It took a long time, but eventually the winner was declared.
“Sold, to Mistress Elise!” Austin cried, sounding extremely pleased.
Lyss looked around and saw a woman striding through the crowd. Elise was the floor manager for Club S, in charge of all the public play areas. She was a big favorite of the club’s regulars, with a reputation for perfection that was rivaled only by Sidri’s. Long, raven-black hair flowed down her back far past her waist, almost all the way down to her thighs. She wore a stunning red dress with an asymmetrical hem that allowed her entire right leg to be revealed every time she took a step, and she wore elaborate golden stiletto boots. Her green eyes remained fixed on Allen as she finally reached the stage and stepped within the rope line.
“I am pleased to take this slave for the single-night contract,” Elise said, tossing a look over her shoulder and Sidri and Tatum, both of whom now stood on the left-hand side of the stage. “With permission, of course.”
“Granted,” Sidri said, lips quirked in a half-smile. “I dare say it will be a night to remember.”
“I’ll say,” Austin said. Then he blinked, blushing furiously as if just then remembering he still had a mic in his hand. He cleared his throat. “Thank you, Lady Sidri and Sir Tatum, and thank you Mistress Elise for your generous donation to tonight’s event. Your slave and his owners will await you in a private room after the auction has finished.”
Elise dipped her head in acknowledgement toward Austin, then turned and did the same toward Sidri and Tatum. Then she turned back and gave Allen a smoldering look before returning to her seat. Allen bowed toward his lovers one last time, and disappeared behind the curtain. The moment he left, it was like the whole room took a deep breath—or maybe it was a sigh of disappointment.
When Tatum and Sid returned to the table, Lyss leaned toward her cousin and whispered, “I’m a little surprised Allen was willing to do this. Considering his history, I mean.”
Tatum gave her a soft, satisfied smile. “He’s come a long way since he gave himself to us. Besides, this was planned from the start.”
Lyss raised an eyebrow. “You rigged it? You wanted Elise to win?”
He shrugged. “Not rigged, per se, but yes, we wanted her to win. Quite a fascinating lady, actually. You two should get to know her.” He included Ryder when her husband looked over at them. “Elise is an outstanding Domme. She and Sidri have very, hmm, similar tastes. We’ve watched her a few times, and all three of us liked what we saw. Allen said he would be willing to be in the auction, provided that someone like Mistress Elise won him. So we made sure that she knew he’d requested her.”
Lyss nodded, understanding dawning. “He was willing so long as he wasn’t sold to another man,” she whispered, waiting for Tatum’s slow nod before continuing. “I’d wondered. I know not everyone knows about his past. I thought he might have difficulties. You know, bad memories.”
“Thanks for the concern,” Tatum said, sincerity shining in his eyes. “But really, he’s doing much better, I promise. And tonight, with Mistress Elise joining us…” He trailed off suggestively.
Lyss grinned, started to say more, but Austin started speaking again so she turned back toward the stage.
“Thank you for your generosity,” Austin said. “Now we come to the second bid. And this one, too, has a few special stipulations.”
Titters followed that statement, along with much shifting of chairs as people strained to see behind the curtain.
“This is another special deal for you, ladies and gentlemen. For this time around, we have a different kind of package deal. As most of you know, another of our triads has been a major part of Street Smartz from day one. Master Maddox owns two slaves, Amber and Riley, and he has been generous enough to allow both of them to join us for the auction tonight. But, as with the incredible Allen, this is for one night only, ladies and gentlemen, and Master Maddox will also be present for the festivities. So, without further ado, let’s bring out the pair of slaves you’ll be bidding on next.”
The curtains parted, and Riley strode out. He was an enormous man, barrel-chested, with arms and legs like tree-trunks. His body hair had been shaved off for this event, his muscles oiled to gleaming brilliance, and he wore nothing but a collar, a loincloth, and a smile.
Ryder glanced down at her and whispered, “Big boy.”
She snickered. “If I was Amber,” she whispered back, “I’d be afraid of him crushing me. Good thing she’s tougher than she looks.”
Amber was perched on one of Riley’s impressive shoulders, bare legs crossed at the knee like a prim lady. She was grinning hugely, her long blonde hair styled into shining waves that flowed down around her small but luscious body, which was bared by a string bikini. She had one arm wrapped around Riley’s neck, the other akimbo, and she looked like nothing more than a fairy posed on the shoulder of a giant.
Austin, grinning like a madman, turned to face the crowd again. “How’s that for an entrance, ladies and gentlemen? Now, who’s ready for a magical night with these two slaves and their loving Master? One night only, let me remind you. Who will start the bidding?”
As with Allen, the numbers flew hot and heavy, with many couples getting in on the action along with the lone Dominants. Apparently, Amber and Riley were hot commodities for the club-goers, too, because the bids rose to staggering amounts within seconds. It seemed to take forever, but eventually another winner was declared, and Riley and Amber left the stage with a jaunty wave.
“Thank God,” Ryder muttered. “Now we can get this show on the road.”
Lyss nodded, but didn’t reply, wondering why her stomach was suddenly filled with butterflies. Angry butterflies, by the feel of it. She was nervous. Why was she nervous?
The crowd quieted, and Austin took up his mic again. “Thank you again, ladies and gentlemen, for your generosity. Now I have another special treat for all of you. A very, very special treat indeed.”
And he turned and looked straight at Ryder and Lyss.
“This slave comes to us brand new, completely unknown to Club S. That’s right, you heard me correctly. I won’t even give you his name, since it would mean nothing to you. Rest assured though, he is an experienced participant of our lifestyle, and he is ready, more than ready, to take the next step.”
Austin stared into Lyss’s eyes, almost as if his words were meant for her alone. “I make a point here, ladies and gentlemen, of letting you know how much this slave has been looking forward to this. He is bisexual, looking for a couple, and ready to make the transition from play slave to full-time servant-slave. He is not looking for a three-night sex-fest, ladies and gentlemen. This slave is looking for the man and woman who will own his soul. For the right couple, the couple that is willing to earn his submission, he will be the ultimate servant, the ultimate playmate, the ultimate submissive. And while we all know this auction is not about guarantees, this slave is looking for forever, folks. Keep that in mind, before you bid on him.”
“Why is he looking at us?” Lyss hissed, extremely uncomfortable with Austin’s scrutiny—and his words.
“I don’t know,” Ryder growled. “Maybe he knows we were planning on bidding on the first one after Amber and Riley, and he’s telling us not to. Damn it, I just want this shit to be over with. I want to get home and get back to…”
But he trailed off. Because right at that moment, the curtains parted.
And there, dressed in nothing but a pair of tight black boxers, a black leather collar, and a pair of Club S submissive cuffs, stood A.J.
Chapter 15
Ryder couldn’t breathe.
A.J. was on stage. His A.J. The man he’d lost eight years ago only to find him again, just a few weeks ago. A.J., whom he’d always suspected was a sexual submissive, was standing on an auction stage, offering himself to a room full of Dominants.
Offering himself to the highest bidder.
The room erupted around him. People were bidding left and right, throwin
g out huge numbers, all of them ravenous to get their hands on A.J.’s gorgeous body. Ryder wanted to rip the eyes out of every single person in that room for even looking at A.J. For looking at Ryder’s property. He wanted to barge onto that stage, throw himself in front of A.J., hide him from the violating eyes of the crowd. How dare they look without permission? Ryder hadn’t agreed to let A.J. into this auction. Neither had Lyss. How dare they take liberties with his submissive? How dare they think they had the right to look at him, to bid on him, to fantasize about being with him? A.J. belonged to them. To Lyss and Ryder. No one else had the right to touch him, let alone look at him. How dare they?
Yet A.J. stood there, exposed for the world to see, because Ryder and Lyss had yet to claim him.
None of this made sense. How the hell did A.J. get up there, anyway? When did he join Club S? Why didn’t Ryder know about it? Why hadn’t A.J. told them he was going to be in the auction tonight? Why had he only told them he already had plans? Why hadn’t he asked them to claim him? Why was he up there, putting himself up for auction, instead of tied to their bed?
Ryder sat there, stunned into immobility. He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t react. Lyss must have been in the same boat, because except for a gasp, she hadn’t moved a muscle since A.J. walked on stage. Both of them sat, completely motionless, while the crowd went wild and the bidding war escalated, getting more and more out of control. Ten thousand dollars. Twenty thousand dollars. Thirty. Forty. And all the while, he and Lyss sat motionless, not saying anything, while the man they wanted more than life itself put himself up for auction.
While the man they wanted waited for someone else to claim him.
Is that what A.J. wanted? Was that why he was up there? Maybe he’d found out about their membership at the club, and resented it. Maybe he was putting himself up for bid because he wanted them to know he wasn’t interested in them. Maybe this was his way of saying he didn’t want them.
The bids were getting even higher now. Two-hundred-thousand. Three-hundred. Four. The other Dominants were practically foaming at the mouth, desperate to get that three-day contract with A.J. Was that what A.J. wanted? Was that what he intended?
Did he truly expect him and Lyss to sit by and watch someone else claim him?
But…no. Tatum had said that if Ryder would just stop and think about it, he’d realize something special was going to happen tonight. He must have thought that Ryder and Lyss somehow knew A.J. would be up there. Tatum had implied that they would be happy, once they figured out what was going on. Tatum wouldn’t have acted like that if he thought A.J.’s being on stage was a declaration that he wanted to be chosen by someone else. Which meant that A.J. was up there, right now, expecting to be claimed.
Claimed by Ryder and Lyss.
A.J.’s eyes had been on his feet from the moment he walked on stage. Now, those eyes slowly, slowly looked up—and met his own. For a long, breathless moment, they stared at each other. The room went silent, the crowd forgotten, as Ryder stared into the eyes of the man he’d loved since the day they met. Those eyes, those beautiful, soulful blue eyes, were filled with such hope, such longing, such promise, Ryder’s heart filled to bursting between one breath and the next.
But he was still frozen. Still stunned. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t react. And the longer he remained silent, the longer he remained still amidst the clamor of the crowd, the more the hope in A.J.’s eyes dimmed until, finally…it died.
Ryder watched, still unable to move, as those beautiful eyes filled with rejection, heartbreak, and utter betrayal. Then…they closed, and A.J. turned away.
He was on his feet, striding toward the stage, without even realizing his paralysis had lifted. Ryder muscled his way through the crowd, jumped the rope, and stood in front of A.J., looking up at him on the dais. He waited for those eyes to open again, and without looking away, raised his voice high above the crowd’s clamor.
“One million dollars.”
Deafening silence.
Finally, Austin cleared his throat. “That’s…quite a generous offer,” he said, sounding extremely doubtful. Ryder saw movement out of the corner of his eyes—Lyss, coming to stand with him?—but didn’t look away from A.J.
Austin spoke again. “Can…can anyone else meet such a generous offer?”
Silence met his question.
A heartbeat. Two.
“Looks like we have a winner,” Austin said finally. He cleared his throat loudly. “Well, that was unprecedented, folks. And very, very well-deserved, I can tell you that right now. This slave will be taken to one of the private rooms, Sir and Lady St. Claire. You can meet with him there to discuss the terms of the contract.”
Ryder nodded, still not breaking eye contact with A.J. There was still heartbreak, still doubt, in the depths of those gorgeous eyes. Ryder started to jump the stage, started to go after them when a stage hand gently guided A.J. away, but Lyss—and Tatum—held him back.
He whirled on Tatum, ready to snarl at him, but the other man held up a hand. “We can talk,” the big man said quietly. “But not here. Follow me.”
He gestured toward the opposite way from the direction they’d taken A.J., and Ryder started to rebel. But Lyss grabbed his hand, forcing him to go with her. He kept his eyes on the doorway where A.J. had disappeared until Tatum closed a door behind them, cutting off his view.
The sound of the door closing was like a bucket of cold water dashing over Ryder’s head. He rounded on the bigger man, shoving him back so he stumbled against a table sitting in the middle of the room.
“What the fuck was that?” Ryder roared at the top of his lungs. “What the fucking hell was that, Tatum? Were you trying to hurt me? To hurt us?”
“Hurt you?” Tatum said in a deadly, quiet voice. He glared at Ryder. “Hurt you? I can’t believe what I just saw out there. How could the two of you be so heartless?”
Ryder threw his arms out wide. “What the fuck are you talking about? Why the fuck was A.J. up there?”
“I’d like to know that, too,” Lyss said hotly, hazel eyes flashing. “You could have warned us, Tatum. How could you do this to us?”
Tatum shifted his glare toward Lyss, his voice icy cold. “You have no room to speak, cousin. You were just as bad as Ryder. Both of you need to be very careful what you say and do right now, or neither one of you will be allowed to see A.J. again tonight.”
Ryder stumbled back a step, feeling as if he’d just walked into a house of mirrors. Everything was all twisted and wrong. Nothing made sense anymore. “I swear to God, Tatum, if you don’t start talking sense, I’m going to beat the shit out of you! Tell us what the fuck is going on! Why was A.J. up on that stage? Why the fuck was he even in the auction?”
“I’m afraid that was my doing,” said Austin, slipping into the room unnoticed. Ryder whirled on him, ready to throttle the man, but paused at the sight of the black rage on his friend’s face. Austin’s icy blue eyes were frigid, cold enough to burn flesh from bone.
“How could you do that to him?” Austin growled, advancing on Ryder. “How could you leave him hanging like that? Both of you, sitting there, not moving, not doing anything, making him think you weren’t going to bid on him? How could you do that to him? Do you have any idea how much courage it took for him to go up there tonight? To offer himself for you like that? But instead of rewarding him, you let him hang in the wind! You made him think you weren’t going to claim him!”
Ryder shoved both hands through his hair, taking a step away from all of them and turning in a tight circle as he paced. “None of this makes any goddamn sense!” He whirled on Austin, jabbing a finger toward the shorter man’s chest. “Just tell me what the fuck just happened! Why was A.J. on stage?”
“To give the both of you a chance to claim him publicly!” Austin roared back, eyes flashing ire. “And you let him think you weren’t going to do it!”
“All right, all right,” Tatum said, inserting himself between the two of them,
a hand on both of their chests. “We all need to calm down. Take a step back, all of you. I think some assumptions were made tonight that shouldn’t have been.”
“I’ll say!” Ryder snarled. “How the fuck do you even know A.J., Austin?”
“We were at MIT together,” Austin said quietly, regaining his composure. He met Ryder’s stunned look with an assertive nod. “And unlike you, I didn’t abandon him after our college days.”
“Abandon him?” Ryder howled, taking an aggressive step forward. But Tatum held him back with ease, so he had no choice but to settle for a glare.
Austin, unperturbed, nodded. “You heard me.”
“I said knock it off,” Tatum growled, glaring at both of them in turn.
Ryder opened his mouth, ready to snarl some more, but Lyss took hold of his arm and drew him back. Relenting, he threaded his fingers together with his wife’s and set his jaw as Tatum continued.
“Austin, when you told me that A.J. was going to be in the auction and that I should make sure Ryder and Lyss knew there was someone special in the lineup, someone meant especially for them, I assumed that meant the two of them knew it would be A.J. I thought you planned this as a public claiming. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.” He looked back and forth between Ryder and Lyss, his forehead creased with a frown. “Honestly, I thought you knew. I thought you were playing along, when we were speaking out in the reception hall. I thought you were in on the whole thing. Otherwise, I would have warned you.”
“We didn’t know,” Lyss said before Ryder could get his jaw unclenched. He settled for an affirmative nod. “We figured there was something going on, but this…” She shook her head, looking honestly hurt. “How could you do that to us, Austin? Why?”
Saints United [For Love of Authority 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 17
