Page 5 of Tamed

Zara gave me a sympathetic look. “Fuck the patriarchy, right?” Then she grinned. “Literally, sometimes.”

I gave a reluctant laugh. “At this particular point in time, I would like the patriarchy to fuck me a little less.”

“Fair.” Zara assessed me speculatively. “Speaking of, what are you doing Friday night?”

I tensed. This was going to be another invitation that I was going to have to decline, wasn’t it? “Um, not sure,” I muttered, at my most noncommittal. “Why?”

“Because I heard about this incredible private club that has a special night once a month where they let certain guests in. You want to come with me?”

I didn’t want to say no, not immediately, so I raised a brow. “What kind of club?”

“It’s very exclusive, only the super-rich or super famous get in. Like, not even B listers have access.”

“But on Friday anyone can come? Doesn’t sound all that exclusive to me.”

“Not just anyone,” Zara corrected. “It’s auction night and those who have something to auction get in whether they’re a member or not.”

“Auction night?” I repeated blankly. “What? You bring along your grandmother’s silver or something?”

“Uh, no. It’s notthatkind of auction. It’s um…. more sexy than that.”

“Sexy?” I gave her a narrow look. “What do you mean sexy? Is this some kind of fetish thing?”

Zara had, by her own admission, been to a number of sex clubs and I wouldn’t have been surprised if this club was one of them. But she shook her head. “Nope. It’s a private club and it’s really,reallyexclusive. But one Friday a month, they allow a kind of auction where you can auction yourself off for a night to members.” Her eyes glowed. “I thought I could make some money.”

I blinked. “Seriously? You’re going to auction yourself off? To anyone?”

“Sure, why not? I need the cash and it could be fun. Certainly, a great way to meet a billionaire, right?”

Zara hadn’t been that forthcoming about her background, but I did know that she didn’t have much money and was always looking for more. I kind of related. My money was all bound up in Fox Tech and was Dad dependent, and I’d never felt like any of it was mine. But it was still more than she had, and I felt the same urge I always did, to offer to pay for things or lend her some cash. Except I suspected she wouldn’t take it. She was proud in her way and was all about doing things herself, and hey, I definitely related to that, too.

“Sounds sketchy,” I muttered.

“Maybe.” It didn’t seem to bother her much. “But life is for living right?”

I lifted my coffee mug in a toast. “Not wrong and more power to you.”

She clinked her mug with mine. “So? Want to come along? Make sure I don’t get into trouble?”

The same old excuses leapt to my tongue, and I was on the verge of being ready to spout them, when I caught myself. Because really? Twenty-three and I was still allowing myself to be held hostage to my dumb, overprotective father?

Why shouldn’t I go? It sounded potentially risky, and Zara might need some support. And I never did anything risky. I never went anywhere. I never did anything, period.

I was tired of it. Tired of being told what to do and chewed out by stupid men.

Perhaps on Friday night I’d go out to a super exclusive club with Zara and who knew, I might even auction something off myself.

I grinned. “Sure,” I said. “Why not?”

2

Caleb

Istared in the direction of my office doors, not failing to notice how very carefully they’d been closed.

Isabel Fox was a goddamn problem.

I was very tempted to call Ten up and tell him that Isabel was proving to be an issue, and that I couldn’t have her working for me anymore. But that would involve me having to tell one of my closest friends that his daughter had a crush on me, and it would be better if she wasn’t in my vicinity, and that was a conversation I was in no hurry to have.

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