SHE WAS AUCTIONING HER CHERRY.
Bidding would start at ten million dollars.
Whoa! Ten million dollars?! Who the hell would buy a cherry for ten million dollars? Who would even broach that harebrained idea? It was simply laugh out loud ludicrous.
Well, she wasn’t selling her precious cherry in America. No one in this country would buy it anyway, even if they had billions.
So, she sold it online.
She opened an auction at her website.
Believe it or not, dozens of rich as Croesus men posted their bids within two weeks. Most were from the Middle East. Yes, those Arab countries that had oil shooting out of the ground like tap water. There was a billionaire prince from South East Asia who most likely wasn’t happy with his six wives and his harem of the most beautiful women.
There was that bazillionaire from Macau, probably bored out of his mind counting his casino earnings every night so he needed to pop a cherry for diversion.
Most notable of all was Kim Jong Un (gasp!), the current leader of North Korea, who, according to internet gossip happened to be her biggest fan. But she wasn’t sure of the veracity of the North Korean leader’s bid. No surety bond had been deposited yet, so…
Yes, every bidder must deposit a surety bond to be able to qualify in the selection. But only one man will have the honor and pleasure of popping her precious cherry.
One might wonder, how in hell did she arrive at this level of insanity?
But then again, Valenna Jones was known for her very insane ideas lately.
She was all over the place and people were going gaga wondering what abomination she might do next to shock the bejesus out of her already horribly shocked fans from her wholesome Lola Moretti days, and America in general.
It all started with a break up.
A very nasty break up…
Kerion Dane was her fourth boyfriend.
Valenna was serious with him.
Who wouldn’t be?
He had the face that must have been carved by God himself—yup, THAT handsome; the body that was probably conceived guided by the spirit of Michaelangelo— yup, THAT hot!; and a superior intellect that belied his Ken good looks.
But those were only his superficial qualities, mind you. He was so much more than that.
He was a good man. A total gentleman.
Kerion respected her parents and made great effort in getting to know her family. He respected her career and was never demanding and just all-around understanding of her impossible work schedule that deprived them of a lot of quality time together. Most of all, he respected her vow of chastity. Aside from some passionate kisses, not once did he cross the line of intimacy between them. In fact, she was the one getting antsy about it.
She was in love.
For the very first time in her headline-generating life, she was truly in love. She’d had relationships in the past, but they all ended with not too much heartache on her part. She wasn’t too emotionally invested in those boys.
However, now was a totally different scenario. She was involved with a man. A mature, confident, good-hearted, well-intentioned man.
If she would surrender her virginity, she would, to Kerion.
She was ready to take it to the next level. Get engaged.
She was twenty-three but she was older than her years, had achieved much more than most women had in their 50s, career-wise, and Kerion was twenty-seven, fairly successful in his own right.
She was very ready.
But he was not.
She found that out in the middle of a necking session.
“Baby…you’re so hot. So sexy.”
Kerion was kissing her more aggressively than usual. His lips were making a warm path down her neck to the deep V of her dress, his tongue skimming the upper slopes of her breasts.
Valenna squirmed, not used to such liberties. “Kerion…”
His hand found its way under her dress, gliding up her thigh…
Strange feelings started to flutter in her core. Inexperienced though she was, she knew what it was.
Arousal.
He was now licking and sucking her nipples through the thin, soft fabric of her dress. She was not wearing a bra so she could feel the heat of his breath and saliva.
Oh frosh… that felt good.
She squirmed even more, alarmed at her body’s reaction. “Kerion…we shouldn’t…”
“Baby, I want you so much.” His lips went back to her lips and kissed her hard, his tongue driving deep into her mouth. Gone was the gentle way he used to kiss her. In place were these rapacious, hungry kisses that overwhelmed her.
Then she felt his hand cup her mound.
She jerked violently against him, pushing him away. She was strong from her physically rigorous dance routines and high-energy performances on stage.
He landed on his butt on the floor, shocked.
“Vanna…Dammit!” he cursed under his breath.
She scrambled from the sofa, bending to help him up. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, honey!”
Kerion evaded her hands. His brows were drawn together. “What’s wrong with you?”
She winced. “I’m sorry. You know, habit. I’m just not used to…”
“For God’s sake, you’re twenty-three years old, Vanna! You’re acting worse than a nun!”
Her cheeks flamed in embarrassment and hurt at his sharp tone. It was the first time that he ever used that voice on her. “Kerion…I’m sorry.”
“How long are we going to be like this? I have a beautiful girlfriend for almost two years and I can hardly touch her. I’m human, Vanna.”
She sat back on the sofa, not wanting to aggravate his anger. He had been so patient with her, so understanding of her values and principles, but she was mature enough to understand his needs, too. He was a man. He had needs. Sexual needs. Most of her friends were having sex since high school and here she was, still stuck in necking sessions with her gorgeous boyfriend.
“Don’t you love me?”
“You know I do, Kerion.”
“Then…?”
She sighed deeply. “You know I would do it with you and no one else. You’re the one I’ve decided to give my virginity to.”
“Ah, that famous cherry!” He barked a laugh and shook his head.
She stared at him, arrested by his reaction. Was that derision on his face?
“You think I care about that, Vanna?”
His words sucker-punched her. There was no mistaking the mockery there.
“I’ve popped a score of cherries before you. It’s no big deal to me.”
Oh God. Please, I don’t wanna hear this. Not from him.
He stood up to his full height. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mock your…state of…” He sighed harshly. “But this is getting old, Vanna. I’m tired of jacking off to your music videos. I want the real thing. I want you.”
She blinked rapidly, feeling relieved. Okay, okay, crude that may be but that was positive. He was not ridiculing her virginity nor was he insulting her. He was just frustrated of their situation. Typical male reaction.
“Kerion…why don’t we…” She swallowed, hesitant to continue.
“What?” he prodded impatiently.
She said it before she lost her nerve. “We can get married.”
Slack-jawed, he stared at her. He struggled to say something but seemed at a loss.
Cringing inside, she clasped her hands tightly on her lap, instantly regretting her impulsiveness. God, this was so humiliating. She was the one who proposed to him!
“Vanna…this is…” He shook his head. “Sex is not a reason to get married.”
Her cheeks were flaming. “I know, Kerion, but...we love each other. Right?”
His face was a mixture of incredulity and disbelief. “This is funny. Did I miss something the past one and a half years? Were you actually holding on to your virginity until marriage and you failed to mention it to me?”
Oh God. Was there anything more embarrassing than this? How was she supposed to answer that? She had thought all along that he knew and he understood. But to be fair, they’d never really talked about it in detail. She just presumed…Shit. “Kerion…I…I thought…”
“What if we don’t get married until two years later? Must we wait that long to make love?”
That question put her on the spot. “I…”
He expelled a harsh breath. “I can’t believe this!”
He bowed his head, breathing hard, as if controlling his temper.
Seconds ticked by.
Deafening silence.
She couldn’t stand it.
“Kerion—”
“This is not going to work, Vanna.”
He met her eyes again.
“What…what do you mean?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that I cannot go on with this set up anymore. I want to have a normal relationship with my girlfriend. I’ve been faithful to you, Vanna. I love you. But something’s not right here.”
Fear slammed in her chest. Was he…? She stood up.
“No,” he stopped her. “We need space to think about this.”
“Space?”
“Time apart.”
“Apart? Are we…? Are we breaking up?”
He was looking at her with sadness in his eyes. “I love you. I truly do. But you gotta meet me halfway, Vanna.”
Her tears welled up. He was definitely breaking up with her. “Kerion…”
He turned around and headed for the door.
She wanted to run after him but she was rooted to the spot when he glanced back, his hand at the door knob, his blue eyes, glacial. “I’ll stay away for a while. We need the distance. I need it. Use it to think about us. Then we decide.”
Oh God, no! This is not happening! her mind screamed in denial.
One moment he was in her arms.
The next moment he was walking away.
He closed the door behind him.
The floor seemed to tilt under her feet.
Her chest felt too congested with combined shock and pain it hurt to breathe.
She collapsed weakly onto the sofa.
It didn’t take her long to decide.
After a week of self-introspection, Valenna went to him. Ready to surrender her all to him.
Her chastity vow would end today. She was in love and it must be experienced to the fullest with the man she loved.
What was she afraid of anyway? Maybe it just became a habit over the years that was hard to shake off. Years of taking care of herself, of not losing control, of not letting herself being overpowered by a man. Maybe she had developed an abnormal instinctive sense of self-preservation. Maybe she had mistaken not giving up her virginity for the act of maintaining her power as a woman.
Whatever, she no longer cared. She wasn’t about to lose her wonderful boyfriend over a piece of membrane that held less and less meaning to her as the years went by. In fact, it was ruining her happiness now. It was time to give it up.
Oh, she would make it up to Kerion.
As she neared his house, she removed her purity ring and stuffed it in her purse.
It felt like a rite of passage. Good riddance!
She asked Baba, her chauffeur/bodyguard not to wait for her and just pick her up later in the evening.
She was going to surprise her boyfriend.
Tingling with excited nerves, she bounded up the stone steps of his townhouse.
She ran her thumb on the sensor security lock at the door. She heard a click.
Heart beating fast with anticipation, she carefully turned the handle and pushed the door in.
She had missed him so!
Today, she will give her virginity to him.
At this hour, she knew Kerion was still asleep. He was shooting a big movie and he was playing support to Christian Bale and Brigitte Harlowe in a Brian Singer superhero flick. He must be tired to the bone every day.
She tiptoed to the bedroom and carefully opened the door, imagining the surprised look on his face when he saw her.
But it was her who was surprised.
The scene inside the bedroom made her freeze at the door.
Her heart dropped to the floor, splintering into a million pieces.
There was a woman on the bed. Straddling a man.
The man was holding her ass as he pumped up hard between her legs.
Without seeing his face she knew it was her boyfriend. He was groaning in pleasure.
She must have gasped, for suddenly, the woman’s head turned around and gasped louder when she saw her at the door.
Brigitte Harlowe.