Page 20 of Bought For Us

“Fuck!” I scream, kicking the trash can next to the door and sending it crashing to the ground.

The tears finally fall as I suck in heaving breaths, trying to keep myself from truly breaking down. I’m on a thin line, teetering back and forth. I’m afraid that if I break, I won’t be able to put myself back together again.

So, I close my eyes and suck it the fuck up because what good is crying going to get me? It’s not going to get me my job back. Not that I want a job that expects me to take being assaulted both physically and verbally.

Once I get myself together, I head towards the staff parking lot.

“Rough night?” A man’s voice makes me jump as I pass a car. I look over to see a man in a black suit leaning against the hood of his car, smoking a cigarette.

“You could say that.” I huff out a humorless laugh. “If losing my job and pretty much fucking myself over with a one way ticket to being homeless if I can’t find another is rough, then yeah, that's my night.”

He nods his head. “Yeah, I think it is. So, money is your primary issue, I’m going to assume.”

It’s now that I realize I’m talking to some stranger, spilling my life issues too. “Ah, yeah.” I clear my throat, becoming more aware. “I guess it is.”

“I can help you solve most, if not all, of your problems.”

“Look, man.” I take a step back. “I’m not into that.”

He chuckles. “I’m not trying to buy you for the night,” he tells me and reaches into his pocket. “You might not be willing to sell your body to me tonight. But would you be willing for the right price to sell it to someone else?” He looks around and alarms go off inside my head. “500k guaranteed,” he says, handing me a card.

I stare at it. Is this man for real? Does he understand how weird this is?

“Look, I know you think this is unusual, and yes it is. But this is my job. Just shoot an email to the address listed on the card if you're interested, and everything else will fall into place. Trust me.”

Hesitantly, I take the card. “Thanks,” I say slowly, giving the man one last look before rushing to my car. I don’t stop until I’m safely in the driver's seat with my doors locked.

I give the card a quick look over before placing it in the cupholder and getting the hell out of here.

When I pull up to my parking space, I turn my car off and stare up at the dark window of my apartment.

“What do I do?” I whisper to myself.

It’s halfway through the month. Even if they do give me my money for the hours I worked, it’s nowhere near what I need for rent and bills.

My eyes fall to the card. “Five hundredthousand.” I whisper, looking at the card. “That seems a little bit too good to be true.”

Couldn’t hurt to try? To email the one listed and see what happens.

What do I have to lose?

I’ve never felt the saying stuck between a rock and a hard place more than I do right at this moment.

I really hope this is the break I’ve been desperately needing to catch. But again, this is me we're talking about, that kind of luck isn't on my side.

Chapter 6

Cora

Istare at the screen in mild shock. “Huh,” I say to myself.

Last week, I was a wreck after losing my job. I felt lost, like I didn’t know what I was going to do. I’d have to start looking for another job, but who knows how long it would take. The job market is hard as it is, and it took me a while to find the job that I had.

So, after a lot of thinking, I searched up the website listed on the card. From what I read, I would be auctioned off for a weekend. That's it. A weekend of my time, maybe my body and I’d get five hundred grand. So, I emailed them and told them I was interested.

It’s crazy, I know. But they look legit and professional. I had to go through a lot of testing to make sure I’m clean, and that there was no risk of pregnancy. They require the buyers to do the same. They seem to vet the people who take part in this. It’s not like I’m going out onto the street corner and getting into some random guy’s car for a bit of money. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. This is just more safe and clean. And a hell of a lot of money to turn down.

After I attend my screening appointment they set me up with, it’s just a waiting game.

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