The rules

I wake up to darkness.

I grab my phone that’s sitting on the nightstand beside the bed. The light from the screen makes my eyes squint. The time reads 7:50 pm. Wow, I slept for a while. I hear several people talking throughout the suite.

I turn on the light sitting on the nightstand and lazily swing my legs over the bed to stand up and stretch. I look out the window where the balcony is and see the beautiful, dark, calm ocean. “What a view,” I say to myself. I turn towards the door and walk out of the bedroom.

I see Steph and Mia alongside two other girls hanging out in the living room and kitchen. I recognize one girl from the common kitchen area but I never got to officially meet her.

Steph exclaims “Hi sleepy head! Hope we didn’t wake you up.”

I reassured her that she didn’t wake me and apologized for sleeping so long. “Here, Mills come sit down and I’ll introduce you to these lovely ladies,” Steph says. I walk over to the black leather couch and plop down.

“This here is Ellie, you saw her in the kitchen earlier and this is Alina.”

I introduce myself as Emily. I always do that when I feel nervous. Steph laughs because she knows that I do that too and tells them I go by Millie most of the time.

Ellie and Alina are beautiful. Ellie has long blonde straight hair that reaches her perfect hourglass waist. Alina is quite the opposite in features. She has black, perfectly waved hair like a movie star that almost reaches her butt. Her eyes are green and give a perfect contrast. I feel self-conscious just looking at them.

Ellie speaks up and says ”Sorry about how Penelope treated you down there. She’s got a big head and thinks she’s above all of us. Don’t pay her any mind girl.” I tell her it’s fine and that it’s not her fault.

Alina rolls her eyes and says “Seriously, Penelope thinks she’s the queen of the show since X has been picking her lately in the bedroom.”

The other girls agree and I’m utterly confused. Mia senses my confusion and says Okay Millie, you’re probably wondering what we’re talking about. You see, everyone that lives on the third floor is the big guys of the house. Well, I suppose there are also a few girls too. Except for X of course, he’s on the fourth floor, the penthouse. Anyway, these guys and a couple of the girls pick some of the girls to join in on sexual activities. X has been picking Penelope a lot lately and she’s rubbing it in everyone’s face thinking she’s a god to us all.”

Before I even think about what I’m saying I blurt out “Holy shit, is this part of a sex trafficking thing or a sex ring?!”

The girls all freeze, they look at me like I just grew five heads right before their eyes. I can feel my face burning up with embarrassment because I think I offended them but if they’re part of sex trafficking, something needs to be done, like yesterday.

Steph frantically speaks first “Emily no! There’s none of that happening here. I know this is all a little confusing because you’re new here but no one is here against their will or in any danger. To be honest, women are lining up to be a part of this place and to just be in the same proximity of these people.”

Yikes, she used my real name, it’s equivalent to a parent using your first and middle name when they’re mad.

“I apologize for making assumptions, can I ask a few questions just to understand a little better?” I ask. They all nod looking a little weary of what I’m going to ask this time around.

“So, what do these people do and who’s X?” I can tell they aren’t sure how to answer my questions.

“Well...” Mia starts, then looks at Steph and the others ”None of us really know what they do. We all have our assumptions based on the amount of money they have and how secretive they are. Alina and Steph think they’re huge international drug dealers because they’re always out of the country and have overheard drug talk, Ellie and I think they might be into that too but there’s probably more that they do, more like mafia-style things. Either way, none of us really know. They’re very secretive about it all and it’s probably for the best that none of us know either. And as for X? Oh boy where do I begin?”

Okay, that was…a lot..not sure how to feel about being in the same house as potential, extremely dangerous people.

Ellie takes over the question instead. “X is a god. Plain and simple. He’s literally the most attractive man I’ve ever laid eyes on. He’s dangerous and powerful and filthy rich but he’s a big no-no to all the girls in this house and out. Adria, who is one of them, has her claws so deep into him that no one is even allowed to make eye contact with him.”

Alina takes over “She’s right. He’s literally perfect in every way possible but none of us are ever allowed to approach him, he can only approach us, he and Adria want it that way. He will choose other women to go up and join in on sexual activity but he will never actually have sex with anyone other than Adria.”

This is some seriously weird shit I got myself into. I’m trying to process this all but I just can’t.

“So, if Adria has such a hold on X then why does she allow other women to join in on sexual activities?” I ask and they chuckle.

Steph answers this time ”Because Adria also likes women. She’ll join in on women-to-women action but intercourse is strictly between X and Adria. The best advice we can give you while staying here is to stay far away from them. All of them to be honest but especially X and Adria. It shouldn’t be anything to worry about, none of these people even know you’re staying here.”

That scares the crap out of me.

”Don’t worry Millie, just stay by us and they won’t even know you’re here. There are so many people in this house they’ll just think you’re one of “The girls” or an employee. Besides, X is in Madrid for at least the next three weeks along with half of the guys here. Even if X is here, he’s so elusive you won’t even know he’s here until he wants you to know.” Mia says.

They see how much fear they’ve just struck in me and try to reassure me that everything will be fine but just wanted me to be aware of the rules when it comes to X. Rules or not, I’m staying far, far away from him no matter what. Thankfully Mia said he’ll be in Madrid for the next three weeks which calms my anxiety by a fraction.

The girls are headed to the club downstairs and beg me one last time to come along but I tell them I just want to settle in some more and promise them I’ll tag along tomorrow night. Just the thought of going there tomorrow makes my skin prickle but I know if I don’t go they’ll never let me live it down. I wave them goodbye and turn on the TV while I become a vegetable on the couch for the next several hours until I hop back into bed to sleep.

How did I get myself into this?