Page 15 of Buying Angel

“I have five-fifty, six hundred, six-fifty, and seven hundred.”

I decided now was the time to put in a bid of seven-fifty, but almost immediately, the figure on the screen changed from green to red as I was outbid and it went up to eight hundred. I decided to wait again to see what happened. I could feel myself start to sweat and internally shake as my nerves started to kick in. I couldn’t let her slip through my fingers again.

“Nine hundred. One million dollars. Thank you. Do we have any progression on one million? One-point-five million.”

I guessed that, as the bids had slowed, most of the other bidders had stopped. Even though everyone here was extremely wealthy, they would all have limits and one-point-five million was a lot to spend on just one weekend for someone you just liked the look of. However, Mikhail and I were a different matter. I suspected that we were now bidding against each other. I made my next bid of two million dollars. My number showed green on my screen; I was the winning bidder.

I looked up at the timer, and there was still a minute to go. I wondered if Mikhail would wait until the last minute before he made his next bid. I was surprised when it jumped again to two-point-five million dollars. I had been outbid yet again.

I needed to time this right or I would lose again. I sat there watching the timer count down on my tablet. There were still thirty seconds to go. I quickly took one final glance at Angel as she stood at the back of the stage. My heart was beating in my chest as I held my finger over the button to bid.

“I have two point five million going once, twice…and a late bidder of three million dollars wins the auction!”

I had closed my eyes as I pressed the button. Whoever got that final bid in had won the auction. I was too scared to look and find out my fate. Slowly I opened my eyes and looked down at the tablet. It took me a few moments to comprehend what I was seeing. My bidder number was showing green.

I checked the number and color again. It was my number, in green. I was the winning bidder.

I continued to stare at the screen as my heart continued to beat hard in my chest. I was being given the second chance that I wanted. I just needed to make sure that I kept hold of her this time. I placed the tablet back down on the table. I wasn’t going to bid on anyone else, no matter how interesting they may have seemed to me. I had the woman that I wanted, the one who had haunted my dreams all these years. Why would I want anyone else?

I was desperate to let Nico know that I had found her, but with the auction still continuing, I knew I wouldn’t be able to use my phone. What the hell was I going to do for the rest of my time here?

I knew I needed to calm my own nerves before I finally walked in to see Angel again and finally get my time with her like I had wanted for the past few years. I picked up my drink and took a sip. The heat of the bourbon hitting the back of my throat and going down into my chest sent a soothing feeling throughout my body. It was only as I moved my glass away that I noticed how much I was shaking. My breathing was also heavy and my heart was still beating hard in my chest.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, hoping that it would calm the nerves I was feeling. I couldn’t believe that one woman could make me feel like this. I was the joint CEO of one of the biggest companies in both Detroit and New York. I had faced some of the scariest opponents in the business world with Trent to make our business what it was today. I was afraid of almost nothing, except the gorgeous woman who had now left the stage.

I knew I had a while to wait before I could leave my seat, with another twelve lots to be auctioned, but it at least gave me a while to pull myself together before meeting Angel. As I sat there, I wondered exactly how she would be feeling right now. Would she be as nervous and worried as I was, waiting to see who had bought her for the weekend? Could it be that she knew Mikhail would be here and was expecting it to be him? How would she react when it was me who walked through the door?

So many thoughts were running through my head right now, and none of them were helping to calm the anxiousness that I was feeling. By the time this auction was finished, I would be an absolute nervous wreck if I didn’t get my thoughts sorted. I decided that to stop myself from worrying, I would run through all the plans I wanted to make for the weekend. I knew it was only two days, but there was so much I wanted to pack into that weekend, and it wasn’t just about the sex. I wanted to treat this woman like the queen she was. Wanted her to see how she should be worshipped all her life, especially if she hadn’t been so far. I was finally happy in the knowledge that it wouldn’t be long before I had the woman of my dreams in my arms.

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—

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