“Now that, my dear, is quite astonishing,” I heard Madam Alana say.
I turned around and watched as Dakota looked at her form in the mirror. The boy-short bottoms provided full coverage but had cut outs that crisscrossed at the hips, making them sexier. The top, however, was smokin’ hot. It wrapped around her neck and crossed over each breast, making an “X” shape, and then came down and around her ribcage in swaths of stretchy fabric.
“Put her in the purple halter. The reveal will be incredible,” Madam Alana gushed.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Madam Alana. I’m much more comfortable in this,” Dakota admitted, fingering the fabric at her hips and over her bum.
Madam Alana dipped her chin and then moved to the center of the room facing all eight of us, including the two newcomers. “This is the plan. Each of you will be introduced one at a time. You will walk across the stage slowly as though you were a model on a catwalk. Once you get to the end, I will prompt you via the microphone to stand and turn around so the bidders can see a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of your shape. You will then walk to the side of the stage where I have placed red Xs on the ground. Once all eight of you have been seen by the audience, you will head back to this room, where you will remove your dress and put on the robe that matches your lingerie set. We will repeat the process. The second time you walk, when you get to the end of the stage, I will instruct you to remove your robe. You will then turn around and give the bidders time to view the entire package once again. Then you will go back to your spot, and the bidding will begin.”
I nodded and swallowed against the fear and uncertainty rushing through my veins. I hated being the center of attention, but if this would secure a safe future for me and those I loved most, I’d do whatever it took.
“I cannot express how important it is that you not speak during the entire process. Do not make ugly faces. Do not attempt to hide your body. Confidence is key tonight. If any of these things go wrong, you may not be bid upon. The odds tonight are high that most of you will be chosen. You are all beautiful in your own unique way. Each of you has a reason for being here. Keep that close to your chest as you take to the stage. Also, anything can happen. If I address you and make a request, follow my instructions to the letter. I do not make money unless you make money. We’re in this together.”
She walked along the line until she got to me and held out her hand. My stylist put a small recorder into it. Madam Alana pressed the record button.
“Faith Marino, this is your chance to walk away. No questions asked. You are willingly entering into The Marriage Auction. You agree to marry whoever secures the highest bid for your hand in an arranged marriage. The rules have been explained, you’ve signed the contract, and now I want your verbal agreement that this is what you want, that you understand what you have committed to and are not being coerced in any way. Please confirm your name and your agreement.”
I nodded, and she held the recorder closer.
“I’m Faith Marino, and yes, I understand what I’ve committed to and willingly agree to all the terms as set forth in the contract I signed. I am not being coerced or forced in any way. I am here of my own accord.”
“Excellent. You may finish getting ready. The auction starts in an hour,” Madam Alana stated, then moved to Ruby and repeated the same process with her and then each member of The Candidates Club and the two new additions thereafter.
Madam Alana went back to the center of the room and looked each of us in the eye one at a time before she spoke. “ Let’s breathe together,” she requested. “I want you all to inhale confidence, strength, and good fortune.” She inhaled deeply, and we mimicked her instruction. “At the top of the breath, I want you to exhale any negative thoughts, feelings, or doubts.” She let the breath go, stretching her arms out in a flourish.
We all followed along with her. The vibe in the room became entirely cool, calm, and collected as though something powerful locked perfectly into place within us all.
“Tonight…your entire life changes.”
Episode 10
Ruby’s Auction
RUBY
There were moments in my life where I could almost feel the air touching my skin, thick and weighted with anticipation. My vision becoming sharper, picking up the tiniest dust mites floating in the air. It’s as if my hearing turned so acute, my own heartbeat sounded overly loud. Taste was nonexistent. An unnecessary sense when true, primal fear surfaced. That fear manifested from the tips of my toes and climbed up to sizzle and prickle along the surface of my scalp and skin. But I wouldn’t let my reservations control me. Everything that was about to happen was my choice.
I stood closer to the front of the line, just after Stephanie and Elizabeth, who weren’t part of our original Candidates Club. However, I had found out while walking over to the stage they had been in the auction three months before and hadn’t been chosen. This was a second chance for them. I appreciated this information because it meant that if I didn’t get picked, I too could possibly have another go at being chosen.
Stephanie went first, and things must not have gone well. As Elizabeth’s name was called and she entered the stage, Stephanie came down the back side in tears. She was wiping her face and sniffling somberly. I couldn’t believe it. She was magnificent to look at. Tall, blonde, blue-eyed with a great body. And yet she left the stage crying, which was a clear sign that she hadn’t been picked for the second time. My heart broke for her, and myself because I too was blonde, blue-eyed, with a body that I knew for a fact men liked seeing. Especially unclothed, as I was a damn fine stripper back home.
Seeing Stephanie come back in tears had the ripple effect of making us all quiet, as we stood in our positions backstage, each of us in our own world.
I stared at the shiny black staircase that led up to the stage where a heavy curtain was closed, cutting off our view of the room beyond.
Suddenly, I felt a touch as Jade took my hand in hers. Then she turned to the side and interlaced her fingers with Dakota’s, who did the same with her sister Savannah’s hand. Savannah held on to Faith who reached out to Memphis.
We were in this together. Even though we weren’t.
Once we signed on the dotted line after the bidding and auction ended, each one of us would be on our own.
Alone.
I shivered, and Jade squeezed my hand.
Dakota tapped my shoulder. “You’re going to do great. Just remember why you’re here. Focus on the reason behind this decision. That’s all any of us can do,” she said softly. “Don’t worry that Stephanie didn’t get picked. You’re not her.”