Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
I rear back, surprised. “You’re judging me!” I accuse her.
She’s shaking her head. “No, I’m not. I’m not judging you at all. I just don’t understand. Is it the money? If that’s the case, I can lend it to you.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “A million dollars will be nice, but no, it’s not the money. I just… I need to do this.”
I can’t explain it to her. Mostly because she doesn’t know the whole story. I wonder what she would think if she knew that I wanted to go home with her brother recently. That I’d only known him for less than an hour and I was dry humping him in the courtyard at work. Or the fact that he’s all I’ve thought about since. I feel as if I’m going crazy. You would think after what he said to me, it would be easy to dismiss him, but I haven’t been able to get him off my mind. This auction invitation came at the right time. Elana doesn’t know it, but the only man I want I can’t have. I need to do this.
She tilts her head as she searches my eyes. I know she’s trying to figure this out. Auctioning myself off is not something I would normally do. She’s justified in her surprise. I hold my hand up. “I’m not losing it or going crazy. I’m just ready. I don’t want to date or do all that. Trust me… you know me, Elana. I’ve thought about this carefully and weighed all the pros and cons. There are safety procedures in place. Everyone has to be vetted; it’s not just a free-for-all. I promise you I wouldn’t do this if I had any doubts at all. I want to do it.”
She still doesn’t look happy about it, but at least she gives up trying to change my mind. “Okay, give me all the details, and don’t leave anything out.”
I spend the next thirty minutes telling her everything I know about it. She taps the bar top with her knuckles. “Wait. There’s a marriage option? You could get married this weekend?”
I bark out a laugh. “How come I feel like you’re more worried about getting cheated out of your spot as maid of honor than you are about me actually getting married?”
She laughs with me as she orders two more drinks. “You know me well. So what? Are you telling me you may get married this weekend?”
“No, I’m not getting married. It’s an option, but both people have to agree to it, and I’m definitely not binding myself to someone that I just met.” No sooner are the words out than I start thinking of Ben. Damn, why can’t I stop thinking about him?
Elana lets out a breath. “Good. It’s one thing to have sex with someone you just met, but marriage is like forever…”
I nod in agreement.
Elana slides my drink to me and lifts up her own glass. “All right, let’s drink.” She holds the glass toward me. “To your virginity.”
I set my arm down on the bar. “Really? That’s what you want to drink to?”
She throws her head back and laughs. “Well, just think about it. This time next week, we won’t be able to drink to it, so if you ask me, it’s a pretty good toast.”
I can see her logic, even if it is a little weird. “Fine.” I raise my glass and clink it to hers. “To my virginity.”
I gulp down the shot while she chimes in, “Oooh, and hoping you get a man that knows what a clit is.”
I choke on the shot of whiskey, and Elana starts to hoot with laughter. The people around us are all staring, but it doesn’t faze me. I give in to the moment and laugh with her. We laugh until our sides hurt and our cheeks are aching. For the first time in weeks, I’m happy. I’ve told my best friend my plan, and I’m one day closer to doing this auction and hopefully forgetting about the brooding, bearded Ben.
Ben
“Are you coming next Monday night?”
I raise my eyebrows and look at my sister Elana with my fork halfway to my mouth. We’re having our weekly dinner, and she’s only been here ten minutes and already she’s trying to talk me into going to town. “To the mayor’s shindig?”
She nods around the mouth full of spaghetti.
I take the bite and shake my head.
“Why not?”
I give her the look. The one that says Don’t ask me stupid questions. Plus, there’s no way I can go to that event because I know that Maggie will be there. She’s been talking about it for the past week on her social media, so I’m sure she’ll be in attendance. And I already feel that I’m hanging on a ledge here. I really fucked things up with her. I shake my head to try and get the memories out of my head once and for all and direct my attention to my sister. “So what’s up? What’s new in your life?”