I think for a moment.
“How did the elders keep the story contained?”
Alizeh takes a big, trembling breath and looks at us with blue eyes filled with tears.
“They bought the story and killed it,” she says almost in a whisper. “I didn’t even know that was possible. But basically, you buy exclusive rights to the story, but instead of running it, you just let it die. They did that in the latest election too, is what I heard.”
I shake my head, sharing a look with Trainor. A trucker who sells out the club is definitely a man who has his head screwed on wrong. But what does this have to do with Alizeh?
“So your dad left the club, and you stayed,” I say gently. “Do you still talk to him?”
She shakes her head miserably.
“Not really. He calls me sometimes, and writes me emails, but I don’t really reply. I’m just embarrassed about what he did, and I feel humiliated for him. I can’t believe someone, much less my own father, would do that.”
I nod.
“Neither can we,” I growl. “It’s fucking unbelievable.”
Those words make the tears start coming down her cheeks.
“That’s why I feel so awful, and left out,” she says in a choked voice. “I feel that all the truckers handle me with kid gloves because they know what Mike did. They know that I’m tainted.”
We stare at Alizeh with surprise.
“No, sweetheart. No one thinks that you have anything to do with this mess. It’s completely inconceivable.”
But Alizeh begins to cry now, her small shoulders heaving.
“I’m not so sure,” she says between sobs. “All the other girls have these far-out tales of love. They say that they do these crazy things with the truckers, and that the men make them feel safe. I mean, look at June, Melissa, and Naomi! They’ve all been manhandled in the most X-rated ways, and I just get vanilla all the time. And they’re not the only ones. There are other girls too, who have the most delightful things done to them. A lot of them are married now, too, to the men who did these things to them, and they’re expecting babies.”
I sit back, astonished.
“Wait, so you’re saying that you’ve been having vanilla sex because you think people are afraid to touch you?”
She nods, furiously wiping away at her tears.
“It makes sense, doesn’t it? The other girls are ravished every which way. They’re violated, made to scream and beg, and they come so hard too. And then in the end, they get the guy and a baby. Whereas me? I’m no different from when I started. I go out on outcalls, but I can see that the truckers are nervous when they’re with me. They don’t do anything out of the ordinary. It’s pretty much wham, bam, thank you ma’am.”
I’m thunderstruck, and I can tell Trainor is too.
“No sweetheart, you’re not giving it a chance. You’ve only been with the club two years. That’s not long enough.”
Alizeh shakes her head, her blonde hair flying.
“No, it is. Guess how many girls have gotten pregnant in these last two years? Almost twenty! Twenty babies have been born at the Lodge these last two years, or will be born soon. I want to be a mother so badly, but I don’t think it’ll ever happen to me,” she says in a choked sob.
Trainor and I look at one another. Holy shit, this conversation has gotten serious fast. We get up, and sit on each side of Alizeh before taking one of her small hands in each of our own.
“Alizeh, that’s not true,” I say soothingly. “Your time will come.”
“Baby, there’s no need to panic,” growls Trainor.
But she won’t be soothed. For some reason, Alizeh believes that the misdeeds of her father are being visited on her, and despite our words, she continues to cry grievously. Trainor and I share a look over her bowed head, and we nod. We know what needs to be done.
Slowly, I reach one big hand down and lift her chin so that she’s looking at me. Alizeh is luminously beautiful in the light, with big blue eyes, and tear streaks running down her cheeks. Her pink lips tremble and beg to be kissed, and I don’t hesitate.
I seize her lips with mine, reveling in the sweet taste. She moans against me, still for a moment, but then those soft arms creep up to hook around my neck.
“Please Torrent, please Trainor,” she begs. “Please make me feel whole.”
After a few seconds, I break the kiss and Trainor seizes her mouth.
“Gladly,” he growls against her lips. “Sweetheart, this whole thing has nothing to do with you. You have to believe that. But Torrent and I are going to show you just how wrong you are.”
I nod, seizing her mouth for myself again.
“Alizeh, we’re going to use you,” I rasp in warning. “We’re going to use all of your holes. We’re going to ravish you until you can’t stand straight the next day. We’re going to pump you full of seed, and have you on your knees begging us for more by the time it’s done.”