1st (Love For Sale) Read online

  1st

  Love for Sale

  Michelle Hughes

  Tears of Crimson Publishing

  Copyright © 2014 by Michelle Hughes

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Tears of Crimson Publishing

  www.tearsofcrimson.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Book Layout ©2013 BookDesignTemplates.com

  1st/Michelle Hughes. -- 1st ed.

  ISBN 978-0-0000000-0-0

  Contents

  1st

  Service

  Decisions

  Reality

  Choosing

  Decision

  Limits

  Charmed

  Overwhelmed

  First or Last

  "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful."

  ―Oscar Wilde

  Chapter One

  Service

  “I hate doing these silver-spoon in their mouth parties.” I think the only thing that made them tolerable was having my best friend with me to dull the boredom.

  “You can’t complain about making money, but I agree watching all these old rich people sticking their noses up each other’s ass is pretty lame.” McKayla rolled her eyes and wrapped up the last of the shined silverware in linen.

  I had to grin at her definition of the people we dealt with when we waitressed at one of these events. “At least we’re saving up enough to have our own business one day.” Of course, lately all we really had enough for was paying bills.

  “That’s definitely a positive. Maybe we’ll get lucky and all of these old geezers will be tired before ten.”

  Scoffing, I gave her my best, yeah right look. It wasn’t that we hated our job, but these types of catered events and the people invited usually treated the staff like something to wipe their feet on. Both McKayla and myself had scratched and clawed our way out of the gutter and had too much pride to accept that type of attitude from anyone, but we also needed the income.

  “I think we’re fully prepped. Let’s see if the boss needs help with anything else before we start serving.” Wrapping her arm in mine, we walked out of kitchen into the main party room looking for Danver. This was the first time we’d been out of the cooking area since we arrived and I think we were both shocked by what we saw.

  Normally at these events you had perfectly staged tables with hints of elegance, after all this was a mansion. Tonight the setup made no sense. There was a covered stage and chairs surrounding it, making it appear like they were doing a fashion show. That was something we’d never worked before.

  “We seriously need to find Danver, he’s going to flip or he already has over this layout.” I really liked our boss, but when things didn’t go his way he was not a person you wanted to be around. How he managed to run a business when he completely fell apart at the first sign of trouble was mind boggling.

  Just as I thought, he was frantic when we did find him. Pacing back and forth in front of the entry to the patio, he seemed to be muttering something under his breath. McKayla and I moved to either side of him, knowing an intervention was necessary before he lost focus.

  “Let’s all take a deep breath.” McKayla kept her voice calm and smiled, for our boss’s benefit. She had the ability to make even the most stressed person chill out and he was no exception. “What’s going on?”

  “The owner of this estate mixed up the dates for his events with catering companies. How does one make such a grievous error?” Danver was so close to losing it that I wasn’t sure even McKayla could get him back on even ground. He was starting to sweat profusely while running a hand through his thinning hair.

  “What can we do to fix this? We have champagne and wine, we could serve that to his guests?” I was starting to panic as well because we needed this job to pay rent next week.

  “Mr. Rubin has informed me the bar service is already on the way. He has extended an invitation for my servers to work with them so they won’t lose income, but I’m not sure either of you want to be part of this.”

  McKayla and I stared at each other, and while I was willing to work the party, but I had some concern about how he worded the offer. “I don’t mind serving drinks.” It definitely beat going home without a paycheck tonight.

  “I’m with Caitlin on this one. We can’t afford to not work. He is still giving you some sort of commission for your time, I hope?” McKayla and I were on the exact same page.

  “Yes. Yes. But I think you should reconsider. I’m not sure this is the type of clientele you wish to be around, ladies.” Instead of being comforted by the fact his time was being covered, Danver seemed more worried about us.

  “We’ve handled clients of this caliber, and it’s not like some of them haven’t gotten drunk on us before.” McKayla gave him one of her most consoling smiles and I had to guess she felt it was sweet of him to worry about us, too.

  Dealing with a group of drunk millionaires was nothing compared to what we’d faced living in foster care. We both learned a long time ago how to have each other’s backs. McKayla and I became best friends because of our experiences together in high school, and three years after graduation we still depended on each other. We were more fortunate than most because we got to stay in the same school until we finished.

  “I need to get the food back before it spoils, but if either of you have any issues, you call me immediately. Okay?” Danver still looked like he wasn’t willing to leave us alone here, but the cost of wasted food was winning the battle for him.

  “We’ll be fine, and yes, I’ll call if we find something we can’t handle.” I was really thankful for all he’d done for us. He’d taken us under his wing as interns our last year in high school and offered us both jobs full time when we graduated. I think it’s safe to say we both had a great deal of respect for our boss.

  He seemed to contemplate for a few minutes more before giving in and leaving us. I grinned and shared a look with McKayla over his attitude. “Should we go wait in the kitchen for the bar people to arrive?”

  “Yeah. Guess so.” She shrugged and we headed back to where we started. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and the tips will add up to more than what we normally make.”

  “I’m not holding my breath. You know what tightwads these people can be.” In my opinion with all the money these people loved to talk about having, they could share the wealth a little bit.

  The other staff were already arriving as we walked back in, and McKayla quickly found the manager we’d answer to for the evening. I was a little shocked to see scantily clad beer-girls joining in their mixture, and when I say scantily, I mean barely dressed at all. Their uniforms were nothing more than a bikini top and shorts that showed off their asses.

  “You ladies need to get changed.” A man the size of a professional football player gave me the look over and seemed to like what he saw.

&
nbsp; “I’m guessing this is your little friend?” The burly guy looked at McKayla and when she gave a quick nod of her head he motioned to one of the half-dressed women. “Grab them something resembling a uniform and make it quick.”

  McKayla took my arm and we followed the gorgeous blonde at a sprinters pace. I was still trying to catch my breath when we stopped at a van and the woman quickly pulled out two t-shirts and pairs of shorts.

  “This is all we have, so you’ll have to deal with it.” The blonde might have been beautiful, but her bitchy attitude took away from her looks. The fact that she smirked as she said it made me want to smack her, but I really had no problem being more dressed than she was.

  “We’ll do just fine with this, and have a little class at the same time.” I wasn’t taking shit from someone who looked like she enjoyed flashing what were probably fake boobs. The blonde rolled her eyes then walked on.

  “Don’t let that skank get to you.” McKayla was always more level headed than I was, until you really pissed her off. I nodded, feeling a little petty, and we walked back inside to change.

  The shorts fit fine, except they showed a lot more of my ass than I was comfortable with. At least I’d shaved my legs before work tonight. Pulling on the small t-shirt, my abundant C-cups strained against the material and I wasn’t very pleased about that. They worked great with McKayla’s smaller breasts and I pulled at the fabric, hoping it would loosen up some.

  “Don’t fidget. At least you fill the damn thing out better than me.” She was laughing and I probably would have joined in except I didn’t like having my tits so confined.

  “You can have them.” At the moment, I wished I could change out with her, but I’d just have to suck it up. There was no way I was going back and asking plastic girl for a bigger size. McKayla was still grinning when we joined up with the others.

  “Tonight’s real simple. Get the men whatever they want and keep a smile on. If they grab your ass, grin and go on your way.” Big boy was directing his comments toward me and McKayla. My attitude was really beginning to suck because I doubted the little tramps working for him had any problem with being groped. Hopefully, no one was stupid enough to try that out on me tonight, considering the way my mood fell.

  “I want shots going out to all the tables as a warm-up and remember what the men say goes, no questions asked.” The man was now addressing the other four women, who looked eager to please and ready for action.

  I guess I should have known what kind of night we were in for by his words, but I had no idea what kind of party we were serving tonight. As service got underway, close to fifty men, showed and they didn’t look like the rich type you expected in a place like this. They ranged from mid-twenties to I guess early forties, and the men’s demeanor could only be described as lewd.

  My first table propositioned me and only remembering how much I needed the money forced me to smile when I declined the offer. The tips were actually good, so taking it with a grin became a lot easier as the night went on. I’d never considered working in a bar, but making this kind of money made me wonder why I hadn’t.

  Aside from an occasional pat on the ass, or invite out after the party, things were actually going pretty good. During a normal event, we only made minimum wage and tips were almost as rare as diamonds. McKayla and I struggled to afford our apartment and living expenses, so this was an eye opener. Two hours into the event, things got really weird.

  A gorgeous man with a headful of curly brown hair, beautiful bedroom blue eyes, and a physique that would make any girl look twice, walked onto the stage. Myself, and apparently every other person in the room, stopped to pay attention because there wasn’t a sound to be heard.

  “Thank you gentleman for being a part of my birthday celebration. I know you have put together some of the best for tonight, and I wish each of you the best of luck. Lucas says you’ve reached out to find women that are guaranteed to fit my needs, so let’s bring them out, shall we?”

  All thoughts of how sexy this man was fled immediately after hearing his words. What type of man would allow his friends to search for a woman for him? He obviously didn’t have enough social skills to look on his own. With a sneer, I walked back over to the table I was serving, and asked if they wanted more drinks.

  One of the six men at the table had been hitting on me all night, and I’d politely, yet firmly, turned him down. He smiled wickedly at me and stood up. “I think this young beauty should be up on that stage.” I looked at the man like he’d absolutely lost his mind, and took a step back.

  The man on stage turned his blue eyes my way, and I swear to God, my heart skipped a beat. Womanizer or not, the man definitely had some sex appeal. “So you’d like to put her against all the beautiful gifts offered tonight?” The man smiled and my knees felt weak.

  “Absolutely. She’s perfect for what you have in mind, Seth. Just look at her.”

  For a brief moment I was stunned by the instant physical attraction I felt toward the man on stage, and didn’t pay attention to my client’s words.

  “She is lovely, I’ll give you that. It’s your money. Send her on up.” At Seth’s roaming gaze, I finally joined the real world again and felt my heart race.

  Had I just been told to walk up on that stage? No way in hell was I prepared to be gawked at like a piece of meat. “Um. No, thank you, I’m fine right where I’m at.” These men were debased and I wasn’t having any part of whatever game they were playing.

  “Come on, sweetheart, I’ll give you a five thousand dollar tip if you show Seth just how sexy you truly are.”

  Five thousand dollars? Obviously I was hearing things, because who on earth offered that kind of money to someone just to walk up on a stage? “Yeah, show me the money first.” I planned to call him out but when he pulled out stacks of hundred dollar bills, my mouth hung open.

  “What are you waiting on, baby? Get up there and show your stuff.” The man looked at me like I was the one being an idiot.

  My gaze shot to McKayla’s across the room, and I could see she was just as amazed as I was by the way her eyes widened. She shrugged and held both of her hands palm up, like she didn’t know what to say either. I looked back to my client, sure he was still kidding, but he took my hand and pressed the bills in.

  “Don’t make me lose tonight, baby.” He winked at me and patted my ass, pushing me forward toward the stage.

  Why I didn’t throw the money in his face and walk off was easy. Five grand could pay a lot of bills, and it was crazier not to take the money than to walk up on the stage. Taking a deep breath to try and calm my nerves, I finally made it up there and was a little shocked when Seth led me off the back entrance of the stage leaving me with a group of stunningly beautiful women. They were dressed in designer gowns and jewels, their hair and makeup perfect, so to say I didn’t fit in was an understatement.

  The women looked at me like I was a pariah, and I didn’t understand the hostile expressions. I pocketed the cash tip, wondering what the hell I’d gotten myself into. Returning some of the unfriendly stares, I lifted my chin proudly.

  “Men and their games. Don’t worry little girl, we’ll be walking away with the man and the money tonight.” The stunning redhead was speaking to me, and I honestly had no clue what she was talking about. Obviously it showed in my face because she tossed back her perfectly styled hair and laughed. “You don’t even know the game?”

  There were nine other women in the room with me and a few of them lost their hateful stares when the redhead continued laughing. One of them walked over to me with a somewhat sympathetic smile. “Every year Seth’s friends attempt to find him the perfect woman, and they wager on the winner.”

  “Why on earth would they do something like that?” I still had no idea what I was doing here, but it sounded really wrong. I directed my question to the woman that looked like she could have walked off the cover of a magazine with her short midnight black hair, and whiskey colored eyes.

  “Men
with money rarely make any sense, except to themselves, love, but Seth rewards the winner greatly. He has never kept a woman longer than a month, so it’s easy money.”

  “Wait a minute. He’s buying a woman to keep for that long?” I seriously needed to get the hell out of here. It was obvious they were all prostitutes. Granted they were all gorgeous and the chance of him choosing someone like me was miniscule, but the thought of being bought really freaked me out.

  “From what I understand, it’s a month you will never forget. Rumor has it that he’s incredibly generous, not to mention, an intense lover.”

  “I don’t care what he is. I can’t be bought.” What the hell was wrong with these women? Who in their right mind would allow some guy to pay them to be a whore?

  “Are you sure about that?” The woman smiled deeply, and the look that came over her face seemed more than little cocky. “The last woman he chose was given a new condo, sports car, and almost a million dollars in cash. Granted, the goal is to hope he keeps you as his permanent partner, because there’s a ten million dollar payout if he marries you.”

  I couldn’t even begin to wrap my mind around that kind of money. With that kind of financial backing, McKayla and I would never have to worry about bills again. What was I thinking! I couldn’t be bought. But a million dollars? That was more money than I’d hope to earn over a lifetime. So, yeah, it made a little more sense now why a woman would choose to degrade herself that way.

  A deep male voice called for the first woman from the stage and I stood there with the other’s waiting for my turn. I know it seemed crazy, and I didn’t have a chance in hell that he’d pick me, but for that kind of money maybe I was willing to give it a shot. I had no idea what I’d do if I was actually chosen, which seemed unlikely anyways, but I had already made five thousand just walking back here.