Chapter 2 2

II. Once Upon in Town

Once upon in Town...

There lived a little girl named Belinda Kate Carrington. She had known naught but praises for her beauty. She had flaming red hair and the bluest eyes amongst the little girls her age. She was the most beautiful and she shall have the best future. She'd marry the wealthiest lord while the others would cry in despair and utter defeat at her feet.

She'd have it all, she was told. With merely her looks, she'd have it all.

That's why she ought to associate herself only to those who could bring her good. She ought to make friends to those whose families were powerful and rich. She ought to ignore those who were scandalous and poor.

Carringtons didn't mingle with anyone of lower status.

It was acceptable to be vile, but only to those who weren't gentry. It was paramount to be nice, but only to those who could be nice to her in return.

Little Belinda Kate Carrington was too wise for her age and she questioned everything her mother taught her. But she was told that to be wise would not land her a lord. To be wise was to be independent and no woman ought to be alone for being alone meant no pretty dresses and balls and carriages and friends.

And so little Belinda accepted her mother's teachings for she never wanted to be alone.

*****

"I always have the best time with you," her client seductively said near her ear. His hand was on her bare knee and was teasingly trailing up her thigh. He was rather handsome, really, but he was simply like everyone else she serviced-egotistical, arrogant and filthy rich.

Belinda squirmed away with a chuckle, itching to get out of the car as soon as she could. She had endured an entire night with the arrogant fool and she could barely wait to be back in the safety of her own apartment.

If he did not pay so handsomely, Belinda would not have allowed being his escort for several nights now. But it paid her bills and his insults to her kind, although delivered as jests, had to be endured.

"I do enjoy our nights as well," she answered, reaching for the door. "As a matter of fact, very much so that I could not wait to-"

The rest of her words were snatched out of her throat when he sharply pulled her back against him, his eyes darkened with lust. He crushed his wet, full mouth against hers, devouring her like a hungry wolf. Belinda struggled and managed to push the man away.

Fury registered on his face. "Don't play hard-to-get, kitten. This has been a long time coming," he said, snatching her hand and pressing it against his arousal. "I'll give you an extra hundred if you give me head."

Belinda's eyes widened with horror. "I do not bed clients, Mr. Jacob. Please, kindly let go of my hand before I call for the police."

He groaned, pulling her even closer to him. "Your delicate speech make me horny, kitten. I like the way you talk. So Victorian. So sexy it turns me so hard," he said, sticking out his tongue and lapped on her cheek.

A shudder of disgust ran up her spine. She had been through this too many times not to know what to do, but it still brought the same chilling effect. Her hand fumbled inside her clutch bag and when she found what she was looking for, she leaned as far away as she could and sprayed the contents on his face.

His cry of pain freed her and she was out of the car before he could go after her.

"Bitch! You'll pay for this!" he was shouting as she scurried away.

She pulled her tight dress lower, limping on her heels, murmuring to herself, "You all do say the same thing, you bloody bastards." She replaced the pepper spray in her clutch as she crossed the street.

Ah, she had lost another client. The bloody bastard paid a thousand bucks for three mere hours of her time. He was a big loss. But it was unavoidable. There would be more, she thought.

As she walked along the side of the familiar street, she unclasped her red waves and shook them free. Men turned to look at her, most of them with a tiny smile on their face. She smiled back, enjoying the attention.

The street was too familiar for it was where she would usually request her clients to drop her off. They could never know where she lived. None of them did. For what she did during most nights were never a part of her entire day.

She walked another block and hailed a taxi. Once inside, she gave her address and stared out the window with a sigh. What Mr. Jacob did to her ran through her mind once more and she shuddered. Her hand went to the cheek he licked with his disgusting tongue and wiped it clean.

And then the memory faded as she willed her mind to forget about him and the money she could have gotten from him if she had encouraged his advances. But she had her rules. She was not anyone's woman. She'd accompany them to their lavish parties and make them laugh all night, laugh at their silly jokes in return and make a total fool of herself, but never would she end up in their beds.

It was the only thing that was left pure. Everything else had been tarnished, shattered to pieces. If she lost it for some money, what would that make her then?

She could live another day without Mr. Jacob's contributions to her daily income, but she could never live the rest of her life if she would let that devil bastard between her legs.

*****

Belinda looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at her reflection with a combination of pity and contempt. She had washed off the rest of her makeup and tied her hair in a bun above her head. Wearing a shirt too large for her and a pair of running pants, she could no longer see the same woman who wore pretty gowns and glittering jewels five years ago.

She had the same freckles still, the ones who showed only when she spent even mere minutes under park holes underground and showed too much here now that she was constantly exposed to sunlight. Her hair had gone too long for a hairdresser was never cheap aboveground. Fine lines were starting to appear around the edges of her mouth and eyes.

Her boss, the owner of the escort company she was affiliated with, had told her that her beauty was exquisite-that her blue eyes and red hair were simply highlights to her other amazing features. It seemed that a slender body with a good pair of breasts was given higher regard even aboveground. And all the while she grew up thinking her long, thick lashes and high cheekbones were her best features!

Do not go far. I will find you. Wherever they take you, I will find you. I promise...

She had been but four and twenty when she last heard Julia's words. Five years had passed, she never went too far from where they had taken her, and still no Julia.

Her jaw clenched when she felt tears threatening to rise up.

She had never cried after that night she was banished and she would not cry now.

Belinda expertly forced the tears to retreat and stood from her dresser. Dinner had been fine with Mr. Jacob, saving her a few more bucks, but she suddenly found herself hungry. Finding a few leftover pizzas from last night, she threw them into the oven and waited.

And then she started to giggle, and then chuckle and then laughed out loud. People from the Town ought to see her doing such things now. They would surely be horrified if not amused of the things she could do aboveground.

Her laughter started to die down into chuckles. But would they appreciate it? Would they appreciate her struggles to get to where she was at the moment? Would they appreciate that she had survived at all?

Do not go far. I will find you.

Belinda was starting to forget her sister's voice, her face or even how she said them, but she would never forget the words. They were the only things that had kept her going for five years.

Once her slices of pizza were hot and edible, she took them to her small parlor. She sat cross-legged on the couch and chuckled some more, imagining her mother's face if she ever saw her sitting like a lady without breeding.

Lifting her shoulders in a shrug of proud disobedience, Belinda picked up the book she had been reading and lost herself in another world filled of love and magic.

*****

Mayhap she had misunderstood Mr. Jacob for she found out the very next day what his wealth was capable of.

She went to the office to check if she had any bookings for the week. Perhaps she was the only one among the girls who did so for they all had phones and the internet to do it, but ever since Belinda had known of technology, she never learned to love it. She did not have a phone or a computer. She hated Google and learned everything she knew about aboveground from the books in the library.

She knew what Facebook and Twitter were and had once been curious enough to research about them, but never had she had the urge to join. She had enough of publicity to last her a lifetime. She had enough of people to dictate her actions to have a phone and allow them easy access into her life.

Belinda perused through the schedules of the girls and looked for hers when suddenly a door opened, catching her attention. The lady who came out of her office looked rather irked when she saw Belinda.

"You bitch, what have you done last night?" Terry asked. The lady had aged beautifully. Belinda was always amazed by that fact. Once being a paid escort for years prior to building her own escort service company, Terry knew every part of the business.

"I did what I had to do," Belinda answered nonchalantly, knowing full well what Terry was talking about.

"You pepper-sprayed the son of a bitch!" She could not quite determine whether Terry was amused or not. But there was still the fact that Mr. Jacob meant money.

She merely shrugged and turned her eyes back on her schedule. "He deserved it."

"He called and threatened to ruin me!" Terry said with horror. "You have to call him back and ask for apology."

"The bloody hell I am!"

"You will or I kick you out." Terry placed her hands on her hips, her brow arched high as she stared at Belinda. "Go to Mr. Jacob and swallow your pride for once, Belinda."

"I prefer not to, thank you."

"Then you are out of here!" Terry cried out, surprising the other girls who were scattered around the room in their small and tight dresses.

Belinda forced a smile. "Very well, it was nice to have worked with you. Good day." She turned and never looked back even when Terry shouted for her to return. She smiled for she knew the lady would beg her to go back tomorrow. It had happened too many times before and in all cases, it was always because she refused to obey Terry.

No one could ever make Belinda Kate Carrington do anything she did not wish to do.

The trouble she had caused Mr. Jacob though had not been taken lightly for the man had found her when she was out for coffee that very afternoon.

Fear and panic ruled her for a moment when he showed his arrogant self before her. To know that she had been followed was enough to send a shiver throughout her body.

But she got over her shock and stepped to the side to walk past him. He blocked her way and she almost threw the contents of her coffee cup on his expensive shirt. "You have a lot of begging to do, Ms. Belinda," he uttered darkly.

"I am afraid it is you who has a tad to apologize for, Mr. Jacob," she countered. And while he was busy thinking of a rejoinder, Belinda quickly walked around him and out of the coffee shop.

She briskly walked down the sidewalk. Ah, bloody hell, she ought not to have worn her heeled boots! And her pants were too tight she could barely bend her knees!

Sure enough, Mr. Jacob in his long legs and quite fit physique, managed to catch up to pull her roughly by her arm. She whirled and splashed her hot coffee all over his face and shirt. His face reddened and the cheers she received from the passersby and the ones sitting around the small tables outside the coffee shop did not help extinguish the fury in the man she had utterly humiliated and burned-literally.

Belinda stumbled back, too shocked at what she had done and the fact that she was capable of it that she did not realize Mr. Jacob had reached for her arm and twisted it until she cried out in pain. And her loyal cheer-givers were suddenly gone, awkwardly forcing themselves to mind their own business.

"Let me go, you bloody bastard!" Belinda shouted at Mr. Jacob.

He bared his teeth and hissed near her face, "I pay for your services and I choose what services you give, you filthy bitch. And if I say you suck my cock, you suck my cock. If I want to choke you, you say yes. You," he said, pulling at her arm until she was forced to crush against him in pain, "do not order me-"

"I suggest that you let go of the lady at once, sir, before you regret it," a cold voice said behind Mr. Jacob.

Belinda saw the angry fire in the man standing in front of her her before he roughly pushed her to the side without letting go of her arm so they both faced the stranger.

Belinda's stared at the man and her brows started to form a frown. It deepened while she wondered why he looked so familiar. And slowly, ever so slowly, her memory proved its worth and she started to recognize him. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. He was wearing a dark brown frock coat with its collar pulled high that it almost hid the bottom part of his handsome face.

"Fuck off," she faintly heard Mr. Jacob shout at the man.

She recognized the scar across his right eyebrow before it twitched. "I believe I have warned you," he told Mr. Jacob.

"The fuck you-" Mr. Jacob did not finish his words for the man sent him on the ground with a single blow. As Mr. Jacob moaned in pain with his hands covering his bloody face, Belinda stood frozen, gaping at the stranger.

But he was no stranger for she knew him.

He straightened, roughly fixed his coat and finally turned his blue eyes on her.

"Well, hello there, lady Belinda," McKenzie Haverston said to her with a grin.