He steps closer, so close I can smell the starch of his shirt and the faint, expensive tang of his cologne.
“You’ve never?” he prompts, voice lower.
I bite my lip. “Never, you know. Done it. Been with a man.”
His eyes darken, a flicker of something raw passing through them. For a second, the gallery and the club and the whole worlddisappear, and there’s just him, looming over me, every inch the predator.
He leans in, but his voice is soft. “Is that supposed to be a surprise?”
I blink, caught. “Isn’t it?”
He tilts his head, blue eyes locked on mine. “I don’t know. Is it?”
I want to melt. I want to run. Instead, I whisper, “They said they check every new girl to ascertain if she’s a virgin because the club holds a special auction. For girls like me.”
He gives the smallest smile. “We do.”
I swallow, my heart beating out of time. “Sophia said I should consider being in it.”
Hunter’s eyes gleam, but then he shrugs, as if this is the most normal conversation in the world. “You’d make a lot of money, Daisy. Some girls make enough to never work again.”
The words hang between us, sticky and sweet and dangerous.
“Why would anyone pay that much for something so… stupid?” I blurt, instantly regretting it.
The alpha male watches me, but doesn’t judge. “Because it’s rare. Because it’s forbidden. Because some men will pay anything to be first, to own something no one else can have.” He lets that sink in. “And because you’re beautiful, Daisy. Surely, you know that.”
His compliment lands gently, making me flush with pleasure. My nipples feel tight and insides wobbly.
We stand there, staring at each other, the whole world electric. My hands are shaking. I can’t tell if I’m angry or turned on.
“I can’t do it,” I say, but my voice is weak. “The auction is too much.”
“You don’t have to.” Hunter steps even closer, pinning me with his gaze. “But if you wanted to, you’d be the star of the show.”
I look at him, really look, and I see something hungry, almost desperate behind the calm. He wants me to say yes. He wants to bid, buy and win my curves.
I want to say no. But I can’t stop thinking about what it would feel like to be the center of everything, to stand in a glittery spotlight as hungry male animals watch. To be touched by a man who looks at me like I’m made of gold.
“Would you buy me?” I whisper, so soft I barely hear it.
His lips curve. “Maybe. If I could afford it.”
We both know that’s a lie. He could buy the world if he wanted.
My head is spinning. I feel drunk, even though I haven’t touched a drop all day.
He sees it, and his smile softens. “You can take time to think,” he says. “No one will force you. But if you decide to do it, I’ll make sure you’re safe, Daisy.”
Safe. That’s the word that undoes me.
I nod, then look away, embarrassed at how much I want him to take charge.
He steps back, gives me space, and gestures to the next gallery room. “Want to see the rest?”
I follow, not sure if I’m hunting him, or if he’s hunting me.
The corridor is empty. The air is cool, but my skin is hot and prickling.