Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
“What is this place?” she asks curiously, leaning close so I can hear her over the sudden barrage of thumping house music.
The internals of the warehouse are set up in tiers, progressively sinking down like the levels of hell. We walk up to a steel railing and stare down into the pit. Stairs lead down to each level, with couches, tables, and bars lining each level. Everything is black and gold with red accents. Gaudy as fuck, but I guess these assholes want to feel fancy with the decor that will be used for exactly two nights a year.
It takes me a minute to find the spot my informant had identified—the tier and couch area where the man I’m hunting for will be. I find us a seat on a nearby sofa and unbutton my suit jacket. Ely perches on the edge of the red velvet couch next to me.
“Hey. You didn’t answer me. What is this place?”
I scan the crowd that lingers nearby, and I can feel Ely’s gaze slip off me. There’s a mixture of couples, groups of people, and some single individuals dancing. Everyone seems to be having fun. A woman crosses in front of us, a leash in her hand, the collar attached to another blond woman who is on her hands and knees crawling beside her.
I wave at the room and down to the roiling dance floor below. “This, Little Prey, is where those with the most depraved fantasies come to play, and one special day a year, they hold the world's biggest flesh auction.”
“A flesh auction? What is that?” She blinks at me, her sooty black lashes brushing her cheeks as she digests what I’ve just said.
I shake my head and nod toward the bar, where someone is handing off a brick of cash. “It’s exactly what it sounds like, Ely.”
It takes a second for my words to sink in, but when they do, her shock morphs into pure horror. “Oh God. Please, tell me you didn’t bring me here because you want to sell me?”
I can barely hear her above the music, and a sigh shudders out of me. I resist the urge to tell her to stop being so dramatic and instead roll my eyes, “If I wanted to sell you, I could have done that from the comfort of my home. I didn’t come all this way to sell you, but keep in mind if push comes to shove, then I’ll easily put you up on the block.”
I watch her little throat work and notice the fresh tears swimming in her eyes.
“Please, Sebastian. I-I’ll do better. I’ll work more hours and pay you back faster. You don’t have to do this. I’ll stop being so annoying and asking so many questions. Whatever you want me to do. I’ll do it.”
I shake my head. “It’s not your decision. Just don’t tempt me, and you’ll be okay.”
A couple walks over to us and takes a seat on the couch beside Ely. She flinches and scoots closer to me, her thigh pressing tight against mine. I grit my teeth and ignore the heat of her body, the proximity of her bare flesh to me. Having her this close, the temptation to do dark, despicable things to her nearly undoes me.
I swallow my desire and scan the crowd, looking for Sidorov. When I don’t see him, I flick my chin at the bar a few yards away. “Why don’t you go and get us a couple of drinks? Perhaps some alcohol will loosen you up.”
She blinks, opens her mouth, but then reconsiders whatever it was she wanted to say. Smart. Standing stiffly, she tugs at the hem of her dress, trying to make more fabric appear. When she realizes there isn’t any point she starts toward the bar, her legs wobbling like a newborn fawn’s taking their first steps.
Staring at her backside, I notice the way her shoulders are hunched in, like she’s trying to make herself seem smaller, unnoticed. Unfortunately there’s no point. There’s not a single hot-blooded man on this tier who could ignore her silky dark hair and the way it brushes her lower back, or those huge doe eyes of hers filled with tears and fear. She’s the perfect combination—afraid of her own shadow, but submissive enough to do anything to please you.
I continue watching her until a commotion near the stairs draws my attention. A big man with wide shoulders, nearly the identical size of my friend Aries, cuts through the crowd. No, that's wrong. More like they throw themselves out of his way. I watch from my seat as he sinks into a leather chair. A server rushes over to him to take his order.
Great. Everything is finally coming together. Now I just need Ely. I turn my attention back to the bar, and that’s when everything goes to shit. I spot a man approaching her from the other side of the bar. I clench my hands into tight fists to stop myself from going to her right away. Let her swim with the sharks for a bit. I grit my teeth and watch as he stops right in front of her. Without speaking a word he reaches for her, his fingers splaying over the bare skin on her exposed back shown off by the cutout in the dress.