CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Nadine
“You wanted to see me?” My stomach was full of knots and butterflies as I poked my head into Carmen’s office.
“Come in and have a seat, Nadine.”
Carmen looked beautiful as always. She was wearing a figure-conscious purple dress tonight. I sometimes wondered if she was dating anybody. I sure as hell wasn’t going to ask her. Carmen was a private person.
I tried to smile, but I was so nervous, I couldn’t make my lips move the right way.
“God. Don’t do whatever it is you’re trying to do with your face.”
“Sorry,” I said as I sat down. “I’m just nervous. Every time you call me to your office, I’m afraid you’re going to fire me. Are you?”
“No. Haven’t even considered it. As you know, I’m putting you in the auction next Friday,” she said. “There are some things we need to discuss beforehand.”
“Oh. Okay. Like what?” I tried to wipe the nerves from my expression, but I wasn’t sure how good of a job I was doing.
“There are forms to fill out.” She saw that I was nervous and relaxed her face. “Things like that. Why are you so nervous? You knew it was coming.”
“Are you sure I couldn’t wait and go in the next one?
” I had been enjoying living in Cinnamon House with the other girls.
And my job. I enjoyed talking and flirting with the handsome men that were members of Sugar.
I liked stripping, too, though not as much.
I didn’t love getting half-naked onstage, but I did like the applause.
Mama always said I loved to have an audience.
I’d never thought she was right before now.
But this was my kind of audience. They all wore fancy suits and watches and smelled so good. They made Mark look like a little kid, almost, and I wondered why Jessica Huber had ever wanted to marry him. She could’ve dated some men that frequented this club.
Of course, they were here to fuck around. That could be the reason she didn’t want one of them…
“You’re doing that thing again, aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
Carmen smiled. “Your mind wandered, didn’t it?”
“Yes, sorry. What were you saying?”
“You’ve been requested by many, many of the members. Even members who don’t sign up for the auction. You’re good for business, Nadine. But like Nico and I explained to you the other night, I want to strike while the iron is hot.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “I never understood what that was supposed to mean…”
She sighed. “I keep forgetting to not use expressions around you. I think it has something to do with blacksmiths.”
I frowned at her. “Is that racist? Cause I’m not one of those people. I think what matters about a person is on the inside, and…”
“Nadine!”
I stopped talking.
“It’s not racist. It’s a reference to olden times, like back during the American Revolution.”
“God. Why? What were we even talking about?”
Carmen started laughing. “My lord, Nadine. You are something else. Let’s just go over the contract, okay? I’ll ask you the questions and fill it out for you, then you can sign it.”
“Jesus, Carmen! I can fucking read!” I crossed my arms over my chest, pissed.
She laughed harder. “I know! I wasn’t trying to say you couldn’t. I’ve seen you reading those smutty romance novels on your breaks. I just know that you have trouble focusing. I thought this would be easier and go faster.”
“Oh. Okay. Sorry.”
“No problem. Okay, first off, what do you want?”
“Huh?”
“Like, do you want to go to college? The guy who wins you will pay for it.”
“Ew. No way. I hated school the first time around.”
She nodded. “You know, Nadine, you might need help figuring out your life’s goals. I could put that in your contract.”
“No,” I was horrified. “I don’t want whoever buys me to think I can’t figure things out on my own.”
“And please call it ‘winning’ you. Not buying you. That sounds sleazy. How about a house?”
My eyebrows shot up. “I can ask for that?”
“You can ask for whatever you want. I’ve already said you’ll get a car, a place to live for the duration of the contract, clothes, gifts, and more. But you’ll also get twenty-five percent of whatever the bid ends up being.”
I just stared at her.
“You okay, Nadine?”
“I think you broke my brain, that’s all.”
“Okay, but that’s not enough. You need to ask for more.
I suggest you ask for a condo in your name that could be for you and your mom to live in together.
Or, if you don’t want to live with your mom, you could ask for one for her, too.
And have you thought about what you want to do for work after this is over? ”
“Not really. I don’t…think I’m good at anything.”
She frowned. “That’s just not true, Nadine. I guess I want to make sure you’re taken care of. Do you enjoy decorating? Cooking? College doesn’t have to be traditional. You could go to technical school.”
I chewed my lip. “I’ve always liked those criminal profiling shows on TV. And I like true crime podcasts. And I don’t just read romances and fairy tales. I like mysteries and thrillers, too.”
“Really? I would not have thought that about you.”
“Nobody but Jelly and Mama know.”
“Hmm. Okay. Well, I could put you in touch with the sheriff. He’s a friend of mine.” She paused. “I’m totally lying. He’s not a friend of mine. He gets to use Cayenne for free as long as he looks the other way if anyone reports us.”
“Whoa. Okay.” I wrinkled my nose. “But I don’t think I’d be good at any kind of police work. I tend to believe people even when they lie to me.” I shrugged. “I don’t know what I want to do,” I said, honestly. “I like talking to people, but I don’t know how to make a career out of that.”
Carmen studied me. “I might have a few ideas about that. For now, though, how about I put into the contract that your auction winner will fund career exploration for you?”
I grinned. That was perfect. “Yes. I like that a lot.”
“Good. Okay, what else?”
“I don’t know what to ask for.”
“You’re the least greedy Cinnamon Girl I’ve ever had, Nadine, but I’m not surprised. Let’s write in there that he’ll pay off any debts your mom owes. And get her a car.” She tapped her pen on her chin. “Do you like the beach?”
I nodded enthusiastically.
“Maybe put in there that you want a couple of beach vacations or that you’d like your condo to be waterfront or beachfront. What do you say?”
“Yes! To all of that.”
“Got it.” Carmen wrote a few things down. “Okay. Now, I’m just going to ask you a few questions. Be honest. This is how you’ll make the best match.”
I nodded.
“A lot of the men who take part in the auction are married, have girlfriends, or still like to date even though they have a Cinnamon Girl. How do you feel about that?”
I made a face. “What do they need me for if they’ve got any of that?”
Carmen gave me a look. “Come on. You know how the world works, Nadine.”
“Absolutely not to him being married. I guess he could have a girlfriend and date, though. I don’t like it, but I want a good match.”
“Got it.” She smiled, and I wondered why, but didn’t have time to ask before she got into the sexual section.
She went through a lot of the kinkier stuff quickly. “Just say no, Nadine. You don’t have to explain why you don’t want to do those things, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Multiple partners?”
“Um… no.”
“Letting others watch?”
I blushed. “Okay.” I’d always kind of liked that. I’d let some of Mark’s friends watch me and him a few times as long as they didn’t film anything.
“Anal?”
I sighed. I didn’t love it, but I’d done it a couple of times with Mark. “Okay.”
“Watching others?”
“Yes.” I didn’t know if I’d like it or not, but I was willing to give it a try.
“Bondage?”
“Okay. Just not freaky stuff.”
“I’ll check the box for ‘light’ bondage.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“What about other aspects of BDSM?”
“Um… I’m not really sure. I think I’m probably submissive, and I like praise, and I even kind of like if they call me slut and stuff, but I don’t want them to hit me.”
Carmen made some notes.
“What about exhibitionism?”
“What’s that? Like doing it on a stage or something?”
“Kind of.”
“Isn’t that like letting others watch?”
“Exhibitionism means you let a room full of people watch you, basically.”
I felt myself getting a little turned on by that.
“Okay.”
Carmen nodded. She was very non-judgmental. I guess she had to be in her line of work. She asked me a few more questions, and we were done.
“Oh, wait. I forgot about this.” She got a little frown in the center of her forehead. “What about dressing up?”
“Huh? Like in fancy dresses?”
“No. Like cosplay, but sexual.”
My eyebrows went up. I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. “What’s cosplay?”
Carmen tented her fingers and leaned forward a little. “You know—like role playing. You dress up and pretend you’re someone else while fucking.”
“I mean, I’ve never done that, but I guess it could be cool?”
Carmen looked relieved. “Good. I’m doing my best to make sure you get someone good, okay?”
A surge of relief hit me. “Thank you. Really.”
“I have someone in mind.” She bit her lip. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but it’s the mayor.”
My eyebrows went up. “Really?”
“Yes. He’s very interested in you. Do you like him?”
I nodded. “He’s hot.” I thought about the way I felt when his eyes were on me.
“Good. I’m glad you’re interested, too. But the mayor’s very into cosplay, apparently.” She wrote something down on my auction sheet.
“He is?” People were so strange. They looked one way on the outside but could differ completely from the way you’d thought they’d be.
I would’ve thought the mayor was pretty straightforward and that if he had some sort of kink, it would be less interesting.
Like fucking in public or always wanting three ways.
“I was surprised, too,” she said without looking up. “But when Leo told me, the mayor confirmed it.”
“He’s so into it that your brothers know about it?” My God. Did that mean he dressed up in public? Like at the sex club?