Chapter 8

Diego

With a half hour until the auction starts, I show Vanessa into the backroom, where the women that signed up to be auctioned are getting ready to go on stage. My wife bristles at the sight of a room full of naked women, her discomfort palpable. it doesn't bother me—I see both naked men and women all the time, considering I run a large, very successful sex club.

"Come on," I murmur gently, resisting the urge to touch her. One wrong move and I feel like she'll run out of here, and then she'll be fresh meat running into a room full of vultures—rich vultures ready to buy some high-quality meat.

I don't want them thinking for a fucking minute that my wife is for sell.

Vanessa stays close to my side, but the emotional distance between us feels vast. It's like we're in different worlds despite just being inches apart. I can sense her tension and fear, as if she still doesn't trust that I won't strip her naked and drag her out onto the stage.

That's not even how this whole t