The Auction (19 page)

Her voice had trailed off to a whisper under his stern gaze and she found herself looking down at her lap, feeling like a child making excuses in the principal’s office. A hot tear splashed onto her hands.

“It’s not quite that simple, young lady.” Apparently unmoved, Mr. Butler swiveled toward his computer monitor and began to tap on his keyboard. As Carly sat waiting, she felt the impotent anger rising in her like bile, burning in her throat and making her eyes water.

“I see this is your first stint with us. Needless to say it will be your last.”

Carly bit her tongue to keep from retorting that he could bet his ass it would be her last. He hadn't said no yet. She clung to that thread of hope and kept her mouth shut while he continued to tap away at his computer.

Finally he reached for the telephone on his desk and pushed the intercom button.

“Yes, sir?” Carly heard Gina say from the other room.

“Get me client Adam Wise on the phone. You can put it directly through.” He turned to Carly, his tone cold. “I’m sure you appreciate I need to speak with your Master before we go any further. For all I know, you are in disgrace and running from that fact, trying to collect on services you’ve failed to render.”

Indignant, Carly began, “No, that isn’t—”

“Silence,” the man roared, holding his palm outward in her direction. “While in this auction house, you are a slave, and you will behave accordingly, regardless of whether you failed in your duties elsewhere.”

“I didn’t—”

The phone on the man’s desk rang, and he reached for it, cutting Carly off with his brusque, “Yes?” He listened a moment and then said, “Very well, call back and leave him a message to call me as soon as possible regarding the matter of his contract with
Erotica Auctions
.”

Hanging up the phone, he turned back to Carly. “As I said, I will need to speak with your Master to determine the veracity of your claims. If he corroborates your story, you will be paid at the end of the term, a little more than three weeks’ time. If he has any complaint
whatsoever
about your training or behavior, the payment terms of the contract as far as you are concerned are rendered null and void. You knew that going in, slave Carly. A good slave pleases her Master in all things. You clearly failed to do so.”

Carly opened her mouth to protest, her cheeks scalding, her heart racing. She realized she was sputtering, too flustered and outraged to say anything coherent, anything that this smug, self-satisfied son of a bitch would hear. She felt lightheaded, the blood roaring in her ears as she stood, moving on wooden legs out of his office, ignoring Gina’s questioning glance as she pushed her way blindly out of the building.

Chapter 14

Carly walked quickly around to the back of the building toward the lot where her car waited. She had to lean against the back wall of the building for several minutes until her head cleared and her breathing returned to normal. Though her eyes were hot with unshed tears, she refused to give the smug bastard sitting inside the satisfaction of crying.

Instead, she reminded herself how strong she was. She’d been independent since she was eighteen. She’d been exposed to misogynistic assholes many times before, especially some of the entitled attorneys at the law office where she’d worked. She’d been a New Yorker for the last decade. She could take anything anyone decided to dish out, and come out fighting.

Screw Jack Butler, screw Adam Wise.

Even as this thought moved like a whip through her mind, she knew underneath her anger and her pain that she could trust Adam to keep his word. Even if he’d sent her away without giving her a chance, he wouldn’t let the auction house screw her over when it came to her payment. She had to believe this. 

All she had to do was hang on another three weeks. She would find friends who would let her crash for a day or two on their couches. She might find temporary work. If absolutely necessary she would sleep in her car. At least it wasn’t winter. It would be weeks before she even needed to use the heat. She would be fine.

Then she’d get her money, which would give her some breathing room while she figured out what to do next with her life. She’d drive down to Texas or maybe to Florida. She’d find work. Maybe she’d go to college part time and get a degree in business or something. She was only thirty-two and the world was hers for the taking.

Though that world didn’t contain the one man who had somehow slipped deep into her heart, the one man she knew it would take years for her to get over, to put behind her, to forget… Again the tears tried to push their way into her eyes, and again she reminded herself she was strong. She needed no one.

Carly began to walk back to her car, holding on
to her new resolve like a lifeline. As she walked she saw a small, sexy sports car pull into the back lot from a side street. Though there were plenty of spaces in the lot, for some reason the car pulled into the space directly beside her car.

As Carly came closer she could see a man in the driver’s seat, though because the windows were tinted, she couldn’t see his features. Then the car door opened and Carly’s heart constricted almost painfully, as if the person stepping out of the car had reached in and squeezed.

Her pride told her to look away, to pretend she hadn’t seen the man who had hurt her so badly. She was rooted to the spot, drinking in the sight of him as if it had been years, rather than just hours, since he’d sent her away.

“Carly! Oh, Carly, I’m so glad I found you!”

His words and the expression on his face—a heartbreaking mixture of relief, joy and apprehension—melted the last of her defenses. All self-made promises to put him behind her—to move on and forget the man who had occupied her every waking moment and much of her dreams for the past week—were forgotten in that instant.

Adam stepped out of the car. He was still wearing the same shorts and T-shirt he’d had on early that morning, his cheeks stubbled with five o’clock shadow, his dark hair tousled, his gray eyes burning into hers.

“Adam,” Carly whispered, no longer trying to fight the tears that sprang to her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.

Stepping toward her, Adam touched her red slave collar, his eyes softening with sorrow. His hand traveled upward and he stroked away her tears with his thumb, the gesture at once tender and sensual.

Carly tried to muster righteous anger. This man had sent her away without giving her a chance, breaking the contract, breaking her heart. Thanks to him she might well be out of the money owed her. Because of him she’d had to endure that bastard Butler’s harangue. Yet in spite of all this, she couldn’t seem to stop her lips from lifting into an absurdly happy grin. She had to restrain herself, wrapping her arms around her torso to keep from flinging them around Adam and pulling him close.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“I came to find you.” Adam glanced from her to her car and Carly felt herself flushing. She stood straighter, daring him with her eyes to make some rude remark about her car and her obvious dire straits. She readied herself with a sharp retort, something involving silver spoons and entitled bastards.

But Adam made no remark, disparaging or otherwise. Instead he stepped closer to her, reaching for her hand. Though Carly hadn't meant to, she let him take it. The yearning in his face was so palpable that she felt her anger melting away as she lost herself in his gaze. When he pulled her close, she let him, pressing her face against his chest and breathing in his scent, feeling she could stay cocooned in his strong arms for the rest of her life.

When Adam finally let her go, he stepped back, looking around the parking lot as if just realizing where he was. “I saw you walking from the building. Did you get everything squared away with the auction house?”

Carly found herself blurting out the whole story, the words tumbling over themselves as she gave vent to her frustration and outrage. As she spoke, Adam’s face grew dark, his mouth drawing down in a frown.

“Let’s go,” he said, taking her hand. “We’ll just straighten this out right now. I don’t give a shit what the terms of the contract are, that man had
no
right to talk to you like that. Who the fuck does he think he is?”

They entered the building, Adam bursting through the doors, Carly right behind him. “I need to see Jack Butler,” he said to Gina. “Now.”

Gina looked from Adam to Carly and back to Adam. She stood abruptly and turned back to Mr. Butler’s office, knocking lightly on the door and then slipping inside, closing the door behind her.

A moment later Jack Butler emerged, a small, tight smile on his face. “Mr. Wise. A pleasure,” he said, extending his hand.

“We need to talk,” Adam replied, not taking the offered hand. “In your office.”

“Absolutely,” Mr. Butler replied, his tone unctuous. “I apologize for this slave’s behavior. We will do everything we can to make things right for you.” Turning to Carly, the man added in a sour tone, “You will wait out here, slave Carly.”

“No, she will
not
wait out here,” Adam retorted, putting his arm around Carly. “This directly concerns her.”

Mr. Butler frowned, but bowed slightly in acquiescence as he waved the two of them into his office. He sat again behind his huge desk and leaned forward. “What is this all about, Mr. Wise?”

“What it’s about is that I realized I made a mistake in taking on a slave for hire and using her like a sex object without regard or knowledge of her as a human being.”

Mr. Butler had again pasted an insincere smile on his face, but his voice was tight. “You were clearly informed of the terms of the contract, Mr. Wise. If you’re seeking a return of your deposit it’s absolutely—”

Adam shook his head impatiently. “I’m not seeking anything back. You’re right—I knew what I was getting into, or I thought I did. I paid the money, and Carly did everything she was supposed to do, and more. She was exemplary in her behavior in every respect.”

Carly swallowed, aware this wasn’t entirely true, as she’d failed to disclose her claustrophobia until it was too late. She was mutely grateful that Adam didn’t bring this up.

“You can keep every dime and you’re welcome to it,” Adam continued. “I also understand the contract doesn’t provide payment to the slave until the term is expired, but I am here to make sure you understand that slave Carly has fulfilled her side of the contract to the letter, and she
will
be paid what is owed her when it’s due. Are we both crystal clear on that?”

“Clear as a bell,” Mr. Butler said through clenched teeth, the smile on his face now decidedly a grimace.

Adam stood, holding out his hand to Carly. “Good. That’s all I wanted to hear.” It was all Carly could do to hide her smile as they left the office and the building.

They walked together in silence toward their cars, Carly’s hand still clasped in Adam’s. While she was delighted at the way Adam had handled Mr. Butler, the whole morning had been such a crazy rollercoaster of ups and downs that she was in something of a daze.

When they reached their cars, Adam dropped her hand and turned to her. “Carly,” he whispered, tears filling his eyes. “I’m so, so sorry. I really fucked up. I shouldn’t have sent you away like that. I know now how close I came to losing you. I’m hoping against hope you’ll give me a second chance. Do you think that’s even remotely possible?”

Carly’s reply was pulled from her like a sigh, as Adam took her into his arms. “Yes,” she said. “Yes.”

~*~

They were quiet as they drove along the parkway toward Scarsdale. Adam kept glancing at Carly, not quite believing he had her back, stunned at how easily he’d let her go.

“What do I do about my car?” Carly suddenly said.

It took Adam a second to process what she was asking. “I’ll send Jordan for it. You can keep it at my place.”

Carly nodded. Adam continued to glance every few seconds toward the passenger seat to make sure she was actually there, and not part of some daydream. 

“What?” Carly finally said, her face breaking into a tentative smile as she met his gaze.

“You.”

“Me?” Carly gave him a quizzical look.

Adam laughed. “I’m sorry. I just can’t keep my eyes off you. I can’t believe how incredibly stupid I was. I feel like a guy on death row who got a reprieve right before they inserted the lethal injection.”

A faint blush moved over Carly’s cheeks. “So what happens now?

 “Do we pick up where we left off? Finish the contract?” She was staring straight ahead again, her expression difficult to read.

“No. The contract is done.”

She glanced his way, her eyes questioning, biting her lower lip.

Adam grinned in spite of himself. So much for training that out of her. Yet now he found the gesture charming—an indication of her vulnerability that made him want to take her into his arms and kiss away all her fears.

“What I mean is,” he said, reaching over to touch her knee, “I don’t want you back under any kind of contractual terms. I just want you back. I want us to try this thing without the artificial constraints of the auction contract.” Recalling her old car stuffed with what appeared to be all her worldly possessions, he hastened to add, “I think we lit enough of a fire under Butler’s ass to make sure you get paid everything you’re owed when the time comes.” He gave a small, mirthless laugh but then sobered. “But regarding
us
, I’m hoping you might see your way to giving this another try on equal footing. As partners.”

“Partners?”

“I realize now I used the whole contract thing as a way to keep you at arm’s length. I’ve done that more or less my whole adult life. I don’t want to live that way anymore. I want to get to know you. I want you to know me. I want us to take our time—no schedules, no contracts, no deadlines.”

They were in his neighborhood now, nearly to his street. At a stop sign, Adam turned to Carly, memorizing every line and plane of her sweet face. “I don’t know anything about you, Carly, other than you are submissive and masochistic, beautiful, intelligent, articulate, sensual and the sexiest woman I ever met.”