Page 18 of Ruin Me, Daddy

Her own troubles temporarily forgotten, Silver shifted her attention completely to the grinning brunette across from her. “Okay, now that is a story I have to hear.”

“Not much of a story,” Lottie said with a shrug. “I sold my virginity in an online auction I thought was being hosted by the club but turned out to actually be an underground thing run by one of Braden’s ex-employees without his knowledge. Turns out I actually sold my v-card to one of our local mafia dons, and Braden sort of lost his shit. He paid for my contract, but he wouldn’t actually fuck me, so I talked said mob boss into sceneing with me. I was hoping it would make Braden jealous enough to stake his claim and it worked.”

For a moment, all Silver could do was stare as Lottie sipped delicately at the water someone had delivered to their table during her monologue. “You sold your virginity to a mob boss?”

“Well, I didn’t know he was a mob boss when I sold it. I just knew him as Master O when he won my bid.”

“Your definition of ‘not much of a story’ needs a bit of work.”

Lottie threw her head back, her loud peal of laughter drawing curious looks just as a pretty dark-haired girl stepped up to their table, a small stack of papers in her hands. “Ms. Sterling?” she asked in a voice so soft and melodic it brought to mind visions of faeries dancing in the woods. It didn’t help that she looked a bit fairy-like, between her diminutive size and her somewhat angular features.

“That’s me.” Silver held out a hand, accepting the paperwork. It felt unusually heavy, as though she were holding the physical weight of her actions as well as the paper itself.

Ridiculous, and more than a bit fanciful, but she couldn’t shake the feeling.

“Mr. Elliott asks that you read over everything carefully, and fill out the questionnaire to the best of your ability. If there is anything you are unsure of, please leave that section blank until you speak with him. There is also a section at the end where you can indicate if you would like the profits of your auction to go directly to you or to one of the local charities listed on the form.”

“Thanks, Ivy.” Lottie’s smile, which was always bright and welcoming, warmed considerably for the other woman. “Are you working tonight or are you in the auction?”

Pink blossomed on Ivy’s porcelain skin, detracting a bit from the fairy image but only because Silver was pretty sure fairies were above blushing. At least in front of mere mortals. “Both. My shift ends in twenty minutes and then I’ll be heading down to the pit.”

“With Cordelia?”

Everything about Ivy seemed to light up from within. “Always. See you ladies in a bit.”

With that, she turned and floated away, her movements as ethereal and otherworldly as the rest of her. “Who was that?” Silver asked once she’d disappeared from view.

“Ivy. She and her girlfriend Cordelia are both servers, though Ivy’s been taking on more of an admin role for Braden lately. I think he’s giving her a test run before he offers her a job as his full-time assistant.”

“Her girlfriend is okay with her auctioning herself off?”

Waving a hand, Lottie let out another delighted laugh. “Oh, Delia loves it. She enjoys watching almost as much as she enjoys tormenting poor Ivy herself. Especially when Ivy’s bratty side starts to take over.”

“I can’t see her as a brat.”

“She wasn’t much of one when I met her.” Eyes sparkling, Lottie took another sip of her water. “I seem to have that effect on people.”

Silver was enough of a brat on her own without anyone else’s influence. Which meant she and Lottie could probably get into loads of trouble together.

I swear you need your ass beat on a daily basis.

The memory of those words, issued in Ice’s low growl of a voice brought a smile to her lips as Silver looked down at the stack of paper in front of her. Once he found out she’d completely ignored his directive not to sign up for the auction, he was going to be furious.

She couldn’t fucking wait.

Ice

“Stop glaring. You’re scaring all the girls away.”

Ice shifted his glare to Beckett, who was watching him with open amusement. “Maybe it’s your ugly mug scaring them away.”

Slapping a hand over his heart, Beckett gave him a look of faux outrage. “I’m only letting you get away with that because I know you’re pining over your girl.”

“I am not pining.”

“Certainly looks like pining from where I’m sitting.”

Before he could do more than snarl in Beckett’s direction, Braden materialized beside their table, looking far more chipper than Ice had been expecting. “Gentlemen. Having a look at the offerings before the bidding starts?”

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