As a werewolf living in the city, Nathan didn't have much choice regarding his neighbors. He had to get used to living in close proximity with loud, noise-loving humans. Nathan didn't dislike humans. In fact, he found them intriguing and interesting, and he'd learned a thing or two from them.
Nathan had a healthy respect for humans. He had made his first million working for a human and he knew how humans functioned, what they liked and valued. It enabled him to always be one step ahead, to anticipate the needs of his clients and preempt the moves of his competitors.
Chase Security Inc., was now one of the largest security firms in the city. Nathan didn't involve himself in the day-to-day running of the firm any more. He had a very good team in place, but he would occasionally conduct spot checks on the new recruits to see how they performed in the field.
Nathan strolled round the back and stood in front of an inconspicuous black door. The iris scanner scanned his eyes and a soft beep sounded. Once the door clicked open, Nathan quietly let himself into the dim interior of The Ring.
“Good evening, Mr Chase,” a burly man in a suit drawled and parted the heavy curtains for him.
Nathan nodded. “Good evening, Faz.”
The auction hadn't started but the room was filled to capacity. Nathan strolled to the last empty table and took his seat.
Nathan unbuttoned his black jacket and leaned back in his chair. Quickly he swept his eyes across the circular room before glancing at the revolving stage in the middle of the room.
There were seven gilded chairs arranged in a circle. Nathan had attended a few auctions at The Ring and every auction had a different theme.
Sometimes the Gems were presented on cushions or beds of flowers. Sometimes they were cuffed to poles or tied up in bows and ribbons. Madam Patricia Jen liked to keep things interesting for her patrons. Patricia Jen owned both The Crown and The Ring, and she was an astute businesswomen who knew exactly what her clients liked. She was a fair employer and she made sure all her staff were well taken care of.
A young woman appeared and soundlessly placed a glass of champagne on the table in front of Nathan. All Patricia's permanent staff were highly efficient, discreet and well trained. They had been handpicked by Patricia herself and they'd been put through a thorough and rigorous training program. They were attentive to the clients, but they were also highly alert to potential threats. Most of them could disarm a man and knock him unconscious in ten seconds flat. Nathan had considered recruiting some of them for his security business but he would never poach someone else's staff. Besides, Patricia was an old friend.
Nathan leaned back and casually surveyed the patrons at the other tables. He saw his guy immediately.
Roland Nox, real estate magnate and werefox, was sipping his champagne and puffing on his cigar. Beside him was his brand new bodyguard from Chase Security. Jim Gonzalez was a strapping young human, a karate champion and an ex-marine. Jim's trainers had assured Nathan that he was ready, so he was assigned to Roland Nox.
Nathan watched Jim's sharp, black eyes make a sweep of the room. Jim's assessing gaze landed on Nathan but it was clear that the young man didn't recognize his big boss. Only the top management of Chase Security interacted with Nathan personally. And Nathan much preferred moving around the office incognito.
Nathan smiled to himself as Jim's eyes narrowed slightly. The young man flicked his eyes down the length of Nathan's body, trying to determine if Nathan was hiding a weapon under his clothes.
Nathan gave a small nod of approval. Jim had correctly marked him as a potential threat.
Well done. The young man had the instincts of a good bodyguard.
Nathan wasn't carrying a weapon right now, but he was certainly armed and dangerous. His wolf was faster and more lethal than any gun or blade.
As Nathan continued watching the young bodyguard, he realized that Jim's trainers were right. Jim Gonzalez was human, but the young man was way sharper than many of the shifters in the room. All the patrons of The Ring were shifters, but some of their assistants, attendants and bodyguards were human. There were some very capable humans around, and Nathan was always on the lookout for good people to join his team.
There was a soft rustle as Madam Patricia Jen entered the auction room. She was wearing her usual enigmatic smile as she sauntered up the stage.
Patricia Jen was a stunning woman in her sixties, and her shrewd eyes saw everything and missed nothing.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Patricia cooed in a silken voice. “I see some new faces and many old friends tonight.” She paused and blew a kiss to the audience. There were answering chuckles and some called out salutations in various languages.
“Twenty tables have been booked tonight. But we only have seven lovely Gems.” Patricia winked and lowered her voice as if she were sharing a secret with her audience. “So you'll have to bid aggressively to secure the Gem of your choice.”
As some of the patrons leaned forward in their seats, Patricia stepped to the side of the stage and announced with a flourish, “So without further ado, let me show you tonight's selection. Here they are! Your beautiful Gems.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The seven chairs began to lower around Patricia. When they rose again, each chair had a scantily clad, nubile body draped over it.
Each Gem was wearing a sash and translucent tights. The sequined sash was embroidered with their auction names: Sapphire, Onyx, Pearl, Diamond, Ruby, Topaz, Amber.
Four females and three males were on auction tonight. They kept their faces lowered and angled their bodies away from the audience.
Nathan flicked his eyes back to Roland Nox and his bodyguard. Roland was grinning and wiping his sweaty palms on his thigh. He seemed to have his eye on the dark-skinned woman to Patricia's right. Jim glanced at the stage and saw that the seven Gems posed no threat. There was nowhere they could conceal a weapon. They were wearing almost nothing at all. Swiftly, Jim's gaze returned to the clients seated around the brightly lit stage.
Nathan quirked a lopsided smile. Good boy. He wasn't distracted by all that bare flesh on stage.
Jim's eyes met Nathan's as he scanned the room. Nathan held his gaze and lifted his chin to see how the young bodyguard would react when he realized that he was being watched.
A small crease appeared between Jim's brows. His frown deepened into a scowl when Nathan smiled at him.
It was not a friendly smile.
Nathan made a quick mental note. Jim needed to work on his poker face. Never let a target know that he's on your radar.
“Now, shall we take a better look at the Gems on display tonight?” Patricia invited.
The auction had started.
Nathan shifted his attention from the young bodyguard to the stage. He was here for work, but he could appreciate the view as well, couldn't he?
On the slowly rotating stage, Patricia was weaving gracefully between the seven chairs. Her bright, red nails danced over the bare backs of her Gems as she introduced them to the audience.
“… the delectable, exquisite Topaz!”
A chiseled, handsome young man of Asian descent turned around in his chair and smirked at the audience. His sash was stretched across his smooth, broad chest and his translucent tights left little to the imagination.
Standing up in one fluid motion, Topaz swaggered to the edge of the stage and stood with arms akimbo, displaying his impressive physique to the bidders.
Nathan saw the lady at table number eighteen lean forward with interest. Her diamond choker glimmered as she tilted her head to appraise the beautiful Gem on display. But the lady had competition. Two other gentlemen were eyeing the same exquisite Gem.
Nathan reached for his champagne flute but the glass froze midway to his lips.
Patricia was slowly making her way towards the last Gem on the stage, but Nathan saw her first.
Amber.
He caught a glimpse of her face as she peeked out from her curtain of wavy brown hair.
Her gray eyes were wide and showing a trace of fear. The Gems were not supposed to move until Patricia called out their names. Clearly, she was new at this.
Nathan couldn't remember seeing her before. Was this her first time at the auction?
Some of the more popular Gems appeared regularly at the auctions. They sometimes changed their hair color and with the help of some skilful makeup and costumes, they could appear with a whole new look.
Patricia liked to have a mixture of old and new Gems at her auctions. It kept things fresh and interesting, yet orderly and professional.
Nathan took a sharp breath and picked out Amber's sweet, unique scent from the heady scents swirling around the room. Amber was fully human, and she was definitely a new Gem.
She was trembling and fidgeting slightly in her seat. The scent of her fear was so sharp and already he could see the other shifters reacting to the scent of new prey. Predators could smell fear. The eyes of the predatory shifters were already glowing with relish and anticipation.
What the hell was a girl like her doing in a place like this?
Sweet, bright Amber was in a den of predatory beasts. Did she know what she was in for?
Patricia was a shrewd businesswoman, and she knew exactly what delighted and excited her clients. Girls like Amber were rare. There was a sweetness to her, but there was a fierce light in her eyes.
Nathan knew that all the Gems had to go through a selection process. There was a certain quality that Patricia looked for in her Gems. Some of them might look small and fragile, but they were all tough.
The patrons of The Ring were filthy rich, but they were all shifters. If her Gems weren't tough enough, they wouldn't be able to handle one night with a shifter.
Shifters were strong, demanding and they had great stamina. The Gems would never be hurt, but they had to be able to handle the voracious appetites of their clients and give as good as they got.
Amber was the only inexperienced, new Gem tonight and she was going to attract the highest bids. The scent of her fear faded as she mastered her fear. The fact that she was here meant that she had read and signed the contact. She had also attended the briefing and training session. Amber knew what to expect. She had agreed to do this.
Nathan put his glass down to avoid crushing it in his fist. He wouldn't let anyone else win Amber.
He hadn't planned on bidding tonight. He was a client of The Ring, but he was usually here on business. To watch, observe and memorize the faces of the new rich shifters in town. In the security business, it was imperative to know everything before anything happened. It paid to be prepared.
But...nothing prepared him for this.
He had never thought of anyone as his before.
Amber was his.
He wasn't going to let anyone else have her.
CHAPTER SIX
Kerry sucked in a deep breath and pushed herself shakily off the cold, hard chair as Madam Patricia Jen announced her stage name.
“And now, I have the pleasure of presenting the pure, flawless and perfect...Amber!”
Amber. She was Amber. A Gem in The Ring.
Kerry grimaced when she almost tripped on her way to the edge of the stage. She quickly straightened up and regained her composure and balance.
Kicking up her chin, Kerry flashed what she hoped was a confident smile at the audience and forced her arms to remain at her sides. She felt completely naked, even though she wasn't. Not technically. She was wearing translucent tights and diamond-shaped nipple pasties. Not that they covered much but still.
She had never exposed so much of herself to a bunch of strangers before.
Shifters, Kerry reminded herself. She was in a room full of shifters.
Keep calm, Kerry. They can smell your fear.
Kerry continued smiling as her eyes darted around The Ring. The twenty tables were placed pretty close to the stage. So the bidders could see up close and personal what they are bidding for.
Gulping, she looked straight ahead, avoiding all eye contact with the bidders. She knew she should be strutting her stuff, giving the bidders saucy winks and come-hither looks to attract higher bids. That was what she was here for, right?
But now that she was standing on the stage, being appraised and admired, she found herself wishing that no one would bid for her. She just wanted to run home and cover herself up from head to toe.
No, I can do this. I have to do this. For Tia.
Screwing up what little courage she had left, Kerry blinked and dragged her gaze down to the bidders seated at the tables.
A middle-aged woman was caressing her diamond choker as she sipped her champagne. Thankfully, her eyes weren't on Kerry. She was staring at Topaz, that handsome Asian stud muffin.
Kerry closed her eyes briefly and thought back to her training. She had attended a short training session after her interview with Madam Patricia Jen. Madam Jen told Kerry that she liked the photo that Kerry had sent, and she described Kerry as “a rare, beautiful, unpolished Gem”. Kerry had received the callback a few days after sending the photo, and she had been both thrilled and terrified. But she refused to let her fear get the better of her. How hard could it be?
Once she signed the contract, she was given a tour of the auction room and taught how to sit and walk on the polished revolving stage. She was also given tips on how to attract the attention of the bidders.
Tip number one: make eye contact.
Kerry took a shaky breath and forced her eyes open. She looked out at the audience as the stage continued rotating. As she glided past a pudgy man in a cowboy hat, he smirked and fashioned a gun with his thumb and forefinger. When he pretended to fire his gun at Kerry, Kerry flinched and stumbled back. The cowboy banged the table and guffawed.
Get a grip, get a grip.
Kerry inhaled a steadying breath and balled her fists. Anger was unfurling in her belly. She was a Gem, but she wouldn't be made a fool of.
Her eyes blazing, she glared at the client sitting at the last table. Table number twenty.
Her breath caught at the sight of him.
The man was sitting alone at his table, without a bodyguard or an assistant. His black suit accentuated his broad shoulders, and she could sense the coiled tension and power in his body. The man had short dark hair and sported a hint of stubble at his jaw. His features were sharp and chiseled and there was an unmistakable aura of authority and danger about him.
His white shirt was open at the collar, allowing Kerry a tantalizing glimpse of his tanned, hard chest. The man wore no jewelery, unlike the other patrons who seemed to be trying to outdo one another with their chunky gold bracelets, glittering necklaces and flashy rings.
Only an elegant, sophisticated watch peeked out from under his sleeve. Kerry was pretty sure that his watch alone cost more than her whole year's salary.
The man's piercing blue eyes raked down Kerry's body, sending a tingle of desire right to her core. This man was sinfully sexy, brooding and handsome. Kerry had seen quite a few handsome men around town and some of the customers at the restaurant were pretty charming and good-looking. But she had never taken more than a passing, appreciative glance at those men. She simply admired them, acknowledged their good looks and let them go. She never wanted them.
But this man, this tall, handsome stranger at table number twenty, she wanted. Her body wanted him. The jolt of lust that hit her was sudden and powerful, and she had to squeeze her thighs together to try to ease the maddening ache in her core.
Kerry whimpered and tried to tear her eyes away. But she couldn't look away from him.
His gaze was heated and possessive, holding her captive and branding her.
Bid for me, she silently begged.
As soon as she mouthed the words, the fog seemed to lift from her mind.
Kerry shook her head and suppressed a violent shiver. What the hell just happened to her? It felt as though she had just fallen into a swirling vortex of lust and unrequited desire.
She wa
s out of her mind. That man was out of her league. Why would he bid for her?
But...why was he even here at the auction?
The man had the looks of a movie star, and the fact that he was here in The Ring meant that he was a high-net-worth individual. A rich handsome guy like him didn't need to bid for sex. He could have any woman he wanted.
Movie stars, rich heiresses, models, they would all be beating a path to his bed.
The moving stage dragged Kerry away from table number twenty but she could still feel his eyes on her.
There were twenty bidders but only seven Gems. So someone was sure to win her tonight.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kerry craned her neck to stare into those intense blue eyes, eyes that seemed to look right into her heart and soul.
She didn't want to look away from him. He seemed to be holding her with his eyes, steadying her and giving her strength. Her world narrowed to just him. The rest of the bidders receded away and she imagined that she was alone in the room with him.
Dimly, she heard Madam Jen's voice. Madam Jen had finished introducing the Gems and the bidding was now underway.
Kerry forced herself to pay attention to the bids. The three guys, Topaz, Onyx and Diamond, were being auctioned first. Of the three male Gems, the winning bid for Topaz was the highest.
Kerry almost fainted when she heard the amount. Twenty thousand dollars! That could pay for two of Tia's injections. Could she attract such high bids when it was her turn to be auctioned? Or would no one want her?
She would find out soon enough.
Once the three guys had been auctioned off, it was time to auction the girls.
Kerry's panicked eyes sought out table number twenty and she saw him give her a subtle nod.
Madam Jen strolled over to the statuesque redhead beside Kerry and gestured grandly, “Now, let's hear the bids for our fine Sapphire.”
The bidding began in earnest, and the bids just kept climbing. Kerry was getting a little giddy listening to the amounts being called out.
The Werewolf's Baby: A Billionaire Shifter Pregnancy Romance Page 2
