Bought (Highest Bidder #1)

by Lauren Landish

I look like I’m modeling for the grim reaper.

It’s funny how things turn out. Especially considering how I’d almost given up.

Dark thoughts always seem to be waiting in the shadows of my mind--stalking me, haunting me, and then pouncing right when I think things are going good. But things are better now, I try to convince myself. And I need to focus on being happy.

I don’t know why I get like this, why I let my own self-doubts cause me to miss out. It’s infuriating. And it’s a wonder I’ve even landed this job with all the insecurities weighing me down.

I need to be dominated, but I need to know it’s for pleasure and know that I have control. That I can stop it at any time.

But that’s what being a Sub is all about, I tell myself, surrendering all your control and power to another person and letting them take the reins.

need a Dom who’s going to force me to face my fears. A Dom who’s going to heal me, so I can move on with my life. My blood cools, and I close my eyes. With everything in me, I know that I need this.

She’s utterly gorgeous, but there’s an obvious innocence about her. I thought I’d be interested when I looked at her information initially, but now I’m certain that I have to have her. Treasure. She’s the one.

“Ask me, Dahlia,” I tell her. “If you have a question, I’m the one you need to ask. No one else.” “Sir?” she asks with those sweet hazel eyes peering up at me, filled with vulnerability. “Do I call you sir?” My dick is harder than it’s ever been in my entire fucking life. “Yes, treasure. You will call me sir.”

“Simply put, I’ll test you. I’ll push your boundaries and when I ask you where you are, you’ll answer red for stop, yellow if you’re getting close, or green if we’re in safe territory.”

“I’ll be looking for your limits. I don’t want to push you over the edge.”

“You’re mine, treasure. To do whatever the fuck I want to do to you.”

I love the way he’s looking at me; like I’m the only one in the room. And seeing as how we’re surrounded by beautiful, wealthy-looking women that make me feel insecure, I feel pretty fucking special right about now.

“You’re so beautiful, do you know that?”

“Sometimes family can do you worse than a person on the street would.”

She’s so fucking perfect, and she has absolutely no idea.

I wrap my arm around Dahlia’s shoulders, consumed by the need to touch her and protect her, my desire just to have her close.

That’s exactly what I keep thinking is going to happen. That he’s going to get tired of trying to heal me. Get tired of me being broken.

I don’t want to give myself a sense of false hope.

He knows what it feels like to be hurt by someone who claims to love you, to be betrayed by the very people you trust.

“You are a beautiful, talented young woman who’s had horrible things happen to her… but that doesn’t mean you can’t recover, that you can’t go on to live a fulfilling normal life.”

I sink into my chair, hating that I had to let her leave, but knowing I’ll have her back. She can’t leave me. I know she loves me. I fucking love her, too. I’ll give her whatever she wants. I just need her back.