Page 1 of Filthy and Dirty with my Captors

Chapter One

Rosie

My best friend Owen stares at me with a slacked jaw. He’s the sweetest with sound morals, and I gather he’s never going to fully understand why I’d join a website likeFantasy Driver.

“What the hell were you thinking, Birdie? You can’t sell your virginity!” He scrubs his big, square hand down over his clean-shaven face as though I’ve stressed him to the max this morning.

It wasn’t my intention for anyone to find out about the auction. I told one friend in passing that I was thinking about it, but other than that I haven’t told a soul, and I wouldn’t have either. Turns out, sharing a computer means clearing the browser history.

Whoops!

“I know, but did you see how much these guys are willing to pay for a virgin? The bidding is up over a hundred grand. I can get out of your house, pay you back for all the help you’ve given me, and finally go to nursing school.” I grin and tap his shoulder playfully. “Or maybe I’ll make enough that I’ll never have to work again.” I know that’s not true, but a girl can dream.

Owen pinches his lips together and raises his brows before lowering his gaze toward me. “How do we get you out of this?”

“I don’t want to get out of it.” I smile, trying to lighten the mood. I’m most definitely not stopping this auction. The biddingis nearly to one hundred and fifty grand. That’s insane! It’s more than I made in years owning my flower shop, and like quadruple what I got from the sale of it, but I’ll humor his questions a little longer.

“What about weirdos?” He pours two cups of coffee and slides one toward me with a straight face.

“Weirdos are everywhere and they’re usually not paying me, so… no worries.” I shrug and take a sip of the warm liquid that steams in front of me. I know this conversation can’t go on forever because we have to leave for work in like ten minutes, but I also want to ease his mind. “It’s a onetime thing. One night, one stack of cash, and my whole life changes.”

He shakes his head and adjusts the Chevy cap he’s wearing before pulling out his wallet. “If you need money, I can help. It’s not a hundred grand, but I can go to the bank later and—”

“I don’t need your money.” I step toward him on the opposite side of the butcher block island. Owen and I have known each other since our senior year of high school, and though our paths diverged here and there, we always stayed in touch and found each other again in this little mountain town a few years ago. I was lucky that he took me in when my shop was going under, and I’m lucky that he puts up with me every day. “I’m twenty-four years old. The fact that I still have my virginity is sort of…humiliating.I need the money, but it’s more than that. I want this over with. I mean, how did you lose yours?”

His cheeks turn pink as he brushes his hand across his forehead and darts his gaze to the side, as though he doesn’t want to have this conversation. “I don’t know… in the backseat of a station wagon or something.”

“Prom night, I assume?”

He nods. “I was a kid. Kids do dumb things.”

“Exactly,” I groan. “I should’ve done dumb things too because now I’m this weird, virgin girl who’s built this wholefirst-time thing up in her head, and let’s be real. Nothing’s gonna live up to what I’ve imagined. I might as well make some money, do the deed, and move on with my life with the rest of the de-virginized world.”

“It’ll be special with the right person.” He crosses his arms over his chest, inadvertently flexing his inked-up biceps. We talk about nearly everything, but we usually leave sex out of the equation.

I think I’ve made things awkward.

A visible lump moves down the center of his throat as his hand grazes my arm. “Birdie, please. Let’s just talk about this. We can find another way to get you the money, okay? Maybe you could start drawing again. People pay stupid money for art online. You can advertise how exclusive the artwork is. That always gets these dealers hard.”

I roll my eyes and shake my head. He’s called me ‘birdie’for as long as I can remember. He says my head is always in the clouds, but right now, I think it’s him that’s dreaming. “I haven’t drawn in years, but I love the suggestions.” I tip up onto my toes and kiss his cheek, taking in the scent of patchouli on his skin. It’s the same smell I’ve enjoyed every morning for the past year. It’s become a comforting scent for me. “I’ve gotta get to the coffee shop or my boss will have my ass.”

His hands rest on my elbows and his gaze is knotted with what I suppose is worry. “I don’t like this. I think you should take yourself off the website right now.” His tone is more stern than usual and there’s a flatness in his stare that lets me know he’s serious.

“What? No.” I sigh and lean into his solid frame for a hug. “I love you. I know you’re worried, but I’m okay. Really.”

His neck is stiff, and his brows are wrinkled. He’s really not going to let up with this. “When does the auction close?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Then what?” he groans, rolling his head in circles.

“Then… I meet up with whoever’s won, and I give them what they paid for.”

“Are you serious, Birdie!”His broad shoulders roll back before he clears his throat and checks the large circular watch on his wrist. He’s a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy, but he wears his grandfather’s Paul Newman style Rolex with pride. It’s tarnished like it’s been worn by mechanics for sixty years, but I’ve never seen him take it off. “If I didn’t have a meeting this morning with the techs at work, I’d tie you up right now.” Owen owns the only repair shop in town, and he’s always swamped. Tuesdays are especially bad because he’s low on staff. “We’ll talk about this more tonight. Are you coming home for dinner?”

I nod and smile. “Every day. I took chicken out for quesadillas. I thought we could catch up on that stupid dating show and make fun of people all night. You in?”

He leans down and kisses my forehead gently. “Always.”

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