picture. They didn't whip the girls, just the sickoes who paid their money to be abused.
"Rose, Izzy, I'd like you to meet Mr Masen and his friend. They are on a shopping spree and much as I enjoy employing you both, times are hard even in this industry and if he is interested in a deal, you two may soon be working for him."
"So what exactly do Rose and Izzy do?" Emmett asked.
"They both oversee the dungeons and make sure all my customers are happy with the service they receive from my Submissives, and they deal with the men who come here simply to experience pain. They are both very good at what they do, and I'm sure they both have many other talents and can be whatever you need them to be, and take on whatever roles you desire. I do insist on you partaking a test drive, if I may call it that, before the deal is made. I don't do second chances; no refunds or exchanges once the girls leave this building with you. So you need to be sure this product is suitable and the one that fulfills all your needs before you sign on the dotted line."
"That won't be necessary, I can see both Izzy and Rose are to our liking," I retorted angrily.
"Mr Masen, rules are rules. I did not train these two girls myself; they both came already risen to their current roles from their previous owner who highly recommended them. A Mr Marcus who resides in your very own country.
As neither have participated here in my castle as Submissives, I would require you making sure they are as proficient as necessary in all roles before signing them over to you. I need to know you and your friend are entirely satisfied with your purchases.
Naturally, as Bree is not yet trained, I would forgo any requirements that either of you assess her abilities. She comes under a 'customer beware' policy; it's entirely at your own risk that you purchase her, knowing she may not ever train up to be what you desire her to be.
But Rose and Izzy are unknown quantities to me as anything other than Dungeon Mistresses and I can't imagine you have any call for one, let alone two of those. I insist they prove their worth in every way , considering their very substantial price tags. "
He motioned for the two women to come down off the stage, and I took Bella's hand into my own, desperate to have some kind of contact with her.
For the first time since we had walked into this room, Bella looked straight into my eyes. All I saw was trust. No matter what 'activities' Aro demanded we try before we got to take them home, she knew I would not hurt her.
"Very well, but first Emmett and I would appreciate some time to talk to these lovely ladies and get acquainted with them somewhere more private," I demanded. "I'm sure you will need some time to settle on a final total. I'm not interested in negotiating. Workout what I owe you and I'll transfer the money before we leave."
"Of course. Please walk this way. Rose, if you'd take your new friend Mr Emmett to the Blue Room, I'm sure Mr Masen and Izzy would be comfortable in the White Room."
He opened the door and I glanced around inside. It was more subtly set out than the dungeons, where the equipment was all out on show. Here there were handcuffs attached to the bedframe, and manacles high on one wall, but partially covered by white frilly curtains. It could almost pass as a Honeymoon suite, with it's snowy white bed and tantric couch almost looked like just another piece of modern furniture.
The moment the door shut behind us, I pulled Bella into my embrace. My body shook with emotion. We weren't out of here yet, but I finally had her back. She kissed my cheek and licked my neck, hiding her face beneath her long brown hair against my jawline.
"This room is wired," she whispered in my ear. "In fact, I think there may be a live stream into Aro's chambers, so behave as you would if I were a brand new acquisition."
I sat her down on the vast white bed and sat beside her.
"How may I please you, Master?" she asked.
"Tell me something about yourself, Izzy."
"Sure. I'm new to this company, but I've worked with two of Aro's current employees before. Rose and I used to be employed by Marcus Jacobs; I'm sure you have heard of him."
"Indeed," I replied."I'm surprised he let you go and agreed to you working for Aro instead."
"I may have been a little economical with what I told him I intended doing as my new career," she admitted.
"Have you spoken to Mr Marcus lately?" I checked.
"Just this morning I let him know I was enjoying my new position here. He was happy for me. Apparently my friend Claire told him all my news. She is a great friend; it seems she is even recommending new customers to come here. I am really glad about that. I was beginning to think I was so well settled in here that I would never leave."
So, it seemed Aro had welcomed her into his employ and refused to let her go again. She did need rescuing, but at least I got here before he started investigating what other roles she could fulfil for his customers.
"Who was the other person here you have worked with previously?"I asked.
"Oh, just a man named Riley. He's the Dungeon Master for the customers who prefer some male company. He loves his work and never plans to leave."
Okayyy. Riley had apparently found a lifestyle that appealed to him, against all odds. I guess he has changed his mind completely about the desirability of white picket fences.
"He also helps any female customers with various needs they may have and he's very satisfied with his work."
"How would you feel about being employed by me?" I questioned.
"A change is as good as a holiday. I'm sure it would be a very interesting career move," she answered. "I would do my best to be everything you wanted me to be."
"I would like to see you naked, " I managed to say in an even voice, even though I knew this meant other eyes would also see her body via the hidden camera. We had to play out a realistic scene of what would be required of a girl like the girl Bella was pretending to be.
"I'm not into inflicting pain onto women. I prefer to hear them moan in pleasure rather than agony but I should warn you, that may change in the future."
Like as soon as I got her home and punished her for getting herself into this extremely dangerous situation. She held my gaze steadily, accepting that there would be fireworks of a whole different kind later.
"Of course. I know men's tastes can evolve overtime. I'm ready for whatever you desire from me."
I helped her peel the costume from her body, and indicated she should stand before me and turn around slowly so I could inspect every inch of her pale ivory skin.
"Would you care to share a shower with me?" I asked, stripping my own clothes off.
She faked surprise and a little fear at the size of my manhood.
"Of course, whatever Sir desires," she replied, waiting so she could follow two steps behind as I headed into the adjoining shower room.
The water cascaded over us both, and she instantly got to her knees. I was glad we had done everything together so many times before. I knew her limits and I asked her to use her hand around the base of my penis as she started to take me inside her mouth. I wasn't about to choke her with a deep throating just for the camera.
She complied and I leaned my hands either side of the tiled walls and shut my eyes, not wanting to betray the emotional attachment to the girl at my feet. We'd just met, after all, and she was to be my sex slave, not my life partner, as far as Aro knew.
I shuddered and stepped back, sparing her as my body convulsed in pleasure.
"That was excellent. You will soon learn what I prefer and what I don't like," I stated as I grabbed her hand and walked her towards the tantra chair, pushing her face down over the undulating surface.
A dish of condoms, and fortunately a new tube of lube had been set out for use, so I coated my fingers and pushed them inside her before putting the rubber on myself, then stood behind her, placing my hands on her hips.
This had been the trickiest position to make comfortable for Bella but we had practised it enough for me to know she could take it, and how many men who just purchased a woman for his own use wanted to look into her eyes as he ravished her body?
I knew it looked uncaring as I thrust inside her, but in reality she was used to this and often had asked me to do it this way. Sometimes Bella liked it rough.
Of course it still bothered me that I was treating her like a piece of meat and couldn't even bend down and kiss her back and shoulders as I usually did while pounding her this way, but this was a 'try before you buy', not a session of lovemaking.
I pulled her upright and mauled her breasts with my hands, and roughly mouthed her neck, leaving red welts behind. I felt like an animal and hoped she would forgive me for this necessary display of raw lust, and then, just as I started to despair of having to use her like this, she clenched.
She clenched.
It was much more than just Bella taking control in a way that was not obvious to anyone but myself, it was her way of assuring me this was alright. Not only alright, but she was enjoying herself as well, to the point where she would have cried out in ecstasy had I kept on thrusting hard like that. She'd pushed me over the edge so she could calm down and not join in herself.
It was certainly not a requirement that I gave her a good time, only that she pleased me.
Anything that looked like mutual desire or love would wreck everything.
I slapped her behind as I pulled out, and walked away without a backward glance as I removed the latex and showered again.
"That was pretty good for a first time," I stated, rubbing my hair dry on a towel as I walked back into the bedroom. " I think you have a lot of potential. You will be useful at my parties. I hope Emmett is finding Rose just as satisfactory.
Tonight we can swap and be sure you both please me but now I just want to tie up this deal and go home. There will be a list of duties for you to familiarize yourself with, though you and Rose can share the load between you and choose whatever fits in with each's particular talents when Emmett's away and I have you both at my disposal. And you two will be required to help in Bree's training."
"Of course," she agreed, no doubt wondering who the heck Bree was.
"Go shower and dress and I'll complete the deal with Aro."
Magically, Aro was ready and waiting. I transferred the funds to the value of the agreed market price for three women, and managed to shake his hand without killing him or barfing.
"I'm a little sad to lose Izzy so soon. I never got to experience her for myself yet. I had plans
for tonight, actually, but I don't expect they will happen now?" he asked hopefully. "It looked like you were having a lot of fun with her."
Wanker.
"Actually, I have back to back meetings booked in the States and need to leave immediately. I will recommend your establishment to my friends and colleagues," I promised. "Could someone please fetch Emmett and Rose."
Bella appeared at my side, her eyes avoiding mine.
"Farewell, Izzy. I shall miss you," Aro simpered, kissing her hands. "Be a good girl for Mr Masen or he will have to thrash you into submission."
Bree joined us at the door, her eyes terrified now. Maybe she was thinking better the devil you know, after all. Rose took her arm and gave her a warm smile, and we walked outside, inhaling deeply of the clean air.
As the gates clanged shut behind us, I was almost tempted to stay in UC and work towards destroying the man and his vile, disgusting business, but Bella looked up at me and I knew I would resign, and settle for an ordinary life. Someone else could return and do what had to be done, but my place was beside Bella.
xxxx
"So, Edward Cullen, we meet again," Rose said with a laugh as we climbed into my limo and headed for the luxury townhouse. There were things to be done before we could fly out of here.
"I heard all about your romance," Bella informed me as she sat as close as humanly possible beside me, her fingers interwoven with mine. All the anger and despair had dissipated for now but I knew it would be back. At the moment it was enough just to know she was safe and undamaged.
"That was a long time ago," I replied. "Anyway, I have a feeling Rose will be a much better match for Emmett."
"You said it brother," Emmett yawned. "I can't wait to hear what the 'rents have to say about Rosie. She and I are a very good fit, methinks."
"I can't believe you never introduced us when you and I were dating," Rose complained.
"I thought even back then that you two would hit it off and I'd be left out in the cold," I replied. "It didn't suit me then, but it does now. Good luck to you both."
Bella and I snuggled together and I barely noticed the other pair of brown eyes fixed on me. Bree had pressed herself as far into the corner as she could manage and seemed to be hoping we may forget she existed.
"So, what's happening with Bree here?" Rose asked, just as I was about to speak and reassure the girl I had merely bought her to set her free, not to force her to join us in some sick game as she no doubt imagined.
"Do you have family here in Italy, Bree?" I asked.
She shook her head silently.
"Then where did you come from?" Rose asked. "How did you end up at Aro's castle? Edward's not going to hurt you, he wants to give you your former life back. He isn't some predator."
She looked at Rose, her eyes enormous with relief.
"I don't know what happened. I was on a cruise ship with some family friends. My parents died recently in an airline crash and the cruise was supposed to cheer me up. We were all in the one stateroom, my single bunk was just across from their bed and we all had hot chocolate for supper and went to sleep. I remember feeling someone carrying me but I couldn't make my eyes open.
I was in and out of consciousness for what seemed like weeks, then I finally woke up there, in that place.
I had no idea what happened or who they were, and when I asked, I was chained to a wall. Every time I fought back or ignored a command, some big dark haired guy thrashed me."
"Well, we need to know where to take you. Where do you live?" Emmett asked.
"I was about to be placed with foster parents. I didn't want to go there," she said quietly. "They were strangers. There's nobody left who could take me. No family."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Edward?" Emmett asked.
"Mom and Dad would love to offer you a safe place to live. They'd see to it that you finished your education and would keep you safe. Would you want to go live with them? You can meet them first before you decide, but I'm pretty sure Esme would be beyond thrilled to have a girl to raise after us three boys. You can think about it."
"She may be on the Missing Children's List somewhere," Emmett reminded me.
"But she has no relatives; nowhere to go. Better to just leave her with Mom," I replied. There was no way Aro could ever check upon her if she lived with them in Forks. There was no way anyone from his business would visit that town as a tourist and see her there.
This was the best option.
"I can get her the necessary papers," Emmett said with a nod."Do you like your name, because if you want to change it, tell me now."
We stayed inside the apartment, ordering room service while Emmett went to visit one of his 'contacts' whom he appeared to have in any country we had ever visited, and he came back with a very genuine looking passport for Bree Elizabeth Cullen. He'd also collected Rose's papers from where she'd stashed them in a long term locker at the railway station, so we were good to go.
Much as I wanted to just take Bella to bed and kiss every inch of her body, it felt too risky to remain here a moment longer than necessary, so we settled for merely holding hands as we sat together on the plane ride home.
We had a lot to say to one another, but there would be time for that later, when we were alone.
For now, we just wanted to walk on American soil again.