Count Your Blessing

“Can I take the blind fold off now?” Wren had essentially been kidnapped by her friends on the night of her twenty-first birthday. She was in the back of Haley’s 2009 Ford Focus, a tie-dye bandana wrapped around her head to cover her eyes. “I’ve been blind back here for an hour!”

“Not yet!” One of the other girls laughed. Wren was clueless to the fact that they had crossed the border from New Jersey into New York and they where only about thirty minutes away from New York City. The girls had googled 'classy strip clubs' prior to the trip and had decided on a place called The Playpen. The website had read that it was a luxury gentleman’s club, where women could get in free while men had to pay a cover charge of $200 at the door.

Half an hour passed and finally the car came to a stop and Wren heard the car doors opening. Her friends helped her out and she couldn’t help but huff, “seriously?” They didn’t let her remove the bandana until they were right outside of the strip club.

“Happy birthday!” They all cheered, “Your drinks are on us tonight so get ready to get wasted!” The girls are gathered in line to get inside.

Fifteen minutes later, the girls were at the door and the bouncer guarding the entrance just smirked at them and pulled back the red rope barring off the entrance. The look he gave Wren had her stomach doing flips so she entered the club as quickly as she could.

The lights inside were turned down low and accent lights of purples and reds lit up the bar, tables and the stage where a girl wearing nothing but a boa around her neck was twirling down a pole. Loud rock music was playing over the speakers and almost all the tables and seats were taken. The girls headed over to the bar and took seats as they wanted to order their drinks. Wren was honestly embarrassed her friends had really decided to bring her to a place like this for her birthday. She knew it was a joke, but couldn’t they have just laughed at it and then left to go somewhere else? After all, what’s wrong with a regular bar or a restaurant to get buzzed at?

“Have you ladies been helped?” A man with dark hair and green hazel eyes leaned across the bar top and smiled at them. “Name's Zacky, by the way.” His teeth were pearly white but his pale skin, sharp canines and the way he seemed so overly confident made Wren think about the type of men her mother had warned her to stay away from.

After all her friends began ordering LITs and margaritas, but Jessie interrupted Wren before she could ask for something, “And it’s Wren's birthday! Maybe you could make her something special?”

Wren's face heated up as Zacky leaned across the table. "Oh, we got a birthday girl, huh. Drinks are on me tonight, ladies." The bartender smiled as he turned away to mix the girl's drinks, knowing he needed to get his boss over here soon.

Matt had retired to his office because it was a rather slow evening. At least as far as he was concerned - and he could take entertainment in his office. He smirked at the girl that was currently grinding against him, topless and intent on keeping him on a good mood. The girls that worked for him weren't foolish, they knew that Matt in a sour mood was not a man they wanted to deal with. The woman with him had faltered when he demanded her to join him in the office but she had known better than to refuse. So long as she performed well, there would be no problems. It was just a matter of seeing whether she could please him or not.

Letting out a low growl when there was a knock at his door, Matt's head snapped up and his eyes narrowed as a glare settled on his features. When he saw that it was Zacky who had knocked, Matt only raised an eyebrow. "It had better be a good fucking reason that you're interrupting me. Sarah here was just getting started," he snapped. Zacky seemed to falter for a moment before he stood up a bit straight, knowing fully well that Matt would want to know what was currently going on in the bar.

"There's a couple girls here. One of them, it's her birthday. She's got like, reddish orange hair... I think you'll like her. Really like her," Zacky added, eyeing Sarah for a moment. "Besides. Alex just showed up. You know he pays well for Sarah's.. time."

Matt sighed as he eyed Zacky for a moment, trying to sort out what he thought. He had half the mind to tell Zacky off and to return to what he'd just been doing. But his friends knew him well and if Zacky was deciding to bother him right now, Matt thought it was at least worth checking out. There were countless beautiful women in the club, it wasn't like he couldn't find someone he wanted to sleep with.

"Fine. Go find Alex. I'm sure he's probably already asking for you," Matt said as he shoved Sarah off of his lap. He made his way out of the office, only closing the door once the room was empty. Matt cleared his throat as he started out of the hallway, smirking to himself at the table that Zacky had motioned to.

"Ladies!" Matt called as he approached, eyeing the girl that Zacky had thought he'd like. She was gorgeous, he would have to give her that. Matt ran his tongue over his bottom lip, leaning against the table. "I hear it's someone's birthday here? Next round is on the house, okay?!"

Zach mixed up the different drinks, before making Wren's. It was brightly colored and would taste super sweet. Bringing the drinks back to the group, he sat them each down on the bar top before crossing his arms over his chest. "Enjoy." He smirked, backing away slowly glancing between each of the women before he turned away, heading out from behind the bar.

Wren picked her drink up, the cold glass instantly freezing her hand. She took a sip of the bright pink drink, instantly tasting sugar. Well, for her first drink she wasn't going to have any issues getting it down. She looked around the bar and couldn't understand how her friends felt so comfortable here. They were giggling and deep in their own conversations, enjoying their drinks, ignoring the blaring music and the creepy men all around them drooling over the naked woman on stage. She didn't feel safe here at all.

"Ladies!" A loud voice boomed from behind them, and Wren jumped a little before turning in her seat to see who it was. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the bright pink blushes rising on her friend's faces. A pale man covered in tattoos could be seen headed in their direction, the crowd of people parting to let him through. His black button-up shirt had the first couple buttons undone and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing the ink across his chest and down his arms. His smile was glistening, mostly due to the silver grill he had in his mouth, sharp fake vampire fangs carved from diamonds were sparkling under the bar lights. Wren couldn't tell if they were real or fake.

"Yeah, this is the birthday girl!" Brittany pushed Wren slightly towards the man, but not enough to knock her out of her chair. Wren swatted Brittany's arm away, her own face burning bright red now out of embarrassment.

@ castle.

{oh god, i don't think i realized you wanted that matt. I'm sorry }

Matt's face broke into a wide grin as Brittany pointed out the birthday girl. He laughed as she reacted, tilting his head to the side. Zacky was right, the girl was beautiful and he couldn't help but take a moment to undress her with his eyes. He wondered how many drinks she would have to have before she couldn't stand up straight. Before her friends had to drag her out... before she was his. Matt had to hold back a smirk at the thought, not wanting to weird the women out too much. At least not until they completely belonged to him. The others didn't really catch his attention but he was sure that they would still be good employees. Whether they wanted to be or not. Girls always came around when they were under his employment.

"Well, it's a pleasure that you decided to spend your birthday here," Matt teased, as he set his hand on Wren's upper back. He was gentle, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. If she fled before he even had a chance to get her, Matt would be terribly disappointed and there wasn't a single damn person in this building that wanted to be witness to that.

Matt straightened back up, tilting his head to the side as he looked around the small group of people. "Tell me, what do you want to eat? I'll put an order into the kitchen right away. I think we can do a few appetizers for you as well," he nodded, deciding that it was time to put on the charm. Matt raised an eyebrow when Wren turned toward him. "Well? Did you want anything in particular? You call all the shots, birthday girl," he teased gently.

(Whoops XD)

Wren wasn't used to this kind of attention in the slightest. The presence of his hand on her lower back caused her to perk up a little, perfectly straightening out her posture. She wasn't used to being the center of attention, especially to a man... Especially an intimidating and muscular man...

"I..." Wren looked around at her friends, who seemed completely overjoyed by the whole situation. They started shouting out suggestions, nachos with extra jalapenos and potato wedges. "I guess nachos and potato wedges?" She looked back up at Matt, wishing she could just disappear into thin air.

She looked over Matt's shoulder at the bartender who still had a smug little smirk on his face. He returned behind the bar and went back to cleaning glasses. Wren's friends weren't oblivious to the situation, they could tell this kind of attention wasn't the norm for every guest at the club. Brittany slid Wren's drink closer to her, until it touched her arm, reminding her to drink up. Wren picked up the glass and took a long sip, wondering what was going on. A complimentary drink on someone's birthday, sure, but all this special treatment by who seemed to be the owner? Something didn't seem right...

@ castle.

Matt nodded at the suggestions that Wren's friends were making. He nodded again when Wren decided that she was going to go with the suggestions that they had made. He locked eyes with Wren, wetting his bottom lip as he nodded. "I'll put the order into the kitchen right away, okay? Food should be out shortly," he commented before he turned. Matt made his way into the kitchen, eyes landing on Zacky. He was quick to a barely noticeable nod of his head. It was the only sort of 'good job' Zacky would get from Matt but it was still more than what he usually received.

Matt was quick to put the order in, adding a side note that it was for an interview. Code for sleep medication to be mixed into the food, so that Matt could help them to one of the rooms in the back of the club. Meant solely for this situation, where new girls were put while the drugs started to take affect. As soon as they fell asleep, they would be whisked away to the basement.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Matt was seen exiting the kitchen with the plates in his hands. It wasn't often that he was seen serving guests but he had taken a certain liking to Wren. He wanted to ensure she was hisi by the end of the night. "Ladies," he greeted them again, his face breaking into a wide grin as he set the plates down. Matt turned toward Wren, raising an eyebrow. "Was there something specific you wanted, birthday girl? ALl to yourself so you don't have to share," he teased gently.

Wren still want used to all the attention she was getting. She couldn't help that she was blushing a bright red. "No, no, no.. ." She chuckled, "I wouldn't do that." Wren looked around at the other girls, feeling like her face was on fire. Coming up behind Matt was the bartender again with a round of fresh drinks, each of which has another dose of sedatives mixed in, just in case any of the girls weren't very hungry.

"Here ladies." He smirked , "On the house."

Wren couldn't help the weird feeling she had in her stomach. Something didn't seem right. She couldn't name any other places that would give you multiple free drinks and appetizers... "Thanks..." She was visibly surprised but her friends quickly started eating.

@ castle.

{omfg I must not have hit submit on this last night }

Matt smirked as he leaned against the bar, his eyes landed on the table of women who were greedily digging into the food that had been brought out to him. It amazed him that none of them seemed to be remotely suspicious of all the free items they were receiving other than Wren herself. She seemed to eye the food warily, did the same with the drink, and when she started to look toward the bar, Matt was quick to turn toward Zacky. No, he wasn't watching them - there was no reason to make Wren more suspicious. Before she even knew what was happening, she would be passed out. Just where Matt wanted her.

He cleared his throat as he glanced toward Zacky, raising an eyebrow. He tilted his head in the direction of the table before raising an eyebrow. "Do you want any of them? Or are they going straight to the auction?" He asked, knowing that a few of his men would be watching the table now - waiting for the telltale signs of the drugs beginning to take affect.

Less exaggerated movements. The girls would be slumping in their seat and their heads would begin dropping as they wondered what was going on. By that point though, it would already be too late for them.

Wren had noticed Matt's body jerk towards the bar as she looked over. The pit in her stomach grew, knowing something was wrong. "Who googled this place?" She asked with a sense of urgency.

"Maddie did..." Brittany said after taking a sip of her drink. "Why?"

"Maddie did you read any reviews on this place or anything?" Wren asked, but Maddie barely looked up from her phone. She was already beginning to feel sluggish and dizzy but it wasn't easy to tell since she was staring down. "I'm going to go to the bathroom.. ." Wren quickly got up from the table and grabbed her purse before making her way through the crowd to the bathroom.

"No, I don't think so-woah, woah!" Zacky was quick to notice Wren leaving the table. He carefully pointed Matt's attention back to the table. " I don't think she ate or drank anything. " The girls at the table were already visibly losing energy, not smiling or talking anymore, just slouched in their chairs.

@ castle.

Matt only looked up when Zacky started stressing out. His eyes narrowed as he watched Wren disappear into the bathroom. His back straightened as anger flooded his system. "She's the birthday girl and hasn't had a single drink? A bite of food? What kind of garbage is this?" He huffed, his fingers tightening around the edge of the bar. What little self control Matt had was dwindling to nothing the longer the night went on, the longer that he didn't have his hands on that pretty little body of Wren's.

"Fuck it," Matt declared. He reached out the bar, wordlessly unscrewing the cap on a bottle of chloroform. He held a cloth to the neck, pouring just a bit on it before replacing the cap. He glanced toward Zacky before nodding toward the group of girls that had all but slumped over. "Get them taken care of."

Matt made his way toward the womens' bathroom which was down a short hallway. He knocked on the door before pushing the door open just enough so that he could speak. "Miss? Are you in here? Your friends.. don't seem to be doing so good and I was hoping you could tell me if it's good to send them all to the same address... I was going to call a cab for them.."

He was just waiting long enough for her to show her face because he was going to drug her one way or another. Wren was his.

Zacky frowned, his shoulders slumping forward. He never got to do any of the fun stuff. He slapped his hands against the bar top, before straightening his posture. Rounding the bar, he headed for the table full of drugged up girls and whistled, alerting two more men to come help him take them down to the basement.

It didn't take much to escort the ladies away. They were almost falling asleep they were so weak... Zacky grabbed Brittany around the waist, pulling her up to his side. "You ladies are so lucky. You're in for a big surprise." Two more bouncers, dressed in black suits who were much taller and muscular than Zacky, followed his lead with the other two girls. No one even looked at them as they walked through the bar, the crowd of people parting to let them through.

They marched to the back of the bar, to a black door with the words 'Employees Only' written red on it. Zacky unlocked it, jingling a ring of hundreds of keys before they vanished back into his pocket. He swung the door open, revealing a black metal staircase that led down into the underbelly of their bar. "Here we go, ladies."

Wren leaned forward on the sink, having already splashed cold water on her cheeks and blotted it dry with paper towels. Her body felt like it was in panic mode, she was hot, and her heart was beating so fast she thought any minute she might have a heart attack. Looking up at her reflection in the mirror, she instantly felt nauseous. She was hiding in a bathroom while her friends...

The creaking sound of the bathroom door being pushed open terrified her so much that she froze and held her breath. Peeking towards the door, all she could see was a hand holding it barely open. She could feel her heartbeat in her throat as she started to shake. When the man started to speak, she could instantly who it was. The one she was worried of, the bar owner. His voice came out so soft and gentle, it was hard to tell if he was just being a gentleman or faking it.

Quickly turning the faucet to the sink on, Wren fought to speak, to say something- but her throat felt like it had swollen shut. "One second." She forced herself to speak as she washed her hands. Grabbing a paper towel, she headed for the door, glancing at Matt through the crack. She didn't like the way he was looking at her, something felt sinister. Slowly reaching out for the door handle, she pulled the door open, out of his grasp. "What's wrong with my friends?" Exactly what she had been afraid of. They had spiked their drinks or something worse.

@ castle.

"Of course, miss. I'll just be right outside, I'll wait for you," Matt answered when Wren responded to him. He stepped back long enough that he could lean against the wall opposite of the womens bathroom. He crossed his arms in front of him, offering a little grin to a duo of girls who giggled, making their way past Matt. He gave them a nod of his head, "ladies," he greeted, straightening up when Wren appeared.

Matt turned, shoving his hands into his pockets as he waited. There wasn't a window in the bathroom for Wren to escape out of so he wasn't particularly concerned. He knew how this was going to end, even if Wren decided to put up a fight. Matt always won, he always got what he wanted. That was the thing about him. He didn't know how to take no as an answer.

Matt couldn't help but wonder if Wren was starting to realize that something was off about the club he owned. With the way she was looking at him and the fact that she hadn't had a single sip of alcohol... Matt was suspicious. But that would just make this all the more fun, when he managed to claim Wren. Make her realize just how big of a mistake this was, stepping into his club without men with her to protect her. He was going to bend her to his will and make a perfect little slave out of Wren.

The thought excited him and he turned, taking a moment to adjust his pants before he nodded in the direction that led back to the main area of the club. "I don't know... they started complaining of feeling ill and one of my employees offered them a private room to rest in. Apparently forgetting that people generally have to pay for private rooms," Matt said. He rolled his eyes for emphases, trying to play it off as he was quite annoyed.

"Any way. Once they're feeling a bit better, we can call you a cab so you can make your way home... unless you want to try and wrangle them all out of here on your own," Matt added with a soft laugh. They reached the door that led to the room her friends were in and he was quick to push open the door, stepping to the side so that Wren could step inside. Matt moved into the entrance way, his face twisting into a smirk as he closed the door behind himself.

"Though.. I have a question for you miss. If it's alright.." Matt paused, clearing his throat as he tilted his head to the side. "When did you figure out that it was a bad idea to come here?"

Walking with Matt through the club felt like a nightmare. Like any minute now something crazy enough to jolt her awake would happen and she would realize this was all just a horrible, horrible dream. But the closer they got to the private room the more intense the feeling of dread was. It was washing over her and she didn't see a way out. Matt opened the door to a dimly lit room and instantly, Wren felt like she was going to vomit. The only thing in this room was a velvet bed and lying on it was all of her friends. They were all unconscious, unmoving and she knew Matt wasn't going to call a cab.

"When did you figure out that it was a bad idea to come here?"

"I didn't want to. They made me." Wren whispered, standing as still as a statue. She didn't move to look at him or move to try and get away. She didn't even blink to let her tears fall. All she could think about was how she had begged them to skip the bar. She hadn't been feeling up to it, but they had all insisted because it was her birthday. They had to go so far as to blindfold her to get her here. Now, look at them. They'd all probably be dead by the end of the night, Wren's mind was instantly going to the worst-case scenario. Still, to terrified to move, Wren could feel Matt behind her. His presence was ominous and thick, washing over her like a waterfall. "Please, just let us leave. I'll pay for the drinks and the room..." Wren knew it wasn't about that, it never had been. She knew it was pointless to try and beg. She could feel that it was pointless. He wasn't going to let them go.

One of her friends on the bed began to shift, rolling over in her drug-induced sleep, the sound of her breathing breaking the uncomfortable silence. When she heard a door open, she forced herself to move, turning to see what was happening. Matt had moved away from the door and three bodyguards entered the room, ignoring both of them and making a beeline to the bed, where they began to throw her friends over their shoulders. "Careful with the merchandise." A new voice could be heard. Back at the door, the bartender was leaning against the doorframe. "Come on fellas, hurry it up," Zacky smirked, looking Wren up and down as he ushered the bodyguards out and closed the door once more.

"Where are they going?" Wren whispered, her whole body shaking now.

@ castle.