Read Online Escape From Paradise by Gwendolyn Field - Free Book Online Page A

sounds of the sea, birds calling, and the strong fragrance of tropical flowers. Too quickly it was over and we were indoors again.
    “Introduce her to the others and show her the slave quarters,” Marco told Josef in Spanish, all business. “Dress her in a black shift. She is a non-worker tonight and until she’s fully trained.”
    “Sí, Amo.”
    I felt Marco release me, and then we were winding through the house, sounds of people working—pans clanging, water running, a vacuum somewhere. My bare feet felt carpet, then textured tile as we went from room to room.
    The air was crisp and tendrils of foreign scents hit me as we walked: cumin and jalapeños from a kitchen, strong flowers on a warm breeze, probably drifting in from an open window or door.
    We entered a quieter area and stopped. Luis removed my blindfold and uncuffed me, then closed the door. I heard a lock click from the outside. I rubbed my tender wrists and rolled them around with a grateful sigh.
    “This es our room.” Josef took off his collar and set it on a corner table next to another, smaller one.
    My eyes searched the large, multi level room. Three things struck me at once. In all of the beautiful, arched doorways, there were no doors except the one which locked us in. Those black half-globes with video cameras were in every room on the ceiling. And there were no windows. To my right was a kitchenette area, the counter laden with fruits and rolls. Perla sat at a round table with a breakfast plate in front of her. She was stark naked. A quick glance at her boobs told me they were not real—too high and firm for their size, but she wore them well with perfect posture. I wondered how old she was. Maybe late twenties.
    Perla gave me a warm smile. “Buenos díaz.”
    I was about to answer her when she said, “That mean ‘good morning.’”
    Crap, I’d almost forgotten I wasn’t supposed to understand Spanish. My heart sped as I dropped my eyes and nodded. I needed to be more careful.
    “Um, good morning…buenos díaz.”
    Josef took my elbow and steered me left to an archway leading into a communal bathroom with multicolored stone walls. Two commodes and four shower heads lined the walls. All out in the open. My insides began to shake. Josef hadn’t been joking or exaggerating.
    Moving forward through a larger stone archway and down two steps was a long room lined with five comfortable looking floor shifts. We would all be sleeping on the floor. Josef led me down to the second to last one.
    “This es yours. Mine es next to you.” He pointed to the last one by the wall. I gave a small nod.
    “Where are the others?” I asked.
    “Es early still. They finish with the patrons.”
    My hands began to shake.
    “Did they…stay the night with them?” I asked.
    “Sometime we stay. Sometime we give wake-up call. But no always.”
    Ew. I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to stay the night with strange men or go to them in the mornings.
    “Es no so bad,” he whispered, seeming as easy-going as always.
    For a moment I tried to imagine him having sex with a man, then a woman, and I felt myself blush. I cleared my throat.
    “Time for breakfast y then shower,” he said.
    On our way to the kitchenette I saw the entry to a large, walk-in closet full of clothes and shoes. A lot of black and red. Beside the closet door was a long vanity area—a counter with appliances for hair, manicure sets, and mirrors.
    I sat in the kitchen area with Josef and Perla, but only picked at my food, not wanting to put too much more in my body. Plus, it was strange and distracting sitting across the table from Perla’s boobs. I kept glancing at Josef, whose eyes would casually drop to her chest now and then, but for the most part he seemed accustomed to the sight, and it certainly didn’t hinder his appetite.
    Afterward they led me into the showers. Perla turned one on for me, then herself, and climbed under the water, motioning me to do the same. My heart beat harder.