living room to find at least fifteen men there. Ranging in age from eighteen to sixty, they watched her as she approached the small platform set up in the middle of the room. The lights were dim, but she could see their faces. The men wore serious expressions, and Alessa’s heart pounded harder. Circling her like untamed beasts, each studied her body to make sure she was fit. None of them touched her, but their piercing stares were like knives plunging into her flesh.
The room was silent until Harlin spoke. “Okay,” he said, “who’s going to give me a bid?”
No one spoke for a few prolonged seconds. Then a short, stout white man in his mid-fifties puffed out his chest. “Listen, this chick is too old. I didn’t come here for this. You got anything younger? How old is she anyway?”
“She’s seventeen,” Harlin lied.
All the men grumbled, not believing Harlin.
“We’re looking for something younger, dude,” the same man protested. “Bring us what we’re looking for and we’ll get some bids on the table.”
Relieved the men were rejecting her, Alessa took a while to grasp what they wanted. Younger girls. She couldn’t believe her ears and wished she could have killed them all on the spot. She could see Harlin growing angrier by the moment because no one was buying.
“Listen, this is what we got tonight,” he said sternly. “We’re putting our lineup back together. We’ll have some younger ones by this time next week. I know this girl ain’t as young as you like ’em, but she’s experienced.”
Harlin walked over to a table in the corner and turned the music on. He walked back and looked at Alessa. “Show them,” he demanded.
Alessa danced to the music. Half of the men filtered out of the room, while the rest watched the show. When the song was over, Harlin looked at the remaining men.
“Well?” he asked. “Who’s gonna give me a bid?”
The short, stout man spoke up. “Like I said before, she ain’t young enough. I’ll give you fifty bucks, but I want her for the whole night. I need more time with her if I’m gonna pay that much.”
The other men nodded in agreement, but no one offered more than fifty dollars. Harlin pulled Alessa down off the platform. “Fine,” he said. “Here, take her back in the bedroom and do whatever you want. If she gives you any trouble, just yell.”
Alessa was crying quietly as one of Harlin’s boys led the two of them back into the bedroom. Once inside, the horrific man sized up Alessa’s body without ever making eye contact with her.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “Since we’re doing an all-nighter, let’s take this in steps. Come over here and undress me.”
Alessa walked over to him and unbuttoned his shirt. Standing in front of her, Alessa’s stomach churned with revulsion. This man was the bottom of the barrel, the scum of the earth. His large breast hung low. A roll of flab from his stomach overhung his pelvis. Alessa gritted her teeth, wondering if she was strong enough to choke him to death.
The man violated her throughout the night. In the early morning, he lay down next to her, picked up the cigar, and lit it. He took several stokes, filling the room with thick, pungent smoke. “Not too bad for your age.”
By morning, Alessa didn’t care if she lived or died. When Harlin came in to get her, she was barely able to walk to the bathroom with him. Harlin merely shoved a towel into her hand and ordered her to shower.
Once that was over, he escorted her back to the bedroom. “Tasha will be in with food. After you eat, get some sleep. You look like shit, and we ain’t gonna make no money with you looking like you do and being an old hag. You’re useless.”
He locked the door behind him and left her standing there in a towel. Alessa had endured a lot in her early years, but she knew that the previous night had been one of the worst in her life. She had to escape and get back to Remo and Lucy.
