Page 81 of Devour
The crowd erupts in applause. Loud. Excited. Hungry. I’m going to be sick again.
“Tonight, we’ll be presenting twenty-five untouched beauties for your bidding pleasure. Now, I know we’ve all familiarized ourselves with the rules, but let me remind you—before final payment, you may sample your goods. But under no circumstances are you allowed to penetrate. Damaged goods are non-refundable.”
A few men laugh at that. Deep, low, knowing sounds that twist my stomach tighter.
“Now that we’re clear, let the auction begin.”
The women were pulled through the curtain one by one as they were announced—and none of them came back. Soon, I’m the only one left in the room. Then I hear the deep, booming voice from beyond the curtain announce me:
“Now this next one… this is the one I’ve been eager to bring out. She’s a bit shy, but don’t let that fool you. You know what they say about the quiet ones—they’re always the wildest.”
“She is into kinky play,” he adds with a chuckle.
That’s a lie, I think bitterly. He’s just saying that to rile up the crowd. And it’s working. One of the Mistresses walks toward me, a nipple clamp glinting in her hand. I know exactly what she’s about to do.
I shake my head and take a step back—only to crash into a hard chest. A guard. He grabs me before I can escape, holding me firmly in place as the Mistress fastens the leather collar around my neck.
She pulls down the top of my flimsy dress, baring my breasts. Shame floods my face, burning up to my chin. But that shame quickly morphs into pain as she clamps each nipple. I hiss through clenched teeth.
“Introducing Crimson Virgin Number 25!”
I yank the dress back up, hands trembling, my legs frozen in place. I know I’m the one he’s announcing—there’s no one else left—but my body refuses to move. The guard shoves me forward. I stumble through the curtain… into my literal nightmare.
The announcer stands on a round, elevated stage under blinding lights. The rest of the room is lost in shadow. I can’t see the crowd—only feel the heat of their anticipation pressing down on me like a storm cloud.
The guard keeps pushing me forward until I’m standing in the center of the spotlight. I try to hold myself together, but my entire body is shaking. The announcer grips my arm roughly.
“Feisty and beautiful, isn’t she?” he says, voice thick with amusement.
Then he spins me around for the crowd to see, forcing a cry from my throat as the sudden movement tugs sharply at the clamps. The pain burns through my chest, and humiliation follows closely behind it.
“Shall we start the bidding at ten million?”
I must have gasped because he glances at me with a knowing smirk, as if feeding off my shock. A few lights blink to life in the audience—silent signals that the bids have begun. Over the next few minutes, the numbers climb.
“Do I hear twenty million for the milky goddess?” the announcer calls, his voice soaked in sleaze.
The crowd hums with interest, the soft flickers of blinking lights responding like the clicks of a predator’s jaw. My face burns.
I tremble. I’ve never felt this kind of exposure before—this complete stripping away of identity. It’s barbaric. Inhuman. I don’t know what kind of rich, sick bastard would spend millions on something like this.
“Do I hear thirty million? Thirty?”
The bidding climbs until it finally stalls at fifty million dollars.
“Fifty million! Going once… going twice… SOLD!”
He shoves me toward a door, and a guard grabs my arm, escorting me away like merchandise just paid for. Anger churns in my chest, tangled with disgust and fear.
I don’t know what waits for me on the other side of that hallway. What kind of sadist spent fifty million dollars for the privilege of owning me. But whoever he is—he’s not going to break me. Finn and the bastard who sold me… I hope they choke on their blood. And my buyer? Let him try to touch me.
CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
Luca
The moment she stepped through the curtain in that flimsy excuse for a dress, I nearly lost control.
My fingers twitched with the urge to tear through the guards and drag her off that stage—away from those preying eyes, their twisted hunger. But I couldn’t. Not yet.
