Owned by the Billionaire(10)

With that dubious reassurance, he left the elevator and I trailed a few  steps behind, my feet heavy and dragging. The secretary just pointed to a  large set of double doors, and they opened at a touch, revealing a  glossy conference room. Three people were waiting for us, already seated  on the far side of the gleaming table. Their heads turned as the doors  opened, and I paused on the threshold, frozen in place by the raw  aggression that seemed to fill the room.

Miles strode forward resolutely. Pulling out a chair, he politely waited  for me to sit. It took a moment as I forced my trembling legs to carry  me to the table. He didn't seem to notice, and dropped easily into the  next chair over. "Well, Clarice, you asked to see me, and here I am.  What do you want?" His voice was blandly polite. Disturbed and afraid, I  huddled down in my chair.

For all her fearsome reputation, Clarice Sinclaire-Jensen was a slight  woman, shorter and slimmer than me. Her auburn hair was coiled high in  an elegant french twist, and her rich brown pantsuit was tastefully  demure. Fire shot through her blue eyes as Miles' spoke, though, belying  her careful appearance. This was a dangerous woman.

She was flanked on either side by huge men, battered and scarred brutes.  They leered at me briefly, stripping me bare with their eyes, before  returning their hard gazes to Miles. I was glad to be rid of their  unnerving attention. What was going on here, anyways? Were they her  bodyguards?

My wandering attention snapped back to Clarice when she finally spoke,  her soft voice poisonously sweet. To my total surprise, she spoke  directly to me, ignoring Miles. "Hello, Rachel Menard. It's nice to see  you again."

My stomach turned to ice. She knew my real name! Glacially slow, Miles  turned to me and arched a brow. I shrugged helplessly in response.  Surely he hadn't thought my name was actually Sophia Anders. If anything  ever called for pseudonyms, virgin auctions certainly did! He stared at  me for a long moment, and then turned away without a sound.

Clarice was avidly staring at this little drama, obviously pleased with  the blow she'd dealt her ex-husband. God, why was she such a bitch? Hot  anger flared and I spoke without thinking. "I don't believe we've met,  actually. I don't think you had the balls to show up at the auction  yourself."

She smiled thinly, and my heart sank. "Of course not. What sort of  depraved individual would attend such a thing? Desperate virgins selling  themselves to the highest bidder, good Lord. Tell me, Rachel, how does  it feel to be a whore?" I cringed, and she went for blood, sneering at  me. "I see that you're wearing my cast-offs, as well as fucking them."         

     



 

Curiously, her attack on Miles fanned my faltering rage more than the  personal insult had. I sat up straighter, lifting my chin. "Some people  don't appreciate what they've got."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "See, now, that's  the lack of experience talking. I bet he loves that about you. In fact,"  she leaned forward, meeting my eyes dead-on, "I'm entirely sure that  that's the only thing he values about you."

Miles cut in, his voice tired. "Get to the point, Clarice. I'm tired of your claws."

She ignored him once more, her eyes boring into mine. "Are you still a  virgin, Rachel?" She read my answer on my face, and smiled viciously. "I  knew it! I knew he'd drag the whole filthy thing out as long as he  could, make you play his warped games. Excellent."

I protested this unfair characterization, but she held up a hand for  silence, eerily similar to Miles' now-familiar gesture. "Please, don't  try to justify his perversions. I have had extensive experience with the  man, after all." She shuddered delicately.

I couldn't help glancing at Miles after this intimate insult. He didn't  look at me, and all I could read from his profile was bored impatience.  Clarice went on.

"Well, that does make things easier. Alright, boys!" She gestured to the  men at either side, and they brightened, their dull faces swinging  towards me. "Fuck her silly. Right here, on the table."

"Wait, what?!?" I shouted as the thugs rose to their feet. They smirked  at me as they started to circle the long conference table. "No! You  can't do this!"

Clarice looked down, idly examining her nails. She spoke  disinterestedly. "Actually, I can. I still own your contract, and hence,  your virginity. I merely loaned you to Miles, Rachel. And now I'm  loaning you to my new friends, Harry and Marco."

She gestured at each man as she named them, and they leered at me, huge  hands flexing ominously. Clarice ruthlessly continued, ignoring my  sputtering denials and still inspecting her manicure. "I'm afraid  they're not very polite. Quite uncivilized, really. And they love  breaking in virgins; fucking you will be a real treat for them."

The huge men were getting closer, and I leapt to my feet in growing  panic. Looking up at my sudden movement, Clarice wagged a lecturing  finger at me. "Ah-ah, Rachel, remember, the contract is harshly punitive  should you try to evade delivery of the goods. We don't want to go  there, do we? I know you really need this money for your family, after  all." The blood drained from my face, leaving me cold and clammy. This  evil woman clearly knew far too much about me!

Her goons hadn't stopped moving during this speech and I was nearly  within their arms-reach, trapped against the table. Panting with fear  and desperate, I knelt by Miles' chair. He turned to me slowly, face  still disturbingly blank. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Clarice  raise a hand, and the two men stopped in their tracks. "Miles, please,  help me! Don't let her do this!"

Not meeting my eyes, he spoke, his voice dull. "And you accuse me of playing sick games. What do you want, Clarice?"

"Why, Miles, I'm so glad you asked." Clarice beamed at us, and I itched  to slap her. I clenched my fists in my lap as her sweet voice drawled  on. "I just need you to vote my way at the board meeting next Wednesday,  is all. Just agree to vote with me, and I'll lend Rachel to you again."

Miles jerked back, a bit of color returning to his face. "You bitch! You  know I'd never... that fucking merger is obscene, Clarice. It's against  everything I ever worked for. It's against everything this company  stands for!"

Clarice rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "What the company stood for,  perhaps. But times have changed." Miles hesitated, and she pressed on,  her voice cuttingly sharp. "You are no longer in control here, Miles! I  am. You can't stop me; you can barely even slow me down. All you can do  is get your new toy hurt. Is your pride worth her suffering?" She  twitched a finger, and the grinning men stepped in closer, looming over  me as I knelt on the floor.

I could see the intense conflict playing across Miles' face. The  upcoming vote must be about something deeply important to him. And  really, why shouldn't he value the company he built from nothing over  the well-being of a girl he had met less than a day before? How could I  ask him to make this sacrifice to save me from the contract I'd  voluntarily signed? I was fucked anyway, quite literally. I couldn't let  him do it. No, I had to stop this nightmare myself, whatever it took.

I took a deep breath and stood up straight, squaring my shoulders. "I'll  do it." My voice was barely a whisper, unheard. Nobody was even looking  at me. I was a trophy being fought over, not a person, and the  realization pissed me off. Anger gave me strength and I tried again,  forcing the words past my reluctant tongue. "I said, I'll do it!"  Everyone stared at me, startled at my shout. I swallowed hard, one hand  clutching the back of my chair as my knees shook.         

     



 

Clarice opened her mouth, but I talked over her. "I signed the fucking  paper, not him. This doesn't involve Miles. I'll fulfill the god-damned  contract."

Miles turned to me, his expression unreadable. I couldn't meet his eyes.  God only knew what would happen next, but I was certain that I wouldn't  be going home with him again. The feel of his hard body against mine  flashed through my mind, the way he angered and aroused me, like no one  else ever had. Selfishly, I wanted to spend more time with the  infuriating, fascinating, complicated man I so recently come to know.  That was an impossible fantasy, though, and I had to face reality. I  looked away, biting my lip.

Clarice had closed her mouth, her eyes calculating. I met her gaze,  unflinching, and she nodded with grudging respect. "Very well, Rachel.  Let's finish this."

I swayed on my feet, blinking hard and fighting down the revulsion and  terror swirling inside me. Then a huge hand closed around my upper arm,  painfully tight. The bigger of the two men, Harry, dragged me forward,  knocking aside chairs and heading for the open space on the far side of  the room. I guess he didn't want to do it on the table, after all. I  kept my head down, panting and trying not to stumble, my mind strangely  blank and numb.