Raines, Elizabeth - Sold [Wicked Missions 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Free Page B

cage.
    Did that incredible creature stare at him a little bit longer than any of the other men? Perhaps that was just wishful thinking.
    Her ivory skin was clear and clean, her hair the shade of honey and long enough to reach below her slender shoulders. Her back was straight as a lance. She bore herself like a conquered queen—captured but not broken. Dressed in tight black leggings and a black tank top like the rest of the women, she wore them like the latest fashion, each gentle curve of her lithe body there for all to see and admire. Full breasts. Rounded hips. A tight backside. She glided across the auction platform, almost as if her tiny, bare feet floated above the wood. Her chin lifted in defiance, she was practically daring the men in the crowd to claim her.
    Carter would take that dare. Even if it cost him every single coin and money card he’d brought to the auction. Even if he had to borrow or steal more.
    Glancing around, he noticed several of the men were such cowards, they couldn’t even hold her gaze before they looked away. A woman like that was not what they came here for. They came for the women who were afraid and willing to do anything to survive on Pagonna. They sure didn’t bargain on a strong and independent creature like this.
    He strained to listen for the auctioneer, pushing his way forward in the crowd. While he and Brandon had held quite a few discussions about what they were seeking at the sale, Brandon had left the ultimate choice in Carter’s hands, telling him he trusted his mate to find the woman to complete their perfect lives. Probably because Carter always led with his head rather than his heart.
    The moment he saw the blonde, his heart took the reins.
    Whether she was a criminal or not, he wasn’t leaving that auction without her.
    Breathe. Be patient. See what they drive her price up to.
    “Gentlemen,” the auctioneer shouted, “seems we’ve got a tempting one here.” He reached out to cup her ass, and her hand shot out to slap his face before he could even react. The sound was so loud that it echoed through the field, making most of the crowd burst out in guffaws in response. The auctioneer scowled at her as he rubbed his reddened cheek, but he quickly regained his aplomb and gave her a leering smile. “A feisty one, though. More than enough fire to keep you warm at night.”
    “It’s plenty warm here already!” one of the men shouted back. “That much heat’ll burn ya!”
    That response boded well. Carter had been right. Some of the men were actually afraid of her. Fools, the lot of them .
    “I’ll give you a hundred uni-credits!”
    “Hundred twenty-five unis!”
    And so the bidding began while Carter waited patiently, calculating and ready to pounce as soon as the enthusiasm waned. Since the first woman was passably pretty and sold for the inflated price of five hundred universal-credits, he feared he might have to pay twice that much for this woman. He looked at her face again. Her eyes were now the color of the clouds before a lightning storm. Anger? Fear? Would they turn the same stormy gray when she was in the throes of passion?
    Pay twice as much for her? Three times, if he had to.
    “Holding at four hundred-fifty unis, gentlemen. Hard to believe a specimen like this’ll go that cheap. What happened to your balls, boys?”
    “’Fraid she’ll cut ’em off if I let her have a kitchen knife!” one man called back.
    “What’d she do to get thrown in jail?” another asked.
    “Now, boys,” the auctioneer cautioned, “you know the rules. You can’t ask that. Everyone who comes to Pagonna gets a fresh start.”
    “That means she murdered her husband!” a laughing voice shouted, setting more hilarity through the crowd.
    The beautiful woman’s chin rose, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her pink lips.
    “Five hundred,” Carter said, just loud enough to be heard but with no emotion or enthusiasm at all. A hard task considering that his cock