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Now that I know what to expect from the auction portion of the night, I’m a little less nervous. All that’s left is to get ready and find out who I will be spending the night with.
CHAPTER4
What am I doing here?
When Jared asked me if I wanted to go to a private auction, I thought it could be fun. I’ve just made my first million, and I am still riding that high. I’m a millionaire before I turn thirty-five—not too bad, Mister James.
I thought I could afford to be a little frivolous with my money; bid on something pretty to put in my office. Something to commemorate the occasion. But I sure as shit won’t be able to put a college student on my desk. And that’s what I’ll be bidding on. People. Sex.
Fuck, this is ridiculous. My mom did not raise me to be this kind of man. But here I am with Jared in a suit and tie, looking the part of a successful businessman.
I must not appear as calm as I think when Jared says, “Stop worrying, already. The people being bid on are here by choice, Harrison. No one is forcing them. This is a legitimate way for them to pay off student debt and make business connections. They’re not prostitutes or sex slaves. This isn’t the black market.” He ends his speech with a dry chuckle before taking a sip of his hundred-dollar glass of whiskey.
“We’re paying for sex, right? Everyone knows what happens after the bidding. We’re not going to play Scrabble at the end of our evening, Jared,” I snark back. He may be my mentor but he is also my friend.
“If it bothers you that much, Harrison. Don’t have sex. Give the lucky lady business tips and help her write the perfect resume. Fuck, you don’t even have to bid if you don’t want to. Maybe there won’t be a girl on that stage that tickles your fancy, and you’re working yourself up for nothing. Relax, man. Drink your whiskey,” he says, gesturing to the glass in front of me.
I swallow the liquid, relishing the burn as it blazes down my throat.
“How many times have you done this?” I ask, scrutinizing the man before me. Jared Stone is my senior by about ten years. He’s fit and built like a swimmer, tall, with hints of silver in his beard and short hair, always ready with a smile.
“A few,” he replies, raising his hand and signaling a passing waiter to refill our drinks. “This is a great place to make new contacts. See this as a ‘meet and greet’ with perks.”
“Jesus, how are you my mentor?” I chuckle and run my hand through my short brown hair. I look around the room and see a few faces I recognize, not from work but from the covers of magazines and trade journals. This is a prestigious event, and I am lucky to be here, like Jared said.
The lights dim, and after a few minutes, they flash three times.
“You got your paddle, son?” Jared asks, taking his, ready to start bidding. I smile at the nickname Jared gave me from day one as his mentee at the studio. Now, after four years, I’m also a senior software engineer at Cutting Edge Games. But here, in this situation, I’m out of my league, so I’ll follow his lead.
I look down at the white plastic paddle with a black seventeen printed on top like it’s a snake ready to strike. Not sure I want to touch it at all. So, I just nod at his question.
A hush falls over the room, and all eyes turn to the stage as the auctioneer heads to the podium, in front of a ruby-red velvet curtain hiding the acquisitions from view.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual Merriweather Auctioneers Private Auction. Bidding will start at a hundred thousand dollars and increase in increments of fifty thousand dollars. After the first lot of acquisitions are presented, there will be a short break, after which the virgin acquisitions will be up for bidding. Starting at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and increasing in increments of fifty thousand dollars.” Taking a brief pause, he looks out over the audience. “I won’t leave you waiting any longer. Let the bidding begin.”
Lights are thrown onto the stage, and young men and women file out from the left, dressed in black. All of them attractive. All of them different; petite, voluptuous, broad-shouldered, and lean-built. Within the group of people on the stage, there will be someone to fit everyone’s tastes.
And one of them fits mine—fuck. The girl with wheat-colored hair and an ass to die for reminds me of my college crush. Well, she was in high school then, but she was the star of all my fantasies—still is the one girl I can’t forget. Could she really be here, willing to be sold to any person … to me?
Faster than an F1 racing car changing gears, I switch from not wanting any part of this auction to needing to have that woman.
As she spins away and continues off the stage to the right, I turn to Jared.
“See something you like?” he asks, smirking.
“Yes, dammit,” I say, grabbing my paddle.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Now, take my advice, decide on an amount in your head that you’re willing to pay.” He looks at me pointedly. “You got it?”
“Yeah,” I reply.
“Don’t bid more than that amount. It’s just one night. Don’t spend all your money on one night.”
“Okay, sure,” I say, but I’m willing to cough up every penny I have if she is the girl from my past.
“Then get that paddle ready, and wait for your girl to come out.”
CHAPTER5
