Letty: Yep.
Lilou: Whoa.
That about sums uphow I’m feeling right now too. I tuck my phone into my purse.
I try to get myself together a bit as I wait for him to come back. By the time that Hugh comes back to the room, I’m composed and ready to leave.
“We’re all set here. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
He wraps his arm around my shoulder, and together, we head down the dark hallway and out the front door. It’s dark out, and I stick close to Hugh as he leads me over to his car. He opens the passenger door, and I slip inside, tucking the blanket around me.
“Where are we going?” I ask him as he climbs behind the wheel.
“Home.”
“Yours or mine?” I ask, letting out a giggle. “I’ve kind of always wanted to say that,” I admit, and he smiles slightly.
“Mine.”
I nod, and we ride in silence back to his place. It’s not far from the auction house, just a little further up the mountain, and soon enough, we’re pulling into his driveway.
“I didn’t think to ask. Was your car at the house?” He asks me as we park.
“No, they had sent a car. It’s back at my house.”
He nods and climbs out of the car. I scramble to do the same. He opens my door and grabs my hand, tugging me out of the seat. The blanket starts to come undone and he wraps it tighter around my shoulders as we head inside.
“It’s late. You must be tired,” he says once the door is shut behind us. “Come on.”
He leads me up the stairs and down a short hallway to the left. Hugh’s house is huge, and I’ve really only seen the kitchen, his office, and one of the living rooms. I glance around now, butthere’s not much to see. There are no art or pictures on the walls, and the other doors are closed.
He opens one of the doors and ushers me inside ahead of him.
“This isn’t your room,” I blurt and he shifts on his feet.
“Um, no. It isn’t.”
“Why am I not sleeping with you?” I ask him.
“Letty, I’m not going to fuck you tonight.”
“Then why did you buy me?”
“Because I’m not about to let anyone else have you.”
“What does that mean?” I ask him, and his lips compress as he presses them together.
It’s obvious that he’s not going to answer me, and I frown at him. I want to demand that he answer my question, but before I can, he asks a question of his own.
“Why were you at the auction? Why did you put yourself up for sale?”
My mouth slams shut. I don’t want to tell him why I was there. I don’t want to explain my messed up family to him or tell him about how I now apparently owe some loan shark a quarter of a million dollars. We both remain silent and stare at each other, locked in a stalemate.
“Good night, Letty,” he says finally, and I sigh.
“Night, boss.”
“Hugh,” he growls.