I feel indignant, humiliated, yet overriding both those emotions is fear. My cheek stings from the hard slap I received, yet I realize in a choking rush of fear that this is only the beginning. My eyes scan the crowd, hoping to catch the gaze of someone, anyone who might help me, but I don't see a rescuer amongst the throng.
A man walks to me through the crowd and I look hopefully at him, thinking he is my savior. He's a nice-looking man and exactly the type of man I target at bars when I like to drink for free. His shit-kicker cowboy boots are loud on the wood floor and as he gets closer the words he utters dash all my hopes; "Hmmm, nice catch!"
I shrink back as he reaches for me but his hand is inside my blouse in the blink of an eye. He torments my nipples, pulling and twisting as he taunts me verbally. I'm led to another room by the cruel grip of his fingers on my sensitive nubs.
I fall to my hands and knees when we reach the other room and I start to gather courage to tell him off when I hear him snarl, "Strip, whore! Now!" I look up in anger but my expression quickly turns to fear then horror when I realize he's holding what looks like a cattleprod. My breaths start to come in gasps and my fingers fumble clumsily at my blouse. This can't be happening was the only thought in my mind as I jerkily removed my clothing.
As I slowly reveal my body with fingers that seem to stutter at their task, I feel more and more vulnerable. It was as if the clothing was a barricade against the world, and the removal of each piece was chipping away at my dignity. When the last piece fluttered to the ground, I heard a one woman's voice rise above the jeering, cheering crowd; "String up the stuck-up snooty bitch by her hair!"
No! That's not possible! They can't do that to me! I wildly thought as my eyes moved to the face of the man with the cattle prod. I couldn't believe it; even in the midst of this crowd, as vulnerable as I felt, I still found him attractive and was hoping he would suddenly smile and tell me they were just kidding. Hope battled with trepidation as he walked towards me and I cringed when I saw an evil grin crease his handsome features.