“I’m Peaches. You’ve done this before?” I ask, playing with tie of the sheer robe I have on.
“Oh, yes. Quite a few times. And that southern accent of yours is going to drive them wild. You need to ask for a microphone when you go on stage.” She winks at me and puts on some blood red heels, making her close to six feet tall. She’s got a body that’s looks like it belongs in a men’s magazine. And she seems completely confident as she stands in front of me in only a red thong and those heels.
“Any advice for a first timer?” I’m trying to keep my mind off what’s about to happen. Even mindless chitchat is better than thinking about what I agreed to.
She flips her dark hair over one shoulder and smiles, crossing her arms under her naked breasts and leaning against the counter.
“Just remember that you’re safe. Samantha only allows in a few men to each Auction, all of whom have passed an inspection most astronauts wouldn’t make it through. The men that you could potentially end up with are healthy, normal guys looking for companionship. They have busy lives with demanding schedules, and they desire a kept woman who is waiting for them at the end of a long day. All you have to do is have a good time with them for thirty days, and then you walk away with a stack of cash.”
“You make it sound like fishing in a stocked pond.” I try to remind myself that what she’s saying is true.
She laughs at my joke. “Well, there are at least two fish out there that won’t bid on you, if that makes you feel any better.”
I don’t know why, but I’m kind of offended thinking someone wouldn’t bid on me. I’m adorable. “How do you know?”
“One of them is mine. We do this every time the contract is up. I go back up on the auction block and he has fun bidding on me. We’ve been at it for a while now. But he likes chasing me, and I like to make him work for it.” She gives me a wicked smile, and I can see she’s excited by the idea.
I’ve seen all kinds of relationships, so who am I to judge? I guess whatever works for them. “And the other?”
Kim leans in a little, looking over her shoulder and then back at me. “The other guy is Leo Ramsey. He’s been chasing after Samantha for years. I don’t know what they have going on behind the scenes, but she keeps him at arm’s length in public. He’s shown up to a couple of Auctions and mostly just sits in the back watching her. I think he’s secretly worried she’ll go on the stage one day and he won’t be there to claim her.”
“That sounds kind of romantic in a way.”
“I think Leo would see it differently. Apparently, he’s extremely private and doesn’t get seen in public a lot. These Auctions are so discreet that nobody would mention seeing him there.” She goes back over to the mirror to fix her hair but still keeps talking. “Personally, I think it’s a matter of time before it all comes out. You can only tease a man like him so much before he snaps.”
An image of Antonio runs through my mind, but I shut it down before it can truly get going. I can’t think about him right now. I can’t let even the slightest thought of him enter my mind.
I go to the mirror and check my hair and make-up for the millionth time. I’ve done my eyes darker than normal and put on more make-up that I’m used to, but I know what I’d look like on stage under those lights and I need some extra so I won’t look washed out. My hair is pinned up just on one side, the rest of it curled and falling over one shoulder.
These are the things I can control, so these are the things I focus on. Hair and make-up.
Samantha’s assistant said she would be by before the Auction to tell me what to wear. I’ve been waiting, and it’s clear she’s not going to come around until it’s almost time for me to walk on stage.
“Who is he?”
I look over at Kim who is looking at me.
“Who?” I ask in confusion.
“The man that’s got you all twisted up.” She raises a dark eyebrow at me, and I see a smirk on her face. She knows she’s right.
I reach for the champagne glass sitting on the table next to us, taking a sip. Just as it hits my lips, I think back to the last time I tasted champagne and all the ways Antonio tasted it on me. The sweet bubbly turns sour at the reminder that I wasn’t special. That he’s done that with others, and I was just someone to pass the time with. Putting the glass down, I look back at Kim. “Nobody.”
Just then the curly redheaded assistant comes flying through, checking on all the girls and making sure everything is in place. I look behind her and see Sam slowly walking around the room, eyeing each girl up and down. She makes small changes as she goes, telling her assistant what she wants and how to fix any minor detail not to her liking.