Page 16 of Hayes
My head snaps back to Peter. Who bought my first kiss? I missed it because I was pining for Hayes, wishing my life was different.
No, I don’t want a different life. I don’t want the life of any other Retribution King. This is my destiny—this life. I know I can make a change, one that will ripple through every Retribution King in existence. I just have to endure.
“I have the largest bedroom already set up. Anyone interested must pay ten thousand to watch. We will start in thirty minutes, after the funds have been received,” Peter says like he’s announcing dinner time.
A man with a gleam in his bright blue eyes approaches Peter beside me. “I doubt she’s going to go through with this. Look at her. She’s trembling. Why did you bring us here just to watch her change her mind? We aren’t rapists. We won’t force her. You knew better than to arrange this, Peter.”
Suddenly, my body stops trembling. My hands clench at my side, and a strong drumming energy builds inside my chest like a hurricane force about to explode on this man.
He’s wrong—so very wrong.
I stare him down. The man’s vicious scowl drops from his face as his eyes widen at the sight of me. I decide to make sure there aren’t any other doubters in the room.
“To whoever bought me, feel free to pay an additional hundred thousand, and you can tie me up if you want. That goes for any round—wouldn’t want me to run away. And as I’m consenting now, it’s not rape. I very much want this.”
The man’s stunned expression spreads across his face. Chuckles and murmurs bounce through the room like wildfire.
The moment is intense. I take a deep breath in…and out…I close my eyes as I continue breathing, and I remember why I’m here. What I must do to make things right. And who I am.
When I snap my eyes open, it’s with a new determination. I’m not going to fear this—any of it. There is nothing to fear. Tonight it will be a kiss, later a touch, an orgasm, a fuck. All of it will be because I want it. All of it will be because these suckers are willing to pay thousands of dollars for the joy of thinking they are stealing something from me that I couldn’t care less about.
Love isn’t real. It’s not something I’ve ever wanted. It’s a weakness. It’s not something I’ve ever searched for.
This is all just a business arrangement—one where I get the better end of the deal. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars, more if he wants to tie me up, more if others decide to watch. That’s more money than my family has seen in the last decade. That money alone will keep them fed and possibly even stretch to their current rent for many years to come.
And it’s all for a kiss. What will they pay for more than a kiss?
I start to walk forward, deciding I should spend the rest of my time mingling to see if I can get these men to fall further under my spell so they’ll pay more for me next round, but Peter grabs my forearm.
“You should wait in the bedroom. You’re mysterious to them. You don’t want them to know you. The longer they have to wait to find out, the more enticing you will be to them. And when they finally get a bite, they’ll keep coming back for more,” he says.
I consider Peter’s words, but it doesn’t feel like a choice. If I don’t go to the bedroom, he’ll drag me there kicking and screaming.
I won’t show weakness. I won’t let them see any fear. Because it would be a lie if they did. I’m not afraid of anything. Not anymore. Not after the life I’ve lived.
I nod, and Peter leads me to a bedroom that was locked when I first arrived. He unlocks the door and leads me inside.
“We’ll start shortly. Make yourself comfortable.”
Peter leaves, and I stare around the room with shaky legs.
I’m not afraid.
I’m not scared.
I have no fear.
I repeat the words to myself as I see a chair with leather restraints draped over one of the armrests in the center of the room. The lighting is such that the edges of the room are cast in dark shadows with only a spotlight in the center.
I gulp lungfuls of air, which appears to be in thin supply in this room. And then I still, returning to the strength I had when I faced down the man who taunted me before.
I am not afraid. There is nothing to fear. They should fear me.
Chapter 9
Hayes
I step into the bedroom, already knowing what to expect. I’ve been to these events several times, always to gather information and to get the other men there to trust me. But this time is different. This time, more than any others, I want to grab the woman being auctioned off, kidnap her, and save her from this life.
