Page 14 of Sold to the Highest Bidder
A tiny part of him hoped that he would see her again. Even though he knew how far-fetched and unreasonable his hope was.
Six
Nazalie
The bed felt surprisingly cold. Nazalie stretched her arms across the bed, looking for the warm presence that held her all night long. Her drowsy searching came up empty; she was in bed alone. Joshua was gone. It didn't surprise her.
Memories of last night flamed hotter in her mind after simmering below the surface all night long. She may have had a couple of drinks and lost some inhibitions, but she remembered the sex. Good sex. Amazing sex. She'd been so hungry for him as she'd torn away his shirt, popping buttons in her frenzy.
His chest had captured her attention all by itself. She'd known he was muscular. The ripples under his shirt had been impossible to miss. Still, she wasn’t prepared for the full definition, the unmistakable strength, and power far more elemental than any money or prestige. It had totally knocked her off balance when she'd gone weak-kneed over a peek at Joshua's abs.
Joshua did her an immense favor by leaving first.
Nazalie sat up, stretching her hands above her head. Apart from the soreness of her muscles and the ache down below, she felt fine. Nazalie blushed, remembering the things they did all night long. She squeezed her thighs together to quell the throbbing between her legs. The sudden pressure in her bladder was a welcome distraction.
Standing up to pee, she noticed a note attached to the bedpost. Nazalie picked it up. It was from Joshua.
I will be gone by the time you read this. I had a great time and I hope you did too. You can stay the whole day if you want. Order in on my tab. I wish you luck, Nazalie.
Sincerely, Joshua.
Nazalie smiled, it was worth it. There was still more than enough time to meet the bakery's deadline.
Nazalie decided that she wasn't going to stay in the hotel room any longer than necessary. After taking a quick hot bath, she put on her clothes and left.
Her phone was vibrating nonstop in her purse. Nazalie had forgotten about it. Joshua seemed to take up all her attention. She hoped it wasn't her mother asking for money again.
"Twelve missed calls!" Nazalie exclaimed. They were all from the same person, Katherine. Nazalie understood why she would be worried. For all she knew, she was being tortured by a creep in a basement.
Nazalie called her to say she was okay and promised to give her the juicy details when they met in person.
The home was the same. Nazalie had no idea why she expected things to be different. Maybe it was because things weren't the same for her. She realized sadly, that life moves on, no matter what anyone does. Her mum was still the same, always drunk and glued to the couch. Work was the same; repetitive and oddly satisfying.
Within a week, the money had come into Nazalie's bank account.
Nazalie rushed to the bank to write the check for the bakery. She felt different, powerful as she held the cheque. That must be the feeling that came with having a million dollars in your account. The paper felt heavy in her hands. She had never held this much money before. It was exciting and scary at the same time.
It was Nazalie's day off, she was going to surprise Michael with the money. It was good news for both of them. She would be fulfilling her dreams and Michael would leave the bakery in the hands of someone he trusts.
The road leading to the bakery was almost totally blocked. The cab couldn't pass by, so Nazalie told him she would walk the rest of the way. There were men in construction worker clothing everywhere. To her dismay, they were planning to tear the bakery down.
What was going on? Did Michael agree to this? Luckily, she spotted Michael standing a block away from the bakery.
"Michael!" Nazalie called, running to where he stood. She could barely hear herself over the sound of the machines getting ready to destroy the bakery.
Nazalie could see the guilt and pain in his eyes when he spotted her.
"What's going on, Michael?" she asked when she got closer.
"I'm sorry, Nazalie. I knew that there was no way you could come up with the money."
"So you decided that it was better to demolish it instead of selling it to me?"
Nazalie’s heart sunk and the blood in her veins stilled. She trusted Michael. How could he do this?
"I’m not the one who is demolishing the bakery Nazalie."
“The new owner?”
