Unfortunately, his bad feeling turned out to be correct. Apparently, the assholes’ ingenious solution was to have Aiden replace the poor girl.
“Are you fucking serious?” Aiden growled as three goons manhandled him into a building. “Do I look like a woman to you, you dumbasses?” he said, gesturing to his body. He was taller than average, and he was in great shape.
One of the goons laughed while another punched Aiden in the stomach. “Shut your mouth.”
“Don’t damage the goods,” their leader said before looking at Aiden. “You don’t need to look like a woman. If they don’t like what they see, no buy. Simple. If they like it, they buy. The important thing is, you look expensive. After seeing your pictures, the auction organizer agreed that you’d be a worthy replacement. There are some supposedly straight sheikhs who are rumored to have perverse tastes, so you might tempt them.”
Aiden grimaced. “But why me and not one of the other guys?”
“You’re much prettier,” one of the goons said, chuckling. “Almost like a woman. I’d stick my cock into you and I’m a normal man, not a homo. Those other guys will be bought by homos, but you might be bought by a normal man who’s just feeling adventurous. There are more rich normal men than there are rich homos.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that you’re ‘normal,’” Aiden said, which earned him another punch in the stomach—a light punch, because expensive goods should be in pristine condition.
Fuck his life, seriously.
***
Aiden wasn’t sure what kind of auction he had been expecting, but it wasn’t what it ended up being. They hadn’t been tied up naked to poles and there were no people shouting in order to outbid each other.
But the reality wasn’t much better. In some ways it was worse, because it all seemed so… normal.
By all appearances, it seemed like a fancy party for the rich and glamorous. Granted, it wasn’t easy to tell who was rich when pretty much everyone was dressed in those long white things all the Saudi royalty wore when Aiden saw them on the news on TV, but the venue was clearly classy and expensive—as was the quality of food and drinks.
Not that Aiden had an opportunity to taste any of the fancy-looking food. He was the entertainment, not a guest.
He might not be naked and tied up to a pole, but it couldn’t be more obvious what he was. He had been put on the podium in the center of the room in a kneeling position. Men milled about the room, socializing, sipping on drinks, munching on snacks, and eyeing him like a piece of meat. While there wasn’t anything as vulgar as people bidding loudly, clearly there was some kind of subtle bidding war going on. The bastard in charge of the auction had mentioned that they guaranteed discretion thanks to a totally anonymous bidding process. Bidders could see the other bids made electronically, but everyone’s identities would remain safe. Apparently, this gave everyone in attendance plausible deniability. This way people could even claim being unaware of any human auction happening, since nothing was announced outright.
Aiden had to applaud the bastards’ ingenuity.
That was, if he were in a mood to applaud anything.
Staying on his knees for what felt like ages was uncomfortable as hell, but his discomfort wasn’t only physical. He was worried for the girls—Janice, Ruth, Melissa, and Annie. During these past few months, they all had become close, and it made him sick to his stomach to think that they would be next on this podium—as soon as Aiden was sold.
If he was sold.
But Aiden’s hope that he wouldn’t be bought was rapidly dwindling. Despite his lack of soft curves, the guests’ gazes lingered on him more than once or twice. Unfortunately, it seemed their kidnappers’ strategy was working. The audience here might not be exclusively gay, but he was something exotic and different for these jaded perverts, something even more forbidden than female sex slaves.
It made Aiden’s skin crawl, being looked at like a thing, objectified by those creeps. He couldn’t imagine becoming a sex toy for one of those revolting men. Unfortunately, it increasingly looked like it was happening, whether he wanted it or not.
Aiden looked around the room, searching for… he wasn’t sure what… someone sympathetic? Someone who might help him? Fat chance.
That was when Aiden noticed him.
The man.
He was seated at the table to the far right, nursing a drink. He wasn’t drinking it, his dark eyes fixed on Aiden.
Aiden wasn’t sure why he took note of it—there were a lot of people staring at him at the moment.
But there was something different about that man.
Although he was surrounded by people clamoring for his attention, he seemed to almost stand apart. He had some intangible quality about him, a peculiar sense of otherness. Aiden couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It was probably the man’s bearing. He emanated… Aiden tried to think of an appropriate word but couldn’t find it. Power was the closest thing he could think of, though it wasn’t quite right, either. The man held himself like only a very self-assured man would. This was a man who knew—or at least thought—he was better than everyone else in the room. It was really peculiar how he managed to give that impression despite being dressed in clothes identical to most other people’s.
Well, maybe his physical appearance played a part.
The man was handsome. His features were a little harsh and rough, but he was undeniably striking. Flawless sun-kissed tawny skin, strong bone structure with chiseled cheekbones and a really good jawline with carefully groomed facial hair that was somewhere between stubble and a beard. His deep brown eyes, framed with long black lashes and dark, prominent eyebrows, were his best feature—and the most unnerving one. There was something about those eyes that unsettled Aiden. The color was that of molten chocolate—soft and inviting—but their flat, hard expression was disquieting. Unlike the other men staring at him, he didn’t seem to be looking at Aiden with lust but with cold calculation… and something else. Something that made Aiden’s skin prickle with a mix of awareness and unease.
“Who is that?” Aiden asked the goon responsible for guarding him, motioning with his head toward the man.
The goon followed his gaze and frowned, something like surprise flickering over his features. “Huh. We weren’t expecting him. He didn’t accept the invite initially.”
“Who is he?” Aiden said.
“Sheikh Zain ibn Mustafa Al Rahim. The second son of the emir. Owns half of Dubai. The richest man in the country, though his entire family is rich too. The House of Al Rahim has been ruling this emirate for ages.”
“He’s part of the ruling family?” Aiden said, perking up.
The goon snorted. “Don’t get your hopes up. It doesn’t matter. Even certain emirs have been known to buy our merchandise in the past. Our private auctions are the worst-kept secret the authorities only pretend not to know anything about.”
Aiden deflated. He kept forgetting he wasn’t in America anymore.
“Besides,” the goon said. “He might be part of the ruling family, but it’s well known that Sheikh Zain doesn’t give much of a shit about following or executing the law. All he cares about is his business. He won’t lift a finger to help you. My guess is, he’s not even here to buy anything—he probably has a business meeting here with someone interested in the auction.”
Aiden pursed his lips and looked back at the sheikh, but he wasn’t looking at him anymore. “He’s leaving,” Aiden said, following the man’s tall form with his eyes. A path opened before him as if by magic as people stepped out of his way. That man had a truly magnificent presence; Aiden had always envied people like that a little.
The goon shrugged. “Told you he isn’t interested. That sheikh doesn’t need to wait to see the other merchandise and buy a woman to get laid. He has his pick of them.”
Looking away, Aiden sighed. “My knees are killing me. When is this stupid thing going to end?”
The goon glanced at the tablet in his hands and smirked. “For you, very soon. We just got a very high bid for you. I can’t see it beaten.”
Aiden’s heart skipped a beat. “Who bought me?”
The goon shrugged. “We don’t know and don’t care, as long as they pay. We guarantee full anonymity.” He waited a few moments and nodded. “Congratulations. You’re sold.”
Aiden’s stomach twisted into a painful knot.
Well, fuck.
