Duke De Luca

CHAPTER 1

"WOUNDS AND WISHES"

🌹~IRIDA'S POV~🌹

"I have a fetish for black women."

I squeezed my eyelids shut, as the words were whispered to my hearing, hot stank breath tainted my skin as he leaned in placing his hands on either side of me with his body brushing against mine.

"Uhn-" I swallowed hard gripping at the rag, the scratchy fabric brushing against my bloodied palms as I did.

I bit my lip to keep in the gasp coming from the pain while I tried my best to plot an escape to the situation before me or rather behind me as I felt his hand against my ear tucking in a stray braid, "Please-" I whispered, my stomach churning at the chuckle he released with bile rising in my throat knowing that I couldn't defend myself.

I had done it before, stood my ground against perverting men with wandering hands but all I got was beatings and nasty jeers reminding me of my place and how I got here.

Tears gathered in my eyes, turning my vision cloudy as I tried not to inhale the stench of the alcohol coming from his breath when he leaned in closer whispering words that weren't the most obscene that I have heard and I smiled through it, bobbing my head in nods and keeping in the pain.

"How old are you?" He chuckled against my ear, his hand coming up to my head, brushing against my hair with fingers plucking at a braid, "You look pretty young." He wrapped the braid around his finger twirling it softly like he was trying to seduce me.

"Twenty," I whispered knowing that raising my voice would attract trouble as well as defending myself.

I wasn't allowed to talk back unless asked questions, I couldn't defend myself as I was meant to please customers even if it meant them getting handsy and I was always to put on a smiling face even when I was being beaten.

"Hmmm, was expecting younger." He sounded irritated.

"Sorry for not meeting your expectations," I let out my words in a trembling breath, shaking my head lowly.

"But you will do, you aren't entirely pretty but you are intriguing." I could tell that he was smiling as he spoke, "Your skin is beautiful, like dark cocoa or coffee beans and I bet if you took out your braids, your hair would be like a wild bush, like an eagle's nest."

I couldn't hold it in, my insides turned at his despicable descriptive words and I doubled over, my mouth falling open as I groaned in pain pushing out the meal I had last night and the excess water I had taken in.

I bent over groaning as the contents came out from my mouth, spilling them over his serving of wine and he groaned in disgust stepping away from me with curses spewing out of his mouth.

"I am sorry." I groaned falling to the ground with my bloodied palms digging into the rug, "Please don't tell my bo-"

"You soiled my drink and clothes!" He screeched at me walking backwards as I attempted to crawl towards him to plead his mercy. 

I heard him yelling for my boss despite the pleas I threw at him.

Heavy footsteps followed, the doors swinging open, and familiar men in black trooped in with their angry gazes directed at me I shifted against the rug recoiling in fear as memories of what they had done to me earlier this morning replayed in my head.