Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“Who’s calling your ass this early in the morning?” Britt asks, craning her neck to get a better look like the nosy bitch she is.
I take a quick step away and point to the snow-covered grass on the side of the cement walkway. “Um, someone from student services. Are we still meeting up for lunch at one?”
“Yup,” Viola says with a nod. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.” My heart jackhammers as I weave my way through the crowd of students hustling their way across campus and off to the side.
Just seeing Chloe’s name makes my palms break out into a slick sweat.
There’s no way I can go through with this.
I can’t do it.
I can’t sell my body.
I’ll have to figure something else out. The last thing I want to do is drop out for the semester, but maybe my parents are right, and I’ll need to return home and regroup.
It’s a depressing thought.
On the fourth ring, I release a steady breath and answer the call. “Hello?”
“Hey, Fallyn. It’s Chloe.”
Only wanting to get this convo over with, I blurt, “I apologize for wasting your time, but I thought about everything last night, and I just can’t go through with it.”
There’s a second or two of silence that has my nerves ratcheting up even further.
“Really? Are you sure?”
Relief spirals through me that she doesn’t sound angry.
“Yeah. I don’t want my personal info on a website.”
“That’s too bad. I was calling to let you know that we already have an interested buyer.”
Buyer.
I cringe as the word ricochets around in my head.
There’s actually a man who wants to buy my virginity?
That seems crazy.
My teeth scrape across my lower lip as I stare at the thinning crowd. “You mentioned that someone might want…proof.” Nausea stirs in my belly. “Is that a requirement?”
“Actually, he didn’t mention it.” There’s a beat of silence. “That’s good news for you.”
“Yeah…good news.” I’m slammed with another thought. “Is he…old?”
Why am I even asking?
It doesn’t matter.
“Sorry,” Chloe says primly. “I can’t disclose any details regarding clients. The same way I wouldn’t give out any pertinent info about you. The important thing is that he has funds and is willing to pay.”
I tip my face upward toward the blue, cloudless sky and allow the bright rays of sunshine to beat down on me. With the chill in the air, it’s invigorating.
Confusion rushes in.
Can I really treat this like a business transaction and sell my V-card to a complete stranger?
The flipside is that I need to pay for school by the end of the week. Wouldn’t I rather do that than move back home?
Even if it’s just for six months?
It’s a shitty choice.
One I shouldn’t be forced to make.
Anger rushes through me as my fingers tighten around the slim device.
As I glance around, watching people laugh and joke, oblivious to my inner turmoil, my attention gets snagged by a tall, muscular guy standing about thirty feet away. The moment our gazes fasten, electricity sizzles through my veins.
In the past, if our gazes happened to collide across a crowded room or on campus, I’ve always been quick to rip mine away and pretend it didn’t occur. It’s taken me a long time to blot him out of my life.
I’m unable to do that this time.
“Fallyn?” Chloe says, pulling my distracted attention back to the call. “Are you still there?”
“Yeah,” I mutter, eyes narrowed. “Sorry.”
Fury flares within me as we continue to lock eyes. He should have the common decency to look away and leave me in peace. I’ve always been careful to avoid the places he hangs out. Lately, it seems like we’ve been running into each other with more frequency.
I don’t like it.
We’re no longer friends and haven’t been for a long time.
Not only did he steal the most important person from my life, but his family bankrupted mine, forcing my father to leave the company they started more than twenty years ago.
This is what Wolf Westerville has reduced me to—selling my fucking virginity to a stranger so I can continue my education. Rage like I’ve never felt engulfs my insides as I glare, willing him to do the right thing and back down.
“Let me think about it.”
“Really?” Surprise colors her voice.
“Yeah.”
“Okay. That’s a start. We didn’t get a chance to discuss the price. Do you have a number in mind?”
“Thirty thousand.”
That clipped out response is met with deafening silence.
“Umm…that might be a bit too steep.” An awkward chuckle follows that comment. “But, then again, I suppose that’s what the art of negotiation is for, right?”
“I won’t take anything less,” I tell her flatly. “If this guy isn’t willing to pay my price, then he doesn’t want it badly enough.”
With that kind of money, I wouldn’t have to worry about this semester. Or the next one. And I’d still have enough to pay rent and tuck some away in a savings account in case there’s an emergency.