"The facts are plain and simple," Billy answered. "But if you'd like to take a little look-see at the merchandise you're welcome a quick glance, with no touchin' that is."
Billy reached for Ellen's arm and pulled her violently toward the group of men. Ellen could feel the palm of his hand tighten around her wrist, then she sensed his fingers loosen slowly, as though he was intending to show his power to the men but did not want to hurt her. She let herself go weak under the strong pressure of the man's hand and found herself being pulled down toward the mattress.
"Now just look," Billy said, grasping her chin firmly in one hand while he still held her wrist strongly within his other fist. "Ain't she a sweet cunt? She's a real wonder."
Then in one swift movement Billy's hand reached down and ripped open the flimsy material of her tee shirt completely, throwing the tattered cloth onto the floor. Ellen fell backward for a moment in surprise, suddenly feeling the nakedness of the upper part of her body and trying to cover the exposed pink fleshed nipples of her large full breasts.
"Now you take a look at that boys," she heard his voice hiss. "That's what I call a real damn hostage, what dya think, Pop?"
"J-Jeeze, look at them Goddamn titties," the old man exclaimed, lurching forward from his chair.
"Now hold on, boys. You just keep your hands off them pretty knockers, cause I got somethin' better to show you."
Ellen pulled away again, rising and trying vainly to escape her final exposure to the lewdly staring criminals seated before her, then she felt Billy's hand reach under the tightly clasping waist band of her jeans, and she heard and sensed the thick denim rip and slide down over the voluptuous young curves of her hips. The jeans fell in a useless pile to the floor and now she was standing naked and completely defenseless before them. She felt the cool air rush around the blonde silken treasure lying up between her thighs, and she clenched her legs, futilely trying to hide herself from their obscene glances.
"Now just walk around a bit," Billy commanded harshly. "I want the fellas to see what ya got that they can't get. But be nice about it, they been without it a bit too long."
Ellen shuddered and drew back from them, trying to bring herself to run to the door of the kitchen but somehow she was frozen in her tracks with a fear that increased as she watched the three men slowly rise from the mattress. Ellen pulled close to Billy and looked up into his cold expressionless face for some reassurance, but it didn't come. The men were coming closer now and she found herself trembling as the lewdly fascinated group shambled forward, the obscene glare of their vision clamped vise-like on her nakedly shivering young body.
Billy had done nothing to ward the three men off. He just sat impassively in his chair while they began their lust-incited appraisal of each curve and soft dimple of her body, gaping with unadulterated admiration and animal-like lust at her luscious fullness of her breasts and the soft-downed blush of sparse blonde pubic hair curling between her legs.
"Jesus Christ," Cash breathed, almost in a groan. "That is really something."
Vito stood only a few inches from her, his beady eyes glazed over with a film of lust and his tensed mouth working spasmodically. It was all he could do to keep from rushing the young girl again, and he seemed to struggle to avoid raising his arm to fondle her softness in his hand. Vito knew that this would be fatal, as Billy still had claim to her as gang leader, but he would wait until the opportune moment, if that moment ever came, and then he would vent all of his hate and passion and would show Billy and the other men just what kind of a man he was.
"There ain't no reason you got to hold us off like this, Billy," Pop said, rubbing the palms of his rough fat hairy hands together, as his eyes followed the smooth contours of her body from the lust curve of her ripely upthrust breasts to the smooth fleshy contours of her hips and thighs.
Billy stood up from his chair, exulting in his power to tantalize the other men with this young captive who was his and his alone. His strength seemed to know no bounds, and his arrogant authority shone through his bright blue eyes that seemed to revel in the control he held over her and the others. Slowly the imprint of a contemptuous smile began to curl over his lips.
"Now I know you fellas need a little pussy, and I sympathize," he said, smirking viciously at the men. "And I plan to make it so you can have the chance to get her fair and square."
"That's what we been talking about ever since she was brought in here," Cash exclaimed, covetously running his eyes down the long smooth arc of Ellen's hips to the long curve of her tanned perfectly formed legs.
"Then, what I suggest is a gentlemanly game a' craps," Billy smiled. "I win, and you gotta pay me from the loot we get after the job – but if I lose then she's all yours."
"You know that ain't fair, Billy," Pop said, raising his voice in weak protestation. "Everybody knows you're a champ at craps."
"You play the game if you like the idea. Remember it's you three against me. All I do is roll the dice; you all call my bets." Billy laughed, and poured the glass Ellen was holding half-full with whiskey again.
Ellen pulled the whiskey glass up to her lips and took a long deep sip. She just couldn't believe what was going on around her! Here she was about to be used as stakes in a dice game, and she had absolutely nothing to say about it! The thought of being gambled for as though she was some kind of slave girl in an Arab market place sent strong spasms of revulsion through her stomach. There was no turning back now, and she could only pray to the Gods of chance that Billy would be lucky or conniving enough to retain his power and control over her.
"I-I can't take it," she mumbled, almost incoherently to Billy. "Wh-what is going to happen to me?"
"You just keep your little ass quiet and everything will turn out just fine, honey," Billy said, his voice sounding slightly irritated with her.
Ellen sat back and sipped nervously from the glass of whiskey, feeling the clammy tingle of self-degradation and fear creep over her again. She was almost at the point where she would beg, grovel, or do anything possible to escape from the three men; but some final vestiges of pride remained. Although she knew that total subservience to Billy was her only choice at this point, she vowed to herself that at the moment when either of the two evils was forced upon her, she would at least have some remaining sense of her female dignity still intact.
"All right," Cash shouted, full of expectant excitement now. "I'm ready. But what do we use as money until the loot gets here?"
"Just take some pieces of paper and rip 'em up and we'll use 'em as stakes for the time bein'," Billy answered, picking up a piece of newspaper from the floor. He tore long even shreds of the paper and placed them on the top of the table, one pile in front of each of the escaped convicts who counted their share as though it were real money.
"And if we win, we get to do what we like with her, is that right?" Cash asked, gazing at Billy with a pleading look in his eyes.
"That's absolutely kerrect!" Billy asserted. "Just gimme the bones, and we can begin."
Pop reached in his pocket and brought out a pair of worn-looking dice and placed them in Billy's outstretched hand. Billy dropped the cubes on the table several times, then seized them and threw them back into Pop's face.
"Goddamn, Pop, you sneaky old bastard," Billy shouted contemptuously at the old man. "Snake eyes every time. You guys got any dice that ain't fixed?"
Cash tossed a pair of his own on the table, and Billy shuffled them around a few times, finally satisfied that they were good.
"I get the idea that I'm in on this, Billy," Vito's jackal-like voice suddenly sounded out. "I can get some of it too, can't I?"