Proposition 1 Page 4

  With a few minutes to kill, I venture into Madame’s domain. From the moment I asked her to help with the girls backstage, she took control. She decided what they wore, how they did their hair and makeup, and even rearranged the order I planned to show them, but I let her have her say. I’d gone to her for a reason, and it doesn’t make sense to ignore good advice from people you trust.

  The room where the girls were getting ready looked like chaos, and Madame stood in the middle of it all. The eye of the storm.

  Since she didn’t look concerned, I assumed everything was going fine, and worked my way through the flying clothes, swinging limbs, and piles of shoes. By the time I made it to her I was sure that this room was far more dangerous than the one filled with criminal bosses from all over the state.

  Madame didn’t say a word to me, or even spare me a glance as she called directions to the women making their last-minute preparations. Scantily clad to half-naked women were applying makeup, putting on their outfits, and curling hair.

  To my eye it didn’t seem like they would be ready in time, but I trusted Madame to be sure they were. The first girl would be taking the stage in five minutes.

  Without a pause, she pulled a wipe from a pack she had tucked in her sleeve and handed it to me.

  “Bring her out of the room in fifteen minutes. She needs to see how the others handle their sale, but you don’t want her there so long she goes into shock.”

  I chuckled, taking the wipe. Thanking her, I wove back to the door and slipped into the silent hall. Madame was a law unto herself, and the way she seemed to anticipate everything had me almost convinced she could read minds.

  By the time I stopped outside Cadence’s room, her five minutes were up, and my cock twitched in anticipation of seeing her. The thought that she may have refused to change after seeing what was in the box crossed my mind, or that I may open the door to an empty room, but I was sure she was at the point where she was too committed to back out. I only needed to get her onstage and be patient.

  9. Cadence

  I stared at the tiny box resting on the table. There was no way an entire outfit could be in there, and I was scared to remove the lid and see what was inside.

  Trembling, I reached out a hand. I’d come this far; how bad could it be?

  The pile of white lace is more fabric than I expected to find inside, but it’s clear without touching it that it’s lingerie. I pulled out the folded bra, a matching thong and stockings resting beneath it in the box.

  Swallowing hard, I tell myself it really doesn’t show anything they wouldn’t see if I was wearing a bikini, and it’s more than what I could be walking on stage in.

  It doesn’t help. The implication is there, reminding me what I’m really selling. Even the perfect white of the fabric is a reminder.

  I try to calm my racing heart as I peel off the yellow dress. Dropping it in a pile on the floor, I unhooked the strapless bra I had worn beneath. Cramming it into my purse with the clothing I’d worn over the dress, I slipped on the white bra.

  It doesn’t surprise me that everything is a perfect fit. I don’t know if Leo has a good eye or mysteriously got the information the same way he found out where I worked, but it doesn’t matter either way.

  There was another tap on the door as I finished pulling up the stockings. My time was up, and Leo was back to lead the sacrifice to slaughter.

  Maybe I was feeling a bit dramatic.

  I couldn’t stop my eyes from trailing down him as the door swung open. He was dressed all in white, like me, his suit perfectly cut to highlight his powerful frame. My skin heated as I saw him look me over as well.

  Walking into the room, he didn’t stop until he stood so close I could smell his cologne. I stood frozen, trapped in his hungry gaze as he lifted a hand to my hair. I didn’t realize what he was doing until I felt it tumble down my back, falling to brush against the top of the thong.

  Digging his fingers into the hair at my nape, he cupped my skull as he raised his other hand. Eyes never leaving mine, he ran a wipe over my lips, cleaning away the lipstick I’d applied.

  His lips lifted into a smile.

  “Much better.”

  A rush of warmth flowed through me even though that wasn’t much praise. A grade of fifty may be much better than a twenty, but that didn’t mean it was passing.

  Finally pulling my eyes from his, I stared down at the floor. I didn’t know why I reacted to him, but I always seem to feel flushed and confused in his presence. He also talked me into things I never would have considered doing.

  “It’s time to go. Just remember why you’re doing this, and you’ll be fine.”

  I resist the urge to glare. I don’t need the reminder, I know exactly why I’m here, and my brother’s lucky I love him so much.

  I watched Leo’s back as he walked to the door. It was my last chance to bolt. The last moment to change my mind and decide my brother’s safety wasn’t worth my virginity.

  Taking a deep breath, I forced my foot to move forward, followed by the other. Eyes locked on Leo’s glossy white shoes, I trailed behind him down a hallway I didn’t bother to look at.

  My mind was shutting down, protecting itself from the horror I expected to come. Before I had the chance to completely retreat into my shell, we passed through a doorway into a dark room filled with whispers and giggles.

  The first thing I noticed was the mirror straight ahead of me. Eyes widening, I took a step closer to it.

  Leo was looming behind my left shoulder, his white suit reflecting the low light in the room. The white lace I was wearing seemed to glow as well, highlighting the contours of my body.

  While I may feel like an awkward girl inside, my reflection showed an enticing young woman. The bra cupped my small breasts, lifting them and making them look round and full. The stockings enhanced the length of my slim legs while hiding the knobby knees I’d hated since I was a kid.

  I felt sexy.

  The thought hit me that I looked like something men would desire. Something they would want to own.

  And that excited me.

  My thoughts began to spiral into confusion, but Leo’s hand touching my hip jolted me back to where I was. He turned me, pulling me deeper into the room. As my eyes adjusted, I noticed there were other women lined along the wall in front of us, and they were the ones whispering.

  I could hear muffled voices besides the whispers, and I realized what I thought was a wall, was a curtain. We were on the backside of the stage, separated from the audience by the black velvet the other women I could see were peeking through.

  “So stern…”

  “Filthy rich…”

  “…heard he’s hung like a horse.”

  The snatches of conversations I could hear between the girls left my ears burning. None of them seemed worried or reluctant, and while their candidness shocked me, it also eased a bit of my worry. It would have been much harder to stand here and know what was coming with a bunch of other women who were just as scared.

  I noticed the woman standing at the front of the line as she called a girl forward, adjusted her bra straps, and sent her through the curtain. She was taller than me, but at five four that wasn’t much of a shock.

  What was surprising was the elaborate outfit and makeup she wore. I knew the dress was called a kimono, but I couldn’t think of the term for the white-painted face I knew was traditional in one of the Asian cultures.

  There was a small gap in the curtain next to her where we could see the girl walking out to center stage, and once she turned to face the audience, the woman moved her attention to me.

  “So, this is your innocent blossom.”

  Her tone made it clear that it wasn’t a question and she knew exactly what my status was, but her German accent was a bit jarring. While she looked me over from head to toe, her gaze was neither calculating, nor judgmental. More like a curious but benevolent cat, eyeing a mouse that dared to sneak out in front of it.

  The
slight widening of her painted lips was the only indication of her approval.

  “Good choice.”

  I heard Leo’s huff behind me, the heat of his hand still searing my hip since he hadn’t released me.

  “Go to the end of the line, keep quiet, and pay attention when I call Blossom.”

  This was a woman used to giving orders, and it was instinct to obey. Turning to walk past the women arrayed along the curtain, Leo’s fingers slipped from my flesh, and I felt a flash of regret that he wouldn’t be staying by my side, but I didn’t let it stop me.

  My reflection in the mirror and the undercurrent of excitement I could feel from the other girls had eased a lot of my tension, and I straightened my shoulders as I took my place at the end of the line. What I was doing may not be something most girls would agree to, but I was doing it for good reasons. I wouldn’t have been in this position if I had any other options, but I also didn’t need to torture myself over it, and while there was still a touch of fear lingering in my mind, there was also a hidden thrill.

  I was being sold to a stranger who would own me for the night. Someone who would be able to do anything they wanted to me, though the woman who showed me to the room earlier had explained that they weren’t supposed to do anything permanently damaging.

  Sucking in deep breaths, I closed my eyes and tried to calm my heart. No matter what happened, I would survive, and Leo had assured me that even though I only got to keep fifty percent of what I sold for, it would be enough to pay my brother’s debt at the least.

  10. Cadence

  I didn’t know how it was already my turn. It had seemed like there was a swarm of other girls ahead of me in line when I arrived with Leo, and it felt like only a couple minutes had passed, yet Leo was gone, and so were all of the other girls. I was standing in front of the woman I had heard the others call Madame as she brushed my hair behind my shoulders and lifted my head with a finger under my chin.

  “You’re a brave girl. You can look at this as a trial to endure, or an experience to remember. The choice is yours.”

  I thought about what she said. I’d already accepted what I was doing, and her words made sense. Why suffer through what was going to happen when I could embrace it instead. It was only one night.

  “Do you trust me?”

  The question caught me off guard, and my brows pinched together. I gave a slow nod as I looked into her eyes. She hadn’t given me any reason not to, and the woman gave off a motherly vibe.

  “Turn around.”

  I hesitated for a moment before doing as she directed. I felt her hands on the inside of my elbows, pulling my arms behind my back before something wound around them.

  She started just below the bend of my arms, working down to my wrists at a surprising speed. It seemed to only take seconds before I was bound, and she turned me to face her again.

  “Too tight? Any pain or tingling.”

  I shook my head. Though my arms were immobile, the bindings didn’t pinch, and I wasn’t losing feeling in my hands.

  Madame gave me a brief smile.

  “How you feel is the only thing that matters. Don’t let the concept of right and wrong make you suffer.”

  With that last drop of wisdom, she pulled back the curtain and gave me a push. The stage lights were blinding after the darkness backstage, and I blinked to relieve the burn as I made my way to the center.

  There was a woman standing at the front corner of the stage wearing a gorgeous dress and holding a hand aimed in my direction like a gameshow host showing off the next prize. I almost laughed at the accuracy of that thought as I took my place and faced the audience.

  I hadn’t heard a word she said before I walked out, but it was hard to ignore what she was saying now. Her flagrant description of me left my face burning with embarrassment as she paused before delivering the final detail.

  “And sweet Blossom here is a virgin! To be the first to have her, bidding will start at thirty thousand.”

  I felt my eyes widen as I tried to look into the audience. I could make out the closer couches and chairs, the dark shapes of people on them, but the bright lights shining on me made it impossible to see any details.

  I wasn’t sure what I expected once I came onstage, but it wasn’t like the auctions I had seen on TV. The woman wasn’t going so fast I couldn’t understand her, but she still seemed to be calling out numbers at a shocking speed.

  “I have thirty, do I have thirty-five? Thank you! Thirty-five, is there a forty? Forty, now forty-five, can I get fifty?”

  My head began to spin trying to keep up. I heard fifty-two before my brain refused to keep doing the math to figure my cut minus the twenty-two my brother owed. All I knew was that his debt was covered, and I would be going home with extra money in my pocket.

  The sudden, “Sold!” jerked my attention to the auctioneer.

  “For fifty-six thousand dollars.”

  I stopped breathing. My eyes bulged as I worked to swallow the lump in my throat before sucking in a lungful of air.

  I hadn’t moved once I took my spot centerstage. Hadn’t posed or flirted with the crowd the way I’d seen a couple of the other girls do. Yet I’d sold for quite a bit more than any of the others.

  Fifty-six thousand dollars.

  The woman was smiling at me and waving her hand like she wanted me to move closer. It wasn’t until then that I realized none of the other girls had come backstage after being sold.

  Shuffling my feet forward, I ducked my head and tried to look through the glare of the lights. Once they weren’t shining directly in my face, I could see the other girls in the audience. Some were kneeling next to stern-faced men, while others were sitting in laps. One was even bent over the back of a couch, her arms pinned behind her and her bottom directed at the stage.

  My thighs trembled as my knees threatened to give out. I could feel a drop of sweat trickling down my spine as I stared into the audience, searching the faces for any indication of the man that had bought me.

  For I second, I wished that man was Leo, but even after searching the room twice, I couldn’t find him. It didn’t make sense for him to talk me into being part of the auction, then buying me himself. I’m sure the reason the girls only got to keep half their price was because he collected the rest, so he wouldn’t want to lose out on the money from my sale.

  Swallowing the disappointment, I noticed the woman was pointing to the stairs beside her, telling me to go down them. A man dressed in a grey suit stood at the foot of the steps looking up at me, his blank expression giving no hint to whether he was the man I belonged to for the night.

  I studied him as I stepped down. His dark hair reached his square chin, and once again I was struck with the feeling of familiarity with a handsome man.

  He gripped my elbow when I was within his reach, steadying me as I took the last step to the floor. His eyes glanced over me before he turned and began walking through the room, not releasing his hold on my arm.

  I could feel the eyes of the others on me, and I ducked my head to keep from seeing how many were tracking me. It reminded me of how the gazelle must feel right before the lion pounced in the nature documentaries I used to watch.

  My skin tingled, tremors passing through my body as we wove between seats and people. I may have accepted what was going to happen, but that didn’t stop the nervousness. I didn’t know what to do, and a wave of gratitude for Madame washed over me. Having my arms bound behind me kept me from fidgeting, and I had a feeling that was exactly why she’d done it.

  The man leading me stopped beside a chair, releasing my elbow and taking a seat. He reclined back, legs spread to each side of my thighs, and my already racing heart stumbled over itself. I was scared to look up and meet his gaze again, so I stood awkwardly by his leg until he finally spoke.

  “Kneel.”

  One word. That’s all I got, but it’s all I needed.

  My legs folded, the carpet under my knees surprisingly soft. I kept my head
bowed, hoping he wouldn’t be like a few of the others who I’d seen touching the girls in front of everyone. I may be able to accept that I had to let him touch me, but I didn’t want an audience.

  I heard a lot of shuffling and movement around me as I settled, so I risked a peek to the side. Some of the men had risen and were making their way through a door in the sidewall that I hadn’t noticed the last time I was in the room.

  The man who bought me still reclined in the chair, and so did a few others who were having conversations or were distracted by the women they purchased. A few of the ones leaving stopped to speak with my mystery bidder, but besides a few disinterested responses, he remained silent.

  I don’t know how long I knelt on the floor, head bowed. The stream of people leaving slowed until I glanced around and realized we were the last ones left in the room. I’d gotten some of my nerves under control, but finding myself alone with the man who hadn’t said more than one word to me had my stomach clenching again.

  A stolen peek showed he had his phone in hand, not paying any attention to me. I wasn’t sure if he was ignoring me for a reason, or if he just wasn’t ready to collect on his purchase yet. He technically had me until ten in the morning, and with how late it already was, I’d expected him to rush to wherever he was going to take me. I was sure that’s why the others who purchased women left.

  I let out a soft sigh, adjusting my position on the floor. My knees were beginning to ache, and my shoulders were protesting the prolonged immobility. I was beginning to wonder if he’d forgotten about me when I heard footsteps approaching from behind.

  “You can go now.”

  My head snapped up at the deep voice, spine stiffening as shivers crawled across my flesh. The man in front of me looked up.

  “Took long enough. Don’t forget, you owe me for this.”

  Strong hands wrapped around my upper arms, lifting me to my feet. My eyes were still locked on the man who took me from the stage as he turned and left through a different door than the others used. The heat of the palms on my skin burned as I waited to be turned around.