Page 43 of Madam Alana

He rubbed at his scruffy jaw, the sound like sandpaperscratching over a smooth surface. “Not anything official. Darren brought me toa small office area in the hotel where Angus sat entering things into a paperbooklet, not a computer. He took down my contact information. Then he handed mea very short agreement that detailed my responsibility as a bidder. It wasminimal, I’m afraid.”

I made a circular movement with my hand. “Go on?”

He leaned against a table and crossed his arms. “It had theterm limits for payments regarding a winning bid. It confirmed that a weddingceremony would be immediately following the auction. We could upgrade the ceremonyexperience for an additional fee if we desired. Things like music, flowers, andrings could be purchased. We were to pay the deposit to our candidate and theforty percent to Angus for the full bid that night. The remaining amount we’dneed to split up into payments that we’d pay our wives every weddinganniversary until the five-year contract concluded.”

“For me, it was worse. We had to sign our lives away forfive years. Agree to marry a man sight unseen for the highest amount possible.That part I understand, though I think five years is too long. Three would bemore equitable to both parties.”

I mulled over what he’d shared and then spoke my ramblingthoughts out loud. “When Celine and I arrived, we were shoved into a room witha bunch of other girls and told to shower and put on the nightgown theyprovided. We had no say in what we would be wearing. At the time I was thankfulI wasn’t naked. Now I feel like so much more could have been done to make theexperience less frightening.”

“Okay, what else?” he asked.

I continued to pace as the memories and ideas kept coming.

“Anyone can join. There’s no vetting process for the buyers,and nothing for the candidate to ensure they are a good fit for the bidder. Andwhy do we get married the same day? I’ll tell you why,” I added beforeChristophe could engage. “Because they don’t want anyone to back out. Thereshould be a grace period. A couple weeks—a month, even—to get to know oneanother. Each person deserves the opportunity to back out if the situation isn’tright.”

“These are all excellent ideas, Alana.”

I nodded. “And why isn’t the sexual stuff discussedbeforehand? If someone has a specific sexual need, such as a BDSM lifestyle, isgay, or maybe has a hard limit on something they do not want in the bedroom,especiallyin light ofany past experiences, thosethings should be respected and referenced in advance.”

“Agreed.” Christophe nodded repeatedly.

“And don’t you find it odd that if the bidder wants out,they onlyhave topay for time served to date? What ifthe candidate wants out? There’s no real clause for that. I don’t even know whathappens in that case. It’s all so unprofessional and geared toward making onlythe bidder happy. It gives the bidder power over the candidate in a way that’sabhorrent and torturous. And in Celine’s case, deadly. I don’t want that tohappen to anyone else.”

Christophe didn’t say anything, just calmy listened.

“Celine’s death could have been avoided. Not only was Darrena despicable human being,hehad a police recordproving his violent past behavior toward women. He shouldn’t have been allowedto bid in the first place!” My voice rose as my anger flared.

“What do you want to do about it?” Christophe asked.

“I want to buy Angus out. Take over The Marriage Auction andrevamp it. Make it something incredible, like how we’ve managed ourrelationship. We became a love match, Christo. If the bidders and candidateswere both vetted, interviewed for the position in the auction, and were giventhe right tools including detailed stipulations on what they were committingto, situations like Celine’s wouldn’t happen. I would do everything possible toensure all parties were safe, healthy, and happy with their choices.”

“All of this sounds incredibly courageous but also completelydoable. How do you think you’re going to get Angus to sell you the business?And what do you think it would be worth?”

“I need to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” I sigheddeeply.

“If this is what you want to do, the mark you want to makein the world, Alana, I’ll be there every step of the way.”

“You’ll invest in the company if he wants more than themoney you’ve already given me?” I asked, my chest constricting, not enjoyingasking my husband for more when all I truly wanted was what I already had…hislove.

Christophe walked over to me with his arms open. I wentstraight into them, pressing my cheek to his chest. He held me close, rubbinghis hands up and down my back in a soothing manner as he dipped his face to myear. “I would burn down the world to make you happy. Money is no object. What’smine is yours. Together, we will make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

I closed my eyes and desperately clung to my husband’s largeframe, needing to feel him surrounding me.

“You know, Christo, we’re proof that it can be done right,that happiness in an arranged marriage can be found.”

“That we are,” he agreed.

“I need to do this. For me. For Celine. For all thecandidates hoping to find a better life through the auction the same way Idid.”

* * * *

As it turned out, when Christophe and I approached Anguslater that week, he was terrified of being pulled into Darren’s murderinvestigation and apologized up and down for any part he’d played in bringingthem together. The entire thing was suspect to be sure, but my husband’slawyers had reviewed our marriage contract and determined ours was in fact alegally binding marriage within the state of Nevada.

Christophe and I offered Angus twenty million dollars togive up everything he’d built that involved The Marriage Auction, including thenames, current candidates, and his entire list of potential bidders. I wouldrevamp it, vetting the people involved, firingall ofhis staff, and starting my own process for bringing in clientele, security, anda tech team. Angus would also be required to sign a non-compete agreement whichwould prevent him from working in the arranged marriage industry providing anytype of related services for at least twenty years.

When it was all said and done and Christophe and I were backhome sitting together on our couch, a fire burning in the fireplace, my husbandheld me close and kissed the crown of my head. “She’d be proud of you. Sodamnbrave,” he praised.

“Merci,husband.” I snuggled deeply against hisside, resting my head to hischestand listening tohis heartbeat. “I think Celine is here, watching us now, clapping and cheering.Her loss wasn’t for nothing. We made sure of that.”

---