Page 65 of Saved By My Buyers

“Where will you go?” she asks softly. “What do you want to do there?”

“I’ve been trying to get my GED,” Dolly explains. “I want to go back to school, but staying alive is a full time job. I was thinking about going back to Florida, getting into community college, and figuring out what I want there. The cold weather makes it too hard to keep my head above water when life kicks me in the face.”

She states this all in an even tone, as if it’s perfectly normal for an almost twenty-year-old to struggle this hard.

“That’s why you decided to do this auction?” I ask, my tone soft and careful.

“Yes,” she says. “There was a guy outside of work who handed me a card, and told me the auction was real and legitimate. Although I never have, there are women at the club who offer ‘extras’ in exchange for money. I’ve never been interested in doing that because of my history, but five hundred thousand dollars was guaranteed for one weekend of sex… I decided that I could sell my virginity for that.”

My hands rake through my hair because Dahlia Moore is the smartest, bravest person that I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. She’s one of the most infuriating people as well.

“Fuck me,” I groan. “Is there anything else I need to know before I clean up the kitchen? This is the equivalent of rage cleaning, but I’m not angry at you. It’s more like processing.”

“You’re so well adjusted,” Dolly mutters, shaking her head.

“He kind of is, isn’t he?” Bronwyn chuckles. “Don't worry, he has his bullshit too. I can’t have you thinking he’s perfect or anything.”

“Fuck, babe, if I had feelings about that I’d be hurt,” I tease her. I try to be self aware, but I know I’ve hurt Bee over the years. It wasn’t healthy to use each other, string her along, and push her away.

We’ve slowly moved into a better place since February. I know Dolly is going to shake things up, I just need to make sure they both understand how much they mean to me. It’s a complicated mess.

“Noted,” Dolly says with a smirk. “I don’t think there’s anything else.”

“When was the last time you had a real meal or sleep?” I ask, beginning to clear dishes.

“Uh, February,” she replies. “I think they lost their jobs, so there was this increased need for more drugs and money. They stole thousands of dollars from me. I tried keeping it at Percy’s, in my locker, but they told me if I wasn’t bringing home money that they’d sell me to their friends. I refused to go home after that.”

“I don’t want you to go home,” Bronwyn squeaks, the emotion riding her voice hard. Her eyes shine with unshed tears, but she manages to hold them back. “Stay with us for the weekend, because you want to, not because of the money.”

“I just found you, I’m not leaving yet,” Dolly reassures her. “What was the winning bid anyway?”

I clamp my lips together because I don’t want to tell her, but Bee answers her.

“Three million dollars,” she says. “There was no way anyone else was going to win, Dahlia. Not in a million years.”

Smirking as I watch the surprise and shock in Dolly’s face, I wipe off the counters and fill up water bottles to take into the living room.

“Drink,” I grunt, placing the bottles in front of them. I grab a glass and fill it with water, chugging it before cleaning it and placing it in the drying rack. “Let’s go to the living room and we can keep talking. It’s more comfortable.”

“Yes, and you can watch us drink our water,” Bronwyn teases as she takes a sip of the ice cold liquid. I don’t miss her small moan as she slides off the chair.

Dolly raises her brow, but sips her water as she moves to the living room.

“So that’s everything?” I ask once we’re settled.

Shrugging, she nods. “That’s everything I can think of at the moment,” Dahlia says tiredly.

Trauma dumping is exhausting, so I don’t blame her at all.

“Okay,” I say, taking a breath. “Bee, if you could have anything, what would you want?”

“In general?” she asks. At my nod, Bee grins. “I would want Dahlia back in my life. I miss you every day. I know you may be different, there may be secrets, but I don’t care. It must have been such a shock to see Jack and I together at the auction…”

Realizing that Bee is leading somewhere, I glance at Dolly who nods. “My thoughts were muddled and I was struggling to make sure I told you everything I could before I left the mansion,” she explains. “Somehow, I never thought you two would end up together romantically. It threw me.”

“It was never supposed to be us,” I say gently. “You and Bee were happy. If life had happened differently, I’m sure you’d be insanely happy and planning your life. I should be a better man and bow out, but I’m not. I’m a possessive man. I want you both.”

I don’t mention love, because I can’t. I don’t completely understand how I feel for Bee. She’s the first person I reach for every day, I worry about her safety, and who I speak to about my life.

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