Chapter 10
“Dempsey!” my mother called from the hallway, pulling me from the book I was reading.
I glanced at my bedroom door, calculating whether I could make it across the room from where I sat at my desk, lock it, and pretend I was in the shower before she made it to the other side.
The chance of success was slim. I was going to have to talk to her, something I’d no doubt regret as soon as she opened her mouth. These days she only spoke to me when she needed to parade me around at some sort of event to uphold our new image of the perfect family. Perfectly fucked up was more like it, given I was having thoughts of riding at least two of my stepbrothers.
Too late to hide from her.
A knock sounded on the door and my mother swung it open, letting herself in.
I tossed my pen down on my textbook, abandoning the assignment I’d been working on. It didn’t matter that my new stepdad owned Triple C. I still had to study if I had any hope of passing, earning a degree to get a decent job, and putting myself in a position where my father couldn’t come for me.
“Sweetheart, I’m not interrupting, am I?” My mother forced a smile, her expression encouraging me to give the answer she wanted, just like it always did.
I sighed. “Not at all, Mom.”
“Excellent, I need to talk to you about something extremely important.”
It always was these days. But my definition of important and my mother’s were vastly different. I didn’t need to hear the words to know that I was going to hate whatever she needed from me.
“This weekend is the annual Cape Canyon Charity Gala at the country club. It’s to raise money for survivors of a natural disaster on the other side of the world.”
This was mom-speak for a charity she didn’t care about after a disaster she had never heard of. She was only attending the event with my stepfather to be seen and uphold their standing as the ultimate ‘it’ couple in Cape Canyon. When did my mom become so shallow? She’d adapted to being a billionaire’s wife a little too easily if you asked me. Not that anyone was asking. Least of all my mother.
“They need volunteers for the charity auction.” My mother’s expectant gaze held mine, and I frowned.
“So… you want me to help with the auction?”
Her smile widened. “That would be amazing, sweetheart.”
“Okay…” My eyes narrowed, suspicion coursing through me.
This request sounded way too simple. She wanted me to show up and hold up some nice antiques beside an auctioneer in a tux while the uber rich bid on them so they could feel like decent people who gave to charity by accumulating more shit?
Sounded riveting.
“Thank you, darling. I’ll find you a dress for the evening and organize someone to come and do your hair and makeup. Byron thinks you’ll be an excellent drawcard to get the Triple C students involved.”
Drawcard? How would me assisting with an auction be a drawcard for the students at school?
“I don’t have a lot of experience with auctions, but I’m pretty sure anyone could hold up an old vase so people can bid on it.”
If my mother could frown, she would have. Instead, she tilted her head, peering at me.
“Old vase? Darling, you are the auction item.”
My stomach and my expression dropped at the same time.
What the fuck…?
“You want to auction me off? What the hell does that mean?”
My mother let out a small laugh. “Oh darling, only one night with you.”
“One night?! You want to sell me off to some old dude to have his way with me?”
My mother’s expression sobered. “Dempsey, don’t be so crude. It’s a companionship auction to raise money for those in need. Someone will bid on you and you spend the evening with them after the auction. I’m sure you’ll get a nice dinner out of it.”
Oh, so long as I get some fancy food, it’s okay then. Had my mother lost her ever-loving mind?
“There’s no way I’m doing that. Count me out, Mom.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “You will be doing it, Dempsey. This is our home now and we’ve been welcomed with open arms. I gave up everything for you, now you’ll do this for me.”
The words clanged through me. There it was. Again with the sacrifices she’d made. It didn’t matter that she was mymotherand taking care of me was what she was supposed to do. It didn’t matter that she’d come out of those sacrifices with a brand new, shiny life with more wealth, privilege and status than she could have ever dreamed of with my father.
She acted like saving me from what my father would have done to me was something she gifted me, and now I had to repay my debt.
If this was what love was supposed to be, I was better off without it.
“We need to earn our place here,” my mother went on, completely unaware of the anger rolling through me. “And we do that by participating in the practices of the community we’re now a part of. You will participate in this. All daughters of the families in Cape Canyon will be.”
I ground my teeth. “Not the sons?”
My mother gave me a tight smile. “Not this time, darling.”
Of course not. That would be far too progressive for these people. Sons were to be revered like gods. Daughters were only good for breeding and auctioning off to the highest bidder.
“I’ll make sure the details are all arranged, all you need to do is show up. Saturday at two o’clock. Make sure you’re on time, sweetheart.”
Satisfied she’d successfully forced me into an event I wanted nothing to do with, she left, closing the door behind her.
I fell back on my chair, letting out a long breath.
This was going to be fucking hell.
I showed up to the country club on Saturday to find it a flurry of activity.
The place looked more like the backroom of a cotillion or beauty pageant than it did a charity auction. Benches with tall chairs and lit mirrors were lined up in row after row, girls surrounded by teams of people priming and primping them to within an inch of their existence.
Making my way down the aisles, I scanned the empty spaces for my name, spotting it down the end of the second row. A man and a woman waited for me: the guy with platinum blond hair, the woman with long blue waves and dark eye makeup.
They both smiled at me as I approached.
“You must be Dempsey?” the woman asked. “I’m Lyla, this is Gray. Your mother has arranged for us to get you ready today.”
I forced a smile. “Nice to meet you both.”
Gray motioned to the chair in front of the mirror and I took it. “Ready to join this circus?” he asked in the mirror, standing behind me.
“Not even a little bit.”
Two hours later, my hair was styled in perfect waves down my back and my face was a glowing, highlighted, shining version of my real self. Lyla and Gray were absolute wizards and there was no denying I looked good.
Shame about the ever-growing pool of dread in my stomach. Who the hell was going to buy me? What if he was old? Or even worse… some arrogant asshole who tried to impress me with how much money he had? My mom had said this was just for dinner or companionship, but what if this dude tried to kiss me at the end of the night? Kneeing him in the balls and hightailing it out of some fancy-ass restaurant wasn’t going to endear me to this community the way my mother hoped.
The hours I’d spent in the makeup chair had given me time to come up with a plan, though. The second this ridiculous event kicked off, I’d make a beeline for my stepbrothers and hopefully have all my problems solved.
Shoving out the dressing room doors, I wandered down the hall of the country club in search of a server or vending machine; anything or anyone who could supply me with some food. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and maybe if I looked bloated in the skin-tight gown my mother had selected, nobody would bid on me and I’d get out of this unassaulted, both emotionally and physically. To these people, being bloated was probably a cardinal sin, one that should involve doctors and multiple medical procedures to rectify.
I turned left, making my way towards the staffing quarters. They were just about guaranteed to have vending machines there. It’s not like the staff were allowed to eat actual food. They were there to serve, not be served.
“Jackpot,” I muttered to myself, when a glowing vending machine came into view.
I fed my money in, selecting a bag of chips and an energy drink to keep me sane and highly caffeinated.
“What a nutritious dinner,” came a voice from behind me.
I swiveled, almost dropping my loot, to find Sinclair staring down at me.
He looked incredible in a fitted black tux that had clearly been tailored to his body. His bowtie hung untied and loose around his neck on either side of his unbuttoned crisp white shirt.
What the actual fuck. Was this guy created by the gods? He was so damn hot I was in danger of panting right in front of him.
“Interesting that you care what I eat. I thought you didn’t like me?” I challenged.
He raised a single brow like he was deeply unimpressed with my comeback. “I don’t remember saying that.”
He didn’t need to. It was clear in the way he only spoke to me when forced to. Or how, unlike his brothers, he avoided me wherever possible. The day I’d chosen to ride in his car was the only remotely friendly reaction I’d ever had from him and even then, the car ride had been adrenaline-fuelled silence the whole way back to the Aston estate.
I was about to cut back with exactly that when I remembered I needed his help.
“So, you’re going to this thing today?”
He glanced down at his tux. “Looks like it.”
“Maybe we can help each other out.”
He offered me one of his signature brow quirks.
“Maybe you, Presley, or Dacre bid on me. Maybe you win. And maybe you save me from whoever else might be inclined to purchase me for the night to do fuck knows what.”
Sinclair stared down at me in stoic silence.
I sighed. “Come on, Sin. Do me this one favor.”
It was a solid plan. The charity would get their money, I would have done my duty and kept my mother happy, and I wouldn’t have to spend the night with some lecherous creep who’d purchased a nineteen-year-old girl. I didn’t need to spend it with my stepbrothers either. They could afford the fee, but that didn’t mean we had to follow through and hang out.
“Is this you begging?” Sinclair asked, his gaze roaming over me. “Because I like it.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course the arrogant asshole liked it. I bet making women beg was a hobby of his. Along with kicking puppies and pushing grannies down the stairs. But I kept my mouth shut, no need to snap back and piss him off. I needed him right now.
He moved closer, and I retreated until I felt my shoulder blades pressed to the cool glass of the machine. My gown was nearly backless, so the glass felt cool against my skin.
“I thought you didn’t need anything from us?” Sinclair said, the low timbre of his voice making me shiver.
I stared at the collar of his shirt, refusing to look up at him.
“You made that pretty clear the night we met when we tried to warn you about Trenton. How’s that decision working out for you, little sister?” His tone had an edge of amusement.
Forcing a saccharine smile on my face, I tilted my head up. “Just dandy.”
He slid his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. “No need to worry about us bidding on you. Not when you’ve been so adamant that you can figure this place out yourself.”
He moved back, taking the heat of his body with him.
“Enjoy your time up there, Dempsey,” he called, not even glancing back in my direction as he strolled down the hall. “And enjoy your night after.”
Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck.
It had been a flawed plan, but the only one I had. Now it was up in flames because I had to go and get mouthy on my first night in Cape Canyon.