Highest Bidder

Freya

Once I sorted Mom out and sent her home, I went to see Maddie at work. Luckily, she was able to spare a few minutes away from her office so we both sat on a picnic bench to talk.

“I feel like my whole world is upside down,” I said.

“Is he going to stop her from speaking to your mother?”

“He said he would.”

“Will that be enough to tame her? She sounds insane.”

“He seemed pretty confident. He’s in charge of her company, so I guess he has power over whatever sick emotions she's nursing over him.”

“I don’t understand some women,” Maddie observed. “Every time I hear things like this, I am sure it’s a joke. She’s fucking beautiful, successful, and over-privileged, and she still has to resort to threatening another woman to get a man? Disgusting.”

There was silence between us for a while.

I knew she was watching me. I lifted my head to meet her gaze.

“Are you truly going to go through with it? Sleep with him, I mean.”

“I will,” I responded, “just enough to rub it in her face.”

“I don’t think that's a good idea?”

“Why not?"

“I can think of at least a hundred reasons.”

“Well, right now, I can’t think of any. It’s not as if I'm not crazy attracted to the guy. Since everyone can do whatever the fuck they want, with even a little bit of power in their hands, so I’m going to do whatever the hell I want too.”

She chewed on her sandwich and looked at some children playing at the edge of the park. Then she swallowed and turned to me. “I get it that you're furious and I completely understand you want revenge, but I don’t want you to go through with this. Brent Lucan is not just any ordinary man with a nine to five job. He’s not just a ruthless billionaire, but the freaking heir to the Dukedom of Leighton. Being involved with such a man is not a joke. You could get seriously hurt. And the jealousy? Oh my God, it’s going to be through the roof.”

“No one will know about it.”

“What?”

“Well, except Judi.” I grinned. “I might even send her some photos.”

“You’re going to go out with Brent Lucan and you think no one is going to know?”

“Okay,” I conceded reluctantly, with a sigh. “You’re right. He’s the next Lord of Leighton. His dating life will make the news, and I’ll forever be in the spotlight while I’m with him.”

“When are you going to tell your Mom?”

“I don’t know, but not yet. Maybe next week.”

“So you’re going to lie to her until then?”

“I guess so. Telling her at this stage feels like I’m jumping the gun. What if it all falls apart in the next few hours? I’m supposed to meet him tonight, so I’ll be telling her I’m spending the night at your place, so if she calls you …”

“Right.”

“Sorry to drag you into my shit.”

She shrugged. “It’s okay. Just don’t want you to get hurt,” she muttered.

“I do have to keep our agreement."

“Do you?” she asked softly.

I stared into my best friend’s worried eyes and told the truth, “I want to.”

Freya

Despite the cold, I was excited as I sighted the magnificent cobalt blue and silver vessel, waiting gracefully by the dock. “Wow, that’s a ship!” I gasped.

“It’s not. I hear it can only accommodate sixteen people,” Michael said, pulling the car door open for me, leading the way towards the waiting yacht.

We took our shoes off and boarded the vessel. We were met with attendants who after taking my parka, offered a selection of little delicacies adorned with caviar, strawberries, nectarine, basil and tomato. They looked delicious, but after stuffing the two in quick succession into my mouth, I forewent the glass of champagne offered, and asked for water.

My eyes caught the piano by the corner, the exquisitely patterned carpet and of course, the glass staircase that I guessed led up to the deck. “When will Brent be here?” I asked Michael.

“He has some business to finish off at the office, but he should be on the way in no time. Please call for the staff if you need anything more.” He showed me to the room we would be staying in and soon took his leave.

The staff announced that food was available if I should need it, but I was too exhausted from the stress of the day to ignore the luxuriously silky bed calling to me. I laid across it and shut my eyes for a quick nap, and only came awake when I heard someone walking around in the room.

At first, I was disorientated and alarmed, because I didn’t immediately remember where I was, but then I sat up and saw Brent with ear pods on speaking in extremely low tones.

I wondered once again if the path I had decided on would be one that I would eventually regret. It still wasn’t too late to turn back. Then as he pulled the dress shirt off his back, the ridges of toned muscle which seemed as if they had been sculpted into his flawless olive skin flexed—all thoughts of escaping disappeared from my head.

I clenched my thighs at the sensual ache that was beginning to throb between my legs.