Chapter Six
HUDSON
I ARRIVED OUTSIDE Club Lust at about seven-thirty. I knew I was slightly early, but I wanted to try to get in with as few people as possible knowing I was here. I watched as another bidder walked into the club, a man I knew well: Mikhail Orlov. I had never had any dealings with him personally, but I knew that Nico knew his boss, Viktor Kozlov, well.
“That’s interesting.”
I looked at Nico, who was driving me this evening. “What’s that?”
He turned in his seat to face me in the back of the car. “Well from what I know of Mikhail, he doesn’t usually pay for anything. He usually gets what he wants as payment from people who owe him and his family money. That must mean there is someone here who is very special.”
That was an interesting thought. Could it be that there will be someone worth considering buying in the auction?
“Do you think he will be an issue?”
I watched as Nico smirked.
“It depends on how much he wants someone. Are you prepared for a bidding war?”
I knew he wouldn’t be able to see me if I was bidding against him. Trent had already explained that although I might see some of the other bidders in the bar area, the seating area was always dark so you wouldn’t see who was bidding.
“If the need calls for it, yes.”
“Then no, he won’t be an issue. Now go and get us a woman.”
I laughed as I got out of the car. I wasn’t bothered that Nico hadn’t gotten out to open the door. I rarely gave him a chance to do it anyway, so most of the time, he gave up.
I walked to his window and spoke. “I will see you in a couple of hours, hopefully with a gorgeous woman on my arm.”
I gave him a wink and a smile and headed over to the entrance of the club. When I placed my card on the keypad, the door opened. I walked into the lobby, where a young woman immediately greeted me.
“Mr. Bryce-Stanton, welcome to Club Lust. If you would like to head over to the elevator, it will take you down to the main floor.”
I wondered for a moment how she already knew my name, then looked at the tablet in her hand. My entry card. Of course. It would have all my details on it.
I thanked the young woman and headed over to the elevator, entering and pressing the button to go down to the main floor of the club. As the doors opened, I walked out into the bar area of the club. A few potential buyers were mingling around, mostly keeping to themselves, but I could see a few people interacting with each other. Over in the furthest corner, I could see Mikhail nursing a vodka. How cliché. You would have thought that a Russian would try to act differently instead of reaffirming what everyone assumed about them. I walked up to the bar.
“What can I get you, sir?”
I was impressed that the waiting staff were so quick. I guessed that with so few people here, it was easy to serve.
“Large Jack and Coke, please.”
I headed over to a quiet corner of the bar area. I could watch the whole room as people arrived and others spoke to each other. I was trying to gauge whether I had any real competition here. Money wasn’t an issue for me; I had millions at my disposal, both personally and within the business. Trent had already told me to spend what I needed if I found the right woman for myself. However, I wasn’t stupid enough to think I could just spend that kind of money. After all, it would only benefit the club and not the woman I was buying. I would rather use that money to spoil the right woman.
As I looked around, I could see the only person in the room that worried me was Mikhail. I discreetly watched him from my position, making sure I didn’t make eye contact with him. I didn’t want him to know that I had realized he was here.
I caught him getting up from his seat out of the corner of my eye and walking over to where I was standing. So much for not being noticed. I guessed I would be speaking to him whether I wanted it or not. He gained my attention by speaking as he approached me, his thick Russian accent in full use.
“Mr. Bryce-Stanton, I am surprised to see you here. I wouldn’t have expected to see you spending money so liberally on such frivolous things as this.” His tone, even in his accent, was condescending and almost pompous.
I decided to play along, not wanting to make a scene in front of everyone.
“Mr. Orlov, I haven’t seen you in a while. You’re right, this isn’t usually my thing, but my brother, Trent, suggested I give it a try, so got me an invitation.”
I saw a smirk come over his face. I knew he had coveted Kristen long before she and Trent got together, and he had never forgotten that. I knew that some form of comment would be forthcoming.
“And how is Trent doing? I haven’t seen him in a while. Is he still seeing the lovely Kristen?”
I took great pleasure in telling him what I said next. “Yes. They are married now and expecting their first child.”
I watched as his face dropped slightly, but quickly became neutral as he continued to speak.
“That is indeed wonderful news. Please pass on my congratulations when you see them next. Anyway, what is it that brought you here?”
This, I understood. It was almost like two businessmen getting together to have a chat, each one trying to figure out what the other was up to and brag about it. However, I thought I might use it to my own advantage as well.
“To be fair, as I said, it was my brother’s suggestion. Perhaps I might be lucky and find a permanent partner, or if not, I can just have some fun for the weekend. It all depends on who is for sale. How about you? Looking for anything in particular, so I have an idea on who not to bid against you for?”
A smile came over his face. “Oh, yes. There is one lady in particular I want to purchase tonight because I recommended her. I have gotten to sample her many times in the past and can’t get enough of her. She will be mine at the end of the evening, no matter the cost. Well, except for you, I cannot see many people being able to go above two million dollars this evening. You will know her as soon as you see her, believe me. And I am sure she wouldn’t be to your liking from what I have seen in the club, so I’m sure my money will be safe.”
I was surprised at his reply. I expected him to be coy with his answer, but not to be so forthcoming with information. This did indeed pique my interest.
“That is good to know, Mikhail. Neither of us wants to spend more than we need to, now, do we?”
He let out a raucous laugh and placed his hand on my shoulder as if he was slapping me on the back, almost causing me to lose my balance for a moment. I watched as several people turned around to see what the noise was all about before turning away again quickly.
“We wouldn’t want that, would we, Hudson?”
Before I could answer him, two women dressed in purple shorts and matching bras with black high heels walked over to us.
“Mr. Bryce-Stanton. Mr. Orlov. If you would like to follow us to your seats, we are getting ready for the start of the auction.”
I turned to Mikhail. “Well good luck this evening, Mikhail. Not that I think you will need it. Let’s hope we both get what we want this evening.”
“Indeed, and good luck to you too, Hudson.”
With that, we both followed the waiting staff into the main area of the club. The lights were down low enough so you could see where you were going, but it was difficult to see anyone who was already seated. The young woman who had been leading me stopped next to a seat.
“This will be your seat for the auction, Mr. Bryce-Stanton. If you would like to take a seat, I will explain everything to you.”
The young woman picked up a tablet that had been placed on the small table next to the chair and passed it to me.
“This is how you will bid for anyone in the auction. There is a list that you can go through right now and mark any that you are interested in. Each lot will be available for five minutes only and you can bid as many times as you like. The tablet will show you if you are either the current winning bidder or if you have been outbid. At the end of each lot, it will show you the winning bidding number. However, you can only purchase two lots. Once you have done this, your tablet will be locked so you will not be able to purchase or bid on any further lots. At the end of the auction, I will come get you, and we will go through all the necessary steps to conclude your purchase. You should know all the other procedures from the information on the invitation. Now, can I get you another drink before the auction starts?”
I ordered another drink and settled down for the start of the auction. I had already decided that I wouldn’t look through the catalog of lots before they appeared on stage. I would wait until each lot came onto the stage. That way I could react with my instincts as opposed to a decision made in advance. They said first impressions were usually the right ones, so I was hoping I would know the exact woman I wanted just by seeing them on the stage.
My waitress returned with my drink and removed my now-empty glass.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Bryce-Stanton. If you require anything else during the auction, you can place an order from your tablet and I will bring it right over.”
I sat there waiting for the auction to start. Looking around, I could see the subtle glow from the tablets of other bidders as they looked through the catalog. As we sat there in almost silence, I noticed the lights dimming even further so the only things I could see were the lights from the tablets and the lights on the stage. A spotlight suddenly lit up one area of the stage over to the right and a gentleman walked out.
“Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to Club Lust. We are pleased to have sixteen lots of merchandise up for sale tonight. Please remember once the lights are fully off that no one is to move from their seats. This auction will be silent. As I announce the merchandise a head shot will appear on your tablets. I will provide information on each lot. If you are interested, the starting bid is five hundred thousand and will go up in increments of fifty thousand until it reaches one million. At that time each bid will raise by five hundred thousand. You can click the bid button as many times as you desire. Each auction will only be open for five minutes. At the end of that time the tablets will announce the winning bid number only. A reminder we do not use names. If you are outbid it will flash across your screen to bid again and if you win the tablet will flash you are the winner. Just a reminder if you bid for two people and win tonight then your tablet is automatically locked, preventing you from any additional bidding for the night."
I sat there and listened as the emcee went through everything that my waitress had already explained to me. I thought it was a little overkill, but then some people could have entered the room much later and their waiter or waitress hadn’t had enough time to explain.
“Our first lot for the night is Virtue."