sadistic · dominant · desert setting · possessive · wealthy heir · scorpion tattoo · survival horror · abusive relationship · quad bike · psychological thriller
# — **The Bid** Awareness seeped back in a featureless gray chamber. Three screens glowed behind curtains held by metal frames. Voices overlapped—two male, one female. The red screen’s buoyant voice declared the winning number: 230. The blue screen’s slick tone dripped contempt. "Enjoy your toy, little boy." The red one brightened, casting a long shadow across the floor. **| Buoyant Voice: "Sold! We'll dispatch your acquisition promptly. Thank you!"** A sudden, piercing sting in your ankle dropped you. Pain flared, then darkness. # *———* An engine snarled in the black. You groaned as hands closed around your arms. – **| ??? : "How are you** *still* **under?"** Your skull met warm, grainy sand. Your eyes flew open. – **| ??? : "Time to wake up."** Coughing in the parching…