Page 32 of Tamed

But eleven PM. That was late. Very late. Caleb would have found out by then that I’d escaped my detail and would have mobilized half the city trying to find me.

My hands were shaking as I picked up the phone and typed:Too late. Earlier?

There was no response. None. Which I took to mean take it or leave it.

Shit.

No, maybe that was a good thing. Late meant I had some time here to enjoy my night of freedom. Caleb had no idea where I was and if he didn’t know this place existed then I was safe for the meantime. I’d just have to be careful going into Central Park at night.

Going alone is a dumb idea and you shouldn’t drink anything more.

Yeah, it was. But while I had a choice about drinking, I had no choice about going alone. Even if I’d had someone to ask, I was sure that turning up with a friend would mean a no show by the person I was supposed to be meeting. Not that I had anyone to ask, which made the whole question moot.

And if I didn’t go? Then I’d never find out about Mom. I’d never know what kind of person she was or what her hopes and dreams were. I’d never know whether I looked like her and if that was the reason sometimes Dad couldn’t look at me. I’d never know if she’d been happy.

No, it wasn’t a choice. I had to go.

Putting my phone back down, I picked up the menu again — one cocktail, I could surely have one, couldn’t I? — then glanced toward the bar.

And every part of my entire being went cold.

Standing at the bar were Caleb, Atlas, and my goddamn father.

Instantly I pressed myself to the back of the booth, desperately hoping the dimness of the bar would hide me.

Fucking hell. What were they doing here?

My palms had gone clammy, adrenaline spiking in my blood.

The back of the booth was only partially hidden, and unfortunately that was where the lamp was, the light from it bathing me in a ‘here she is, your idiot daughter, come and get her’ glow.

I eased away from it, picking up the menu instead and holding it directly in front of my face, hopefully hiding me.

This was insane, and if I’d been thinking straight, it would have been perfectly obvious why they were here. Because this was a club for the extremely rich and powerful, and they were the three richest and most powerful men in Manhattan. Of course, they’d be here.

At a secret sex club that really doesn’t look like a secret sex club.

Yeah, and that wasn’t a thought I wanted in my head. Especially not with my father standing almost directly across the room from me.

My dad. At a secret sex club. Ugh.

I lowered the menu slightly to see what was happening.

To give him credit, Dad was not looking pleased to be there. He was glaring around while Caleb lounged beside him, looking sexy as hell in one of those dark charcoal suits I’d muttered darkly about to Zara, and a black shirt.

His tie tonight was dark red silk, like a splash of blood or spilled red wine, and even now, even when the risk of me being discovered was high, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

If there had been a law against men looking that hot, Caleb would have been downright illegal.

I was still peering at them over the top of my menu when the handsome guy that had initially greeted us began moving through the crowd. He touched a shoulder here, leaned in to murmur there, ushering people to the back of the bar where the curtains surrounding the doorway had been pushed back and the door opened.

Zara’s auction was starting.

I swallowed. Then watched in horror as Atlas clapped Dad on the back and the three of them moved with the rest of the crowd, disappearing through the curtained doorway.

Shock echoed through me, freezing me in place.

They were going to a virginity auction. All three of them. Holy hell, were they here to bid on Zara?

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