Page 3 of Innocent
My brows crinkle. “What are you selling that you need a profile? You know those online sales sites are just as bad. Who the hell knows who’ll show up at your door? You should list whatever it is up on the local board at the diner. Everyone in town is up there, anyway.”
Her eyes roll sideways, and she bites her bottom lip softly. “I don’t know if this is the kind of thing you’d list on the wall at the diner.”
I can feel my eyes wondering the room while I think. I can’t imagine anything that can’t be sold on the wall at the diner. “You selling something illegal?”
She laughs awkwardly and twists onto her heels before stepping back toward the desk. “It’s nothing. But really, I only have like ten minutes left here anyway tonight. If you don’t need anything else, I’ll catch you tomorrow?”
Oh, I need things.
“Yeah, you’re good to go. Thanks for covering tonight.”
She nods and twists away, leaving me with a view of her round ass that stirs me alive again. It’s apparent I haven’t been as coy as I thought I was being when the second the front door has closed behind her, Maddox starts with his bullshitting.
“Fucking hell, dude. Could you be more obvious?”
My brows turn down and I wave him away as I stalk toward the front computer, desperate to see what profile she was making and what the hell she could be selling. Maybe it’s wrong to snoop, but if she was willing to do it on a public computer, I guess I have the right to make sure she’s safe doing it.
Maddox, though, who’s been cleaning, isn’t done with his questioning. He runs his hand down over his beard and sweeps the last bit of dust from the shop into the pan that sits beneath the counter. “So, you’ve taken up lying to yourself?” He laughs, but it’s a fading noise as I dial into the profile buzzing in front of me on the screen.
I ignore him as a black and pink website populates from a subcategory of Reddit. At first, I thinkLoseitNowis a weight loss page and I’m frantic with opposition. She doesn’t need to lose weight. She’s perfect, just as she is. But that’s not what this webpage is.
“Dude,” Maddox barks, making his way behind me. “What the hell are you doing?”
The hairs on my arm stand on end and a burning rage boils through me. How could sweet, innocent little Janie be selling her most precious gift? And why was she in such a hurry to do it here at the shop? I stare at her sweet, beautiful smile, and count the freckles along the ridge of her nose to calm myself, but another bidder joins the party as I’m counting, and I lose focus.
Thirty-six hits on her profile already, all of them trying to buy her virginity, and I’m about to kill every one of them.
Chapter Three
Janie
Did I erase the history on that computer? I think I did. I must have. I wouldn’t have looked at something like that on a public computer and not erased it,right?
I did get distracted by that conversation with Huck, though, and I don’t remember going back to the desktop.
Oh fuck. Did I not erase the history?
My heart slams against my chest as I stare up at the dark ceiling of my childhood bedroom. If anyone ever finds out what I’m doing, I’d have to dig myself a hole and bury myself deep. I can’t imagine how humiliating that would be. It might be almost as humiliating as going to the tattoo shop to begin with.
I’m genuinely the most scatterbrained person on the planet.
My phone buzzes against the bedsheet next to me and a streak of panic turns my blood to acid.
It’s someone from the tattoo shop. They went through the history, they found me pathetic, and they’re going to tell the whole town what a disgusting whore I am. I know it! Someone kill me now. Take me out of my misery.
With closed eyes and a hammering heart, I flip the screen around and stare down at the caller. It’s my friend Kate. She’s Waylon’s daughter. Their family owns the rodeo in town and lives up on a huge ranch up stream. We’ve been friends for a few years now, and she’s the one that told me about the virgin website. I text her to let her know I’d posted. I’m sure she’s curious about how it went.
Thank God.I’ll live another day.
“Hey… you’re up late.”
“Well,” she bubbles, “I knew you were setting up your profile. You already have almost thirty takers. The bidding is up to eight grand. I think it’s that Christmas hat you’re wearing. Nice touch, by the way.”
My stomach turns. “Eight grand?” Okay, the pathetic sinking feeling in my stomach subsides, but it’s replaced by a whorish feeling I can’t describe. “That’s enough to pay off my last semester of school.” I sigh. “I could really use the money. I know my mom doesn’t have it, especially this close to the holidays. Plus, I’ll be glad to finally get rid of this cherry I’ve been carrying around like a lead weight.”
I can hear the shrug in Kate’s voice. “You only live once. People sell their sperm and their eggs. What’s wrong with selling your virginity on the dark web? Seems legit to me. This website is supposed to vet everyone who applies.”
Somehow, her reassurance isn’t as reassuring as I was hoping. “But do you think it makes me a prostitute?”