Page 27 of Beneath Submission
The first girl in line broke down and began crying. Her behavior caused one of Mr. Sakai’s men to pull her from the line. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to her, but the next girl in line was more than happy to walk onto the stage. It was as though she was in some sort of pageant the way she strutted her stuff, smiling from ear to ear. As I looked up the line, it dawned on me that most of the girls were actually happy to be here.
When we were finally all on the stage, the glare of the lights shining towards us was so blinding that I couldn’t see any of the faces of the men that were seated below. If I hadn’t been nervous enough, my nerves just kicked into overdrive not knowing who would be bidding on me. All I could do was pray that one of the overweight older men wouldn’t win the bid when my turn came up.
~*~*~*~
With the auction almost over, my time was approaching quickly. None of the girls that were sold went for less than ten million dollars. I couldn’t believe the amount of money that was being spent. These men must have been very wealthy to spend that kind of money. There was even a bidder that had purchased two girls.
Trying hard not to break down, my turn had arrived. Stepping forward, as instructed, I made a full turn and waited for the bidding to start. The room fell silent other than the chatter among the men. When the bidding finally began there were only two men that were fighting for me. I could tell by the cracking in their voices that they were old. This was the last thing that I wanted. The only thing I could think about was Mr. Milford and the way he smelled whenever I had an appointment with him.
The bid had inflated within a matter of minute between the two men to fifteen million dollars. My heart fell to my stomach knowing that no other man would be bidding on me, especially considering how high the bid had gone. There was a once, twice… and my chest tightened knowing that soon it would be over. My destiny had been bought and soon the highest bidder would have fifteen minutes with me. I knew I could have acted out, but then I would chance ending up with a different outcome all together.
Holding my breath as I waited for Mr. Sakai to say, “Sold,” another man joined in, upping the bid to twenty million. I must have been going crazy or wanted so badly not to be bought by either of these men that I could have sworn that I recognized the voice. Maybe it was just the thought of never seeing Xavier again that had me thinking it was his voice that I had heard.
When Mr. Sakai finally said, “Sold for twenty million,” I was ushered off the stage by one of his men and led down the stairs located on the other side of the stage. When he opened the door, there was yet another hallway with several doors blanketing each side. Entering the last door on the left, I was left with my thoughts as the door closed behind me.
When the door finally opened, I couldn’t do anything but stare at the wall opposite the door. I didn’t want to see who my new owner would be. It was a defiant move, but the minute he said, “Tessa, turn around,” my heart bled for the sound of that voice. I immediately turned to face the door and everything that I had prayed for had finally come true.
