Page 10 of Sold on Them

“Holy, shit! Youaregoing to kill me! You’re taking me to the basement to murder me!”

Leonard chuckles as he shakes his head. “I’m really not. The club is underground to help it remain a secret. But if it makes you feel better, you can continue to think that’s what we’re headed toward.”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I realize how ridiculous I’m being. “Sorry,” I say, ducking my head as my face flushes.

“It’s quite alright, I assure you,” he says as the elevator comes to a stop and the door slides open.

My mouth falls open as I take in the sight before me, the doors starting to slide shut again before Leonard sticks his hand out to stop it. His other hand goes to my lower back, where he applies a light pressure. “You’ll have to step out of the elevator to continue your evening.”

I do as requested, a pretty brunette stepping up to us, a smile splitting her face. “Hi, there. My name is Mel, and who do we have here?”

“Phoenix.” I stumble over the pseudonym, but at least I don’t fuck up and give my real name.

Mel’s smile only grows as she waves to Leonard before leading me over to a desk where I see a tablet and a small bowl. “I’ll be the one showing you to your dressing room, but first, you’ll need to choose a number to determine where you’ll appear in the auction.”

I dip my hand into the bowl she offers me, grabbing the first paper I find. Lifting it, I open to find it has the number twelve on it. “Twelve,” I tell her, and she smiles.

“You’ll be near the end of the auction,” she tells me, eyes focused on the tablet as she enters something into it. Once she’sdone, she sets it on the table and steps further into the club, waving for me to follow her. “This way.”

My head is on a swivel as I take in the opulence of the club. Everything is black and gray. The chairs and barstools are black leather. Even the bar is black, though the top of it seems to be made of dark wood.

Realizing I’ve fallen behind Mel, I hurry to catch up as she steps into a hallway that is even more opulent. The walls are painted black with modern art hanging along them. I’m guessing the floor is marble, and there are freaking chandeliers!

We pass a few doors with names on them, but I don’t pay them much attention until we come to stop in front of one that has Phoenix emblazoned on it.

Mel pushes the door open, stepping aside and gesturing for me to enter. “This is you. Hair and makeup will be by shortly to help you out. I’ll be back to take you to the stage when it’s your turn.”

“Thanks, Mel,” I call to her as she shuts the door, leaving me alone in the lavish dressing room. The walls are a light gray with art on the walls, but I’m not much into art so I ignore them. The vanity is black with large bulbs surrounding the mirror, and the theme of black leather continues into the furniture inside the dressing room. There’s a door on one of the walls, and when I swing it open, I find a bathroom.

I also spy some drinks and snacks lying out. It’s nice of them to provide us with refreshments since the auction doesn’t start until eight. And who knows how late it’ll be by the time I make it onto the stage since I’m twelfth.

Damn, I should’ve asked how many people were up for auction. It’s too late now.

I settle onto the couch, lying down and closing my eyes. Now that I’m here, I feel a lot calmer. It’s not like I’m suddenly going to change my mind now that I’m inside. There’s still a bit of nervousness at the unknown, but I can deal with that. This couchis really comfortable. I think I’ll rest a bit before the hair and makeup people arrive.

A knock resonates through the room, and I jerk awake.

“Fuck,” I mutter as I sit up, then call out, “Come in!”

Blinking to clear the sleep from my eyes, I turn to see a gorgeous man step inside.

“Hello, Phoenix! My name is Sebastian, and I’ll be doing your hair and makeup tonight.” He pulls in a cart behind him before his eyes find me. “Oh, were you napping?”

I snort. “I guess so. I didn’t mean to fall asleep, but that couch is so comfortable.”

He grins. “That makes me feel better about being late then. Come have a seat, and we’ll see what we can do to enhance that girl-next-door vibe you’ve got going. If you want to show me what you’re wearing, it’ll help me too.”

“I’m already wearing it,” I warn him.

“You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before. I’m a professional.” Mischief plays in his eyes, and I decide I like him.

Pushing to my feet, I undo the tie and pull apart my wrap dress to show him.

“Well, damn. Yeah, that looks good on you. They’re going to eat you up.” Sebastian’s eyes meet mine before he nods to the chair in front of the vanity. “Come have a seat. I know just what we’re going to do.”

Once Sebastian is finished, it’s nearly eight, and I know the auction will be starting soon.

“Darling, it’s been wonderful working with you.” Sebastian leans over to kiss my cheek. “You look amazing, if I do say so myself.”

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