The 'Whore House' was an old abandoned apartment building. Hell, I knew this wouldn't be a life of luxury, but I honestly was expecting more, from the way Maksim talked about the supposedly wealthy men he knew. Could he not afford something better than this hellhole? There were rat droppings everywhere and the place reeked of mold. Some parts of the roof looked like it was going to cave in and sure enough there where some holes in the ceiling too. I could only imagine what the room itself looked like. But I was a woman on the run now and this seemed to be my best and only option. And Maksim did promise me money and food.

When we entered the apartment room, I immediately could see why he chose such a place. He had to be in hiding too.

"Girls, this is Leena Ivanova; the newest member of the family," Maksim said, introducing me to five other girls.

And girls they were; the oldest looked to be maybe fifteen or sixteen and the youngest maybe ten or twelve? Maybe even younger. They were all dressed very provocatively and were all skinny. Some had bruises. Probably from rough sex, I thought. But I didn't feel anything for them. To this day I can't even remember their names. I was just here to make a living, as I'm sure they were.

"Despite the way she looks, Leena's actually an adult," he then looked at me, "How old are you really?"

"Twenty-four," I finally answered his question from earlier.

The girls' eyes all widened in disbelief; one even gasped. God, I hated being gawked at like a freak!

"I was born with a rare hormone disorder," I explained myself, "Plus the makeup and dresses hide my age."

"Right. So, if I'm not here, Leena's in charge. And I expect you all to treat her with the same respect you do me. Understood?" Maksim demanded.

They all nodded their heads in unison, like mindless robots, "Yes, sir." I could tell they knew better than to say otherwise.

As I looked around my new 'home', I noticed a spare room in the back of the apartment. Inside I saw a video camera on a tripod stand. I would soon learn that not only was Maksim dealing with prostitution, but he also worked in the underground porn industry. He would film the girls having sex with each other. Later on he managed to convince me to join in, but I made him pay me extra.

On my first night here, I had to sleep on an old mattress on the floor, just like the other girls. But it didn't take long for Maksim to let me sleep in the bed with him. He never touched the other girls, only me, and that made me feel special, like I was wanted again. Perhaps that's why I stayed working with him for so long.

And true to his word, Maksim did know wealthy clients. The pay wasn't too shabby, however Maksim kept more of the percentage than I thought he would. I didn't mind it, at first, because he kept buying me nice gifts. I was his favorite. But I knew that was only because I made him the most money. Sometimes the men came to the apartment, to have their way with all of us girls. But the majority of them only wanted me for themselves. So Maksim drove me to their houses; dropped me off when their wives and children were gone of course. Most of the men were nice, but there were the assholes that didn't appreciate my services.

I was still subjected to abuse and rape. When I confided to Maksim he simply told me it was just part of the job, to toughen up. As if I wasn't tough already. But one guy did almost beat me to death with a chair when I refused to let him fuck me in the ass. He did it anyway. I had almost ran away then, but Maksim had his charms and ways of pulling me right back in. He reminded me that without him I'd either be out on the streets or in prison.

"Here," he gave me a small box one day; another one of his gifts I thought. "It'll go with your dresses and some of the men might like it."

Oh, great, another addition to my 'costume'. I didn't wear provocative clothing like the other girls, as it would ruin my innocent image. I only wore the dresses I had packed with me and I hardly ever undressed during sex. Reluctantly I opened the box, to find three ribbons inside; two small ones for my wrists and a larger one for my neck. They were the color of maroon red and had a white lacey trim. How ridiculous!

"Put them on," he urged. And I did.

"Aww, see? You look like a little princess," he joked, but I didn't find it funny.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. I had hoped it'd be real jewelry, like the other gifts he usually showered me with.

"Ugh! Do I have to wear these everytime? They itch like hell!"

"No," he said to my relief. "But I think it completes the look. Don't you?"

I had to admit, it did add to my child-like façade. (And little did I know then, but these ribbons would be my lifeline soon and I'd be wearing them every goddamn day!)

But remember what I said before? That I had hoped one of my clients would fall for me? I was still so romantically starved. I didn't intend on living like this forever. I longed for a husband and a daughter I could call my own.

The murders didn't happen right away, but the more each man rejected my ideas of love, the more I couldn't hold back my rage. Every damn time it happened, I was reminded of how my own Father rejected me and the words he had said. I just couldn't help myself! One time I even proposed to a client and he just laughed in my face. Big mistake for him! It ended with me nearly cutting his head off. And I even cut some dicks off too! I don't know how many men I killed, maybe seven or more? But my favorite clients I always saved a small picture of; like a trophy of sorts, a reminder of the goal I was reaching for.

Maksim didn't catch on right away; I always managed to clean the blood off myself before he picked me up from their house. Sometimes there was no blood at all; I'd just strangle the motherfuckers! It was addicting to me too; killing. But I truly didn't want them to die, not at first. I just wanted to be loved and cherished. I wanted to be a 'real woman'.

But as more of the regular clients mysteriously 'disappeared' and I was short on the money I owed him, I could tell Maksim was getting suspicious of me.

I knew my days living with him was about to be numbered. I just didn't think it'd all come crashing down so soon...