Chapter Nine
GAbrIELLA-ROSE
I WASN'T SURE HOW long I had been sitting here gazing at myself in the mirror still in shock. I was still trying to comprehend how someone would want to pay three million dollars for a woman like me. There really wasn’t anything that special about me. In fact, I had been sure when I walked on the stage that people would actually be turned off by my curvaceous figure. I knew I wasn’t fat, but I had more meat on me than most models, and that seemed to be the look everyone was going for. Even Vincent had admitted that he didn’t find me attractive anymore. If my own fiancé didn’t fancy me, then how the hell would anyone else?
The only person I knew who would even consider spending that kind of money on me was Mikhail. What would he want from me, though? Whenever I had been in a room with him before, he had always been quite the gentleman, surprisingly enough. Knowing how some of his associates treated me, I would have assumed him to be the same. However, when we were left alone, especially without Vincent around, he was always very caring and attentive. Far more so than my own fiancé.
Would that all change after spending that kind of money on me? Would he expect me to do all the depraved things his associates expected of me? Would the fact he had spent money to purchase me for the weekend instead of Vincent paying off a debt change his view on what I was? Would I just be a sub that he could use and abuse just like Vincent did after spending all that money?
I was sure that wouldn’t be the case, as he had never done that before. However, the thought still went through my mind.
Despite those thoughts, part of me hoped that it would be him. He was one of the only people that I knew frightened Vincent. Well perhaps it wasn’t just him, but the people he represented. Everyone knew that he was a member of the Russian mob. Mikhail didn’t hide the fact and was very proud that he was one of the most senior members of the family under the main boss. I knew that if it was Mikhail, I had a chance to escape my life with Vincent because there was no way that he would go after Mikhail. That, however, did depend on whether Mikhail would let me stay with him. There was a chance that he would make me return to a life with Vincent. After all, he could have me whenever he wanted me anyway, as Vincent always owed them money.
I had to shake all these negative thoughts from my head. I should have been happy someone out there wanted me. In fact, it had to be more than one person because the bids were rising so quickly. What if it wasn’t Mikhail who had won the auction? What kind of person would have bought me? I said person because there was a chance that I could have been purchased by a woman. I had stipulated that I wouldn’t play with a Domme, but that didn’t stop one from buying me.
My thoughts were still all over the place and not helping my current feelings whatsoever. I took a sip of my tea to try to calm my nerves. I wished Graham was still here with me. At least he would tell me what I was thinking was silly and that I should just trust the process.
I looked at the clock and saw that it was nine-thirty. The auction should have been over now. I had been told to stay in my lingerie and not put my dress on until my buyer came into the room. I hoped that whoever had purchased me was a Dom. I wanted to present myself to him, to show that I was ready for his commands.
Deciding it was nearly time for them to arrive, I got down on my knees on the floor, placing my hands down on my knees and lowering my eyes to the floor. I was used to being in this position for a long length of time from the hours that Vincent used to make me wait. Therefore, this was not an uncomfortable position for me to be in. As I waited for my buyer to arrive, I went through my meditation exercises to calm my nerves. It had always worked in the past, so I had no reason to doubt it would now. Why I hadn’t done this sooner escaped me.
I went through all my breathing exercises, feeling a calmness come over me. This was the place I needed to be. The place where I was here in body, but my mind and worries were locked away so I could face whatever was about to happen to me. And in the past, it usually had. However, right now, I was right where I needed to be. I heard footsteps coming toward my room, but I didn’t move. I just continued to breathe deeply, calming myself, ready for whoever was about to walk through the door.
I heard the door opening and a single set of footsteps walking in, followed by the door closing again. From my position, I could see the immaculate black dress shoes and navy pants stood almost immediately in front of me. The man stood in front of me for a moment, not saying a word. I took this to mean he was pleased with my current appearance, as most Doms would just stand for a while taking in their surroundings and their sub before they spoke.
He took a step closer to me and spoke. “Angel, look at me.”
I hesitated for a moment. I recognized the voice, but couldn’t place it. I knew instantly it wasn’t Mikhail. This voice, although dominant, was also soft and caring. It reminded me of the night—
I held my breath for a second as a memory that I had buried came flooding back to me. The night I first met Vincent.
It was him. The one that I should have walked away with all those years ago. I was almost sure of it.
I slowly raised my head, following the contours of his body up and toward his face. As soon as our eyes locked, the recognition was clear on both our faces. He held his hand out to me, and I took it as he helped me up from the floor.
“Shall we get you ready and head off for the evening?”
He gently brushed some hair from my face that had fallen down and then raised my hand up to his lips, pressing a gentle, but long kiss to it. I felt goosebumps go all over my body at his slightest touch.
“Yes, sir.”
I saw a smile come over his face at my words. I could tell that it pleased him the way I spoke to him.
“I only expect to be called ‘sir’ inside the bedroom. Please call me Hudson. Would you like to be called Angel all the time?”
I hadn’t even thought about that. I had assumed that whoever bought me would expect to keep me in the bedroom all weekend. However, looking at Hudson in front of me, I made my decision.
“I guess we were never formally introduced before. My name is Gabriella-Rose Quinn, but you can call me Gaby if you would like to.”