Page 36 of Auctioned Innocence
Her slight nod steadies me.
Seven young women trapped together.
Seven stories.
Seven lives intersecting in this nightmare.
“There.” Madame Rouge steps back, surveying her work like an artist contemplating a canvas. “Remember what we discussed. Grace. Poise. Submission.”
Her blood-red lips curve into what she probably thinks is an encouraging smile. “The merchandise that presents well earns the highest bids. The highest bids mean the most…comfortable futures.”
The threat in her voice is clear.
I’ve seen the welts on Ava’s back from her day of “rebellion.”
I’ve heard the stories Maisie whispered about girls who fought back.
About their “accommodations” afterward.
“Yes, Madame,” I murmur, the words acid in my mouth.
She pats my cheek in a grotesque parody of motherly affection.
“Good girl. Five minutes until the preview begins.”
As soon as she sweeps from the room in a cloud of expensive perfume, I force down the urge to wipe my face clean.
To tear off this wisp of blue silk they’ve put me in.
To scream until my throat bleeds.
Instead, I breathe.
Focus.
Assess the situation. Plan your moves. Stay alive.
Not just for myself, but for the six other women trapped here with me.
“You’re up first,” Maisie whispers, sliding closer under the pretense of borrowing a hairpin. “They always start with the most valuable.”
My stomach turns. “How many…viewers?”
“About thirty. All men. All rich.” Her hands shake slightly as she fusses with her hair. “Don’t make eye contact. Don’t react to anything they say. Just…float. Like none of it’s real.”
But it is real.
Horrifyingly real.
The nightmare I’ve spent my life being protected from, only to end up here anyway.
“There’s a rhythm to it,” Kira adds unexpectedly, her voice low and accented.
She’s moved closer, pretending to adjust her makeup.
“They will look first at your face, then your body, then back to your face. They are assessing whether you are broken yet or if you still need breaking.”
Her perfect English carries no emotion. “Make them think you are exactly what they want—whatever that is.”
