26 Serenity
Going to Vienna’s graduation is special to me. She almost didn’t make it, and I only gave her a little bit of sass for showing up late. She walked, and she passed the classes she needed to, and maybe she can move on from Dad’s house and stand on her own.
I did see my father at her graduation, which made me feel a bit better that he didn’t completely blow her off. But we didn’t stay to chat, and Vienna winked at us before demanding to come see the place sometime.
It’s Emeric’s place, but she assumes I’m living there. And I suppose it’s true since I don’t plan on leaving. I just went over one night with the intent of making this temporary, and now I don’t think I’m ever going to leave.
We talked a little bit about Florida. I don’t know when I’ll get to talk to my cousin again, but it sounds like they’re cutting ties for now. This happened before, and I try not to let it hurt me.
The longer they are gone, the more likely it is that she’ll return with the pieces she left behind. I don’t know if she’s come to terms with everything yet, and I don’t think I know all the details either, but that’s for Jo, Vinny, Alastair and Sterling to work out.
What’s left after they work out all the details is up to them. I’m selfishly holding onto Emeric at this point, and I’m hoping he either doesn’t need Florida anymore, or would consider not going back alone.
With the auction tonight, my stress is at an all-time high and my thoughts are scattered. I need to help with the backstage prep, and Emeric handles front of house so I can focus on making the participants more comfortable.
The graduation happened in a whirlwind. Vienna is skipping a party in favor of travel, which my mother wholeheartedly supports from wherever she currently is. My father is less than thrilled I’m sure, but we haven’t chatted. I haven’t crossed that bridge yet.
“Do you think there will be a lot of bidders?” Kimber asks, getting in my bubble and shattering my thoughts. She’s one of the regulars who wanted to go up for auction. There were more people than I expected who wanted to be bid on, and I’m sure discussing splitting winnings with them helped. It also ensures the bidders are all serious about whoever they choose.
She’s not my favorite company, but her eyes are no longer on Emeric so I’m all for her going up for auction.
“That’s the plan,” I tell her, gesturing to another woman I recognize. She steps over, and I direct the conversation her way. “Why don’t you ask…Arabella.”
Fake name. That’s definitely a fake name.
Kimber scowls but I manage to slip away. Arabella is the first person to go onstage, and as I make my way through the line I find Kat at the end. She’s wearing the same form hugging, sheer black dress that everyone else has on. What they choose to do for undergarments is up to them, as well as the shoes. Some chose to go nude like Kimber, the lacey fabric the only covering offered.
Kat is the opposite. She’s added a solid black dress beneath and socks that reach her knees. She has on the twin bracelets again, and her face is turned down once more.
I frown. We screened everyone as best we could, but one of the members dropped out this morning. We slid in a male participant, so it’s slightly less of a female frenzy, but it’s mainly women who are in the lineup.
“Still good?” I ask her, forcing a smile. It’s not like I’m well-versed with this either, but Emeric gave Nate a promotion this afternoon so he’s going to take over upfront just before the show begins. Maybe Emeric will be better at explaining things to the people who get nervous since he’s done auctions before.
She glances up, nodding. Today her hair is wavy, and she’s missing makeup or jewelry, which is a different choice from the other women. Her natural beauty shines behind those unique eyes, and she peers back at the floor again.
“I’m confident in my choice.”
“You know I still have to announce you as a sex slave.”
We made the outlines very clear, but Kat opted to not have her name listed. I read her offering three times, and it still sounds extreme to me. She’s the only one getting this treatment, and she isn’t fighting to change a single thing. I thought she’d double back on the label, but she never did.
She wants the full power exchange. She wants stuff I can’t even fathom, like playing in a cage and giving up some of her choices. Emeric might be my Daddy when it comes to sex, but I’m too stubborn to give up that much to someone else.
I’m a little worried the weight of her desires will outweigh what people are willing to deal with. She’s searching for something closer to a caregiver as Emeric described it.
Do we have someone like that here? We have people with an extensive list of kinks, but I don’t know if there’s someone who fits her tastes. And the last thing I want is to make someone feel unwanted because her tastes are unique.
What if no one bids? I don’t want to destroy someone’s confidence because they are extreme, but I can’t omit anything either if we don’t want the highest bidder to back out later.
That’s how she ended up last. I want the anticipation to build so maybe if people are stunned by her, they will be excited by her being the last one of the night too. I don’t want someone choosing her for the wrong reasons, but Kat claims she wants to speak, and we gave each participant the option to talk to the crowd before bidding begins.
“Ready?”
I press my fingers to the headsets Russell handed out earlier, Emeric’s voice drifting through my head. “I think they are. How”s the crowd?”
“We’re at capacity. I’ve seen a lot of rich windbags in here. You’re sure they know what they’re getting into?”
I scan the line, but there’s no one who looks ready to back down. One of the women is muttering to Kat, trying to engage her in a conversation, but she stubbornly remains looking at the floor.
“Okay, I’ll head back. Nate’s got the front with Emilio for the night. We should be set.”
“I’ll just wait for you to do the announcements.”
“You don’t want to get onstage with Damien?”
I look towards Damien, an older man who holds a microphone and chats with a stagehand. He apparently does a lot of the talking to announce performances and demonstrations, and he’s around a lot more during the holidays.
“Get back here, Daddy,” I snap, and he chuckles into the headset. “Let’s find the highest bidders and get this over with.”
“Wow, you really know how to put a damper on a sex club auction.”
“There’s ten people, Emeric. It could take hours if people want to get into a bidding war.”
“Fine, I’ll head back there. Just remember, Doe Eyes, the auction is just a slice of whatever partnership the participants want to enter into. Don’t judge them for using their desires to their advantage.”
I look towards one girl who I know is hoping to peak the interest of several men. It’ll be interesting to see if the participants turn against each other. Some of the regulars are vying for the attention of certain members, and who knows how things will pan out. “Maybe. I prefer getting the whole thing instead of a slice.”
“Good thing you have me then, little one. I’m selfish, and I will keep every piece of you. I’m not doling out slices to share, not when I can have you all to myself.”
I blush, looking around, and for a moment Kat meets my gaze. Then her pretty eyes drop again, and I awkwardly clear my throat as we wait for Emeric and Damien to begin.
~~~
It’s going really, really well. I’m surprised how well. The bids grow from five digits to six, and while I might have a trust fund to live off of,I know not everyone does. yet the bidders throw money at the participants like it’s nothing.
I’m mildly impressed. This will absolutely help the club with the bottom line, even if we split half the winnings with the participant after the terms of the agreement are met.
A lot of people rotate throughout the night. Some came for curiosity, some came for entertainment, but the bidding is fierce. Emeric does the introduction for the auction, but Damien does all the stage talk for bidding. Thank god I don’t have to.
There’s one outlier. When Emeric came to wait backstage in the wings with me, he recognized Kat. Apparently she was at Feel Good the same night I was, but I have no memory of her. Apparently Chad took a chance with her too, so he’s an equal opportunist idiot.
Emeric’s hand dances up my back, and I give him a gentle smile as another girl leaves the stage. “One more.”
“This is the one I’m worried about,” I mutter.
Kat pointedly ignores us, and I turn to glance at the audience again. There’s a bigger crowd with her being the last one, but we haven’t announced another auction date as of yet.
Looking around, I recognize some faces and see others pushing to the front of the stage to have the best view. My eyebrows lift when I notice someone I didn’t expect to see.
“I thought Tyson liked group play.”
Emeric peers out from the wings with me. I notice Kat’s head briefly lifts too, and that piques my interest. “He does. I doubt Anita and Russell are here to bid with him.”
I shrug, but the questions he asked me stick in my head. “Maybe he’s here to watch?”
But Emeric doesn’t look convinced. “We’ll see.”
“The last person on our roster tonight is a new member to the club. She’s asked that I read off her statement, as she’s a little bit shy. Let’s welcome our final participant of the night, Kat, to the stage.”
The applause all night has been tame, with no one risking getting out of hand for the evening. There’s an extra rush this time when Kat walks to the stage, the most covered participant of the show, and clasps her hands in front of her.
“Kat is looking for a Master.” Damien stops announcing on stage for a moment, confused eyes swiveling first to Kat, then to us in the wings. I glance at Emeric, trying to gauge the host’s concern, before my attention is drawn back to Kat.
She kneels onstage, which is different from everyone else so far, and looks back towards Damien. No words, but some sort of message passes between them and I really want to know what’s on that slip of paper.
Clearing his throat, Damien continues talking with raised eyebrows, still looking like he doesn’t think this is a good idea. “Kat is here for one purpose. To find the man that got away. You know who you are but you don’t know what’s happened. And if you aren’t the highest bidder, you won’t get to know the end of the story.”
Chatter breaks out, and I glance at Emeric again. “I didn’t approve that.”
He shakes his head. “Damien said she handed him changes last minute and I didn’t even question it. I don’t know what she’s playing at, but we aren’t twisting this into a game-”
“Fifty thousand,” someone says, and it takes a moment for me to realize it’s Tyson. I take a step towards the stage, completely baffled, and stare at him.
Everyoneis staring at him. He’s no longer sitting, but standing as close to the stage, his gaze focused on Kat.
And she’s staring back. Still knelt on the ground, but there’s an intense vibe happening between them. I wouldn’t dare break it and I think most of the people here are holding their breath.
“That escalated quickly,” Emeric grumbles. I’m told some clubs don’t start under six figures, but we aren’t selling people for months or days. It’s mainly a one off that they agree to, and everyone except one person wanted to keep things within the club.
Except Kat apparently. No one started bidding above ten thousand, let alone fifty.
“He really wants her,” I say, and Damien finally comes out of his shock. It’s the first auction they’ve had at the club in years, and I don’t think anyone expected the stakes to be this high.
“Um, yes, fifty thousand going once, going twice-”
“Fifty-two thousand,” someone says, and I watch Kat’s shoulders visibly tighten. Her brows scrunch, like having a bidding war wasn’t in the plans, and I try to lean further out of the curtain.
“We should probably let this play out without interfering,” Emeric grumbles.
“But I think she wants Tyson,” I reply, and he spits out another number to Damien.
“Even if she does, going up for auction means it’s fair game to anyone who bids. Tyson might want her, but so do other people.”
The other member shoots off another number, but I can’t see them in the crowd. “Who’s bidding?”
“I’m not sure. Cayden maybe.”
“Who’s that?”
Emeric shrugs, and I feel his hand latch onto my hip. “A Dom. She requested a Master. If the bidder can’t meet the terms the contract is voided.”
I frown. “I didn’t think Tyson was a Dom. I thought he was a switch. And definitely not a Master.”
“I thought so too, but he looks pretty goddamn set on winning.”
This is the only real bidding war of the night. Most people gave up after a few tries, but for this girl Tyson doesn’t back down. I thought he was a carpenter, and he sure doesn’t flaunt his money like some of the people here. Does he have the money to pay for this?
The numbers tick up, and I’m possibly more stressed than Emeric is when the amount hops over into six figures and keeps rising. It’s fantastic for the club, and when I manage to peer around at the audience again I can see more people standing in the doorways and all around the theater. Tyson and the guy I can’t see keep a steady rhythm, one outbidding the other just for it to repeat.
But Kat never looks away from Tyson, and something tells me he’s the guy from the note.
“Sold at two hundred and fifty thousand!”
I blink, realizing I got lost watching instead of listening. Kat stays in her place on the stage as a smatter of applause echoes in the room, and Tyson hops onstage. We haven’t allowed that so far either.
“Get him off,” Emeric snaps, and I tear my gaze from the spectacle. Russell and Drake jump up and start pulling Tyson away.
There’s another person in the crowd, shoving to the front, and I realize that Tyson’s not supposed to be up there.
My mouth falls open when the crowd starts talking, and my gaze turns to Emeric. “Tyson didn’t win?”
“No, he’s outbid. Come on, we have to get Kat up if she refuses to stand.”
Emeric drags me across the stage, and when Kat stays kneeling I gesture to Damien who throws up his hands. I crouch down beside her, reaching for one of the bracelets.
“Sorry love, but I need you to get up. Tyson didn’t actually win the bid-”
Her eyes snap to mine, and the anger and sadness swirling there reminds me of Jo. “No, he didn’t, did he?”
She stands, rolling her shoulders back and lifting her chin. “Sorry, but I need to-”
“It doesn’t matter,” Kat says, looking at me with eyes that threaten to burn me alive. “Whoever won, I don’t want their contract. I’ll pay if I have to. I’m only interested if Tyson won the bid.”
“That’s not-”
Kat shoves past me, her heels slapping against the floor as she runs. Emeric is gone from the stage, and I can hear people yelling all around the room.
Tyson though, is oddly quiet. When I look out at the theater they’ve dragged him out, and now I’m worried that Russell came in here because he knew something was about to happen.
I’m not sure what to do now. Kat walked out on her bid, and now the club is in chaos. So much for the auction smoothing things out for the club.