Page 13 of Buying Angel

The young woman picked up a tablet that had been placed on the small table next to the chair and passed it to me.

“This is how you will bid for anyone in the auction. There is a list that you can go through right now and mark any that you are interested in. Each lot will be available for five minutes only and you can bid as many times as you like. The tablet will show you if you are either the current winning bidder or if you have been outbid. At the end of each lot, it will show you the winning bidding number. However, you can only purchase two lots. Once you have done this, your tablet will be locked so you will not be able to purchase or bid on any further lots. At the end of the auction, I will come get you, and we will go through all the necessary steps to conclude your purchase. You should know all the other procedures from the information on the invitation. Now, can I get you another drink before the auction starts?”

I ordered another drink and settled down for the start of the auction. I had already decided that I wouldn’t look through the catalog of lots before they appeared on stage. I would wait until each lot came onto the stage. That way I could react with my instincts as opposed to a decision made in advance. They said first impressions were usually the right ones, so I was hoping I would know the exact woman I wanted just by seeing them on the stage.

My waitress returned with my drink and removed my now-empty glass.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Bryce-Stanton. If you require anything else during the auction, you can place an order from your tablet and I will bring it right over.”

I sat there waiting for the auction to start. Looking around, I could see the subtle glow from the tablets of other bidders as they looked through the catalog. As we sat there in almost silence, I noticed the lights dimming even further so the only things I could see were the lights from the tablets and the lights on the stage. A spotlight suddenly lit up one area of the stage over to the right and a gentleman walked out.

“Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to Club Lust. We are pleased to have sixteen lots of merchandise up for sale tonight. Please remember once the lights are fully off that no one is to move from their seats. This auction will be silent. As I announce the merchandise a head shot will appear on your tablets. I will provide information on each lot. If you are interested, the starting bid is five hundred thousand and will go up in increments of fifty thousand until it reaches one million. At that time each bid will raise by five hundred thousand. You can click the bid button as many times as you desire. Each auction will only be open for five minutes. At the end of that time the tablets will announce the winning bid number only. A reminder we do not use names. If you are outbid it will flash across your screen to bid again and if you win the tablet will flash you are the winner. Just a reminder if you bid for two people and win tonight then your tablet is automatically locked, preventing you from any additional bidding for the night."

I sat there and listened as the emcee went through everything that my waitress had already explained to me. I thought it was a little overkill, but then some people could have entered the room much later and their waiter or waitress hadn’t had enough time to explain.

“Our first lot for the night is Virtue."

Chapter Seven

GABRIELLA-ROSE

I HAD BEEN SITTING in my dressing room for nearly thirty minutes trying to calm my nerves. No matter what I did, though, it didn’t help. So many thoughts ran through my head about what everyone would think of me parading myself across the stage. Would they see me as some fat woman who wasn’t worth any money whatsoever? On the other hand, could Mr. Right actually be out in the crowd?

A knock at the door suddenly pulled me from my thoughts.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and the young man who had guided me down here was standing in the doorway.

“If you’re ready, Angel, it’s time to take you to the stage. You can keep your robe on until we reach the back of the stage.”

I took a deep breath and got up from my chair, grabbing the robe and placing it around myself as I walked toward the door. I followed my guide back up the corridor, but instead of going through the end door, we turned right up a set of steps, and I found myself standing backstage with the set of gray curtains in front of me.

“The curtain will open when you are announced, and you just need to walk onto the stage and do your thing. You will knock ‘em dead, Angel. You look absolutely fabulous.”

He quickly walked away, leaving me alone, waiting to be called forward. I placed my robe on the chair that had been left to one side of the stage and stood back in the center. Pulling myself to my full height, I watched as the curtains started to open.

“Next is lot four, Angel. Her statistics are 36-24-36.”

I walked out onto the stage and toward the catwalk, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. Inside, I was a bundle of nerves, worried about misstepping and falling over like the infamous Naomi Campbell catwalk. Outside, though, you wouldn’t have known it. I was the picture of composure as I strutted to the end of the catwalk and posed for my prospective buyers.

I continued to walk around as I listened to Edward going through all of my questionnaire and interview answers. I hoped I had given enough information at least for someone to be interested in purchasing me for the weekend. After that, I would just have to wait and see. I tried to look out at the crowd in front of me, but as had already been explained, the whole floor was in darkness, just the odd glow from the tablets I assumed were being used to do the bidding. I came to the front of the stage and stood there for a moment.

“Okay, who will start the bidding at five hundred thousand dollars?”

I was shocked that the bidding started at the exact amount that I was earning from the weekend, but then again, I guessed that they would want to cover at least the money they would be giving me. I continued to walk up and down the catwalk listening as the bids continued to climb. My heart was beating frantically in my chest, and I was sure that everyone watching would see me shaking like a leaf. However, I continued to walk along, making the most of what God had given me.

“I have five-fifty, six hundred, six-fifty, and seven hundred.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There were people actually bidding on me, and it wasn’t just a one-off thing. The bids were going higher and higher.

“Nine hundred. One million dollars. Thank you. Do we have any progression on one million? One-point-five million.”

I had to stop myself from collapsing on the stage as I turned to head back toward the main area. Hearing that someone thought I was worth one and a half million dollars was more than I could ever have expected, even from Master Orlov, if he was here. However, it didn’t stop there. It continued to climb. The seconds were counting down as I looked up at the clock. There were only ten seconds to go.

“I have two-point-five million going once, twice…and a late bidder of three million dollars wins the auction!”

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