Highest Bidder Collection - Lauren Landish Page 0,285

faint sounds of men drinking and hushed conversations fill the darkened room once again.

I can’t let her pay for my sins.

I raise my paddle, and the auctioneer points in my direction.

“One point three million.”

“One point four,” I hear Brooks’ voice, and it pisses me off. I lower my paddle and notice the way the other three men who were bidding look at him. As if they’re not sure they want to press on. As if it was just a game to them. A rather expensive one.

“One point five,” the auctioneer says as one of the other bidders raises his paddle.

I don’t hesitate. “One point six million dollars.”

“You look pissed,” Charles tells me, not so quietly. It’s an effort to smirk and look over at Brooks with a smile on my face, as if I’m merely playing. As if all the world is a game to me. Playing the part of a spoiled rich boy without a care in the world.

If only they knew.

Brooks plays with his paddle as if debating upping the amount. He can. And I can choose not to bid again. I can let him hang himself, but then his poor Arianna will go back to him.

Why is she even with him?

“Going once.”

I hadn’t questioned her motives before, but as the thought hits me, she could be in on this. The corner of my lips nearly drop as the auctioneer calls out, “Going twice.”

They could be playing me for a fool. And I’ve just given them exactly what they wanted.

My blood chills as the realization washes over me. And I played into their hands because of her. Because of the thought of someone else having her.

“Sold!”

And I let them play me. I’ve never felt so fucking stupid before… but now that she’s mine, I’ll have to play this right. It’s all about appearances. That’s all it’s ever been about.

My reputation, my family name, it’s all on the line.

I’m simply a rich boy who fell for a woman and couldn’t resist her.

This can’t come back as a perversion. I crack my knuckles, one at a time. The only way to get around that is to be seen with her. Constantly. And not in fucking Club X.

Chapter 8

Arianna

The scribble of pen going across paper fills the room. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Anxiety twists my stomach as I watch Madam Lynn flip through the papers of my contract, signing where needed, her finely sculpted right brow arched in concentration. Her dark blonde hair is pulled into an elegant side ponytail and her makeup is dramatic yet flawless, her lips painted a bright shade of red. A diamond cocktail ring adorns her finger and a sparkling cuff that mimics a Submissive's adorns her right wrist, while her strong, yet simple fragrance tickles the tip of my nose.

The creak of a chair breaks me out of my reverie and I freeze, my skin pricking. I feel fucking sick.

He’s watching me. It’s all he’s been doing since he stepped in the room. Watching me and saying nothing.

I try my best to avoid his gaze, my cheeks turning red and I readjust the hem of my dress to cover more of my legs. But his piercing blue eyes seem to draw mine to them. They’re beyond gorgeous, but more than that, they’re hiding secrets. Dark secrets.

Just like I am. Just listen to him. Do as he says. I’ll figure a way out of this. I just don’t know how.

The breath stills in my lungs as our eyes meet, heat flushing my throat. I’ve seen many handsome men here in passing, those that were bold enough to remove their masks while at play, but Zander takes the cake. His dark hair is perfectly groomed, his chiseled jawline immaculately shaved, his prominent cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass. He’s dressed in a crisp dark suit, the white dress shirt underneath the jacket unbuttoned at the front. It goes without saying that he’s a man of power and wealth, but he exudes much more than that. There’s an aura of enigma around him, an atmosphere so strong that it causes my pulse to race and makes me weak in the knees. Zander stares back at me with an intensity that causes my palms to feel clammy, my body temperature rising. Even while looking intense, he looks so calm and composed, his legs spread out wide as if he owns the room. As if he owns me. And in a way, now he does. I let Danny use me. The