Chapter 3 - A Different Party - mduno

I saw the nervousness in her.

"There are a lot of cars with men, it was supposed to be an audience with only women," she whispered.

We got out of the car, and I put the keys in the back pocket of my pants. A tall, slender, rough-looking man, somewhat attractive, wearing jeans, boots, and a short-sleeved plaid shirt that showed off his good physique and tattoos, approached us. He had black hair in a military cut and black eyes. He was armed and came to our side. He asked for our names, well, he asked for mine; he didn't even look at Lorena, I guess he knew her.

"My name is Verónica Vásquez." I put my hands in the pockets of my thin white hoodie.

"Vásquez what?" He raised one of his eyebrows and then looked at Lorena.

"Verónica Vásquez Benítez, anything else?"

He checked a list, and since I wasn't registered, he wrote my name with his slightly thicker-than-usual metal pen. The silence was uncomfortable, or were these protocols? Seeing Lorena's face, I knew this wasn't normal. A pair of black eyes scanned me from head to toe, then he read the papers in his hands again, doing the same with my friend, and from the way he analyzed her, it unsettled her. They had a conversation of questions that I didn't hear, but she seemed to understand perfectly.

"Guille said the party was clean, to pick a group of girls."

The man put his hand to his ear, someone was giving him instructions, he turned and looked up towards the second floor, but I didn't see anyone.

"Go ahead," he authorized our entry.

"Who is that guy?" I asked quietly as we walked away from the man.

"Don Roland's right-hand man; one of the most feared men in the business, very gentle in bed, although he also likes it rough. I confess, I don't know which of the two I'm more afraid of. In general, I have a lot of respect for his closest security team. It was new that he himself verified the attendance. Don't stray, if I see anything else strange, I'll get you out of here."

"Understood."

That was for sure. She would do it, she had been like that for six years. She kept me like a porcelain doll, I was her untouchable and fragile little sister.

The interior of the house was one of those catalog-style rustic estates, very Colombian, with exquisite taste. There was nothing out of place that didn't honor the overall ambiance. There was a large round living room, with bamboo stairs on one side leading to the internal balcony on the second floor. I glanced up and saw only doors, plus a third floor with another balcony inside the building, incredible! People started gathering in the living room. In the back, where I could see, there was a large pool with girls in very tiny swimsuits and spectacular bodies.

Instinctively, I straightened up, trying to harmonize my body. It wasn't that I felt self-conscious, but feminine vanity was always there. "The meeting will end differently." I touched the pocket of my pants to check for the car keys. My friend was looking in all directions as if searching for someone.

For my part, I focused on analyzing the people present from the best vantage point; those going to the pool or those inside the building, plus those entering. We were offered drinks, I took two, but before I could take the first sip, Lorena took the glass from me.

"Don't even think about drinking anything here!" I raised an eyebrow, and before I could ask— "They usually drug people through the drinks, stay on the sidelines, only take what I give you."

"I'd better leave."

She nodded slightly. Then I saw her run off. I didn't lose sight of her; she started talking to a short, bald, mustached man, not attractive at all. Something bothered her, she was gesturing wildly. I felt like a mushroom, standing stupidly by the stairs for a long time. I wasn't born for this world, it wasn't my place, I didn't have to stay... Lorena signaled "wait a bit," looking at me from time to time. I had no choice but to keep an eye on her.

I felt watched by the people present every now and then. It was strange to see such a beautiful and authentic house wrapped in such a heavy atmosphere. Warm and earthy tones predominated, I tried to distract myself with the decoration, but I couldn't avoid feeling uncomfortable. To be honest, I was like a fly in a glass of milk, the odd one out. People started coming in. I relaxed a bit when I saw Lore walking toward me.

"Vero, I talked to Guille," she spoke mysteriously.

"Oh! Is that Guille?" She looked back at him, smiling, while nodding.

"Yes, he's going to talk to Don Roland to expedite the photo shoot and my records. They'll do a teleconference with the investors, hopefully, I'll pass the test, so I can go as an escort for one of the foreign guests arriving soon." I listened intently. "I'll be gone for several minutes, it's early, when I come out, we'll leave."

"If things get ugly and you haven't returned?"

"Stay by the stairs or you can run through the yard leading to the parking lot, you also have the option to go up to the rooms. Stay alert."

"I have a feeling... This was a bad idea."

From her look, she thought the same. She gave me a small smile intending to say don't worry, I'm here. Typical big sister!

"I'm sorry, everything will be fine. They won't touch you, even if I have to sleep with all the guys in one night." I smiled at her comment.

She kissed my forehead and went to where her representative was waiting. I felt a slight pressure in my heart, she was very capable of doing it to make sure no one touched me.

I stood like a statue at the top of the stairs, watching the crowd at the entrance blocking the exit. I refused every drink, juice, soda, cocktail, and water they offered me. Slowly, couples began to form, and the awkward moments started; kisses, butt grabs, breast bites, fingers in intimate places. Lewd and obscene comments became more frequent. Hugs grew more frequent and suggestive.

Lorena had been missing for half an hour. My internal alarm said it was time to leave, but when I decided to do so, people were coming in through the only door that led to the parking lot. I returned to the stairs; through the gap under the railings, I crossed to the other side, taking the path we had entered more than an hour ago. The doors were closed with a highly advanced security system I had never seen before. The ones I knew were the traditional locks at my house, never like these; it was a block of steel.

People started shouting and dancing to the music at a very high volume. I made my way through, reached the stairs, and climbed over the railings. "Where the hell is Lorena?!" The situation went from bad to worse in seconds, as women began undressing, and so did the men. God! Where did I end up? I turned away; I wasn't a saint, but seeing more than one naked body and dozens of bouncing breasts wasn't my obsession, much less a sexual fantasy.

I turned my back, climbed the stairs two at a time after witnessing the live, large-scale porn scene. My heart was pounding. I reached the second floor, grabbed the first doorknob, and a noise made me stop. The windows of the large room were closing from the outside with steel curtains. Were we being locked in? People screamed euphorically, suggesting this was common and they knew what was coming. I started opening the first door, but it didn't open, so I ran to the second… nothing.

My heart felt like it would explode from the scare. None of the doors on the second floor opened. Frustrated by the situation and unable to enter any of them, I decided to climb the stairs to the third floor. I looked over the internal balcony; I could see people dancing naked. "Just my luck," I thought. On the third floor, there were two doors. I took the first one, and bingo! I entered, locked it, and felt relieved to be protected.

The room was large. It had three doors; the first didn't open, it must be locked from the other side. The second was an enviable bathroom, and I whistled in admiration, wishing my bathroom was a quarter of this one. The third door led to a balcony, and I stepped out for some fresh air.

I contemplated jumping, but "I'd break a leg if I were lucky." I decided to stay until Lorena showed up. She had said to lock myself in one of the rooms, and once she was done, she would come to get me. She must know how to get out of these places. I watched the sunset… What an irony! It was a beautiful evening in a room fit for a home magazine cover. The interior designer was a genius. Everywhere you looked, they had chosen the finest and most exquisite crafts, and the bed was a temptation to sleep in.

As I pondered the paradox of the situation, who knows how the orgy was going behind me. I laughed. Such was life, always offering two paths; the good and the bad. There was always the continuous and infinite struggle between the two sides.

For many, the easy choice was to lie down and enjoy in the hall, not to endure the cold, desperate for a friend to appear. The key was to make decisions and hope they were the right ones. They depended on your judgment, upbringing, values, and concept of life. In my case, being locked up was the only way out. Several minutes passed, it began to get dark when I heard a man's voice.

"What are you doing here?!"

A tall young man with a shaved head had entered the balcony. His gaze intimidated me; he was very attractive. I stammered a bit from the scare.

"I… I was just… well…"

"Are you stuttering?"

He spoke in such a condescending way; his attitude was unpleasant, and I reacted. He couldn't be any good if he was here. Then again, neither could I, and I wasn't a slut.

"No. I'm not, it's just… you scared me!" He leaned against the balcony railing, crossing his arms, looking me up and down. "Did you lose one just like this?" Typical of me, I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

"I haven't lost anything good."

He replied seriously. It was already dark, and the balcony light turned on. His response was quite unpleasant, and I recognized it was because I didn't pass the visual test in his eyes. So what? What if he didn't like me? Why should he like you, Veronica? I scolded myself. To hell with it! He must be a thug, the son of some old pervert screwing around downstairs.

"I hate repeating questions, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted… I was looking for some solitude." He raised one of his eyebrows, which made him look more attractive; he was very masculine with green eyes… "Who are you?"

"Someone who could do whatever he wanted with you."

I got nervous and went back into the room. This guy could rape me. I rushed to open the outer door, thinking it was all over. He was dressed. However, I hadn't counted on the scene I witnessed upon leaving my refuge. It was like a live, unimaginable porn movie. My stomach churned. The smell of abundant sex, alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes was intolerable. How does Lorena live around this? I felt disgusted. Turning around, I pushed the young man and ran inside, heading for the bathroom I had seen, to throw up.