“Kaz put up the signup sheet for the next auction earlier. She went to look at it.”
I’m already halfway to the locker rooms before he finishes his sentence.
“It’s not that big of a deal. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want. See, here you put what your limits are. So, if you don’t wanna fuck a guy, you just put no sex. Then when Kaz makes the flyer with all the girls on it, it will have it there. No onewho expects that will bid on you.” Serenity is explaining the rules my brother has laid out for the auction girls as I push the door to the women’s locker room open.
Three women snap their heads in my direction. They’re all dressed, not that it would matter. They don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, and only one of them has anything I’d like to see in more detail.
“Ivan!” Serenity feigns annoyance. “This is the girls’ room.”
“Out.” I jerk my head to the doorway as I hold the door open for them.
Serenity and Caroline exchange a glance that tells me they understand exactly why they need to leave, but the look of admonishment and annoyance coming from Vivienne says she doesn’t have a clue what’s in store for her.
With them gone, I let the door close and stand in front of it.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask.
“No, Ivan. What do you think you’re doing?” She fists her hands on her hips. “This is the women’s locker room. You don’t belong in here.”
At least she used my first name.
I give a pointed look at the sheet my brother pinned up on the bulletin board.
“You’re not putting your name on that.”
She huffs a laugh. “You can’t tell me that.”
“I can, and I am. You’re not putting your name on that.”
“Ivan.” She pauses. “Why?”
“You’re not auctioning yourself off, that’s why.”
“But you’ll let everyone else here sign up? That’s discrimination.” There’s a little note of hope in her voice, like she’s found something to use against me.
“You think that’s going to change my mind?” I’ve spent evenings washing enemy blood from beneath my fingernails;there’s nothing she can say or do that would change my mind here.
She’s not putting her name on that fucking list.
“I think—” She clenches her eyes closed and drags in a slow breath. It looks like she’s counting.
“Are you willing to fuck a stranger?” Her eyes fly open at my question.
Personally, I have no problems with one-night stands, paid or otherwise. Hell, even with the small cut we take from the girls, we make a killing. But not her. No one is going to touch her.
“I don’t have to do that.”
“If you want to make any decent money, you do, or at least suck them off. You want to do that?”
The tinge of red of her cheeks softens.
“You’re being crude to make me think it’s my idea not to sign up.”
“I’m being realistic.” I fold my arms over my chest. “Why do you want to do an auction all of a sudden? You’ve never shown any interest before.”
“How do you know what I’m interested in or not?” She puts her hands up between us. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I don’t need your permission.”
“As you’ve mentioned several times, I’m your boss. Just because you put your name on that list doesn’t mean you’ll be accepted into the auction. You still need to be approved.”
