After dinner and dancing, the stage
was cleared and a small pedestal was placed under a spotlight as the house
lights dimmed. I had been dancing with
William and didn’t realize what was happening, or who was missing from our
table. The room was quiet but you could
hear whispers everywhere as the MC walked to the spotlight and raised the
microphone to speak.
“Our first sale is going to start
with a minimum bid of $1 million.” He
went on to describe the woman who was walked out from behind the curtain, naked
except for her leather collar. A leash
was attached to the collar and in the hand of one of the attendants. I didn’t hear anything else the MC said as I
realized that the woman was from our table.
I glanced at the man who brought her, sitting and watching with no
visible emotion. I looked back at the
stage just in time to see her step onto the pedestal. The attendant stayed off to the side and
slightly behind her, but the leash stayed attached to her collar as he raised
his hand to allow some slack. I was
completely mesmerized by the sight of this gorgeous woman on display, ready to
be auctioned to the highest bidder. I
have never been more excited. I have
never been more envious.
“I’m surprised they started with such an
attractive specimen,” William said to the table. He nodded slightly to the woman’s owner, who
returned the gesture without expression.
“Usually they start with someone a little less desirable, but Vera is
magnificent.”
My heart fell. William didn’t look at me. I turned back to the stage, fighting
tears. The bidding was already at $2
million. I tried to hide my disgrace by
leaning toward William and whispering in his ear. I was surprised at the amount of money that
was about to change hands. He ignored me
and then he raised his hand and bid for her.
“Two million, five hundred
thousand.”
At once I realized that this was
the test William had warned me about. I
didn’t know if he was a serious bidder, but coming in as late as he did, and
with such a jump in his offer over the previous bidder, I could only assume
that he was very serious. I was nearly
delirious in my pain and humiliation. I
felt like everyone in the hall was staring at me, wondering why the man who
brought me would bid such an outrageous amount of money for the first woman
offered at auction. What must everyone
be thinking?
