The Auction: A Dark Romance (Club Indulgence Duet Book 1)

It’s still dark when I wake up. I’ve barely slept, but I never require a lot of sleep. I blame it on my childhood. I always had to be aware of what was happening in my household.

My mother had me when she was fifteen. Prostitution was how she put food on the table. When she brought her johns home, I was supposed to stay in my room. Many of them were violent, and I’d often hear and see them beating my mother. So I never really slept well. When I got old enough to jump in and fight them off, it only pissed my mother off. She didn’t like me defending her. She saw it as losing clients, which would only anger me further. It still haunts me when I think about it.

Today’s no different. I had maybe an hour of sleep. I lay next to Blakely, turned away from her, listening to her breathe. It took her longer to fall asleep than I anticipated. When the pattern of her breaths changed, I slowly turned over and stared at her.

It’s about a half hour before sunrise. The sky is changing into a brilliant shade of pink. I grab my phone and rearrange the sheet to showcase Blakely’s creamy shoulders. It’s clear she’s naked, so I snap a few photos.

Daddy’s going to love these.

I quietly get up, go into my closet, and pull a burner phone from its box. I always have at least a dozen on hand. You never know when one might come in handy. It’s like the collar, numerous toys, and birth control shots. While I always take those things to one of my L.A. apartments where I house my auctioned subs, for some reason, I keep my stash here.

When Blakely came on stage last night, the thought of bringing her to Malibu consumed me, just like it did on her twenty-first birthday. There was no way I could convince myself to keep her in L.A., hidden away, while I was back in Malibu. Unlike my previous subs, I want her at my beck and call all the time.

I take the phone out of the box and set up the network. It’s a secure one that Jones created for me years ago. I’ve used it a dozen times over the past few years.

I text the picture from my cell to the burner and send it to her father with a caption.

Me: What should I do with your princess first?

Satisfaction fills me. I turn off the phone and hide it in my closet drawer, knowing he doesn’t get up early like I do. It’ll be hours before he reads the message.

As quietly as possible, I go out of the house, naked, and grab a wetsuit in the closet near the shower. I put it on, grab my board, and go down to the water. The cool water feels refreshing as I paddle far enough out and wait for the right waves.

My adrenaline won’t stop pumping harder than normal. Since I saw Blakely on stage, it’s like it’s on overdrive. Buying her was the biggest break I could have gotten. I can destroy Hugh without her, but it’ll make the process so much sweeter.

And Blakely… Jesus, I’ll have more fun breaking her and turning her into my pet than I ever anticipated. All the years of waiting for her and imagining her under my control were grossly underestimated. She’ll please me more than I could have ever thought possible.

A swell of waves rolls in, and I ride several of them, but I never take my mind off Blakely. Everything about her is mysterious. It shouldn’t be, I’ve watched her grow up, but there’s so much that’s happened over the last few years, and I don’t know any of it.

Also, I know she wasn’t telling the full truth last night. I plan on getting it out of her. Whatever happened, she needs to divulge it.

Several hours pass, and I ride until I’m exhausted, catching one final wave and riding it to shore, surprised and pleased when I see Blakely sitting on the sand.

She hugs her knees to her chest, wearing one of my white button-down shirts. Her dark hair blows wild in the morning breeze, and a couple of the purple highlights glow in the morning light. None of the makeup she wore the night before can be seen, which makes me happy. She’s too beautiful to have that crap on her face. Her barely visible freckles dot her cheeks, which are normally covered by her foundation. The gold collar gleams around her neck.

Everything about the vision in front of me makes my dick hard. She’s pure perfection, and now I own her.

As much as I like her dark hair with purple highlights, I’m still not totally used to it. I toss my board on the sand and sit next to her. I twirl a lock of purple around my finger, asking, ‘When did you change your hair?’

She shrugs. ‘A few years ago. I’m kind of tired of it though. I’ve been thinking of going back to blonde.’

I make a mental note to take more pictures of her to send to Hugh before she changes it. Everything about her hair color with the purple streaks will send him into a tailspin. He’ll hate that she’s with somebody he doesn’t know, but it might bug him more how she changed her hair to something he deems inappropriate.

She takes my silence as disapproval, but her lips twitch. ‘Is that okay? Or do I have to get your approval to do my hair?’

I struggle with my inner demon, who wants total control of her, and the part of me that suddenly wants to see her back to her natural state. I finally reply, ‘You’re beautiful either way. If you want to change it, I’ll make an appointment for you.’

She shakes her head. ‘There’s no need for that. I can do it myself.’

I snort. ‘No, you’re with me, Blakely. That means you get the best.’

She declares, ‘That’s not necessary. I’ve learned to do a lot of things for myself. It saves money.’

I know all about scrimping and saving money. But the last thing I’m about to do is return to that situation. I respond, ‘Yeah, well, I have lots of it, so you don’t need to worry about that.’

She hugs her knees tighter to her chest and stares at the ocean. I can’t tell if my answer pissed her off, but I can see that she has a lot more questions. Instead of asking her what’s on her mind, I decide I’ll ask later, and now is the time to push. I want answers that I didn’t get last night, and she’s going to tell me.

I turn her chin toward me, demanding, ‘Blakely, why were you running on the L.A. streets last night?’

She freezes, then slowly answers, ‘I told you, I was late to the auction. I didn’t want to run in my stilettos. They’re not exactly easy to trot around in.’

‘You could have stepped on a needle or some other dangerous thing. I’m not buying it, Blakely. Why were you running?’ I ask again.

Nervousness fills her expression, and I know it’s true. She didn’t tell me everything. Yet she also isn’t ready to come clean.

I interrogate her further. ‘Something happened, Blakely. I know it did. So, either tell me, or I’ll find out on my own. And if I do that, you won’t be happy with the consequences.’

She tilts her head and pins her eyebrows together. ‘What does that mean, Riggs?’

‘You don’t want to find out,’ I threaten.

She exhales deeply, glancing back at the water.

I repeat, ‘Now, tell me what happened.’

She groans, scrubbing her hands over her face, confessing, ‘My father’s men were chasing me.’

Confused, I ask, ‘He knows where you’re at?’ Hugh never told me that he had any idea he knew where she was, not that I should put anything past him. There’s obviously a lot he’s not informing me on.

She answers, ‘No, I didn’t know he did. His men showed up at Cheeks the other night and followed me to my apartment. Last night, I was at work, and the new bouncer named Snake lured me outside. He claimed his friend was an agent who heard me sing over at the Lizard Lounge. When I went outside, the two men my father hired were there. They tossed me into an SUV, then got a flat tire. I jumped out of the trunk and ran when they were fixing it. It’s why I had to take my shoes off. And that’s how I ended up at the club.’

I remain silent, processing everything. My gut churns as I ask, ‘So, you weren’t on stage at the club to find a Dom? You were clueless about the auction?’

Her face turns red. She nods, admitting, ‘Yes.’

‘And you went with a stranger to sign a contract?’ I question, getting angrier but trying to stay calm so she can’t see it.

She claims, ‘I didn’t know what to do. They know where I live. I figured I could go wherever the club’s driver took me. The people at the club said it was a few towns over from L.A. I don’t…’ She glances around. ‘Where are we, Riggs? I don’t even know where I’m at.’

‘You’re in Malibu,’ I inform her.

She glances around again. ‘Malibu. Okay.’

More anger fills me, not at her, but that she was in this situation because of her father. Based on what she’s telling me, she had no right to be on stage. I ask, ‘So you were going to show up at my house, not knowing it was me, and do what, Blakely? Give yourself to some man when you didn’t even know what you were getting into?’

‘Don’t judge me. Especially when you’re the one buying women on stage at a sex club,’ she reprimands.

I take a deep breath. ‘I’m not judging you. I’m trying to understand what’s going on here.’

‘They told me that I didn’t have to sign the contract. They said they would bring me back if I wanted. I figured I’d go to wherever they were taking me to get out of L.A. Then I could figure out my next move. And I wasn’t planning on signing the contract.’

This is bad. So bad. My blood pounds between my ears. I question, ‘Blakely, do you know what a sub is?’

Embarrassment fills her cheeks. She quietly says, ‘No.’

‘Do you know what a Dom is?’

‘No,’ she admits again, her face turning a deeper maroon.

‘Yet you signed a contract with me, not knowing anything?’ I’m unsure how I feel about this. Part of me is happy because she did it because it was me. But the other part doesn’t like this one bit. What I’m into requires full consent, and if she’s not on board, that changes the entire situation.

She declares, ‘It was you. I trust you, Riggs. I…’

‘You what?’

She blurts out, ‘You said you’d protect me from my father. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do. I don’t want him to… I don’t want to return to him! He’ll make me marry some guy. I don’t want to lose my life!’ She blinks hard, her eyes glistening with tears.

I sternly claim, ‘I’m not turning you over to your father. I promised you, and nothing has changed regarding that.’

She sniffles and asks, ‘But why, Riggs? Tell me what happened between you two.’

‘Your father screwed me over. He doesn’t know that I know. But that’s all I’m going to say, Blakely. So stop asking me about it,’ I order.

Her eyes widen.

I add, ‘You don’t have to feel sorry for me. I’m handling it.’

‘He’s a horrible person,’ she softly states.

I stay quiet.

She turns back to the ocean, digs her feet in the sand, and takes a deep breath.

I inquire, ‘What did you think you were doing when you got on stage?’

She avoids looking at me, and her head bobs side to side. ‘I don’t know. I couldn’t go outside. They were waiting for me. I barely made it into the club. I just… I thought it was better to take this chance than to go back outside.’

My insides fill with anxiety, and the calm chaos in the water does nothing to alleviate it.

This changes everything.

I rise and pull her to her feet, announcing, ‘I have errands to run. Today, you’ll read the contract while I’m gone. You’ll list all your questions, and we’ll discuss it over dinner tonight.’

Confusion fills her face. ‘Are you kicking me out?’

‘No, I’m not kicking you out. Why would you think that?’

‘I… I don’t know. You sound upset with me.’

I sigh. ‘I’m not upset with you, Blakely, but you need to know what you’re getting yourself into. And for God’s sake, I know you want to disobey your father on everything, but don’t ever sign a contract again unless you read it. There’s a reason you read contracts,’ I reprimand.

She closes her eyes, squeezing them tight. ‘Why can’t my father just be normal? I wouldn’t have to act like I do.’

‘How do you act?’ I question.

She shrugs. ‘Never good enough for them; him or my mother.’

I place my hands on her cheeks and tilt her head up.

She opens her eyelids.

‘Blakely, you’ve never done anything wrong. Your parents are who they are. That’s not your problem. That’s their problem,’ I insist,

She grabs my arm, pleading, ‘Please don’t make me return to them. Please.’

‘Have you not been listening to me? I thought I made it clear there’s no way I would ever turn you over to your father or mother.’

She nods, but something tells me she doesn’t completely believe me.

I add, ‘I told you I would protect you. Nothing has changed, Blakely.’

She looks at me silently.

I lead her toward the house, claiming, ‘I have things I need to do today. You’re not to leave the house. And you are to make sure that you read the contract. Do you understand me?’

She nods. ‘Yes, I understand.’

‘Good.’ I guide her onto the deck and to the door, then add, ‘I’m going to get ready. Go inside and help yourself to whatever you want for breakfast.’

I go over to the shower and strip with too many emotions running through me. Never in a million years would I have thought that she would have done something like this and not had any idea what she was getting herself into.

I wish it didn’t matter, but it does. This changes everything. But no matter what, she’s going to be mine. When she reads the contract, we’ll go through her questions.

I know she’s a sub. I saw it in her last night. She can obey. But I don’t know if she’ll freak after reading my contract. Knowing these new facts, everything about that makes me feel really uneasy.

And that’s one thing I don’t like in my sex life—wild cards. Right now, Blakely’s in control, and I don’t like it one bit.