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Damon

I shouldn’t be here.

The moment I stepped into Kirk’s so-called “auction house,” a pit formed in my stomach. I could tell immediately that something was off about the attendees. They didn’t look like art lovers, and from the way they looked at a girl who crossed the room, it became obvious the kind of ‘art’ they’re interested in.

Disgusting.

The place reeks of cheap perfume and alcohol. As I moved through the crowd and picked up the chatter, I got the general gist of what was really going on. It churned my gut and made me want to call the police and have every single person in here locked up.

I’d heard whispers about Kirk’s ‘extracurricular’ activities, the kind of deals that skirt legal and moral lines, but I hadn’t seen it firsthand. Until now.

I wanted to end the partnership. It was tempting to walk away right when the rumors kept coming in, but I needed more than rumors. I needed proof.

As a businessman, it was obvious that walking away without something concrete wouldn’t be enough to destroy him if this all blew up. So, I promised myself I’d hold off—wait, watch, gather what I need.

But what I’ve seen so far disgusts me. Young women, paraded like cattle, sold to the highest bidder. Kirk’s grin when he explained the “exclusive auction” nearly made me punch him on the spot. But I kept my composure, and nodded as if I understood, even though the rage was building in my chest. I may be ruthless in my business dealings, cutthroat to the point of having more enemies than friends, but I would never condone the selling of human beings,

I should’ve left the moment I realized what kind of place this was. But I didn’t.

And I know this makes me sound as bad as Kirk, but I’m glad I didn’t.

The second she stepped onto the stage, engaging these meaningless men in meaningless conversation and enduring the suffocating smell of lust and desperation all suddenly became worth it.

She’s breathtaking…ethereal… mine .

At first, I thought I was dreaming but after blinking and waiting for her to disappear, I realized she was real. A woman beautiful beyond words and sexier than sin has been shoved onto the stage for this disgusting crowd to behold.

She stands there with dark, curly hair that cascades over her shoulders like ink against her pale skin. Her eyes—hazel, striking, and wide with panic—dart around the room as if she’s searching for an escape, some kind of salvation. When she realizes there is none, her shoulders slump.

The way she trembles, barely able to stand under the weight of what’s happening, twists something deep inside me.

I’ve seen fear before, plenty of it, in business and beyond. But there’s something different about her. Something that makes my blood simmer and my instincts flare. She looks out of place here, far more vulnerable than the other women who’ve come before her. Her beauty, her innocence, every fucking thing about her, sets her apart.

Then she locks eyes with me and time stops.

Shamelessly and for the first time tonight, my lust joins the ones in the room. My cock and heart pound heavily as I look at her, unable to look away.

Her eyes… they pull me in, lock me in place. By some miracle, she doesn’t look away. She’s terrified I can see that, but she still holds my gaze. She stands as if her legs might give out, but she refuses to fall.

My grip tightens around the edge of my chair as my cock hardens, wanting those long legs wrapped around me while I pound her into an orgasm she would never forget. I will myself to relax, wondering what the fuck is wrong with me. I’ve never been so violently turned on in my life. I notice every detail about her—the way her fingers twist nervously, the faint flush creeping up her neck, the way her lips tremble but never quite part.

Then the auctioneer's voice cuts through the silence, and she looks away.

I’m going to kill that man.

She looks more terrified as the crowd’s excitement grows, and it makes me realize something. She’s been forced to do this. My jaw clenches, the anger inside me sparking into something hotter, something primal. I force myself to stay in my seat rather than fight every man in this place.

In the haze of my anger, I hear the word “$150k!”

That’s when I realize that the bidding has started. I’d been so enamored by her that I didn’t even realize she was already being auctioned off.

I glance at the man who made the bid, a slick, middle-aged type with a predatory smile that makes me want to break his jaw.

150? 150?

My teeth grind. She looks at me again with a plea in her eyes that I’ll be damned if I refuse. She didn’t even have to ask. There was no way in hell I’d have let any of these men anywhere near her.

I stand, cutting through the irritating murmur of voices.

“Five hundred thousand dollars.”

It’s an amount not nearly enough to deserve this woman. I just need to get her off stage then I would offer her, not this filthy organization or Kirk, what I really think she deserves.

Which is the whole fucking world.

The room falls silent.

I can feel every eye on me, but I don’t care. I meet the auctioneer’s stunned gaze, daring him to question me, to challenge my authority. He won’t.

The hammer falls, sealing the deal, and I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

They lead her off stage, and I’m already moving to follow. Kirk intercepts me, leading me to a private room a few minutes later, and as angry as I am at the man, he’s not even a thought in mind as my heart pounds for reasons I can’t quite explain. Even when making major deals and meeting powerful figures around the world, I didn’t feel this nervous.

It feels like I’ve been drugged.

Kirk opens the door, ogling the woman within, and it takes everything within me not to slam him against the door and tell him to never again look at what’s mine. Instead, I focus on her, standing in the center of the room, looking even smaller and more fragile than she did on the stage. Her hands are clenched at her sides, and she looks up at me with those wide, hazel eyes.

I shut the door behind me, leaving the space between us awkward and silent. Her shoulders are tense and unlike on stage, she can barely meet my eyes.

Of course. I technically just bought her.

“Damon.”

“What?”

“My name. It’s Damon.”

I don’t know what I expected, but the way her eyes widen in fear at my name makes my heart ache. All my life, I’ve had people look at me that way and it’s never been a problem. But having her look at me like that is something I can’t stand.

I want her to trust me, not fear me. I’m going to do anything it takes to change that look on her face, no matter what.

I watch her carefully, standing just a few feet away, trying to get a sense of what’s running through her beautiful head. She’s still shaking.

I clear my throat, softening my voice as I take a step closer. “What’s your name?”

For a second, she hesitates, her fingers nervously twisting the fabric of her dress. Then, in a voice so quiet I barely hear it, she says, “Alice.”

Alice.

Alice Blackwell.

Why the fuck I just added my surname to her name, I can’t explain, but it suits her somehow. And that only strengthens the knot tightening in my chest.

I heard whispers of what happens in this room, what other buyers do in order to ‘check’ that their purchase is intact. It’s dehumanizing, immoral, and I hate it. But I also know Kirk will cause issues if we leave immediately.

That’s okay, I’ll play his game for now until I can take Alice away from here and then burn this fucking place to the ground.

The fact that I want to do things to her after I just purchased her makes me hate myself for a second. But then I realize that as much as I want to have this woman - in every fucking way - I would rather cut off my hands than touch her without her consent.

I watch her closely as she shifts on her feet, her eyes darting to the corners of the room, avoiding mine. She knows why we’re here.

“You… I have to strip, don’t I?” Her voice is shaky.

I clench my fists and take a small step closer to her. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Her gaze snaps to mine, and this time she doesn’t look away. She’s searching my face, like she’s trying to figure out if I’m lying or not.

I take another step, slowly, giving her space, but getting closer. “You’ll never have to do anything you don’t want to do again, Alice. I promise you.”

She looks at me, her brows drawing together in confusion, like she still can’t quite believe what she’s hearing. And in that moment, I realize just how broken her world has been for her to think she doesn’t have a choice.

How did she get mixed up with all this?

She swallows hard, her lips trembling as she opens her mouth. “Then… what do you want?”

The question sends an ache straight to my cock. What do I want?

I want to bury myself inside her. I want to mar her pale perfect skin with love bites. I want to pound into her so hard that she’ll feel me for days. I want to make her knees weak from taking her over and over again.

There’s a strange mix of curiosity and fear in her eyes. She looks at me like she’s trying to confirm if I’m like the others, genuine curiosity in her eyes.

I take a deep breath and step even closer, until I’m only a breath away from her. She smells as heavenly as she looks. A perfect mixture of strawberry and vanilla.

It makes me wonder if she tastes just as good.

“For now, what I want,” I start slowly, carefully, “is just to kiss you. To feel you.” Her breath catches. “But only if that’s what you want, too.”

Her eyes widen slightly and she’s searching my face again. This time I search hers, too.

I don’t know when or why but she doesn’t look afraid anymore. Replacing the fear, is curiosity and God help me, desire. I can tell from how dark her hazel eyes are and the way she bites on her plump lower lip.

“Okay.”

If someone told me I would rule over the world, I still wouldn’t be as happy as I am at this moment.

Slowly, my hands reach out and cup her face, my thumb brushing her soft skin. She trembles under my touch but doesn’t pull away.

I tilt her chin up gently, lowering my mouth to hers. The moment our lips touch, it’s electric—soft, tentative, but full of an unexpected heat. Her lips part beneath mine, and I deepen the kiss, slow and patient, giving her time to adjust, to find her way through the uncertainty.

She responds, shyly at first, but soon her hands grip my shirt, pulling me closer. Her lips are soft, warm, and the way she melts into the kiss makes my chest tighten.

I trace my hands down her body, running them gently over her hips, mapping her with a tenderness I didn’t know I was capable of. She arches into me, her body responding in a way that’s driving me insane.

When my hands reach between her legs, she gasps against my mouth, her fingers tightening on my shirt.

I pull back and look at her. “Is this okay?”

She’s breathing heavily but she nods.

I might die from how good she feels.

My hands continue to explore as I kiss her. I stop myself from moving towards the heat of her core that’s calling to me.

She consented to just a kiss. I don’t want to -

“Fuck,” I grunt and look down at her.

Her eyes are still closed, her breathing unsteady so I’m not sure she realizes that she just pushed my hands to her very wet pussy. I take in the sight of her flushed face, her lips swollen from the kiss, her body leaning into mine.

“Is this okay, too?”

Her eyes flutter open, and she looks down to where her hand is holding mine. She gasps and pulls her hand away, but I don’t move mine.

I keep it there, just against her panties while my heart pounds at a thousand miles per second.

Her cheeks flush pink and the pace of her breathing increases. Then she says, “Yes, it’s fine.”