And this is where the rest of the numbness sets in. They need proof of virginity from my doctor. A copy of my driver’s license, birth certificate, and social security card along with photos of me holding all three to confirm my identity. They want a letter from my bank with my account numbers for my deposit, which will be wired one week from Friday—the end of the auction if none of the bidders choose the Bed Her Now option.
Bed Her Now.
Bed-Her-Fucking-Now.
It’s an auction I never signed up for, and as I stand outside my dad’s restaurant, I realize my day will end with me getting arrested. Because I’m going to murder Wendy.
“Where the hell are you?” I shout, stalking into our apartment several hours later. All day long she’s either ignored my messages or sent me straight to voicemail. Which infuriated me even more. “Wendy, if you don’t answer me, I will—”
“Flick,” she says in a dazed voice as I turn the corner. She’s on the couch, with her brown eyes transfixed on her computer screen. Lifting her head, a slow grin widens her traitorous face. “This is insane.”
“The fact I’m about to shove my car keys down your throat?”
Eyeballing the keys in my hand, she scrambles off the couch. “I know you’re mad,” she rushes, putting a safe amount of space between us, “but you did say to do whatever I wanted.”
I toss my keys on the coffee table and drag my hands through my hair. “What are you talking about?”
“When you went into the bathroom last night. You said, and I quote, ‘whatever you say.’ And have you even looked at your page yet?”
I hadn’t, but only because I knew I would skip out on work to track down my friend. “One, when someone says ‘whatever you say’ it’s blatant sarcasm and not an invitation to literally fuck them and two—”
“You’re up to 77 thousand, Flick,” she interrupts. When I only stare at her, wide-eyed and unmoving, she leans over the back of the couch and turns her laptop to face me. “It was at seventy when I got home an hour ago.”
Lifting the computer close to my face, I get my first glimpse of my V-Bay listing. Wendy had taken the bikini picture of me at the beach last summer right off my Facebook page. When I see the dollar amount just above my photo, a strangled cry leaps from the back of my throat. Seventy-seven with a few zeroes in front of it.
“Holy shit.” I sink down on the couch, and Wendy tentatively creeps around from behind it, her eyes occasionally darting to my car keys. “Who in his right mind…”
“Quite a few. No matter how pissed you are, you’ve got to admit this is amazing.”
“You put this up without my permission.” But my tone isn’t angry. It’s just … shocked. Someone is willing to give me over seventy grand. And what he wants in exchange is my virginity.
“Yes, and look what happened.” She reaches behind me for her purse. For the first time since I walked through the door, I notice she’s styled her short, reddish-blonde hair in loose waves and she’s dressed to the nines in a green mini dress and her favorite floral heels. “Wait, where the hell are you going?”
She shoots me an apologetic look. “I’ve got a date with Erik.”
Erik’s a dick, but I simply jab my tongue in my cheek as I nod to the computer screen. “So you do this and then take off. Nice, Wendy.”
“At least consider it.” Sighing, she kneels in front of me, plants her elbows on my bare knees and gives me a pleading look. “And if you don’t want to do it, don’t accept the contract.”
“I…” I can’t find the words thanks to the dollar amount on the screen, though. It’s a lot of money—enough to satisfy Dad’s obligation to the Cades and for me to go to school without student loans for the next two years. I would be crazy not to think twice about going through with this. “You’re not off the hook,” I say huskily.
“I’m kind of hoping you’ll cool down by the time I get home.” Scrambling to her feet, she winks down at me. “While I’m out you should, ah, look at your inbox. It’s fun.”
Fun, huh? Before I can ask her if she’s spent all day sending candid photos of me to wealthy men with a virgin fetish, she hurries off, singing that she’ll be back in a few hours. I smell like a grease trap and the shower is calling my name, but I can’t pull myself away from the auction and the messages waiting for me. When I’m finally done reading them, the bidding is at eighty-two thousand.
Setting Wendy’s computer on the coffee table, I press my palm to my mouth and breathe into it. I can’t believe I’m considering this and that I haven’t contacted Nadia to get my profile taken off the site STAT. One night. All it will take is one night and I’ll save my father and set myself up. Wendy’s right about one thing: the idea of financial security is tempting.