~ Audrey ~
“Can you believe it? He’s basically auctioning me off like a horse!”
Audrey stomped her feet, making her way out of her walk-in closet. As soon as she stepped into the room, her two best friends, Mikey and Olivia, gasped in awe.
“But still, a very pretty horse, wearing Oscar de la Renta!” Mikey exclaimed, he sashayed his way over to her and examined the dress further. He nodded approvingly at the way the silver dress hugged her slender curves, hollering, “Damn girl, you’re gonna be selling out like hotcakes,”
“Mikey, you’re not helping!” she hissed and slapped Mikey’s painted nails away from her ass.
“Mikey’s got a point, though. You look great in that dress,” Olivia shrugged. “And your dad’s not auctioning you off, Aud. Look on the bright side, he just wants you to pick a guy that he trusts,”
“If by trust you mean having a trust fund, then sure,” Audrey rolled her eyes.
Olivia and Mikey were Audrey’s two and only friends. They met in kindergarten and they were inseparable ever since. Olivia and Audrey attended the same all girls’ catholic school growing up, and Mikey attended the catholic school for boys across the street. Audrey found it ironic that Mikey was attending an all boys’ catholic school, especially that Mikey had openly declared himself gay ever since he was nine years old.
Audrey looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her friends were right, she did look amazing in that dress. It was a metallic pleated dress with an asymmetric hem. It showed off her perfect collarbone and hugged her ass perfectly. If only Ashton could see me in this, she thought to herself.
“Mm, girl, we need to get you some kicks,” Mikey commented and he disappeared into Audrey’s closet. Moments later, he was back with a pair of silver Manolo Blahnik heels.
“Oh, you’re a life saver,” Audrey grabbed the pair of heels and tried it on. Of course, Mikey’s keen eye for fashion wouldn’t let her down. He was, after all, heir to the Rossi textile industry.
“I wish you two could come, at least I’ll be less miserable,” Audrey sighed into the mirror as she saw the reflection of her two best friends behind her.
“Unfortunately, I’m not a guy about to court you. So, I’m not on the list,” Olivia joked.
“I am a guy, but I’m not courting you either,” Mikey shook his head, “Also, I’m a little offended that I’m not on this list. Does your dad think I’m not good enough for his little girl or something?”
“Mikey, you’re gay,” Audrey pointed out the obvious.
“So? I still come from a good family. I’m Michael Christian Rossi for crying out loud,” he raised his hands up dramatically.
“But you being gay means I’m not gonna conceive a child with you. He wants heirs,” Audrey replied.
“There are tube babies and shit like that nowadays,” he retorted. “We can do that,”
“Really? Will you do that? Will you marry me and have tube babies with me?” Audrey challenged him.
“On second thought…” Mikey pulled away, grimacing.
“My point exactly,”
“But hey, if it’s any consolation, at least it’s only a birthday dinner, not a forced arranged marriage,” Olivia said, hoping it would cheer Audrey up somehow.
Audrey sighed. “Knowing my dad, it might as well be,”
* KNOCK! * KNOCK! *
Audrey was about to complain some more when she suddenly heard a knock on the door. The door creaked opened and Linda the head housemaid entered, “Miss Audrey, they’re ready for you downstairs,”
Audrey turned to her friends with a dejected look on her face.
“Guess that means we gotta leave,” Olivia smiled sadly.
Mikey kissed her cheek and gave her a supportive hug, saying, “Have fun at your auction, Aud. Give us the lowdown later,”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Within hours of Audrey’s arrival, the house was now transformed into a banquet fancy enough for a small wedding. The dining hall was covered in flowers and crystal champagne glasses, and the family room was turned into an open area where people could dance and mingle. They even had a small orchestra and a singer at the ready.
By 7 PM, several guests had already arrived at the house. Audrey glided down the stairs in her long silver dress and heels. Her long brown hair was curled at the bottom and the light make up she used accentuated her bright blue eyes and plump pink lips. She was smiling politely at her guests, greeting them like a good host would.
As the night wore on, more and more guests filled the room. After a while, all of their faces blended together and Audrey couldn’t tell one from the other. They were all guys around her age, all wearing suits, and some even came with their parents. The parents were mostly there to get a better look at their son’s potential future wife, and also to keep Maxwell Huntington’s company.
Audrey was exhausted and hungry. It was two hours into her birthday dinner and she couldn’t even eat. She was too busy having to entertain people that wouldn’t stop coming up to her and talk to her. She didn’t find the event at all interesting and all the guys that chatted her up were one-dimensional, narcissistic, obnoxious snobs.
None of these guys were remotely her type. Not saying that they weren’t handsome, some were pretty decent looking. But unlike the typical girls in her position, Audrey never cared about looks or money, and status. She longed for something deeper, a connection, maybe a spark. She longed for passion and heart, but that never seemed to exist in the world of the fabulously wealthy. Those people were always so straightforward, they looked at you as an investment, according to your dollars worth.
Enough is enough, Audrey thought to herself. She had given this a chance, she couldn’t take any more of this. Smiling politely at the guy talking in front of her, she made an excuse to go to the ladies’ room and slipped past the door.
Audrey was on a mission. She wanted to find a way out of the house without any of the maids, bodyguards, or guests noticing.
The back door!
She smiled victoriously at the thought. Sneaking past the guards, Audrey’s heart was racing and she was holding her breath as she looked from side to side, running towards her freedom. She was just about to make it — when suddenly, her head hit something hard in front of her and she fell butt first to the ground.
“Ouw!” she yelped.
“Sorry sweetheart, my bad,” that something hard had a voice.
Audrey looked up to see a guy, no, two guys standing towering over her. The first thing she noticed about the guy in front of her was his deep blue eyes. It was hauntingly beautiful, she thought.
Blue Eyes lent his hand out to her and she took it instinctively. He pulled her back up with ease and she stood back on her feet.
“Well, hey there. You must be Audrey,” Blue Eyes smiled at her. His smile was just as captivating as his eyes. At this point, Audrey realized that he was still holding her hand. She pulled away instantly, somewhat awkwardly.
“Yeah…” she muttered.
“Audrey Huntington, huh?” The guy behind Blue Eyes spoke. His voice was deep and his chuckle was menacing. “I’ve heard you’re the belle of the ball,”
Audrey turned to the second guy. He looked a lot like Blue Eyes, but also a little older. His eyes were also blue, but they weren’t as bright, they were hooded with a sense of mystery. His dirty blonde hair was messy, unlike Blue Eyes that kept his hair slicked back neatly. Audrey’s eyes darted to the guy’s neck and she noticed the tattoos that were peaking out of his collar.
“You like what you see?” he smirked as he caught her gawking.
Audrey, fully embarrassed, shook her head quickly and said, “Who are you two again?”
Blue Eyes spoke first, saying, “I’m Killian and this is my brother—“
“Caspian,” Tattoo Guy cut him off. He took a step closer and said, “Caspian Vanderbilt,”
Audrey immediately registered the names. The Vanderbilt family was one of the oldest, most prominent families in the country. She often read about them in books and newspapers. Their large empire spanned from shipping to railroad, to steel, and even the tech industry. She heard that the Vanderbilt had two sons around her age, but she never met any of them before. Heck, she was never allowed to meet any guys before this party.
“Thank you for inviting us to your party. We’re very honored,” Killian took Audrey’s hand and brought it up to his face. He leaned down slightly and kissed the top of her hand, sending shivers up and down her spine.
“…Sure, it’s our pleasure,” she stammered.
“Oh, trust me, the pleasure’s ours, princess,” Caspian grinned and he took Audrey’s hand from his brother. He leaned down and planted another kiss on her skin, right on the same exact spot.
*
*
*
- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -
~ Audrey ~Audrey shuddered at the touch. Was that electricity she just felt?Caspian noticed that her breath had hitched, and he looked up at her with hooded eyes. She immediately felt intimidated, so she pulled her hand away briskly. Yes, intimidated, but also… excited?“I’m sorry we’re late to the party,” Killian coughed to ease the tension, “We just arrived from Shanghai, we had some business to attend to,”“Stop talking about business, already. We’re at a party, you’re gonna bore the pretty girl to death,” Caspian groaned jokingly.“Cas,” Killian scolded.“What? It’s true,”Killian shook his head and sighed. He turned his attention back to Audrey and said, “Please forgive my older brother, he’s known to be a little bit... crass,”Caspian scoffed mockingly and said, “Please forgive my little brother, he’s an ass,”The two brothers exchanged a look like they wanted to punch each other in the face. Somehow, Audrey found the situation amusing. These two grown men were bickering in fr
~ Audrey ~ “I can’t believe I’m ditching my own party, my dad’s gonna flip if he finds out…” Audrey looked from side to side, making sure that no one was following them. “Let’s just make sure that he won’t,” the brothers replied simply. It was Audrey’s home, but Caspian was leading the charge. The three of them scaled up the stairs and jumped out of a window, climbing up to the roof of the building via the fire exit. It was a hard maneuver with heels and a dress, but the brothers lent each of their hands and Audrey took them. The next thing she knew, she was standing on the rooftop of her townhouse. “I knew it. These old townhouses always have a nice rooftop,” Caspian walked around and inspected the edges. They were about four stories up from the ground. “Wow, I’ve lived here for years and I’ve never even been up here,” Audrey took note of the bright full moon above them and the skyline of New York City in front of them. “How long have you lived here?” Killian asked. “Since I
~ Audrey ~Audrey had never done something so daring before in her life. With the help of the brothers, she managed to get into her room and changed into her jeans and t-shirt, before sneaking out through the back door.Maybe it was the champagne in her blood talking, but she had never felt more alive. With Caspian and Killian by her side, she felt fearless, like she could jump out of windows and rob a bank if necessary.The next thing she knew, the three of them got into the Vanderbilt’s black limo and the car took them across the city. Blood was pumping in her veins and her heart was racing faster than Paul Walker in the Fast and Furious movies.In the back of the limo, Audrey was sitting in the middle, Caspian was to her right and Killian was to her left. She was smiling and giggling the entire way, imagining the look on her dad’s face as his plan to marry her off crumbled into pieces.After a solid twenty minute drive, the car pulled up in front of a townhouse with some Greek symb
~ Audrey ~- - - - - ONE WEEK LATER - - - - -“Happy birthday, Audrey!”Mikey and Olivia sang along with the waiters at Nobu as they brought out a box of cupcakes with candles on top. Audrey was absolutely embarrassed, being the center of attention while having dinner at Nobu, but her friends only wanted to celebrate her. She hunched away as a waiter placed the box in front of her. Her whole face blushed bright pink and she smiled brightly at the cute dozen cupcakes.“Make a wish!” Olivia beamed.Audrey closed her eyes and smiled. Seconds later, she opened her eyes and blew the candles out. Everyone cheered and clapped and she thanked the waiters for singing and bringing the cupcakes out.“Ooh, I know that smile. That’s the I’m gettin’ lucky tonight smile,”
~ Audrey ~ “Ouch, ouw ,ouw!” Audrey yelped and grimaced as she was hunched over the shower. She was attempting to shave areas of her body that she had never touched before. There was a lot of screaming, a little bit of blood, and a whole lot of frustration. Ah, the things I do for love. It took her almost two hours to finally finish the job. Once she was satisfied with the result, she moved on to lotion and make up. Audrey was nervous, but more than that, she was excited. She’d read plenty of books about romance, and she had always wondered what making love would feel like. Tonight, I’ll finally know. By 6 PM that night, Audrey was ready for war. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. She looked great, she thought. Her long brown hair was curled loosely, her li
~ Audrey ~ The next day, Audrey woke up to a strange feeling between her legs. She stirred in bed and rubbed her legs together, but it wasn’t doing any good. She didn’t know how to put it in words, but Audrey was feeling like she needed something. Some type of release. And no, not the bathroom kind. No, it was the kind of clenching in the lower stomach that she had been feeling ever since her first night with Ashton. It started when they were about to have sex, and sadly she never got the release she needed. Audrey thought about it for a moment and a wild idea crossed her mind. She got up and ran towards her closet, digging deep into the piles of boxes on the corner of the room. She found the white box she was looking for and stared at it for a second, before slowly opening the lid and picking the white machine up carefully. Perhaps this is a useful g
~ Audrey ~“I’ll kill him for you if you want. Just say the word,” Caspian cracked his neck and knuckles in a sadistic manner. He didn’t look like he was joking, and Audrey trembled a little just by looking at him.“You’re not killing anyone,” Killian said sternly, his eyes fixed on Audrey. “No one is killing anyone,”Caspian was pacing around the room, seething, while Killian was on the couch with Audrey, the first aid kit was right next to him. He was leaning down, assessing the severity of Audrey’s knee wound. It wasn’t a deep cut, he sighed in relief. Using a little bit of alcohol, Killian slowly and gently cleaned her wound.“So, what? We just gonna let it slide?” Caspian scoffed.“We’ll do something about it. Just not manslaughter,” Killian replied
~ Audrey ~“What girl? Please, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Ashton tried to deny it.Audrey let out a scoff. Ashton did not know this, but Audrey was watching the entire event unfolding. She was sitting comfortably inside the Vanderbilt’s limousine. In her lap was an iPad hooked up to the CCTV camera.She saw everything that was happening inside the room, and Audrey wondered for the first time in her life, how did she ever fall in love with a guy like him.“Audrey Huntington is not a girl you mess around with, you understand?” Killian replied rather sternly. Audrey smiled a little when she heard this.Meanwhile, Ashton swallowed hard as his worst nightmare was coming to life. Killian then noticed that Ashton’s eyes kept glancing over to that fern. Smiling a smug smile, he walked over to the fern and pushed the