Gilded in Gold

(Hello, everyone. The wonderful AdrianaBelen edited these pervious chapters and will be editing my future Gilded in Gold Chapters. For readers tuning in, I hope you like these edited chapters and to the fans of Gilded in Gold, lol sorry if I brought your hopes up by thinking this is a new installment. Next chapter will be posted soon :)

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Chapter 1

She was creating art with one of the finest tools at her disposal: a live breathing canvas. Tibby softly ran the fat, short bristled brush with bright, glittering pink blush over the pale crest of the woman prostrated before her. She had already darkened the woman's brow with a dark pencil to give contrast against the peachy color of her face. Her eyes were left bare except for some mascara on her lashes, with tiny small water diamonds glued to the ends. The woman's Slavic face already created hollows beneath her cheek, so Tibby had decided to forgo bronzer and a highlighter. Her lips were painted a soft, peachy pink with a dab of gloss on top to give it a soft glossiness without looking too brash.

Tibby had chosen a simple, pale pink dress to compliment both the girl and her makeup. Zena, as Daniel called her, had few attributes except for the innocent look in her eyes so Daniel had sold her to capitalize on that. The other girls usually favored a bolder eye coloring but on Zena, the soft color seemed to be more fitting. She was already one of the top earning girls in their house.

"Alright, I think you're done!" Tibby finished with one last swipe of the brush and sat back to admire her work. Zena slowly stood up and smiled tightly at her, avoiding eye contact. Tibby lowered her own eyes when she saw that the woman's black stare was just to the left of her shoulder.

"You look lovely," Tibby whispered as she got up and handed her the shoes she had picked to go with the ensemble. "Would you like some jewels this time?" Tibby asked, her hand already reaching into one of the jewelry boxes.

"The men seem to like me in them."

Without my clothes on.

Tibby didn't need to hear the unspoken words to know that that was what Zena meant, so she merely gulped and nodded. She took out a stand of small, opaque pearls with a water diamond clasp. As Zena stood like a statue, Tibby wound the long strand around her slim, pale neck once and let the rest of it trail over her sternum and halfway down her cleavage. The skintight dress was long-sleeved, with a net back and a neckline to her navel. The skirt skimmed over her narrow hips buts flowed out in a mermaid style.

After Tibby brushed down the nonexistent wrinkles on the skirt, she gingerly held out an old handheld mirror to the older woman.

"Would-would you like to see yourself?"

This time, Zena's smile was bitter, accentuating her canine teeth. "I can't stand to see myself, sweet."

Feeling like a complete idiot, Tibby stepped back and let the taller woman exit, catching the scent of the expensive Le Faure Parfume.

It was almost six, so that meant that her brother would be opening the club pretty soon. Today was only one of the few days that he was ahead of schedule. She usually started at three o'clock to get all the girls ready and finished within an hour into the opening. Two of the usual girls had succumbed to the Aklean disease and the girl who gave her the most trouble was surprisingly absent. Relieved that she wouldn't have to see Alexxa today, Tibby began putting her expensive makeup kit away. Daniel spent over five hundred dollars a month for each girl in makeup alone, not to mention the dresses and the shoes, Tibby was sure he made more than tenfold off of them than what he spent for them every week.

With everything locked away in the room, Tibby closed the door and headed towards her room on the upper floor in the Far East corner, the farthest suite from any of the girls or the various men in the house.

~Tibby, come see me. Now.~

Tibby shivered involuntarily as her brother's voice floated through her head in an eerie echo. Recently, Xerxes Corp. had come out with a new program that allowed for a Psych human to create a barrier and give it to a person of their bloodline. Just a month ago, Tibby had undergone the microscopic implantation surgery to have the program chip inserted in her brain and the barrier had been set up. She was honestly grateful to her brother who had given her such a thing. Being part of a five percent minority that were being herded daily into camps to be picked up by bonded Psychs or captured and killed for gain, Tibby knew that this was something that would keep her safe. But it seems that having a part of her brother essentially live in brain was a total invasion of her privacy. Not that she had any deep dark secrets -- how could she, she had lived her entire life under the close confines of her brother's scrutiny, and for the past five years she had rarely left her suite on the third floor of The Wicked Lady.

Reluctantly, she headed for the service elevator that lead straight down to the underground floor to her brother's office. Daniel was always there until opening time; then he would go out in the ballroom to entertain and watch his numerous, glittery wares. A tall bodyguard stood waiting for her when the wrought iron elevator doors slid open with a chipper ping. Tibby smiled up at Javier, but the stoic man stepped back and motioned for her to continue ahead of him.

The long dark hallway was cold and quiet, eerie 18

th

century oil lamps flicked over their forms and cast long shadows on the rich, blood red carpet. Sensual portraits by the artist Calvin Copeman decorated the walls in 4 by 3 gilt frames. As they walked, Tibby crossed her arms over herself and began rubbing up and down to ward off the chill.

Finally, they came to the large door leading into her brother's office. Javier leaned passed her and opened the door, giving her a small push and firmly shut the door behind her.

"Daniel?" Tibby called out into the dimly lit room. Looking around, there were books everywhere. Daniel loved books and his love was shown in the floor to ceiling bookshelf that housed books as far back to the 16

th

century. There were even some books from the 22

nd

century, before people had gotten rid of paper forms forever. Tibby never understood his penchant for published, leaflet books. Only one wall held a seven foot high fire place with a 150 inch monitor on top. In front of the fireplace was a huge, glass mosaic desk, sans Daniel.

"Daniel, where are you?" Tibby tried again, turning around the room looking for him. Low animal grunts permeated the room from behind a small door in the corner. It was the room Daniel typically used to house his many drinks. Frowning, Tibby hurried to the door and threw it open.

The scene that greeted her almost had her running in the other direction to the bathroom. The muffled grunts she had mistakenly thought coming from an animal were coming from none other than Alexxa, the newest girl to the house. Naked on the ground, kneeling on all fours with her hands bound, Alexxa was gagged with what seemed to be a lace scrap, presumably her own panties. Her brother Daniel was behind her on his knees, fucking her with rough strokes; one hand tangled in her hair, while holding the elastic band of the lace, reining her in like a horse.

But what really made Tibby want to hurl was seeing Daniel gleefully run a long, sharp shard of broken glass down Alexxa's back. Tibby could see the moving butterfly tattoos decorating her once pristine back being grotesquely cut in two. A blue and yellow butterfly tried to escape the attack but one of its wings was attached solely by the tip. Tibby took a step back and heard the crunch of broken glass under her feet. It was then she noticed that the trail of broken glass led to the sadistic and bloody scene in the drink room.

With a sudden vicious movement, Daniel brought Alexxa kneeling up to her knees in front while grinding his cock inside of her. Tibby forced back a dry heave and clenched her fists when she saw that Alexxa was kneeling in more glass with a few small pieces embedded deep in her arms and thighs. What she supposed had once been the neck of a very expensive 21

st

century wine bottle, was now sticking gruesomely out of Alexxa's vagina, the jagged ends moving back and forward with Daniel's movements.

"C'mon slut, moan for me like a bitch in heat," Daniel growled into Alexxa's ear. Without giving her time to comply, or otherwise he quickly slid the jagged shard against her bouncing breast, making her scream in agony. However, the cut was just a thin line, Tibby noted. After all, business was business and it was stupid to damage the flesh permanently. After a girl became scarred, she was useless.

Tibby half turned away, knowing what this little scene was about. It was all her fault and she couldn't bear to look into Alexxa's eyes to see the anger and accusation that must have been there at that very moment. After a few more minutes of grunting and moaning, Daniel finished with shout and slumped over the girl, unmindful of the glass bits sticking to his own hands and knees. After all, the rest of his body was cushioned by Alexxa's body, Tibby thought bitterly.

Daniel slowly pulled himself out of the abused girl and got to his feet with a small, self-satisfied bounce. Pulling on only a pair of pants, he motioned for Tibby to follow him outside of the room, sparing not a single glance to Alexxa. Daniel put his arm around his sister and Tibby forced herself not to flinch or cringe in revolt. Tibby took a quick look back and felt immediate relief to see that the girl's chest was moving in small increments.

"Well, my little tabby cat, did that make you feel better?"

"That was for my benefit?" Tibby asked cautiously, trying not to infuse any of her feelings in the question.

"Of course, darling. She needed to be punished after she made you cry yesterday. But I think the little slut actually enjoyed that," Daniel chuckled and looked back at the prone girl with an oddly affectionate glance. Tibby forced a laugh that she hoped sounded derogatory, knowing that if he knew what was going on in her head, she too would be punished.

She had learned a long time ago that she was never to offer an opinion on how he treated the girls. If she ever failed to properly appreciate anything he did for her, he made it so that she would. At first, it had been physical abuse, a few slaps and pinches that escalated to punches and kicks when she was old enough to talk back. Eventually, their father had caught Daniel in one of his rages and told him that those kinds of outbursts were plebian and archaic.

When Tibby was 15, she had helped one of the girls give birth and on request of the girl, had tried to sneak the baby into the Saint Teresa's Orphanage Home, but had been caught by Daniel. Initially, he hadn't wanted to believe that she was doing it of her own will and had thrown the still recovering girl to the Scavengers. When Tibby had implored for him to take Melina out of the Barren Lands, he had forced her to watch the footage of what happened to her. Then, at her father's suggestion, Daniel had invaded her mind and projected her in Melina's place as the Scavengers had swarmed all over her body and devoured her.

That day she had been raped by multiple Scavengers as they tore out her tongue and ate her flesh, all in Melina's body. It took 26 minutes and 37 seconds for Melina to die when she finally succeeded in drowning herself in the small pool of blood beneath her. Her torment ended there but Tibby had relived those minutes for the next year and it had taken an additional five years to finally be able to sleep at night. Daniel had eventually taken the experience of what happened to Melina out of Tibby's mind but Tibby still knew that it happened. Although she does not remember having firsthand experience, Tibby knows that just as happened before it can easily happen again.

From then on, she had distanced herself from all the girls, not that they were clamoring for her company. After that incident, none of the girls even dared to look at her wrong, except for Alexxa. Now Alexxa knew.

"You-you said you wanted to see me?" Tibby took a seat opposite his desk as Daniel comfortably leaned a hip against it.

With his hair mussed and his cheeks flushed from his recent play, he looked rakish and charming. He shared Tibby's own golden coloring, with gleaming gold colored hair and light, hazel eyes. Daniel and Tibby could almost be twins, they looked so alike. He was only a few inches taller than her 5'5 stature and was leanly muscled. It was the perfect golden mask that drew in the rich, upper-class Psychs into the Red Lands.

"Yes, I did. I thought you would enjoy that," he said with a wave towards the drink room. Tibby could not look into his eyes as she muttered a yes and nodded. "And, I wanted to ask if you would like to attend the Midnight Gardens this year."

The crackle of the artificial fire in the hearth seemed deafening in the ensuing silence. The Midnight Gardens is an annual event held for two weeks, starting with Halloween and ending with Hale's Day. Two weeks full of every conceived debauchery and depravity, it was also a week where the new girls were introduced and auctioned off in a "Virgin Auction", so named for the girl's first time as paid companion for The Wicked Lady. Tibby thought she was about to take her place in the Virgin Auction.

"God, no, Tibby!" Daniel sprung towards Tibby, causing her to flinch. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he pulled her up and into his arms. It was then that Tibby realized that she was crying.

"God, I would never do that to you! Did you really think that I would put you the Virgin Auctions?"

Tibby sniffed and leaned her head back to look her brother in the eye. "But, you said I was going to the Midnight Gardens. What else does a woman do there but ...

that

?"

He looked pained as he tenderly wiped a tear from her cheek. "Tabby cat, women other than escorts go the Gardens. I want you to go as my beloved sister. I want to show you off in a gorgeous dress and let all the men and see my beautiful sister. The only reason I haven't asked you before is that you had no barriers before." Tibby's hand unconsciously went to the small scar just above her ear hidden by her hairline that was left after her surgery.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked quietly, her eyes downcast.

"Nothing, my love," Cupping her cheek, he placed a kiss on her forehead. "You eat, drink, revel in the glory of the Cross name. You are to be my hostess. Can you do that for me?"

Tibby lifted her chin in a small nod. It did not matter if she wanted to go or not.

"I will of course make it known that you are not to be touched, and you will always stay by my side during the night parties. A guard will be given to you ..." In other words, she was not supposed to cavort with any of the males or females. Even if she had a choice, she would not anyway. Daniel was still outlining his rules and the last bit caught her attention. "... My friends will want to meet you. Just talk and laugh at their stupid jokes and they'll like you."

"Is it important for them to like me?"

"You are a Cross. You represent the name. I mean to bring you further into the business and this will give you an opportunity to dip your feet into the world I live and work in. Don't worry, no matter what you, they will love you."

"Thank you Daniel. Of course, I will try to be my most charming." The wooden tone of her voice was completely lost on him; he beamed at her as if she had just achieved a great accomplishment. In a way, maybe she had. This was the first path towards maybe someday becoming just like him.

"Danny, I've finished with the girls early today so I thought I would turn in early. May I go now?"

Daniel frowned at her and Tibby's heart jolted in her chest. What could she have said to set him off this time? Should she have thanked him for letting her go outside? Some might think that keeping her inside of the Wicked Lady for the past eight years was cruel but Tibby liked the solitude. She had her own rooftop garden just outside her terrace so she never lacked for fresh air and she did not want to make friends with the people that were available and she did not think that nice people would want to be friends with someone like her.

"You just called me Danny. You haven't called me that since we were kids."

Tibby hadn't called him Danny since Melina.

"I've missed calling you Danny," Tibby improvised, hoping like hell her sickly smile could be mistaken for one of affection. "I'm just so happy about this. I want to make you proud of me."

Daniel smiled and kissed her cheek, lingering just a few seconds too long. Looking into eyes so like his own, he ran a thumb across her dry lips.

"Remember all the rules and you will make me proud. Now go, there are dark smudges under your eyes and you should get some rest. I won't be seeing you until we leave for the Gardens in two days. Javier will pack for you."

Stepping away, Tibby took one more glance at Alexxa. "Should I call the medic?"

"No, I'm not finished with her."

Those ominous words urged Tibby to open her mouth in protest but a fleeting image of Melina's body through her eyes stopped her and Tibby nodded. She almost tripped over her feet trying to get to the door and flung it open to Javier and two more of the guards. She slid past them and watched as they filed past her and shut the door firmly in her face.

She quickly ran for the elevator. No matter how thick the walls were, sometimes screams slid past the mortar. She was breathing hard by the time the elevator reached the fourth floor so as soon as she got into the hallway, she slid down the wall and put her face between her knees. That helped to calm her mind and she brought forth a picture of a fantasy. It was more of a memory, but it was so long ago that it seemed like it had been a fantasy.

She was on a farm somewhere, probably in the Onyx Lands, so named for their black mountains, where technology had been outlawed. Some radicals had forsaken the new technology and gone back to the ways of farming and hunting. She and her brother were playing with their mother, a small gentle woman who always had a smile and a hug ready for them. Danny was always pulling on her braids but to make up for that, he would lift her up on his thin shoulders and run all around the yard, making her squeal like one of their pigs. Their mother would reprimand them but a smile would be lurking behind her sparking eyes. Tibby could almost feel the natural breeze, instead of the Jael Corp. imported air and artificial breezes. That breeze carried the scent of farm life: manure, grass, sweat, hay, lavender, mud, vanilla cookies...

Tibby snapped her eyes open and found herself curled on the red carpeted hallway in a fetal position. With the slow movements of an arthritic patient, she unfurled herself and headed towards her suite of rooms. A lone, unadorned door opened to a spiral staircase, at the end was a white painted door carved form genuine cherry wood.

Her suite included a small sitting room that she had decorated with a cream sofa set and yellow pillows with winsome flowers. Off to one side was a desk with her Personal Assistant Computer Technophyte, or PACT, as they called it now, then there was her bedroom, her own haven. High, with numerous plush pillows and gauze drapes that gave it a dreamlike quality, her bed beckoned. But she after what she had seen with Alexxa, she knew she would keep seeing the girl's pained expression every time she closed her eyes.

Grabbing up an old fashioned pencil and a pad of papers, she headed out to what she called her balcony. It was really the rooftop of the building. It had once been a rooftop garden, with a small pool I the middle that had long since dried up. The empty pots and paved pathway winding artfully around to towards the pool always enchanted her. The deserted look suited her fine, reminiscent of her life now.