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I rolled my eyes at my roommate. She was smarter than she gave herself credit for, even of the things she didn’t think she was very good at.
“I guess there’s just one other small detail about this that I should tell you. Pete Wilson…he’s the same Pete Wilson that did…you know…that thing I told you about. What happened to me in college.”
It took a moment for Sara to comprehend what I was saying to her, but when it finally dawned on her what I meant, her mouth fell open. “No fucking way.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s him.”
She took a moment to regain her composure. She was one of the few people I had told about the incident outside of the people who knew about it when it happened. It had been embarrassing enough to deal with back then, but if possible I would have liked to leave it all in the past. Somehow, once when we were having a discussion about our deepest hurts and the things that we were most afraid of, it came up in conversation. That was the thing about the whole event—it left such a deep emotional scar that went beyond the act. Now, because of what had happened to me back then, there were certain things I could not help but be a little afraid of. First dates, for one thing, had a way of really throwing me off kilter. You don’t go on a fake first date and get over it quickly. I wasn’t one to play a victim. I knew though that what had been done to me wasn’t normal and it was the sort of thing t
hat stuck with a person. I had experienced it first hand and I would never judge a person who felt threatened by a situation because of something they had experienced in the past. Sara knew and she had been very kind to me when I told her. No more questions about going on first dates. She was one of the few people who I was able to confide this to and over the years as we had lived together after college she had been able to help me overcome so much of what had plagued me in the aftermath.
“I just don’t know how you can bear to be around him, Penny.” The words came finally, slow and steady.
I nodded. “I know. It’s the craziest coincidence ever and I think there was a time when I would have run from this. No, I know for certain. Probably even just a couple of years ago. You know how I was. It’s not like I thought about what happened every single day, but I would say that some aspect of what he did to me came up in my daily life. There were always reminders. You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do.”
I took a deep breath. “I don’t want you to think I’m losing my mind here, and I understand if you think the motivation might invite a little bad karma—I just really think that being involved in this story, showing people what this club is really about, how they are exploiting women and their sexuality…getting them to sell their virginity to the highest bidder…once I am able to get the story out, I feel like I will really be able to put Pete Wilson behind me. It’s like the universe decided to reach out and hand me a gift.”
Sara tried to offer me a smile but I could see that it was strained. “I want you to be careful,” she said as she reached out a hand to squeeze mine. “You’ve had a lot of emotions and memories all tangled up with this guy and I know that being that close to him is bound to bring a lot of it up again. There is really no way to avoid it. I just want you to make sure and take care of yourself. Don’t let being so close to such a dark place and dark activity get to you. If he’s really involved in what you think, it means he’s into the exploitation of women. It’s the worst kind of misogyny. It makes it sound as if he hasn’t learned any lessons since what he did to you in college.”
“No surprise, right?” I heaved a heavy sigh.
She shook her head in agreement. “I’m afraid it’s not a surprise at all. It’s like he dived head first into a toxic pool. Like…what he is doing could be criminal. Have you thought about that? Could it be dangerous for you?”
I honestly hadn’t given that aspect of the assignment much thought. My part in all of this was to get close and interview Pete Wilson. I knew I was going to get a tour of the floor the next time I was there, but I had no idea how I could ever access the auction room and that was what I needed to do.
“There’s a definite possibility that there is some criminal activity going on, but I’m trying not to dwell on that aspect of things. I’m just there to get my facts and get out.” I left out any mention of the feelings I was having about Pete. They were all physical responses. Nothing for me to worry my roommate with.
“Okay, I worry about you being there alone though.”
Suddenly, something came to me. Maybe I didn’t have to be alone.
“Sara, do you think that Ivan would be willing to help out with part of this story?”
She tilted her head sideways, thinking. “Well, if he thought that there was something going on there that wasn’t totally above board then yeah, I think he would definitely want to see it stopped and if helping you on the story was a way of facilitating that then I could see it.”
I pulled out my phone and looked through my contacts. “Could I get his number? I’m going to call Lauren and see if we might be able to set something up.”
The wheels were still turning, but I had a feeling that I had found my way into the auction room.
Chapter 7
Pete
Friday had finally rolled around and I knew why I was feeling so excited. Penny was coming in for the second interview and while I was not very enthused about answering any more probing questions about the club, the thought of seeing her made me wish the hours would go by faster. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a woman stuck in my head like this, but everything about Penny was absolutely stunning and I was determined at some point tonight to at least give her a taste of what I intended to give her eventually.
Finally, she arrived at my office, dressed in a simple, but almost shockingly low-cut black dress. It was perfect for the club and she would be catching the eye of a lot of men tonight. Sadly for them, the only person who had a chance of taking her home would be me.
“You look great,” I said, complimenting her right out of the gate. I had briefly considered negging her only to decide that it was pointless. It was clear to me that Penny was not a vain woman. She knew she was attractive though and I had a feeling she had experienced her share of pickup artists. I wasn’t one but knew the tactics very well from all the men I was surrounded by day in and day out. So would she and I doubted she was the sort to respond to that kind of attention.
She beamed me a bright smile. “Oh, this old thing?” she said as she did a little twirl.
I reached out and grabbed her, pulling her close to me. It was too soon, I knew that, but she seemed up for the game.
“I appreciate you coming here looking like a goddess,” I said, my breath prickling against the side of her neck. I breathed in the scent of her hair. It smelled faintly of strawberries and jasmine and I wanted to bury myself in the exotic aroma of her. Not just her hair though. I wanted to tout her on my desk, hike up her dress and spread her legs wide. I wondered if she was wearing panties and allowed myself to imagine that she wasn’t. Maybe she had come here expecting this from me. Maybe she already wanted it. It would be so much easier that way, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted easy. Penny was gorgeous and intellectually a challenge. It made me want her that much more. Now I wanted her spread wide on my desk, my face between her legs, licking at her clit until she screamed.
But that would have to wait.
