Page 8 of Pushed Through The Dark
I could smell his cologne, the scent turned my stomach, making me want to throw up. It was the first thing I smelled after waking up in my room that first night, and it has stayed with me ever since. The temptation to run zipped through my brain, making my heart speed up and my toes tingle with the muscle memory of movement.
I knew I couldn't. Even if I wanted to, there was nowhere for me to go. The room sounded like it was filled with people, I wouldn't make it two feet before someone else grabbed me and handed me back to Blue.
Don't do anything stupid, Aubrey.
Today isn't the day you die.
I could hear the small voice inside me, the one that was trying to keep me alive. Running would equal death, simple as that. Today didn't have to be that day.
The man's voice crackled in my ear, causing my head to shift towards the ceiling. It sounded like his voice was coming from a speaker, but it was hard to tell where he was in the room.
"Gentlemen, why don't you get your wallets ready and take a look at Starla."
The name Virgo gave me came out of the man's mouth as Blue tore the sack off my head. The light was blinding, causing me to blink hard and lift my hand to block my eyes.
As the room came into focus, all I could see were faces. So many faces that I couldn't even count them all.
And they were all staring at me like I was a piece of art, an object strung up for them to admire, for them to stake a claim on.
Twisting my head, I stood in shock, unable to really grasp the gravity of the situation.
What is this? What the hell is going on?
Blue used his rough fingers to push the hair over my shoulder and out of my face. Lowering his mouth to my ear, he spoke softly. "Get ready pet, every man in this room wants to fuck you until they either get bored, or their dick falls off." His chuckle was deep and full, making my stomach curl in on itself.
No! No!
Like a scared puppy, my eyes darted around the room, hanging on individual faces for a single breath, then moving to the next. Tears were building behind my eyes and my lip had started to tremble as I watched men lick their lips eagerly, and their eyes expand in excitement.
Dropping my head into my chest, I shut my eyes. I couldn't look anymore. I didn't want to look anymore. Every face made me sick, every smile made me wince.
Blue's fingers slid over the back of my neck, tangling into the roots of my hair and snapping my head up. Holding my head straight, I couldn't look at anything but the pack of wolves ready to tear me to pieces.
"Can I get ten? Ten, I see ten, can I get twenty? I see twenty, can I get thirty?"
The announcer rattled off numbers into a microphone as his voice crashed out of the speakers behind my head, and his finger pointed around the room.
Every number he said stabbed my skull and lit my skin on fire. The numbers were prices, money the bidding men were willing to pay for me.
I was stunned, standing in shock. Men in suits, men of different ages, men with paddles and numbers, and girls sitting at their feet. There were men petting women like animals as they laid their heads in their laps. And men getting head as they watched another woman ride her master.
It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I had heard about it though, about the auction, about the way men dropped thousands just to have one of Virgo's girls to call their own.
I just never expected to see it with my own eyes—or become one of those girls.
Blue spoke into my ear again, his voice low, and his breath rancid. "You're fetching a pretty penny, little girl, Virgo will be pleased."
The announcer kept calling numbers as pops of color exploded around the room. My eyes flicked in different directions, trying to follow the paddles, but they were popping up all over, the red and yellow bursts were exploding like tiny fireflies in the darkness.
"SOLD!" his yell cut through the air and slammed into my chest.
Sold. . . I'm sold. . .
Looking up, Blue sneered as our eyes connected. "What a pretty word for Virgo—sold."His smile spread easily, moving across his face like a snake on water. It was calculated, it was smooth, it was wicked and cruel. That smile was pure evil.
And I reacted.
"I'm not for sale!" With a closed fist I punched him in the mouth. I felt his teeth behind his lips and the warmth of blood as it instantly spilled onto my skin. "Fuck you! Fuck you and your asshole boss!"
