Page 37 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 1

Point for Alana.

“Now, I want you to look around at the people in this room. You each have one thing in common. These will be the only people who understand what you have committed to and will undergo over the next three years. I suggest you make friends with one another throughout the day.”

Madam Alana spent the next hour reminding us of our commitment. I knew the details by heart as I had a photographic memory.

-You must marry your bidder within one month of a signed contract.

-You must consummate the marriage within two weeks of said marriage.

-You must go and live where the bidder wanted you to go. This could be anywhere.

-You must not run away from your bidder, or your money is forfeit.

-You must make a concerted effort to please your bidder, including regular sexual relations.

-You must accompany the bidder to events and functions as they desired.

-If you wanted out within the first year, you were to return all of the money.

-If the bidder wanted out within the first year, they forfeited their deposit only.

In exchange for all of that, I would get the following:

-No fewer than three million dollars.

-Three years of marriage.

-A fully vetted bidder with no criminal record and the promise they will do no harm to the candidate.

-A roof over my head, food in my belly, clothes in the closet.

-Protection from Madam Alana and her lawyers.

-Regular checkups and in-person visits by Madam Alana to ensure the candidate’s safety.

Finally, Alana stood up and clapped her hands. “Let’s get made over.”

* * * *

The makeover process was whack. I had never been poked and prodded so much in my entire life. My face was on fire. The space between my eyebrows felt like a throbbing, open wound. Apparently, I had a case of “unibrow,” according to the waxing professional. And don’t even get me started on what they wantedto do to myhoo-ha, which I straight refused. Jade had been called over to mediate when I wouldn’t allow them to remove more hair than just the sides of my bikini line. I declined removing my underwear too. They could fuck right off. No one was touching me there again without my permission.

No one.

Jade calmly asked me my preference, without a judgy expression, and promptly told the waxing gal to touch only what I permitted.

“Her body, her choice,” she stated simply, and that endeared Jade to me.

“Thank you,” I whispered, clutching the robe to my body as I slipped off the table.

Jade put her hand to my elbow and lightly led me out of the waxing room where I could still hear the other candidates crying out in pain, one after another. She leaned her head toward me. “If anyone tries to touch you inappropriately or do anything that makes you feel unsafe, you call us. No questions asked. Our candidates’ safety and well-being are our highest priorities”

I snorted. “I thought money was.”

“You don’t know the Madam that well,” Jade surmised accurately.

I’d had lunch and dinner with Alana many times in the past. Throughout the years, I’d learned her quarterly schedule and would pop up when I needed a meal or a really good place to stay. Sometimes it was just because I was lonely, and I liked having someone to spend time with who didn’t want something from me.

The Madam was cool. Even though she was the one helping me, I always got the feeling that doing so helped her in some way. It was a weird yet symbiotic relationship. We rarely got deep into our pasts, but I definitely shared more with her than anyone else besides Sam. He knew it all. He was only ten yearsolder than me but had also lived a hard life, so he wasn’t surprised by much.

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