Chapter 5
Starla
With everything that’s happened in the last week, I can’t believe Bellamie, Jolene, and I have a plan for all of us to get to the auction. It’s too soon to reminisce though, since I haven’t even made it out of my bedroom.
I can’t let anything stop me since it’s too late to find a replacement, although I bet Molly would still jump at the chance.
I flip the switch to turn my ‘On Air’ light on in the hallway, then hit play on one of my videos and turn the volume up.
Not wasting any time, I slide the pane open and push the screen out. How is it that the first time I sneak out of my window I’m twenty-two years old?
My freaking Dad and stepbrother and Cullen are all jerks. To think I had fantasies about Ryker and Cullen, even imagined them both taking me at once. The Christmas Cherry Auction has to work its magic because I’m not settling for a controlling jerk.
Running the plan through my head one last time, I go through the important items. My dress and shoes are waiting for me at the Aubergine Affair, and Bellamie will have plenty of makeup and hairstyling products, so I can travel pretty light.
I drop my backpack onto the ground then sit on the sill and slip through.
Loud laughter from the poker players gives me the perfect opportunity to close the window. Not that they could hear the click from the other room, but I don't want to take any chances.
My heart races as I slink past the hedge that’s between our house and the neighbor's. They always keep their windows closed, so I don't have to worry that they’ll notice me appearing on their lawn. But what if someone else sees?
Confidence is key. I stride down their front path like I own it, and thankfully the car I hired shows up right on time. I give myself a mental pat on the back for choosing the neighbor’s address and an electric vehicle to ensure there would be even less sound to draw attention to the road.
But she stops closer to my house than I’m comfortable with—just close enough that if someone was looking out the window, they could see. I hurry into the backseat, gambling that the couple seconds in the dark wouldn’t be enough to be a problem.
Once she has us on our way, I glance over my shoulder several times, hardly believing that I got out unnoticed. We'll see if they figure out I’m gone before the night's over.
But once I'm there, Laz will protect me. He's the owner of the Aubergine Affair, and they're very careful about protecting their patrons and the women who boldly put themselves on the auction block.
His standards are a large part of why I let Jolene talk me into this. I mean, I wanted to do it… Who wouldn’t want a guaranteed happily ever after with the men of their dreams?
I let the driver know I’m not in the mood to chat, then relax and let my mind wander.
By the end of the night, I’ll have been chosen by a group of men who want nothing more than to give me everything I've ever wanted out of life.
I catch myself nibbling on my fingernail.
Is it really that easy? It has been for the last three years of the auction. Of course, we've already had a few hiccups. Me getting grounded, Bellamie thinking she’s in love with a mysterious guy from out of town who dresses up as Krampus, and Jolene becoming guardian of a relative’s kid.
Thank goodness we’ve got each other’s backs or none of us would be making it tonight. We’re doing better than last year, when the women who were going to be auctioned couldn’t get to the club because of the blizzard.
Everything worked out fine. I just hope my version of fine is getting to the auction. I’ve put so much faith in trusting that whoever wins me will be perfect that I might die a spinster if this gets messed up.
I catch myself checking over my shoulder again, looking for any recognizable vehicles, even as we pull into the club. If the driver wonders why I’m so nervous, she doesn’t say anything.
We don't seem to have been followed. I take a deep breath and clutch my backpack to my chest.
"What kind of place is this?" the driver asks as she navigates to the luxurious entry.
Not enough time to explain. "It's a club."
"What’s the vibe?" She sounds genuinely interested.
"Not sure. It’s my first time.” Right, because people go to clubs they know nothing about.
“I love clubbing. Looks like they have a decent turnout."
"Yeah.” I grab the door handle as she stops next to one of the doormen.
“Maybe I'll stop by after work."
What do I have to lose? “Tonight isn't open to the public."
Our eyes meet in the rearview mirror.
“Are you a celebrity or something?”
Not in the way she thinks. "They're doing an auction tonight."
"Oh!” She turns to face me. “The Christmas Cherry Auction?"
"You've heard of it?"
"Just a whisper or two. Wait… Are you one of the virgins?"
"I am." I’m surprised I say it with so much pride.
"You are so lucky. I want to do it next year. How do you get in?"
"You can apply on their website, then they do a selection process, and if you're selected, you receive an invitation in the mail."
"Thanks. I’ll check it out."
"Good luck. I've gotta go." I’m desperate to get inside the building.
Having allowed extra time just in case, I'm the first of my friends to arrive. I rush to the clothing rack and find my dress. So gorgeous. So real.
The door to the dressing room opens, and Bellamie and Jolene come rushing in.
"We made it!” Jolene squeals as she runs to hug me.
Laughter rushes out of me, releasing all of the tension I’d been storing over the last week.
We get to work doing hair and makeup, having arrived plenty early to be able to take our time and enjoy the process.
Bellamie pauses and grabs the goodie bags she put together for us. She's always so thoughtful to make sure we have anything we might need… even a matchbook-size sewing kit.
I’m glad she didn’t ditch the auction for the Krampus dude she hooked up with. The timing was so weird, along with the fact that he seems to want her to call him Krampus, to the point of not telling her his real name.
Whatever’s up with that won’t matter after tonight. I check my phone, shocked by how slowly time is passing. I’m kind of in a daze waiting for it to be real—to be securely purchased by my dream guys.
Jolene's phone rings, startling me. The look of panic isn’t comforting. “It’s my babysitter.”
Bellamie is thoughtful as always and takes the call. Turns out she was the right one to answer because she knew where the missing woobie was.
I take my dress from the hanger, excitement racing through my veins.
The reality of Jolene being a mom hasn’t set in, even after discussing that she doesn’t need to feel guilty for getting a babysitter for tonight.
That’s what friends are for, not letting us let go of our dreams. Much like they had to help me figure out how to participate.
And Jolene and I had to convince Bellamie not to count on a guy she dated once and still doesn’t know the real name of—no matter how perfect he seems.
It’s like we had to prove that we wanted to be here.
Jolene laments, "I'm such a terrible mom. I just want one evening to myself."
I laugh as I step into my dress. "You sound like a seasoned mother already. It's only been four days—or three and a half, I guess, actually."
There’s a knock on the dressing room door, followed by Laz’s voice calling out, “Can I come in? I have some exciting news to share.”
I tug my dress up. “Yep, we’re all decent.”
“Great news, ladies!” He enters and flashes the program at us.
Bellamie takes the shiny cardstock from him.
He seems overly proud of it. “Hot off the presses. Molly is on her way and Roxy, one of the first women to get auctioned, is bringing a dress that should fit her.”
The three of us freeze. We knew Molly had applied but she hadn’t gotten an invite. Bellamie had considered seeing if Molly could sub for her until we convinced her not to devote herself to Krampus until after the auction.
Supposedly he’s going to meet up with her on Sunday. How can she not see the red flags?
“That’s what you wanted, right?” Laz asks.
Jolene and I realize what he’s told us at the same time and jump up and down, squealing in excitement.
“Oh my gosh, really?” Bellamie is undoubtedly excited she helped get Molly in.
“Yeah, after you contacted us, we looked into it and long story short, her invite must have gotten lost…”
“Does this mean she can take my place?” Bellamie toys with her homemade bracelet and her tone is wistful. She can’t back out now.
“She’s not taking anyone’s place. We added her.” Laz tips the edge of the program down so he can point to the names.
Jolene steps in to see. “Don’t back out.”
Laz is confused. “Yeah, don’t back out. We’re reprinting the programs. This was the first one, I grabbed it off the copier to show you because I thought you’d be excited.”
“We are,” Jolene says.
“Bellamie?” Laz asks.
“Can I have a minute?” She looks like she’s having second thoughts.
“If you’re backing out, we’ll have to reprint. I need to know right away.” He checks his phone.
I usher him out of the room, then Jolene and I crowd around her.
“What if this is a sign that I’m not supposed to participate?” Bellamie asks.
Jolene takes the paper from her hands and holds it up. “If it is a sign, it has your name on it. You are part of this year’s auction. Read it.”
When Bellamie stares blankly, Jolene points to her name and says, “Jolene, that’s me.” Pointing to me, she reads my name. Then sliding her finger back and forth under Bellamie’s name, she says, “Bellamie, that’s you.”
“I know, but–”
“And then, Molly.” She moves her finger down. “You helped make sure she was included, just like you made sure I was. Now we’re going to return the favor.”
We give her a second, then I say, “Dating’s a crapshoot, Bellamie. You don’t even know if Krampus will show up on Sunday.”
“Or why he won’t tell you his name.” Jolene steps toward the door.
Bellamie’s shoulders slump.
I give her a hug. “Ready to give the auction a chance?”