Page 2 of Master B-1901

Swallowing was almost impossible as I got closer. Straight, chestnut brown hair was level with the woman’s defined jawline. She had round, pale blue eyes and a small, thin nose. Her lips were on the fuller side, almost too full, but for seconds I couldn’t break my stare from them. I licked my own lips, pulling at the collar of my t-shirt as I took in her emotionless expression.

Blank slate. Yes. She appeared as that. I liked it. I couldn’t hurt her. Not really. I could, but she wouldn’t feel it like a normal slave would. At least…I didn’t think so. They were programmed. Programmed to obey. To take orders. If she felt pain, she wouldn’t respond to it, which told me that it couldn’t be registering.

But…fuck. The woman was beautiful. Too beautiful for another slave I didn’t want to risk losing. I hadn’t even decided on the woman yet, and already the thought of killing her put a bad taste in my mouth. But wasn’t that nonsense? She was here to be bought. Someone would eventually buy her, and if that was the case, her fate would be no better with them than it would be with me. She’d die either way. And I didn’t necessarily dislike killing. I felt as though in my past it even got me off. It was just that…the fucking silence. Being alone…I liked being alone but…not with the confusion. The guilt? No. Not really but…

A growl left me. Fuck it. Shouldn’t I just take the win?Take her?Keep her for however long that happened to be?

I glanced back at the television. Back to the numbers rising on the screen that held the bids. I didn’t let the prices sink in. I didn’t care. Grabbing my phone, I hit the number provided with the binder, shifting on my feet as I began relaying the slave’s information to the guard.

“Would you like to come down and see your slave before you start the bidding process, Master Nineteen-oh-one?”

My head shook. “No. Start it.”

Another jump in my pulse.

“Done. She is up next on the queue. I will relay any matches to your bid when the time comes. You can increase the bid or pass.”

“Understood.”

I headed for the refrigerator, swinging it open as I reached in for a beer. Classical music began to play in my ear as I waited for the guard to return. Minutes passed. As they did, I paced, sucking down the cold liquid like it was air. I was just about done with my first beer when the guard’s voice came through.

“The bid has just been placed.” A few seconds. “Two bids. It’s up to two-hundred-twenty-thousand.”

I nodded, regardless that he couldn’t see me.

“Increase.”

I knew the bids went up ten thousand at a time for the first hundred thousand. I didn’t need a play-by-play to know the higher it went, the larger the bid increased.

“You’ve been outbid. Once.” He paused. “Twice. No, three times.”

A growl left me. Fucking scavenger motherfuckers. I’d only been bid against once while ordering over the phone so far, but I’d heard stories in the lounging areas how some of these Masters couldn’t resist a pretty face they hadn’t found first. My choice was gorgeous, and it was all about the steal. I had a feeling that was the case here.

“Keep going. Don’t stop until you have her. I don’t care how fucking high the bid goes.”

“Are you sure, Master?”

I took in her picture, feeling how a sensation almost like butterflies took over. My jaw tightened, and I turned, reaching in and grabbing another beer.

“Absolutely.”

“I will return after it’s over, Master.”

The classical music came back on, and I opened the beer, taking a big drink. Three drinks in, and I was back to pacing. To eating the floor up in strides way too determined for someone about to kill their investment. I slowed, coming to a stop as I let my training sink in.

Calm. Deep breaths. Breathe in. Hold. One-two-three-four-five. Breathe out. Breathe in. Hold.

“Sir.”

My eyes opened. Your bid has been secured. We will get your slave programmed and bring her to you promptly.

“Thank you.”

I didn’t bother asking how much he’d spent. Hanging up, I glanced back to the picture. Back to the woman who now belonged to me. Where I hadn’t paid attention to the personal information next to the photo, I found myself picking up the binder as I glanced over it.

Slave #:f0091

Close to my own number.

---