Page 6 of Purchase Power
Chapter 3
Lucy focused on the woman’s mouth as she explained what happened next. It was the only way to keep her mind from wandering to every nervous possibility after she put herself on display in front of a bunch of strangers she couldn’t see.
“Your buyer,” the assistant manager said, because Lucy truly appreciated the reminder of her relationship to the man who now “owned” her for a month, “will have the option of meeting you tonight or at his earliest convenience. As soon as we have the address of where you’ll be staying, we’ll pass that on to you, as well as any requests or recommendations from your buyer. Congratulations, by the way. That was an impressive number for someone new to the game.”
Lucy bit back a reckless smile. “Impressive for someone who isn’t a virgin or a world class escort?”
The assistant manager stopped scrolling through her tablet long enough to look up at Lucy. “There is room for people in between, of course, as you have proven.”
“So… how much did I earn?” The number hadn’t been shared yet. There were no murmurs down the hallway like there had been for the Domme up for auction.No way I made more than her.
“Although the winner was clear,” the assistant manager said, “I’m still waiting for confirmation on the final bid amount. It seems he put his competitor out of his misery by upping the ante at the last minute, so to speak.”
“Really?”
“Please wait here, Ms. Craig. We shall be right back with some more forms for you to sign and with any word from your buyer.”
“What’s his name?”
The woman stopped halfway to the door. “We prefer to let them introduce themselves. Some would rather you not know their real names.”
That didn’t seem very fair. Lucy was required to present her real name or, barring that, a registered DBA that passed as a name. Which was probably how the Domme named Comtesse von Payne got through the channels.I should have registered a DBA. Come up with some super sexy name for them to call me.What had she been thinking, too, coming out that she was a freelance writer? At the time, she went with the advice that telling the truth was paramount. Besides, calling herself a freelancer might get her some sympathy from potential buyers.
It was too much info, though. Too easy to figure out who she really was, not that she put it past these men to run their own background checks on her as soon as the money was exchanged. That didn’t always just require her real name. Driver’s license. Passport. Social security number…
Billionaires were powerful. Their connections alone could bring down whole governments.
Lucy calmed herself with another deep breath. Soon, someone would return with the final round of NDAs and releases for her to sign. She might find out how much money she earned for shaking her tits at the mirrors and falling over herself laughing from all the anxiety pent up in her one-hundred-forty-pound body.I can’t believe they advertised that…Actually, she did. Why wouldn’t they? They had advertised whether she was a virgin or not, for fuck’s sake.
She wasn’t given much time to stew in her thoughts once the ball was rolling. One after another, somebody came in to have her fill out this form, answer this question, or confirm something on her profile. She knew things were getting personal when a young man with a goatee said, “Your buyer requests that I ask if you’re scared of small and cramped spaces.”
Oh, my God. I’m gonna be kept in a literal closet. Or a cage!At least the writer inside of her salivated at the topical possibilities. The rest of her, however, was regretting this.
Yet optimism prevailed. Lucy would see this through, regardless of who purchased her time and body for a whole month.
She needed that extra deep breath she inhaled. For after the man with the goatee disappeared, she was left to her own imagination for the next ten minutes.
Lucy sat on the edge of the couch in her waiting room when the door flew open and the club manager appeared.
“Thank you for your patience, Ms. Craig. Can I get you more cucumber water?”
“No, thank you.” She didn’t bother to get up. “Do you have actual news for me?”
“Of course. Your buyer has requested to meet with you for a few minutes. He will be along shortly.”
Chills overcame Lucy’s body. She hugged her coat closer to her body, but it didn’t keep that blasted freeze away from her skin. “I see. Thank you.”
“Do let one of us know if you need anything in the meantime. Your comfort is as important as anyone else’s.”
Had he detected the nerves dancing their choreography within Lucy’s gut? Or did she wear them as proudly as one might wear shame upon their cheeks?No point in regrets now. It’s been done. If you break those contracts you signed, you’re on the line for more money than your whole damn life is worth.It was rare for her to have such a cynical thought, but she couldn’t help it. Not with reality crashing down upon her.
She had sold herself to the highest bidder. Her freedom, her life was forfeit for the next thirty days. Whatever this unknown man wanted, Lucy was expected to give him. The fun and flirtations with the unknown were no longer a part of the ether. What in the world had Lucy gotten herself into?
“Congratulations on such a lovely outcome, Ms. Craig. We hope to see you again.” That’s how the man parted from her that night. Lucy never got his name.
Fuck.She slumped forward, arms hanging off her knees and a sigh tickling her spine.Fuck!This was her life. In a few minutes, an old, balding, overweight man either cheating on his wife or too damn lazy to get a girlfriend the old-fashioned way would walk through that door and make a million comments about her body and all the fun they would soon have. Or, if she werelucky,he might be on the younger side of middle-aged and simply a total crazy freak who had to buy his girlfriends to get his kicks. Whatever man purchased her for a month wasn’t simply responsible for her safety and well-being, however. That meant he also had to pay the difference for any medical costs her insurance didn’t cover. Since she had basically aged out of her parents’ insurance a few months ago, Lucy was now at the mercy of state insurance. This guy better have unfathomably deep pockets if he planned on whipping and electrocuting her.What if he’s a choker? Oh, my God, what am I doing?
The door opened. Lucy couldn’t bring herself to look up and face her reality.
