Ava stepped into the dimly lit, slightly grimy bar. She counted six booths on her left before settling on the seventh.
It's hard to tell what was louder--the sound of her teeth grinding or the rhythmic tapping of her foot. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in every guest in sight.
One of the waitresses approached her and smiled, "What can I get you, young lady?
"Oh... just a... fuck, oh yeah, a shot of F.S.S. whisky, make it two." Ava took a deep breath as if she had passed the most challenging test of her life.
The waitress sat across from her, two shots of whiskey already in hand. She slid one over to Ava. " You know what, maybe you could use both of these," she said, sliding the second one over.
"I shouldn't; I'm not actually 21 yet." Ava's eyes shift from the drinks to the mysterious woman sitting before her. "I won't tell if you don't," the woman said with a subtle wink.
Ava paused, looking her over. This waitress couldn't be more than five years older than her. Still, her voluptuous build and confident presence put them in very different leagues. Her shorter blonde hair was prim, and her piercing blue eyes were too intimidating to keep eye contact with.
She took another deep breath and downed both shots.
"Good job, girly," the waitress said, almost with a look of pride across her face. "Now, follow me." She got up and walked towards the back door, nodding to the bartender as she opened it for Ava to walk through.
"Where are we going? No one said anything about leaving the bar with you?" Ava hesitated before walking through the threshold.
The waitress placed her hand on Ava's lower back and nudged her forward. "We're just going to take a short ride, and I promise we will be back in thirty minutes tops."
"I don't even know who you are," Ava shouted. She froze as the door shut behind her. A car's headlights flashed them from the back of the alley before she could find her bearings.
"Sorry, my dear, they call me the Matron, and if you stick with me, all your family problems might just disappear."
Ava was constantly cleaning up her parents' messes, but gambling debt like this wasn't getting fixed by a part-time job at the cafe. Nope, this mess had her meeting sketchy women at random bars who call themselves The Matron; how about that.
She reluctantly followed the woman down the alley toward what turned out to be a decent-looking limo. The driver jumped out of the car as they approached and opened the door for them with a bow.
"Thank you, Charley." the Matron said, gliding across the seat to make room for Ava. Only when entering the car did she realize he wore a mask over the top half of his face, only able to see the most unsettling smirk below it.
She sat down, her stomach switched from twisting to performing somersaults. "Please just tell me what's going on. My dad told me I'd just have to sign a few things, and you guys would take on the debts. I-I can even make a small payment now, please."
The Matron stared at her body, paying no attention to her words. "You really are quite small, aren't you?" She rummaged through a suitcase that already sat in the car. "I knew you were petite from the pictures, but..."
"What pictures? What is happening?" Ava finally traded in her fear for anger. "I'm not playing this game anymore; let me out of the car."
The woman chuckled, "Maybe this one will fit you; try it on for me."
"Fuck you," Ava said as she pulled on the locked door handle.
The Matron set the garment bag down next to Ava and returned to the suitcase again. This time, an envelope appeared. She threw it on top of the bag. "My dear, your father is an addict and, as you can see now, quite the liar, your mom even worse. You cannot sign anything because they signed for you days ago."
Ava ripped the envelope open to find copied documents signed by both her parents, that named her Maiden Ava of the F.S.S.
Her head started spinning, "Is this a joke? They don't own me. I'm 19, and you can't sell a person, I'm not an object!"
"They can, they did, and you are. They owed $80,000, but if you look below, they signed for $500,000. You pay me that right now, and we are square."
"I have $90 combined in my accounts; how am I supposed to find that kind of money?" Ava started hyperventilating, and a wave of thoughts crashed into her.
The Matron patted the garment bag lying between them. "I like you, Ava, but honestly, just shut up and remove your clothes." She stood up to hit the glass, separating the driver from them, and the car began to move.
Her tilted world came to a halt. The Matron's words were now direct and much harsher. "What, why?"
"Ava, I do wish I could help you through this trying time, but your potential Patron is waiting for us not five minutes from here, so let's save the questions for another time. I can't let anyone see you dressed like that." Her eyes scanned the sloppy T-shirt and jeans Ava had quickly put on for the meeting.
Ava knew nothing good could come from this, but she slowly removed her shirt. The bagginess hid her petite frame; she only then noticed her lack of a bra and quickly covered her smaller B-cup breasts.
"Girly, it's no time to be shy, and don't worry; plenty prefer yours to mine," the Matron remarked, seeing Ava glance again at her chest.
She gently pulled Ava's hands down and took a long look of her own at the young girl's perky little breasts and perfectly paired nipples. "Plenty indeed." She said a smirk crept across her face. "Now pants, too, and underwear, if you bothered with those."
Ava shimmied out of her tight jeans and paused at the panties. "I don't want to do this." The shock had worn off, and a tear streamed down her face.
"My little Ava, it will be okay. You're a strong girl; I can see it in those big brown eyes." She leaned over to wipe the tear away, caressing her cheek. "There really is such a beautiful girl hiding under there." The Matron's finger brushed her bottom lip before pulling away.
Ava looked down at herself, but her hands wouldn't move.
"My god, girl, I need you to pull yourself together. The Patron must accept you as his plus one." She grabs Ava's thighs. "Look up at me, girly. It can't be another girl. He needs to say yes to you."
Ava looked up into her eyes, a strange intensity to them. She felt the Matron's hands slide up to her ass and then tug at the panties, pulling them down to her ankles.
"Why me?" Ava said, trying to hold the stare.
But once again, the woman went back to ignoring her words. She smiled as she gently pried Ava's legs apart. "Well, wouldn't I have killed for a little pink package like that? And quite smooth, I was worried what we might find down there."
The car stopped abruptly, and the dividing window lowered just a crack. "They just gave the okay, ma'am; he's on his way down."
Ava's face dropped, frantically tearing at the garment bag for something to cover herself, but nothing was inside. "Where are the clothes," panic took over as she tried to cover her body with the bag.
"The bag is a prop to speed up the process. The Patron is going to come, look, you're going to smile and present yourself, he's going to say something nice about you, but find something to complain about; I'm going to reassure him, and if you don't do anything stupid, he'll say yes, leave the car. You'll be done for the night."
Then a slap. Ava's pacing eyes shot straight to the woman sitting before her. "Just be a good girl, and let me do the talking." The Matron pulled the bag away from her. Her slim yet soft frame was again exposed.
"Oh shit," the Matron reached into the suitcase's front pocket, tossing a hair tie to Ava. "Ponytail, your hair is a mess." She had just enough time to pull her long hair back, a single brunette strand falling to the side of her face.
The car door opened. An older man with thinner gray hair shuffled in. He was larger, maybe 6'2", not fat but thick. His suit was nice and well-tailored.
Ava instinctively covered herself. The man was quiet, but his eyes said plenty.
The Matron grabbed her arm and pulled her into a more presentable pose. "Her name is Ava if you like it. I picked her myself for you and this event." The woman forced a smile; her grip on the girl's wrist was tight.
He stared at Ava again. "She's cute, but I think I asked for a girl I could show off in a tight black dress." His eyes fixed on the Matron's body. "Do you remember the dress I used to have you wear, Olivia?"
She swallowed deeply and recomposed herself. "Let's leave the past in the past, Ava is a good choice for you. She might not be your usual, but she'll have the important eyes on you, and that's what you care about."