Twenty-eight.
Christ.
I made it to my private changing room before the full weight of it hit me.
Sinking onto the velvet bench, I stared at the envelope. My hands trembled as I broke the seal.
BIDDER #19 - PARTICIPANT CONTRACT
Legal Name: Desmond "Dez" Moretti
Age: 28
Occupation: Security & Acquisitions
Preferences: Dominance/submission dynamics, praise/degradation, discipline, control, bondage, impact play, pushing limits, mental bondage
Limits: Sharing, permanent injury, non-consent (all activities must be enthusiastically consensual)
Safe words: Standard red, yellow, green
Special notes: Participant has requested privacy. Location will be disclosed en route. Medical screening on file. Confirmed birth control status. Pickup scheduled for 12:00 PM.
I read it twice, trying to reconcile the man I'd met at the ballroom with this information. Twenty-eight years old and ruthless. That last detail made my breath catch. He requested information to see if I was on birth control. I wondered why? I shook my head, trying to clear it.
This was one night to forget about my uncle's threats, my mother's impossible will, the deadline counting down like a time bomb in the back of my mind. A chance to be someone other than Angelina Castellano, heiress struggling to save her mother's legacy.
Time with a man ten years my junior who probably thought he knew what dominance meant because he'd read some books and watched some porn. The thought should have disappointed me. Instead, it made me feel... challenging. Like maybe I could shake that ruthless confidence. Make him work for it. See if hereally could back up all that commanding presence with actual skill. Doubtful though.
My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.
UNKNOWN
Tomorrow, noon. Bring nothing. Everything you need will be provided.
-DM
Short. Direct. Commanding. Even through text, he had that tone from before. Maybe this wouldn't be a complete disaster after all.
I didn't sleep. Couldn't sleep, not with my mind spinning through possibilities, anxieties, the lingering heat from the way he'd looked at me on that stage. By the time dawn broke over Lake Union, I'd convinced myself this was either going to be the best decision I'd ever made or the most humiliating. Possibly both.
I showered at ten, taking my time to scrub every inch of my skin until it blushed and was sensitive. Applied body cream—the vanilla-scented kind I'd bought specifically for this—in slow, deliberate strokes.
The lingerie I'd chosen was simple. Black lace bra and panties, delicate and feminine without being too overtly sexual. A black silk slip dress that fell to mid-thigh, easy to remove. Black heels that accented my legs.
I stared at myself in the mirror and barely recognized the woman looking back. She looked nervous. Excited. Like she wasabout to do something either very brave or very stupid. My phone buzzed at exactly noon.
UNKNOWN
Downstairs.
I grabbed my keys and phone, wrapped a black coat around myself, and headed down. The car was sleek and black with windows so dark I couldn't see inside. The back door opened as I approached, revealing a freshly cleaned car and time alone. His scent was still thick in the air, his cologne. It turned my thoughts wicked as soon as I thought about how much better it smelled coming directly from him.
I slid inside, and the door closed behind me with a soft click. The driver was kind, even acknowledged my presence. He reached back and handed me a black silk blindfold, then pulled smoothly into traffic. However, he didn't speak as he drove. My heart hammered against my ribs.
This was it. The moment where I either trusted this completely or called it off. But I'd come this far. And despite my doubts about his age, despite the voice in my head saying this was insane. I wanted to see if the ruthlessness I was told about translated to the bedroom. Wanted to know if a twenty-eight-year-old could actually make me forget my own name.
I tied the blindfold over my eyes. The world went dark. Without sight, every other sense sharpened. The smooth leather beneath my thighs. The low hum of the engine. The faint scent of his cologne growing stronger, as if he were sitting right here next to me.
