Page 6 of His Sold Fated Mate

Mike stepped out of the room, and I walked toward the door and tugged on it, but it was locked. I tugged harder, feeling a few tears breaking free this time. I felt a sob build up, and I quickly covered my mouth, stopping myself from sobbing.

I shook my head and dropped to the ground. I looked over at the fabric and found it was a small red dress. It wasn’t even my size. It was tight-fitting, and I knew exactly how I would look in it. What curves I did have would show, and it would hardly cover my ass.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine myself somewhere else. On a beach, far, far away from here.

I sat there for a few minutes before I finally put the damn outfit on. I knew if I didn’t, something would happen. I was just putting the heels on when the door opened. A man I didn’t recognize stood there. He was built like a train, and I knew better than to try anything. He couldn’t easily break a bone without having to try.

I knew if I didn’t act up, I would get more leeway on things. And it gave me room to plan, room to figure out my next steps. I just needed to find an open door or an empty hallway.

He took me down a narrow hallway, and I looked for extra doors, but there were none. He paused in front of a large curtain. I chewed on my cheek as I scanned the space. There was nothing I could throw, no objects I could use to protect myself.

He shoved me from behind, and I stumbled into the curtain and right through it. I caught myself as a bright light hit me like a train. I winced under the lights, unable to see correctly. I pulled a hand up to block the light.

I took a couple more steps forward, tugging on the dress to make sure it was still covering my ass. I scanned the space, and my eyes landed on a door straight ahead. The exit sign was a deep red, and my heart stopped beating. It was my way out.

But my eyes started to adjust to all the light, and I took in the crowd. There had to be almost a hundred people sitting in front of me. I could see it was packed, and the room smelled of cigar and sex.

I would never make it past that many people. I wouldn’t make it off the stage before someone would have their hands on me. My heart sank, and I felt tears form. I could taste blood in my mouth as I bit hard on my cheek

“Five hundred dollars.”

“One thousand dollars.”

“Five thousand dollars.”

I couldn’t breathe. My lungs felt like they were spasming, and I felt panic starting to take over.

“Twenty thousand.” A voice spoke up, and my eyes snapped toward it. I couldn’t make out what he looked like, but he was tall. He was wearing casual clothes and had wild-looking hair. The light was blinding, and I blinked, and he was gone.

“Sold.”

My mind stopped working as I stood there. My heart didn’t even seem to be beating.

“Come claim your prize.”

I was yanked from behind. Someone grabbed my arm, pulling me to the side. I stumbled, losing a heel as I was pulled off the stage. I couldn’t even process what was going on. I spotted Mike standing a few feet away, a smile on his face.

“Here.” A couple of guys stood together as I was pulled toward them. The man with his casual clothes held up a check, his eyes zoned in on me. He tossed the check toward the guys, and I watched his eyes scan me over.

“I’d be careful with this one,” a guy chuckled. “I hear she’s a fireball.”

Remain calm, Aubrey. Breathe in. Focus.

I swallowed as I stepped closer to the man. He was tall and muscular. He reminded me of a bodybuilder, the way he was built. He had jet-black hair and matching black eyes. He gave little emotion on his face as I stepped closer to him.

“Is that all?” he asked, his gaze going past me. I continued to stare, unable to stop myself. I was stunned because he was handsome, too. He had a defined chin and thin lips. He had dark eyes, but they were beautiful. He was the type of man who made women turn on the street.

“She’s all yours.”

I looked over my shoulder at the group. But my eyes didn’t land on them. They landed on Mike, who stood a distance away from them. I felt a shiver roll down my spine as I’d stepped into a cold freezer.

“Come on.” The man grabbed my shoulder, tugging me closer to him. We walked past the crowd of people and through a door. We headed down a hallway where he pulled me to a stop.

“Here,” he shrugged his jacket off, not looking at me now. “Put this on. It’s chilly out.”

I pulled my sleeves into the jacket, and it pooled around me, but I was grateful. I was freezing my ass off in this dress, and at least the jacket covered my skin.

We went up some stairs into a bar. I could feel eyes were on us as he started walking toward the front. I came to a halt, knowing that if I didn’t figure out an exit now, I wouldn’t. If he got me in a vehicle, I would never get free.