Page 2 of Purchase Power
Perhaps it was the lack of foresight that made it so nerve-wracking.
“Lucy Craig?” One of the large, muscular bouncers in a fitted black suit appeared in the doorway. “Come with me. You’re up.”
Butterflies exploded in her stomach. It didn’t help that, the moment she stepped into the hallway, she saw another woman coming down the hall. Her knee-high boots, the choker around her neck, the violent cut of her black bob and the grin of triumph on her face implied that she had sold herself – and her services – for more than she anticipated.That’s a Domme right there…Lucy had seen enough around New York’s clubs by now to know.Why can’t I have skills like those? Having a man throwing thousands at me to dominate him for a month… shit. Sign me up.
Not that Lucy really knew what that meant, of course. Not yet.
“You must be next,” the haughty Domme said as they passed. “Good luck! The crowd’s hungry and horny tonight. Make hay, sweetie!”
Something swam from the depths of Lucy’s stomach to the outskirts of her heart. Was it fear? Anxiety? How was she to parse her feelings when so much was happening so fast? Should she cast off anything she felt in favor of simply getting through it?
Wasshehungry and horny, too? Even to sell herself to someone who was probably twice her age and ready to treat her like his personal mistress for a whole month?
She was passed off to the manager, who awaited her outside the last door on the left. He looked her up and down, his final inspection passing in a single handful of seconds that Lucy couldn’t count if she tried. Before she could say anything to the man who now held her fate in his grasp, the door opened, and he led her inside.
It was more or less what she expected. A small, cozy room surrounded by mirrors on three sides. A cushioned stool in the center of the room perched atop a raised dais. A coatrack was supplied in the corner, but it didn’t look like it had been used that night. Lucy instinctively placed her hand on top of the knot of her coat as she slunk in behind the club manager and stood on the X taped to the floor of the dais.
“Ladies and gentlemen…” The manager had picked up a wireless mic resting on top of the stool. Only then did Lucy realize that women might be on the other side of the mirrors as well.What if a woman buys me? Oh, my God. That could be interesting!Lucy didn’t get her hopes up, though. Women could be as frightening when given unprecedented power over others. She would know. She had one pseudo-girlfriend under her belt – to go with the single boyfriend she had to call her own. “Thank you so much for your patience.” Ah, shit. Lucy had already forgotten this was happening. Was she fidgeting? Should she fix her hair one last time? How much was she already judged by the people on the other side of her reflection?
“Our next lady is brand-new to the scene, and waiting for the perfect partner to initiate her into our little world. At five-foot-six, a hundred and forty pounds, and sporting a fresh coat of enticingly blond paint, I would like to introduce you to ‘Lucy.’ Please, come forward.”
That was directed at Lucy, who stepped forward with minor trepidation. Everywhere she looked was her reflection, gazing back at her with those same large eyes that she had walked into the club with an hour ago. Her hand remained instinctively on her stomach. Her heels dug into the dais as she leaned back against the stool.How many people are back there, I wonder?Did they sip Chardonnay or knock back glasses of brandy? Were they smoke-filled rooms full of good ol’ boys and their sons? Was Lucy about to be purchased for some eighteen-year-old’s crazy welcome into the world of adulthood?
God, why was she thinking thisnow?
“You will find Lucy’s personal details in the tablets provided.” The manager looked toward the mirrors as if he could see anyone beyond the glass. Anyone beside his and Lucy’s reflections, anyway. “We will begin bidding in exactly one minute. Bids will start at five thousand dollars.”
Five thousand!Five thousand?That was nothing! Not for a whole fucking month! How was Lucy supposed to pay her bills with hercutof five thousand?I thought it would start at twenty, at least.Five thousand implied the minimum increment would be the same amount. What if she didn’t make more than twenty thousand that night? Was that her worth for a month?
Was this really happening?
Was this the time to be having that thought?
“Lucy,” the manager hissed at her, his hand covering the mic. “Work it, please.”
It took her a moment to realize what he meant. She was supposed to walk by the mirrors, show off the goods, and entice the strangers on the other side to bid high and fast. Now was her chance to change to her fate.Entice the best one to win.Whoever that was.
The fact she had no idea what would really happen in the next hour… who would win her at auction… who would utterly own her for the next thirty days… it came crashing down upon her now.
She had to do something, and she had to do it fast.
So Lucy Craig did the only thing she could think of while under so much pressure to seduce strangers she could not see. Strangers who had bought their fair share of beautiful women for one night or more before. She would show them the goods, all right. Starting with opening her coat and exposing her brand-new lingerie set to the insular world she was about to infiltrate.
All for a stupid article. At least she had her priorities straight.
