Summer knelt very still in the private waiting room, nervous at the thought of leaving the Center for the first time in her adult life. She’d always been safe here, protected and cared for — but a man named Skylar had bought her contract, and now she was to leave with him.

She’d dressed with care, anxious to give the right impression. Outwardly, she looked perfectly ordinary, a thin tank top underneath a shirt with a deep v-neck. Remove the shirt, though, and the tank top was sheer, offering glimpses of belly and breasts. She wore nothing at all beneath her flirty skirt.

And her throat was totally bare, waiting to receive his collar, that would mark her as his for as long as he held her contract.