Page 6 of Auctioned to the Convicts
Crap, that was Griggs’s unit. He’d destroy the woman.
“You were the highest bidder with a bid of only twenty-eight credits,” Dresden said, rather pleased with himself for selling a woman as if she were a box of clothing to be used and discarded by whoever had the credits. “Rather low for a female this young and durable. Griggs, approach the dais to complete the sale and transfer your credits to The Company. Your female awaits you.”
“System’s rigged!” a man shouted from the crowd.
Sersie wished he’d been the one to say it, to have the guts to stand up for her.
Dresden’s smile disappeared. “I don’t know who said that, but you all know the rules. How you use your credits is up to you. If you waste them during the year on non-necessities, then you only have yourselves to blame. It’s the reason most of you are in this position. Waste of Resources. Learn from The Company and be prudent. Maybe next time you’ll have enough credits to buy a woman.”
“The company imports one woman a year here,” another man shouted.
“You know the rules. One winner, one challenge allowed, then the auction is over. Griggs won her. If you want the woman, challenge him. Anyone can issue a challenge, including new arrivals.” Dresden now focused his speech on the group of new men. “The challenge is not to the death. If you kill your opponent, then I lower you to a Level 5 and ship you to Veenith.”
Curses sounded from the crowd. A few men stepped back, less eager. Facing Griggs was bad enough. Taking a chance on being shipped to a Level 5 planet, especially Veenith, scared even some of the deadliest miners in the crowd.
“You want to have this sweet lay? Dresden lifted her dress, flashing bare legs and black lace panties. The woman fought him as inch-by-inch the asshole drew her panties down.
The crowd went wild again. Offers to rent her for the night went up to Griggs but no mention of anyone willing to challenge him.
“Render Griggs unconscious and pay twice what he paid, and she’s yours,” Dresden added, failing to add that those credits went into his account. “You’ll get your money back if you’re smart about how you use her.”
“Sixty credits!” Mathers yelled out.
“Eighty!” Anderson’s hand shot into the air.
“No more bidding! If you want her, challenge Griggs,” Dresden snapped at them, as Griggs ripped her from his hold. “And remember, if you’re wounded or maimed in the challenge, your quota does not change.”
Anderson and Mathers backed down amidst more curses, grumbling, and more offers to rent her.
Hell, hell, hell. Why wasn’t anyone challenging? There were plenty of strong men here who could take Griggs on.
Sersie stepped forward until Farber grabbed his arm. “You’ll never survive. We’ll back you as your unit if you somehow do survive, though. We can take extra shifts to meet your quota, but he’ll shred you, Sersie. And if you’re too banged up to work in that lab of yours, Dresden will toss you down to the mines to work.”
Griggs forced the woman to her knees before him. He grabbed her by her hair and fumbled with the button on his pants. God, Griggs was going to drop his pants right there and force her to suck his cock, in front of everyone!
Sersie took another step until Farber, Thessle, and Oni pulled him back. He didn’t put up a fight. He was no match for Griggs, but still, he couldn’t let the miner destroy her like that.
“You’ll end up on Flight, or worse, Crash, Sersie. Again,” Oni said. “And then Dresden will send you to the mines for sure. You’ll never survive the conditions down there.”
Sersie’s shoulders slumped as he sank back like a coward. Griggs and his unit would brutalize her. Sersie hated himself for giving up, for not finding a way to help her. More than when he’d given in to Rissa.
“No challengers?” Dresden asked as he looked over the crowd.
“I challenge!” a voice yelled out loud and clear from the dais.
Sersie’s head snapped up as the crowd fell completely silent.
“I challenge,” Hannah repeated, as she pushed Griggs away. The miner barely moved. He was a solid wall of muscle after all, which only proved that the woman’s challenge, though admirable and clever, was sheer lunacy. She couldn’t defeat Griggs.
Sersie shot forward, but Thessle, and Oni held him back. “You can’t win her,” Farber said. “She’s a goner. She belongs to Griggs now.”
Sersie surged again, but their hold was too tight. He couldn’t let her challenge Griggs. The man would do more than rape her in front of everyone, he’d beat her mercilessly, break her, cripple her even.
As Sersie opened his mouth to challenge in her place, Farber’s hand clamped down over his mouth. “You’ll thank me later, Sersie. No matter what happens to her, at least you’ll be alive.”
That wasn’t a consolation, not in the least.
Chapter Three
