Page 13 of Defending Mateo
Needed her to fight.
Otherwise, she really was going to be broken down into something that could never be rebuilt, and even if Prey were able to get to her once she was sold, she wouldn't be able to recover.
“Shower time,” Hank said excitedly, hurrying past Mateo as he made his way toward the elevator. He couldn’t hide upstairs forever, or he really was going to give himself away, so he headed downstairs along with the other man.
Unlike the other guys, he didn't think it was particularly exciting to watch the women forced to get each other off in the showers. It was something easy enough to participate in, still traumatizing for the women, but one of the better things they had to do since they were all gentle with one another, and something where he didn't have to touch anyone.
“Duh,” he snapped at Hank, who laughed as they both piled into the elevator.
Once they reached the basement, it felt natural for his gaze to seek out Ally. Of course, he’d been checking the camera feeds like some kind of compulsive nutjob ever since she arrived, and he’d caught her whispering to the woman in the cell beside hers. No one else must have noticed because she wasn't punished for the infraction, but once he started training her, it would be expected that he keep a close eye on her and punish her for things like that in the future.
There was no way he couldn’t remember having to punish Nathan’s Emma down here just ten days ago. Emma had refused to participate in the group shower, so he’d returned her to her cell before any of the guys could get their hands on her. By then, he’d already picked up on Nathan’s attachment to the blonde, and even though it shouldn’t matter to him, he’d found himself moved enough to step in and do what he could to protect her. It wasn't much, there was no way he could forgo punishment, but he’d tried to make it as lenient as he could without being suspicious, although he doubted it had felt that way to Emma.
Hell, he’d even texted Nathan, who was out at the time, that a punishment was happening, hoping the man would get back in time to try to stop it. More than that, when Nathan got back and set off the fire alarms, he’d even allowed Emma to roam free when he easily could have snapped that metal cuff around her wrist and left her chained up.
Too bad he couldn’t come up with a way to get Ally out of what she was about to suffer.
“Shower time,” William called out as the man wandered down the hall.
Van stuck his head out of the doorway to the guard room, smirking as he always did. “New one hasn’t made a peep. No shouting, no crying, no begging, no pleading, no threatening to kill us, not even any bargaining. Such a change from the last woman to occupy that cell.”
The last woman to occupy that cell was Emma, and while no one could accuse the blonde of lying down and taking what they had planned for her, Mateo found he didn't like the implication that Ally was weak. She wasn't. Even though she thought she was. She was introverted, sure, and she’d been taught by life to make herself small, but none of that made her weak.
“Yeah, she’s a quiet little mouse that one,” he said, keeping his tone neutral when inside he was a volcano ready to explode molten lava of rage all over everyone inside this place.
“Heard you know her.”
“Neighbor. Wasn't happy she was brought in, don’t need the cops sniffing around,” he grumbled.
“Not like they’re gonna expect you to have her in a place like this,” Van said with a grin and a backslap. “Now you can enjoy the girl however you want her, don’t have to waste time worrying about pesky nos.”
The thing was, Ally had never said no to him about anything. Sometimes, she was uncertain about something, buthe’d been adamant from the beginning that he expected her to communicate her needs, wants, thoughts, and opinions. At first, that was clearly foreign to her, but she’d gotten better at it.
Now, as he walked away from Van and headed down the corridor where the women were shifting into their submissive positions, he felt Ally’s eyes on him. Didn't even need to look at her to know she was watching him with betrayal and confusion on her features.
One by one, the cells’ doors were opened, and the women were led out to form a long line. If there was one thing Ally was good at, it was adapting quickly to her environment, figuring out what she needed to do to keep herself safe, and doing it. Now when Mateo unlocked her cell door, she scampered out to join the others, her gaze darting to look at him several times before skittering away.
It took every ounce of his self-control not to reach out to her, touch her, soothe her, and let her know she wasn't alone here.
Yet, shewasalone.
Because he sure as hell hadn't done anything about getting her out.
Leading the women down to the shower room, he wondered what this cold, barren space looked like to Ally. There were no designer tiles underfoot, just concrete floors and walls. There were several showerheads embedded in the concrete along one wall, but there would be no nice, steamy hot water coming out of them, it was lukewarm at best. While an array of products was laid out, they were cheap, and even if they weren't, it wasn't like she was going to get to enjoy them.
When the other women began to undress, Ally’s panicked gaze snapped to his, and he could read it as clearly as if she’d spoken the words aloud. Was she really supposed to get naked in this room and shower with an audience? The answer to that was yes, unless she wanted to be punished.
Keeping his gaze steely and unyielding, he watched as Ally gulped but then moved trembling hands to the hoodie she was wearing and pulled it over her head. The guys loved shower day and would use any excuse to make her suffer if she didn't go along with it.
Ally’s skimpy tank top came off next, then the barely-there short shorts, leaving her naked. Mateo knew every inch of that perfect creamy skin, and he hated that it was on show for the others. Ally was his, and he didn't share.
But he stood where he was, feeling more like a statue than a human as Ally did her best to cover herself as she followed the other women to the showers. When they were there, the water was turned on, and the women began reaching for bottles of shampoo and body wash. Ally did, too, but she froze when one of the other women grabbed a loofah dripping with soap and moved it between her legs.
The woman leaned in, obviously telling Ally not to fight, accept this was happening, and try to make the best of it, because his little mouse’s cheeks went bright red and tears tumbled down her cheeks, but she didn't fight against it when the woman began to play with her.
Unable to look away, even though this was his worst nightmare, Mateo’s gaze remained glued to his girl as her hips began to undulate, seeking pleasure she didn't want. Her chest heaved as she panted, and instead of her cry of pleasure being the most beautiful sound in the world, her broken scream as she came would haunt him for the rest of his life.
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