Santiago

“Alejandra.” Santiago opened his arms in amazement. He wore a lavish jacket and trousers.

Her eyes immediately hit the stone floor, unable to look back up into his. She hadn't been called that name since she left Octoton. Amelia was the new identity she'd chosen. Now that her new identity was lost, perhaps it was time to go back to her real name.

“I shall leave you, for now,” the orc said. He turned and left, closing the door behind him. Alejandra looked around the room; there were windows on the left and the wall behind Santiago, a door to the right of where he stood.

“Or should I call you… Amelia.”

She looked back up at him, at his handsome, clean-shaven face, his short, dark hair.

“What do you want from me?”

“I just wanted to admire you, before your auction.” He smiled at her, that same dazzling smile he’d used on her hundreds of times before. “That dress really does suit you.” His eyes scanned her body, looking right through the silk of her dress.

“If you came to gloat, made you should have waited for the auction. I’m sure that’ll be more humiliating for me than this.” She looked down, not sure where else to look or hide as the see-through dress exposed everything anyway.

“Now, now, Alejandra. We have history, that is true. But it doesn’t mean we can’t be amicable, like we once were.”

“Just tell me what you want, Santiago.” She sighed.

“You thought you could just leave town like that? Take my money, break my heart.” He circled her, whispering over her shoulder, then over the other.

“I didn’t see another choice.”

“And now you’re paying the price.”

“I’m sorry,” she let it out in a whisper. “If I could have done it differently, I would. But I can’t take it back now.”

Santiago was around the front of her again now, looking her up and down again. He grabbed hold of the rope that held her dress together, pulling her close to him with it. Their faces were close, and she could see the whiteness of his teeth, could smell the mint in his breath. “Why did you do it, my darling?”

“I… I couldn’t live that life any more. I had to get away.”

Santiago nodded a couple of times.

“Please, why am I here? You wouldn’t just have me brought here for nothing. Whatever it is that you want, I’ll… I’ll consider it.”

He gave her a wry smile, before tucking her dark hair behind one ear. “I came to propose something.”

Alejandra looked into his eyes, like she was in a daze.

“Since you are in my debt, I can offer you an alternative to auction.”

“On what condition?”

“You would be my ****, of course.”

Alejandra looked into his eyes, tears filling in hers as she weighed up her options. Would it be worth it? She had no idea what the auction would turn out like. Maybe she’d be bought by an orc, a dark elf, a dwarf. She shuddered a little. She knew what Santiago was like. She knew his sadistic side.

“So you want to-”

“No words.” Santiago put his index finger over her lips. “You have two options. Either take off that dress, and stand before me in the next room, or turn around, and walk back through the door you came in by. You have five minutes to decide.”

He removed his finger from her mouth, and looked deep into her eyes for longer than she felt comfortable with. Then her turned for the door.

“This is your last chance, Alejandra. Do not keep me waiting.”