Page 7 of Shep
Especially with these men. They weren’t much older than we were. They were young, rich guys who’d made a monthly sex auction to amuse themselves.
“I don’t think I can have sex with any of them. Aren’t I supposed to be turned on, because none of them are doing it for me.”
A few were by the bar–the great room had a flipping bar in it–and a few sprawled on the couch with a college football game on a mammoth flat screen hanging on the wall. The women were chatting withthem as if this was a regular old party, not pre-gaming for a sex auction.
Jasmine laughed. “Think of the money.”
Think of the money.That was not what I wanted to do for my first time. I’d heard it hurt and I probably wouldn’t come, but I’d expected to do more than stare at a ceiling while a guy rutted into me asI thought of the money.
“Hey, Jas.”
We turned at the male voice. The guy was handsome in a rich, I-love-cashmere kinda way. He had tousled dark hair, a sly smile and wore clothes that probably cost more than my trailer. “Who’s this?”
His gaze raked over me in a way that I was far from used to. No guy took notice of me. Not like this, although Ineverdressed this way. Not even prom back in high school. It made me feelveryuncomfortable.
“Hey, Rocky. This is–”
“Francesca,” I said, cutting Jasmine off. It was my real name, but no one had used it… ever. But if I was doing this, then I was going to be someone else. Not Frankie, the tomboy. I was going to be a woman who wore a slinky dress. Heels. Lipstick. Who had sex.
Frankie Waller did none of those things.
Thankfully, neither Jasmine or Marie commented on the name switch.
“Francesca. First time here, right?” he asked. He was probably a few years older than me, but had a baby face. He definitely couldn’t grow a beard.
Marie leaned in and fake whispered. “First time foreverything.”
His eyes lit up and he looked me over in a completely new way. “A virgin? No shit. Did Jas tell you about how this works?”
“Um, maybe?”
He laughed. “Okay. The auction will begin in a few. Waiting on Jackson and his buddies.”
“Ooh, Jackson,” Marie cooed, as if she’d been bought by the guy before.
I licked my lips and nodded along like one of those bobble head dolls on a car’s dash.
Suddenly, I was a little stuffy in here. This was actually happening. It was one thing to be in my ratty sweats on the other side of town considering having sex with a stranger, it was another being in a roomful of men who liked to pay for it and eyeing me like I was their next meal.
“Whatever the final bid is, the women keep twenty percent.”
“Wait,” I said, holding up my hand. “What about the rest?”
I flicked a gaze at Marie. Onlytwentypercent? Thiswasn’t just for fun, he was making money off of it. More than any of the women. Suddenly, he felt an awful lot like a pimp.
He shrugged. “Finders fee. You get paid after services are rendered, and to ensure that happens, sex has to happen on this floor of the house.”
Meaning, anyone could watch andservices renderedmeant sex. I swallowed, because it seemed like he was waiting for me to agree to the rules. I didn’t, but he wasn’t going to change anything because of me.
“Okay,” I said, because he was waiting. A little money was better than none, right? Right? No.No. Maybe this wasn’t right after all.
I glanced at the guys around the room. I’d be having sex with one of them. Maybe even Rocky. Maybehewould bid on me. I did not want my first time to be withhim.It was past time to freak out. “Wait. I’m not sure–”
He cut me off. “Cool.” He took my elbow and steered me away from my friends and toward the far side of the sectional sofa. “You’ll be first.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Once everyone finds out you’re a virgin, they’re gonna be fightin’ over you. Think of all the money you’re gonna make.”
