Page 36 of The Ties We Break

“Look, Dec, believe me when I say I don’t want to do this, but I have to. My word is final. Understand?”

“Perfectly, but we will readdress this at a later date. I’m not sure I can continue being a manager if you are willing to let your important friends interfere. This man is a danger to women, and I have always prided myself in ensuring that the members of the club are safe and they can let loose without fear of attracting attention from the wrong person. The idea that we are letting in the wrong people not only disgusts me but also scares me on behalf of our members. So, I will honour your word for this auction, but afterwards, we need to have a meeting about the direction of this club,” I say firmly, glad that Desmond is on the other end of the phone and not standing in front of me. I’ve seen him shoot people for saying less.

“Understood. And Declan…do not stop Mr Lalor from bidding on the girl. He has my consent.” Before I can even reply, he hangs up the phone. I want to call him back and ask, what about Belle’s right to safety? I know better than to aggravate him any more than he already is right now.

I place my phone back in my bag before I stand up and throw the boxing glove in my hand as far as it will go. A hoarse, inarticulate scream rips from my body, drawing the attention of everyone in the club as I fall back down to sit on the ring floor. Kian shouts at the people around the ring, gawking at me, telling them to mind their own business and there’s nothing to see. Then he sits beside me, and I regale him with the conversation I just had. After a tirade of swear words, he finally settles down and tries to calm me down. He assures me that we can sort this out and that he has a plan, but I don’t want to hear it. The auction is tomorrow, and we have no time for plans.

After much deliberation between the two of us, we decide not to tell Belle about Guy. She will find out tomorrow at the auction, and I know she will be mad at me, but if I tell her now, it will only cause her stress and worry. I just hope that one of the other people who have expressed an interest in Belle can outbid that creep. Either that or I may need to start considering murder.

Kian comes home with me for the rest of the night, clearly not trusting me to be alone. I have to admit I’m tempted to go to Guy's house and make sure he isn’t able to attend tomorrow to place a bid, but Kian reminds me of Desmond’s words. We may not like Guy, but he has people in high places, and until Desmond doesn’t need them, we have no choice but to go along with it. All I can do is wait for the big event tomorrow and see what happens.

The night of the auction rolls around pretty quickly. I received my participation pack, so I know roughly what to expect. Thankfully, Sian decided to put her name down too, mainly as moral support for me, but also because she spends far too much money on clothes and her parents have warned her that her allowance is getting cut soon.

Walking into the club when it’s closed feels so different. Whilst the waitstaff still have on their skimpy outfits and are moving tables and chairs around as they polish them, everyone else who is mingling is wearing casual clothes. The instructions said we should get changed here, as we need to have our outfit approved, and they may provide us with one if needed. Sian picked out my outfit, and besides trying it on for size with a blindfold on, she hasn’t let me see it. She wants it to be a surprise. I don’t know why she is making such a big deal; she knows how much I’m dreading this anyway. Once I do this, there is no going back. Any chance I had with Declan goes out the window along with my virginity.

Jasmine takes to the stage that appears to have been made much more extensive, and a long catwalk attached to it stretches out into the crowd. She talks through some instructions, and I try my best to take them in, but really my head is bobbing around, assessing each person, trying to find Declan. My heart calls for him, and I ache being so close yet so far.

We are all allocated one of the exhibition rooms to change in, and following Jasmine's instructions, I go to the viewing section of room six. All the curtains have been closed to ensure everyone gets privacy. Once she’s got everyone else into their rooms, Jasmine returns to mine, only to find I’m still standing frozen in the exact spot where she left me. I’m doing my deep breathing exercises and trying my best not to panic.

“Hey…Rose. Are you okay? Come here, babe,” she says as she pulls me to the sofa.

“I’m just a bit nervous. It’s not long now.” My voice echoes and cracks like I’m a scared child.

“I promise you will be fine. I’m sorry I can’t stay with you longer, the bidders have just been let in. They will get a talk about auction protocols, and then after that, the general members will be allowed to enter to watch. Then you will all be brought out as a group so the bidders can see who they want to bid on, and then the auction begins. So get yourself ready, and someone will be in shortly to check on your outfit.” Before she can fully finish the sentence, she opens the door, waving to me as she shouts goodbye and closes the door behind me.

By the sound of it, things will move pretty quickly from here on out, despite me being the last damn person to be auctioned off. So, I focus on that, telling myself that it won't be long and the auction will be over. But, no matter how much I try to end things there, my brain seems intent on reminding me that I still have the actual night with the winner to endure yet. Fuck, why am I doing this?

I focus on my breathing, trying to ignore thoughts of my mum and how much she wanted me to follow my dreams and live the life she never got a chance to, but I know she would be ashamed of me for doing this. I could try thinking about Declan, but that’s a fucking car crash too, so I simply think about my breathing while I get dressed.

Looking in the mirror, I want to legitimately murder Sian. I know my outfit—if you can fucking call it that—follows the rules, but it’s so not me. She picked out a bright yellow string bikini. Two small triangles cover my nipples, although only just, as the flimsy pieces of string tie around my neck and my back. I make sure to tighten it to prevent any movement, which pulls my breasts up higher, displaying a considerable amount of underboob. I will be lucky to get through this night without a nip slip.

Next, I take in the matching bikini bottoms that are just as bad. A large yellow patch that only just covers my pussy and my ass. If I had any pubes, the top of them would show; that’s how low this thing sits. As I tie the minute pieces of string at either side, I realise they are a little longer because they are intended to be worn hooked over the hips. I can’t even imagine what purpose wearing it like this serves. Well…I didn’t know until I looked at myself in the mirror. The small piece of fabric that covered my ass is now pulled so tight it has been engulfed by my asscheeks, causing it to look like a thong. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, I noticed the yellow material left nothing to the imagination. Not only are my nipples clearly on display, but if I get even the slightest bit wet, that’s me done for. It will be on display for all to see, and I will die of humiliation.

Thankfully, I also found a short, silky yellow robe in my bag, which I admit is beautiful when I put it on. It’s the sort of thing you would use to entice a man, not to wear in front of a club full of people. Still, it’s better than the bikini, if we are still calling it that.

A knock on the door pulls me out of my thoughts, and as I shout, “Come in!” my heart races with anticipation that it could be Declan. So, when Ryan, the barman, enters the room with a small smile, my heart starts to sink.

“Hi, Isabelle. Shit, I’m supposed to call you Rose. I don’t know if you remember me. My name’s Ryan. I’m here to make sure your outfit meets regulations.” He sounds a bit shy and stumbles over his words as a blush creeps up his cheeks when he finishes talking.

Holding my arms out to indicate the robe, I do a slow turn before gently slipping the robe off and continuing to circle. When I finally make it all the way around again, I lift my eyes only to find he has averted his, and his cheeks are now a tomato shade of red.

“Perfect. The only thing I need to check is what shoes you will be wearing?” he asks, looking around for something other than the ratty, well-worn Converse currently sitting beside my bag.

Reaching into the bag Sian gave me, I pull out some strappy, silver stilettos covered in diamantés. They are ridiculously high, which is why I’m not in them just yet, and I explain this to Ryan, making sure to let him know they are torture devices, and I would rather be in them for as little time as possible. He laughs at my rant but confirms that they are acceptable. He tells me to get ready and put them on as I will be going out to face the crowd in a couple of minutes. I agree and as he leaves, closing the door behind him, I throw the robe back on and put on the shoes. I don’t know who was more embarrassed by that experience, Ryan or me.

It’s not long before we are all called and told that there will be just fifteen minutes for us to mingle around the room. It’s our job to try and get the attention of those we want to win us and persuade them to pay as much as possible. It felt a bit like we were trying to advertise ourselves, but I decided there was no point in hounding people. There’s only one person I want to bid on, and he can’t. So, if people come and talk to me, I will be pleasant, but that is all.

After what seems like a lot longer than fifteen minutes, I feel like I have talked to every man in the room. They nearly all like the idea of taking someone’s virginity. A couple of people asked me to change some of my hard limits so they could bid on me, but obviously, I refused. Don’t get me wrong, they all seemed friendly enough guys, except maybe one or two, but none of them was him.

Just as they are about to call time for us to return to our rooms, I feel a tight grip on my arm. I turn around to shout and tell the person they are not allowed to touch me, until I see who it is, and I freeze. What the hell is Guy doing here?

“Hello, Rose. You look lovely in that little bikini. I’m going to love ripping that off later.” His voice is firm and demanding. Given how hard he is gripping my arm right now, I know he has no problems hurting women.

“You shouldn’t be here. You aren’t allowed to bid on me!” I shout, as I pull my arm out of his grasp, using my other hand to rub over the sore spots to diminish the pain.

“That’s where you are wrong. See, I told the big boss man it was all a misunderstanding. That you really wanted what was happening between us and that Declan interrupted us in a fit of rage brought on by jealousy. After I threatened to go to the Gardai, Mr Doughty quickly allowed me to bid on you, and I promise you, I will win.” He leans over, whispering that last line in my ear, and he literally couldn’t sound any more creepy if he tried.

“I think it’s time for Belle to return to her room. Would you like me to escort you?” asks Kian as he cuts in between Guy and me. A bright, dimpled, cocky smirk is spread across his face and compared to the rage on Guy’s face. I’m quick to agree.

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