Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“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.
Chapter Three
After the auction ended, things moved so fast it was a blur.
Aiden felt like it all was happening to someone else, not him. Part of him still expected to wake up at any moment. He’d obviously known that sex trafficking was a real issue in the world, but like most people, he had never thought it could happen to him.
He had been bought. Bought. Like a thing.
Who was the buyer? That was still a mystery.
The man who had handed his kidnappers a briefcase with the money and picked Aiden up on behalf of the auction winner was covered from head to toe. His black eyes were the only visible part of him as he and the goons steered Aiden toward the waiting car. The car didn’t have a license plate. It made Aiden extremely uneasy. All this secrecy seemed to indicate that the auction winner was either very deep in the closet or intended to bury Aiden’s corpse without witnesses after he was done with him. Or both.
The car ride was long.
The man didn’t speak, completely ignoring Aiden’s questions and sitting very still in the opposite seat. Maybe he didn’t understand English.
At long last, Aiden gave up and closed his eyes, the car ride slowly lulling his tired body into restless sleep.
When he woke up, his handcuffs were gone. The man was gone from the opposite seat, too.
In his place, there was another man.
Aiden stiffened, his heart beating faster as he recognized him. “You!”
Sheikh Zain ibn Mustafa Al Rahim looked at him with his inscrutable dark eyes.
“Why?” Aiden said, feeling more than a little confused. There was nothing in Rahim’s eyes as he looked at Aiden: he didn’t stare at Aiden with lust, as many other prospective buyers had. If anything, this man seemed almost reluctant to look at him now, as if even looking at Aiden pained him for some reason.
“How old are you?” the sheikh finally said.
“Twenty-one,” Aiden said. “Why?”
The man ignored his question. “Are you heterosexual?” he said instead.
Aiden narrowed his eyes, studying him. He still noticed no carnal interest in this man’s gaze. It made no sense.
“Yes,” he replied, though strictly speaking, he might not have been entirely truthful. He definitely wasn’t gay—he liked women just fine—but there had been a few guys he’d considered attractive in the past. He’d never done anything about it, so he wasn’t sure if he really was bi or it had been simple aesthetic appreciation.
“Why?” he asked again. The uncertainty ate at him. It didn’t seem as though Zain Rahim was into him, regardless of the enormous amount of money he’d spent on him. So why the hell had he bought him? “Why did you buy me?”