Episode 3
Episode 3
A Sign
JACK
“Mr. Larsen, Madam Alana will see you now.” Jade’s voice broke me from my analysis of the budget report I was reviewing for Johansen Brewing. I’d been sitting only a handful of minutes in one of the plush leather chairs outside of Alana’s office, waiting to see her in person.
I exited the report, stood, then tucked my phone into my inside jacket pocket before I buttoned my sports coat.
“Thank you, Jade.” I offered a smile to the petite woman dressed in a smart, tailored black suit. Her hair was pulled into a sleek bun at the base of her nape, making her seem much more severe. Liquid liner that came to a point at the outside of her pretty eyes added to the ferocity of her overall appearance. She actually reminded me a lot of the Madam. Which would make sense as I’d learned on the flight over from Norway that Jade intended to mentor under the Madam for an indeterminate length of time in order to learn the business.
I walked swiftly into the office. Alana sat poised behind a glass desk, her hands clasped together on top of it. She wore a sharp gray suit with a white silk blouse underneath that buttoned all the way up to her neck. Her shiny dark hair was parted down the center and fell flat against the sides of her high cheekbones and over the front of her suit. The locks so glossy they shined a bluish-black against the natural light spearing into the room from the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Las Vegas strip.
She made a gesture with her hand for me to take one of the seats in front of her desk.
I unbuttoned my coat and sat down, sitting up straight as I did so. Something about the Madam in this setting demanded professionalism. Even though we’d broken bread together, attended a wedding, shared friends, and had spoken on the ride over, it seemed all of that familiarity was pushed aside. Here sat the Madam, not just Alana.
Jade took the empty seat next to mine, crossed her legs, and set a tablet on her thigh.
“Mr. Larsen,” Alana greeted. “You requested time with me today. What is it that I can help you with?”
I cleared my throat. “Well, as you know, The Marriage Auction is tomorrow. I was hoping to receive some intel or portfolios on the women who will be participating.”
Alana cocked an eyebrow. “Mr. Larsen, I made it very clear in the information packet you reviewed and the multitude of agreements you have already signed—the bidders and candidates go into the auction knowing very little about each other.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I scoffed.
She blinked noncommittally at me but didn’t say a single word.
“You’re serious? We bidders are supposed to spend millions on a bride not knowing anything about her? Or him, depending on one’s preference, of course.”
“Of course,” she agreed, but once again, didn’t share anything more.
“I don’t understand. How am I to secure the right woman for me if I don’t know anything other than what she looks like?” I clenched my teeth together, holding back my frustration as I’d hoped this would be a positive conversation. One where the Madam apologized for her lack of preparation, and I left her office with a pamphlet or something more concrete regarding the event and the candidates participating.
“That’s a very good question. It’s incredibly surprising that you waited until the night before the auction to ask it,” she countered calmly.
I glared. “I expected you to provide information prior to the event. I was being patient . Now in the final hour, so to speak, I’m concerned.”
“I can see that.” Alana leaned back in her chair, and I could have sworn I caught a lift of her lips before the bland expression slipped back into place. The micro-movement led me to believe she was enjoying my discomfort. Something that instantly set fire to my ire.
“Tell me what it is you expect to get out of the auction tomorrow that won’t be exactly what I’ve promised you, Mr. Larsen? A willing bride and a three-year commitment of marriage. The same your friend Erik Johansen received. That is what I have offered, and what you yourself agreed to when you signed each of the contracts my lawyers provided. If you are not interested in bidding on a person tomorrow, you don’t have to. Nothing is set in motion until you’ve won a bid.”
“I have no idea who to bid on!” I barked, then tugged at my necktie to loosen it. The damn thing felt like it was cutting off my airway.
“That is up to you. During the auction, you will receive some general information about the candidate at the same time as everyone else.”
“I want more than that,” I growled. “And for the millions of dollars I will be spending, I deserve it.” I inhaled sharply through my nose and let it out slowly, staring Alana down.
The Madam was a worthy opponent. She didn’t so much as flinch or change her expression. She knew she was in charge, and regardless of my dislike of the process, she carried all the cards.
“What exactly is it that you’re looking for in a bride? Do you even know?” She redirected the question at me.
“Obviously, I do.” I snapped and then my mind went blank. I went from feeling frustrated to angered to nothing. A big, empty hole right where the visions of my dream girl should be.
The Madam waved her hand in a circle. “Then by all means, share it with me and perhaps I can be of some assistance.”
“I…” I frowned as a multitude of new, unexpected images flashed across my mind.
The way my best friend Erik looked at his new wife Savannah with such intensity, the love they share filled the very air around them.
How Henrik, the only father figure I’ve ever really known, doted on his wife, Irene. Lived to make her laugh, so he could simply see her smile.
My friend Troy kissing his pretty bride on their wedding day, with Erik and I standing up as witnesses.
Then the beautiful images changed.
Darkened.
Me standing without Erik at Troy’s funeral, holding his wife’s hand as she curled her free one around her largely pregnant belly while her husband’s ashes were handed to her.
Seeing Erik in the hospital, half of his body mangled and broken after the helicopter accident, believing he wouldn’t make it.
Being moved from one foster home to another over the years, losing my newest mother, time after time. No one ever wanted to keep me.
“I want a woman who will stay.” I swallowed past the lumps of cotton coating my throat. “A woman who will be devoted to me. To our marriage.”
“And you will have that. For three years. But I can’t promise forever, Mr. Larsen. Each candidate enters The Marriage Auction for their own reasons. What I can say is that most of my marriages stay intact far longer than the three-year period. And some end prior to that. It’s not often that a candidate breaks the contract and loses everything, but there’s always an out. For you and for the candidate.”
“Then why do we do it?” I breathed, uncertainty filling my veins.
That time she did smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I believe that is something only you can decide. Why are you really here?”
“I want what my best friend has. I want what his parents have,” I answered honestly.
She pursed her lips and waited for me to continue. The woman was more strong-willed and self-composed than any tycoon I’d battled in the business arena.
“I want true love.”
“Ah, now we’re getting somewhere.” She smirked. “As you know, I’m in the business of marriage. I’ve never offered love. I’m afraid you have to maneuver that path on your own.”
“But Savannah and Erik, Faith and Joel, Sutton and Dakota. Even the Penningtons, identical twin brothers, both found true love in a pair of sisters.”
“They did.” Alana dipped her head in acquiescence.
“And you’re telling me you had nothing to do with that?” My tone was rife with skepticism, and I didn’t try to hide it.
“You can believe what you wish. I can only tell you, Mr. Larsen, that I presented the opportunity, and the universe provided the happily ever after. Not me.”
“Now that I find hard to believe. You had to have encouraged them somehow. Provided a hint of what was to come.” I was desperate for her to admit that she could, in fact, lead me to the right person.
“Is that what you want? For me to choose a bride on your behalf? And give you the opportunity to claim I chose poorly when there isn’t a love match? Basically, providing you with a reason to sever your commitment and walk away?” Her eyebrows rose. “I’m in the business of making money by offering a very unique and rather discreet service. A service you claimed to want.”
“And I do. But I can’t just walk into the room tomorrow and bid on the most attractive person on stage. I want to bid on the right person.”
“Only you can determine who that person is.”
I closed my eyes realizing that we were going round and round with no hope for resolution. Usually in business I would suggest a break to regroup so that each party could come back to the table with fresh ideas. This wasn’t one of those times. Staying the course was my only hope.
“Do you interview your clientele? Ask them what they are looking for?” I asked.
“I do.”
I licked my lips. “Okay. In doing that, if you’ve come across a woman who is sweet, kind, engaging, accepting of her partner’s busy work schedule, willing to attend business events happily, not because they are forced, who comes from…”
“Who comes from what, Jack?” Her tone softened when she used my first name.
“A woman who comes from a good family . A woman who wouldn’t be opposed to this marriage going longer than three years. A woman who wants children of her own one day. If you come across a woman with those attributes, give me a sign.”
“A sign?”
“Anything. During the auction, if you believe a woman on the stage fits that description, tap your nose, tug your ear. I’m asking for your help. The magic of your auctions has worked for people I care about. Brought them the loves of their lives. You’ve changed them for the better. I’m asking for no more and no less. A sign that will help lead me down the right path.”
I stood up, clasped the button on my coat, and nodded. “I appreciate your time and look forward to tomorrow.” There really wasn’t anything more I was going to gain from this conversation. I wasn’t even sure she’d help.
Though I had hope, for the first time in a long time. I hoped for something I wanted to happen. Hoped that I could find a woman who would connect to me the same way Savannah had with Erik. How Irene did with Henrik. I had hope that I too could find the woman who was meant for me. The woman who would choose to stay.