Page 6 of Highest Bidder

I decided I came here to get laid, and I wasn’t leaving until it happened.

I let the frat bro in the blue half-mask hover for one more drink, but Kit didn’t need to give me thenosignal for that guy. The minute he told me, “This place is full of women trying too hard. I figured I’d give the understated ones a shot tonight,” I’d given him a “fuck you” smile and headed back to the bar without so much as a “Later, loser.”

That’s where the man in the silver mask approached me. He was tall, dark, and confident without projecting arrogance. He didn’t leer or posture, just stood there, calm and quiet, waiting for me to speak first. As if he knew better than to move too fast.

Kit noticed him next to me and gave a subtle nod.

I’d been waiting all night for her nod. For a while, I thought it would never come. But finally, there it was.

I felt a mix of relief, and something else. Regret maybe. Like maybe it’d come too late.

But I had it now. That’s what mattered.

So, when Silver Mask offered to buy me a drink, I said yes. And yes to another.

Not necessarily because I wantedhim. But because he looked at me like it was worth the effort to pursue me. And I needed to feel that; I needed to feel wanted.

It wasn’t fair to be disappointed that Dr. Connolly walked away when I was the one who’d said no. But part of me still wished he would’ve tried harder. Like I’d mattered enough to be chased.

Instead, he looked me in the eye while he touched someone else. That wasn’t just walking away. That was a middle finger. Message received—loud and clear.

I didn’t ask for Silver Mask’s name, per the club’s rules, and after a few drinks, we ended up in one of the private rooms with the gold velvet curtains drawn.

I got on top and took what I needed, coming just before he did.

He groaned when he came, with his hands gripping my hips. It was controlling and hot, but nothing like I imagined the good doctor would have been.

Nothing like how I thought he would have made me feel.

I slid off Silver Mask before he caught his breath, pulled my dress down, and left without a word.

I walked through my apartment door feeling unsatisfied, like I’d ordered the wrong thing off the menu and tried to convince myself it hit the spot.

It hadn’t. But it’d have to do.

At least I got an orgasm, I suppose.

Chapter Three

Vivian

I woke to the sound of someone pounding on my door.Bam! Bam! Bam!Followed by my sister’s voice urgently calling my name from the hall.

What the heck time is it?

I moaned when I rolled off my couch, still in my pajamas, and padded barefoot across the worn linoleum toward the door. My mouth felt like it had cotton in it and my teeth were in serious need of brushing and maybe some mouthwash.

Another round of pounding matched the thumping in my head. I’d had too much champagne last night and not enough food.

“Jesus, I’m coming. Chill.”

I froze when I opened the door and found my little sister’s face blotchy with tears and streaked mascara. Her hoodie was unzipped over a tank top that looked like she might have slept in it.

“Hope? What’s going on?”

She answered my question with a question. “Can I come in?”

She didn’t wait for me to say yes—just brushed past and collapsed onto my couch, tucking her toes under her body and pulling her legs into her hoodie.

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