Total pages in book: 8
Estimated words: 7632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 38(@200wpm)___ 31(@250wpm)___ 25(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 7632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 38(@200wpm)___ 31(@250wpm)___ 25(@300wpm)
I didn’t tell anyone where I was going or what I was doing. They wouldn’t have cared anyway. This adventure is for me, and it will be an adventure. I could end up married, de-virginized, or dead. Anything is better than this. I know I sound dramatic, but I can’t help it. I sound like a poor little rich girl, but you try getting talked to like you are less than simply because you carry around some extra weight. It’s exhausting. I nervously wait in the room they told me to. It’s private and nicely decorated. There’s a bed in one corner, but I definitely don’t want to sit on that for some reason. I can’t hear what’s going on in the auction. I don’t know what place I’m being auctioned off in or anything. The premise behind this is neat, if disgusting, but I chose this. I’m sitting in the chair when the door opens.
“You’ve been bought, Alice,” Misty, my sweet English handler, says, coming in. She’s carrying a blindfold.
“What’s that for?” I ask, momentarily frightened.
“It’s just for the initial meeting with the man that purchased you. It’s standard procedure. He’s wearing one too. It keeps with the allure of the sight unseen.”
“I see; well, I guess I don’t,” I say, giggling nervously. She laughs, too, but makes quick work of the blindfold.
“Just wait here.”
“Where would I go?”
“That’s the spirit.”
I reach out and grab her hand before she moves away from me. “Is he… nice?”
“He seems to be, but honestly, love, they are on their best behavior here or we wouldn’t let buy from us again.”
“Right. Makes sense.”
“I will tell you that you are his first purchase.”
“Thank you.” I don’t know why, but that does make me feel better. “Do… Do I look okay?” I ask at the very last second.
“You look beautiful,” a man’s deep voice says, making me jump, and goosebumps erupt all over my body. Reaching up, I rip my blindfold off and open my eyes.
“Holy shit,” I whisper. He’s a freaking Viking. A fucking Viking is staring at me like I’m his dinner. My God, he’s tall, maybe a foot taller than me. His stubble is already impressive, and I just know the beard he can grow is impressive. He’s, in a word, gorgeous. His green eyes haven’t left my face. Suddenly, I’m glad I opted to stay fully dressed. There’s no way in hell he wouldn’t see how wet I am right now if I put on that slinky robe they gave me.
“You can go,” he says to Misty without even looking at her. She hurries out of the room like a rabbit, shutting the door behind her. He’s American. I’m relieved about that. I was afraid I would need to learn a language I didn’t know. English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Pirate are all I know.
“Hi. I’m Alice,” I say, extending my hand to him.
“Magnus.” His large hand engulfs mine, and my knees weaken. “We should leave here. This place…”
“Does it creep you out too?”
“Yes,” he replies, visibly relieved.
“Let me get my things,” I say, moving over to my bag. “They took my passport.”
“They gave it to me when I… made payment. Here,” he says, taking it from his suit jacket. I put it in my purse and put it across my body. My designer overnight bag is in my hand.
“For some reason, I didn’t expect you to give that back to me. I thought it would keep me bound to you.” He steps closer to me, right in my space. He puts one big hand on my hip and uses the other to take my bag from my hand.
“You can leave me anytime you want to, elskan, but trust me, you won’t to.”
“You sound awfully sure of yourself,” I reply, taking a ragged breath. No one has ever looked at me the way he’s looking at me. I feel exposed and vulnerable, but instinctively, I know he won’t hurt me. How do I know that?
“I always get what I want.” He takes my hand in his.
“I don’t doubt that,” I say, following him out, realizing I’d follow him anywhere.
Three
Magnus
Paying for her took mere minutes. I was shocked. It takes longer to pay the damn electric bill back home. I transferred the sum of 1.2 million dollars from my bank account to their offshore account. Then, they directed me down a hallway toward a certain door. I couldn’t wait another second to see her. I could hear her talking right on the other side of the door. Somehow, I knew it was her I was hearing. She was worried about how she looked. When I opened the door, I about swallowed my damn tongue. While she’s not the type of woman I’ve dated in the past, that doesn’t matter at all. She’s fucking gorgeous, and she’s all mine. Her black dress leaves little to the imagination, yet she still wears too much.