Chapter 1

HEARTBREAKThe sheets were still warm when he pulled away.I lay there, breathing heavy, my body still flushed from what we'd just done. My chest was tight in that good way. I was thinking about how much I loved him, about maybe asking him to stay the night instead of rushing off like he always did. Then he got out of bed without looking at me. I watched him stand there naked for a second, his back to me. He looked tense, like something was weighing on him. I'd noticed it the past few days the way he was distant, the way he didn't kiss me the same way anymore. But I thought sex would fix it. Sex always fixed things between us.He pulled on his jeans without saying anything."Hey," I said, sitting up and wrapping the sheet around myself. "You okay?"He didn't answer. He just grabbed his shirt from the floor and started putting it on."We're done," he said finally, still not looking at me.I froze. The words didn't make sense."What? What do you mean we're done?""Exactly what I said.

Chapter 2

THE AUCTIONThe room went quiet when the four men walked in.I noticed it immediately the way the other women stopped talking, the way their heads turned. These weren't ordinary rich guys. There was something different about them. Something that made the air feel charged.I was standing in a small alcove backstage, away from the main floor. A woman with a clipboard had positioned me there, told me to wait.Through the curtain, I could see the main auction floor. Expensive lighting, sleek modern furniture, the beautiful women scattered around like pieces on a chessboard.The four men stood together, and I couldn't look away.The first one was in a business suit. Tailored, expensive, perfect. He had ice-blue eyes and sharp features like he was carved from stone. Something about him made me think of danger dressed up as money. He looked cold. Untouchable.The second one was older, maybe in his forties. Rugged in a way the first man wasn't. He wore a dark button-up shirt and jeans, like

Chapter 3

KAELThe first man to bid on me was the one in the expensive suit.His name was Kael. I learned that when the woman with the clipboard handed me a folder with his information. Age thirty-six. CEO of a tech company. Wealthy and private. No previous auction history."He's new," the woman said, which meant nothing to me. "Be professional, be safe, and remember you're in control. If anything makes you uncomfortable, use the panic button."I nodded, even though I didn't feel in control of anything.The suite they took me to was colder somehow. All glass and steel and minimalist furniture. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Everything was expensive, but nothing was warm. It felt like a hotel room designed by someone who'd never actually lived anywhere.Kael was standing by the window when I arrived, looking out at the city lights. He didn't turn around immediately. He just stood there, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders tense.When he finally turned to face me, his ice-blu

Chapter 4

THE CLUBI went to the hospital first thing in the morning.My mother was awake when I walked into her room. She looked smaller than I remembered, like the hospital bed was swallowing her whole. Her face lit up when she saw me."Sienna, baby, where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for days.""I know, I'm sorry," I said, walking over to hug her carefully. She felt so thin. "I'm here now.""The doctor said I need surgery. It's going to cost so much money, and I don't know how we're going to—"I pulled out an envelope with thirty-two thousand dollars in cash.Her face went pale."Where did you get this?" she asked, her voice shaking."I got a job," I lied. "It pays really well. It's temporary, but it's enough to cover the surgery and everything else you need.”She counted the money with trembling hands, tears streaming down her face."Sienna, this is too much. Where are you working? What kind of job pays this much?"I couldn't tell her the truth. I couldn't watch the disappoi

Chapter 5

The Night With DantePoint of View: Sienna"And we have a lot to discuss before the night is over."He said it as a promise, not a threat. Whatever was coming next was something I should want.I stood in the middle of his suite, my heart still racing from the revelation that he'd been watching me. That he'd orchestrated meeting me at the club. That none of it was a coincidence."What do you want to discuss?" I asked carefully.He walked toward me slowly, and instead of looking predatory, he just looked tired. He was carrying something heavy, and I could see it weighing on him."First, I want to know why you really agreed to this auction," he said, gesturing around the suite. "And don't tell me it's just about money. Everyone who comes here says it's about money, but there's always something else. Something deeper."I thought about lying. I thought about giving him the surface answer and nothing more, but something about the way he was looking at me made lying feel pointless."My mother

Chapter 6

"Oh God, wrong room. I'm so sorry!"She spun around fast."Wait." Dante's voice stopped her cold.She turned slowly. He crossed to her, completely unbothered, and wiped the corner of her lip with his thumb."Next time knock." His eyes held hers a second too long.She nodded and walked out fast.Dante turned back to me. We moved inside and dropped onto the bed, breathless.His hands moved across my body with a gentleness that made my eyes sting. He whispered things to me that I couldn't quite hear but felt anyway and afterward, we just lay there talking about nothing and everything.He told me about traveling and places he'd lived. He told me about the things that scared him. He didn't tell me much, but what he did tell me felt real. Honest."What happens after tonight?" I asked him as the sun started coming up."What do you want to happen?" he asked back."I don't know. I feel like I'm missing something. Like there's a piece of the puzzle I can't see.""There is," he said. "But you're