I shake Michael’s hand as we sit down together to discuss the details. He shakes Vivian’s too, and then we get down to business. “I understand that you guys have questions on how this will work,” Michael says, looking at me and then Vivian.

A couple of days ago, Kitten had come to me in a panic. She just didn’t think she could agree to be sold off to a random stranger to be owned for 60 days, no matter how much money she would get out of it in the end. I’d talked it over with Apollo, and we’d decided that Apollo would just purchase her. After all, he was rich enough that if he set a stack of twenties on fire every day, it wouldn’t make a dent in his fortune. He’d said that I’d done my part by training her how to be a sex slave and that I couldn’t be expected to pay for her, too.

Truth be told, I wanted to buy her, but I couldn’t tell Apollo that. I wasn’t ready to. I was just supposed to train her; I wasn’t supposed to get attached to her. I’m the one who fucked this up. I can’t screw it up anymore. 

Apollo will buy her at auction, she’ll have the money to restart her life, and everyone will be happy.

Everyone.

Especially me.

“So, what happens if I do get bought, and also, what happens if I don’t?” Kitten blurts out.

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from chuckling. That did seem to cover all the bases.

“If your virginity gets purchased, you are contractually obligated to spend 60 days as that person’s sex slave. They cannot do anything that would cause permanent damage or anything against your will, and they have to let you go at the end of the 60 days. If you’d like to set up a separate arrangement outside of that, that is between you and the buyer. Only the first 60 days is covered under your Virgin Market contract.”

“And if I don’t sell?” Vivian asks, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. I want to reach out and take her hand and soothe her fears away, but I don’t dare. She’s not mine to soothe, and this conversation should be the perfect reminder of that.

It was Viv who wanted to meet with Michael. No matter how many times I assured her that Apollo would buy her and that we were simply using the Virgin Market to do this transfer of money in the easiest way possible, she has still been worried about the what-ifs. 

Then again, who am I to say that she shouldn’t worry? I’m not the one who has to go up on stage in front of strangers in a sex auction and just hope that my sister’s friend’s fiancé will pay $1.5 million dollars for me.

“If you don’t sell, you’ll become the property of the Virgin Market for two months,” Michael says bluntly. I cringe. a) That’s not exactly awesome news, and b) Doesn’t the man know how to give less-than-ideal news to people? Whacking them over the head with bluntness? Not exactly what I would’ve gone for.

“I what?!” Vivian gasps, staring at him. “Wha…why? Why don’t I just go home?”

“That’s not part of the deal. If you want our services, this is how we do it. If your virginity doesn’t sell on the auction block, then we, the Virgin Market, own you for two months. We have to follow all the same rules as any person who buys sex slaves from us – we cannot do anything that would cause permanent damage or anything against your will, and we have to let you go at the end of the 60 days.”

She’s just staring at him, and even from here, I can see the panic rising up in her.

“You’ve already signed the paperwork, the day you came in to set up the Cayman Island bank account,” he reminds her, not unkindly. “At this point, if you back out, we can and will sue you in court. And we will win. Our contracts have been tested again and again in the courts. Cold feet is not an acceptable reason to break them.

“But don’t worry – you won’t regret this. Most women report that having their virginity sold was the best thing they’d ever done for themselves. It gets you started off in life in a way most people only dream about.

“Now, if you two don’t mind, I do have quite a bit of paperwork to finish up. Anything else I can do for you?”

Vivian mutely shakes her head, and we leave after another round of hand shaking.

“Viv, don’t forget – Apollo will be there on Friday to buy you,” I reassure her. “He knows what is on the line. This is nothing more than a way to transfer the money. Apollo is a good guy – I know he’ll follow through.”

She numbly nods her head. “Okay,” she whispers. “I can do this. I know I can.”

The hardest part of all for me? Letting someone else bid on her, even if that someone is Apollo. But even if I fessed up and told everyone that I wanted her for myself, it’s now too late for that anyway. Michael’s made it clear that because I was involved in setting all of this up, I can’t also be the one who purchases her. Apparently, that smacks of coercion to them. Which is why we’ve never mentioned Apollo in front of any of the employees of the Market. 

No, it’ll all work out for the best. I just have to trust in that.

And learn how to let her go.