by Mia Ford
Chapter Five
Scarlett
I walk up to Aunt Betty slowly. She’s talking to some guy, God he’s so hot. Chiseled face, piercing green eyes and dark hair. I wonder what they’re talking about? Then again, he’s the type that I’d see in a club and would never look my way. I blink because for a brief second I thought that he was licking his lips. I’m trying to focus on not tripping in these damn heels, but it’s so fucking hard because they keep slipping off whenever I try and walk too fast.
As I approach her, he’s gone. I feel disappointed wondering if he left as a result of me. It’s as if he disappeared, because I keep expecting him to see him near us, but I don’t.
“Oh my God child, you look like an angel.”
I beam forgetting why I nearly killed myself to get here. It was the man. The God of man that was near her.
I hug her, “Aunt Betty I loved it. It fits like a glove. How did you know my size and everything?”
She taps her nose and says, “Well, you know your Aunt. She’s always looking out for her niece.”
Then she winks at me and there’s an awkward silence because I want to ask the one thing that’s really bugging me, “Aunt Betty who was that?”
She doesn’t even pretend that she doesn’t know who I was talking about as she smiles and says, “You’ll see.”
I should be nervous about the way she just said it, but I can’t help but feel excited about being introduced to him. Maybe Gretchen’s right and I should have fun.
“The announcements are going to be made soon and the auction.”
“Auction?”
She ignores my question and asks, “So, you do like the dress, don’t you?”
“What’s not to like. It’s more about love. I love this dress.”
“You pinned your hair back and left a few lose strands. And as for the necklace, it makes the gold pieces on the dress shine. I don’t know what I’m more excited about, the dress or the night?”
That’s a strange comparison and I wonder if Aunt Betty has something up her sleeves. Then again, she always has something up her sleeves.
I’m about to ask her if there’s something that I should know, but I don’t get the chance as others greet her and before I know it we’re at a table.
She declares, “This seat is for you.”
Then one of the waiter’s takes out my chair and I sit down. She air kisses me and says, “I need to go and make a speech. You’re on the best table. Mingle my dear.”
I feel as if all eyes are on me as I stretch out my hand and I’m smiling but really, I want to scream out to her, ‘Don’t leave me!’
She didn’t even introduce me and the man on the right is acting as if he wants to eat me. His wife notices because she taps him on the side and then introduces herself.
“I’m Wendy Hart. I’ve been coming to the ball for nearly ten years. I gather that you’re Scarlett.”
I nod, “Yes, Aunt Betty often talks about you. She says that you’re one of her dearest friends.”
“Oh, does she?” her double chin swings as she starts to chuckle. I flatter her because Aunt Betty has never mentioned her, but she’s seated at her table and she’s been coming here for ten years. By the way she tapped the grey-haired man next to her, I can only assume that’s her husband. The one that wants to eat me. He’s speechless and he’s still staring at my chest, but not as obviously as he was a few minutes ago.
My eyes dart to the woman seated next to me. I’m just about to introduce myself to her, when Aunt Betty asks for everyone to be quiet.
“Welcome friends, newcomers and everyone that’s seated tonight.”
Everyone starts to clap and I follow suit as we sit in the marquee. Aunt Betty may be doing this for charity, but I must admit that I’m impressed with the ball. There’s entertainment for absolutely everyone from the chocolate to the champagne fountain. There were dancers and the acrobats outside. They were subtly performing by everyone so they did not have to stop and watch them. Even the synchronized swimmers distracted me for a while as I was looking for Aunt Betty. Part of me wonders if this is really for charity or just an excuse for a lot of middle-aged, or maybe more like retired people to meet up. Apart from the guy. The one who’s hand that she’s now holding on stage. Before I was distracted looking around the room and admiring everyone here for showing up tonight.
Now, both of my eyes are on him. The stranger that she gave me the impression she would introduce later is on stage with her and they’re smiling together as if they’re old friends.
“Some of you may know Joshua Moore.”
A few ladies clap and one of them even winks at him. I wonder how exactly they know Joshua Moore, but I can’t get over the fact that even his name is sexy.
If I was slimmer, feeling better and all that jazz. I wouldn’t hesitate in getting my aunt to introduce us. He could be exactly the type of distraction that I need to get me out of this hole. Depression. Sadness or whatever it is, I just wish it’ll go away and I must admit that I haven’t really felt that sad since I’ve been here which is the first time in weeks that I’ve gone more than an hour without feeling that way. Maybe this is exactly what I needed and I smile as Aunt Betty sits next to me. It’s as if he’s got me under a spell or something, because I don’t know what he’s doing center stage right now, but I can sit here and stare at him all night long.
“Now for the fun to begin,” she laughs and Wendy claps with her.
“This is a fantastic idea!” Wendy screeches and then I feel as if I’m the only one that doesn’t know what the hell is going on. My eyes are on Joshua and if I’d been paying attention, I would have kept my eye on Aunt Betty.
“What are you doing?”
I blurt out as another woman takes the place of my aunt on stage and announces the auction. I soon realize that the auction that was on the billboards wasn’t for items or even pieces of art. It was for hot men like Joshua.
She laughs as the bids are going as high as ten thousand dollars for a weekend with Joshua Moore. It soon falls into place, why she was excited about tonight. It wasn’t the entertainment or even helping those poor children in Africa. It was simply because of the auction!
She’s bidding to spend a weekend with Joshua Moore. I don’t even know the guy, but I can’t help but ask the question.
“Aunt Betty, what are you going to do with him for a whole weekend?”
She winks at me and says, “I’m not bidding on him for me. But for you dear.”
“What?”
I screech as I want to protest and tell her to stop, but then there’s this other part of me. The side that can’t take my eyes off of him which can’t help staring and licking my lips the way that Wendy’s husband was doing a few minutes ago.
Is she really doing this for me?
“But now you’re up to fifty thousand dollars. That’s a bit too much.”
Wendy flaps her hand, “It’s your birthday. Enjoy!”
I’m just about to tell her that my birthday isn’t for another couple of months, but then Aunt Betty kicks my foot under the table.
“Seventy-five thousand dollars!” she screams as she stands up. There’s a cheer and scream from the woman that Aunt’s been bidding against.
“Good, serves her right!” Wendy claps her hand and I feel as if I’m stuck in the middle of a war between them all and I have no idea how it started, but as Aunt Betty’s declared the winner. She kisses me on the cheek and says, “Happy Birthday.”
Joshua Moore winks at me and all of a sudden my birthday does feel early and for once I’m not dismissing the fact that it’s not my birthday for another few months. In fact, I’m welcoming it with open arms as I pick up a fan which could have been my aunt’s as I think that Joshua Moore’s wink wasn’t just for our date. I have a feeling that he has something dirtier in mind and as I look at Aunt Betty’s cunning face. I can tell that she’s thinking the same thing too.
Chapter Six
Joshua
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After the excitement of the bidding and I wonder if her niece, Scarlett is worth all this money. Not only from the bidding, but from the reduced amount that she’s accepting for the land as a result of fucking her. I wonder if she knows what’s at stake?
Then again, it’s not my place to tell her. She’s not my responsibility and she seemed willing as I head to her table. I know that I have to do one thing. Let her know exactly what’s at stake.
“Ms. Young,” I nod to Betty Young as I head to her table.
Everyone at the table’s staring at me and I only have my eye on one person. The woman who I get to fuck all weekend. There’s one thing that was missed out, the rules on tonight.
Do I take her now?
Or wait until later?
I’m just about to ask when Ms. Young says, “Well, I think that you two are going to be getting acquainted this weekend.” She stands up and says, “We’re all consenting adults.”
She reaches out for Scarlett’s hand, “I just paid a lot of money for you to have a good birthday dear. Make sure that you enjoy it.”
She nods to me, the code which means that if I want the contract to be signed then I better make sure that Scarlett enjoys it.
“It’ll be my pleasure to ensure that she does enjoy it.”
She smiles, still speechless and I could pretend that I want to talk. That I want to find out exactly what’s on her mind, but I don’t. Because I only have one thing on my mind, time’s ticking and her aunt has just paid seventy-five thousand dollars just for the weekend and I have a business to run. If I want to succeed as it has been doing for the last decade. Then I need to make sure that every minute she spends with me, she doesn’t regret.
The last thing that I need is for her to be crying to her aunt.
I’ve canceled calls, meetings, and other business ventures just to give her my undivided attention to this weekend. It’s a life line that I can’t afford to cut.
As we swiftly move through the crowd. Some of them are cheering and some of the women are giving her the evil eye.
‘Get over it!’
Damn, men are not that bitter and by the look of things, I did win the hottest woman at the ball. Even the young ones who are probably a year or two older than her, still appear middle-aged compared to her.
There’s an innocence about her, something that makes me take and protect her at the same time. She’s avoiding my eye contact every time I turn back to make sure that she’s behind me. That I’m not walking too fast. I must admit I could fucking run here. I didn’t even need my car. I could easily jog all the way home with her on my back.
As we reach the valet, my car’s parked outside and still we don’t speak. I should say something to her. But then for the first time in my life, I’m fucking speechless. I’ve never had an arrangement like this and some part of it’s so fucking weird. I never pay for sex, but this isn’t me paying her it’s the opposite way around which makes it even stranger.
The valet opens the door for her and she just moves to sit in the car. Maybe she’s scared and doesn’t know what to say too.
I put my keys in my pocket and then I hesitate moving into my car.
When I hear a familiar voice, one that only an hour ago, I would have wanted to be bent over my car and fucking her from behind. Now, she’s in front of me. My dick doesn’t twitch it’s as if it’s automatically decided who it wants tonight and it’s no longer Cathy Winters.
“Have a good night Joshua Moore.”
I nod, as I’m just about to jump into my car, “I intend to. And the same to you.”
I look up and notice that she has more buttons undone than she did when she did when we first met. In another life, I would have considered it. Maybe told her that I’ll be back after the weekend, but this was too close for comfort. I’d come too far to just give up on the contract like that.
I hesitate as I start the engine, until she speaks. She says something that I didn’t expect her to say, “I don’t believe in coincidences, Mr. Moore. What did my aunt have in mind?”
“She wanted me to show you a good time.”
She seems surprised and I sit back and wait for her to tell me that she doesn’t want to do it or she’s not that type of girl. Instead she clears her throat and says, “So, where are we going on our date?”
This is the point that I need to make very clear. I turn to her and say as I turn off the engine. I think that she may jump out of the car when she hears the truth.
“I don’t date. I fuck. If you want a man to show you round town and give you roses and sweet talk to you at the end of the night then you’re in the wrong car.”
Her eyes are wide and there’s no movement on her part but I know that one of two things are happening. Her heart’s beating like a rocket at the speed of light and her panties are wet. I bet that they’re dripping so much that she’s left a little patch on the seat.
“This weekend is about fucking sweetheart. I’m your dominant and you’re my submissive. If I tell you to bark, you ask me how loud? If I tell you to strip. You move at the speed of light and if I tell you to get on all fours. You do it without hesitation.”
She swallows a lump in her throat and she’s blinking out of control.
“So, my aunt paid seventy-five thousand dollars for you to fuck me?”
I like her tone, but as much as she’s trying to sound confident, she’s failing miserably because her voice is weak and her lips are quivering.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“So, you do this for a living?”
I laugh, “No, I have a job. I just know how to satisfy a woman.”
I’m waiting for her to leave. Tell me that she wants to get out and this isn’t what she had in mind. She thought that I’ll take her out to dinner or even show her a different part of town that she’s never seen before, she never expected my boldness or for me to tell her that her expectations were wrong. I’m only going to give her one thing and nothing more.
“When you say that I’m a submissive, you mean that I’m basically a dog?”
Her voice is weak as she’s probably trying to digest it all. Wondering if this is a good idea or not, which is fair enough and I don't mind taking the time out to explain it to her properly, “No it’s a different type of relationship. It’s not like an owner and their dog where I say fetch and you go and get the ball that I’ve just thrown and we repeat that over and over again until one of us gets tired.”
“So, what is it?”
“A submissive should always be respectful. I’m giving you the ground rules so that there’s no rudeness or attitude at anything that I command you to do. I need to ask one thing, you don’t seem the type but I need to be sure.”
“What?”
“You must be in control at all times. You can’t be an alcoholic or even a drug user, they are body and mind controlling agents. They can affect how you think and act at any time. You can get paranoid and think that I’m doing something or feel something even if I’m not touching you. You won’t get the full pleasure of being a submissive if you’re addicted to any of those things.”
“Well, I am addicted to one thing.”
I knew that it was too good to be true.
“Ben & Jerry! Does that count?”
She looks so innocent as she asks the question, I want to laugh, but I can tell that she’s serious and then I remember what her aunt said. She mentioned about her being depressed, maybe she’s been comfort eating as a result of it?
“No.”
She nods as if she’s trying to digest it all in, so I continue speaking. I think that it’s good to be honest before we go any further. So that we both know what we’re getting ourselves into.
“This is rule one of a good submissive relationship.”
I want to touch her hair and figure out what’s going to happen next.
She replies, “Honesty.”
Shit, she’s learning already I don’t even feel like taking her home. I f
eel like I want to reward her here and now.
“It’s about respect, I hold the position of authority and you as the submissive knows the difference between your needs and desires. I’m not a mind reader. I can only assume that you’re thinking certain things by your body movement. The way you react to my touch,” I trace a finger down her face.
She quivers and I growl, “Just like that, you want this as much as I do. I can tell. Otherwise, you would have bolted out of the car screaming that this isn’t something that you want. The fact that you’re in the car tells me that you want this.”
“Maybe I do. Maybe I’m processing this is in my mind trying to get my head around it. One thing’s for sure. You don’t beat around the bush.”
“Exactly. I need to make sure that you’re one hundred percent comfortable with all of this so that we both have a mutual understanding of where we go from now on.”
She nods her head.
“I want you to know your rights. When you think that I’ve crossed the line and when you think that it borderlines at abusive. So, the only way to make sure that everything goes according to plan is to come out with a safe word. Something that at any time you’re not comfortable with it all you shout out.”
She laughs, “There’s only one thing that I can think of…”
“Okay?”
I ask out of curiosity, because she seems lost in her thoughts and she's not saying anything as her eyes dart around the car. Maybe she doesn’t understand, so I give her a bit more detail, "I promise everything stops. No questions asked. Understood?”
“Yes.”
I’m waiting for her to say something else, like to tell me exactly what the word is, but she doesn’t. It’s as if she’s trying to figure it out and then she says, “Elsa.”
“Elsa?”
“Yes, from Frozen.”
She can tell that I haven’t got a clue what she’s talking about so she continues to explain it to me.
“It’s a movie and anyway, I think of myself as Elsa. Not as pretty as her, but we have the same color hair and sparkling blue eyes. She has…”