Page 10 of A Christmas Auction

Alana patted the table. “Why don’t you sit down? We’ll discuss the finer details, and maybe I can relieve any concerns you might have.”

“Might have. I can think of a hundred concerns. The first one being how is this legal?”

“Darling, arranged marriages happen every day all over the world. This is not a new concept, I assure you.”

“Not to me, they don’t,” I scoffed.

Alana merely pressed her lips together and waited patiently for me to quiet down. Reminded me of when I was back in grade school and I’d just been scolded by the teacher for speaking out of turn. Alana didn’t even have to say anything when her facial expression and patient silence said it all for her.

I clamped my big mouth shut.

“Let me go over the primary details. The rest is laid out in a contract that both the candidate and bidder have to sign prior to the auction. I promise you, everything is entirely legal—and most importantly—safe. I have been in this business for thirty years. I met my husband in a marriage auction.”

I gasped. “You and Christophe?”

“It seems like a lifetime ago,” she said with a level of whimsy to her features I hadn’t yet seen. “Truly, it was the best decision I ever made. We were fortunate enough to fall in love rather quickly, and beyond that, I had the financial security I needed. It is what led me to purchase the marriage auction from the original owner. He wasn’t running a legal or safe business. Now,when I have a male or female candidate enter the auction, they are my priority. Their happiness and safety is crucial to my success.”

I fiddled with my fingers while taking in what she said. “How does it work exactly?”

“Well, when a candidate, let’s say you for example, decides to join the auction, there is a list of rules and requirements that must be met. The primary ones are as follows:

You must marry the bidder within thirty days of signing the contract the night of the auction.

You must consummate that marriage within two weeks of the wedding ceremony.

You must live, travel, and have regular sexual relations as any married couple would, for a period of three years.”

“And what happens after the three-year period?” I interrupted.

“That is up to you and your husband. Most of my matches end up falling in love and staying together.”

“And if I agreed to marry a stranger?” I gulped then let out a sharp breath. “God, I can’t believe those words just came out of my mouth. My mother would freakin’ kill me.” I released a nervous sigh. “If I agreed to marry some rich guy, I’d get three million dollars?”

“Most of my candidates go for far more. A beauty like you…” She tapped her crimson nail against her perfectly matching red lips as she hummed then tilted her head while accessing my face. “If I had to guess, which I despise doingchérie, because truly you are priceless in your own way…”

“But if you had to guess?” I encouraged.

“No less than five million.”

“Ho, ho, ho, Merry Frickin’ Christmas to me! Jesus,” I blurted and covered my face with both of my hands. “Five million dollars. I can’t even imagine having that much money. Itwould be life changing. Heck, it would change my entire family’s lives. My parents could retire comfortably, and I could open my bar.”

“Exactly. And possibly gain yourself a true partner in life,” Alana added, as if that mattered even a little bit.

“Pssshhhhttt!” I waved her off. “I’ve dated a lot of men. All of them left much to be desired. I’m perfectly happy being alone and a spinster.”

“You do not wish for love,chérie?” Alana did that thing where she covered her heart with her hand. I was beginning to hate that gesture. It seemed everyone around me felt the need to protect their heart.

Maybe I’d become too cynical, but I’d never in my thirty years of life met a man I loved enough to even want to get married. Sharing my entire existence with someone and having my happiness all wrapped up in theirs sounded like the cherry on a shit cake. I guess I was too selfish for that.

Personally, I wanted a thriving business of my own making. I wanted to be the one to secure my future happiness. However, the one thing I did miss about being in a committed relationship was regular sex. It had been a solid year since my last hook-up, and the Lord knew I could use a wild romp in the sack.

“No, I don’t wish for love. I have love in my life. My parents, my friends, Mac and his club downstairs. Love doesn’t have to be romantic in order to feel fulfilled. At least not to me it doesn’t,” I stated emphatically.

It drove me up the wall when people thought my life wasn’t full because it didn’t have a man in it. Not that Alana suggested that specifically, but the underlying point had to be made. I wasn’t lacking anything because I didn’t have a man. I was lacking a heaping pile of cash to make all my dreams come true, not a guy.

Alana’s smile turned positively wicked. “Then it seems I have chosen well. You want financial security. I can give you that. It just depends on whether or not you are willing to give up your freedom, and the life you currently live, for the next three years in order to get it.”

“What’s in it for them? Better yet, what’s in it for you? Do you get a cut of my three mil?”

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