Stay Toxic

18. Sebastian Aurelius

She’s as adorable as she is frustrating. I try not to take the fact that she doesn’t believe a word I say personally. After being lied to and betrayed by everyone close to her, everyone who should have loved her unconditionally, of course she’s not going to take my words at face value. Not until she sees actions to back them up.

We’re soon called to the front of the room to attend the auctions; one, led by Auntie M, for baubles, paintings, weekends at someone’s private home, and other items on display. But there’s also another auction taking place online, on the Heritage app.

“What’s everyone doing on their phone?”

I grin. “I can only tell you after you sign on the dotted line.”

“Seriously?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Honestly, I should have had her sign an NDA to come here in the first place, but it’s Hestia Cole. She’s not going to say a word of anything she sees to anyone. She’s a fiercely private person, because anything she does not approved by her puppet master could result in punishments. I don’t have the details on what that monster did to her, but I have people looking into it. I can’t decide what to do about Loretta Cole until I know exactly what I’m punishing her for. It’s pretty clear Hestia won’t tell me, but there are other ways to find out.

“You’re not on your phone,” Hestia notes.

I shoot her my most charming smile. “It’s never been my kink.”

At least, it didn’t use to be. The idea of purchasing one of the girls from the club for a night doesn’t appeal to me, but if Hestia was an option, I’d blow through my fucking inheritance to get her pliant, obedient, at my mercy.

My cock twitches. I’ve had a semi from the moment I saw her in this fucking dress, hardening every time I touch her skin, smell her scent, or look into those impossibly gorgeous green eyes. By now it’s a fucking steel rod.

“Kink? How are auctions a—” She stops speaking, her eyes widening. “Oh.”

I smirk at her, watching her wordlessly, daring her to ask.

“So, what, you have NDA paperwork at the ready?” she challenges.

I have to say, I’m surprised. “As it so happens, I do.”

There’s an interface on the Heritage app for that. I retrieve my phone and search through the club files until I find it, handing it to her.

I watch her read through the screen, paying attention to every line, a little frown of concentration between her brows. When she reaches the bottom, she clicks on the box to add her digital signature.

I didn’t see tonight going like this, but I can’t say I’m displeased. Though there’s a risk to throwing her into the deep end this soon. She could run away, screaming. But then again, she’s the girl who walked into a threesome and stayed to watch for a good long while.

And for what it’s worth, Ari was right a few days ago. I am me. If she truly can’t handle what that entails, I should know now, before I’m in too deep.

She hands me my phone back and her lip curls as she lifts her chin proudly. “Well? What’s the second auction, then?”

My heart and my cock pulse as one.

Who the fuck am I kidding? It’s already far too late, for her and for me. She’s planted her claws under my skin, irreversibly. I can give her some time to get used to the idea if I must, but the simple fact is she’s mine. She could find the club disgraceful, deviant, depraved, and hate it, and I’d still take her.

I scroll through the app again and open the correct tab, before handing it back to her, my eyes fixed on her.

She’s not sure at what she’s looking at, at first. Then her mouth falls, her eyes wide as her gaze cuts to mine. “Is that Ari?”

I glance down. “Oh, yes. She usually fetches a pretty penny. Seventy thousand and counting. The youth of southie is definitely getting that gym, don’t you think?”

“What—” She swallows. “Is she…”

I relish the way her cheeks turn bright pink. She knows exactly what’s going on. “Selling her pretty cunt? Yes. And her mouth. And likely, her ass. You can check the details if you click…”

I demonstrate, pressing on the candid shot of Ari in her bright red dress, taken tonight so potential bidders know exactly what they’re getting.

The intro is short and to the point: Ari agreed to one night of submission. Safe word applicable. Hard limits below. Ari will keep one tenth of the auction. Age limits: 18 to 49.

Her list of hard limits is short and sweet—she’s not into scat or breath play, almost anything else goes.

“One tenth is the minimum,” I tell Hestia, lest she questions Ari’s integrity. “She can’t keep less.”

“But it’s…she…I mean—” She’s at a loss, and no wonder.

“She quite likes it. Now that you’ve signed, you can ask her any questions you might have.” After a thought, I add, “Tomorrow. She’ll be rather busy after the auction.”

Hestia takes my phone again, and scrolls through the various auctions happening right now; seven women and three men, as young as eighteen, as old as thirty-five. The lowest bid is twelve thousand, but they have another ten minutes or so to go. The most serious contenders tend to only show up toward the end.

Hestia’s relentlessly clicking through each one, reading everything.

“You see anything you want to buy?” I tease.

She huffs. “I don’t think so!”

“Good. I don’t share.”

“You don’t share?” she echoes with an eye roll.

I shrug. “The night we met? That was Roman sharing his girlfriend, not the other way around.”

“But you and Ari—” She wrinkles her nose. “I know you said you’re not together, but like, you act like you are.”

“I’ll admit we fuck often, and we’re likely very affectionate given the fact that she’s my best friend. And we might have amped it up a bit recently. You may have heard, there’s a lovely woman in denial about her feelings for me. A little jealousy never hurt. But yeah, everything else aside, we’re not compatible. She loves being shared. I only like showing off.”

“Showing off?” she repeats.

“Mmhmm.” I could explain in great detail. But I’d much rather show her.

As the in-person auction progresses, so does the digital one, and Hestia’s only interested in one of those. She stalks Ari compulsively checking it every few seconds, and clicking on the bidders.

“That guy’s old enough to be her dad!” she exclaims.

I glance over her shoulder and snort, opting not to mention that that guy is my uncle. “There’s a reason she set the upper age at forty-nine. She has a bit of a daddy kink.” Among many other kinks.

“Seriously?”

“Oh, yeah.” I grimace, remembering an occasion when she called me Daddy, a few years ago.

I made it clear that it was on my hard limits list.

Uncle Aro does win her, which means she’s going to be a happy girl when we see her again.

I hesitate a moment, wondering if that’s enough for tonight. Hestia got a little glimpse into my world.

But she didn’t run. Not even a little. That makes me want to push.

I didn’t count on getting my cock wet tonight—or any night in the foreseeable future. But that was before knowing what I know now.

It takes a lot more than I thought to make Hestia Cole want to flee.

That’s why I find myself asking, “Feel like going upstairs?”

“Upstairs?” she breathes, either catching my tone, or guessing what could possibly happen upstairs based on everything she’s heard so far tonight.

“Yeah, it should be fun. I know how you like to watch.” I smirk. “And my little pervert? Everyone else here has signed an NDA, too.”

I don’t miss how her eyes drift down to my mouth, suddenly a little darker.

Fuck.

I should send Robert a thank-you card for making it possible for me to bring her here, right into the lion’s den, much sooner than she would have voluntarily walked in.

I have to remember: she’s not truly going to be what I crave until she’s ready to claim us out in the open, in the real world.

I always knew she’d spread her thighs if I offered the secrecy she desires.

I’m just too fucking gone to resist a taste.