8. BARGAIN

~ Damon ~

“I will give you one million dollars for your sister’s virginity,”

Dylan’s mouth instantly fell open. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me, right?” Dylan tried to laugh it off, thinking Damon wasn’t serious, but Damon’s expression was stiff.

“I’m a man of many things, but jokes aren’t one of them,” Damon said simply.

“So, you’re saying you wanna give us a million dollars…?”

“Yes, and for a night with her,”

“T-that’s…” Dylan found himself babbling, looking for the right words to say. “Crazy. That’s outrageous,”

“And that’s up to her, I suppose,” Damon said as he moved back to his chair. “I guess I’m just letting you know in advance so that maybe you can give her the message?”

Dylan stared at Damon in disbelief. So this was why he was being summoned so suddenly, because Damon wanted to buy Violet’s virginity. Dylan couldn’t believe the man’s audacity and confidence, and he couldn’t believe what he was offering them either. One million dollars was no joke of an offer.

Dylan’s first instinct was to grab Damon by the collars and yell that his sister was not for sale, but he knew he’d be shot dead before he could even do that, so he calmed himself down. Dylan thought for a moment and he remembered what Violet said to him earlier.

“Well, I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I was just thinking, maybe… I could…”

“Oh, hell no!” Dylan almost shouted. “Don’t even think about it, Vi!” he hissed under his breath.

“Why not? Twenty grand could go a long way right now,” she argued.

Dylan threw his glance to the side and let out a sigh. He was considering the offer and Damon looked pleased.

“…And what if she says no?” Dylan asked after a while of silence.

“Then that’s her choice, no hard feelings,” Damon replied, pausing for a beat before adding, “But I have a feeling that she’s smarter than that,”

Damon let out a smile, but Dylan wasn’t amused. He was shuffling in his seat again, eager to get out of here.

“Alright, I’ll tell her about your offer and we’ll be in touch. Is that all?” he asked.

“That is all,” Damon replied.

Dylan got up to his feet. He couldn’t wait to get back to the hospital and talk to Violet about the craziness of this whole thing.

“Oh, and Carvey,” Damon said suddenly, causing Dylan to stop his tracks. “The offer expires at midnight,”

---

~ Violet ~

“A million dollars?” Violet gaped once she heard what Dylan had to say.

The big black SUV took him back to the hospital after he met with Damon. Their mother was out of surgery and she was resting. Violet and Dylan stepped out of the room for a moment and Dylan told Violet everything that had happened the past hour.

“He’s offering us a million dollars for… my virginity?” Violet asked again, whispering the last part.

“That’s what he said,” Dylan sighed.

“He’s not joking about it, is he?”

“Does he look like the type that jokes to you?” Dylan asked back. “The car’s still outside waiting. He says the offer expires at midnight,”

Violet fell silent as she took all of this in. It wasn’t every day that someone would offer to give you one million dollars. Even if the offer came with a detestable request.

“Vi, you’re not seriously considering this, are you?” Dylan narrowed his eyes at his sister.

“And you’re not?” Violet asked back. “It’s one million dollars, Dyl,”

“I know, but it’s your…”

“It’s just a thing,” Violet cut him off. “Everyone will lose them eventually,”

“But not like this,” Dylan shook his head.

“Why not?” Violet argued. “Isn’t this better than me losing it in the back of a limo at some prom?“

“Hey,” Dylan groaned in protest. Violet was actually talking about him.

“We’re gonna get one million dollars, Dyl. That could pay for mom’s therapy and get rid of dad’s debt. And who knows? Maybe we both can go back to school?”

Violet was making a great point. Dylan would be lying if he said he didn’t think of these things too, but he couldn’t bring himself to allow his little sister to do such a despicable thing with her body. Dylan had supplied girls to guys and older men before, he knew what they could do to them. Violet was too pure and innocent. She wouldn’t stand a chance, especially to a mafia king like Damon Van Zandt.

“But, I’m your older brother, Vi. I’m supposed to protect you. I can’t let you do this,” Dylan said finally.

“You’re not making me do anything I don’t wanna do, Dyl,” Violet sighed. “Look, the way I see it, we’re being given an out here. I say we take it,”

Dylan still looked uncertain, but Violet had that fire in her eyes. She was determined. She already made her choice.

“Anyway, it’s just one night, right?” she shrugged.

“Vi, I think you should take some time to think about this,” Dylan sighed.

“You heard what he said. The offer expires at midnight,” Violet replied.

“Vi…”

“Don’t worry, Dylan. I’ll be safe and I’ll be okay,” Violet said reassuringly. “It’s just one night. I’ll see you tomorrow morning,”

Violet glanced at the clock and it was now 11 PM at night. She only had another hour before this opportunity of a lifetime will pass her by. There was no time to stop and think. Violet already knew what she had to do.

Dylan knew he couldn’t do anything to stop Violet. He put his head down and let out another frustrated sigh. Violet put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.

“Take care of mom, okay?”

And with that, Violet left Dylan standing alone in the hospital corridor. He watched his little sister walk out of the glass doors and into the black SUV parked outside. A part of him wanted to run after her to stop her, but he couldn’t. Dylan was frozen still, standing and wondering if he had made the right choice by letting her go.

---

After about thirty minutes of driving, the black SUV pulled up into this massive estate with huge gates surrounding it. Violet had never been to this area of New Jersey before. This was where all the rich and famous people live, and Violet never had a reason to go here, until today.

The Van Zandt estate was a sprawling mega-mansion that looked like an entire castle, and it was probably as big as her high school building. The car pulled to a stop in front of steps leading up to the front door and the driver didn’t even say one word to her. He probably assumed she’d know what to do.

“Thank you,” Violet said politely before exiting the car.

The driver didn’t respond at all. Violet stepped out and approached the tall doors. She swallowed hard before giving the door a few knocks. Violet had watched plenty of mafia movies like the Godfather, Goodfellas, and even the Irishman. She was expecting the doors to open to a bunch of guys with guns sitting in the room, but no. Seconds later, the door opened and this middle-aged lady greeted her. There were no guys in suits and guns, just the lady with a big smile on her face.

“Good evening, you must be Violet,” she said. “Come on in,”

Violet took a moment to look around the mansion. Everything was covered in marble or glass and brass. The couches were made of leather and there were a massive chandelier and fireplace in the middle of the great room.

“Right this way, Mr. Van Zandt is expecting you,” the woman said again, leading Violet towards the grand staircase.

“Um, I’m sorry, who are you?” Violet asked.

“I’m Elena, the head maid. Please follow me, Mr. Van Zandt doesn’t like to wait,”

Violet picked up her face and followed Elena up the stairs. She wondered how Elena knew who she was and how Damon was expecting her. How did he know that she was going to come?

Elena stopped walking as they reached a dark wooden double door at the end of the hallway. She knocked twice on the door and waited for a response.

“Yes?” A voice answered from the inside. Violet remembered the sound of that voice very well. It was the same voice that was haunting her dreams. It was Damon.

“Mr. Van Zandt, I have Violet Carvey to see you,” Elena said.

“Send her in,” he replied.

Elena stepped aside and gestured for Violet to go inside. And it was at this moment that Violet was starting to doubt her decision. She looked to Elena for help, but Elena only gestured for the door.

“Go on in,” she said.

Violet took a deep breath and reached for the door handle. The door was heavy and it took all her strength to push it open. It didn’t help that Violet was second-guessing herself. She was now thinking that she made a mistake.

I don't know if I’m ready for this... Maybe I could still back out?

The door opened to reveal a large room resembling an old library. In the middle of the room were a large desk and a chair. Someone was sitting on that chair, but his back was turned to Violet. Violet could only see the man’s dark hair peeking out of the chair.

Violet took another step forward and the door closed loudly behind her. She glanced back to see how the door was closed and it seemed like the option of backing away was impossible.

“So, you decided to come,” Damon’s voice pulled Violet’s attention back to the front. He was still sitting with his back to her, so she couldn’t see his face.

“Y-you didn’t seem surprised,” Violet replied. She was trying to act cool and calm, but she was shaking on the inside.

“No, I had a feeling you’d make the right choice,” Damon said. And with that, he turned his chair around in one swift move.

Violet stopped her tracks as her eyes met Damon’s. His head was cócked to the side and his lips twitched into a smirk. Violet was suddenly lost in a trance. He looked just like in her dream.

“Well, don’t just stand there, have a seat,” he gestured to the chair in front of the desk. With shaky legs, Violet continued walking and took a seat.

“D-Damon, listen, about the—“ Violet was about to start the conversation and the possibility of her backing out, but Damon quickly cut her off.

“Did you get the flowers?” he asked.

“Yes,”

“Did you like them?”

“I did,”

“Good,” he said.

Violet wanted to speak again, but now she lost her momentum. Meanwhile, Damon was just staring at her. His dark brown eyes pierced into hers and it was like he could read what she was thinking. Violet found herself squirming in her seat.

“Before we get on with our business, there’s a bit of a paperwork you’d need to sign,” Damon said suddenly. He took out a piece of paper and pushed it towards Violet.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“A written agreement for the price of our sale,” Damon replied. He said it so calmly and so nonchalantly like he wasn’t just buying a girl’s virginity for one million dollars.

Violet swallowed hard and her eyes began to glaze over the words on that paper. The agreement was pretty self-explanatory. It basically stated that she’d agree to this sale for the aforementioned price and that their signatures would seal the deal. Damon already signed his part and hers was left blank.

Violet looked up to see Damon handing her a pen. She came into this room with the thought of backing out, but after reading this document, Violet had another change of heart. It was one million dollars. This was more money than she could ever see in her lifetime. One night compared to that would be minuscule. One could even argue that it was a bargain. So before she could change her mind again, Violet took the pen from Damon’s hand and signed her name on the dotted line. Right as the clock struck midnight that night, Violet Rose Carvey had just signed a deal with Damon Van Zandt, the devil in the flesh.

• • • • • To Be Continued - - - - -