The Man I Bought For Five Dollars Novel by Dahlia Sterling _ Novel




The Man I Bought For Five Dollars Chapter 01

I was so broke that when Kieran Westfall—the boy I'd loved since childhood—finally asked me to be his girlfriend, I didn't dare say yes.
He looked me over and sneered. "Short on cash? Fine. Be my errand girl. I'll pay you $800 a month."
After that, he had me run the 800-meter race for Vivienne Calder, our school's golden girl, while I was doubled over with cramps, deliver condoms to a hotel in the pouring rain, and give up my place in a competition I'd worked months to enter.
I always smiled and never said no.
Then he wanted me to take a dare for her. "The club district is too rough. Vivi can't go there."
"You'll do it for her."
"Here. Five bucks. Go in and ask for a male escort."
I reached out to take the money. "Fine. But this is the last time."
Kieran, however, let the coins drop. The five coins hit the floor and scattered.
Laughter erupted behind me.
"Who came up with that? That's brutal."
"Five dollars? She's really going to risk her life for five bucks?"
"Whoa. Since when does the little lackey get to set terms?"
Kieran looked down at me and smirked. "Relax. She'd never walk away."
Under the flickering neon, I was already bracing myself to be kicked out.
"Hey, I can pay," I said calmly.
The man in front of me was unfairly good-looking. He looked at me and chuckled. "You know I don't come cheap, right?"
He lifted five fingers, his mouth curving. "This much. Minimum."
I took a breath, pulled five crumpled one-dollar bills from my pocket, and played dumb. "Works for me."
He swore under his breath and raised a hand.
I flinched, covering my head and squeezing my eyes shut.
The next thing I felt was him grabbing my wrist. "How did you get these wounds?"
He pushed up my sleeve and frowned. It took me a second to process. Then I pulled my arm back.
"I've only got five bucks. Are you in or not? If not, I'll find someone else."
I blurted it all out before I lost my nerve, and started to walk away with my head down. Yet he stuck his leg out and stopped me.
I froze, suddenly nervous. "What … what are you doing?"
He stubbed out his cigarette. "Deal."
He leaned down slightly until his face was inches from mine, a faint smile playing on his lips. "So, what are we doing tomorrow?"
"What … what is there to do?" I managed, trying to keep my voice steady.
He laughed softly, his eyes bright. "Whatever you want."
"If you have something dirty in mind, I won't say no."
"You've paid, after all."
He drew out those last few words.
My cheeks burned. I stumbled over my reply. "T-Tomorrow. Two P.M. Jefferson High School."
"There's a parent-teacher conference for juniors. I need you to show up there."
The next afternoon, I arrived at the school gate two hours early.
By the time the parent-teacher conference started, the school gates were empty.
The security guard yelled, "Bell rang, kid. You going in or what?"
I realized I'd been stood up.
Then again, five bucks probably didn't buy much loyalty. Being stood up was still better than being beaten.
But the thought of walking into that conference alone—of facing all those stares—made me realize how badly I'd hoped he would come.
"Yeah. I'm going."
I dragged myself back to the classroom. Helena Ward's voice was already echoing down the hall. She was my homeroom teacher.
Helena was going over the midterm exam results. When she got to my name, she paused. "Arielle Sayer showed a lot of improvement this time."
I stared at the messy initials carved into my desk. My eyes started to sting.
I was about to bite through my lower lip when two soft knocks came at the door. Then the door swung open.
A tall figure stepped in, framed by the hallway light. He wore a white shirt and black trousers. He looked clean-cut, a stark contrast to the dangerous edge he'd had under the neon lights last night.
I blinked. My eyes lit up.
Dorian Greer scanned the room and found me. "Sorry, I'm late."
"I'm Arielle's brother."

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