AUCTIONED - CHAPTER 1 [PATREON EXCLUSIVE]

CHAPTER 1

I had no idea what to expect when the company where I worked auctioned me off for a date. Luckily a gorgeous woman chose me, but still, what the hell? They promised me a few days of extra vacation but forced my hand on the matter. My boss, Will, pretty much told me that I could kiss my upcoming promotion to become head accountant goodbye if I didn’t comply with their little fundraiser.

People at the office often told me that I was attractive enough to be a model, but walking runways and posing for cameras wasn’t a life I wanted to live. I loved balancing budgets and sifting through financial data. Many people thought accounting was dull and boring, but I got excited to go to work, at least until they auctioned me off for a date.

If I wanted a woman in my life, I would use dating apps or hit the bars on the weekends, but I didn’t want any girl after what Robin did to me. She cheated on me left and right, always thinking that she could get away with it until I walked in on her servicing a guy in the apartment we shared.

That was two years ago.

I hadn’t dated a girl since.

Ever since Robin completely shattered my heart, I found that toys were much more satisfying than women. A cock sleeve couldn’t nag at me for leaving dirty dishes in the sink overnight. A cock sleeve couldn’t look for other men after a fight. I didn’t care if I got a little lonely at times. Being lonely was better than being with a woman who didn’t treat me right.

There was no telling how this date with Patricia tonight would go, but I wasn’t feeling excited about it as I stared at myself in the mirror, adjusting my tie and pants, making sure that my shirt was tucked in perfectly. I was ready for the date to be over, and it hadn’t even begun.

Will: Good luck with your date tonight! Thanks again!

I groaned as I read the message from my boss, hating that he’d put me up for this, but he would definitely want a report on the date. For whatever reason, Patricia had paid several grand to go out with me, which made me one of the highest-earning items of the fundraiser. Not that I needed the extra pressure, but my boss Will wasn’t letting me forget how important this date was for the company.

Patricia owned a chain of cafes and had just joined the advertising and marketing firm where I worked as a client. She was still under a probationary period, and Will wanted to keep her happy until he could get her to sign a multi-year contract, so there was a lot of pressure on my plate.

Me: Thanks. I’ll do my best!

Will: Please keep Patricia happy! She’s an important client.

I groaned and locked my phone’s screen, sliding the device into my pant pocket. I didn’t have time to chat with Will. He’d already gone up to me every day that week at the office to remind me of how important the date was, so there was a lot riding on it, but at least it was only one night. I just had to put on a brave face, and that promotion would be mine. The company was expanding rapidly, so I was willing to do what it took to become the Chief Financial Officer, even if it meant going on a date with some random woman.

I fired off a message to Will that I would let him know how the date went once it was over, and then I left my apartment to go meet Patricia at the restaurant where we had reservations.

***

I arrived at the restaurant after a short drive across the city. My heart was beating much faster than normal. I didn’t understand why I was nervous about a date I didn’t even want to be on, but I felt like I could hardly breathe while I sat in my car in the restaurant’s parking lot. It probably had something to do with how evil Will could act towards people he didn’t like.

I shook thoughts of my boss from my head. He might have been the owner of the company, but I was a talented accountant. If he wanted to fire me because of a terrible date, I could find work elsewhere. At the end of the day, I didn’t need him as much as he needed me. Nobody else knew the business’s numbers like I did, so I reminded myself of that as I stepped out of the car and made my way to the restaurant’s entrance.

The restaurant was crowded when I stepped inside, glancing around to see if I could spot Patricia anywhere, but I couldn’t find her, so I went to the host stand to ask if she’d arrived. The friendly woman with a face of overdone makeup confirmed that Patricia had arrived and led me to her table.

I thought of turning around as the host walked me through the restaurant. Who was crazy enough to spend thousands to go on a date with me? I grew more worried the closer we got to the table, but I lost my chance to flee.

Patricia squealed when we arrived, standing up quickly to give me a hug. The host disappeared as Patricia’s perfume covered me in a cloud of her essence, but it wasn’t a bad smell. It was actually pretty seductive and had me wondering where all Patricia had sprayed the perfume. Part of me wanted to strip her down to nothing and put my nose all over her body like a hound dog.

“You must be Marvin! I’m so glad you could make it!” Patricia said when she took a step back to hold me at an arm’s length. I couldn’t help but notice how she looked me up and down, like she was committing my body to memory.

“That’s me!” I said with the most confidence I could muster, knowing that it was nothing compared to this woman in front of me. She stood tall with her shoulders squared and looked like she wasn’t afraid to say or do what she wanted. She oozed certainty. “You must be Patricia.”

“Who else would I be?” she asked with a laugh. “Aren’t you going to help me with my chair?”

I cleared my throat and rushed to pull out Patricia’s chair slightly, pushing it back in when she sat. I realized it’d been a long time since I had done that for a woman. Was that why Robin cheated? Had she grown tired of me not performing those little gestures of kindness?

“Everything okay?” Patricia asked as she whipped her napkin in the air, guiding it gently to her lap.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

It was far too early in the evening to dump all of my baggage onto Patricia, so I shook my head and cleared my throat, reminding myself that I had to be on my best behavior during this date if I wanted a promotion.

“It’s nothing.”

Patricia smiled brightly, moving past my moment of awkwardness. She reached her hand across the table and touched my hand, sending a spark across my body, reminding me of how delicious it felt to be touched by a woman. It was like I instantly remembered all of the ways that a living, breathing woman was infinitely better than a cock sleeve could ever be.

“My, you’re tense!”

I pulled my hand out from under Patricia’s and moved it to my lap. I grunted and shook my head, dismissing her comment. Once I got through this date, I could go back to my solitary life of hating women.

“Is something wrong, Marvin?”

“No,” I said quickly. “Why would you think that?”

“You haven’t smiled once since you sat down, and you look like you’re about to explode. Take a breath! Please!”

I curled my hands into fists under the table, but Patricia was staring at me with an unrelenting smile, breaking me down until I was smiling back at her. I sucked in a breath, feeling a million times more at ease when I exhaled. I hadn’t realized how tense I was, but it’d also been a long time since I went out with a woman.

“Sorry,” I said after I felt a touch of relaxation come over me from the deep breath. “I don’t go out much.”

“A handsome man like you? I was honestly surprised that you were single when I saw your headshot. Why is that, Marvin?”

“Why am I single?”

Patricia nodded slowly, looking at me with that sparkle in her eyes that had me feeling weak. I didn’t like that she could make me feel this way, like I could lose all sense of myself if I weren’t careful. It’d been a long time since I had been with a woman, and if I really thought about it, I would do just about anything to feel a woman against me while I fucked her slowly.

“I had a bad breakup a couple years ago.”

“Like two years ago?”

I nodded.

“What?” Patricia asked loudly, turning a few heads. “You’re still hung up on a girl from a couple years ago?”

“Yeah,” I said roughly. “She broke my heart.”

“Marvin! You’re too young and hot to waste two years of your life! How old are you, anyway?”

“Twenty-eight.”

“Yes! Much too young! How much pussy have you missed out on in those two years?”

My body flushed at Patricia’s use of the word pussy. She wasn’t shy about it or anything, laughing at me like I was some type of joke for not going after a girl over the past two years, but I was really hurt by what Robin did, and it wasn’t right for Patricia to make light of my pain.

“Hey! It’s not funny!”

“Of course it is! A handsome man like you wasting his life for a girl who probably doesn’t even care. Be honest, how many men do you think your ex-girlfriend has slept with by now?”

“Shut up!” I screamed through gritted teeth.

“You can tell me to be quiet, but it won’t change the fact that you’ve been wasting your life while your ex has been living hers. We both know it’s true.”

I hated Patricia for saying what I already knew out loud, but maybe hearing Patricia say the words was just what I needed. I’d been so hurt and sad and pathetic for two years, and for what? Robin wasn’t wasting any time. I saw her with all types of guys on social media.

“Fine, but that doesn’t excuse your behavior.”

Patricia shrugged and went back to sipping on the drink she’d ordered. We also had our food, so I took a big bite to help forget how pathetic I felt.

“Oh, lighten up, Marvin! Are you always this uptight?”

My jaw clenched at the question, but Patricia still had that same bright smile on her face, making me feel like the asshole, even though shewas the one pushing my buttons. It was actually really easy to have a conversation with Patricia, and I kind of liked her when she wasn’t talking about all the time that I’d wasted being hung up on Robin.

“So, why did you pay for this date?” I asked after a few minutes of lighter conversation.

“You were hot,” Patricia said smoothly. “I didn’t even know it was legal for marketing agencies to have accountants who look as good as you.”

Her remark made me blush. I was still annoyed by all of Patricia’s previous comments, but her bright smile made me feel at ease. It made me drop my guard, which I didn’t know would be a mistake until later that night.

Patricia and I talked about life, the city, her business, and my life as an accountant. She didn’t bring up Robin again, sucking me in deeper with her charm. I barely even felt the two hours that passed until I checked my phone when she called our server over for the bill.

“Put your card away, handsome. I’m paying,” Patricia said and handed the server her credit card. “What do you say about dessert at my place?”

Patricia had only paid for a dinner with me at the auction, but I was more than interested in going back to Patricia’s place with her. I only wish I knew what was coming my way before I agreed. Too bad I saw nothing except Patricia’s charming smile while we were there at the dinner table.