2. 2 ADRIAN
2 ADRIAN
“I’ll have a Bullshot,” I tell the bartender, rapping my knuckles on the dark oak top of the bar.
The bartender’s eyebrows raise in surprise, but I give a one-shoulder shrug. I don’t care what he thinks.
When in Rome, I order a Negroni. When back home in Boston, I ask for a Ward Eight. On business up in Canada, I order whatever top-shelf whiskey they have behind the bar.
Like collecting souvenirs, having the drink that the place is known for is a tradition of mine.
My neighbors growing up had a beautiful bar off their study, and though I never cracked a bottle open because I was a kid who toed the line, I did read through the Bartender’s World Book. Each state has its own signature cocktail—even if not officially.
My work sent me all over the United States.
The only state cocktail I haven’t had is Hawaii’s Mai Tai. I had plans to have a celebratory Mai Tai on the beach with the woman I thought I loved, but that plan turned more sour than the traditional whiskey sour.
Most men around me hold glasses of neat whiskey, but I’ll sip this concoction down.
I have a house here now, and I want to feel connected to this place. It’s still new to me living here, and making this the home base of Colossus Corp. Detroit was the place my finger literally landed on when I opened the map, and it’s far enough from Massachusetts that it feels like the fresh start I want for the company I managed to salvage together the debris. It’s a far cry from what I was supposed to do. The plan from birth was to be at the helm of MM Industries, taking over as CEO for my father.
At least I managed to save much of his work by folding it into this new company. Most importantly, I saved his reputation.
Club Lust is buzzing with an electric energy that’s charging my pulse. I didn’t think I was going to be here, but you don’t ignore an invitation like this.
I like being exclusive.
I’ve worked hard for what I have, and I don’t care if flaunting my wealth makes me a capitalist asshole.
My father worked hard for what he had, and I did everything I could to protect it. I’m damn proud of safeguarding his legacy, even if I had to give up taking over his company and start a whole new one.
And I’m not in exile. I go back to Boston all the time. I am quietly building an office there, too.
“Cheers,” the bartender sets the drink down.
I tilt the glass. “Cheers.”
The umami in the drink hits the back of my tongue but it’s not unpleasant though it’s making me want a whiskey. But I want to get to my seat.
I signal I’m ready, and a woman in purple boy shorts and a matching bra flashes a grin at me. “Right this way.”
Following her through the crowd to the seating area, I try to see if I can spot anyone I know, but either the other rich fucks are seated, or they’re at the bar.
But I have no doubt I’d recognize the members invited to this exclusive club. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were Harvard alumni in the place rubbing shoulders with the mobsters also in this room.
“Here is your tablet. It’s loaded with your banking details and the headshots of the merchandise.”
“Thank you.” I take the tablet from her and settle back against the leather seat.
The stage in front of the room is black, with two short runways on each side and a soft gray curtain in the background.
Edward, the owner of Club Lust and tonight’s emcee, is chatting with the DJ off to the side. I can’t tell who the DJ is, and I wonder if he’s a celebrity; his features are hidden by a half mask.
I quickly scroll through the headshots flashing by, and nobody stands out to me.
I’m here for a good time and a date, not a long-term commitment. I want a woman who is willing and easy on the eyes. I want a woman who enjoys dominance because I have an itch that I want to indulge alongside my obligation to fill.
I’m thankful that I divide my time between Detroit and Boston and can escort my winning bid to my well-furnished house in Palmer Woods.
As the CEO of a worldwide biotech corporation, who is in my bed is a closely guarded secret.
Not that I date a lot or have regular play partners. I don’t have the time or energy for even that casual commitment. I have acquaintances I could have asked, women who share a similar background that I could have asked to be my date for the occasion.
I wanted to go outside my circle and find someone new to take to my younger sister’s engagement party. Most women only want me for my money, so I might as well pay them for their time and be upfront about it.
My sister is a tornado, and a part of me feels guilty for bringing my date to her engagement party, but it’d be awful if I showed up without anyone on my arm.
I have no interest in dating. No woman has held my attention long enough, except for the one who always rejected me.
I grind my molars, knowing I’m going to owe my dentist more of my money as I think about the bitch who ruined my reputation.
I scroll through the headshots again, knowing this is my chance to study the merchandise. The murmur of the crowd fades as Edward takes the stage.
I go back to the first headshot, the tablet slides automatically to headshot two. Guess I’m out of time to view.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Club Lust. We are pleased to have sixteen lots of merchandise up for sale tonight!” The mysterious and dignified owner of Club Lust stands next to the stage. His voice is stern, commanding all of our attention. “Please remember once the lights are fully off that no one is to move from their seats. This auction will be silent. As I announce the merchandise, a headshot will appear on your tablets. I will provide information on each lot. If you are interested, the starting bid is five hundred thousand and will go up in increments of fifty thousand until it reaches one million.”
I don’t know if my sister is worth the expenditure but I need a date who will respect our privacy and I’ll pay whatever that costs.
“At that time, each bid will raise by five hundred thousand. You may click the bid button as many times as you desire. Each auction will only be open for five minutes. At the end of that time, the tablets will announce the winning bid number only. A reminder we do not use names. If you are outbid, it will flash across your screen to bid again, and if you win, the tablet will flash, notifying you are the winner. Just a reminder that if you bid for two people and win tonight, then your tablet will automatically lock, preventing you from any additional bidding for the night. Our first lot for the night is Virtue.”
The first woman, or “merchandise,” struts out on stage, but I’m not interested and my mind goes over the work I left with my assistant.
Ever since my new company took over the entire operation of MM Industries, we realized that the accounting information that should be there isn’t on some of the contracts. It’s taken a team of forensic accountants to sort through the mess, and we’ve lost millions in the process.
The tablet flashes in my hand with the winning bid, then slides to the information for the next woman on stage.
Pushing work from my mind, I refocus on the merchandise to find a date. After the second girl is won, I look up as the third one takes the stage. Something is familiar about the sway of her hips.
Reading her info, a shiver of ice rolls through me. It can’t be.
I stare at the woman on stage, then back to the photo on the screen in my hands. My mouth goes dry as I read her kinks. My eyes glaze over the words. My heart feels like a two-by-four has rammed right through it.
“Lot Number Three, meet Davis. Her limits include watersports and blood play. Let the bidding start for this beauty.”
Edward’s voice fades out and all I can hear is my pounding heartbeat.
Her name is Davis.
On the stage, the woman struts, her long oak leaf burnt hair glowing under the lights.
Her shoulders are straight as she stops to do her walk, and I clue into what Edward is saying.
Numbers flash across my screen and I force myself to bid.
But my heart is trying to recover because I know this woman.
I never thought I would see her again.
It takes all my willpower not to rush from my seat onto the stage and carry her caveman style over my shoulder.
If I pushed back the hair on her nape, I would see a diamond-shaped birthmark.
I have to keep from screaming, “She’s mine!” even though she never wanted to be.
Tonight I am going to buy her, even if I have to spend every last penny in my bank accounts.
“The bidding is now up to a million,” Edward gives the update as the bids tumble in, numbers quickly rising on the banner on the tablet.
I stab at the tablet, taking in every inch of Davis, from her perfect breasts to the slender curve of her hips.
I can’t wait to get my hands on her. I can’t wait to torment her and have her under me, the only place I want her.
Electric white-hot need races through my body.
I enter a higher bid, and it flashes across the screen, telling me I’ve been outbid.
“Two point five million,” Edward announces.
I see Davis, grasp her hands together, and twist them. Her nerves make me grind my molars more because I have never known this woman to lose it under pressure.
Even though so much has changed since I last saw her.
For once, she can’t refuse me. She’s going to be mine for the weekend.
I know I am grinning like a villain as I bid again.
“Four million dollars,” Edward announced.
It’ll be the best money I have ever spent.
Finally, I could get revenge on the woman who was hell-bent on ruining everything I had ever had.
Because this woman has given me the cold shoulder ever since we were teens.
The tablet flashes with my winning bid.
Davis turns on her heel and disappears backstage. A part of me wants to see her falter, spilled on the stage floor, but I have the whole weekend to show her where she belongs and put her in her place.
This is better than the feeling I get when I win at the monthly poker game I play for charity. It is better than acquiring a new piece of technology before my competitors.
We’re not allowed to leave our seats until the rest of the auction is complete. It’s the one time that a bunch of rich elitists will listen because we don’t want to be kicked out of Club Lust, and we’ve all agreed to play by the rules. But sometimes rules are made to be broken and I can’t just sit here.
I’ve won my prize, and I’m salivating with how much I want to claim her. Taking out an old pair of earbuds and an ancient iPod from my pocket, I slip the earbuds in my ears and press play on Ava’s latest concert piece. That’s the thing about my sister; her talent has been called ‘once in a lifetime,’ but her personality is awful, and that’s me being kind. I’m listening to the piano music to keep my blood pressure under control because I want to race backstage and grab Davis.
Onstage, more beautiful women and men appear, and though I can appreciate their attractiveness, they don’t meet my needs. I switch from the ethereal notes of my sister’s music to her earlier work, forcing my mind to compare and contrast the difference in her new work versus her old.
A wave of guilt crashes hard over me because this is the first weekend I have taken off since the takeover. And I know my team won’t let me down, but it’s weird not to be in the offices of Colossus Corp.
I’m not the kind to sit around once I have what I want, and even though the eye candy on stage is nice, I let the music play in my ears, forcing myself to sit. I’m itching for my phone to check in with my team. The re-branding process has started. If any legal wrongdoings are found going forward, they will be under the McIntyre-Moran Industries—known globally as MM Industries–not the newly named Colossus Corp.
On stage, Edward tells us the auction has concluded and that we should enjoy our purchases.
A waiter appears at my side and leads me to the back, where I process the payment. Before I close my tab, I order a double shot of whiskey neat.
Once payment is confirmed, the smiling waitress who handed me the tablet escorts me to the dressing room.
My heart is drumming in a one-two beat and I am breathing through my nose to control my emotions.
I can’t wait to see the look on her face.
My business-savvy father and her scientist father made MM Industries successful. They worked together for years, building the worldwide biotech corporation.
But that was a long time ago, and what was once a brilliant co-mingling of talent is now seen as a tarnished reputation.
I lusted after the scientist’s daughter like the proverbial lovesick puppy, but all she did was kick me.
Until one day, she kicked me where it mattered.
How different it all would have been if she’d said yes at least once.
I force myself to take another deep breath as the waitress knocks on the door.
I reach for the door handle and pull it open.
“Have fun,” she says and turns, walking away.
Perfect. Now I’m alone with Davis.
She’s staring into the mirror, her back to me.
I stride across the dressing room, set my glass on the black-topped vanity, and place my hands on her hips. Her face drains of color and that look of fear on her face makes my cock throb.
I stand so close her ass is pressed to my bulging erection.
Her mouth opens in surprise. And oh, hell no, she’s not going to run. I grab her hands as she turns, pinning her in place. “No! Oh God!” She kicks back at me, but I hold her tighter against my straining erection.
This woman has always made me hard, crazy with want and burning need.
She’s closed her green eyes, and against me, she trembles. I grab her thick hair in my hand and pull her head down.
With my fingernail, I trace the diamond birthmark, which is a shade darker than the rest of her skin.
“Hello, Mckenna.”