Chapter Three

Ivy

The scream that leaves my mouth at the sight of the notification on my phone the morning after Rafael tipped me three hundred dollars is not one of joy. It's not one of pain, either. It's of shock.

Holy shit!

Someone bid a whopping hundred thousand dollars to take my virginity.

When Roxanne first brought up the idea, I told her she was crazy. Who would pay to take someone's virginity? Turns out a lot of people will. So reluctantly, I created a profile on the website she recommended, not believing the whole thing would pan out. But it does, according to the message I'm staring at right now.

Oh my God.

I dial Roxanne, not caring that she will cuss me out for calling her so early. "Someone better have died for you to be calling me this damn early."

I chuckle. It's not that early. But she's on night shift this week, so her grumbling is understandable. "Not someone, something. I just got a hundred thousand dollar bid for my virginity, Roxanne. It closed."

"What?"

My thoughts exactly.

"Do you know who the person is? Does he have a name?"

"No picture, no name too. Just initials. R.D.M." I say. Spelling out those initials feels familiar, but I've never seen it anywhere. At least, not that I can remember.

"Wow, you've hit the jackpot, girl. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks?"

Roxanne giggles, making me feel more tense. "Relax, Ivy, it'll go well. If you don't like him, you don't have to go through with it. You've not collected the money yet."

I exhale. That's a little bit reassuring. But can I really step back now that I've gone this far? And I need the money. My rent isn't going to pay itself. I could use the comfort of having that kind of money, too. Things will change for me.

"Look, as much as I'm happy for you, I have to go. I need to get back to sleep."

"Sure, bye, Roxy."

"Love you, Ivy." She ends the call before I can reply, so I place my phone down and get ready for the day ahead.

On my way to work, I receive a message from the bidder.

—R.D.M: I want to meet tonight. I'd like to treat you to a proper date, and get to know each other.—

I swallow as I read the message, scared he might change his mind if we meet. I look totally different in the picture I used on the website. I don't use that much makeup, either.

Shit, can I really do this? Typing, I send him a response.

—Can I see a picture?—

His response comes just as I'm about to enter Rafael's house.

—R.D.M: Don't worry, you'll love what you see. For now, be patient. I'll send the address and time soon.—

All I can do is laugh at myself as I read the message. I'm in trouble. Whoever this is, he's got a nice sense of humor. Reminds me of someone I know, someone I shouldn't be thinking of right now.

Rafael.

Shaking my head, I enter the house and start my day at work, which isn't much. For the first time, I find the sink empty of dishes and wonder who's cleaned them.

As the day passes, I try not to focus on my date later in the night, but it's hard. Soon, it's noon. Sadie arrives but not with Rafael. It's on the tip of my tongue to ask about him, but I refrain.

"Can you make me my favorite snack, please?" Sadie asks.

I smile at her as I nod. Hoping that will keep me distracted since I have nothing else to do.

Sadie's favorite snack is nut butter pancakes. Wanting to impress her, I decided to use unique ingredients, forgetting how much she hates bananas. It isn't until I'm pouring the batter on the griddle that I remember and let out a frustrated sound. She hears and comes into the kitchen.

"What happened?" she asks.

Hesitating, I look at the batter, contemplating whether to tell her. I dip my finger into it to see if the banana's taste stands out. Yup, it sure does. "I may have mistakenly added bananas to the ingredients," I say.

Her face falls. "Oh."

"I'm sorry, Sadie. I can make you another one."

"No, it's fine. I can eat it like that."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm not allergic to it or anything. I just don't like the taste, but it's all right. I'll eat it anyway." Although she's forcing a smile for me, I know she isn't happy, and it just makes me feel terrible.

When I'm done, I serve the meal and immediately leave for the day, not bothering to serve Rafael's dinner since I'm not sure what time he'll be back. I'd just left the mansion when I get a message from the bidder again.

—R.D.M: Let's meet by seven p.m.—Firestone Steakhouse.—

—Alright.—

As I enter my apartment, I'm bombarded with thoughts of how wrong this night could go. That is until I spot Roxanne in the middle of my living room, eating the last of my waffles. I was going to eat that tonight, but I guess I have no need for them anymore.

She raises her head to look at me as I enter.

"Don't stop because of me. Make yourself at home."

"I already did," she says.

I shake my head. She's incorrigible. "What are you doing here?" I ask.

"To help you get dressed for your hot date tonight," she mumbles around a mouthful of food.

I pause, wondering how she knows that.

"Your password wasn't that hard to figure out." She winks.

I try to be mad at her, but it's impossible. I know she has my best interest at heart. "Well then, are you going to spend all day eating my food, or you're going to help?"

"I wasn't expecting you for another hour, but now that you're here, I guess it means I have more time to work my magic on you."

I don't bother to ask what her magic entails. She was the one who did my makeup on the day I took the picture I used for the website, anyway. If I'm going to have any hope of meeting this person's expectations, I need her. "Do what you must, but my hair remains."

"Shouldn't be a problem."

I let her finish her meal while I shower. By the time I'm done, she's turned my room into a full-blown shit show. Her magic took two full hours. When it's done, all I can say is, "Wow."

"Get your ass out of here and go have fun."

I smile as I leave my apartment, my cab already waiting. All through the drive, I'm jittery. If the cab driver notices, he says nothing. Soon, we're in front of the restaurant, and I'm paying for my ride.

I stand in front of the restaurant for two full minutes before walking in. I'm amazed by the magnitude of wealth demonstrated from just the outer look. When I enter, my jaw is on the floor. Luckily, I'm approached by a hostess who asks for my name and whisks me away to a private booth when I answer her.

"There's your partner, Miss," she says, pointing at the back of a man's head.

Even without seeing him, I already know he'll be handsome. I can tell from his hair and his tall frame. He looks awfully familiar, and I'm prompted to walk closer.

"R.D.M?" I say.

He stands at my voice and turns to face me with a stretched hand and a wide smile, only for the smile to freeze when he sees my face. The fake smile I'd plastered on my face is nowhere in sight, too.

"Ivy?" Rafael's shocked voice jolts me out of my shock.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"You know what I'm doing here. The question is, what are you doing here? I knew you looked familiar."

Saying the night has taken a very unexpected turn would be an understatement. Regardless, I muster back a smile and pull a seat out for myself, aware of his eyes following my every move. "You should sit back down," I say when I'm seated.

He huffs but does as I say. "Are you going to tell me why you're on a website selling your virginity? I could have sworn I pay you well enough."

He does pay me well enough. And the way he framed the question makes me feel so filthy, which is probably why my next words leave me so quickly. "I'm just looking to have some fun, just like you are; what's the crime in that?"

It's a lie. But he doesn't know that. And from the grim look on his face, he believes it.

Why does he look so disappointed, though?

"Fine. You want to have fun? We'll have loads of it. Then we'll spend the rest of the night getting to know each other." His hands find mine across the table, and he caresses the skin around my wrists so slowly it feels like a brush, yet the stroke sends pulses through my veins.

I snatch my hand from his hold, and a wicked smile finds its way to his face. He's going to make me wish I'd never done this, isn't he?

"Waiter!" he calls.

A guy immediately comes to our table, eager to take our order.

"We'll have your most expensive wine. The lady needs something worthy of her beauty."

"Right away, sir." The waiter leaves, and Rafael turns his charming smile back on me.

"Right, where were we?" he asks, looking at me like I'm food and he's starving.

I gulp. Put on a brave face and then respond. "You were talking about getting to know each other."