by Mia Carson
Harley rushed to the booth for her purse. Once her keys were in hand, she ran to her sister, grabbed her hand, and they bolted from the bar, not slowing until they were outside. Harley wrapped her sister in a hug as she cried against her shoulder, muttering apologies repeatedly.
“I didn’t mean to… I should’ve just done it, but he scared me and he had people watching and I freaked out. Harley, you can’t do this!”
“We can’t run. You heard him.” She set Brianna back and tried to smile through her fear. “It’ll be fine, you’ll see. I’m your big sister and I’m always going to look out for you. Always.”
Brianna climbed into the truck, and Harley joined her. They drove across the city in silence, neither speaking until they were settled inside with the door locked safely behind them. Harley gave Brianna her bed and lay down beside her as she wiped the rest of her messed up makeup from her face.
“Harley, you sure about this?”
“No,” she admitted, smoothing back Brianna’s hair as she used to do when they were little. “But it’s just sex. I’ll be fine. I’m stronger than you think.” If only you believed your own words.
“You were always the strong one,” Brianna whispered as her eyes closed. “Stronger than Mom and Dad could ever be…stronger than me.” Her breathing evened out as sleep took her, and Harley disentangled herself gently from her sister’s sleeping body.
She should try to sleep, but laying on the couch and closing her eyes was not appealing. She scoured her body in the shower instead, trying to rid herself of Ricky’s touches and the stink of booze and cigarette smoke. As the water poured over her body, her mind wandered to what she’d seen through that glass window. That woman was a client, Ricky had told her. She paid to have four people touch her intimately. She rested her head against the shower wall. What would happen tomorrow night? Would she be put on display like that? Naked in a room with leering men and women eyeing her so openly, maybe even touching her before they bid on her virginity?
When she finally settled down enough to sleep, she texted Karen first to let her know she wouldn’t make it into work at all for the few hours she was supposed to be in. Her boss wouldn’t be too upset either. She hadn’t called in sick for a year. If she had to give her virginity away in less than twenty-four hours to a stranger at an auction, she needed some time to prepare herself and pray she was doing the right thing.
Pray whoever purchased her for an evening would be nothing like Ricky Delugio. Brianna might think she was superwoman, but Harley was very close to falling apart.
Chapter 3
Sam picked up his leather jacket from the back of his desk chair and slipped it on. Marcus appeared in the doorway to his office, grinning like the Mad Hatter. “Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m ready. You going to tell me anything about this place at all?”
“I told you, it would ruin the surprise, and that, my friend, is what tonight is all about,” Marcus assured him as they walked towards the elevator. “Man, I can’t wait to see your face.”
Sam pursed his lips as he shook out his black, shoulder-length hair as the horrid aching in his gut intensified, which had started last night as he dreamt about a woman, the woman he feared he would never find and who he was meant to be with.
“You’re not making me feel any better,” he grunted.
Marcus clapped him on the shoulder. “Trust me. You driving?”
“I don’t trust your driving.” They slid into the all-leather interior of the burnt-orange McLaren. Sam pulled the door down and started the engine, revving it before he floored it out of his parking spot in the underground garage and took off for the main drag. Bright lights flashed around them, drawing tourists into casinos and fancy restaurants. Sam had wanted to move out of the city, but living in a house alone never seemed appealing enough to make it happen.
“Could you try not to kill us before we get there?” Marcus asked as he bounced in his seat. “Jesus, man.”
“I didn’t buy a fast car to go slow,” Sam informed him with a fake smile but slowed down anyway. “Where are we going, oh great navigator?’
“About another mile, then pull up on the right. They have valet parking.” Marcus watched out the window and pointed to a dark purple-and-black awning over a set of stairs leading down. “There it is! Welcome to Seven Deadly.”
Sam parked along the curb and peered down the stairs through the passenger side window. “That sign says Martinis on Rick,” he pointed out.
“Ah, that’s just the main bar. We’re going to the club underneath it.”
“Care to tell me what this place is?”
“A club that caters to a very different kind of crowd. The main bar is for the majority of the population, but I am not most of the population.” He winked and stepped out, calling for Sam to hurry up before they were late. Marcus tipped the valet and rushed around the front of the car. Sam reluctantly let the kid—who barely looked eighteen—into his over two-hundred-thousand-dollar car. “Your car will be fine. Come on! I want good seats.”
“Marcus, you know those feelings of me not trusting you? Yeah, they’re coming back,” Sam said as Marcus grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the steps. They walked down and were motioned inside by a large bouncer dressed all in black. “This is it?” Sam glanced around the brightly colored club with pulsing music, a crowded dance floor, and neon lights. “I’m going home now.”
Marcus steered him through the club. “Trust me, you want to see this.”
They reached a set of double doors at the rear of the club with snakes engraved in the wood. Marcus knocked twice, and when the door opened, he flashed a card to the man waiting just beyond.
“Ah! Welcome, gentlemen, please step inside,” the man said with a grand smile. “Does your friend also have an auction card?”
“Oh, I have his, too,” Marcus said and dug a plain white card out of his pocket.
The man shone a black light on them both and nodded. “Very good, sirs. Please enjoy the auction. Is this your first time here?”
“Mine, no, but the first time for my friend.” Marcus gave Sam a little nudge forward.
“Well then, please take your time exploring all the Triad level has to offer. I assure you, you will not be disappointed.”
Marcus and Sam walked farther down a short hall until they reached another set of doors. Sam heard music from the other side, but it wasn’t as loud or as pounding as the club. His gut sinking with trepidation at what his friend had dragged him into, he slipped his hands into his pockets and shook his head.
“What are we walking into? And what the hell is this auction?”
“You’ll see, and trust me, you will want to give me a raise after tonight,” Marcus reassured him. “Welcome, my friend, to your newest sinful delight.” He knocked and the doors opened immediately. “You are about to have the time of your life.”
Sam stepped slowly into the open-plan floor of the new space and froze. There was a circular bar in the center of the room with several naked men and women displaying themselves openly on a long, rectangular table out of reach of the bar patrons. He counted five different doorways leading off the main room, and in between, booths in every available space with curtains hanging from chandeliers to give privacy if needed. Sam heard several loud moans of pleasure seeping out from the closest booths, and he grabbed Marcus’ shirtfront.
“Did you bring me to a damn sex club?” he snarled, not sure if he was mad because he was so caught off-guard or mad because being around women was the last thing he wanted right now.
Marcus knocked his hand away with a laugh. “You’ve been sulking for a while. And no, this is not exactly a sex club. There is clearly sex happening around us, but this, my friend…this is so much more. This is an experience. You can watch, you can participate, or you can bid on a beautiful woman or virgin of your choice to accompany you for a single evening.”
Sam’s mouth worked hard to form words, but the echoes of groaning di
stracted him. He cleared his throat several times before he managed to rasp, “We’re here to bid on virgins? How do you even know about this place?”
“A friend of a friend knows the owner,” Marcus explained with a shrug. “I’ve been here a few times, but never did the auction part before. It should be fun.”
“It should be fun,” Sam repeated slowly. “That’s just…they’re here willingly, right?” he whispered, glancing around.
“Yeah, man. All the men and women here work for the owner or are participating in the auction of their own free will. Don’t freak out. There’s no sex trafficking going on here—just, you know, live porn.”
“I’m not sure if that makes me feel less of a creeper or more of a creeper.”
“We’ll get some drinks and head to the auction. We have about twenty minutes before it starts.” Marcus pointed towards the bar and hurried over to it, his head tilting back to admire the naked women shaking their voluptuous breasts behind the bartender.
Sam checked over his shoulder to be sure the exit was still there and that no cops were busting through the door to arrest everyone present. It’s one night. Live a little for the sake of your friend¸ he told himself as he walked to the bar. What’s the worst that could happen? You might actually have some fun tonight.
He doubted it. The only thing he would get out of this night was a painfully uncomfortable erection and end up no closer to figuring out what he wanted out of his life.
“Almost finished, darling,” the woman said as she applied Harley’s makeup.
“Right, sure,” she muttered and planted her hands on her hips. “Do I really have to wear this?”
“It’s the outfit Ricky set aside for you. You don’t like it? I think it really brings out your hair and shows off that sexy body.” The woman winked, giggling as she leaned in to apply Harley’s eyeshadow. “There we are. Damn, I’d be surprised if you made less than a couple hundred-thousand tonight.”
Harley turned around to face the wall of mirrors behind her, ready to tell the woman she was crazy to think any man would pay that much. She saw herself in the glass and sucked in a shocked breath. “Holy shit,” she whispered. “This is me?”
“All you, darling.”
Harley ran her black-gloved hands over her body as her eyes absorbed every detail from her curled and pinned up blue-black hair to her face done up like a movie star. Despite the horrible situation she’d landed in, she’d never seen herself look so confident and so damn sexy. The outfit was like nothing she’d ever worn before. The tight corset top pushed up her breasts and provided an eyeful of cleavage. She even wore thigh-high pantyhose, garters, and strappy black heels, everything in shades of blue and accented in black. She turned slowly, cringing because her ass was hanging out, but when she tried to cover herself, someone clucked his tongue. She glared openly as Ricky stepped into view behind her.
“You are truly a vision,” he whispered in awe and reached for her elbow.
Harley drew her arm out of his reach. “Yeah, but thankfully, not for you.”
“Yet I could grow on you if you stuck around long enough.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
His eyes narrowed, but he held up his hands and backed up a step. “Remember the deal, Harley. Go out there and make the men weep to be with you. By the end of the night, you deliver me proof of the deed being completed, and all that’s left is convincing Devois you are worth his time.”
“Wait, proof?” she shouted. “You’re kidding, right? How the hell am I supposed to get that?”
“You’ll think of something. Take pictures, record it—for all I care, you can show me you bled on the sheets,” he muttered with a sneer as his eyes raked over her body. “I can’t lie, I’m jealous of whatever bastard gets to spread your thighs for the first time.”
Harley glowered at him and crossed her arms firmly over her chest. “Fine, you’ll get your proof.”
“Where’s your sister?”
“Safe at home and away from you,” Harley snapped. “You’re not going to see her again.”
Ricky’s eyes darkened and he moved in closer, but an older woman clapped her hands loudly. Ricky nodded his head, backing away into the shadows.
“Gather around ladies!” the woman called. “Many of you are new to how this process works and others are returning to auction off what they’ve learned in bed.”
Several women licked their lips and giggled in anticipation. Harley thought she would be one of few women present there, but she was thankfully mistaken. Nearly thirty young women were clustered backstage, and from what she’d heard while getting ready, many of them were virgins looking to make a quick buck and weasel their way into some rich man’s life. A few of them whispered fears of being chosen by some old man, and Harley’s mind instantly pictured some old, wrinkled man tackling her to a bed to have sex with her. Shuddering from the images, she squared her shoulders and focused on why she was here.
Brianna’s freedom and her own. After tonight, there would be one final hurdle, and then they would leave Vegas for good.
“When you are announced, you will walk onto the stage, walk from one end to the other, turn, giving the bidders a good long look at you, and then you will return. The bidders are behind one-way glass. You can’t see them, but I promise they will see you, ladies.” A few more giggles followed her words, and Harley’s heart pounded so hard she expected it to burst right out of her chest and sprint off the stage. “If you would please line up! We begin in sixty seconds!”
Harley slipped towards the back of the line where she was directed and wished she wasn’t wearing gloves. She’d be picking the crap out of her freshly manicured nails. Through the curtain, she heard the woman in charge announce the auction about to begin and sultry music played over the speakers. At least Harley wouldn’t be able to see the men leering at her.
Yeah, you just get to see the guy who buys your virginity right before you have to give it up.
Inwardly, she cringed and shrank in on herself. When she was younger and the days were hard, she would disappear into her own mind and tune out her parents’ yelling voices. Tune the whole world out. She hoped she hadn’t lost the ability as she moved closer to the open curtain. With a thong riding further up her ass with every step, she straightened her shoulders and prepared to do something she prayed she wouldn’t regret.
The first woman strutted out on stage and numbered signs shot up into the air. The price started at fifty-thousand, but by the time she walked back to the curtain, it was up to three-hundred-thousand and a man near the front rang a bell.
“Sold to the lovely gentleman in the back row,” the man announced.
The next woman was called out, and Sam’s eyes raked over her sexy lingerie and nearly perfect shape, but he couldn’t bring himself to bid. Marcus did a few times, but he was beaten by another guy. The next woman was purchased for the evening by a young woman and a man sitting beside her. The entire situation was surreal, but the women on stage looked anything but uncomfortable. Their smiles were real, lighting their eyes and crinkling their faces.
“They actually enjoy this,” he muttered to Marcus as another hot number strolled across the stage. “Look at them. They can’t even hear the bidding going on, but it’s a like a high to them anyway.”
“You have to admit, having people fight over the chance to spend an evening in your company is quite a turn-on,” a woman beside Sam chimed in with a deep purr of a voice. “I would know.”
“You’ve auctioned yourself off?” Sam asked surprised.
“In my younger days,” the woman explained with a sigh. “It is a high, an experience I’ll never forget. It empowers you, gives you a strength you never thought you could have. And,” she said as she leaned in closer, “it’s how I met my husband.”
Sam glanced at the man sitting to her right in surprise. “You’re serious?”
The man laughed and leaned over as he held out his hand. “We’ve been married ten yea
rs, man. One night led to so much more. Everything here can lead to so much more.”
Sam shook the man’s hand, then paused and glanced around the audience. “Wait, I get it. You guys are plants, right? To get reluctant men to bid?”
The couple shook their heads. “Not even close,” the woman assured him and rested her hand warmly on the man’s leg. He covered it with his and kissed her cheek. “This is the real deal, though I will admit, Ricky is not above planting people in his clubs. Those three women towards the front? I guarantee they’re offering to have threesomes with those men close by if they buy a few women for the night.”
Sam narrowed his eyes at the woman, but when she looked at the man she claimed was her husband, her eyes glimmered with something he could only call love, and she smiled with such passion, he started to believe them.
Finding love in a club centered around lust seemed too good to be true, but Sam relaxed into his seat and watched each woman with a new perspective. Even if they were plants, the notion of finding the woman he’d been missing all his life sparked a new desire in him to explore every avenue possible until he found this woman and claimed her as his own.
The next few women to traipse across the stage were gorgeous, but the look in their eyes was greed mixed with nerves. That was not the woman he wanted to spend an evening with. Another woman was announced, and Sam perked up at her name.
“Harley is our next lady available this evening, and she is a black-haired beauty, ladies and gentlemen,” the woman announced.
Sam stared at the gap in the curtain, expectant, and the second she stepped out, his gut twisted in knots and his chest tightened. He gripped the arm of his cushioned chair and the other hand with his bid number shot up immediately.
“And we have our opening bid of one-hundred-thousand! Do I hear two?”
Another number shot up and another, but Sam wouldn’t let this woman slip away. She paused at the edge of the stage and stared uncertainly at the glass. The look in those dark grey eyes sucked him in, a familiar look he’d seen so many times before in his reflection in the mirror. She wasn’t here just for the money. There was more to this woman, much more, and he wanted to know all about her. He raised his number again, competing with several other bidders in the room. She walked to the other end of the stage and turned. His leather pants grew tight around his swelling shaft as he admired her curved ass. She swayed her hips as she walked, but her hands shook at her sides, and the need to comfort this woman was so strong, Sam swore he had to know her from somewhere to feel such a connection to a complete stranger through a damn glass wall. The numbers went up more as she walked back towards the curtain.