Page 2 of Taken By Taurus

As the plane took off, I reviewed the email and the terms of the contract. It all looked legitimate and legal. There were no clues there.

Despite the careful temperature control of the plane, I feel hot.

The flight attendant comes up to me with a laptop in hand. “You requested to speak to a donor, Ms. Dimitriou? She’s ready for you now.”

“Call me Kate, please,” I say.

She pulls out the tray in front of me and opens it, then takes a seat nearby.

A stunning young girl looks at me from the screen. She must be no older than 18, slim, and has long blonde hair pulled back neatly from her face, wearing a white blouse and minimal makeup. Everything about her says efficiency. She glances at my face mask and cat pajamas and says nothing. That makes it so much worse.

“Nice to meet you,” she says. She smiles, and it seems genuine, but her tone is clipped. Despite her youth, this girl clearly means business. “I’m Tamara Sanders. I was the first to engage in a virginity contract with the Zodiac Organization, a little over a year ago now, and I’m here to answer any last-minute questions. First, I want to say congratulations on getting this far. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants for this role. And I can tell you, the money from this deal changed my life.”

I swallow. This doesn’t feel fun anymore. Tamara looks and talks exactly like a girl who would sign up for a real virgin selling contract. She looks nothing like me. It’s cruel how different we are. I’m not sure even Todd would be this mean.

I take a breath, my face heating for a different reason now. “Ok, you can tell Todd to stop playing now. The joke has gone far enough. And tell him he’s an asshole.”

Tamara pauses on the screen and raises an elegant eyebrow. How is someone so young also so intimidating? “This isn’t a joke, Ms. Dimitrou. I’m sorry if you thought it was. You still have options to back out. You have to be willing. They still have time to find another donor.”

I choke and fight back the tears that prick my eyes. This is humiliating. My voice hardens. “Look, I’m sure they’ve paid you well, but this is getting cruel now. You are obviously a woman a man would pay to fuck. And I…” I rip off my face peel, not caring about the sting it leaves behind. “I am not.”

On screen, Tamara pauses as if considering. Then she leans forward. Her eyes are flinty, her voice hard. “Kate, this is not a joke. I sold my virginity, and I was paid well for it. If you’re too insecure to think this is real, let me assure you - men will take all kinds. If he wants to pay to fuck you, and you get five million in the bargain, who gives a shit if he thinks you look like a supermodel? Take the fucking money. You might even have a good time.” She sits back. She smiles and her lips twitch with mischief. “I sure did.”

“Now, it’s up to you, but I’m a busy girl and you’ve got to get ready. If it helps at all, this won’t be like anything else you’ve ever experienced. Pretend to be someone else if you have to. And leave with five million.”

She hangs up, and I’m left breathless. Oh, she was good. I barely have time to recover when the flight attendant collects the laptop from me. I was hypnotized by Tamara Sanders - I hadn’t noticed her standing beside me, hearing everything.

“If you’re ready, Ms. Dimitrou, we’ve been asked to get you ready for this evening. Styling and wardrobe will be in shortly.” I stay in my seat and watch her retreat in a daze.

Chapter two

The Makeover

For the three-hour plane ride, I’m primped and prodded more than I’ve ever been in my life.

Two Korean girls chatter in their own language while they move my limbs around to do my finger and toenails. Meanwhile, my natural curls are tamed into something glossy using a treatment I’ve never heard of by a traveling hair stylist from Australia. She assures me the job pays well, but she knows almost nothing about her employer.

I tell them I think my brother and my friends have arranged a surprise party for me. That’s still my best guess at what’s going on. Perhaps Todd came into some money, and worked together with my girlfriends to give me the makeover they’ve been begging me to get for years. Tamara was a convincing liar, and that’s why he picked her. It’s hard to stay mad when someone’s giving you a head massage.

Why else would we be heading to Greece, the homeland of my parents, and the one place I’ve always wanted to go?

I’m then handed over to a makeup artist and stylist called Quan. They’re a YouTube celebrity from New York, and they look it, with a high blue faux-hawk, minimalist but designer-looking black clothes and gold-glittered eyelids.

They’re kind of famous, which raises more doubts about the expense of this escapade. Maybe my brother won a competition? Quan knows as much as the hairdresser did.

Quan takes a ‘before’ photo of me, promising to only post if I give consent, and then spends an hour fussing over my face. They spend a lot of time on my eyebrows and scold me for neglecting ‘these gorgeous, bold brows’. Then they ooh at my naturally symmetrical cupid’s bow, and scold me for not making the most of one of my best features. It’s all very flattering, especially considering I’ve barely looked in a mirror for the past few years.

They won’t let me see the results when my face is done. Instead, they roll out a rack of clothing and tell me to pick ‘something that speaks to me’.

My first instinct is to pick black. It’s slimming, and easy to clean. It’s my normal go-to. But I resist the urge. I’m having a makeover, aren’t I?

I pull out a champagne-colored dress that sparkles with diamantes. It’s nothing like my normal taste.

Behind me, Quan whistles. “Excellent choice.” They pull out a hanger with a champagne colored g-string and bra with see-through cups. “They all come with matching lingerie,” Quan explains. My cheeks are hot again. The girls really were thorough.

It’s only after I’m dressed that I call out ‘ready’. I didn’t bother with the g-string. I’ve never worn one, and there’s nothing wrong with what my brother calls ‘free balling’ in a dress this tight.

My stomach flips a little, but I trust Quan. They’ve been kind about my looks.