by Jolie Day
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SOLD: Highest Bidder Sneak Peek
“Nice tits, eh, Joe?” Geoff leered at the two women being paraded around. He looked like an animal ready to pounce.
“Yeah, they’re beautiful,” I said without even taking a closer look.
“You going to bid?”
Of course I wasn’t going to bid. I had met my fair share of women who looked exactly like those on stage. Hell, I’d even dated them, but over the years I’d grown bored. I wasn’t interested in what they had to offer, nor was I interested in the auction itself.
I was only here to get Geoff to sign off on our deal and move on.
I opened my mouth to tell him as much, but my words were drowned out by the sudden excitement of the crowd. I turned my attention toward what had caused the commotion.
As soon as the curtains parted, I found myself instantly drawn to her. She wasn’t as tall as the others, but her body curved into an hour-glass figure. Her long auburn hair was draped over her shoulders, falling in soft curls around her freckled face. Large brown eyes studied the room as she gave the interested crowd a hesitant glance.
Our eyes locked.
I could tell that she didn’t recognize me. Why would she? We’d first met a lifetime ago, but I recognized her, and I couldn’t stop staring, even when she looked away.
She was nervous, that much was clear by the way she was shifting her weight from one foot to the other while she tugged on the hem of her short dress.
That fucking dress.
It left little to the imagination, but I couldn’t help admire her body through the thin fabric. I was sure that if she bent over, I’d be able to see her ass and then some. The thought was enough to make my cock twitch with interest.
Geoff leaned forward in his seat, giving me a grin. “Look at her.” He was practically drooling. “Never seen anyone like her here before.”
I was looking, and I didn’t intend to stop.
All around me, men started bidding. Soon the room was filled with exchanged murmurs as they tried to outbid each other. All the while, her eyes danced around the crowd, wide with surprise at the effect she caused. She tried to shrink back, but the bodyguard was in the way, nudging her forward.
Eventually, even the hushed voices became few as the price rose higher and higher. Suddenly, one voice rose higher than the rest, offering a heady number. I broke eye contact with her to see the man who’d made the call.
Benji Cunning.
The thought of her being touched by that miserable son of a bitch was enough to spur me into action. Before I could stop myself, I put in a bid.
For a good ten seconds, no one matched it. Then Benji did, giving me an amused smirk.
There was no fucking way I was letting him outbid me. I glanced toward the stage and then raised my bid. We went back and forth, the other bidders dropping out. The entire time, Benji stared at her like she was a piece of meat, and not the stunning beauty I knew she was. I decided I would die before I ever allowed him to be alone in the same room with her.
I called out the obscenest dollar amount I could think of, watching with sick pleasure as the color drained from his face.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Benji couldn’t match me. And even if he would’ve tried, it was too late. The auction was over.
She was mine.
Forty. Thousand. Dollars.
As I was led back to my room, my mind was spinning. Even after Fiona had taken her cut, I’d still walk away with twenty-eight thousand dollars. More than enough to catch up on my bills and take care of myself while I looked for a new job.
Danny, my bodyguard, showed me to my room, a small smirk on his lips. “Well done, Cherry. Your lucky bidder will be here soon.”
“I told you I hate that nickname.”
“Too bad. It’s even more appropriate than it was before. ‘Cause of your red hair and virginity. Get it?”
“Jokes are always funnier when they have to be explained.” We came to a stop outside my door. “You’re not going to be in the room with us, are you?”
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “No. It’s not that kind of place.” He opened the door for me, stepping aside, and I walked in. “I’ll be out here in case you need me. But otherwise, you and your date can bang in peace.” He glanced at my breasts and made a suggestive gesture with his tongue, motioning it against the inside of his cheeks.
What a creep. I hated myself for blushing, and I tried to hide my red face by looking away.
“There should be an envelope for you inside.” Danny nodded toward the room. “And before you get any ideas, you can’t leave before Mr. Francis gets here. Bad for business.”
“Damn. Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
With that, he closed the door, leaving me all alone in the room. Once the coast was clear, I collapsed onto the bed, my head in my hands as my breathing started to pick up.
The lead-up to the auction had been the most nerve-wracking time of my life. While I was treated with the utmost respect, the reality of what I was doing had fully set in. “It’s fine, it’ll be fine, you can do this,” I told myself. “It’s just a night with a guy. No big deal. Virginity is just a social construct, anyway. Yup. That’s totally it. Just keep telling yourself that.”
Social construct or not, I had just sold my first time having sex to a random stranger, who was probably on his way to my room right that second. Seeing those men toss their money around made me sick to my stomach. There I was, trying to earn money to survive, while they threw thousands away as if it meant nothing.
Despite all of that, I forced myself to look on the bright side. Glancing up, I saw an envelope sitting on the dresser. An ice bucket sat next to it, containing a bottle of expensive champagne, and two glasses were beside the bucket.
I walked over to the envelope on shaking legs. The heft and thickness took me by surprise. I peeked inside and saw a slew of crisp hundreds and twenties. It was enough to give me heart palpitations, and I quickly closed the envelope.
Glancing around, I found my backpack in the armchair in the corner, where the bellman had dropped it when I first arrived. I tucked the envelope safely between my faded jeans and Abercrombie T-shirt I’d packed for later after it was all done, when I could leave again as myself.
I was just putting the bag back when I heard footsteps outside my door.
My heart jumped into my throat as I went to sit “casually” by the window and crossed my legs. The doorknob turned and in walked my highest bidder.
He was taller than I realized, and his broad shoulders and muscular physique were intimidating. There was a dark aura about him that made my body tense and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. His dark hair was slicked back from his handsome face, except for a thin strand that fell into his eyes. Hazel eyes—brilliant hazel eyes that immediately met mine. His were the same eyes that had barely even looked at me at first—or the other girls (I’d watched from behind the curtain)—until another man had started bidding. Why had he changed his mind?
I got the sense that he was a man whose bad side you’d want to avoid at all costs.
He let the door close behind him. “Hello, Sophia.”
…
End of the sneak peek.
“SOLD: Highest Bidder” is available on Amazon.
Billionaire BOSS: Secret Baby Reading Sample
“How about another drink?”
The deep voice sent a shiver down my spine, and I glanced to my left to see who’d spoken. Holy smokes. I was face-to-face with the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. He was tall enough to tower over me, even while I sat on a high bar stool, and his broad shoulders strained against the form-fitting sports jacket he was wearing.
Thick black hair was slicked back from his face, giving me a full view of his dark-blue eyes. They observed me with an intensity I’d never known before, and I immediately found myself drawn to him.
I toyed with th
e rim of my empty glass. “And … what would it cost me?”
His smirk widened. He took a seat on the stool next to mine, leaning in close. “Time.” He paused, tilting his head. “And sleep.”
“Sleep?” I rose a questioning brow at that.
“Well, we won’t be getting much sleep tonight, so you’re probably going to be tired in the morning.”
I couldn’t help but blush. Normally, a blunt come-on line like that would have been a major turnoff, and I’d have headed for the door without a backward glance. I’d been hit on before, and I was definitely no stranger to men with large … egos, but his confidence seemed well-earned. I could sense there was something … breathtaking about him.
The bartender slid a full glass in front of me before removing the empty one.
Hooking up with a strange man was not something I’d planned to do tonight, in fact, not something I’d ever done before or had ever even intended to do. I could feel the refusal I’d prepared dying in my throat. I’d been working so hard for Christ’s sake! I deserved to blow off a little steam and have some fun for a change.
“Convince me.” I accepted the drink and felt rather daring—like a bit of a femme fatale.
He raised his eyebrow in amusement and gave me an “I would think looking at me would be enough” gesture.
“Well, you are attractive,” I admitted. “And you seem nice enough so far, but I don’t know you.”
“What better way to get to know someone than by getting naked and exploring each other?”
“Maybe, I don’t know … a name first?”
He laughed, his rich baritone sending a ripple of desire through me. Those deep eyes sparkled as he leaned in closer. “Jonah.”
“Hi, Jonah. I’m Naomi.”
Jonah’s eyes softened, and he reached out to take my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Naomi.” The way his mouth wrapped around my name made my entire body feel flushed. “There, now we know each other. So, we’re going to finish our drinks, leave together, and spend several pleasurable hours discovering each other.”
I had to admit, all of it sounded amazing. When the collar of his jacket moved, I could see the hint of a tattoo on his neck, trailing away under his neatly pressed shirt. It surprised me. He didn’t seem like the type—then again, what did I know? The one thing I was sure of was that I desperately wanted to see just how far down that tattoo went.
And, then I remembered … Oh, no! Well, damn it! Today, of all days, why was I wearing the Halloween monster underwear that Lily had given me as a gag gift? To be fair, they were pretty comfy (so comfy, in fact, I wore them on days to cheer me up, or when I wanted to be reminded of Lily’s unwavering self-confidence), but that wasn’t going to stop me from killing her later. And—double damn—the reason she’d given them to me in the first place was now more hilarious than before. She’d presented them to me, saying, “There you go. For the only virgin left in our circle over the age of twenty-one! They’ll keep your mind below your waist for a while.” She’d laughed hysterically at her own joke, and at the time, I’d laughed along with her.
Finally, finally, there was this hunk of a man, seemingly hell-bent on deflowering me … having him see me in these panties would beat all awkward moments I had ever been in (and trust me, there had been quite a few). I imagined his face dropping as he undressed me, and instead of finding some sweet hot lingerie, he discovered orange panties with an ogre staring back at him.
“There’s just one little problem.” I could hear the evasiveness croaking in my voice.
“What’s that?”
“I—I really wasn’t expecting to meet anyone tonight…”
“I guess we both got lucky then,” he murmured.
“I’m a virgin,” I blurted out. I know. Completely out of place. But somehow this seemed a slightly better confession than telling him about Shrek. So much for femme fatale! I wanted to crawl under the bar stool and hide. I regretted my words as soon as they fell out of my mouth. If that didn’t put him off, nothing would. To my surprise, it didn’t.
Jonah showed no signs of surprise, only curiosity. “Why would that be a problem?”
“Well…”
“Is it a problem for you?”
“What do you mean?” I couldn’t even think straight.
“I mean,” Jonah leaned in so close, our thighs touched—the solid heat of it drawing my attention, “is your virginity a conscious decision, or are you using it as an excuse not to get close to anybody?”
“I think maybe a little bit of both?”
Jonah studied me carefully, his gaze drifting from my eyes down to my lips and then back up again. “What are you afraid of?”
That was a loaded question. If you only knew. But seriously, with everything going on in my life, romantic relationships were very low on my list. And I mean very. Those panties were proof enough of that. I had my parents to worry about, which meant I never had time to get close to anyone. If I did, my virginity was always something I could use to push them away when things became too serious. Mostly, I just didn’t want a relationship or the emotional ties that went along with it.
I probably would have done the same thing tonight if another man had shown up, but, now, in Jonah’s presence, it seemed I was throwing caution to the wind—my usual excuses were flying out the window at record speed. I mean, it wasn’t like I planned on staying a virgin forever. And this guy, well, he was freaking hot. And his pick-up lines didn’t make me want to run for the hills. So, why not give him a shot? What was the worst that could happen?
Right. I could lose my virginity in Halloween underoos. Maybe I should just play it cool and see how it goes.
“There are a lot of things to be afraid of.”
Jonah gave a nod of agreement. “But if you’re always afraid, you’re never gonna live.”
“A nice sentiment, I could almost believe it, if I didn’t think you were just saying it to get in my pants.”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it.” Jonah gave me a mischievous smile. “Besides, I don’t need to resort to cheap lines to get anyone in my bed.”
“I’m sure you don’t.” I took a sip of my drink as he took one of his, and our eyes locked.
We wound up in an expensive hotel across the road from the bar. When I heard the price of the room, I almost fainted, but Jonah paid it without batting an eye. His expensive clothes and Rolex had already tipped me off to his wealth, but seeing him drop hundreds of dollars for one night made me feel a little uncomfortable.
I didn’t have time to dwell on it. The second we slipped inside the room, he shoved me against the door and kissed me. He tasted like expensive whiskey and smelled like laundry detergent, soap, and musk. It was an intoxicating combination of scents and tastes, and I quickly became addicted. I melted against him, grabbing his jacket to pull him closer.
“Let me know if it’s too much and I’ll stop,” he whispered into my ear as he nipped at the lobe. His tongue lapped at the spot his teeth had grazed, before he traveled down to feast on my neck.
“Don’t you dare.”
Hands groped at my clothes, pulling and tugging to remove them. I did the same to him, eager to feel his hot skin against mine. By the time his hands were removing my skirt, I really didn’t care about the “panty problem” anymore. Now, they were just a small barrier between me and my fabulous and pleasurable destiny.
I felt him hesitate, and then a smirk crossed his face. “Why, Naomi, you make me sorry my Three Little Pigs undies are in the wash!”
“I’ll forgive you as long as you brought the Big Bad Wolf.” I actually heard him snicker like a schoolboy.
The rest of the night was a blur of new feelings and sensations. We did so much and touched each other for so long, I lost all sense of time.
He was dominant and rough, but never with malice. I matched his roughness with my own eagerness, and when we finally collapsed, spent and satisfied, I was changed forever.
“What are you t
hinking about?” he asked as we lay face-to-face with him stroking my hair, and me, lying against his chest.
“Nothing,” I said with relief. “For the first time in years … I’m not thinking about anything. Just this moment. Just us.”
Jonah cupped my cheek, bringing me into a surprisingly tender kiss. “Nice.”
I tucked my head under his chin, listening to the steady drumming of his heartbeat. My fingers traced the tattoos etched into his skin, and I followed the black lines until my eyes began to droop.
I dozed off before I could stop myself.
With a sleepy groan and the beginnings of a hangover, I returned to some semblance of consciousness hours later. My surroundings were unfamiliar, and it took me a good thirty seconds to remember where I was. Memories of firm hands and a distracting mouth flooded my muddled brain, and I smiled at the naughty images. I’d never anticipated that sex could be that intense. Sure, I had read my fair share of romance novels and heard my friends go on and on about their sex lives, but I’d always assumed the stories had been greatly exaggerated.
Pushing my messy hair out of my face, I rolled over, reaching for my, well, Jonah, only to touch cold sheets. My heart sank. I sat up and looked around the room. The only source of light came from the bustling city outside the large window.
Had he left a note? No.
A business card on the pillow? Nope.
A message on the bathroom mirror? I kicked off the blankets, went and checked. Nada.
Frustrated, I let myself fall back onto the bed. I should have known he wouldn’t stick around. He’d been way out of my league. Rich, muscular, hot, tattooed, and mesmerizing? I knew it was too good to be true. I’d acted out of character and, sure, I definitely enjoyed it, but there wasn’t going to be a fairy tale ending. No, that’s not me, I’ll never be prom queen lyrics sounded in my mind.
I could feel myself starting to become self-conscious and a little guilty. I pushed it away. Why should I feel bad? Why should I let him have that power over me? It wasn’t as if I’d fallen in love. Me? Never. Not with him. Please, Naomi, I scolded myself, you can’t be in love with someone you just met.
