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We enter another office, much grander than the one I came from. I gather this one belongs to Kane and the one Shawn and Sam are in is Joseph’s. Kane waits for me, leaning against his large table, Toby still in his arms. He nods to the men who release their hold before exiting the room, the door closing and a lock clicking behind them.
It’s just the two of us, watching each other in the stony, silent room, a blanket of regret hanging over us.
I get the feeling this isn’t how it was meant to play out and now, our relationship, or whatever it’s to be called, has taken a turn neither of us expected. Kane included.
He places a sleeping Toby on the leather chair and folds his arms.
“For the record, I never meant to hurt you,” he starts.
“But you have.”
“My business doesn’t affect who I am as a person.”
“Of course it does. Trafficking women is not only illegal, it’s morally incomprehensible.”
“Those women aren’t trafficked, Blythe. Every single one of them is here by their own free will.”
“Even the girls who appear drugged?”
“Your husband explained this to you, and he was telling the truth. We offer them something to ease their nerves.”
“I would like to believe you, Kane. Trust me, I would. But I simply cannot believe that women would be willing participants in having themselves auctioned off.”
“Our men are simply looking for a woman who’s capable of providing the type of unique companionship that meeting a girl from a bar cannot provide.”
“Like what?”
“Our clients prefer their relationships a certain way. Ways that often break from convention and border on taboo. They can’t openly live these lifestyles without facing backlash from the general public.”
“That’s because the general public wouldn’t agree to human auctions.”
“Maybe you’re right. They wouldn’t agree. Which is why there’s a strong marketplace.”
Things are not making sense.
“Why not just set up an exclusive matchmaking company instead? Isn’t that what you essentially claim to be doing?”
“And perhaps that would be the more socially acceptable way of doing business, but as I said, my clients live particular lifestyles, some are very public figures who hold high-paying, high ranking positions. Some want to live a separate life on the weekends to the one they live during the week. Either way, these men, and women, who hold such wealth want assurance of their anonymity and be able to participate in an environment that’s safe. The girls your husband selected to be a part of this have their own objectives. They’re told of the scenario… rich man seeking companionship, must be willing to indulge their sexual fantasies and feed their appetites. No one is harmed and both parties are consensual. We use the auction method because money to these clients is nothing. They don’t blink an eye at wasting it. They work hard. They play hard. And fuck hard. It really is as simple as that.”
“And you figured my husband would want a part in all this?”
“He’s here, isn’t he?”
Arrogant fucker.
“He’s here because you sold him a dream, but left out the details that involved auctioning women. Once you had him by the balls financially, you were able to drag us all in.”
“Not true, Blythe. If you recall, I didn’t want you anywhere near here. This is not your world. You found yourself in this position with your own persistence.”
“You held my husband to ransom, fully aware of what it was doing to him. Fully aware of what it was doing to our marriage. When I thought it was me he couldn’t stand looking at, it was him. He couldn’t stand looking at himself because you were blackmailing him, forcing a good man to do things like recruit vulnerable women to be sold, while it slowly killed him on the inside. Blackmailing Shawn that if he ever told me about your dirty little secret and his coerced involvement, you would destroy us both.”
“Your husband was hardly coerced.”
“My husband was completely unaware of his role until he was already in too deep. Too deep that if he ever got exposed, he’d risk losing everything. So, you may have made an effort to keep me away, but I became involved the day you reconnected with my husband and took our money.”
“The contribution Shawn made is just drop in the ocean.”
“So, if you didn’t need him financially, why did you get him caught up in this mess?”
He hesitates to answer, his gaze penetrating deep into my tormented soul. “I told you from the very beginning, Blythe. Shawn has always wanted everything I have. But I’ve only ever wanted the one thing he would never let go. You.”
I feel a blow to my heart. “You’ve taken everything from us, all so you could get… to me?”
He nods and in his own fucked up rationale, Kane Alexander has a love for me I will never understand.
