Page 11 of Auctioned Surrender

I slowly detangle myself from her heartfelt embrace, hoping she knows, without me saying it, just how much her kindness means to me.

“We were so worried about you when you didn’t show up last night,” she says.

Carl was right. No one told the ladies they gave me two days off; they just let them think what they wanted. “I’m okay, Tanya, and I’m so sorry about last night’s no-show. I’ll make it up to anyone who had to take extra sessions for me while I was gone.”

I quickly throw my purse, which now holds all my new belongings, into the locker, select a bright, shiny pink costume, and head to the changing station. It may be nothing more than a cubicle hidden behind a curtain, with a small bench and full-length mirror, but it will do. I slide Damian’s t-shirt over my head, and his scent envelopes me, causing my thoughts to return to just how attracted I am to him. I try to shake it off, though, because it’s completely absurd to contemplate a longing that will never result in anything more than a fantasy.

I don’t have much time. I brush out my hair, throw on some face paint, shimmy into the hot-pink g-string, and pull on the little triangular scraps of pink and silver glittery material, before donning a pair of bright pink-and-black platform heels. I take a deep breath and walk out of the dressing room and into the crowded little bar.

I see the big boss just as he catches sight of me. His eyes darken in anger, but he won’t do anything in a crowd. He loves the money his ladies bring in, and I can only hope my show and the little number that Layla just did will be enough to calm his ire. He hasn’t been horrible to me, but I also haven’t given him reason to be upset with anything I’ve done, until now. I’ve heard the stories of how he treats the other women, but I’ve been sheltered to a large degree since Layla begged him to let me stay with her and not in the house where most of the women are usually kept.

The crowd is still in a state of high-pitched frenzy watching Layla take it all off. She works the crowd, grinding up and down the pole, before finishing with her signature pose and prancing off the stage under a thunderous applause.

I try to push down the fear, the awkwardness, and the nausea that bubble up every single night before a show, but I’m extra tense tonight. This needs to be a hell of a performance if I’m going to make up in dollars what I could have brought in the clubthe night before, and give my share to the ladies for the bosses. I head to the curtain and focus on my breathing, counting the beats of the pulsing rhythm, and on my cue, strut onto the stage like I’ve been doing it my entire life.

The tease comes first. A slow and sultry walk along the circumference of the bar, letting each patron take an up-close look at the goods barely covered by the minuscule g-string and bikini top I’m wearing. The music is pulsing and seductive, and I allow the soft timbre of the chord’s embrace to flood through my veins. The routine comes intuitively, a tantalizing dance that teases and promises more with each long stretch of my body—a slight caress of a dainty shoulder strap, a toss of my hair, a display of my bottom.

The crowd loves it, encouraging me with cheers, whistles, and hoots that drive the excitement and energy in the room to a palpable frenzy. They know what they want, and I wiggle my way around the stage just like I’ve been instructed, making them wait, and building the fever. They know when it’s coming, I hear the crowd’s husky whispers and the inhalation of aroused breath, just waiting for the moment when I release my top, and the men begin to cheer.

Chapter 9

Damian

The fact someone is holding something over this woman’s head is evident, and Bryanna’s clearly too scared to share whatever it is with me. She’s looking for a way to escape this penthouse and get back to whoever it is that has a hold on her. I may not like the idea, but right now letting her lead me to her problem is the only way I’ll find out what my little charge is afraid of.

Bryanna’s pretending to sleep, so I take my cell and backup piece before leaving everything else she’ll need in my pant pockets, and drop them to the floor before heading into the bathroom. As soon as the shower turns on, she scurries around the room. The jingle of loose change on metal alerts me to the fact that she’s rummaging around and has found the items, just as intended.

I send a message to intel with instructions, and another to the men who are on surveillance, before tossing my cell on the counter and stepping into the shower. The pelting of the overhead water works its magic on my muscles, allowing me a bit of comfort while every muscle in my body is screaming for me to go after her, not to let her out of my sight for a minute, but that’s not how this exercise works. I try to shake it off, letting a little time soothe my frayed nerves, but this woman has gottenunder my skin like no one else has ever done. I’m just drying off when my cell beeps, alerting me that it’s time.

Looks like she may be heading back to the club area.

It’s exactly where I thought she would go, but damn if I hadn’t hoped she would come to her senses and run back to me, or even far, far away, but that’s clearly not Bryanna. She’s going to head right back into the lion’s den. I may have more than a healthy admiration for her courage, but I also have a very strong desire to protect her myself and then turn that beautiful ass of hers upside down and paddle it red for putting herself in danger.

I get dressed, keeping myself paced to ensure she has enough of a head start to put a little distance between us and allow surveillance to do their job, but that also means they’re going to be at the club with Bryanna. They will see what I already consider as mine, and I find that completely un-fucking-acceptable. I double-time to finish getting ready and rush out to the street just as Garrett pulls up in his old car with Keith sitting in the passenger seat.

I’m just about to get into the back when Dereck walks up to the car. “Jay’s working with intel, and Matt and Cole are up ahead and trying to keep Brian cool on the phone. I’ll ride with you,” he says.

I give him a chin nod for thanks as we jump into the back. “Thanks for picking us up, you guys,” I say to Garrett and Keith, knowing that Evers is just ahead of us with Matt and Cole.

“You get this car fixed?” I ask Garrett.

“It’s ready for anything,” he says, pulling out into the heavy city traffic. The entire team is the best crew I’ve ever worked with, and after so long and all the things we’ve been through, they are more like brothers than anything. I know each andevery one of them feels the same and would do anything necessary to protect one another. All but Garrett, who I don’t know at all, but Keith seems comfortable with him, and he’s done exactly what I’ve asked up to this point.

I glance down at the message from Matt.

You owe me for dealing with Brian’s ass!

I chuckle because I can only imagine what Matt had to deal with. Brian Carrington would do anything for Jenny, especially finding her missing niece, but he’s also a hothead when it comes to protecting her and as controlling as they come.

I haven’t seen Jenny in weeks, not since we got her out of the mess with the Chicago Mafia. Matt is the one who was in charge of her protection before she met Brian and after that asshole of an ex-boyfriend hurt her so bad. They’ve become great friends, more like brother and sister since that time, and talk on the regular. I know she’s agonizing over the fact that her niece is missing, and it’s probably killing Matt that we can’t provide an answer for her yet. I also know he must be taking a shit-ton of heat from Brian, who is downright unruly when it comes to protecting Jenny from anything.

I pull up on my cell the tracking device on the security limo and watch the screen as the little blip of them following Bryanna makes its way back across the city, into the seediest part of town that I just pulled her from. “When we get there, I’m going in the front door. Evers is just ahead of us with Matt and Cole, who’ll run perimeter. He just pulled over, so you guys can take the limo, and Evers will drive in case things heat up. Can you two keep the limo on backup?” I ask Keith and Garrett.

“Roger that,” Keith says, while Garrett gives me a nod in the rearview and then pulls in behind the limo on the side of the road as we reach it.

The guys jump out, and Evers jumps in and pulls back onto the highway.

I turn to Dereck. “Can you keep your eyes on Layla? Find out if she knows anything else. She’s the best lead we’ve got. I have an entire team helping me watch Bryanna.”

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