I flinch away, too scared to speak, but the guards hold me fast.
“Perhaps we could still find a way to take her home with us. Keep her somewhere private. I think I’d enjoy having access to her whenever I wanted.”
Mrs. Ashworth’s expression doesn’t change, but something hardens in her eyes. “We’ve discussed this, darling. A onetime experience. You’ll have the video to revisit whenever you like, but keeping her would be... complicated. Especially if what Mr. Kozlov has said about the auction potentially being compromised is true. We don’t want someone coming looking for her.”
Ashworth narrows his eyes, looking irritated by her opposition to his plans. “You worry too much.”
His dismissive tone doesn’t help his case.
“I worry exactly the right amount.” Her voice is ice-cold. “That’s why you’ve never been caught.”
Kozlov checks his watch, clearly impatient. “Perhaps we could move this along? I have somewhere else I need to be.”
Even though I hate the man, the thought of him leaving me, giving me to these strangers, sends me into a tailspin as dots appear before my eyes.
This can’t really be happening.
“Of course.” Mrs. Ashworth’s smile is paper-thin. “My husband will verify her condition shortly, and assuming everything is in order, you’ll have your money within minutes.”
Verify her condition. A hysterical laugh threatens to bubble up my throat. They paid a quarter of a million dollars for a virgin, and they’re about to discover I’m not one.
Part of me wants to tell them. Watch their faces crumble with disappointment. But another part, the part that’s still fighting to survive, knows that might make things worse. An angry Mr. Ashworth is potentially more dangerous than an eager one.
“Excellent.” Kozlov settles into a chair by the wall, pulling out his phone. “Let’s get started then, shall we?”
He’s anxious. I can see it in the tension of his shoulders, the way his eyes keep flicking toward the door. Something has him spooked. He wants to be anywhere but here, but he won’t leave without his money.
The guards force me down onto the mattress, the bare fabric rough against my skin. One of them produces rope and begins binding my wrists without any concern for my blood flow or comfort.
“No need for you to hold her steady.” Mr. Ashworth instructs, shrugging off his jacket and handing it to his wife. “I like to be hands on. Makes the conquest more satisfying.”
I can’t breathe. And I think my heart has stopped. My limbs and my brain feel heavy and sluggish.
“Please.” I’m begging now, tears threatening to ruin my carefully applied makeup. “Please, you don’t have to do this. I won’t tell anyone. I’ll disappear.”
Mr. Ashworth laughs. “But I want to.”
Kozlov stares blankly at me when I meet his gaze, imploring him to stop this madness, but like the Ashworths, he’s a monster with no conscience. He sees me as dollar signs, not as a person.
“I know you won’t tell anyone, little one.” Mr. Ashworth loosens his tie with a silky whisper. “You won’t get the chance.”
Mrs. Ashworth’s voice carries no emotion at all. “The camera is recording. Whenever you’re ready.”
He kneels on the edge of the mattress, and I scramble backward instinctively, my bound hands clumsy as I try to put distance between us, but there’s nowhere to go.
His hand shoots out and grabs my ankle, his grip painful, as he drags me toward him. The fabric burns against my bare thighs where the dress has ridden up, and I scream, fingers clawing at the thin sheet, kicking out as hard as I can.
“Don’t worry.” His breath is hot against my face as he looms over me. “I’ll be gentle. For this part.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. This is it. This is really happening.
Hold on.
The voice in my head is so clear, so certain, that my eyes fly open. It’s not my thought. It’s his. Bodhi. I can feel him now, blazing through the bond like a wildfire, getting closer with every heartbeat.
As I fight to get my elbows underneath me, anything to make this harder for him, a shadow passes the window, and that warmth in my chest explodes into something fierce and protective.
I don’t know how I know, but suddenly, I’m certain.
