Sold on Them (A Night To Remember Auction)

Chapter One

Mackenzie

“ I ’m so sorry, Mackenzie,” my boss, Tyra, says. “I wish it didn’t have to come down to this, but the company isn’t doing as well as they thought they would. They’re laying off people across the board. No department is safe. Unfortunately, they’ve chosen to go with seniority over job performance. I hate that we’re losing you. You’ve been such an asset to the team, but this is above my pay grade.”

I sigh, running my hand over my face before glancing back at the computer screen. “And there’s nothing I can do?”

“Unfortunately not. You’ll receive two weeks of severance pay based upon your length of service, and I’m happy to write you a letter of recommendation.” There are tears in Tyra’s eyes, and I can see just how much she doesn’t want to let me go. Sadly, that doesn’t help me in the least.

“I understand. I would appreciate the recommendation letter. When will the severance be paid?”

Tyra tries to smile, her eyes blinking as she tries to fight the tears. “On your next paycheck, so next week. I really am sorry, Mackenzie.”

“I know you are, and I appreciate it.”

We cover a few more things before she ends the call.

“Fuck!” The tears I’ve been holding back finally spill over.

What the hell am I going to do?

This couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

Picking up the letter from my desk, I take a deep breath as I read it once more.

April 7, 2024

Dear Ms. Stewart,

I’m writing to you today to let you know that the probate of your parents’ estate has concluded. I know we discussed this on our phone call, but I wanted to provide you with the information in writing as well. While we did the best we could to get WELLWORTH BANK to work with us, they were unwilling to do so.

The contents of your parents’ bank accounts will be applied to the outstanding mortgages, leaving a balance of $198,252 to be paid by May 31st, 2024 . This amount covers both the first and second mortgages for the property located at 4275 ROLLING HILL LANE . The life insurance payout and the sales of both vehicles, 2022 AUDI Q5 and 2023 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS , covered the rest of their debts. The mortgages with WELLWORTH are the only outstanding debt remaining.

A representative with WELLWORTH advised that you can come in to see if you qualify to take over the mortgages, but based on your lack of credit, I do not believe this will be a viable option. If the amount owed is not paid to WELLWORTH by the end of day on May 31st , they will begin the foreclosure process.

If you have any questions that we have not already covered, or if you need anything at all, please let me know.

Yours respectfully,

Cassandra Lawrence

Cassandra Lawrence Attorney at Law

As if losing my parents and two younger sisters isn’t hard enough, now I’m having to deal with this shit.

Six months ago, my family went on vacation to California and were killed in a rockslide. The officer who called me told me they died on impact, more than likely feeling nothing. I like to think they didn’t.

While I expected my parents to have some debt, I’d never wanted to know anything about their finances. After all, it was none of my business.

Until it was.

Both of my parents were engineers and had well-paying jobs, but apparently not well-paying enough as they’d taken out a second mortgage to pay for my master’s degree in data analytics. I appreciate the fact that I never had to worry about how I was going to pay for my degree; I wish they would’ve just let me take out loans.

Because I have no idea how the hell I’m supposed to come up with two hundred thousand dollars by the end of next month. Especially not since I lost my job as a data analyst. I’m sure I’ll be able to find another job, but it won’t help me with paying off this debt.

I have no idea what I’m going to do.

I don’t want to lose the house I grew up in. I have so many memories here. It’s all I have left of my parents, Lily, and Ember. I can’t lose another piece of them, but I don’t have a couple of grand just lying around.

My job paid well, and I was able to save money by living with my parents. It was a little pathetic to be living with them at twenty-seven, but I loved it. I loved being able to see my parents and the twins every day. What can I say? I love my family.

My job was remote, so I didn’t have to drive into Detroit, which is an hour from where I grew up. It allowed me to save up some money, but the twenty grand I’ve saved in the three years I worked at this job doesn’t even put a dent in what they owed on the house.

Something tells me my bartending job isn’t going to cut it for saving money on top of my bills. Plus, it would take years for me to save up that much money as a bartender. I get tipped well, but not that well.

My eyes snag on the photos above my desk. There’s one of my parents kissing that always makes me smile. Another with the twins covered in mud when they were younger. A few pictures of them from the last few years, both together and separate. But the one my eyes are drawn to is the family picture we took on my birthday last year.

They left for California two days later.

We all look so happy. We were so happy.

I still struggle with grief over losing them so suddenly. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to think of them without it hurting, but I’m okay with that. It just means I’ll never forget them.

I just wish they were still here with me.

Wiping away my tears, another photo snags my attention.

This one is of two boys and a girl. Me and my childhood best friends at the beginning of summer before they were ripped out of my life.

There are a lot of memories of the two of them in this house, too. I don’t know if they’re alive or dead, but I sure hope they’re still alive. Even if they are, they’re just as lost to me as my family is.

It’s just another reason I can’t lose this house.

Glancing at the time, I curse and jump up. I’d been lost to my thoughts longer than I thought. I need to get changed so I can head to work. Since it’s Friday, I’m scheduled to work at Mirage, the strip club I bartend at. At least I have tonight and tomorrow where I’ll get paid.

I’ll have to talk to Harrison to see about picking up more shifts. Working two nights a week isn’t going to cut it. I need to work more while I look for another job. It’s going to suck having to drive two hours a day to get there, but I don’t really have any other options.

I hurry into my en suite and start up the shower. Working will help keep my mind off the shitshow my life has become. I just need to get ready quickly so I’m not late. That won’t look good when I’m about to ask for more hours.

After a quick shower, I blow-dry my dirty blonde hair and curl it some to give it more volume. A smokey eye, enough blush to give my face some color, and a bright red lip gives me the look I need to get those tips coming in. I throw on a pair of tight, stretchy black booty shorts and a cropped black bustier top with rhinestones on the cups.

The last thing I add is my black heels. It’s a requirement that we wear heels, even as bartenders. It took me forever to find ones that don’t kill my feet. I have multiple pairs in various colors because they’re seriously the best.

Turning to look in the full-length mirror, I nod. The bustier gives my B-cup tits a nice boost, leaving plenty of cleavage revealed. The crop top leaves my toned stomach bare, and the shorts hug my curves perfectly without having my ass hanging out.

It’s just the right amount of sexy. After all, no one wants the bartenders outshining the dancers.

Grabbing my purse and keys, I head for the car. I have a little over an hour before my shift starts, so I should be fine. The drive should allow me to clear my head of all the shit I have going on so I can put on my work persona.

Yes, work is just the distraction I need.