Jack felt the anticipation burning inside him as he made his way to the brothel. Rain drizzled and a thunderstorm threatened, but Jack didn’t care. He had to speak to Rose before the day was through. He couldn’t just let her slip through his fingers, not now or ever. He knew that getting into the brothel would prove a challenge, because no doubt she would be with Maria and she would be kept away from Jack, but he had to find a way to talk with her, to try to make her see sense. The Mademoiselle Satine’s sign loomed overhead and Jack felt slightly nervous, although he didn’t know why. He guessed he was hoping that all went well and that Rose would be coming home with him. The rain began to pour heavier, soaking Jack’s shirt a little until he dove inside the building. He wore khaki-colored pants and a dark gray shirt with suspenders holding up his pants. His hair hung loosely in his face until he moved it to the side and looked around a little. He had no idea where Rose would be, but he had to find her. The familiar stench of perfume hit him as he looked around the main lounge area, but he guessed Rose would be in her own room somewhere.
“Looking for someone?” A voice came from behind Jack and he knew who it was. He turned to see Maria holding a bottle of wine in her right hand and two glasses in her left. She raised her eyebrows suggestively to Jack and he sighed heavily, as if he had been caught.
“Maria, please. I just want to see Rose,” he pleaded.
“Didn’t she make it clear to you last night? She’s got a new life with us now.” Maria barged past Jack, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him, almost toppling her over.
“Maria, please. Just five minutes. That’s all that I ask. Please let me see her.” Maria saw the determination in his blue eyes. She could still fall in love with him, even now. What harm would five minutes do? It would leave him wanting her more, because Maria knew that Rose would still have to go through with everything.
“All right. Follow me.” Maria led Jack through a long, narrow corridor. Girls peered out of their rooms and fluttered their eyelashes at Jack, making him feel uncomfortable. It was obvious what they wanted. They finally reached the room, but Rose was nowhere to be seen. “Wait here. I’ll go find her. Do not move,” Maria warned, leaving the room. It was very spacious, with a queen size bed in the middle and walls covered in mirrors. There was a door to the right of the room and Jack wondered what was behind it. He sighed heavily, hoping Maria had gone to find Rose and wasn’t just playing some cruel joke on him, about to get him thrown out. A faint rustling could be heard and moments later the door to the other room opened and Rose appeared. Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. Jack? What was he doing here?
Immediately, Jack stood and came to Rose. “Rose, I know you probably don’t want to see me, but please listen. I don’t have long here.” He glanced at the door, hoping Maria was taking longer than intended.
“What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
“Maria told me where you were, but that doesn’t matter. Please listen to me,” he begged, grabbing her elbows and pulling her closer to him so that she would listen. She attempted to struggle in his grasp, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“Jack, get away from me. I told you last night. You kissed Maria!” Rose shouted at him, and he loosened his grip slightly. She was a stubborn girl. Would he ever reason with her? He bowed his head and breathed heavier.
“Yes. Yes, I did. For a split second, but I wanted you, Rose. I’ve wanted you for all these months. I wanted to find a time that was right to tell you how much I wanted you.”
“Well, it’s too late now, isn’t it?” she barked at him. She was different, almost icy.
“No, Rose, it’s not. Come with me now. I want you. I love you.”
Rose shook her head. Had she just heard right? He loved her. She turned to face him and saw tears in his eyes. “I love you, Rose. I love you more than anything. You are too good for this, for any of this.”
Rose felt a tear fall down her face and wanted nothing more than to run into him arms and tell him how she felt about him, but she knew she couldn’t. They could never be. “No, Jack. We can never be. I brought you trouble. I know this isn’t great, but it’s what I have to do now.”
“But Rose, you cannot do this—just lose your virginity to someone you don’t know. You deserve someone special, Rose.”
Rose squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to block out his words, but he brought all of the feelings back. His words were meaningful and she knew he was being truthful. “I thought that, too. But tonight, Cal will be here, and for tonight, I belong to him.”
Jack felt anger rage inside of him. “Cal? Cal fucking Hockley? Why, Rose? Why let him put his hands all over you? Jesus!” He felt his head spin. Rose felt tears fall down her cheeks.
“Jack, no! It’s not like that at all!” she cried, feeling her heart break all over again. “He’s paying me a lot of money. I have to do this. I brought you shit and I can never do that to you again. I want to thank you for your time and how gracious you have been with me, but this is it now.”
“It’s not it. Rose, come with me. We’ll go to England or back to America,” he suggested—anything to stop her from becoming one of them.
“Jack, you’re crazy. We cannot do that. This is my destiny now.”
“No, it’s not. Look at yourself, Rose. You’re not a whore. You’re a beautiful young girl who shouldn’t even know about any of this.”
Maria interrupted the couple and Rose backed away slightly, knowing he would have to go now. Maria’s eyes darted from Jack to Rose, feeling the tension in the room. She knew they had exchanged words, but now it was time for Jack to go and for Rose to complete the deal she had made. “Jack, time’s up. Let’s go.” She opened the door for Jack to exit. He took one last look at Rose, but she avoided eye contact with him. Sighing dejectedly, he walked out of the room, knowing it would probably be the last time he saw Rose.
As soon as he left the room, Maria walked to Rose, knowing that he had upset her and had an effect on her. Maybe it had been a bad idea to let him see her. “Rose, what did he say?”
Rose quickly wiped her eyes and hoped her makeup hadn’t run. “He told me he loved me, that I can do better than this.” Rose quickly straightened herself out. “I love him, too, Maria. But I know that we can never be.”
Maria pulled Rose into her arms as if they had been friends for a long time. She knew that she was partly to blame for this and couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. Still, maybe this was for the better. After the evening was over, Rose would be free to take whatever man she wished, even Jack if she wanted to. “Rose, no man is worth your tears. Not Jack Dawson. Not anyone. You may love him, but tonight you are not his. It’s 7:30 and Cal will be arriving soon.”
Rose quickly took a deep breath, feeling the tightness of her corset and the flutter of her nerves. The last time she had seen him she had spit on him, and all she wanted to do was run to Jack and take him up on his offer, but she knew she couldn’t. Maria was right. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I know he loves you, and you love him, too, but for tonight, forget it.”
Rose knew what she had to do now. There was nothing she could do but wait…for Cal to arrive.
*****
“Hello, Sweetpea.”
Rose felt her entire body stiffen. She couldn’t even turn to face the dreaded vision of Caledon Hockley, but she knew she had to. As a child, Rose had had a dream that one day she would become an actress—so tonight she would become an actress. She was playing the part of Rose, a virgin whore, whose purity was about to be washed away by a man she hated. Painting a fake smile on her face, she turned. Cal’s eyes almost fell out of his head as he saw her before him, a beautiful vision. Her body was smoldering and her breasts were almost on full display. He could feel himself stiffen already, but he would take his time and enjoy the evening. After all, he had paid good money for it. For the last half hour, all Rose had thought of was Jack and his words, but now she had to forget.
“Good evening, Cal. Care for a beverage?” she asked seductively. She remembered the tips Maria had given her, but even though she offered Cal a beverage, Maria had warned her to never drink on the job.
“Of course. May I pour you one?”
“Of course.” She smiled, but had no intention of drinking it. The red wine flowed into the two glasses. Rose was transfixed by it, but then became aware of Cal’s movement towards her. He handed her a glass and she pretended to sip a little, not even letting the liquid touch her lips.
“I was surprised that you cared to pay such a large amount of money, Mr. Hockley.”
Cal sat on the large bed and patted the spot beside him, indicating to her to join him. “Well, my dear Rose, I wasn’t about to let such a glorious opportunity pass me by. I am a businessman, as you know, so call it a good investment for my money.” He smirked, and Rose felt sick to the bottom of her stomach. “But you look ravishing.”
“Thank you very much,” she purred, shakily placing her hand on Cal’s knee.
She had no idea how to get the ball rolling, but she would try her hardest. She leaned forward ever so slightly toward Cal and smelled the newness of his suit. Their eyes met for a brief second before their lips touched and Rose felt the smoothness of his lips on hers. Jack’s face immediately sprang to her mind and she opened her eyes to see Cal enjoying their kiss. She felt like pulling away, but she knew she couldn’t. This was it now. It would be over soon, she hoped. His kiss became ravenous and rough, almost like he was licking her face all over. She felt him harden and squeezed her eyes shut in disgust. She ran her hands along his leg and felt his tongue enter her mouth forcefully. He tasted like poison. When Jack had kissed her, he had been so gentle, and when their tongues had touched, she had shaken with excitement all over.
Now she shook with fear. He laid her down and leaned over her. She tried to remove his jacket, but he wouldn’t allow it. He kissed her neck down to her collarbone and attempted to pull her dress down, but eventually he tore it slightly to get to her breasts. He kissed them hurtfully, even grabbed them.
Tears sprang to her eyes. Why hadn’t she taken Jack up on his offer? She wished he were here, about to make love to her. God, she loved him so much. Her mind was on him all of the time and she was about to make love to another man. She had wanted Jack to take her virginity, for them to be each other’s firsts and make love together through the night.
Cal moaned with pleasure, although it sounded more like a grunt. Rose attempted to sit up a little, but he pushed her back down, trying to kiss her. She struggled under his weight and felt as though she couldn’t breathe.
“Cal, I need to sit up,” she said breathlessly.
“No, Rose, you need me. Make love to me, Rose.”
Disgusted, she pushed him away in an attempt to sit up, but he grabbed her shoulders, holding her down. “Don’t tell me you’re having seconds thoughts. Hmm?”
“No. Please, I just want to sit up. Have a drink, maybe?” she suggested in hope she could put this off a little longer. She felt his throbbing against her leg.
“No, Rose. I paid for you. Now fuck me.”
Rose felt physically and mentally sick. He put his lips on hers once again and she fought against his weight, feeling him crushing her. “Cal…” She could barely breathe as he licked her face. Jack’s face came to her head and she felt the tears fall freely from her eyes. With no warning, she let out a blood-curdling scream. Cal immediately placed his hand over her mouth.
“Don’t do that again. You sound as if I am trying to kill you.”
Her feet kicked randomly, but to no avail. This wouldn’t end up being sex. It would turn into rape. The door burst open, and the next thing Rose knew, Cal had rolled off her, lifelessly, blood dripping from his head. Rose screamed, not knowing what had happened until her vision cleared and she saw Maria standing there, holding a doorstop covered in blood. Then her own vision blurred and she blacked out.