Page 14 of The Ties We Break

“Yeah, I am an underground cage fighter. Declan here is my unofficial manager. There’s a wanker from Belfast flying in who thinks he can break my undefeated streak. I’ve heard he’s a crazy motherfucker, but that eejit doesn’t scare me. The fight is tomorrow.” I can see Cherry’s eyes lighting up even more with every word. Women love a fucking bad boy. What she doesn’t realise is that Kian is not a bad boy. Yes, he works for one of Ireland’s most prominent crime families and participates in underground fights, but that’s it. He would never get in a real fight unless someone else threw the first punch or to defend someone he loves. Kian is a good guy, it just takes a while for people to see through his rough exterior.

Me, on the other hand? I look like a strait-laced guy. A good job, nice suit, no bruises on my face. I’m clearly thegoodone out of the two of us, but they couldn’t be more wrong. I’m the one with the tortured past that haunts my dreams. I’m the one who has done things that would make you freeze in fear. I may look like a respectable member of society, but I realised long ago that I’m a beast, a monster, and nobody will ever change that.

Kian releases Cherry’s hand as she speaks. “Maybe we can come and watch?” Her voice has taken on that sickly sweet tone women tend to adopt when trying to sound flirty and cute. I fucking hate it. I would much rather women be real with me.

I begin to say no and to tell Kian why that’s a bad fucking idea, but he stops me before I get a chance. “Of course. Declan will get your friend's number, and he will text her when the location is released. The fight is at ten tomorrow night. They won't announce the venue until at least nine,” Kian explains, and I can’t help the groan that escapes me. Not only did he tell these women they can come, but he also dragged me into swapping numbers and communicating with this girl. I know what he is doing, and it will not work. I am not interested, no matter how fucking beautiful she is.

Before anyone gets a chance to complain, Kian sends a slight nod of the head toward me, as he hastily heads off in the direction of the exit. Cherry looks after him longingly before finally jumping off the stool I didn’t even see her climb onto, grabbing her beer bottle and saying goodbye to her friend. I can’t hear what they’re talking about, but it lasts longer than a simple goodbye. Women, they can’t even keep their goodbyes to a minimum. They just fucking love to talk.

As Cherry walks away, the girl whose name I have yet to learn turns to me, her bright chocolate eyes piercing mine before she finally speaks more confidently than I expected. “Shall we get this over with?”

I can’t help the small yet deep laugh that escapes. This woman constantly surprises me. Downing the rest of my drink, I climb from my seat and walk a few steps beyond the bar to a door. I don’t need to look behind me to know she is following.

Using the key I keep secured to my trousers, the door opens to another corridor, except this one is my personal one. The first door on the right is my office, which is the one I stop in front of initially before changing my mind and continuing further into my living quarters. Next, is the room Desmond insisted on me having, and luckily the door is closed so as not to scare her. Then at the end of the corridor is another locked door, only this time it opens with my handprint. This is essentially my house. So while I may bring people into my office or playroom, the area we are about to enter is totally off-limits for everyone. She will be the first person other than Kian to step foot back here. I don’t miss the questions running through my brain asking why I’m letting her in here. What the hell am I doing? I push them aside and ignore them.

Opening the door to my large open-plan kitchen, living room, and dining room, I gesture for her to enter and watch as she takes in the whole room, her eyes widening as she realises that this isn’t my office and is instead my home. She looks almost frozen, but I need her to know what she is in for with this auction. She will be made to follow instructions, and if she doesn’t know her sexual limitations, this can be very dangerous, and I will not allow her to get hurt in any way. She appears to be stubborn enough that I can’t talk her out of it. So, I sure as fuck am going to make sure it’s safe for her to participate.

“Have a seat on the couch, and let’s get started.”

Looking around at Declan’s sleek, surprisingly clean living room, I can’t help but shuffle around on the smooth, black leather sofa. When Declan sat down on one side, I deliberately placed myself as far away from him as possible. I don’t really know why. I can’t deny that the way he holds himself and his dark, dangerous glare scare me a little, but something makes me think it’s an act. There’s been times when I’ve caught that little carefree smirk he throws my way without really meaning to, and they make him seem a lot younger and a lot more carefree. I genuinely believe that someone truly evil wouldn’t have a carefree side. Maybe that’s why I have no problems being alone in his room even though nobody knows where I am? Perhaps, for some insane reason, I have a little bit of trust in him?

“I’m sure Cherry has filled you in on the logistics of how the auction works, but I’m going to tell you about it from a management point of view, so bear with me, okay?” His deep rumbling voice breaks through my internal musings, and I turn more on the sofa, so I am facing him. Tucking my leg up under my butt, I make myself more comfortable.

“Yes, I understand.” Argh, I hate how shaky my voice sounds. I want to come off as a strong, confident woman who has no qualms about her decision. But I actually sound like a timid little schoolgirl. I know Declan thinks this too because he rolls his eyes at me.

“Before I begin, I just realised I don’t even know your name.” He doesn’t ask it as a question, but I reply anyway.

“I know you guys mostly use pseudonyms, but I guess you will need to know my real name for legal purposes. My name is Isabelle White, but most people call me Issy.”

He doesn’t reply immediately, almost like he’s musing over my name, making me nervous. My fingers are picking at the skin around my fingernails, a nervous habit I just can’t seem to kick. “Belle suits you better,” he finally replies with a slight hint of a smile. Fuck, it’s like the smallest smile I have ever seen, yet my stomach is still doing more flips than an Olympic gymnast. I can’t even begin to deny that I’m attracted to Declan, and that little smile was like crack to my aching core. I want more of him, so much more, and that scares the shit out of me.

“Okay, Belle can be my club name. Is your name really Declan?” I ask, desperately craving more information about him.

“No, your club name must be something else. Belle is my name for you and nobody else’s. Understand?” His voice is strong and authoritative, and I can’t help but agree. “Good. And, yes, my name is Declan, or some people call me Dec. Now, let’s get to the main bits.”

Dec, I like that.

“I will go by Rose in the club, if that’s okay?”

He pauses for a second before nodding and reaching over to the table next to the sofa. He picks up some pieces of paper, which he then begins to read from. “This is a legal contract. Everyone who participates in the auction, either as someone who is selling themselves, or someone who may wish to place a bid, must complete this contract. Without it, you cannot take part. Safety is my main priority with an event like this. Everyone is screened fully. A background check, police review, and a full medical will be required at least a couple of days before the event. At that appointment, a full sexual health screening will be undertaken, and you will be instructed to abstain from any form of intercourse from that time until the auction. If this rule is broken, severe consequences will be enforced.”

I can’t help the slight snigger that bursts from my lips as he talks about abstaining. Like that will be a problem for me.

“I’m sorry. Is there something funny about me trying to ensure your safety?” Dec snaps, his face showing displeasure.

“I wasn’t laughing at that part. It was the abstaining part. Call it an inside joke,” I explain, hoping like hell he doesn’t ask what the joke is.

“Well, if you’ve finished being childish, can I continue?”

I want to yell and argue that laughing at something you found funny is hardly childish behaviour, but I think better of it. I will only come off as more immature, or worse yet, piss him off. So I indicate with a nod that he should continue.

“Right, so once I have made sure that everyone involved is safe, I make sure I know about the people taking part and the people bidding. I need to know that if someone vows to spend twenty thousand, they actually have that kind of cash available. Then the other part is making sure that people are matched up appropriately. I get to know what the people auctioning themselves are willing to do and what they aren’t. This helps to compare against bidders. So, for example, if someone bids on you and I know they have a fetish for whipping with a cane, but I know that is one of your hard limits, I won’t allow the bid. Even if the bidder states they won't use the cane and will respect your requests, there is no way I’m risking it. I want you to feel safe with whoever buys you. That’s the most important thing for me.”

I can tell by the way his gaze remains fixed on mine, and his chest puffs out, along with the sly smile on his face, he is proud of everything he just said. And he has every right to be. Auctioning yourself off to a stranger for a night is a scary prospect, so to know that he is doing everything he can to make it safe is reassuring.

“That’s good to know.” I give him a big smile as I tell him I mean that. I know the words don’t quite convey everything, but this guy has me all kinds of tongue-tied, and that was the best I could manage.

“So, I need to get to know you, Belle. I need to know what you like, what you don’t like, and what you are willing to try or aren’t. But most importantly, I need to know what your hard limits are so I can ensure I don’t put you in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable.” His voice is deep, and the rumbles vibrate straight to my core. How can a voice be sexy?

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