Bought by Jenika Snow Page 0,2

more than anything else. I didn’t need somebody to sugarcoat things for me. I didn’t need my ego stroked.

“That is what I was thinking,” I muttered, my focus on the dress.

“No one will know you’re you until after the event.”

I felt my brows knit and glanced up at her. “What do you mean?”

She turned and grabbed a small paper bag off the table, one that had the boutique’s name embossed on the front in silver lettering. She reached inside and pulled out a black, gorgeously beaded mask. It was the kind people wore to a mascaraed ball.

“Um,” I said as she handed it over and I took it. I stared at it for long moments, running my fingers along the satin and crystals. “So the auction is really going there, huh?”

She chuckled. “Believe me, having the guests masked wasn’t my idea. But the committee thought it would add more mystery to the whole event, make it more interesting.”

I guess, but it almost seemed silly to wear a mask, as if we were in some Eyes Wide Shut scene. On the other hand, wearing it would give me a modicum of anonymity, and I couldn’t deny that appealed to the very shy part of me.

“The masks were a last-minute add-on by the committee. I would’ve told you about them when I asked you to do the auction, but I just found out about it myself.”

I glanced up at her, and she shrugged, giving me another smile. An employee from the boutique came up and started talking to Patrice, and I focused on the mask once more then turned my attention to the dress. The gown hung from a hanger on the back of the dressing room door of the boutique. There was a small table beside it, a pair of black strappy stilettos on top of it. And those scared the hell out of me.

I could barely walk in ballet flats on the best of days. How the hell was I going to walk in those killers? And we wouldn’t even talk about my lack of coordination.

On top of the table, they set out a couple pieces of jewelry I could choose from. I looked at the dress again, the strapless gown snug around the bodice before flaring out slightly at the waist. I wasn’t much of a jewelry wearer, but one necklace really called out to me.

The chain was delicate, fragile-looking, and so thin it was almost as if it weren’t even there. And hanging from it was this tiny diamond, one I knew would lay right against that little hollow of my throat. There were matching earrings with it, small diamond solitaires that looked feminine. I knew nothing about fashion, and working as an administrative assistant at a nursing home meant I didn’t have to know the latest couture.

I reached out and picked up the necklace, running my finger along the little diamond. It was beautiful and no doubt expensive, but it wasn’t flashy, and I think that’s why it called to me the way it did. It didn’t stand out, just like me.

“So, we’ll have you at the venue at half past seven on Saturday. The auction starts at nine, so there will be time for you to mingle and catch your breath. You can have some champagne to unwind, and there will be some appetizers and whatnot served.” Patrice gave me a smile, because she no doubt saw how nervous I was. “The boutique is donating not only the dresses, but makeup and hair too. They are making house calls, so I’ll text you the time they’ll be at your house. Sound good?”

I nodded, because my throat was too tight to actually say anything. I looked back at the gown and jewelry. I’d never been around so many expensive things firsthand, let alone been the one to wear them. I’d feel like Cinderella at the ball come Saturday, but on the heels of that thought, I remembered why I was there and that I’d be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Chapter Four

Beatrix

The auction

There was nothing quite like feeling as if you were completely at the wrong place at the wrong time, wearing clothes that weren’t yours, as if you were literally Alice and had fallen down a rabbit hole.

I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb, like I had this flashing neon sign above my head that screamed I didn’t belong here. I had the right clothes on, the right hair and makeup, with diamonds