Sold (Highest Bidder, #2)

by Lauren Landish

She refused my collar for weeks. I knew she wanted it, but the last one she wore wasn’t by choice.

To think I can no longer hold her close and pet her with long strokes as I whisper, thank you into her thick fur. She’d done so much for me, more than anyone else has: loving me, healing me, that even if she were here now, I’d never be able to repay her for it.

In this new city, with a new life, the past doesn’t matter. I can be anyone. But with them, I’ll always be Katia, their daughter who was taken for four years. And worse, when I look at them, I see how the years changed them.

stare down at it. It's simple but elegant, just two thin silver bands with an empty space in between. It means I wish to be a Slave. It grants me access to the club, but it also serves as a sign to those who are looking for partners.

Seeing these women following around these powerful men obediently, reminds me of how much I crave a Master. How much I need a Master.

This walking deity becomes the only thing that exists in the room for me, and his eyes seem to silently say to me, You’re fucking mine.

Your eyes will never be cast down, and your head never bowed. You represent me, and you will demand respect.

You are my greatest treasure, and your trust in me will not be taken for granted.

suck in a deep breath, the realization of what this all means washing over me. There’s no turning back now. I’m his.

She may think this is play, or a fantasy come to life. But for me this is real. I know she needs someone to heal her, and I so badly want to be her Master. I want to take those terrors away from her, to replace them with the pain and pleasure she needs.

My heart clenches in my chest. This isn’t what I thought it would be. It’s so much more. Submitting to Isaac makes me feel liberated. My past is losing its grip on me. And it's all thanks to Isaac.

“What if I told you you’ve only had one Master, Katia? What would you say then?” She turns in the bed, finally looking me in the eyes. “I’d say a Master is a good thing. A Master is a savior.” Her admission makes my heart hurt. I want to save her. And I will.

I don’t want to leave him. I may not say it out loud, I may not want to admit it. But I love him. Whether that’s wrong or right, I don’t care. I need to give him a reason to keep me.

“I don’t want another Master. Ever. If I can’t have Isaac back... if he doesn’t want me,” my voice trails off and it’s hard to think that he’s really through with me. “Isaac is being foolish, and he will have you back. Trust me, I know when a man is in love.”

One truth I’ll never deny is this: I’m more of a Slave to her than she ever was, or will be, to me.