I startled and dropped my hold on Mark when I swore I heard my name, in my mother’s voice, come from the other side of the red curtains. Loredo gave me wide eyes, and I scrambled mentally.
She had no reason, whatsoever, to say my name on that stage. My stomach shrank. She’d been harping on me lately to take some time to enjoy life, and I knew what that translated into in Mom-speak: get laid. Fuck as many people as possible. She just couldn’t seem to comprehend we weren’t alike in thatoneway. I whirled around, my heart racing, ready to bolt, but Loredo gave me a sympathetic wince as he snagged me in his big arms. His hard muscles barred my way, and I kicked for a half second before I got a hold of myself and went stock-still.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I hissed out at him. “Do not touch me.”
Mark grinned and had the audacity to look smug.
“You heard the lady,” Loredo said in his deep rumbly voice. “She wants you out there.”
“No, I didn’t actually hear her. I was busy.”Fuck me, no.I struggled again, for what little good it did me against his strength.
Loredo unceremoniously hauled me to the curtain and pushed me through. I righted myself before I could stumble and shoved aside the curtain at the same time. Mother beamed at me, the halo of the spotlight making her gleam in a dazzle of gold reflected from her dress. I blinked and thought about going back as I smoothed down my hair, but when I glanced over my shoulder, Loredo was peeking through the curtain. He made a dainty shooing gesture at me that did not match his bulk. I forced my feet to carry me forward to Mother’s side.
“What in the world are you doing?” I snarled at her, softly as possible.
She gave me the sweet smile that told me she thought whatever the hell was going through her head was for my own good. I froze inside and forced myself not to run screaming into the night. What had I done to deserve this? Why couldn’t I have a normal mother?
Mother held the microphone away from her mouth and giggled. “Be a good sport, Darcy, and you might find yourselfthawing.”
I gasped and my face heated. I’d heard that horrible name all the Courtesans had for me more than once. “You too, Mother?”
She patted my cheek in a way that typically would have had me feeling loved, but only made me want to smack her hand. “You gotta admit, peaches, they gotta point with that Ice Prince business. You need something hot to pull the stick out of your butt.” She only smiled at me before she swept a hand high in my direction with a show of dramatics that had me grinding my teeth. “Isn’t he handsome?”
The round of applause washed over us and had me feeling strangely warm, even though being onstage didn’t bother me on a regular day. I cleared my throat as I glanced out over the crowd while trying not to catch anyone’s eye, especially the people in the chairs at the front of the audience. There was no way Mother could know how very,verymuch I didn’t want to do this—and she’d probably laugh herself sick if she learned the reason. I sighed in defeat.
There was only one solution: I’d simply speak with whoever won and smooth this out. Make it go away… somehow. Explain I absolutely would not be servicing anyone tonight. The back of my neck burned as I thought about how I now shared Mark’s predicament, and when I glanced back at the curtain, he and Loredo were both peeking through the slightly parted material.
I expected to see Mark laughing, but he only looked upset for me, and I felt even worse.Goddamnit, why did the annoying ass have to be a nice guy on top of everything else?Iwould have laughed if our spots were reversed.
“This will be a one-time-only auction, so reach deep into those pockets and give my Darcy what he deserves.” Mother waved her hands toward me in a showy way that made me think of all the dance lessons she’d stuck me in when I was younger, with kids from rich families whose parents wouldn’t let them talk to me outside of class. In so many ways, she’d given me everything she’d ever lacked. I sighed and straightened my spine. Just like always, I would do this, if it was what she wanted.
Her smile brightened the moment I stopped being rude. “As most of you probably already know, my son does prefer males, so we’ll only be taking bids from the men.”
There were some groans of disappointment from the crowd and that had me feeling a teensy bit better about myself, even if I still wasn’t pleased with the situation. Sweat beaded on my body from the stage lights—or maybe that was my nerves. I glanced at Mother, and she gave me another smile that made me sigh. She was hellbent on this business and there would be no talking her out of it, I could just tell. What had possessed her?
“Let’s start the bidding at ten thousand dollars.”
I almost rolled my eyes. Really? That was all she thought I was worth, her own flesh and blood? She moved the microphone away from her mouth and chuckled, probably over my reaction, but I couldn’t be bothered to smooth the irritation off my face at the moment. Although apparently, since even she thought I was the Ice Prince, I must not ever do a good job with regulating.
When the bidding began rapid-fire, I was shocked.
The price for a night using my ass—there could beno confusionon that point with the astronomical bidding going on; Iwouldhave a cock in me—went up by increments of a thousand, with Mother pointing and laughing to acknowledge the men who raised their numbered paddles in the air. The bids rose so fast my head spun at the implication. Were there men coming into the Courtesan who’d wanted to be with me? I swallowed hard. I’d done my level best never to project the idea I was touchable or for purchase, and maybe that was the appeal.
Maybe I’d pushed that façade too far.
A shiver raced down my spine as the bidding reached fifty thousand dollars. I didn’t think we’d ever had anyone pull in this amount of money. Mother gave me a significant look as she pointed at a man in the back who hadn’t bid until now, and I held my breath as he continued to drive up my price.
There was no way Mother would let me step out of this now, and the sly glance she sent me from the corner of her eye made me think maybe that had been her plan all along. She knew I’d never let her, or the Courtesan, down.
My heart sank. Steeling myself to the inevitable, I squinted and tried to peer out through the bright stage lights to see who was still fighting it out for… well, far more ofmethan anyone else had ever seen, let alone touched.
The older man up front was Elvis Karlsen, and my stomach sank all the way to my toes as recognition hit me. He was a sexy silver fox but also an unrepentant asshole. I’d pissed him off a time or seven, and I’d had him escorted out more than once for getting rough with one of the boys when that hadn’t been on the agreed-upon agenda for the night. He wouldn’t listen when I told him not all of our boys played the way he wanted to, and yes, they did have the right to tell himno. Of course, since no one had ever been truly injured, Mother had allowed him back after a time.
Fuck me, please not him.
In the back another man continued to raise his paddle, skyrocketing the price. I nearly swallowed my tongue when the bids got close to eighty grand, and I had to continue watching as Mr. Karlsen lifted his paddle. The man in back kept bidding. I couldn’t get a good look at him, but his profile didn’t ring any bells. If he was a regular customer, I wasn’t familiar with him. My stomach knotted in anxiety. Mr. Karlsen lifted his paddle.
“Eighty-nine. Is that the last bid?” Mother asked. I held my breath. Karlsen swiveled around to look at his competition. The man in back lifted his paddle, and I almost leaped off the stage to hug him… and I’d probably have to soon, anyway. Karlsen, up front, shook his head, and Mother beamed. “To number forty-seven in the back. Have a lovely night.”
