Bidding for Keeps Read online

  “Please,” I beg, encouraging him.

  He grins at me, wide and devious, and my core clenches in response. Dallas Monroe has the ability to stop the world around me with one smile. His smiles always demand mine in return. My smile fades the moment his hot breath tickles my pussy. Strong fingertips dig into my thighs, keeping me parted and open for him. I’ve watched enough porn to know he’s about to eat me out but no one has ever done it before. Nervousness flitters through me.

  Will I taste weird?

  Do I smell bad?

  What if he doesn’t like—

  My thoughts die an immediate death as pleasure assaults me. A hot, thick wet tongue drags along my slit from opening to clit and then circles on my throbbing bundle of nerves. I cry out and yank his hair as his tongue lazily rubs against me. He chuckles and I groan because even his breath on me feels good. The way he presses firmly against my pussy with a flat tongue and slides up and down has me squirming.

  “I always knew you’d taste like honey,” he rumbles, his tongue lapping at me as though I’m a sweet treat he’s been denied all his life.

  His teeth nip gently at my pussy lip before he starts circling my clit again with the tip of his tongue. The sensations are running wild through me. I’ve never known such blatant pleasure before and it doesn’t take long for him to work me up into a frenzy. When he starts rubbing his knuckle along my slick, wet opening, I lose control. Blackness snuffs out the bright twinkling stars above me I explode with pleasure. I’m vaguely aware of my body jolting and tightening. The screams coming from me are foreign but sensual. I’m still convulsing when I finally become aware of a now naked Dallas kissing his way up my body.

  This is it.

  He rubs his rubber-sheathed cock against my clit and his mouth meets mine. It smells like me and him, an addictive concoction.

  I want this. I want him. I want us.

  We were always meant to be together.

  “Everything’s going to change,” he murmurs, his lips hovering over mine. “Are you ready for that?”

  “I’ve been waiting my whole life.”

  With a smile that mirrors my own, the boy I love slides into me. He may be taking my virginity, but he’s long stolen my heart.

  * * *

  “Did you hear that, Smiles? Hello?” Claudia asks, drawing me from my past.

  “Hmmm?” I blink away my daze and the urge to cry. Three and a half years is a long time to pine for someone. And I’m still doing it. Pining.

  My heart will forever be ruined by Dallas Monroe.

  He saw to it the next day, after a night I’ll never forget under the stars, when he told me what we had was just a fun night. That he had things he still wanted to do and see. How he was going back to college and his life would be too busy for a relationship. The cold, uncaring way he delivered his words tore me apart. He completely crushed me with his words. I’ve been trying to piece myself back together again ever since.

  “I’m saying you have the biggest bid,” Claudia says as she shows me the computer.

  So. Many. Zeros.

  “That’s stupid,” I choke out. “Someone messed up. No one would pay that much for...” I trail off. A fake virginity.

  “They did,” Jessie says. “We need that money. Half the girls wouldn’t even need to do the auction if we could seal this deal.”

  What’s between my legs is apparently the answer to everyone’s problems at the moment.

  “It’s a joke,” I mutter. “It has to be. I put the opening bid at ten thousand. He probably accidentally hit it twice. A mistake.”

  “Nope. That’s a two and four zeros and it’s not an error. It’s already been verified that the monies will be transferred,” Jessie says, her eyes pleading with me. “This could help in so many ways, Smiles.”

  I force a smile. “Yeah, sure. Okay. What next?”

  Claudia shrugs. “Um, should we meet him first? Like, make sure he’s not a freak?”

  “For twenty-thousand dollars, I’ll give him a freak,” Alani offers from beside me.

  Several girls giggle nervously.

  “What if he’s a she?” Lynn suggests. “What if she wants you to wear a strap on and do her instead?”

  Unease slides through me. It was all fun and games until someone actually bid on me.

  “How long do we keep the bidding up for?” I ask as I wonder if there is still time to back out of this. Maybe I can beg Dad some more to give me money.

  “Orion2015 has offered a five-thousand-dollar increase if we close the bids out and he cashes in tonight,” Claudia says as she reads the message attached to the bid.

  “Tonight?” I shriek, no longer able to keep my cool.

  “You’ll be fine,” Jessie tries to assure me at the same time Alani says, “I hope he’s not a serial killer.” And Lynn is chattering to another girl beside her over how sexist we’re being assuming Orion is male.

  My heart rate picks up and I have the sudden urge to call Nolan. My brother is my best friend and his wife Leah is always great for advice. Maybe I should call them first and spill the beans.

  Nolan, who’s in the academy training to be a policeman, might flip his shit though. What if my apprehensions ruin it for everyone?

  It’s just one night.

  One meaningless night of sex and a whole lot of money.

  I’ve done it once before and it was the best night of my life. Sex with a stranger. That’s what Dallas became to me, after all. A stranger. He literally fucked and ran. Went back to his college after crushing my heart, never to speak of it again.

  This is just like that. But probably better because I won’t get my heart smashed this time.

  “What if he’s old?” Alani says snorting. “What if he can’t get it up?”

  Everyone is still chattering, seemingly excited that I’m going to be the first one to lose my “virginity” to a stranger for money. I’m about to call the whole thing off when my eyes lock with Jessie’s. So many nights she’s cried over Shane. He nearly died in the blaze. She’s done so much to try to locate homes for the animals. The fire wrecked her life and her family, yet she’s still trying to help people and pets she doesn’t even know. Jessie has always been selfless. So why am I being selfish?

  Here I am whining about sex for one night with a random man—or woman if Lynn is right.

  I can do this one thing. It’s the least I can do.

  Reaching forward, I pull the laptop away from Claudia and reply. I tell Orion that his or her deal is accepted. Quickly, I agree to meet them at Artie’s Diner at seven.

  It’s done.

  “We’ve got it,” Jessie says breathlessly after her phone dings and she checks the account balance. “It’s been transferred. The Shane Miller Foundation is twenty-five thousand dollars richer. I mean, this won’t come close to covering the medical bills he’s racked up so far, but it’ll make enough of a dent to get the hospital to stop calling every other day.”

  The girls cheer and titter with excitement.

  I give them the fake smiles they’re used to. I pretend I’m happy and excited to do this for the sorority. But when Jessie mouths the words “thank you,” I find new resolve.

  Dad says you have to earn things in life.

  If I have to earn a giant sum of money for a really good cause by spreading my legs to do it, so be it.

  I’ll slap on the Prescott deal-sealing smile, wear my sexiest pair of Louis Vuittons, and hope for the best.

  It certainly can’t go any worse than the first time I lost my virginity.

  Hell, maybe a do-over is just what I need to kick-start my heart and begin living again.

  Chapter Three

  Vivi

  My heels clack on the worn linoleum as I make my way over to my favorite booth. Something about this diner makes me happy and it’s why I come h
ere often. Alone. Sure, I have my sorority sisters but I’m guarded and don’t open up much to anyone. Alani probably knows me the best but even she doesn’t know the real me. The me who, despite being a rich, bubbly cheerleader in high school, was friends with everyone. The me who helped Mrs. Duncan pull weeds every Sunday afternoon because she was lonely and needed someone to chat with. The me who tried relentlessly to get my mother to slip out of pageant mode for five minutes to go shopping with me or bake cookies, anything to remind her she was a human and not a robot Dad designed to perfection. The me who—

  “What can I get you, honey?” Jane, one of the usual waitresses, asks.

  “Water, please,” I say with a forced smile.

  I sit down in the booth and scan the restaurant. It’s filled with my sorority sisters, incognito to make sure I don’t get accosted by some freak show. They think they’re being inconspicuous but it’s obvious to any of the regular patrons in here they’re college kids.

  Their sentiment is sweet—they want to protect me. I suppose what we’re doing is pretty dangerous and reckless. I’m fidgeting with the hem of my fitted black dress when the bell chimes over the door and someone walks in. Tall. Thin. Wiry. The man’s face is pitted with acne scars and his eyes are curious. The moment they land on me, he grins.

  “I think we’re supposed to be meeting,” he says with confidence as he settles in the seat.

  Nerves threaten to eat me alive and my hand trembles as I reach across the table to shake his. He frowns at my extended hand before taking it in both of his. A wedding ring glimmers.

  Crap.

  I shoot Jessie a panicked look over his shoulder but she seems so hopeful. Quickly, I recover and smile at the man. Orion. If he’s married and has to pay a godawful amount of money to have sex with a young woman, then so be it. Too late to take the moral high route. At this point, I’m definitely going to hell.

  At least Shane will get the care he needs.

  “I’d like to stay and get to know you a little better. Trust me, I truly would because you’re quite special. However, I answer to an impatient man and I’ve already broken one rule by sitting. What do you say we get out of here and get this over with before we waste any more precious time?” His eyes shine with a warmth that has my body relaxing a bit.

  A quick fuck and done. Probably so he can get back to his job and his wife and whatever else it is that he seems to think seeing me is interrupting. I slide out of the booth and take his offered hand, clutching my purse tightly. Several regular diner patrons watch him warily. He dwarfs my shorter stature and worry begins niggling at me.

  “Are we going to a hotel?” I ask loudly as I pass Jessie.

  “Yeah, the Holiday Inn a mile up the road.”

  Jessie nods and flashes me a reassuring smile. We have the tracker app on my phone. She’ll know exactly where I’ll be. The money has already been transferred. All I have to do is go give it up to this man and pray he doesn’t realize I’ve already been deflowered. Easy.

  Bile creeps up my throat as he guides me outside and into the chilly night. We walk around the side of the building where two limos await. They’re both running and pointed in different directions. He opens the car door to one and helps me inside.

  “I’m sorry but I’ve been asked to do this,” he says, amusement in his voice. He snatches my purse—the very purse with my phone that has the tracker app on it—and then slams the door shut.

  “What the hell?” I screech as I fumble for the handle. It won’t open. I scramble to the other side to find I’m locked in this damn car. My limo starts moving and I jerk my head over my shoulder to see him climbing into the other limo.

  The limo I’m riding in rounds the corner behind the building and then heads out on the main road. I bang on the glass partition.

  “Help! Let me out of here! I’m being kidnapped!”

  I think.

  It sure feels that way.

  Oh my God we are stupid.

  Prostituting our bodies for a good cause? What were we thinking?

  Tears threaten but I don’t let them fall. I’m a Prescott. We’re tough and brave. We make our way by earning it. I slip off my shoe and hold it in my grip as a weapon. I’ll stab the fucker in the eye with it and earn my freedom. This I can do. I’m not a trophy housewife robot like my mother. I’m fearless like my dad.

  As soon as the limo gets on the highway, panic makes my heart seize up in my chest. This person is stealing me. Taking me far away and my sorority sisters think I’m with that guy. This is so bad.

  I spend the next hour or so beating on the glass, screaming at the driver through the black partition until I’m hoarse, and trying to yank on the door handle to no avail as it’s clearly a childproof lock. Eventually, exhaustion takes over as the last of my adrenaline wears off. My eyelids droop and I curl up on the bench seat.

  I let my thoughts drift to happier times. Laughing with my brother and Dallas. Riding horses every chance we got. Spending summers in the lake near our house and winters skating on top of it.

  Tears well but don’t spill.

  If I’m going to die or be tortured, I’m going to spend these last few moments thinking about what made me happy.

  Blue eyes.

  Perpetual smirk.

  Unruly brown hair.

  Funny how the saddest time in my life was brought on by the person who also made me the happiest.

  The limo eventually rolls to a stop and I sit up. It’s pitch black outside. This creep has brought me to the middle of nowhere to kill me.

  I’m so fucked.

  The passenger side door slams and I can hear someone walking on gravel just on the other side of the vehicle. Once the door opens and a large figure leans in, I don’t wait, I attack. With my stiletto in hand, I start stabbing at the large man wearing a black ski mask.

  “Ow!” he grunts as he knocks the shoe away.

  I’m yanked into his strong grip and easily tossed over his shoulder as though I weigh nothing. He’s muscular and wears an expensive suit. His scent is nice and it makes me wonder what sort of criminal he is. Clearly, he’s rich—and probably attractive, based on his physique. Why resort to all this? What’s he hiding under that mask?

  “Let me go, you freak!” I yell.

  Instead of responding, he slaps my ass. I beat on his back as he stalks away from the limo. Gravel crunches as the limo drives away, leaving me with this monster. The moment I get a whiff of hay, I notice we’re walking into a barn. I strain to look around and when I do, I wish I hadn’t. A light turns on overhead and I can hear some dogs barking. There are several cages with dogs and cats in them. When we pass by an empty one and he stops, I start shaking my head.

  “You are not going to put me in that!”

  His body goes still and his grip around my thighs tightens. Hot breath tickles the outside of my thigh as he presses his lips to the bare flesh below my dress. “After the shit you pulled to land yourself here, I really fuckin’ ought to.”

  He kisses my thigh again and this time heat flushes through me.

  Dallas fucking Monroe.

  Chapter Four

  Dallas

  The moment she realizes it’s me, she stops fighting. It takes everything in me not to bend her skinny ass over my knees and whip her with my belt. Auctioning her motherfucking virginity? Unbelievable.

  Red-hot anger surges through me again but I grit my teeth and push it down. I can be mad at her all I want but bottom line is I pushed her to this point. The Vivi I knew and loved my entire life would never sell her body for money. But the Vivi I fucked and abandoned three and a half years ago? Apparently, she would. Somewhere between that night and now, she transformed, and I was the catalyst.

  She’s quiet as I set her to her feet but then starts screaming at me when I grab her wrists and quickly bind them with some thin-yet-sturdy rope.
Her green eyes are wild with hurt and fury as I toss the rope over a beam above us and grab the other end. She starts to make a run for it but I’m quicker. I yank the rope and her bound wrists are jerked above her head. Her black dress rides up her thighs and every time she wiggles, I get a flash of her red panties beneath.

  Red.

  She wore fucking red for some pervert she didn’t even know.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” she demands, her chest heaving.

  I wrap the rope around my forearm and give it a hard tug. She’s forced to stand on her tiptoes. The glare she sends my way is murderous. I deserve it for what I did to her but she deserves to be trussed up and punished for the stunt she tried to pull.

  Pulling off the ski mask, I toss it to the ground and run my fingers through my hair. Her flickering-with-rage glare follows my every move.

  “Wrong question,” I grumble. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  “Me?” she screeches. “I didn’t just kidnap someone!”

  I lift a brow. “No, but you did prostitute yourself for twenty-five thousand bucks.” My financial advisor is going to shit a brick when he sees I pulled that money out. Money that was supposed to be making me money, not spent on a woman’s fake virginity.

  “It was for a good cause,” she utters, losing some fire. Her breasts jiggle as she tugs on the rope.

  I step closer, until my chest brushes against hers. My free hand grips her narrow waist to steady her wriggling body. “It was a terrible decision,” I say softly, inhaling her sweet scent. I’ve whacked off to the memory of that smell more times than I can count.

  “Why do you care?” Her voice shakes despite the venomous way she says the words.

  “I always care what happens to you.”

  “Ha,” she sneers. “Could have fooled me. Let me go.”

  Sliding my palm to her ass, I give the firm globe a gentle caress that has her breath hitching. “I can’t let you go now.” And that’s the fucking truth. I tried. God, how I tried. But now that I’ve intervened, there’s no going back.