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“If I’d known that, I certainly would not have utilized the site.” Master O’s tone was tight and controlled, like he was holding back a fierce temper. A little shiver of fear went up her spine, and suddenly she wished she wasn’t sitting so close to him. “Why haven’t you told the members?”
“For starters, I was hoping to get it shut down before the next round.” Sighing, Mr. Elliott ran a hand through his dark hair again, leaving it adorably mussed and she felt a tug of sympathy at how distraught he appeared, which she immediately squashed. Just because a man with a chiseled jawline and stunning blue eyes looked sad didn’t mean he got a pass for being a complete dick. “And pride, I suppose. I didn’t want the members thinking I can’t control my club.”
“Well, that’s ridiculous,” Master O said with a snort of derision. “We would all understand it’s beyond your control. At the very least, you should have come to me. I have the resources to get the site shut down quickly and cleanly.”
“And leave myself indebted to the mob? No, thank you.”
The mob? A shocked squeak escaped before Lottie could stop it, and both men turned to look at her, Mr. Elliott with an “I told you so” sort of smirk and Master O with a lopsided smile that somehow felt playful and threatening at the same time.
“Don’t worry yourself, little one. I’m no danger to pretty little girls like you.”
It was Lottie’s turn to snort disbelievingly. “I’ve seen Goodfellas enough times to know that’s not true.”
“Hollywood loves to glamorize us and demonize us with the same broad brush. But I promise, you would be safe with me.”
“Absolutely not.” Anger snapping in the icy blue of his eyes, Mr. Elliott shook his head. “She’s not going anywhere with you, Killian.”
“Of course she is. I paid for her, after all.”
The reminder that she’d been bought and paid for left Lottie feeling a little sick to her stomach. And, judging by the expression on Mr. Elliott’s face, he didn’t appreciate it either. “Why is that, exactly? It’s not like you have a shortage of women at your beck and call.”
Master O lifted a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “I haven’t had a virgin in a while. I thought it might be a nice change of pace.”
“A four-hundred-thousand-dollar change of pace?” Lottie asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief, and hoping the men couldn’t tell that her stomach was churning. She felt as though she might puke all over Master O’s custom suit. It was one thing to put herself up for auction, it was quite another to listen to them talk about her as though she were a piece of meat.
“It’s just money,” Master O said with another shrug. “You can’t take it with you, after all.”
“It doesn’t matter how much you spent; she’s not going through with it.”
Lottie took a sip of her cosmo, praying it would help calm her nerves. “Yes, I am.”
“Like hell you are.”
“I signed a contract, and despite your low opinion of me, Mr. Elliott, I am a woman of my word.”
“You’re a fucking child.”
“I’m twenty-two. An adult by every metric.”
“I don’t care how old you are. I am not letting this happen.”
“There is a contract.” Master O’s tone gave away nothing of what he was feeling, and somehow still managed to have the hair on Lottie’s neck standing up. “And I believe there’s a hefty fee for breaking it.”
“I’ll pay the goddamn fee, and you can get your money back.”
Shit, shit, shit. “Excuse me.” Lottie raised her hand and waved it between them. “What about me? I still need the money.”
Mr. Elliott’s eyes narrowed, and she instinctively shrank back against Master O, which felt a bit like escaping a lion only to run into a tiger’s cage. “Why do you need the money, Charlotte?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Then you obviously don’t need it that badly. I’ll pay the fee and get you out of this mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“Counterpoint,” Master O said before she could respond. “You wish to find the person who is actually responsible for the auction, correct?”
“Yes, but?—”
“Let me finish. The most likely scenario is that someone in the club, possibly even an employee is running the auction. Agreed?”
