I sat on the ground with my back against the wall. The overflowing dumpster beside me was the only comfort I had that night. Dressed in these clothes with my face hidden under my cap should keep people away since I looked like a bum.

Actually, I was a bum.

My knees were against my chest, and I closed my eyes as I drifted off. Without a watch or a phone, I had no idea what time it was. But I knew it was sometime after midnight.

If Knuckles knew where I was, he would have found me by now.

I must have thrown him off the scent by changing my clothes and turning back the opposite way.

But I didn’t feel victorious. Just this last weekend, I was the headliner in the Barsetti Lingerie fashion show. Now I was dirt-poor and sleeping beside a garbage can. I had some of the money Conway gave me, but I’d spent most of it on my hotel accommodations and food. I had to make the rest of it last if I was going to afford a train ticket.

I was completely asleep when I felt my cap move on my head. Someone was turning it, pulling it away from my forehead to reveal my face.

My brain immediately snapped out of its unconscious state. I couldn’t afford to be robbed when I barely had anything to get by. My eyes snapped open, and I saw a man a few years older than me grinning into my face. He wasn’t a bum, judging by his nice clothes and expensive watch. But his smile was deceptive because there was nothing pleasant about him.

I kicked him in the knee and pushed him back. “Get off me.”

His heavy body fell back to the ground, and he brought his knee to his chest. “It’s her. It’s the bitch from the lingerie show.”

They recognized me.

The man behind him lurched at me. “Talk about an easy million.”

Now keeping my stuff wasn’t important. My bag would just slow me down, and my life was more important than the clothes off my back and the pictures I brought along. I dashed to the right of him, determined to get out of there no matter what.

He grabbed me by the elbow and yanked me back. “I don’t think so, Lingerie Bitch.”

I twisted my wrist out of his grasp then threw the butt of my palm into his nose. I struck with as much force as I could muster, the adrenaline giving me an extra push. I heard the crack and felt it at the same time.

“Fuck!” He stumbled back, covering his nose as the blood squirted everywhere.

I sprinted again, running for my life. The second they called me, “An easy million,” I knew exactly what they were and what they intended to do with me.

Ain’t gonna happen.

I sprinted down the alleyway then turned right to the street. The second I reached witnesses on the sidewalk, I would have more protection. At one in the morning, there wouldn’t be many people out, but it was better than staying in that alleyway.

Knuckles crossed my path then glanced down the alley in my direction. His shoulders were relaxed and he was on the phone, so he obviously hadn’t been expecting me to emerge right under his nose.

His six-foot-three frame was chilling, even at this distance. He was all muscle and flesh. Built like a monster because he had the soul of the devil, he was a bull that had been provoked. “Call you back.” He hung up and shoved his phone into his pocket. “Hey, sweetheart. How was your run?”

I turned back the way I came but saw my earlier assailants coming my way. This time, their guns were drawn. I suspected these two groups had no connection. I was just the unlucky woman stuck between the two.

I knew exactly what would happen if I turned to Knuckles. He would rape me in brutal ways until I begged for death. He would torture me every day, getting the most mileage out of me before he finally crushed my skull the same way he did to Nathan.

With the other guys, I would be sold to someone.

Chances were, he would be better than Knuckles.

So I made my choice.

---

I was tied to a dirty cot in the corner. My hands were secured behind my back, and my clothes were stripped away. Even my panties were removed. The men hadn’t tried to force themselves on me yet—thankfully.

Fuck, this was a nightmare.

I ran away from home in the hope of starting over in a new place. But I got stuck in the same position I was in before. I would never be free again because I would always be a slave to whatever man had the most power.

Lying there naked only infuriated me. My rights had been stripped away just like my clothes, and my only crime was being attractive. Men preyed upon me so they could sell what was between my legs—even though they didn’t own me.

It was disgusting.

I’d been on this cot through the night, not allowed to drink or eat. They didn’t even let me use the bathroom. I was treated like a dog at the mercy of her master. I didn’t sleep because I refused to close my eyes. The last time I slept, I’d let my guard down. That was how I ended up there.

The door opened, and a man walked inside. With dark brown hair with crystal-blue eyes, he had features that almost made him handsome. But that disgusting grin on his face wiped away any attractiveness he had. “The woman everyone has been talking about…” He moved to the edge of the bed, far too close to my legs. “I would ask why you were sleeping by a dumpster, but I don’t care enough to hear your answer.” His hands moved to the top of his jeans, and he started to unbutton them.

This was not happening. I wasn’t going to lie there while some asshole raped me before he sold me like a cow to the butcher. “Keep your pants on, and get out of my room.”

He let his jeans fall to his ankles before he chuckled. “Your hands are behind your back, but you’re telling me what to do?”

When he smiled again, I slammed my feet right into his dick through his boxers.

His reflexes were lightning fast, and he blocked my kick with his knee. “You’re fast, but not fast enough.” He pulled down his boxers next, revealing his rock-hard cock.

I didn’t look at it.

“It’s a tradition the Skull Kings have with every new batch. We fuck every one of them, fill their pussies with come, and then expect men to pay for our leftovers.”

This was really happening. Not only was he going to fuck me, but he was actually going to push his seed inside me. I wasn’t sure what was more disgusting. I could fight him off as much as I could, but that would only last for so long. He could call in one of his men to pull my legs apart. And then that guy would probably fuck me too. “You would really fuck a virgin before you sold her?” It wasn’t a lie, but even if it weren’t true, I would have said it anyway. I would do anything to get myself out of this.

“Virgin, huh?” He grabbed my ankles and yanked me to the edge of the bed. “A beautiful woman who takes her clothes off in front of millions of people is not a virgin.”

I kicked him as hard as I could.

He took the hit with a grimace but kept going. He grabbed my knees and yanked them apart as his cock bobbed left and right.

I couldn’t let this happen.

I kicked him again and again, using all my energy to fight him off. I wouldn’t stop fighting until I was dead, so if he really wanted me, he’d better put a bullet in my brain.

He slugged me so hard in the face I actually blacked out just a little bit. My face instantly bruised, and I felt the migraine start on impact. My neck snapped as I flew backward on the bed. Immobilized, I couldn’t stop him from shoving a finger inside me. “Fuck, you’re tight.”

I needed a few more seconds to regain my bearings. I’d never been hit that hard in my life. My body barely remembered to keep breathing after the impact. My entire being shut down temporarily.

“Looks like the little cunt tells the truth.” He pulled his finger out of me then stepped back.

Thank god.

I’d always been disappointed I hadn’t found the right guy to give myself to. I wanted love and passion, everything that a deep connection could bring. I didn’t want a meaningless hookup just to get it over with. But the more I waited for the perfect moment, the more my expectations built up. Now I knew the real thing would never compete with my fantasy.

Now the wait had been worth it. It would spare me a little longer.

---

Like animals, we were pushed into a line with our hands tied behind our backs.

And we were completely naked—so the men could see our quality.

We weren’t allowed to speak to each other. The women seemed to be from various backgrounds, all exotic and beautiful. They weren’t homeless women with nothing else to live for. They were all clean and pretty.

It made me wonder where the Skull Kings found them.

We were marched through the door and onto a stage. The room was dark with the exception of a few candles and low lights. We must have been underground because there were no windows. I wasn’t sure where we were exactly because we were drugged during transport.

In a single-file line, we stood on the stage. There was no position we could stand in to cover ourselves because our hands were tied behind our backs. Every inch of our skin was on display. They could see my shaved skin between my legs and the hardness of my nipples. I was freezing cold, and as much as I hated to admit, I was terrified.

I was terrified of the man who would buy me.

Would he be just as cruel as these men? Was it possible that he could be worse?

I stared into the sea of faces, but their visages were difficult to make out in the darkness. Each table held a single man, and no two men sat together. They were spread out across the room, red tablecloths covering their tables. Topless waitresses moved around and brought them drinks.

The auction began.

The man who tried to rape me stood at the podium on the stage, tattoos covering his arm from his wrist to his bicep. He was dressed in all black, and his disgusting smile was his worst feature. Heartless and cold, he did this on a regular basis. We were just a new batch to be sold. He used that money to buy whores, get expensive homes and cars…it was appalling.

We were fucking people.

“Here we go. You’ve all done this before.” He pointed to the woman standing closest to him. There were five of us in a row, and I was the last one. “We’ve got Marissa Yaris, the daughter of a French diplomat, Charles Yaris. After finishing her education at university, she traveled to London for her first internship. She was out with some friends on the town. After a quick needle to her neck, we got her back here. Young and innocent, she’ll be the perfect obedient slave.”

That was how we would be described? After a short biography, our level of obedience was important? This beautiful girl had barely lived her life, and she’d already accomplished so much. And her parents must be worried sick.

“When I get out of here, I’m cutting your dick off.” It was a stupid thing to blurt out, but I didn’t care. He’d reduced this woman’s value to nothing.

He turned to me, the same smile on his lips. “We save the best for last. We’ll get to her later.” He turned back to the audience of faceless men. “We’ll start at a hundred grand.”

A hundred grand?

A few men bid on her and raised it to five hundred grand.

Then I heard a familiar voice. “Six hundred.”

I recognized that voice because I’d heard it nearly every day. I knew when he was irritated and when he was pleased. He told me off the second I stepped out of line, but when I cooperated, he was the gentlest man on the planet.

But it couldn’t be him.

Just as I looked into the rows of seats when I’d first met him, I narrowed my eyes on the face that was looking up at me. I concentrated harder until my eyes adjusted to the darkness. And then I saw his hard jaw, green eyes, and corded neck.

Conway.

He was bidding in the auction.

Would he really do something like that? Was he a sick asshole? Or was he there to save me? The idea was thrilling, but I didn’t see how that would be possible. How would he have figured out I was captured so easily? And why was he bidding on another woman?

The price kept increasing until they hit one and a half million.

Conway Barsetti just bought a woman.

“Sold.” The man on the stage with us clapped then moved on to the next girl.

Conway didn’t make another bid.

There was no way he didn’t recognize me. He’d never seen me naked or with a bruise on my face, but he knew my body well enough to know I was the one standing at the very end.

His face was emotionless, so I had no idea what he was thinking.

Was he thinking at all?

After the other women had been sold, it was my turn.

Conway, please buy me.

I should have taken his offer when he extended it. I would much rather belong to a man like him than Knuckles or the leader of the Skull Kings. Conway would never hurt me, never punch me in the ass the way that man did.

“We’ve got a special treat tonight, boys. We have the famous lingerie model. She took a wrong turn down a dark corridor and ended up in our lair. Stupid women always think they know directions…” He shook his head. “Will Conway Barsetti bid on her tonight? Or will some other lucky man get to take her home? She’s a virgin—it’s been confirmed.”

My natural instinct was to close my eyes in shame. He had just shared my private life with a room full of strangers. Now they knew my naked body, knew my sexual past. They’d stripped me of my dignity.

But I wouldn’t bow.

“We start the bidding at three million.”

I was disgusted to see every single paddleboard fly into the air. Every man in that room wanted me.

“Sweetheart, I’ll be happy to take your innocence.” Knuckles smoked his cigar as he kept his paddleboard in the air.

Was this really happening right now? Knuckles was there to take me back. I’d run away from him, but if he outbid Conway, I would be stuck with him. All my nightmares would become reality. He’d rape me and drown me at the same time. He’d said that was how he wanted to end my life, watching me struggle to breathe while his dick came in my ass.

Please, Conway.

I told him I wouldn’t give up sex in exchange for money. But now I would do anything to belong to him. He was the only decent man I’d met since I left America. He made sure I had what I needed and treated me well. If I had to be a slave to someone—I’d prefer him.

The bidding moved to ten million.

Five men were still in the bidding war—including Knuckles and Conway.

Knuckles held his paddleboard high. “Twenty million.”

He wasn’t going to let me go.

The other three men dropped out of the auction. They set their boards on their tables, dismissing themselves.

Conway raised his again. “Twenty-five.”

Knuckles turned his way, wearing a threatening glare that would make any man shake. He raised his board again. “Fifty.”

My eyes shifted back to Conway, who maintained the same indifferent composure. Fifty million dollars was a lot of cash. It didn’t make sense for Conway to spend that much money on me, not when he could find another model to replace me. But Knuckles would spend whatever it took. This was personal now.

Conway raised his paddleboard. “A hundred.”

One hundred million dollars.

Oh my fucking god.

Now Knuckles looked furious. His jaw clenched, and he ignored his cigar even though it started to burn his fingers. He visibly marked Conway as his enemy, pissed that someone wanted me more than he did.

“Going once.”

Knuckles stared at Conway.

Conway stared back.

“Going twice.”

I couldn’t take the anticipation. Would Knuckles go for it?

The Skull King slammed his mallet on the podium. “Sold to Conway Barsetti for one hundred million dollars. The bitch is yours.”

The men walked up to claim their prizes.

Knuckles stayed in his seat, eyeing me with that smoldering gaze that promised vengeance.

Conway appeared at the foot of the stage instantly, wearing that same indifference. He had just spent a hundred million dollars on me so he couldn’t care that little, but it definitely appeared that way. He grabbed me by the legs and lowered me onto the floor with him, touching my body with no sensitivity as he got me to the ground. Then he stripped off his jacket and wrapped it around my body.

I was finally covered. I finally had some dignity.

He moved behind me and broke the rope with his bare hands. His lips were near my ear when he spoke. “Don’t speak until I say so.”

He’d saved me from a fate of endless torture; I obeyed—happily.

Now that my hands were free, I tightened the jacket over my body, covering as much skin as I could. It reached past my thighs and covered my ass. My feet were bare and most of my legs were visible, but it was better than letting my tits hang out.

Conway pulled me by my arm, not handling me gently like I’d been hoping. He reached the other woman he’d bought, and this time, he unbuttoned his collared shirt then helped her get it on.

He gave her the shirt off his back.

My eyes immediately went to his body, finally seeing the physique I’d imagined under his clothes. The side of his torso was cut with muscle, prominent lines that attached the various muscles of his body into a single working piece of art. His stomach was tight with rock-hard abdominals, and his back had a steep curve the way mine did, but his was caused by the tightness of his muscles. His arms were sculpted and strong, and his shoulders were so wide he didn’t need padding in his jackets. His chest was the best part. Strong, wide, and solid. His tanned skin only made him more beautiful.

I’d nearly been raped a few hours ago, so I wasn’t as aroused as I might have normally been. Right now, I just wanted to get out of there and far away from these disgusting men—especially Knuckles.

Conway brought both of us close to his body and escorted us to the exit of the building. As we walked up the stairs, I realized we were underground like I suspected. We passed the lobby, and I instantly recognized the place.

The Opera Theater.

We reached a black SUV. I didn’t know what the make of the vehicle was. All the windows were tinted pitch-black. He opened the back door and helped Marisa inside. Then he opened the passenger door for me.

I got in and didn’t ask any questions.

When I looked out the window, I saw Knuckles standing there. He’d lit up a new cigar and was now puffing on it like oxygen. I never thought I would be this close to the man but feel so safe.

That was only possible because of Conway.

Conway pulled onto the road and started to drive. Then he made a phone call.

“How’d it go?” A masculine voice came over the line.

“There was an unforeseen circumstance,” Conway said with a clenched jaw. “I need you to take care of the girl for the next few weeks until we return her to her family.”

He was returning Marisa to her family?

“What happened?” the man asked.

“I can’t say right now. Put Anastasia on a plane tomorrow morning.”

The man didn’t ask any more questions. “Alright, Con. But I need a better explanation later.”

“You’ll get one.”

---

We stopped at a villa in the countryside, a palace surrounded by stone walls. Ivy grew over the sides just the way it did at Conway’s home. Conway escorted Marisa inside and left me in the car. He was gone for fifteen minutes before he came back out.

Then he pulled back onto the road and drove farther into the countryside, with only the light of his headlights to guide him. Out here in the middle of nowhere, there was only the light of the stars and the moon.

I didn’t know where Conway and I stood, but I couldn’t help but feel safe. After sleeping next to a dumpster and being hunted down by two groups of psychopaths, I was grateful to take advantage of the power that constantly hummed around Conway.

He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. But he didn’t say anything.

I’d never hated his silence so much before.

I wanted to talk, but I knew speaking was prohibited. He’d just dropped a fortune on me, so I didn’t dare disobey him—not this time.

The radio was off, and he kept his eyes on the road, driving shirtless. Even when he was sitting, his stomach was straight as a board. He’d constantly complimented my body, but he was the one with the perfect physique. “How stupid are you?”

I thought he would ask if I was okay first. I thought he would hold my hand and kiss my knuckles. But he didn’t do any of that.

“You know what would have happened if I hadn’t bought you, right?”

Just the thought made my breath come out shaky.

“When I went by your hotel, the staff said you were gone. I came to bring you money and a phone, but you’d already taken off. You turned down an unbeatable offer and chose to get kidnapped by the Skull Kings.”

Knowing he tried to help me again made me feel worse.

“After all the shit you’ve been through, I thought you would understand how horrible this world is. I thought you would understand how cruel men can really be. But you have a false sense of reality and think you’re invincible. If I hadn’t bought you, you would be getting raped right this very—”

“Stop.”

“Did I say you could talk?” He turned his head my way, watching me in the passenger seat. “I hate women like you. You think you can take down any man who comes your way. And then when shit gets tough, you realize how weak you are. I’ve seen it time and time again…I tried to help you.”

“By asking for sex in return.”

“Like you don’t want to fuck me,” he snapped. “None of this makes any goddamn sense. Why did you take off, Sapphire? What did you think you were going to find out there? I’m not the best guy in the world, but I’ve proven that I’m decent.”

Now that he’d spent a fortune on me, he deserved my complete honesty. “Here’s the truth…”

He turned to me again, listening attentively.

“My brother took out seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars in loans so he could gamble with this crew in New York City. When he lost it all and couldn’t pay it back, their leader killed him. His name is Knuckles.”

Conway’s eyes narrowed, as if he recognized the name.

“Once my brother was dead, Knuckles said he would take me as compensation. He said I would be his sex slave…and he counted down the days until he finally took me. He’d slip me notes in my bags on the subway or on the couch I slept. He was toying with me, building up to a climax and slowly torturing me. He threatened to hurt me even more if I ran for it, but I couldn’t just let it happen. I couldn’t wait around for him to grab me by the hair and drag me back to his prison…so I ran.”

Conway kept driving, but his speed decreased noticeably. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was too afraid. That’s why I didn’t want to give you my name either. But I became so famous from that fashion show, it led him right to me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this when I offered you my deal the other day?”

“Because you wouldn’t have paid the kind of money Knuckles wanted, and I wouldn’t have wanted you to.”

“But a hundred million is okay?” he asked incredulously.

“I didn’t ask you to do that…”

“You were begging me with your eyes, Sapphire. Or am I wrong?”

No, he wasn’t wrong.

“If you had just told me what was going on, I could have helped you. But you didn’t. You didn’t trust me, despite everything I’ve done for you. I offered you the deal of a lifetime to pay back your debts—and you turned me down.”

“And I should be grateful for that?” I snapped. “You offered to clear my debt if I fucked you.”

“Five hundred and thirty thousand dollars of debt,” he snapped. “That’s not pocket change, even to someone like me. You don’t have a penny to your name, and you’re struggling to survive. Beggars can’t be choosers, and you chose wrong. That was a great deal, and you pissed it away.”

It wasn’t a bad offer. “That’s not how I wanted to lose my virginity…”

He shook his head slightly. “Well, now I bought it for a hundred million—and you’re giving it to me. I own all of you, from head to toe. I will fuck you when I want, dress you how I want, and do whatever I damn well please.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter and stared straight ahead, his jaw tense.

I was still covered in his jacket, and his smell enveloped me. The fabric was soft against my skin, and despite what he’d just said to me, I felt safe. “That’s fair…” If Conway hadn’t saved me, I’d be facing a much worst fate. He saved my life as well as my dignity. Even if I worked for him for the rest of my life, I’d never be able to repay the money he spent to save me. Knuckles could have bought me instead, and my face would be black and blue at this very moment.

Conway wasn’t a saint.

But he wasn’t the devil either.

I had no other opportunities or resources. There was no hope for me to go back to America. The second I left Conway’s side, I would be vulnerable to the world all over again. Knuckles would take me the second he got the chance.

Conway would never give me the money to pay back my debts now, and even if he did, I would never take it. He’d already done enough for me.

This was my life now.

I was the property of Conway Barsetti.

His willing prisoner.

“Thank you for buying me…” I had never said the words out loud. The entire situation was fucked up. I was thanking a man who bought me to fuck me, but since he was the only decent guy in the situation, I was grateful. I would much rather be stuck with Conway than anyone else. Once you truly suffered, your perception of life changed.

Conway didn’t acknowledge my words. He kept driving with one hand on the wheel. “This is how it’s going to be. I will use you for my concepts, and you will do exactly as I say. You will not have other men—only me. I will provide for you and protect you for the rest of my life. In return, you will be my muse. Understood?”

I was the one woman he would live out his fantasies with. I would follow his orders and be exactly what he wanted me to be. My job was to please him, to inspire him. Obeying was something I would always struggle with, but I would do the best I could. After what he did for me, I owed him my life. I would give him whatever he wanted. “Yes.”