Page 8 of Secret Seduction

But not yet. Not until I’ve achieved all the goals that I’ve made for myself.

Bri shrugs. “Regardless, you should come. It will be a good time. We’ve rented a yacht, and it will be a relaxing trip there and back.”

My, how the rich live …

“Thank you for the invite, but⁠—”

“Just think about it,” Bri insists. “We’re leaving in the morning. If you decide to go, Nicole can text you the directions to the port. If not, it’s all good.”

“Thanks. And when you get back, I can measure you.”

“That would be great. Thanks.” Bri smiles, her hand going to her belly.

I take the last sip of my coffee and stand, knowing now that James is here, Nicole will be preoccupied.

I say a quick bye to Nicole, James, and Bri, and even though I’d rather be anywhere but there, I head to my mom and Eric’s house—since I have never considered that place my home.

Since I don’t have a car, not needing one where I live, Eric insisted I use his driver, refusing to take no for an answer. When I tried to argue, my mom gave me the look that said not to be difficult, so I gave in. While I hate that it means he can keep tabs on me, being able to call for a ride is convenient.

Mom asked me to meet her for lunch, but when I look at my phone, I notice I’ll be a bit early. Oh well. Maybe we can eat now and get it over with, and then I can head to the fabric store that recently opened that I want to check out while I’m here.

When I arrive at the house, it’s quiet, and I wonder if maybe nobody’s home, until I hear muffled voices coming from inside Eric’s office. His door is partly closed, so I’m not sure who he’s talking to.

Assuming my mother is in there with him, I head toward his office to greet them, not wanting to be rude, but before I can make my presence known, Eric says something that has me freezing in my place.

“I can assure you that she’s a virgin. I’ve made sure of it.”

Is he talking about me?

Normally, I wouldn’t assume, but since I’m the only virgin in this house, what are the odds that he’s talking about someone else? Though why he would be discussing my virginity with anyone makes no sense.

Silence.

And then, “I sent the pictures over, like you’d requested. She’s in pristine condition. Not a single flaw. Like I told you before, you can have her, and in exchange, you leave my family alone and my debt to you is paid.”

What the hell? There’s no way he’s talking about me, right? I have to be misunderstanding the context.

More silence.

He must be on the phone.

I move to the side so I can listen without being in plain sight, and I glance around to make sure nobody is around. They have a cleaning crew come in a few times a week and a chef who makes their meals, but nobody that’s around all the time.

“You know I tried,” Eric whines. “I warned you that the Antonovs wouldn’t be pushed out of this town. But you can have her. She has no family, so no one will notice she’s missing, and she’ll make you millions. You can sell her to the highest bidder or put her in one of your whorehouses.”

Oh my God. He’s trying to sell me.

There’s no way this is a coincidence.

My heart races in my chest as the feeling of an anxiety attack moves through my body.

I knew Eric was shady, but this is insane. The man is talking about selling me off to someone like I’m a piece of art that they’re looking to acquire.

Clacking of heels against the marble floor tells me my mother is heading this way. I should stop her and tell her what’s going on, but something inside me has me stepping around the corner to listen to how this plays out. Maybe it’s because I’m in shock at what I just heard and I’m hoping I’ve watched too many true crime documentaries when I can’t sleep that I’m creating a situation that isn’t real.

My mother saunters into the office, and Eric tells whoever is on the phone that he’ll call them back and then greets my mother.

“Darling, I spoke to Santiago.”