by Alexa Riley
I go to the mirror and check my hair and make-up for the millionth time. I’ve done my eyes darker than normal and put on more make-up that I’m used to, but I know what I’d look like on stage under those lights and I need some extra so I won’t look washed out. My hair is pinned up just on one side, the rest of it curled and falling over one shoulder.
These are the things I can control, so these are the things I focus on. Hair and make-up.
Samantha’s assistant said she would be by before the Auction to tell me what to wear. I’ve been waiting, and it’s clear she’s not going to come around until it’s almost time for me to walk on stage.
“Who is he?”
I look over at Kim who is looking at me.
“Who?” I ask in confusion.
“The man that’s got you all twisted up.” She raises a dark eyebrow at me, and I see a smirk on her face. She knows she’s right.
I reach for the champagne glass sitting on the table next to us, taking a sip. Just as it hits my lips, I think back to the last time I tasted champagne and all the ways Antonio tasted it on me. The sweet bubbly turns sour at the reminder that I wasn’t special. That he’s done that with others, and I was just someone to pass the time with. Putting the glass down, I look back at Kim. “Nobody.”
Just then the curly redheaded assistant comes flying through, checking on all the girls and making sure everything is in place. I look behind her and see Sam slowly walking around the room, eyeing each girl up and down. She makes small changes as she goes, telling her assistant what she wants and how to fix any minor detail not to her liking.
When she makes her way over to us, she goes to Kim.
“Lovely Kimberly. Back again?” Sam says, brushing a stray hair out of Kim’s face.
“You know my Elliot loves the chase,” Kim says, winking.
“Seems like you love getting caught. Love the new shoes,” Sam says, nodding to her assistant that Kim is all set to go. Her assistant then takes off in another direction as Sam moves towards me.
I’m a little shocked that she’s letting Kim go on stage in only heels and a thong, and I’m praying that I get something with a little more coverage.
Sam comes over and stands directly in front of me. After a second she walks around me in a big circle, looking me up and down. Her assistant appears magically by her side, holding out a long lacy dress for me to wear.
“This might be the most material I’ve ever let a Mistress wear on stage. But it feels appropriate.” Sam takes the dress from her assistant and holds it out for me.
I take off the silk robe and stand there completely naked as the two of them help me into the dress. The bodice is fitted tightly to me, but as the assistant zips me up, it feels like it fits perfectly. Like it was made for me. The assistant helps me into a pair of royal blue heels that I instantly fall in love with.
I turn around to face the mirror and see what I’ve got on. The long dress is an off-white halter-style with lace that hugs my neck and breasts. The design continues down to my waist, where the soft, creamy material hugs my hips and thighs, flaring just slightly at my feet. The dress is absolutely gorgeous and feels handmade. It’s the kind of dress a woman dreams of wearing on her wedding day, and I’m a little surprised that I’m going to be wearing this on stage.
“Alright, ladies. Let’s get into place.”
Sam’s words snap me out of my daze, and I turn around to see her hand outstretched towards me. I reach out and take it, and she leads me through the room.
We walk down a dark hallway before she guides me out onto a stage. The curtains are closed, but my heart starts to beat out of my chest, and panic begins to set in. What have I gotten myself into?
“Relax. I don’t want you passing out before the curtains come up. You seem like one of those southern belles who did pageants. Am I right?”
Sam’s words bring me back from the edge of panic, and I nod my head at her. I need to remember my mama’s words right now, and I take a deep breath, channeling Mary-Grace. What would she do right now?
I know what she would do. She would own this motherfucking stage.
“There you are,” Sam says, a wicked look on her face.
I straighten my shoulders and pop my hip a little, getting ready to put on the performance of a lifetime. I will be bought and paid for, but in the end, I’m the one walking away the owner of my body. I’ll be the one living with my decision for the rest of my life, and nobody—and damn sure not a man—will take that away from me.
“I want to tell you before the Auction begins that I may have said some things that weren’t entirely true.”
Looking into Sam’s eyes, I don’t see regret. Whatever it is she’s done she certainly doesn’t feel bad about it.
“But I’ve read the contract. I know what I’ve signed—”
Sam holds up her hand, cutting me off, and shakes her head slightly. “No, nothing like what you’re thinking. I just want you to remember when this is all over that I’m not the one you need to put your faith in. Just listen to your heart, Peaches. You’ll feel what’s true and what’s not.”
“I don’t understand.” I’m genuinely confused about what she’s telling me. I have no idea what she means.
“There’s a lot one will do for love. And everything I’ve done has been for that.”
With those words, she walks to the side of the stage and into the shadows. I hear the announcer's words echo through the room, and I feel a chill run up my spine.
“Let’s begin, gentlemen. The girls are ready, and we are beginning with a very sweet treat.” There’s a short pause, and then he continues. “Tonight I present to you, Peaches.”
I don’t have time to decipher what Samantha means as the curtains part and the spotlights hit me.
Chapter Ten
Don
I finally get to the auction house and make my way towards the room. I’ve never been here before, but security guards are everywhere. It makes me feel somewhat at ease knowing that while Georgia has been in Sam’s custody she’s at least been well protected.
I walk to the back of the room and stand in the shadows, waiting for the Auction to begin. I clench my fists as I look around at the men, thinking about who’s going to see my girl. I don’t know what she’ll be wearing, but from what I’ve heard, it could quite literally be nothing.
I threatened Samantha with bodily harm if she sent her on that stage naked, but I wouldn’t put it past her to do it just to spite me.
“I never thought I’d see the day when Don Cortez attended a Mistress Auction.”
I look to my right and see Leo Ramsey leaning up against the wall. He’s so far from the action, he’s nearly in the dark.
“And yet here is the reclusive Ramsey making an appearance. I guess lightning struck twice today.” I extend my hand, and he shakes it. “I saw you at dinner the other night. It’s strange that the last two times I’ve seen you, Samantha has been nearby.”
I’m wondering if I’m jumping to conclusions, but when I see his eye twitch a little, I see that I’ve hit the nail on the head.
“I just enjoy watching the Auctions. Speaking of, I’ve heard there might be a nice southern girl to bid on in the first round.”
He hit his intended mark, the dig going straight to my heart. As much as I want her off that stage, I have no control over it. The one thing I do have control of, however, is how she walks out of here.
Taking a step closer to Ramsey, I feel the need to remind him of who he’s speaking to. “You so much as look in her direction—”
Leo puts his hands up, taking a step back. “Don’t worry, Don. I won’t be bidding on her. I think you and I have our eyes on very different women.”
I relax just slightly, straightening my suit coat and trying to shake off the tension. I keep reminding myself that the deal with Sam is in place. Things will go according to plan, and I will walk out of here with Georgia.
The lights brighten and then dim a little, signalin
g that the Auction is about to start.
“Will you be taking a table?” I ask Leo, wanting to know if he’ll be participating in the Auction.
He shakes his head slightly, sinking further back into the shadows. “I’m only watching to make sure the one I want isn’t up there.”
I nod and turn, walking away from him to the front of the room. There’s definitely more to his story, but I don’t have time to dwell on it right now. I’m here for one thing, and she’s about to walk out onto the stage.
I take a seat at the front table, the name Cortez on a place card there. Leave it to Samantha to make my presence known. I look around the room and see only a handful of men in here. It’s still too many for my liking, but I know that I’ve got the money to triple whatever their top dollar could be.
The announcer comes out and takes his place at a podium to the side of the stage.
I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, and I want to jump to my feet to stop this from happening. But the only thing I can do is play along until this is over. When I spoke with Sam, I agreed to bid and not to cause a scene. She said she had a bad experience at a Halloween Auction with someone bidding against himself, and she didn’t need that to happen again.
“Let’s begin, gentlemen. The girls are ready, and we’re opening with a very sweet treat.”
I want to punch the announcer in the face for calling my Georgia that. But I don’t have time as he continues and the curtains start to open.
“Tonight I present to you, Peaches.”
The curtains part, the spotlight comes on, and there she stands. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
I’ve been to Europe and seen the Sistine Chapel. I’ve watched the sun set over a volcano in Hawaii. I’ve looked at thousands of things in this world that are considered beautiful, but I can say for certain they all pale in comparison to the woman standing in front of me.
Thank God I’m not standing because my knees are weak just from seeing her like this. She looks like a bride dressed in white, waiting for her groom to come and carry her away. Lucky for Georgia, I’m just that man.
“We’ll start the bidding at twenty million dollars,” the announcer says, and I rip my eyes away from the beauty in front of me to glare at him.
Twenty million? It should be two hundred million. How can he insult her with such a low number? There’s a hush through the crowd, but then someone speaks.
“Twenty million!” I hear behind me, and my heartbeat picks up. No way am I going to let her slip through my fingers.
“Thirty million!” I shout, and the room goes quiet for a moment.
I see Georgia smile and square her shoulders, as if she’s decided that this is all a game and she’s going to start playing.
“Thirty-two million!” I hear to my left, but I don’t turn to see who it is.
Georgia has started to walk around the stage, as if she’s in a pageant, working those lush hips and waving to the crowd.
What the fuck? How dare she smile at these men? Those are my smiles! I don’t care if they’re fake or not. I won’t have her throwing them around like they’re nothing.
“Forty million!” I shout, not caring that I’m nearly screaming my bid.
“Forty-five million!” someone to my right shouts, and I nearly come out of my skin.
I see Georgia walk over to the announcer and tap him on the shoulder. After an exchange of words, she takes the microphone from him and walks back to the center of the stage.
“Hey, y’all. I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Peaches, and I’m very happy to be here. I know how to make the best biscuits you’ve ever had, and I promise I got the name Sweet Cream for a reason.”
She walks up past the spotlights, looks right down at me, and fucking winks.
It’s enough to send me into a fit of rage. Nobody is going to know what her biscuits taste like, and they damn sure won’t ever know why I called her that.
“Seventy-five million!” I shout, standing up and knocking over the chair I was sitting in.
“Once, twice, sold!” the announcer says quickly, smacking a hammer down.
I see the smile fall from her face, realizing that the Auction is over and no one else is going to get a chance to bid on her. I see the moment she realizes she’s mine and that she isn’t getting away from me. She may not be happy with how this happened, but I’ll be damned if she’s going to anyone else.
Walking up to the stage, I look up to where she’s standing and adjust my suit jacket.
“Get off the stage, Sweet Cream. You’re mine.”
Chapter Eleven
Don
I can still feel the tension rolling through my body as I wait in the contract room for Sam and Georgia. Minutes tick by as I pace back and forth, wearing the rug thin. I’m scared she might try to run again, and all I can do is wait. I put guards on all the doors outside, just in case. I keep trying to get my nerves to calm. I can’t remember that last time I was on the edge like this. I’m always calm and collected, but Georgia has me wrapped up in a tight knot. I feel like I could break at any moment, and God help anyone standing in the way of me getting to her if that happens.
When the door finally opens, my eyes draw up to land on Sam. She has papers in her hand and a smirk across her red lips. I still don’t know if I should be thanking her or not, but that really doesn’t matter at this point.
“Where is—” My words die off when I see petite little Georgia behind Sam. I’m on her before anyone can protest, pulling her to me and taking her lips in a possessive kiss. She tenses against me at first, then slowly starts to melt into me. She parts her lips slightly, and the taste of her on my tongue has passion and lust beating down on me in heavy waves. I take her lips more aggressively, and her moans fill my ears. The sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. I could have lost this. Lost her. Even if I had tracked her down, it could have taken weeks, maybe months. Time for someone else to try to take her from me. I don’t know how she made it as long as she did without a man putting a ring on her finger. Or a baby in her little body.
Sam clears her throat beside us, forcing us to reluctantly break the kiss and pull me from my thoughts of branding her as mine. I just want to get these final details down and Georgia back to our suite. I want out of here and to start erasing ever having been here. I want to forget that I let it get to this point. Georgia might have agreed to do the Auction, but if I’d done what I should’ve done, it never would have gotten to this point. She wouldn’t have made it out of my suite to begin with.
“I know she’s bought and paid for, but I don’t need a preview of what you plan to do with her.”
I give Sam a hard look, not liking that she thinks this is a fucking joke.
At least I did get one thing out of it. I snatch the papers out of Sam’s hand and pull a pen from my inside pocket. I use the table next to me to sign both contracts and then wait as Georgia and Sam sign as well. Once it's done, I take them and fold both pieces of paper, placing them in my jacket with my pen.
She’s mine. More than she even knows. A feeling of calm runs through me, and it’s something I haven’t really felt since I laid eyes on her.
“You told him I’d be here, didn’t you?” Georgia says to Sam. Even angry, she still looks sexy, more so with her lipstick all smudged from the kiss I placed on her lips moments ago. I wonder if it smeared onto mine, too.
The thought makes my cock grow harder than it already is, making it ache dully.
“She wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t run from me,” I growl at the reminder.
“Guess you get what you want, after all. Another notch on you bedpost. At least I know the score this time. You don’t have to fill me full of your bullshit lies,” Georgia snaps at me, placing her hands on her hips as she takes a step closer to me. I don’t stop her or try to correct her. I want to hear all she has to say. She’s showing me a part of herself she normally tries to hide.
“I’m well aware of
men like you. Fake smiles and sweet words until you get what you want. You use people and make them believe things that aren’t true. At least this way, there are no more games. You want to fuck me like the line of women you seemed to have before me, fine. But you can keep the sweet talk, darlin’. I’m already knee deep in the shit you’ve been shoveling.”
Her words are filled with so much anger and hurt that it burns in the pit of my stomach that someone would do this to her. Make her feel this way.
“You think I’m going to hurt you.” It’s not a question. I heard her every word and felt the pain of them.
“Bless your heart. You must be dumber than a bag of hammers,” she huffs out. I hear Sam snort at the comment. “Of course you were going to hurt me. You can’t say the things you said to a girl and expect her not to fall head over heels.”
“I meant every word I said to you.” I take a step closer to her, needing her to understand. “Every. Word.”
She stares me in the eyes before looking over to Sam, but I keep mine on her.
“I told you I might have lied about a few things.”
“But the contract—” she protests.
I quickly pull out one of the sheets of paper from my jacket and rip it in half. She gasps at the action, but I don’t care. “Fuck the contract, Georgia.”
Her eyes dart back and forth between us as she tries to figure out what the hell is going on. I don’t give a flying fuck about the Mistress contract. Nor do I want her to think I only want her for thirty days.
“I lied about the women. About who Don is. In fact, I’ve never seen Don with a woman before. Which is why you caught my attention to begin with.”
“I…” Georgia, for once, looks like she’s at a loss for words.
“You were going to run either way. I only stopped you from making a mistake. And I made you a very rich woman in the process. You’re welcome.”
“But he ripped up the contract.”
Sam huffs. “Honey, I promise you, we’ll both be getting paid.”