Highest Bidder – By Aria R. Blue #2
I see him. It's the man I've been searching for.I don't know when he slipped inside, but I know his face better than the back of my hand.
His name is Eric Malone, and he's a murder suspect.
Something moves in my peripheral vision. It's the girl who was introduced as Lily. I don't know what compels me to look in her direction, but I turn my gaze toward her.
And I forget how to breathe.
She's beautiful. Very beautiful. I've seen beautiful people before, but there's something about her that I simply cannot look away from. This emotion hooks me by my heart and makes me bleed. It aches, but I feel no pain.
And then she looks at me.
A million words flash through my head. Not a single one feels adequate to describe the way this woman makes me feel in this moment.
I understand now why men write poetry at midnight. I understand why people spend hundreds of hours making art. It's all an attempt to describe the indescribable.
"He's sitting behind you,"Max's voice comes through the earpiece. "Did you see him?"
I glance back at our suspect. He's absorbed by the girls on the stage. He doesn't feel me staring at him.
And behind him, stands my brother.
"I saw him," I say. "Can you handle it?"
Max raises his eyebrows. "Are you sure?"
I nod, hoping my brother won't ask any questions about this. He gives me a curious look, but deals with the situation.I see the look of alarm on Eric Malone's face as Max joins him for a quick chat. Thirty seconds later, both of them walk out of the room.
I trust my brother to take care of the initial stages of the interrogation. And besides, it's not like Eric Malone will be going anywhere until I let him.
"Bidding starts at two million dollars," the auctioneer announces. She presents one of the girls, but I keep my eyes on the blonde angel. Lily.
Her gaze is fixed on the floor.I don't know this girl, but I know one thing—she doesn't belong in a place like this. She belongs in the wild, with stars over her head and wildflowers beneath her feet.
I don't know her, but I feel a strange compulsion in my bones to give her everything.
To make her my everything.
LILY
I can barely hear anything over the pounding of my heart.
"Lily," the woman in the glittery red cocktail dress calls my name. I look at her and try to return her dazzling smile.
But my face remains frozen. It takes every ounce of energy in me to command myself to move forward the way we had rehearsed.
She introduces me to the crowd. I can't even bring myself to lift my gaze.
I looked at one of the men earlier. He had broad shoulders and scowled at me like I pissed him off just by existing.
"Lily is the last girl being presented tonight," the auctioneer says. "Bidding starts at six million dollars."
My breath hitches in my throat. I can't believe that this is actually happening. I played this moment in my head before, but it feels different now.
I feel people staring at me, assessing my worth. It doesn't feel right. I don't have anything against sex workers, but never in a million years did I think that it would come to this.
"Seven," someone says.
It makes me jump.
"Eight million," someone else says.
"Ten million," the first man says.
They continue bidding, saying numbers like they're playing with Monopoly money. But this is real.
All of this is real.
I feel myself spiraling, so I glance up at the crowd, hoping to see the one familiar face that makes everything better. I'm searching for my best friend, but my eyes land on the man I spotted earlier.
He's watching me with that cold gaze, studying me like I'm his archenemy who's out to destroy him.
I don't know why, but there's something about him I can't look away from. It's a strange mixture of morbid curiosity and anticipation. My world as I know it is imploding, but when I look at this man, I feel stable.
The bidding continues.
I know that this isn't about me. This is about two powerful men who have more money than they know what to do with. This is a game of egos.
"Fourteen million! Do I hear fifteen?"
The two men look at each other. One of them nods. The other scoffs.
"Fifteen million going once?—"
"Twenty-five million," a baritone voice interrupts.
Every head in the room turns. It's the broad-shouldered man with the sullen demeanor. He doesn't take those eyes off me. I'm pinned under his glare like an exotic butterfly.
I don't move a muscle, but my stomach does somersaults and backflips.
"Twenty-five million going once. Twice. Sold."
And just like that, my fate is sealed.
Sold.
LILY
“Are you one hundred percent sure you want to do this?” Gigi asks. The two of us are in the dressing room. There’s a flurry of activity around us,but we’re focused on each other.
“Yes, I’m sure. And besides,I can’t back out now.”
“Leave the details up to me. Just say the word and I’ll find a way to sneak you out.”
“You’ll lose your job,” I tell her.
“I’ll find another one,” she replies.
I check the time on my phone. Two minutes. I have two minutes before I need to meet my highest bidder in his room.
“Gigi, I’ve already made up my mind, so I don’t understandwhy you keep trying to talk me out of this,” I say. “I would appreciate it if you could be a little more supportive.”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m just looking out for you. How do you feel? Are you nervous?”
I pause to consider her question.
I should be nervous in a moment like this, but surprisingly, I’m not.
“I feel…okay,” I answer.
There’s a bundle of nerves low in my belly, but it’s not all fear.
It pulses with excitement every time I think about the man with the angry eyes.
He was a head taller than everyone else, even while sitting.
The thought of being alone in a room with him should be terrifying, but all I feel is a delicious anticipation.
It’s new to me.
It’s so rare for me to react this way to a man. It’s rare for me to feel something other than fear of the unknown.
“You like him,” Gigi says.
“What? No.”
“Okay, this changes things,” Gigi says, giving me a mischievous smile.
“No, no, no. Go back to what you were doing before. This is so much worse.”
“I guess it helps that the highest bidder is oh so tall and handsome,” she says. “You’re blushing. You must really, really like him.”
“Goodbye, Gigi,” I say, glancing at the time again. My two minutes are up.
“I can’t wait to hear all the dirty details in the morning,” she says.
I glance at my reflection in the mirror.My skin is glowing. It must be the lighting in here. It could also bethelymphatic drainage and the four-step facial I was given before the show. They made me look my best tonight, but this feels different.
When the final bid was declared tonight,the knot in my stomach loosened. It felt like the first breath of air after being underwater for too long.
It felt...right.
With one last eye roll at abeaming Gigi, I leave the dressing room. I’m escorted to one of the rooms upstairs. I’ve been told that all of the clients are provided with their own private rooms. I wonder if he has girls sent to his room every weekend.
Something nasty slithers over my heart. I really don’t like the thought of that.
“This is for you,” the woman says,sliding a silver ring on my finger. There’s a beautiful turquoise stone in the center. “If you need help at any point during the night, press the center of the stone three times.You’ll have someone sent to the room immediately.”
I glance down at the ring. I wasn’t expecting something like this. I didn’t think the club would look out for me this way.
“Thank you,” I say.
“There’s also a small black button at the center of the bed’s headboard,” she says. “You can press down on that three times as well should you require help.”
I nod, taking a deep breath. This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Even though I’m selling my virginity to a stranger, I still feel like I have my dignity.
“You may enter,” she says. “Mr. Montgomery will join you shortly.”
Montgomery. The name rings a bell, but I don’t remember where I know it from.
I step inside the room. I inhale deeply, trying to catch a scent of the man I’ll be seeing soon. But it just smells like fresh flowers and the scented candles that are burning by the bed.
It’s a gorgeous space, with tall windows overlooking the dark forest and night sky. I can count the stars from inside this room.
If I turned my brain off, I could convince myself that this is a romantic night I’m spending with someone I love.
It’s what I always wanted. Someone that I could love. Someone who I could be myself around. Someone who didn’t try to change a single thing about me.
Gigi knows this about me. She knows that I’m a romantic at heart.That’s why she’s so opposed to the idea of me doing something drastic like this.
But I guess life doesn’t always turn out like we plan.
I walk toward the cheval mirror.
I assumed that the stylists would make me wear fishnet stockings and a tight dress.
But instead, they gave me along, flowy white dress.
It reminds me of a wedding dress, even though what I’m wearing is made of sheer cotton.
My hair is braided and adorned with small flowers.
And even though it’s definitely a sensual look, it still feels like me. It still feels authentic.
As the seconds tick by, hesitation seeps into my bones.
I’m about to spend the night with a complete stranger. I want tobelieve that he’s a good man, but he could be cruel for all I know. I glance down at the turquoise ring on my finger. If he tries to hurt me, I have a way out.
My instinct is to pace the room, but I make myself sit on the edge of the bed.
My trepidation only gets worse. With every breath I take, my lungs flood with fear of the unknown.
It’s hard to breathe now.
The door opens.