“Now stand right there.”
It wasn’t just my face that was burning hot anymore, it was my whole body — a chilling flush that crept through all of me.
I stood in the center of a cold, dimly lit room, my hands clasped and twisting in front of me as I looked at the floor. I could feel eyes on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look up. When we’d walked — or rather, when Mr. Pike hadpulledme in — there’d been two other mean-looking men in the room, with the shadowy shapes of two others in the far corner.
And I could feelallof them looking at me.
The lingerie was black, and lacy, and completely see through. It felt expensive — definitely more expensive than anything else that I’d ever worn. The black, low-dipping bra cupped my breasts, but I knew my pink nipples were completely visible through it. And the panties — myGod.They weredefinitelylike nothing I’d ever worn. I mean, I woreunderwear— plain, white, occasionally grey, utilitarianunderwear.
That isnotwhat I was wearing in that room.
Athong. I knew what it was called because of Peggy, of course, but I’d never everwornone. Peggy had showed me some of hers before, but I couldn’timaginewearing something that didn’t even cover yourbuttlike that. And yet, here I was, wearing one.
…In a room full of strange men.
“So what do we think?” Mr. Pike chuckled. “Looks like I picked up a pretty sweet deal on this one, huh fellas?”
The two other mean-looking men laughed, sending a chill through my body.
“Shit, I’ll say, boss,” one muttered in a gravelly voice. I could feel the voice move towards me, and I flinched.
He laughed.
“Squirrelly little thing, ain’t she?”
Mr. Pike chuckled. “Sure is, sure is. This one’s going to breakrealnice. I’ve already made some calls to some of the, ahem,newbuyers, and they’re chomping at the bit for this one.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, clutching my hands tightly, and hoping I could somehow force myself into tight little ball and just roll away into the shadows.
But I knew that wasn’t happening. I washere— and wherever here was, it was like a nightmare that I was trapped in now.
“So what do you say? Think you two are up for breakin’ this one—”
“We got this one, boss.”
The new voice sounded different. It sounded strong, and supremely confident.
And it soundednice.
I glanced up, and my eyes went wide.
The voice belonged to the blond cowboy from the farm the other day, and right next to him stood his darker-haired friend. The two of them had their eyeslockedon me, but where the eyes of the other men in the room felt like daggers pricking my skin, these two felt like soothing balm.
A comfort.
I still blushed of course, trembling as I felt their eyes dip down over me. I felt embarrassed at them seeing me like this —dressedlike this like some sort of awkward stripper standing in the middle of that room. And yet, while part of me was mortified at them seeing me like this, the other part of me glowed a little bit. They were strangers, and I’d never evenspokento them, but somehow them being here was a comfort right then.
Even if I didn’t know them at all, there was somethinggoodin those eyes.
And I had to hang on to what was good in a place like that.
“You two, huh?”
Mr. Pike and the two other guys chuckled.
“Well well, suddenly deciding to step up and be big boys with a big boy job?” one of the guys muttered.
“You ain’t never taken on a training before, fellas,” the other one growled, scratching his chin.