by Mia Harris
***
Bought By The Wolf
“So you think that’s him? Avery?”
Avery Verner had been staring into space for the last five minutes, but was snapped out of her daydream by her tall, slim colleague, Hayley. She tilted her head up and looked at her.
“Hmm? Sorry, I was just daydreaming. What were you saying?”
Hayley pointed across the room at a handsome older man who was walking over to the reception desk. He was tall with grey-streaked hair and piercing blue eyes.
“Do you think that’s Greystone?” she asked in a hushed voice as the man drew closer.
“I don’t know. I doubt it. Isn’t he meant to be only thirty-four?” Avery replied.
They were talking about Noah Greystone; a reclusive billionaire who owned the publishing company that they worked at as administrative assistants. He owned many companies in their city, and according to rumor, he came in to speak to their boss sometimes. Hardly anyone knew what he looked like, though. He kept a low profile and stayed out of the media, and all that Avery knew about him was his age and which university he had attended. It had all been in a newspaper article about him a few months ago; one which had told her all she needed to know about him. He’s a real weirdo. Why else would he keep to himself so much?
The older man was now talking to the receptionist, and Hayley craned her neck in an attempt to listen to their conversation. Seconds later, her face fell.
“Dammit. You’re right. It’s not him. I really want to see what he looks like! I bet he’s hideous, and that’s why he’s so private,” she said.
“Mmm. Maybe,” Avery replied.
This guessing game was something that all the admin staff played; in fact, almost everyone who worked for a Greystone company played it from time to time. Only their boss and a few other superior executives had actually met the man, and they just laughed whenever anyone asked about him. ‘He likes his privacy. Leave him alone’, they would say before striding back into their offices.
Avery returned her attention to her computer screen. She needed to finish typing up a whole stack of letters before the day was through, and she needed to work fast. All of the staff members, including her, were leaving an hour early to get ready for the charity auction tonight. Avery thought it was a stupid idea, but she had been roped into it by Hayley, the company’s resident social butterfly.
At this auction, all the young women and men from Greystone Publishing were going to be paraded up on a stage at the front of the ballroom, and ‘auctioned’ off to the highest bidder. Whoever ‘bought’ them would get to go on a date with them, and all proceeds went to a local children’s charity. Avery was dreading it. No one will buy me. I will be humiliated when I’m up there. She couldn’t believe that she had let Hayley talk her into this, although at least the money went to a good cause.
She looked over at Hayley, who was now on the phone to a client. Of course she wouldn’t have a problem getting ‘bought’; she was tall and slim and pretty, with shiny dark hair that went down to her waist when it wasn’t tied up for work. Avery was almost the complete opposite. She was only five foot two with a few too many curves, and had wavy light brown hair that never seemed to stay in place no matter how much hairspray she put on it. The only thing she liked about her appearance was her full lips, and she often played them up with bright lipsticks. Sometimes, she secretly hoped that the makeup would distract people’s attention away from her thighs. Thunder-thighs. That’s what her ex-boyfriend called her whenever they ran into each other. Cringing at the memory, she tried to push all thoughts of her ex from her mind.
“So, are you getting excited for tonight?”
Hayley was off the phone and talking to her again.
“Oh, I don’t know… I’m actually not feeling all that well,” Avery replied.
“Don’t you dare think that you can skip out on the auction,” Hayley said, playfully swatting her on the arm. “It’s for a good cause, and don’t worry, plenty of men will want to buy a date with you. Hell, I would if I wasn’t already in the whole thing myself.”
“Why would you buy me?” Avery said, giggling at Hayley’s silly comment.
“So I could tie you up and steal your lips and boobs. You’re so lucky, you have such an hourglass shaped body. Look at me, I’m straight up and down like a ruler,” Hayley said.
“You literally got offered a modeling contract the other day when we were getting lunch. And you want my body?” Avery replied. Is she mocking me?
Hayley sighed.
“You’ll see. Some hot guy will buy a date with you tonight, and you’ll realize how awesome you actually are,” she said, before smiling and walking away with a stack of files.
When Avery had finished her work, she tidied her desk and headed to the bathroom. She had brought the outfit that she was going to wear with her, and she changed inside one of the cubicles. One of her worst fears was that she would be getting changed somewhere, only for someone else to burst in and see her half-naked body, so she slipped into the dress as quickly as possible. It was black, which was apparently a slimming color, from what she had read in magazines, and when she emerged from the cubicle she saw Hayley looking into the mirror and applying mascara. She was wearing a skin-tight pale aqua-green dress, and looked incredible.
Avery immediately felt even more self-conscious, and looked at herself in the mirror. I guess I don’t look that bad, she thought. The dress was quite tight around her chest and waist, and then flared out over her hips, accentuating the hourglass curves of her body. She had picked it up on sale at a department store a while ago, but never had the chance to wear it.
“Wow, you look so nice,” she said as she watched Hayley applied a thin coat of lip gloss.
“Thanks. So do you. Anyway, I’m ready. Want to head out?”
“Just let me change into different shoes quickly,” she replied, reaching into her bag and pulling out the black heels that she had been keeping in there all day.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the convention center, and were shown backstage by one of the auction organizers. Giggling, Hayley turned to Avery.
“This is so exciting. Any ideas on what your date will be with whoever buys you? I’m taking mine for drinks at this really nice restaurant that overlooks the river. Coco, it’s called,” she said.
“Not sure yet. I guess I’ll do drinks somewhere as well,” Avery replied.
She hadn’t actually planned anything, because she hadn’t been expecting anyone to buy her. If someone did, she decided to just go along with whatever they wanted to do. She wasn’t all that fussy. A few minutes later, Hayley’s name was called out, and she sashayed onto the stage. As Avery had expected, men immediately started calling out bids. She ended up being won by a handsome older man for $650.
Chewing on her lower lip, Avery waited for the event coordinator to call her name out. Her stomach was in knots, her heart was thumping at what felt like a million miles an hour, and she wished that she could just disappear into thin air.
Finally, she heard it.
“And out next lovely lady up for auction is… Avery Verner! Come on out here, Avery,” the coordinator boomed.
Her throat dried up, and she hoped that they wouldn’t try to make her say anything. Quickly stepping out onto the stage, she smiled and glanced over the crowd, hoping they wouldn’t pick up on how nervous she was. I bet I actually look like a deer in the headlights. A few men called out bids in the low fifties, and she was grateful that at least someone wanted her, even if they didn’t want to pay all that much.
“Sixty dollars,” one man said, waving his hand at her.
“One hundred dollars!” another yelled.
The coordinator grinned.
“Well, we have one hundred dollars now, going once… going twice…”
He was cut off by a deep male voice calling loudly from the back of the room.
“One hundred thousand dollars,” he said.
The coordinato
r’s mouth dropped open.
“I’m sorry, did you say… a hundred thousand dollars?” he asked.
“Yes,” the voice said.
Avery’s heart began to race, and she realized that she hadn’t taken a breath in over thirty seconds. This is all some nasty joke. She squinted slightly, trying to tell who had just offered to pay such an outrageous sum for a date with her, but he was too far away from the stage. The room fell silent, and she could see Hayley sitting down at one of the tables with the man who had bought a date with her. She gave Avery a thumbs-up, and then started to cheer. Everyone else followed suit, and when the noise had died down, the coordinator spoke up again.
“Well, that’s an incredibly generous donation, which I’m sure will help improve the lives of many children. Thank you very much, sir. Well, Miss Verner, I hope you have a fun date planned!” he said, turning to Avery and winking.
Oh crap. Her stomach dropped again. She had been so shocked that someone had bought her at all, let alone for a hundred grand, that she had completely forgotten about the date. I haven’t planned anything!
A silver-haired man in a suit came up to the stage and extended a hand to her. Realizing that this must be the man who had bought her, she smiled, accepted his hand and carefully walked down the steps into the crowd. Once she was safely on the floor, he motioned for her to follow him, and he led her out of the function room and into the currently empty lobby of the convention center.
“Oh, we’re leaving for the date now, are we?” Avery said, forcing a smile.
The man turned to her.
“Yes, unless that’s a problem for you. You looked a little bored up there on the stage, so we thought you might want to hurry up and get to this date.”
He winked at her as he spoke, and he reminded Avery of her grandfather. Suddenly, it occurred to her that he had said ‘we’, and that his voice was not the same as the one who had bid on her.
“Wait… what do you mean, ‘we’?” she asked.
“My name is Ronald,” he said. “I’m just Mr. Greystone’s assistant. I accompany him to all these sorts of events, when he actually feels like going. He’s just off signing the check to the children’s charity. He’ll be here in a moment,” he replied.
“Oh.”
Wait. Mr. Greystone?
“Hang on… who bought the date with me? It’s not…” Avery’s voice trailed off as she realized how silly she was being. It was probably just some bored old rich guy who had bid on her. Why would an actual billionaire want her? He could have anyone he wanted… couldn’t he?
Ronald’s eyes twinkled as he looked down at her.
“The date with you was purchased by Mr. Noah Greystone. You may have heard of him. He owns the company that you work for,” he said. “Speak of the devil - here he is right now.”
Avery whirled around to see a tall man striding towards them. He was wearing what appeared to be an expensive Italian suit, and had thick, light brown hair and blue-grey eyes. Despite the suit, she could see that he had broad shoulders and a powerful chest that tapered into a slim waist, and she drew in a sharp breath as she looked him over. He was not at all what she had expected. She had been starting to agree with Hayley’s theory that he was probably hideous, seeing as he kept to himself so much, but he was startlingly handsome with his strong jawline and chiseled features.
As he approached, he extended a hand to her.
“Miss Verner. I’m Noah Greystone. But please, just call me Noah. Shall we get going?”
Avery realized that her mouth was hanging slightly open. What does he want with me?
“Oh. Um… yes,” she replied.
“Good,” he said. “Ronald, can you call the driver around? When he’s here, you are free to go home for the night. I’d like to be alone with my date.”
Moments later, she was being escorted into a sleek black car by Noah. She pinched herself hard to make sure that this wasn’t just a dream, but the sharp pain told her that it was definitely real.
He turned to her, and another knot of fear roiled in her stomach. He seemed nice enough from how he had spoken to her, but he hadn’t so much as smiled at her in the few moments they had known each other, and was worried about what she had gotten herself into.
“So where are we going?” he asked.
“Um. To be honest, Mr. Greystone…” she said, her voice quavering. “I didn’t think anyone would buy me, so I didn’t plan anything. But my friend says nice things about a place called Coco, down by the river.”
Moonlight was streaming into the rolled-down window, and for a second Avery thought she caught an amused glimmer in Noah’s eyes.
“That’s perfectly fine. Although I don’t know why you thought no one would buy you,” he said, his voice still not betraying any emotion. “Let’s go to Coco then.”
After motioning to the driver, Noah finally gave her a tight smile, and the car took off from the curb. Avery sank back into the seat, and she was glad that it was dark so that he couldn’t see the crimson red shade her cheeks had turned.
Dinner was even more awkward. When they arrived at Coco, Avery almost fell over her own feet in the doorway to the restaurant, and Noah had reached out and grabbed her around the waist to keep her steady. The second that their bodies touched, she had felt a strange flash of heat radiating from him, and the shock nearly sent her tumbling over again.
They had eaten mostly in silence, and when Noah ordered their final drinks, Avery was glad. She was too frightened of seeming stupid to say anything, and he kept staring out of the window at the moon and stars as if he wanted to avoid looking in her direction at all costs. Why the hell did he pay so much for this date? she wondered. He clearly isn’t even interested in conversation, let alone me.
Finally, it was over, and after the bill was paid, he escorted her outside. As his arm touched her waist again, she felt another flash of heat from him, and this time it surged through her own body, filling her with a kind of warmth that she had never experienced. Her body was responding to him like crazy, and despite his aloof attitude towards her, she couldn’t deny that he was one of the most attractive men she had ever been within ten feet of.
“I was thinking we could take a walk in Kings Park,” he said as they headed towards the car. “My driver could take us up there. I’ve heard it’s a lovely spot at night.”
“Sure,” she timidly replied.
Kings Park was an enormous park on a hill on the edge of the city, and at night the view of the city lights from the main lookout was spectacular. Avery had been several times before and she loved it, so she had no issue with going again. The only thing she didn’t understand was why Noah wanted to go there with her.
She considered asking him why he had paid so much for her, and why he was behaving so strangely, but as the words bubbled up in her throat, they died on her lips. It was too scary, and she hadn’t drunk nearly enough to have the courage to ask the man who was technically her boss such a question.
They drove in silence again, and when they arrived at the park, Noah gave the driver a wad of cash and spoke to him in hushed tones. Then, he helped Avery out of the car, strode over to the lookout and gazed over the city. Even in the dim moonlight, she could still see the outlines of his perfect features, and a light breeze ruffled his hair, somehow making him even more attractive as he stared out over the lights.
“Where did the driver go?” she asked, having finally summoned up enough courage to speak.
“I wanted to be alone with you, so I gave him money to catch a cab home. I’ll drive you home when we are done,” he replied, turning to her.
His voice was still stiff and cool, and Avery shivered in the night air as she wondered for what seemed like the millionth time what exactly he wanted to do with her. Oh god… maybe he’s part of some rich people’s weird cult, and they sacrifice young women. Gripped by panic for a minute, she remembered hearing rumors about Satanic rituals in Kings park at night, and she swallowed in fear.
&n
bsp; A moment later, Noah turned to her and gave her the first genuine smile she had seen from him, and her knees felt weak as her fears melted away. Almost giggling to herself, she accepted his hand as he stepped away from the lookout, and they walked along the main boardwalk that ran across the edge of the park.
“What do you find so amusing?” he asked.
“What?” she replied, momentarily confused.
“You’re smiling. What’s so funny?”
“Oh. It’s just… never mind.”
“Tell me,” he said, pausing for a second. “Come on.”
Her cheeks flushed again, and she cast her eyes aside.
“Oh, I was just thinking about how there are all those rumors about Satanists in this park at night. For a minute I thought you might have brought me here to sacrifice me or something,” she replied.
For a second, she could have sworn that his eyes flashed with a golden color, but when she blinked it was gone. He didn’t reply for a moment, and she was afraid that she had angered him, but a second later he started to laugh before starting to walk again.
“So you’re funny,” he said. “Not just all looks then.”
Avery didn’t know how to reply to that, so she mumbled something noncommittal under her breath and quickened her pace. Her heart had started to thump rapidly in her chest again, and she was overcome by a distinct feeling that the strange billionaire actually was interested in her. He sure has a funny way of showing it.
A few yards ahead of them, three hulking men emerged from the darkness, and Avery’s heart leapt into her throat as she saw the silver gleam of a knife in one of their hands.
“Hand over any cash you have!” one of the men barked.
