Page 48 of Lexi, Property of Rhyder

Buzzes begin to sound, and the men’s tables light up with a number displayed in front of it. My eyes can’t move fast enough as the buzzers sound all around the room. It seems every man here wants Luscious.

Please, this can’t be happening.

I close my eyes, praying that this all just a dream, but when I open them, the men are still there and still bidding. I lick my dry lips tasting the lipstick, and I despair that they’re exposing me like this. I’m standing here in just a silk negligee and bare feet feeling terribly vulnerable.

“Eight hundred thousand dollars,” the MC says.

I blink at the number displayed on the man’s table in front of me.

“Do we have any other bids?”

“Nine hundred thousand.”

I look further back at the man who just bid, and then the man before him bids again.

“Nine hundred fifty thousand,” is displayed on the screen with the MC announcing the number.

My wide eyes land on the man, and I’m sure I see him smile. It’s hard to see him properly because of the dim lighting.

“Are there any more bids tonight, gentlemen?”

It’s quiet now, and my eyes look around the room. My body’s shaking with the fear at who has purchased me.

What will he do with me?

One man, in particular, stands out as he sits up the front with a cigar in his mouth. He’s wearing a white suit with a black and white hat. He has a black beard, and from what I can tell, dark eyes. A pink handkerchief sits in the front of his breast pocket, and I’d say he’s in his late fifties. His eyes are glued to me, and a chill runs through my body under his glare.

There’s something about him that’s unsettling.

He doesn’t have a table with a buzzer, he’s just sitting there with his ankle crossed over his knee wearing shiny white shoes. He seems important like he has this authority about him.

One lady walks up to him handing him a glass of something, and he transfers his eyes from me to her and runs his hand down her back where he rubs over her butt cheeks.

His eyes then focus back on me as his hand runs up her body to her breasts where he pinches her nipple. The man smirks, and I immediately look away, the image making me feel sick.

I’m relieved when the soldier grabs my arm and walks me off the stage where I am again out of the eyes of these men. Christopher is waiting for me, and I’m handed back to him.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it, Luscious?” he teases and then walks me down another corridor where he opens another door leading to a living room. White carpet on the floor and mahogany furniture decorate the room. A brown leather couch sits in the middle with a grand piano opposite it. A bookshelf surrounds one wall with books that are stacked on every available shelf.

“Take a seat.” Christopher points to the couch, and because of my quivering legs, I don’t argue. I sit and rub my arms immediately feeling the adrenaline draining from my body. Christopher removes his jacket and walks over, placing it around my shoulders.

I shrug it off, not wanting any help from that bastard.

He insists, “Don’t be silly, Lexi. You’re cold. You are only punishing yourself.”

I don’t argue because when he places it back on, the warmth does help. He walks over by the corner to where a tray of alcohol sits and pours himself a glass and then another. Walking toward me with two glasses, he hands me one saying, “Here drink this. It will take the cold out of your bones.”

Again, I don’t argue because right now, I could do with alcohol. Lots of it. I swallow the contents of the glass and right away feel my body heat.

“There you go. Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

I turn to him, anger seeping from every pore of my skin. “Not. So. Bad? Are you talking about the alcohol or what just happened out there?” I ask.

“I think you did quite well, Lexi. You brought in some good money for Mr. Clemente,” he says with pride in his voice.

“Good money? What is wrong with you people? You can’t treat us as objects of possession. We are human beings, not animals. We have a life just like you, and a family who are worried sick about us. You can’t j-just take all that a-away.” My voice cracks a couple of times, and I begin to cry. I place my glass on the table and sob into my hands needing to let out all the fear that’s been building inside of me.

Christopher sits next to me and clutches my hand in his. “Look at me, Lexi.” Something about his voice has my attention, so I do. “You need to listen to me, and you need to listen to me good. You are no longer a woman free to do as she wants. You now go by the name, Luscious, and your only duty is to listen and do as your new owner says.”

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