Page 9 of Selling Innocence

I’d been to auctions before, mostly charity ones when my father had dragged me there to show me off. Those had been loud with plenty of alcohol flowing.

This was nothing like those. An auctioneer stood beside me, speaking into a microphone that echoed out through the large auditorium, but no one yelled back. Instead, a screen above our heads showed numbers and a dollar amount, and the auctioneer would announce that amount—the new winning bid.

It didn’t feel nearly as hectic as the previous ones, somehow more refined. What a ridiculous thing to think, given they were auctioning off people.

“The current bid is five million. We will be closing the auction if no one bids come up in the next ten seconds.” He started to count down, each number feeling like another strike to me.

My life is worth five million?

I almost wanted to laugh at the idea of that. Since Nem had given me all of Dad’s estate, I had access to so much more than that. If only I could buy myself.

The gag in my mouth ensured that even if I wanted to try something like that, I had no chance.

“Three, two, one—” The auctioneer paused, his eyes widening when a new number popped up on the screen. Ten Million. #3529. “It seems we had a last-minute bid,” he said, seeming to gain his footing again.

Why did that shock him, though?

The auctioneer started the countdown again, the numbers coming slower than they had before. This time, when he reached one, nothing changed. He swallowed hard, the action impossible to see from the audience, before flashing a bright, fake smile. “The merchandise goes to number three-five-two-nine for ten million dollars! That concludes our auction tonight. Congratulations to our winners. Please wait in your spot and an accounts manager will come to handle payment, and your merchandise will be delivered to the address you provided once the funds have cleared. For all others, feel free to enjoy the refreshments in the main room.”

The curtain for the stage drew shut, hiding us from the view of the audience.

“What the fuck was that?” the auctioneer snapped before turning toward the side and gesturing for someone standing there to come closer. “How did that happen?”

“I don’t know.”

“I thought this item was settled to go to four-six-five? Did that change?”

The other man shook his head, his eyes wide as though he knew this would fall right on his head. “No. It was supposed to shut off when four-six-five bid five million.”

The auctioneer turned his gaze on me, his eyes narrowed into a clear threat.

“Well, haven’t you turned into quite the problem?”

I backed away, but when I pressed against the bars, I had nowhere else to go.

“What should we do?” the other man asked.

“We can’t change the winner—it would ruin our credibility and the boss would realize something was wrong. Turn the merchandise over to the winners but contact the other client and let them know that a mistake occurred. We can try to smooth things over and possibly connect the two clients to make their own deal as well.” The auctioneer rubbed his temples as though this had turned into a difficult day for him.

Which I might have laughed at if I were braver. I was pretty sure I was having a far worse day, after all.

The auctioneer tsked softly, as though I were a nuisance for him, then turned his back on me. He spoke once more to the other man, waving his hand dismissively. “Get her ready and send her out. We will deal with the rest later.”

“Yes, sir.”

Which meant I really had gotten sold like property, and I was getting turned over to whoever had just paid ten million dollars to own me.

This wasn’t going to go well…

* * * *

My wrists ached from the cuffs. I’d tried not to move too much, not to pull at them or irritate my skin anymore, but their tightness meant they chafed no matter what.

The car hit a bump as it turned, the momentum toppling me to the side. I fell against a solid body, but I couldn’t see because of the blindfold that now covered my eyes.

Strong hands shoved me back upright as though I were just property. It was how everyone had treated me thus far. None of the people I’d dealt with had been unkind or rough. It felt like people working at a store, where they didn’t want to harm the merchandise but didn’t see it as important, either.

The car slowed, and I held my breath as I waited to see if this was it. We’d stopped many times, but none had been the final destination. This time, however, the engine turned off.

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