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I glared at him, but he paid it no mind, ordering me to strip on the stage. Though I'd known it was coming, my cheeks were alight with embarrassment as I pulled the belt off my silky pink robe. The crowd stared, the bright lights above me blinding as I slowly slid the robe over my shoulders.
This is what I was good at—it's why I'd wanted to be a dancer my entire life. I had the presence, the mysterious je-ne-sais-quoi so many others were missing. And I believed in myself passionately, despite the entire world attempting to convince me that I wasn't good enough.
It was why I was standing on that stage, after all. To be sold to the highest bidder. To receive money in exchange for my body. It would make all my dreams come true.
My body swayed to the sound of music only I could hear. Through the bright stage lights, my gaze flitted from one person in the audience to the next, trying to find a face to settle on. They were all men—older, suited-up men with unforgiving faces and hungry eyes devouring my now naked body. My hands slid down the generous curve of my waist, fingertips gliding over silky soft skin. Just then, my eyes zeroed in on a man in the third row, wearing a grey pinstripe suit with a black shirt and a black tie underneath.
His dark gaze was enough to make me stop for a single second, frozen by the weight of his stare. He was handsome in a cruel way, all sharp lines and the dark shadow of stubble that never quite went away. Dark salt-and-pepper streaked hair was slicked back, shaved closely on the sides and longer on top. He was devilishly handsome. And he screamed danger.
The robe fell to my feet as the audience watched, mesmerized. I danced for the man watching me and no one else. My body twisted and turned for him, my eyes glued to his as he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat.
He raised his paddle.
Every person's head snapped toward him.
"A hundred thousand," he said in a deep, gravelly voice.
"A hundred thousand!" the auctioneer repeated. "Do we have a higher bid?"
"Hundred fifty!" someone yelled from the crowd as I stood shivering in front of them. I was eager to cover up, my hands trembling, needing to retain some dignity. But I forced myself to keep my hands crossed at the wrists behind my back.
"Two hundred thousand." The handsome man was still staring at me, his eyes devouring my body.
"Three hundred," came the bid from a third man.
"Five hundred thousand."
The crowd gasped at the amount of money, but the stranger I'd fixated on wore a cool, unforgiving smile. He was in this to win it, and something told me he wasn't used to losing.
The bids kept coming. Finally, there were two men left bidding for me, the numbers getting closer and closer to one million dollars. I would get ten percent of that money. It was shocking how little they were willing to let me have, but to me, that amount of money was life changing.
"Seven hundred fifty thousand pounds."
The crowd wasn't even muttering anymore, they were whooping, cheering the handsome man on. The other man, an older guy in his fifties with a head of thick silver hair, grimaced and shook his head.
"Seven hundred fifty going once," the auctioneer spoke up. "Seven fifty going twice. Sold, to the highest bidder!"
My legs nearly gave out as I picked my robe off the floor. With my cheeks burning, I didn't dare look at the man who'd just spent a fortune for a single night with me. I wondered whether he knew the small amount of money I'd receive from the sale. I wondered whether he cared.
I slid the robe back on my shoulders and made my way into the backstage, where the next girl was already being prepped. I was in a daze, barely aware of my surroundings as I was escorted to the changing room. Before the auction began, they told us we'd be allowed an hour to prepare for our night with the highest bidder, but now, a rattled woman with a clipboard in her hands ran toward me, knitting her brows together.
"We need you in front of the building now," she barked at me.
"What? I was told I'd have an hour to get ready."
She fixed her headset and shook her head. "Mr. Kline wants you right now. There's no time for that. Tie up your robe and follow me."
With shaky hands, I redid the bow at my hip, covering up my body with the pink silk as I followed the woman outside. It was December first, and as I stepped into the chilly winter night, I trembled from the cool air and the hint of snow in the icy air.
