by Ivy Blake
“Lawson, I appreciate the invite tonight. But stay the hell out of my business.”
Lawson shut his eyes tight, like a math teacher explaining a problem a tenth time with no result.
“Fine, Owen. I get that you don’t actually want my help.”
I closed my eyes and tried to breathe in a calming breath. Maybe Lawson was just trying to help, however, I could handle my business by myself.
“I’ll take care of the District Attorney on my own, Lawson,” I said.
I held my tongue, letting Lawson catch a breath, and calming my own nerves. I had been snatched out of my recently discovered happy place, and it was absolute torture.
I took a sip of whiskey and walked away from Lawson further down the bar. If the District Attorney was here, then I needed to do what I came here to do, even if I couldn’t seem to take my mind off Sydney.
I looked out among the crowd trying to spot the District Attorney amongst all the people that had suddenly arrived. He wouldn’t be out in the middle with everyone, instead he would be keeping a very low profile. I looked over to the side of the room where all of the secluded VIP tables were located. They were covered by curtains and darkness but they still had a clear view of the stage. I smiled as I headed towards the area.
I walked past the woman in the red suit from earlier and sat back down at a table. I took another sip of whiskey as I looked at the other tables around me. A slow smile spread across my face when I looked at the table directly diagonal from mine, where the District Attorney sat. He was almost covered by the darkness of the club, but I could make out his features easily. I pulled out my phone and waited for him to move himself more into the light. When the music changed to a smooth jazz, I saw him lean forward in his seat, and I quickly snapped a picture.
I finished my drink, happy to be to have found my way back to the VIP area. I turned my gaze from the District Attorney towards the stage, curious. I wasn’t going to take part, but since I was going to be here, I would enjoy the show.
The woman in the red suit was the first on stage, followed by exaggerated applause.
“Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Chicago Buyer’s Club!” This was met with another wave of applause. “We are glad you could make it to our special event today! Everyone is welcome to participate! Remember! The highest bidder takes the prize!”
After some more cheers, she said, “And now welcome our MC for the event, Lawson West!”
The audience erupted in a literal standing ovation. Bright lights danced around the room, and the music played louder. Even I contributed a few claps.
Lawson burst out onto the stage, jumping around like a fool, cheering with the crowd. Some rock star.
“Are you ready, ladies and gentlemen? Are you ready to find love and companionship?” The crowd screamed in response.
“That’s what I like to hear! I trust most of you have been given your auction pads?” Several dozen people were waving their voting pads above their heads, as Lawson nodded. “Good, good! Looks like we are all set!” He looked left, then right. “Is something missing? Oh, yes, of course! Please, give it up for our beautiful ladies!”
He stepped to a side, welcoming the girls on stage. They walked in a line, like pageant contestants, waving and blowing kisses. They were all in the same dark red body con dress. Pretty but boring.
Nothing I hadn’t seen before.
Until I saw Sydney.
What the hell was she doing up there?!?
I forgot how to breathe. I squinted, but I didn’t have to. It was her. Waving and smiling with the rest of the girls.
But she wasn’t like the rest of them. Sydney was above them.
Besides she wasn’t available to be bought, I had already claimed her.
These assholes were about to know what it was like to lose to Owen Hayes.
Chapter 7
Sydney
I was petrified.
All of us had been given instructions on how to behave – smile and wave, and I was doing exactly that. At first, I felt stupid, but seeing as how everyone was doing it, I thought I’d fit right in. Isabell was standing next to me, she seemed a little more animated and enthused about the whole thing.
I was kind of surprised quite honestly, since she seemed to only be here for the money.
The dancing lights were blinding, so I couldn’t really see the crowd. The music was deafening, so at least I didn’t feel any stage fright. It almost felt like it was just us on the stage, rehearsing a play.
Keep it together, you’re doing great, I thought to myself.
I kept repeating it like a mantra in my head, trying to relax. When the applause had died down, Ava stepped back onto the stage.
“Aren’t they just gorgeous?” More applause. “Brilliant! Look at them! I wish I was allowed to bid!” This got a decent laugh from the crowd, but a rather weak one from the girls. We clearly didn’t find it as hilarious.
I glanced in the general direction of the bar, which stood like a colorful neon island in the back of the room. It was hard to tell for sure, but there was nobody on the stools, at least not on the ones Owen and I had occupied. Had he left? I refused to believe that. He must have felt the same connection I had. There was something between us, something electric that we had shared, and I couldn’t stand the thought of him abandoning it.
But yet I had.
As soon as I was away from him and back with the girls Ava insisted I put on my dress and get in line. There was no time to even tell her that I had changed my mind.
So here I was.
Being sold.
I tried looking for Owen in the crowd, but I could only make out the faces in the first few rows, and none of them were him. People were cheering and clapping, their numbered pads ready to shoot up into the air.
It was bizarre, but at the same time kind of fun. Nobody was taking it seriously, I discovered. It really did feel more like a game for rich boys, and I could live with that.
As long as Owen was the rich boy who won me.
Ava began introducing the first contestant, but I didn’t take much notice. I would be one of the last girls to be auctioned, so instead I kept searching for Mr. Blue.
My eyes scanned the crowd and I sucked in a breath when they landed on a familiar frame. He was in the very back, making his way through the crowd, gently squeezing between people to get closer to the stage.
Thank God.
I lost my focus for a moment, and then my attention was drawn to one of the girls being auctioned.
“Five thousand!” Ava announced. “Do I see six thousand? Six thousand, number 106, thank you. Seven thousand, anyone? Would you look at her? What a stunner! A Bachelor of Psychology from Stanford, no less! Ten thousand, thank you…”
Ten thousand dollars! Ava had promised us 20% of the final bid. This could save Declan and I.
Change our lives.
“Final bid is fifteen thousand! Gentleman on my right! Congratulations, sir! Enjoy your prize.”
The auction continued in a similar manner, but with each girl the starting bid was lower and lower. I felt hurt for a moment, but it made sense. I was a newcomer, and while I was great in every aspect, there were girls who looked like Victoria’s Secret models.
Isabell’s starting bid was four thousand, and that made me nervous. I started to convince myself that my starting bid would only be two or three thousand, which wasn’t that much, if the bidders really were billionaires. What if some jerk snatched me for a few thousand? I felt nauseous again, and tried to find Owen in the crowd, but couldn’t.
The bidding commenced, and Isabell kept her composure, sending kisses and smiles to the men who bid on her.
“Eleven thousand! Twelve! Fourteen!” Ava leapt back and forth on the stage, keeping track of the rising and falling pads. “We have twenty thousand, everybody!” The crowd roared. “Do I hear twenty-one thousand! Anyone?”
Isabell’s final bid ended up being twenty-six thousand, which meant a huge payday
for her. There was some sense of achievement in this, or at least I felt that way in the moment.
But now it was my time to shine. Ava introduced me and said a couple of words into the microphone. At first there was silence, but as I started to walk forward into the light cheers started to erupt throughout the crowd.
Ava continued on with my sales pitch: “Not only is she beautiful, but she is teacher. We have a civil servant up here, ladies and gentlemen!”
Ava tapped her temple with a finger, which was either meant to say she’s smart or she’s nuts. Probably a little of both, because the crowd laughed.
The bidding began. The starting bid was two thousand, as I’d expected, but it progressed very quickly.
“Three thou– Five thousand! Seven thousand!”
But I barely heard it. I searched the crowd again until I found him. He was in the third row now, staring at me and trying to get a look at the bidders. At first, bids were coming from all over the place, forcing Ava to move around.
“Ten thousand! I hear twelve thousand!”
But as it went on, there were just five distinct bidders left, then four, and then three.
Finally Owen entered the bidding.
“Twenty thousand!”
But a few other men wouldn’t let it go.
“Twenty-five! Twenty-six!”
The bidders were going back and forth, and the crowd was turning their heads left and right, as if they were watching a tennis match.
“Twenty-eight!”
My heart was racing. I found him and stared at him, but he was only smiling. Owen waited for the right time to make a move, I could see it. It wasn’t an evil smile, but rather a cocky one. I couldn’t blame him. There was that playfulness between us again. He was teasing me.
Bastard.
Two bidders got a little too into the farce, upping each other by $500, just to see the crowd react. It was becoming less and less funny.
“Thirty-two thousand five hundred!”
Owen raised his hand again, calmly like this was all an easy game to win.
“Fifty thousand.”
And older man kept his paddle in the air. “I’ll match whatever you say.”
I was beginning to sweat under the lights. The fun game had turned into torture. What if that old geezer won me? Owen must have seen my distress, because the next time our eyes met, he gave me a nod.
Even Ava couldn’t take it anymore. “Gentlemen, perhaps you should stop bidding and go home together?”
The crowd cheered, but not for long. I saw Owen make his way to the stage.
“Sir, would you like to say something?”
He reached out his hand, and Ava obediently handed him the microphone. He cleared my throat and said, “Two hundred and fifty thousand! Match that.”
Everyone in the room, including myself, inhaled in a collective breath. The silence hung for what felt like several minutes, with people exchanging both puzzled and amazed looks. For a minute I thought that I had misheard him.
When he returned the microphone, Ava said, “Sir, could you confirm the number for me, please? Was it two hundred and fifty thousand dollars?”
He gave her a confident nod and looked at me with a cocky smirk on his face.
It took a moment for me to get back in touch with reality, and when I did, I found myself next to Ava, still alone on the stage.
“Sir, would you like to counter?”
The older man dropped his paddle and shook his head.
“Excellent. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars! Sold!” Ava lifted my hand in the air, as if I’d won in a boxing match. “Please, Miss Mercer, you may join your date!”
Chapter 8
Owen
I had to have her, to save her.
Two hundred and fifty thousand was nothing. I got my picture, and the girl.
As I walked towards the corner of the stage where I would retrieve Sydney, I nodded to the darkest booth, knowing the District Attorney saw the trick I just pulled.
It screamed, I have money damn’t, don’t mess with me.
Just let him try to come after my business now.
I gave Sydney my hand and helped her off the stage.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said into my ear. “Thank you doesn’t sound like nearly enough. You have no idea what you have done for me! How can I ever repay you? What can I do?”
In truth, it was enough for me to see her this happy. But that’s not how the Club worked, or business for that matter.
“I’ll call on you when I need you. For tonight, let’s just get you home.”
I took her hand and pulled her through the crowd trying to decide how best I could use her to my advantage. She was beautiful, and I wanted to have her, but I needed to get in touch with Baxter first.
Business, then pleasure.
I wasn’t surprised to see Lawson near the door, waiting for his part of whatever deal he thought we were doing. But I wouldn’t share the photo with Lawson.
“Owen, my friend. Now, this is the Owen I know and love! I knew you would get involved.”
I could only stand there and take it. I didn’t mind. Lawson no longer concerned me, at least not for a while. I was using this time to think.
What to do with the gorgeous blonde… what to do.
“Tell me, what’s so special about that girl? Maybe next time I’ll take part in the auction myself.”
“You think you can outbid me?”
“Oh, no way, I’m just messing with you, buddy. Like I said, I don’t want to fight with you, I want us to help each other.”
“But do I want to do business with you?” I asked.
“In a way, you already have, Owen, isn’t that so?”
I eyed him carefully, I didn’t want Sydney involved in any of this.
“I got what we wanted, now I’m taking the girl home. Understood?”
He nodded and let me pass.
When we got outside Sydney looked me over. “What was that about?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s what people say when there’s something going on. Usually something terrible.”
“Not for you, Sydney.”
She raised an eyebrow at me, but seemed to accept my response.
“So where to?”
She smiled, genuine and beautifully. “Anywhere but here.”
“Done.”
Chapter 9
Sydney
Standing outside the bar waiting for Owen’s driver, we stood silently next to one another.
I was confused. On the one hand, I wanted Owen to like me and to want to take me back to his place. I felt our connection, and thought he felt it as well. But at the same time, he had just bought me at an auction! I still couldn’t quite comprehend that this had really happened, and still had my doubts about the whole affair.
I felt like I owed him, and that maybe this passion I felt for him was just that. But I trusted him. Out of everyone I had met that night, Owen had been the only one to grab my attention. He was funny, charming, and open with me. Not to mention insanely rich and willing to pay huge money just to spend a night with me.
Was that fair? Or were my feelings misguided? I told myself it was part of the game – an innocent exchange. Only we were no longer in the comfort of the luxury club. Standing in the street at night felt awfully close to reality, and it was not as pretty.
But one thing I knew for sure was that from the moment he blocked my view on the stage and our eyes met for the first time, there had been electricity between us. It was like nothing I had ever felt for any other man.
I wanted to be with him; to get to know him better than anyone. I wanted to sleep with him. What I wouldn’t give for a night with this man…
Owen’s driver finally arrived, double-parking the town car and stepping out to open the door for us.
“Sorry it took me so long,” he said.
Owen didn’t reply, just helped me get inside, and then sat next to me. The driver shut t
he door and went around the car and back behind the wheel.
The cabin smelled strongly of new leather. I took a deep breath and exhaled. Holy shit this was a nice car. “Is this yours?”
“Nice, isn’t it?”
We sat in silence for a moment as the car sped up.
“This was something, huh?” Owen said. “I’ve never been to an auction before. It’s…”
“Wrong?” I offered.
“In a sense. It’s just an odd practice. Legal prostitution.”
“Is that what this is?”
He moved closer to me. “It can be whatever you want it to be. I did pay for you after all.”
I couldn’t breathe. Yes he had paid for my company. Was this what he wanted? Me?
I wanted him, that was for sure.
He dragged his finger along my leg and let his eyes lock with mine. “Do you want to go home?”
“No,” I admitted honestly. He sent a text on his phone and I wondered what was so pressing that he needed to do so at that moment.
“Okay then, are you hungry?”
For so much. “Yes.”
“Perfect, there will be food…” he said mysteriously, his lips parting in a smile, showing his white teeth.
I played along. “Owen, where are we going?”
I turned to look out the window and realized we were driving away from Chicago, heading northwest. Of course, there were many potential destinations in that direction, but I could think of only one that would be crazy enough for Owen to have picked.
We were heading for O’Hare International Airport.
I swallowed hard. I had been ready to go to a restaurant or a late showing of a movie, but flying somewhere? That was something else, and I wasn’t sure I was onboard with that.
But I was excited too! It would be the adventure I had always dreamed of – to be swept off my feet by a prince and fly to Europe or Asia, somewhere so far away that no problems at home could ever catch up to me.
