Chapter 10

Cora

H oly shit, holy shit, holy shit! I can't believe that just happened. I thought I was going to pass out. Every second up there felt like a lifetime.

As I step off the stage, reality hits me hard. Someone just spent a million bucks on me for the weekend. Someone felt like I was worth at least that much. I don’t even know what to think right now.

“Come with me, DeeDee.” Amy says, giving me a bright smile.

With shaky legs, I follow her back towards the dressing room. “Ah, Amy,” I say, trying to keep my voice from quivering. “What happens now?”

“Well, you will wait in your dressing room. When your buyer or buyers have paid and filled out the forms they need to complete the purchase at the end of the auction, they will be brought here to you.”

“Okay.” I nod, my whole body breaking out into a sweat.

The wait is pure torture. I pace around the dressing room, trying to settle my nerves. Water doesn’t help. I can’t splash water on my face or it will ruin the makeup and I feel like I’m sweating buckets. God, this isn’t the way to meet the person who’s paid so much money to spend the weekend with me.

A weekend that will most likely entail sex. Fuck. Am I really going to have sex with a stranger? What if they’re disappointed? I’ve only ever slept with one person in my life and it wasn’t what one might call anything amazing.

What if I just lay there like a flopping fish? “Fucking hell, Cora.” I lean against the dressing room vanity as I stare at myself in the mirror. “What have you gotten yourself into.” Is it shallow of me to at least hope he’s hot?

Oh god, what if it’s not a man but a woman? I did answer that I was bisexual. I didn’t request only a man to bid.

I’m freaking out, I’m really freaking the fuck out.

There’s a knock at the door and I jump, a hand slapping over my mouth to stop my scream of surprise and the fact I might puke.

No, no, no. I’m not ready. I can’t do this. Fucking hell, Cora!

“Hello? DeeDee?”

“Get a hold of yourself woman!” I scold myself harshly under my breath. Fanning myself for a second, I take a look at myself in the mirror before fixing my hair.

“You got this.” I try to pump myself up but it’s a lie. I don’t got this. Maybe it could be an eighty year old man and he passes out before we have sex? I mean, it’s hopeful thinking, right?

With a deep breath, I plaster on my fakest smile and open the door. “Hello.”

My eyes dart to the people behind Amy and my smile falls. I blink. And blink.

“Ha.” I let out a bit of a hysterical laugh. “This is some kind of sick joke, right?” I start to blink frantically as I look between the two ghosts of my past. “I’m dreaming. I’ve got to be dreaming. Okay, I’d like to wake up now.” I say, taking a step back into the dressing room as Amy looks at me with concern.

“DeeDee?” She asks me. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, it’s fine. Totally fine.” I turn around and step further into the room. Grabbing handfuls of my hair, I struggle to breathe. This can’t be happening. It’s not them. It can’t be them.

Of all the damn fucking people in the world, why them!

“Cora.” His voice is soft, and cautious, like he’s talking to a scared animal. He practically is.

Spinning around on my heel, I watch as Zack and Kimmy step into the dressing room. “What are you doing here?” I ask, my voice cracking. It’s too much. Fuck, I can’t do this right now. I can’t fucking breathe.

“DeeDee. Do I need to get security?” Amy asks.

“Yes. No.” I shake my head, grabbing another handful of my hair. “I don’t know. I don’t know, I don’t fucking know.”

“Cora, breathe.” I hate his voice, how sweet and calming it is. I hate how still to this day, ten years later my body reacts to it.

“It’s okay.” I hear Kimmy telling Amy through the ringing of my ears. “We won’t hurt her. It’s just been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”

“Still. If DeeDee isn’t okay, I’m not leaving until she is fine.” Amy responds and god, I could hug her right now.

“Cora. You're having a panic attack.” Zack tells me.

“Don’t you think I know that,” I shout, staring at him with wild eyes. “You think I can just stay calm in a moment like this.” And then it hits me. “You two.” My eyes dart between Zack and Kimmy. “You're the ones who bought me for the weekend?”

So many things are running through my mind right now. Like the fact that they’re seeing me in a vulnerable moment like this. Half naked and selling myself for money.

The fact that they are together. I knew it. Kimmy loved him so much back then and while Zack never told me he had feelings for her, I saw it in the way he looked at her. The way they danced together that night was anything but just friends.

And the fact that they spent a million dollars on me tonight.

My heart pounds painfully in my chest. I feel like I’m going to be sick and pass out. “I can’t breathe,” I say, fanning myself as I squeeze my eyes shut.

“Yes, you can, Daredevil,” he whispers and my eyes snap open to meet his. He’s changed so much. He’s grown his hair out a little bit, long enough to run his hands through it. His face is covered in a neatly trimmed beard. But his eyes, no they haven’t changed one bit. “Breathe for me. In and out.”

I nod and hold his stare as I take a breath in and out. He keeps working with me until my heart rate has lowered and I’ve calmed down.

“That’s it. Good girl.” The words send my body to a new degree.

“Cora?” My attention snaps over to Kimmy. She’s so damn stunning. She always has been. Her long brown hair is styled a lot like mine. She’s in a long sleek black dress that hugs her curves perfectly.

“Of all the people to buy me tonight, I never thought in a million years, it would have been you two,” I whisper.

She gives me a small smile. “Surprise?”

“Kimmy,” Zack groans.

“What?” she scowls at him. “None of us expected to see each other tonight.”

He rolls his eyes at her before settling kind ones on me. “Are you okay?”

“Better.” I swallow hard.

“DeeDee,” Amy says from near the door. “Is everything okay here?”

“Yes.” I give her a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Sorry about that. But everything is okay.” Everything is in fact not okay, but it’s not a situation I want to escalate with security. I just want to see what the hell is going on right now.

She gives the three of us one last look over before she leaves, closing the door behind her.

“So, you two got married, I see?” I look down at the massive rock on her finger. “Good for you two.” I turn away from them and walk over to where I placed my water bottle on the vanity.

“Yeah. We’ve been married five years now.” Kimmy laughs awkwardly.

“Sorry I missed the wedding. Seeing how I wasn’t invited and all.”

“Cora.” Zack sighs.

“Nope. Everything is fine. We’re all good. No need to say anything more.” I tell him, still refusing to look at them. It hurts too damn much.

“I think talking is exactly what we need to be doing right now,” he tells me.

“Why did you buy me?” I blurt as I spin around to face them. “Was it because you saw me up there and wanted to find out why?” I look to Zack. “Were you here to find another woman to sleep with for the night? Are you fucking crazy? You have a bombshell for a wife and you're looking for another woman to fuck?”

“No.” He raises his brow at me, and I want to slap him with the way his lip twitches in amusement. He looks so much like teenage Zack right now, I hate it. “We’re not here tonight for me.”

My eyes flick over to Kimmy to see her cheeks bright red. “You're into women?”

“Ah, yes?” she clears her throat.

“Huh.” I say, my mind still in shock, leaving my lips a little to loose for my liking. “Would have been nice to know that in high school. Maybe I would have had the guts to ask you out after all,” I whisper to myself

But Kimmy hears me. “What?” her eyes widen. “You, you liked me?”

My eyes dart to my hands as I pick at some imaginary lint on my bra. My bra. Fucking hell I’m still half naked in front of them. “Doesn’t matter now, does it?” I tell her as I rush over to grab a robe that's hanging up and slip it on before spinning to look at them. “The past is in the past. We’ve all moved on, started new lives. Some better than others, clearly.” I look the two of them over, trying not to let my jealousy take over. “So, how do you want to do this?” I ask them. “I’m gonna be honest, I haven’t been with two people at once but I’m sure we can make it work. Do you want to fuck here? A hotel? Your place. I’m good with whatever.” I look down at my nails and say all of that as casually as I can as I try not to cry. I’m a mess of emotions right now and I honestly don’t know what to think about any of this. I haven’t had time to process this.

“We’re not having sex,” Zack growls and my heart sinks.

I let out a humorless laugh. “Of course you don’t want to fuck me.” I look up at Kimmy. “I’m sure I’m not the one you expected to spend the weekend with. But, you paid a hefty price to have me, so I’ll do my best. I’ve never been with a woman before, so I can’t promise you it will be any good.”

“Cora,” Zack growls and Kimmy frowns.

“Don’t be like that,” Kimmy says.

Tears sting my eyes as I step towards them. “Be like what?” I ask, voice cracking. “If you didn’t spend all that money to fuck me for the weekend, then why did you?”

“Because you going home with another person wasn’t an option,” he says in a hard voice.

“Why not?” My heart starts to pick up the pace again.

“Because,” Kimmy says, looking over at Zack. They stare at each other, having a wordless conversation.

“Come spend the weekend with us. I think there's a hell of a lot we need to talk about,” Zack says with a hint of pleading eyes.

“Oh yeah?” I ask. “Like what? Like the fact that the two of you have been living this lovely lavish life while I’ve been my father's little bitch for years?” My tears fall.

“What?” Zack’s face crumbles. “What do you mean?”

“Doesn’t matter.” I take a shuddering breath as I shake my head.

“Yes, it does,” Zack says, grabbing my shoulders. “Listen to me, Cora.” The way my name rumbles out of his chest has my blurry eyes meeting his. “You're going to bring that sexy stubborn ass of yours to our place and we’re going to talk about why in all the places we’re meeting again, it's here.”

“Please,” Kimmy pleads. “Please, come home with us.”

I lick my lips, my pulse racing like a pounding drum. I don’t get this money unless I spend the weekend with them. I have to.

“No sex. Just talking.” Zack says.

And part of me is a little disappointed.

“Okay.” I nod. “You want to talk then? Let’s talk.”