Page 16 of Stepbrother Obsessed

The massive slab swings open, and I step into a small room. It’s dark inside, and I blink at first, trying to let my eyes adjust.

“Welcome, Miss Linwood,” a well-modulated female voice greets. I turn and see a woman in a suit, with an iPad in hand. “I’m Amanda,” she says. “I’ll be helping you prepare for the auction.”

“Oh, I’m ready,” I say quickly. “I’ve already signed the non-disclosure and confidentiality waivers. I submitted my medical reports too.”

Amanda’s laugh tinkles in the air.

“Perfect,” she hums. “But there’s more. We want you to look ravishing, not that you aren’t already,” she adds in a quick tone. “But we have professional hair and make-up artists on staff, and they’re here to transform you into a vision. Although of course, you already are,” she states again.

I smile warmly.

“Thanks,” I say. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had my hair and make-up done. It’ll be nice to turn myself over to professionals.”

Then, I’m whisked to a lavish beauty salon within the building. Where am I? I thought I was at a middling hotel in downtown Vegas, but it seems that there’s an entire secret world hidden behind the unglamorous façade because the spa we enter is top-tier and exclusive, with a hushed luxury that only piles of money can buy.

“Welcome,” a chirpy attendant in a white uniform greets. “We’re here to get you ready, Miss Linwood. Can I offer you some tea? Or some fresh fruit?”

My stomach growls a bit, and I nod.

“Sure, or maybe a granola bar, if you have it?”

She nods with excitement.

“Oh yes. We can order anything from the hotel menu that you like. An entire sirloin steak, if you want!”

I laugh softly.

“No, I don’t think I’ll fit into this dress if I eat steak,” is my wry reply. “Just a granola bar is fine, thanks.”

“I’ll order both,” the attendant laughs. “And some green tea and a few desserts, just in case you change your mind.”

Then, the pampering begins and I’m cosseted to within an inch of my life. Not only is my hair cut and styled, but every part of me is depilated, including my most intimate bits. I gasped when they began heating the gooey wax.

“That’s for my eyebrows, right?”

The spa attendant hummed.

“Yes, but also for down there,” she said meaningfully, eyeing my pelvic area. “It’s fine,” she assured me. “It won’t hurt that much, and we do it for all the girls.”

My jaw snapped shut because of course, I’m not special. I’m not the only woman who’s ever been sold in these environs. I’m only the latest in a parade of women to be auctioned to a rich man willing to pay the price for a night of no-strings sex. In fact, the word “sex” makes my spine stiffen because that’s all it’s going to be. Sure, I’ll be expected to be coy, flirtatious, and playful, but it’s just something physical in the end because that’s the whole point. These men don’t want an entanglement. They just want access to my curves, in exchange for a boatload of money.

I grit my teeth, suddenly sober. I’d felt a bit like Cinderella being pampered for a palace ball, but reality’s come crashing down with a solid thunk. I’m a whore, and there are no two ways about it. They’ve decked me out in a slinky gown that shows more than it conceals, the fabric so filmy it’s almost transparent. My hair falls in loose curls over my shoulders, and glittery, crystal platform heels adorn my feet. Yes, they’re stripper shoes ... because I’m here to be sold like a hooker on the street.

What’s become of you, Kristie?the voice in my head cries.Why are you demeaning yourself like this?

But I clamp down my doubts while gritting my teeth because this is for Riley. I’ll do anything to put food on the table for my son, even if it means auctioning my body again and again to rich men who will use my curves indiscriminately. My soul shrivels, and I gasp with sudden pain because I wish Nick were here. I wish the powerful physician would swoop in to save me from this horrific fate. Yet as I wait backstage, I know my dreams of a hero are nothing but that – an impossible dream.

8

Nick

Itry to relax in the plush booth.

“So what are we waiting for?” I ask my father through a clenched jaw. Steve smiles, his teeth almost glowing in the low lights of the sconces.

“The girls, of course,” he states. “Quite a few ladies are going to be auctioned tonight, and the club assures me that they’re of the highest quality. Top tier, and some even untouched.”

I stare at him.

---