he slowly withdrew his hand and sat forward in his chair so that there was little space between them. "i have. is next weekend too soon?"

adrenaline spiked in her veins, surging like a flash flood. excitement. dread. terror. all were accurate descriptors of the emotions battering her.

her mouth went dry and she swallowed quickly.

"no. next weekend is fine. i'll arrange my work schedule so that i'm off the following week. the auction. what do i need to do?"

damon smiled. "not a thing. i'll have my driver pick you up and take you to the house where your keeper will await you. he'll assist you in readying yourself for the auction. you'll remain under his care until i claim you."

desire thrummed heavy in her veins. liquid heat pooled in her loins and simmered there, waiting to be stirred to greater heights.

"why are you doing this?" she asked. it was something she'd already asked, but she couldn't help the need to know more about this intriguing man.

"it's very simple," he said calmly. "i want you, serena. i've wanted you since the moment we met. when i discovered that you were the one wanting a fantasy fulfilled, there was never a chance of me turning you over to another man."

"and so i will be yours," she murmured, liking the words-and their meaning.

"yes. you will belong to me."

satisfaction glimmered in his brown eyes. they were dark, and warm with promise.

"tell me, serena. have you opened yourself to the possibility of new and daring experiences? have you given thought to precisely what it will mean to belong to a man? and not just any man, but what it will mean to belong to me?"

she paused as she stared back at him. "i think i've prepared myself for new experiences. i'm a little nervous because i don't know how far a man-you-will take things. but i trust you. maybe i shouldn't, but you make me feel very at ease."

"i'm glad," he said in a soft voice. "i wouldn't want you frightened of me."

"i find myself entertaining crazy thoughts," she admitted. "some are so far out of the realm of my personal experience that i wonder if i should even entertain them in reality or if they are better left as fantasy."

"i hope that you'll explore your boundaries when you're with me and not be too swift to withdraw. i want you to open your mind and your heart. don't judge. don't think. just feel. but," he added, "if there is ever a time you're afraid, i want you to be honest with me. i will never do anything to intentionally hurt you or frighten you."

"i know that," she said huskily. "i really do know that."

deep down, she wanted him to push her comfort zone. she wanted him to take control, so that she wouldn't have a choice. she didn't want him to ask, rather she wanted him to take, to demand, to give.

"i wanted to see you tonight because it will be the last time we'll be together until the auction," damon said.

she looked up in surprise.

he smiled. "i like the dismay that flashed in your eyes. it matches my own. and the arrogant part of me likes it that you enjoy spending time with me."

"then why-"

"because i want you to think of me all week. i want you to imagine the night of the auction when i lay claim to you. that first time i touch you and establish ownership. i want you to anticipate it."

"you're awfully sure of yourself," she said in a low voice. but he was right. she would think of him all week. she would think of nothing else.

"no, i'm merely hopeful. and regardless of what will be on your mind this week, you will be what occupies my thoughts. i haven't felt this degree of anticipation in a long, long time."

she smiled.

"your arrogance matches mine," he said with a slight tilt to his lips. "i like it."

"the contracts?" she questioned.

"i'll courier them over first thing monday morning. i want all the paperwork out of the way before the auction. i would have nothing intrude upon our time once we embark on your fantasy."

her breath quickened and she nodded her agreement. finally. this was it. she was actually doing it.

it amazed her that she was sitting across the table from a gorgeous, powerful man, making plans to fulfill a longing within her that had grown from an idle curiosity to a full-fledged need.

in just over a week, she would walk into damon's club and be auctioned as a sex slave. that she knew who her master would be didn't lessen the adrenaline-laced fear and excitement that raced through her body. if anything, knowing that damon would command her body heightened her anticipation all the more.

chapter 11

"what do you mean, nathan drove you home, you woke up naked in your bed the next morning and you don't remember what happened?" serena asked in disbelief.

she propped her cell phone between her cheek and her shoulder as she fumbled for the paperwork she was trying to organize.

julie groaned in her ear. "faith set me up. the bitch."

serena laughed. "oh come on, julie. she was just trying to help."

"i know," julie said with a heavy sigh. "but she was way too obvious. she all but shoved me at nathan and suggested he drive me home. i really don't remember how he reacted because i'd had too much to drink. i vaguely remember him driving me home, but after that? nothing. i woke up the next morning in my bed, completely naked, and serena, i don't sleep in the buff."

"ah, and you're worried that you did the nasty with nathan and don't remember it?"

"if i had sex with him and don't remember it, i'm going to kill myself," julie said mournfully.

"well, why don't you just call and ask him?"

"oh yeah, that's what i want to do. 'hello, nathan, this is julie. would you mind telling me if we fucked the other night?'"

serena laughed. "i'm sure you could be more subtle than that, sweetie."

"if we did sleep together, he sure hasn't got the part down where you're supposed to call the next day. for that matter, if we had sex, he sure hightailed it at the ass crack of dawn, which tells me i must not have been any good."

"quit getting down on yourself, julie. from all you've said, i have to think you didn't have sex. nathan doesn't strike me as the type to take advantage of a woman when she's drunk."

"but what if i took advantage of him?" julie squeaked.

serena laughed again. "nathan is a big boy. chances are he put you to bed and left. simple as that. what you ought to do is call him and tell him you appreciate the ride home then offer to make him dinner as a thank-you."

"you're a fucking genius. why didn't i think of that?"

"does this mean you're finally going to make a move on the man?" serena asked.

"uh, maybe."

serena closed her eyes and shook her head. "for the love of god, julie. you make me crazy. faith and i are supposed to be the wimps, not you. remember? you're miss brass balls, take no prisoners. so start acting like it."

"you're right. i'm totally unworthy. i bow before your great- ness."

"shut up and go call him," serena said in exasperation.

"i know this phone call has been all about me, but the whole reason i called was to say good luck tonight. there's no doubt i think you've lost your marbles, but in a weird, twisted way, i'm insanely jealous and i hope you have a great time at, um, your slave auction."

serena grinned as a tingle of excitement fluttered around her stomach. "thanks, julie. i'm going to be out of the office for the next week so i'll catch up some time after that."

"oh wait, fuck no, you don't. you can't just disappear for a week after being sold in a slave auction," julie sputtered. "what if he drags you off to his cave somewhere and molests and kills you?"

"are you just trying to scare me?"

"yes! use your head. you'll call me the morning after the auction or i'll call the police and have them beat down damon's door. i don't care how close he is with faith or how gorgeous the guy is. for all you know he could be a serial killer."

"thank you for that," serena muttered.

"sorry, hon. i don't mean to ruin your night, but someone has to beat some sense into your pretty head."

"okay, okay, i'll call you the next morning."

"good. now off you go. i'll talk to you tomorrow and you can tell me how your first night in slavery went."

"irreverent bitch," serena muttered.

"you love me."

"good-bye, julie." serena took the phone from her ear and punched the button to end the call.

she laid the phone on her desk and glanced over at the clock. if she wanted to get home and showered and primped, she needed to leave now. she needed the downtime to collect her composure before damon's driver picked her up, because she was a mass of chaotic nerves.

she piled the paperwork into a bunch and shoved it all into her briefcase as her impatience to get home nipped at her. after a quick glance around her office to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything, she headed down the hall to have a quick conversation with carrie.

carrie had been delighted with serena's decision to take a week off, even if she didn't know why. she assumed serena was taking her first vacation in years, and in a way, it was a vacation. from reality.

after gaining carrie's assurances that she'd call if anything came up she couldn't handle, serena left the office building and headed to her apartment.

first she indulged in a long soaking bath as she tried in vain to calm her overwrought nerves. faith had called her that morning and described her experience at the house so that serena wasn't walking in totally blind, and after hearing faith's account, she was that much closer to hyperventilating.

she wasn't sure what she was expecting, but faith's description of the openness of the club goers' sexual activities made her feel like a fish out of water before she ever set foot there.

hello, you are a fish out of water.

fish out of water about to jump from the goldfish bowl into the freaking ocean.

thanks to a trip to julie's, she was waxed and buffed from head to toe and all parts in between. she was confident in her appearance and that she wouldn't scare anyone with her nakedness. she gulped at the mere thought of being nude in front of a roomful of men. it was just so . . . decadent. so very bad girl of her.

after a look at the clock, she put it in high gear. she didn't worry too much about what to wear since she'd be naked for most of the night, but she took special pains with her hair. not that she did much to it, because she knew damon liked it long and trailing over her shoulders, but she brushed it until it shone.

as for makeup? she got the giggles as she sparingly applied foundation and left off eyeliner, mascara and lipstick. if things went according to her fantasy, eye makeup and lipstick would be rather silly. damon probably wouldn't appreciate bright red lipstick on his cock.

she sucked in her breath as she imagined taking him in her mouth. would he take her e-mail literally? would he replicate all aspects of her fantasy or would he use it for a general guideline? she didn't know, and that uncertainty added to her breathless excitement.

how would he taste? would he be big or small? would he be gentle or forceful?

she didn't want gentleness from him. she wanted to tap in to the power that she sensed was tightly held just underneath the surface. she wanted him rough and hard, demanding and forceful.

the doorbell rang just as she was reaching for her sandals. her stomach lurched up into her throat as she thrust her feet into the shoes and nervously smoothed her hair with damp hands.

she reached for her overnight bag and headed for the door. when she swung it open, sam stood there, his big body filling her doorway. he inclined his head.

"miss james, are you ready?"

"yes," she managed to croak out.

he reached for her bag, and she relinquished it to him. she quickly locked up and followed him to the bentley.

the drive seemed to take an eternity. with each passing mile, the tension coiled and swelled within her. by the time they pulled into the winding drive of a large estate, she felt lightheaded, and her pulse pounded loudly at her temples.

sam parked the car, and her door opened immediately. she found herself staring into the face of a handsome man. his expression was enigmatic, and he simply held his hand out to her.

she took it with trembling fingers and allowed him to help her from the car. she started forward, but the man tugged her back with a sharp pull until she stood at his side.

"i am your keeper," he said by way of introduction. "you will heed my instructions at all times."