Page 50 of Purchase Power
Lucy pulled a comb out of her clutch and futzed with her hair. “I think I might know what’s going on with you two,” she said. “Weren’t you one of the girls who auctioned off her virginity?”
Kelsey hesitated before putting her lipstick away. “Yes. Unfortunately, I could still do it again and not be selling false goods.”
So they still haven’t done it yet…It wasn’t Lucy’s place to judge, considering whatshehad done. Nor was it the point to suss out how much money David paid for Kelsey’s body and company. Although Lucy was mighty curious.Howmuch could a woman sell her virginity for? Especially since thewholeconcept was completely arbitrary and didn’t actually mean a thing at all. Lucy had written articles about that, too!
“I get the impression that Mr. Hayes didn’t know that’s what he was getting. He was drunk, after all,” Lucy said.
“Very much so. I’ve offered more than once to dissolve our contract and refund the deposits. He’d still lose the fees to the club, but I can’t in good conscience… I suppose I should back up. You see, he doesn’t feel right going through with it. Or so he says. Meanwhile, he’s used up a quarter of his allotted time with me and hasn’t done more than brush up against me and tell some silly stories.”
“Have you… tried seducing him?” Lucy ventured to ask.
Kelsey was now redder than the blood pumping color to her cheeks. “I really don’t know how. This whole time I assumed… honestly, I was assured… that whatever man bought my virginity would take complete control of the situation. That was part of the appeal, I guess.”
“Maybe he would be more comfortable if you came on to him. Assuming you want to.”
Lucy couldn’t read the expression on Kelsey’s face to save her life.How do you read expressions in this upper echelon of society, anyway?Seemed impossible. Everyone always had something to hide. Those with money and power especially had shit to keep beneath the surface. Lucy should consider it an honor she got this much information out of Kelsey already.
“I don’t know what I want, honestly.” Kelsey pushed her hair away from her face, studying her own visage. “I had so much decided for me until a couple of years ago.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, I…” She looked away. “You don’t want to hear this. You don’t even know me.”
Jesus. Here’s a girl who could use a friend.Lucy was in no position to be Kelsey’s friend, though. How could she be? Lucy was about as viable in this social sphere as Noah was in hers.As soon as I open my big mouth, she’s going to see me for the low-class loser I really am.Yet she couldn’t deny that sad look in Kelsey’s eyes as she washed her fingers and tossed the trash into the can next to the mirrors.
“I don’t mind. Maybe I can help.”
Kelsey looked askance at her. It wasn’t enough to brighten the mood, but it was enough to quell some of Lucy’s worries that she had pushed too hard. “My situation isn’t exactly normal,” she said. “You’re much more worldly than I am. Lucy, was it?”
“Yes. Not Lacey. That’s my sister.” The awkward chuckle fluttering from Lucy’s mouth did nothing to help her imposter syndrome. Oh, well. “She calls me Luce. Sometimes, she calls me ‘Loosey Luce.’” She cleared her throat. “Sorry.”
“You sound like you have a very nice relationship with your sister. I wish I had a sister.” Kelsey took her purse over to one of the lounge chairs. She sat down, fixing her skirt like a woman might check her fingernails or readjust her bust. “I only have an older brother. He’s the head of the family now. My parents… well, they’re the reason I’m in this predicament.”
Lucy joined her in an adjacent chair. The thought that they might check in with their sugar daddies didn’t even cross her mind. “Really?” She wished she had a pen and notepad. Not that she was putting Kelsey on the record. More like she wanted to keep every juicy detail in her memory.You know, in case I have to reference it for my article.“What happened?”
“I won’t go into details about what my family does,” Kelsey said, “but my father was very powerful. My brother has the potential to become as powerful, too. The women in my family… we’re raised to obey the head of the household. That included my mother, who watched my every move on my father’s behalf. She had to ensure my purity for my future husband.”
This couldn’t be real. Lucy looked around the restroom to make sure she wasn’t being pranked. “Yeah, sure. Go on.”
“You see, I was arranged to marry into another very old-fashioned family. They had an eldest son only a few years older than me, so it was easy for my parents to arrange. This family were also, I suppose you could say,frenemieswith my father. The man who was to be my father-in-law had been in the same fraternity as my father and did a lot of business with him. But they were also rivals in some of the same industries. Marrying his son to me was supposed to secure a long-term alliance instead of eventually descending into financially ruinous chaos.”
“How oldareyou, anyway?”
Kelsey’s eyes widened. “Twenty-one. This was arranged when I was a little girl. I spent my whole adolescence preparing for the day I would marry my future husband, right around this time, I suppose.” She chuckled. “Don’t worry. I still went to school and had hobbies and friends. I just wasn’t allowed to date. At all.” The chuckles were gone now. “Not only did my mother want to make sure I didn’t have sex of any kind –anykind – but she told me it was futile falling in love with someone I wouldn’t be able to have because I was already promised to another.”
“It’s your life…”
“Yes. And I wanted to help my family.”
Lucy was still agog by this information.This exists? This happens?Here she was, thinking her situation was as crazy as it got among the rich. “How did you end up… you know… with Mr. Hayes?”
“Long story short,” Kelsey said with a sigh, “my parents died, we lost most of our fortunes, and the engagement was called off. My brother is hard at work trying to piece everything together again. He told me that while I wasn’t wanted for my marriage anymore, there were still ways for me to use my purity to bring some fortune back to the family.”
Lucy gasped. “He didn’t!”
“Yes…” Kelsey couldn’t look Lucy in the eye. “This is my brother’s arrangement. He was the one who auctioned me off a week ago. He said it didn’t matter if I lost my virginity now, but we should still capitalize off it.”
“That’s… terrible. I’m so sorry.” Lucy reached across the gap between their chairs, intent on taking Kelsey’s hand.
