her closet. She whipped out some underwear, grabbed a knee-length skirt and paired it with a gray shirt.
He followed her into her closet, getting dressed himself. “Alexa, I already told you—”
She spun on her heel. “We’ve been through this. I’m going,” she said in a voice that left no room for discussion.
Why wouldn’t she? She’d come too far not to see it through.
During the drive to Kace’s ranch in Nevada, she pretended to try to find a good channel on the satellite radio, but no amount of soothing jazz songs would calm her anxious heart. When he parked in the area with the neon signs, a queasy sensation filled her stomach. She’d heard stories about Kace, none good. And now, Brooks would get himself linked with the man himself.
He parked, and a buff man with a long ponytail approached them.
“I’m Cal. I’m here to take you to the man,” he said with a pleasant voice. “Must say it’s an honor to meet you, Madam Alexa,” he said. “We don’t meet a legend like you every day.”
Her belly contracted. “Thanks.”
“Let’s do this,” Brooks said, putting his hand on her waist, to make it clear they were together. Walking inside, a couple of women checked him out, their gazes following his every step. With disheveled hair and tight, loud outfits that showcased their curvy bodies, they looked like they had hangovers. A strong scent of alcohol mixed with cleaning supplies swirled around her.
The interior of the place paid homage to small town bars, with not a whole lot of people in it. She felt dirty, like she hadn’t bathed in a week. The ranch had nothing in common with what she did—she spotted a couple of tracks on some woman’s arm.
Brooks pressed his fingers into her skin, keeping her close. A trace of possessiveness threaded through her from those women staring at him like a piece of juicy meat. What am I saying? Some of them shouldn’t even be here. Don’t want to be here. Shame heated her cheeks.
“You okay?” Brooks squeezed her hand.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Cal led them through a narrow hall, with several doors on each side. A couple of moans and whimpers escaped, and at the end of the hall, Cal halted.
I guess Kace wants to be super close to the action. The disgusting thought brought bile to her palate, and she swallowed hard. Cal opened the door and gestured for them to go inside.
A man in his late forties, with a well-trimmed beard and a fake tan, walked up to them. “It’s not every day I get illustrious visitors of your caliber.” Kace stretched out his hand for a shake, but Brooks ignored it. “Have a seat,” Kace said, while Cal left and closed the door behind him.
Alexa cleared her throat. For some reason, Brooks had been able to sound a lot more neutral when he’d talked to Logan and Tony, the two security guards who worked on the night of the auction. But, judging by the way he squinted at Kace, this would be a different conversation. A sourness seeped into her belly, floating up her chest. Maybe Brooks considered a major key player like Kace more guilty because of his position alone. “I’ll cut to the chase. My sister Pamela Johnson was seen in your establishment.”
A flicker of interest touched Kace’s beady brown eyes. He gestured for them to sit, pulling a chair for Alexa, then sat across the desk. “Ah. Yes. She came to see me after she had a change of heart about House of Alexa.”
Alexa scooted to the edge of the chair. She glanced around Kace’s office. A small bowl filled with condoms and samples of lubes sat on the corner of his desk, littered with magazines and post-it notes. “Do you know why?” she asked.
Kace looked at her square in the eye. “She said your deal would tie her to a man for possibly a month, whereas with me, once the, er, virginity is taken, there aren’t any other stipulations.”
Alexa had heard that complaint before, but she’d decided not to change the way she ran her auction. After all, she’d never wanted to open a brothel, and the thirty-day maximum added value to the price tag, usually hefty. Men from all over the world vied to attend her event.
“What happened? Why didn’t she go through with it?” Brooks asked, stepping forward.
Kace scratched his chin, furrowing his brows. “She did. She sold her virginity in our auction.”
“That’s not possible,” Brooks barked.
Alexa’s heart skipped a