Ella Mansfield (10 page)

Bill
smiled, glad they were all in agreement.  “I can bring you all a new contract tomorrow evening.  We’ll sign after April is in bed.”

“Sounds good!”
  They all shook hands to cement their agreement. 

Bill was relieved as he let himself back into his apartment.  He didn’t want April to feel like they’d tricked her in any way.  He knew something like that could ruin their relationship forever.

He undressed and slipped into bed with her, holding her close.  His favorite time of day was when he held her at night after all the others had left.  It was peaceful to just hold her and love her.

*****

April’s new clothes arrived early the next morning.  She tried the four outfits on, spinning and modeling them for Alex.  None of them had been things she’d picked out.  “Are these the designs you made yesterday?” she asked.  She loved them all.  They were all mid-thigh dresses that showed off her curves to her advantage. 

“They are.  I thought they’d be perfect for you.”  He smiled at her as she modeled her new dresses for him.  He’d been careful to come just after ten so that he could hopefully miss out on all the men coming home to have their turn with her every two hours.

“I love this one best,” she told him, holding out the skirt of the lavender mini-dress she wore. 

“It’s my favorite
, too.”  He frowned down at her feet.  “We never talked about shoes.  You do have shoes, don’t you?”

She sighed.  “I have the boots that went with my jumpsuits, but nothing that really would work for the dresses.”  She looked at her feet with a glare.  “I’m not going to ask them to spend any more money on me, though.”

“They’re not going to mind.  I’ll bring shoes on Monday.”  Alex laughed.  “I’m sure they’ll make back everything they spent on you and more!”

“How?”
  April frowned.  How could they make money back on her?

“Well, they’re probably planning to auction off any daughters you have!”  He looked at her in surprise.  “You didn’t know?”

She shook her head slowly.  “No, they wouldn’t do that to me or their own daughters!”

He shrugged.  “Maybe I’m wrong.  If I’m right, though, there will be contracts spelling it out. 
Exactly what they plan on doing word for word.”

She bit her lip.  The contracts would be in Bill’s office, and she wasn’t allowed to go in there.  “No, they won’t.”

After he’d left, she glanced at the clock.  She had an hour before John was due to arrive.  Should she spend some time searching Bill’s office?  Or should she just trust the men she loved?

She sighed.  She knew the right answer.  She could trust them with herself, but not with her children.  She walked into the study, and there, in the middle of his desk, the first place she looked was the contract they’d all signed.  She read through the
verbiage quickly and there it was in black and white.  They were planning on selling her daughters.

She read through it one more time, certain it couldn’t be true.  Finally, she shook her head.  She had to find a way to go.  She had no vehicle, but she knew Bill had an extra that he kept parked on the roof with the other men’s cars. 

She went into her study and sat down at the computer, quickly searching for somewhere she could go and be free.  Tears rolled down her face at the thought.  She didn’t want to leave her men, but what choice did she really have?  Finally she found what looked to be an unpopulated area of Alaska.  It would be cold, but who cared?

When
John came, she went with him as usual, flirting lightly and enjoying the interlude.  She had to find the perfect time to go, but the perfect time would have to come soon.  She couldn’t risk getting pregnant and having her baby taken from her.

*****

Monday morning she took the shipment of clothes, and sorted through everything.  Bill had suitcases in the back of his closet, and she carefully packed all her nice new things.  She hid the suitcases under her bed and enjoyed David’s visit, knowing it would be her last time with any of the men she’d grown to love so much. 

Chapter Seven

As soon as David left, she hurried out of the apartment and up the elevator to the car.  She threw her suitcases into the trunk and got behind the wheel.  She could drive, but she’d never had fly mode to play with, and she was rusty.  The car she’d learned on had been fifty years old, while this one couldn’t be more than a few months old.

She’d stolen a few things from each of the men that looked like high dollar items.  She didn’t want to take from them, but she felt she had no choice.  She reasoned with herself that they’d lied to her, so she could betray them.  She hated it, but she would do it for the sake of her
future children.

She flew north from Dallas and stopped in Oklahoma City to rent a car.  She found a small compact car that suited her better than the high powered sports car she’d “borrowed” from Bill.  She would turn it in once she got to Alaska.  She left a note on the dashboard that the car belonged to William Jennings of Dallas, Texas and left in the tiny car she’d rented.  When she’d presented her driver’s license to the man for payment, he’d all but bent over backward to help her.  It was then she realized she didn’t need the things she’d taken from the men to sell.  Bill had given her full access to the money she needed.

She put the things she’d taken into the trunk of Bill’s car and flew off toward the Northwest.  She stopped three times before she reached Seattle, returning rental cars and renting new ones.  She knew she was probably being paranoid, but she really didn’t want to be found.

From Seattle, she flew out over the Pacific to the Aleutian Islands.  There were still a couple of pockets there where Native Americans lived and she landed in
a mostly white settled area.  She left her car with the keys locked in it and a note about where she’d rented it from at the local Hertz office, and headed out as a passenger in a young Eskimo woman’s truck.  She offered her some cash to compensate for her time and settled in for the ride.

“Do you know of any places I could rent in your town?”

The woman laughed.  “There aren’t any young pretty white women left.  Why would you be trying to leave your world?  It’s so much better than mine.”

April shook her head, unwilling to get into the whole story of how she had four husbands.  “My husband wants to sell off any daughters we may have.  He thinks that girls are a ‘commodity’.”

Sally, the young Eskimo woman, shook her head.  “You did right to get out of there.  That’s crazy talk!  I have a two bedroom apartment.  You’ll have to pay rent, but you can live with me for as long as you need to.”  She shrugged.  “I’ve been looking for someone to share expenses!”

April nodded, relieved.  “Thank you!” 

Even by her old standards, the apartment was trashy. It was in an old area of the small town she’d been taken to.  As she looked out the window, April realized that this town was very much like the community she’d grown up in, only poorer.  She could handle that.  At least it would be familiar.

She’d stopped and gotten some cash from her driver’s license somewhere in Idaho.  She had no idea where.  She’d just gotten enough for a couple of months of living expenses if she was willing to live frugally.  “This will work great,” she said, smiling at Sally.  “Thank you for letting me
stay here.”

Sally named a figure for her half of the rent
, and April was relieved.  It was about half of what she’d thought she’d spend, so her money would stretch a bit further than expected.  “Are you going to look for work?”

April nodded.  “But I’ll need to be paid in cash.”
  She bit her lip.  She hated to try to get someone to pay her under the table, but her wages could be traced otherwise. 

“I thought so.  I know the local hotel is always hiring maids.”  Her eyes were steady on April’s
, as if she expected April to refuse. 

“Sounds good.
  Would you take me over and introduce me?”

Two hours later, April had a job at the local hotel.  It was a dirty place that seemed to be used by the hour more than by the night, but she didn’t care at that point.  She needed money, and if this was how she’d get it, she’d be happy to do it.

She wasn’t afraid of hard work and never had been.  Just because she’d married a trillionaire didn’t mean she’d forgotten how to work. 

*****

When John came home at noon for his turn with April, he looked through the apartment for her.  Finally, he went to the kitchen.  “Where’s April?”

Maurice didn’t look up from the lunch he’d prepared.  He’d known April was going for days.  She hadn’t told him, but he’d watched her methodically prepare to leave after overhearing her conversation with Alex.  She wasn’t subtle about it. 
He hadn’t said a word, though, because he agreed with her decision.  She couldn’t let the men sell off her children.

“I’m not sure.  Is she not in her room?”  He kept his face down so the other man wouldn’t see what he was sure would be easy to read.  He had a good life working for Bill and he didn’t want to be fired because he hadn’t said anything.

John shook his head with a frown.  “No, and she knew I’d be here at noon.  Did you see her leave?  Did she say anything to you?”

“Not a word.”  He conveniently ignored the first question.  April needed time to get as far from them as possible.

Maurice listened as John called the other men one by one.  “Do you have any idea where she is?” he asked over and over.  He could hear the confusion in the other man’s voice but didn’t say a word. 

Within twenty minutes
, they were all seated in the living room talking.  “Did you know she was leaving?” John asked Bill, his eyes sad.

Bill shook his head.  “What could have happened?  She seemed so happy with us.  Could she have been faking the whole time?”

David shook his head.  “There’s not a fake bone in that woman’s body.”  He sighed.  “Is there any way she could have found the original contract?  The one that said we’d keep our sons but sell our daughters?”  He ignored his ringing phone, something the other men had never seen him do. 

“Aren’t you going to get that?” John asked with wide eyes.

“April is more important than whoever just got thrown in jail for fighting with a cop.”  David’s eyes leveled on Bill’s again.  “Could she have found it?”

“I don’t know how.  I kept it in my study and to my knowledge, she never went in there.  She did everything we told her to do.  Why would she disobey that?”  Bill looked down in frustration.  “I’ll miss the sex.  I won’t lie and say I won’t, but if she doesn’t come back, I’ll miss her even more.  I loved her.”

The other men all nodded in agreement.  “We have to find her!” Steve said.  “I don’t care what it costs or how long it takes.  We have to find her!”

Bill pulled his phone from his pocket.  “Let me track where she’s using money.  There’s always a trail.”  He pushed some buttons and worked for a few minutes.  “She rented a car in Oklahoma City….and another in Denver…got cash in Idaho?”  He looked up at the others.  “She’s heading northwest.”

“So we’ve got her in Idaho last…when?”  Steve pulled out his own phone and found a map of the US.  “Okay, looks like she’s going to Seattle.”  He stood.  “I’m headed for Seattle.  Call me if there’s news.”  He strode quickly from the room, knowing he’d stay in touch with his friends.  They’d find her.  They had to!

*****

After her first day cleaning at the disgusting motel, April changed her opinion.  Before she’d moved there, she’d had no idea how to work.  Now she knew what hard work was.  She went home to the tiny apartment she shared with Sally and collapsed into her bed without eating.  What did it matter if she ate right?  Just so long as she was away.

Her days settled into a routine.  She got up early every morning, had a small breakfast, and walked to the hotel, which
was only a few blocks away.  She worked all day, and spent the evening reading.  She rarely spoke to Sally, but Sally seemed to understand.

She was still so sensitive to anything sexual
, it was amazing.  If a man so much as seemed to look at her breasts through her shirt, her nipples would harden and she would feel a flood of moisture in her pussy.  She spent hours every night using her dildo, which she had carefully packed, knowing the men would no longer be there for her.

It was in early September that she realized she hadn’t had a cycle since before she’d finished school.  Her hand went to her stomach.  Her daughter would be safe.  She wouldn’t be sold.  Nothing else mattered.

She saw the village doctor, who smiled a lot and nodded.  He used old fashioned equipment to verify her pregnancy and put her on a prenatal vitamin.  Patting her on the back, he watched her go with a frown.  How could someone with such sad eyes be a good mother?

*****

Bill stared at his friends.  It had been months.  They were all missing their sweet April.  They’d found her last rental car in Alaska on one of the Aleutian Islands.  Where would she have gone from there?  The trail just died.  No money was used.  She hadn’t used her driver’s license again. 

“Anything?”
Bill asked.  They’d hired a private investigator months before and nothing was found.

Steve shook his head.  He’d had daily contact with the investigator, but the trail was just cold.  “He’s combing the islands.  No one has seen a pretty little blond, though.   But who would admit it if they had?”

Bill just shook his head.  “No one.  She’s perfect.  Who would be stupid enough to let her get away?”  Other than them, of course. 

*****

April sank onto her bed and stared at the wall.  She didn’t know why she was surprised, but she was.  After more than a week of being taken every time anyone had a whim, she should have expected to be pregnant, but she hadn’t.  She wasn’t unhappy that she was expecting, but she wasn’t over the moon either.  How was she going to deal with a baby when she worked ten hour days for peanuts?  Would Sally even let her stay?

*****

Jonas Wilding strode into the tiny hotel and booked a room.  He’d found that with the Native Americans of the area, he had to be around for a while before asking questions or they’d tell him nothing.  He would just have to blend in and do his best to be part of the community.  Eventually he’d find the woman.  He knew he would.  He’d never tried to find someone for eight solid months before, and he was starting to lose confidence.  It was unbelievable that a naïve young woman like the four trillionaires had described to him would be able to cover her tracks that way.

He walked toward the room they’d given him, wrinkling his nose at the old fashioned décor and tacky carpet.  When had they built this place? 
The twenty-first century?

He stopped at his room and pushed the key in the door, just as a young woman, obviously pregnant, stepped out of the room beside his.  She was blond with blue eyes, which was startling to begin with.  There were young women around the area, but they were all Native Americans.  None were blond.  He watched her for a moment as she pushed out a cleaning cart.  Could it be?

He went into his room without saying a word and pulled out the holograph the men had given him.  It was her.  He’d finally found her.  He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the number he’d been given.  “Steve?  Wilding here.  I found her.”

*****

April put her hand to the small of her back as she turned the key in the lock of the apartment she shared with Sally.  She was exhausted.  The doctor had told her working up until her due date wasn’t a good idea, but she had no choice.  The cash she’d gotten in Idaho had all gone for doctor bills.  She had to have some way to earn a living, and taking time off before the babies were born wasn’t the best way to do that.

She pushed the door open and stopped, her eyes widening.  Bill,
John, David and Steve were all sitting on her couch watching her.  As soon as she saw them, she turned and hurried away, moving as fast as her pregnant body would allow.  She rushed around the corner, and started down the stairs.  John caught her before she reached the next level down, holding her against him. 

She felt the tingling start in her pussy, but she did her best to ignore it, not wanting them to drag her back home.  She sighed. 
Home.  Home was still where they were.

He tilted her chin up to his and kissed her passionately.  “We have missed you so much.  Please come back to us.”  He wrapped his arms around her, not letting her move.

The others caught up a moment later, each of them taking a turn pulling her against them and kissing her.  Steve was the last to kiss her and picked her up in his arms, carrying her back to the apartment.  “We’re going to talk,” he told her as he carried her in and set her down gently on the couch. 

Bill locked the door, before sitting on one side of her while
John sat on the other.  April shook her head.  “I can’t go with you.  I just can’t.”  She looked down at her hands, tears streaming down her face.

Bill stroked the hair that had fallen out of her thick braid out of her eyes.  “Why can’t you come with us?  We love you.”