Bidding for Keeps

by Webster, K

  “You want to take my virginity?” she asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m sorry, mister, but some asshole took that long ago. Right along with my heart.” Her lip wobbles and her green eyes well with tears. She looks away and the rope goes tight as she lets herself hang, defeated.

  I slip my palm to the front of her throat and then to her jaw. Gripping it, I tilt her head back so we see eye to eye. “That’s not how it went.”

  She scoffs. “That’s exactly how it went, Dallas. You fucked me and then left me as if that wouldn’t absolutely crush me.” A sob catches in her throat.

  Pain, a dull and throbbing constant feeling inside of me, burns at my chest. “Do you think leaving you was fucking easy? Do you think I wanted to leave you?” I grit my teeth as the familiar rage rears its ugly head. For years I’ve dealt with the anger that is an offspring of the choices I was forced to make.

  “But you did,” she chokes out, her tears freely falling. “You left me. You left me all alone.”

  Using my thumb, I swipe away one of her tears and press a kiss to her soft, plump lips. She doesn’t fight me, simply sighs in defeat. Leaning my forehead against hers, I close my eyes. “I didn’t want you to turn out like them.”

  “Who?” she breathes against my mouth.

  “Your mom. Mine. Shadows of the men they love. You were meant to go into the world and succeed.”

  “Oh, give me a break,” she huffs. “Now you’re starting to sound like Nolan. That’s what he always...”

  Her silence has me pulling away slightly to look her in the eyes. Fury blazes in her green orbs. “He told you to leave me alone?”

  I wince at the cold way she asks her question. “He knew what happened. Somehow he knew and he didn’t like it. Nolan was just looking out for you. He had a point—”

  “He did not have a point!” she yells, another sob choking her. “Why would you let my boring wannabe cop brother talk you into abandoning me after the perfect night we shared?”

  “Because he was my best friend,” I snap, my fury rising back to the surface. Was. He was my best friend. But when he forced my hand with the massive guilt trip he laid on me, all the love I had for Nolan dried up. We went our separate ways. He’s doing the good ol’ boy routine trying to be a cop and I’ve been building my online tech company Orion Enterprises with my partner Sean.

  “He was your best friend,” she agrees sadly. “But I was your girl.”

  My eyes dart to hers and I clench my jaw. “I was trying to do the right thing.”

  “Well, it was wrong.”

  Three and a half years ago...

  “You finally fucked that girl you’ve been obsessed with?” Nolan asks. “What’s her name? Olivia?”

  I tense slightly. I’ve not been one to date or see anyone because my eyes have always been for Vivi. When Nolan asked if I was gay once, I told him I’d been into this girl from another school named Olivia. He thinks I have this whole unrequited love thing going on. I’d been too much of a chicken shit to let him know the one I pine over is his little sister. He’s made it known on more than one occasion that she is off limits. I’ve seen Nolan knock the shit out of guys around town for even talking about getting into Vivi’s pants.

  “Actually,” I start, letting out a huff of resignation. “There’s this girl. Not Olivia. Someone better. Someone beautiful. I’ve loved her for as long as I can remember.” A smile tilts my lips. At least in this old diner, Nolan won’t kick my ass. It would get back to his dad, and the Prescott kids do anything to keep from embarrassing him.

  He’s quiet so I continue, not meeting his eye. I don’t want to see his expression because surely, he knows. How can he not?

  “She’s perfect. I’m going to get us a place and we can live together while she goes to school. Orion Enterprises is exploding more than Sean and I could have ever imagined. I’ll quit school to focus on the company. She won’t have to work. It’s all coming together and—”

  “Stop.”

  Anger glows in eyes that match Vivi’s exactly.

  “I love her and want to take care of her, Nolan.”

  His nostrils flare and he sips his coffee. “Like your dad takes care of your mom?”

  “Yeah,” I grunt.

  “Like my dad takes care of my mom?”

  The air crackles between us.

  “Listen,” he says, his voice gruff. “Vivi is more than our moms. She has dreams and hopes of getting out of this town. College and a career. Do you really want to pin her down and take that all away from her? She’d turn out just like my mom. Empty and fake and just a shell of the person she used to be.”

  “I’d let her do whatever she wants,” I argue.

  “Until you got her pregnant,” he bites back. “Then, the next thing you knew, she’d be quitting college and you’d be taking care of her. Twenty years from now she’ll have a blind eye to your extramarital affairs, have a slight addiction to Vicodin, and secretly be fucking the pool boy. Just like our moms.”

  My mom isn’t fucking the pool boy but she is not the vibrant and beautiful woman she once was. Dad rules the roost and she does as he says. She’s not worked a day in her life. Her job was raising me. Once I left, she took up knitting. Fucking knitting.

  “You’ve heard Vivi talk about traveling and learning new languages and experiencing new cultures. She’s wanted to get out and enjoy the world. You shacking up with her would end that and you fucking know it, Dallas. Are you really that selfish?”

  Do I really want to take that away from her?

  “Besides,” he continues. “Do you really think she’s the one?”

  At this, I growl. “She’s always been the one.”

  A muscle in his neck ticks but he regards me coolly. “But can you be so sure it’s that way for her? I mean, she’s never really dated before.”

  Neither have I but somehow I know she’s it for me.

  But he’s right.

  Do I really want to deny her that chance to date?

  “I’ll wait for her,” I mutter, mostly to myself.

  He shrugs. “But will she wait for you?”

  * * *

  “I’m done doing the right thing,” I growl, blinking away the memories. “I thought I could wait until you were out of school and after you got out there and found yourself. But, as it turns out, kidnapping works better.”

  Her pouty lips are parted and the anger flickering in her eyes is something I’ve missed badly. She’s beautiful. I lean closer to her mouth, desperate to inhale her. To taste and breathe her. A sharp, surprised gasp escapes her but she’s not telling me to get lost. I knew our chemistry wasn’t something that would just go away. No, it’s here to fucking stay.

  Chapter Five

  Vivi

  His lips crash to mine and my heart stutters to a stop. So many nights I’ve dreamt of kissing him. Nights where I’d touch myself in bed and imagine a life where we were a couple. Having him here and kissing me feels too good to be true.

  Because it is.

  He left me.

  All because my brother laid on a massive guilt trip.

  I want to kick him in his balls.

  But I want him to untie me more. Then, I can get the hell away from this man who tore my heart out like it was nothing. Play along, Vivi. I hop and then wrap my legs around his waist. He groans against my mouth and his hand releases the rope so he can grip my ass with both hands. I have no option but to rest my arms on his shoulders, my hands still bound behind his neck.

  He walks me over to a cage holding a yapping puppy and leans me against it so he can use his hands to roam my body. His cock is hard, pressed against me, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel good.

  It feels perfect.

  And that’s why I need to get the hell away from him.

  He’s no good for me. I’ll
fall so hard, so easily, just like I did before. My heart can’t take another break. I’m barely hanging on by a thread from the last one. He devours me with a claiming kiss. I’m about to ask him to untie me when his hand slides between us, startling me. His fingertip brushes against my clit over my panties.

  “Dallas,” I breathe. All attempts to warn him away from touching me die on the tip of my tongue as he expertly rubs dizzying circles on my clit. It’s as though no time has passed since the last time he did this.

  “I’m here now.” His whispered words on my lips have me falling victim to his ministrations. All sanity bleeds from me as I allow myself this one moment. A fantasy born from a horrible memory turned reality. The repercussions from this will have to be dealt with but right now I want to steal this one tiny moment of joy.

  Pleasure explodes through me and I jolt in his grip. His fingers don’t stop until he draws one more orgasm from me. I’m shaking and weak by the time he finishes. He slips his fingers past my clit to where I’m wet and needy for him, barely hidden by my red panties.

  “I want inside you,” he growls. “I want inside you so badly that I’m practically vibrating with the need to fuck you raw.”

  I shiver with delight, against my better instincts. “You paid for it,” I taunt.

  He tilts his head back and narrows his eyes at me. “It’s not like that and you know it.” His knuckle presses against my panties and he breaches my opening, the material barely doing its job at keeping him out. “Your pussy knows this was never about money.”

  “What was it about then?” I demand, my anger rising up once more.

  “Being unable to stay away. Being a selfish fucking bastard. Taking what’s been mine since I was thirteen goddamn years old.”

  “You have a funny way of claiming what’s yours,” I clip, the hurt making my words sound more wounded than I intend.

  He stares at me tenderly and removes his hand from between my thighs. His strong hands grip my waist and then he sets me to my feet. Gently, he pulls my arms off his shoulders and unties them. Once I’m free, I beg my legs to run and get me the hell out of here.

  And yet, I stay.

  “I’m leaving,” I tell him bitterly.

  He swallows and scrubs at his cheek, a tortured expression in his bright blue eyes. “I don’t want you to.” His eyes plead with mine and the familiar ache rushes through me. Dallas always had a way of diffusing my anger and filling me with thoughts of him. Even now. Even after all this time. “Please,” he murmurs. “Don’t go.”

  Sadly, I don’t want to.

  “You left me,” I accuse, emotion making me sound hoarse.

  “I’m sorry, Vivi.”

  He grabs my shoulders and hauls me into one of the bear hugs I’ve missed for so long. I’m caught by surprise at his warm embrace. I relax in his protective arms as the tears fall freely. He holds me tight and I feel the pain radiating from him. It matches my own.

  “Why did you make us suffer?” My entire body wracks with a sob I try to keep choked down. “Why, Dallas?”

  He kisses the top of my hair. “I thought I was giving you your happiness. But truth is, you don’t look happy. I stalk the shit out of your social media and none of your friends seem to notice your eyes aren’t matching your smile. You’re just as lost as I am. Fuckin’ sad as hell.”

  “We were supposed to be together.”

  “We are going to be together.”

  My heart enjoys pain, apparently, because his words have me clinging to him rather than letting him go.

  “I’m going to take you into my house now,” he murmurs, his chest rumbling.

  My thighs, still weak and tingling from my double dose of orgasms, tremble in anticipation. The idea of having sex with Dallas again is tempting.

  But what about the after?

  Where does it go from here?

  He scoops me into his strong, muscled arms and I let out a squeak of surprise. Some dogs yap in excitement from their cages.

  “Why do you have so many dogs?” I ask.

  He grins his sweet country boy smile at me. “A certain animal shelter needed to find some temporary homes until they could rebuild the facility.”

  My heart melts a little. “How did you know they needed help?”

  “I told you,” he says as he walks us out of the barn and into the dark night. “I was keeping tabs on you. You posted some links and I reached out. One of the girls who volunteers there told me about the auction when I came with my trailer to pick up the animals. Imagine my shock when I saw your pretty face, trying to auction off the virginity I already took.”

  He walks us up to a modest farmhouse with a wraparound porch. The porch light is on but the lights inside are off. He sets me to my feet and then opens the door. Once he turns on a light, I’m surprised at how cute it is on the inside.

  “My room’s in the back. Just dig around to find something to wear. I’ll cook us something to eat,” he says as he kicks off his dress shoes beside a dirty pair of work boots.

  I frown at him in confusion. “I thought...”

  “That we were going to have sex?” he asks over his shoulder as he walks into the kitchen.

  “Well, I mean, yeah,” I say as I follow him.

  He presses some buttons to turn on the oven and then turns to me. His darkened eyes rake over my dress and he rubs at the back of his neck. “We’re going to have sex, beautiful. But I’ve fuckin’ missed you like crazy. I thought we could catch up first.”

  I bite on my lip as a real smile tugs at my lips. “I get to pick the movie.” He hated when I would always pick the movie.

  A groan rumbles through him. “Don’t pick any chick-flick shit.” His usual response.

  My smile breaks free. “You’ll watch what I pick and get over it, big boy.” My usual response.

  I can’t help but let my heart dare to hope.

  * * *

  It’s easy to fall back into a pattern you once loved. The only thing missing is Nolan. And honestly, maybe he was the one keeping us apart all along. I haven’t laughed this freely in a long time. It’s as though I’m locked in a dream. I’m afraid to wake up.

  I’d called Alani from Dallas’s phone earlier to let the girls know they’d been duped. Jessie was pissed and threatened to call the police. But I kindly reminded her that what we were doing was illegal and the man who “kidnapped” me was one I knew and trusted. She finally backed off when I told her his full name and address. After I made sure my friends wouldn’t be worried, a weight was lifted. I allowed myself to get swept up in Dallas.

  When the movie finishes, long after we’ve inhaled some lasagna for dinner and popcorn and M&Ms for a snack, Dallas turns off the television and pats his lap.

  We’re practically matching. He traded his dress clothes for gray sweats and a white T-shirt. I’m wearing the same but instead of fitting the curves of my chest like his does, his shirt swallows me. It smells like him and I’ve caught myself inhaling the fabric several times during the movie.

  I sit up on my knees and attempt to primly perch my butt on his thigh. His strong hands grip my narrow waist and he positions me so that I’m straddling him. He stares at me tenderly as he strokes away an errant hair that’s caught itself to my lip. His fingertips dance across my jawline and down along the side of my throat. He grips the front of my neck and pulls me closer to him.

  Kiss me.

  The thought hits me suddenly and I can feel the heat on my cheeks as I blush. We spent dinner and the entire movie as if no time had passed. Him giving me crap and flirting, and me soaking up every word and gesture. It was friendly and fun. Now, with him this close, I want more. My heart throbs and sends out warning signals but I am so past trying to make a good decision. I’ve gone my entire college career in a depressing fog. I have a glimpse of happiness, even if only momentarily, and I want it. I c
rave it with everything I am.

  “Tell me about school,” he murmurs, his voice husky.

  I let out a groan. “You want to hear about that now?”

  He chuckles and shivers run through me. “Yes. I told you I missed you and I wanted to catch up. I want to hear everything, no matter how boring.”

  I slide my palms up his pectoral muscles and rest them on his shoulders. “You’ll tell me how my brother’s best friend turned from country boy to James Bond-girl-kidnapping-serious-money-dropping-suit-wearing man?”

  He grins and it melts any lingering ice on my heart. “I’ll tell you every boring detail, baby.”

  Baby.

  Boldly, I lean forward and kiss his smile. I want it on my lips.

  His palms slide to my ass and he grips me roughly before slipping them to the tops of my thighs. I pull away from him and let out an annoyed huff that has him chuckling.

  “Fine. School is okay. Majoring in business. I guess I’ll help Dad with his company. I make good grades and I do what I can for Beta Kappa Nu. The girls are nice but I haven’t let myself get close to any of them.”

  He frowns, his dark brows furrowing together. Bright blue eyes become sharp as he studies me with intensity. “Doesn’t sound like you. You were loved by everyone in high school. Miss Popular.”

  Now it’s my turn to lose the smile. “You know why.”

  His eyes close and he winces slightly. I stare at his mouth as he says, “I know. But...” He opens his eyes and his expression is concerned. “It’s okay to open up to people. Even if you’re hurting.”

  Him acknowledging my pain makes my chest hurt. Tears sting at my eyes. The wound that he made is so fresh and here he is trying to patch it back up. Of all the ways to heal, I never in a million years would have imagined it would be with the one who inflicted the damage in the first place.

  “Yeah,” I rasp out, not trusting my voice.

  “When you go back Monday, I want you to try to open up—”

  Cold reality splashes over my heart. “You’re letting me go?”