Lorie OClare - Stay Hungry

Contents

Prologue

Marianna Torres swore every vein in her body was on fire. The burning sensation would have been enough to make her scream if it werent for how messed up her head was.

Shed tried drugs beforethe light stuff. During high school shed smoked pot a few times and she had drunk alcohol sometimes at parties. Marianna had never had much of an interest in the harder drugs. The thought of something else controlling her thoughts and actions didnt appeal to her at all. She couldnt imagine anyone voluntarily giving up control of their own actions.

Which was why she was now slowly going insane.

Marianna had been excited to come to the states, yet the moment shed set foot on U.S. soil shed been abducted. It had shocked the hell out of her when a strange man had slipped his arm around her neck, pulled her back against him, and hugged her tight enough so that anyone around them would believe they were just two people excited to see each other.

As shed been escorted out of the airport, panic had grown, fermented, and spread like a debilitating fever.

There had been a sharp pinprick, she thought. But by the time they were outside the airport, it became frighteningly clear that she had no control over her own actions. The man had released her almost immediately, then told her to walk alongside him, so she had. He had told her to watch her step at escalators, so shed looked down. He mentioned amiably that she watch her head when climbing in the backseat of his car, and shed done just that.

He had drugged her. Marianna hadnt realized at first how incredibly terrible the drug was shed been given. She was taken to a hotel, had slept on the floor and eaten when food was given to her. The strange man had told her his name was Mario. He had continued drugging her, injecting something into her vein while she watched, holding her arm out obediently and not moving as a drug flowed into her bloodstream through a tiny needle. Her will was no longer her own. No matter how many times Marianna told herself to fight him, to run the moment Marios back was turned, she never did. The drug made her mind her worst enemy.

* * *

Were going to have some fun tonight, my sweet pets. Mario smiled as he held the car door for her. This is the perfect town to test your skills. Dont you agree? Marios laughter was demonic. Of course you agree, he said, still chuckling.

Marios mean laughter chilled Marianna to the bone. That was a good sign, right? Maybe once he parked she could escape. If he would just go long enough without telling her what to do. All he needed to do was walk away and forget to tell her to stay. Hed done that once already and Marianna had walked across the hotel room suite of her own accord. Marios phone had rung and hed come out of the bathroom, distracted, and hadnt noticed shed moved.

Shed sat motionless, not moving as Mario often instructed when he was busy doing whatever it was he did. Marianna hadnt figured that out. But during those motionless times shed analyzed the effects of the drug. While under the influence, which was always, her body did whatever she was instructed to do. Her brain was helpless in preventing her from complying.

All you do is agree with me. Tonight will finish your training. Except for you, my adorable puttana . He glanced over his shoulder, flashing white teeth as he grinned at her.

Marianna stared at him, grateful at least for her thoughts. She was far from a slut, but Mario owned her body. She was terrified what he might do with it.

Youve got a lot of training ahead of you. And I do believe youll absolutely love it. You were a puttana before the slave juice, though, werent you?

How many days ago was that? Her mother, and probably her sister by now, would believe Marianna simply had vanished off the face of the earth. There were times when she was pretty sure she had.

Fortunately, Mario didnt expect her to answer. Which was a good thing, since it was getting harder for her to differentiate her past from the present. Whatever this drug called slave juice was that he kept injecting in her, she prayed it didnt have residual effects. Sooner or later this insane captivity had to end. God, it really needed to be sooner.

Marianna wanted to walk away, refuse to acknowledge his commands, let alone carry them out. She hadnt decided yet if it would have been better if the drug stole her memory, instead of allowing her to retain every vivid detail of the many atrocities shed endured in the hotel room. Shed been forced to watch other women under the influence of the drug being sexually abused. How many men had fucked them while she and Mario sat and watched? Each time Marianna was scared to death she would be next. She wasnt a virgin, but her sexual experiences had been few and limited to college boys as inexperienced as she was. These men knew positions Marianna had never dreamed of. She remembered every degrading sexual act inflicted on the women. The women would probably never forget the atrocities; Marianna knew she wouldnt.

One thing shed begun to accept: the only way this would end was if she put an end to it. No one would rescue her if they didnt know she needed to be rescued. Mario had kept the TV news on. Marianna had never heard mention of any woman disappearing at the airport. In fact, there werent any mentions of missing persons at all. And she wasnt the only abducted person. There were the two men with her, and at least two other women.

If she was going to end this nightmare, she needed to keep her brain alive and active. Somehow she needed to overpower the slave juice, which was trying to turn her into a zombie. So far all shed managed was making herself move her head or lift her hand and place it on her lap. It was a start but a far cry from ordering herself to open the car door and jump out and run. As simple as the instructions seemed to be, making her body pull off all those actions seemed a bit too overwhelming.

Everyone out. Mario turned off the motor after parking and opened his car door.

Marianna unbuckled her seat belt and opened her passenger door, seeing the simple command through without giving it a thought. She stood in the perfect night air, breathing in the sweetness of some flower growing nearby.

She was a slave inside her own body. Marianna hadnt figured out how to do it yet, but somehow she had to get her body back under her own control.

Walk alongside me, say nothing, and dont run into anyone, Mario instructed the two men, who got out on the other side of the SUV.

Marianna didnt know their names. Mario used derogatory adjectives to address all of them. That didnt matter as much as not knowing what town they were in. When theyd left the hotel parking garage, Mario had instructed all of them to relax their heads in their hands and stare at the floor of the SUV. She wasnt able to look out the window. Although, not knowing a thing about America, Marianna doubted shed have recognized the city by any of its landmarks. Shed seen the Statue of Liberty on TV, knew there was an arch in St. Louis, and possibly could identify the Golden Gate Bridge if she saw it. Otherwise, shed never given much thought to learning about America.

Mario came up alongside her, resting his hand at the small of her back. Marianna looked into his cold, sinister eyes. Her expression wouldnt give away her thoughts. After all, he hadnt told her to smile, frown, or scowl. She simply stared at him.

Lets go have some fun, shall we, slut? He frowned. Look at me and smile, he instructed, whispering.