AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My mind spirals. None of the other servers seem particularly worried, but that doesn’t stop me from freaking out internally. This better not be some creepy cult sex trafficking thing, because it’s definitely giving off that vibe. I glance toward the exit. Could I leg it out of here before the auction line up gets to me?Shit.I still haven’t gotten paid, though.
I make a mental note to berate the hell out of Charlotte when I get home.
IfI get home.
There are five of us in line. I don’t have much time to escape. If only I could find an opening that didn’t require me elbowing past a bunch of dicks and boobs—officially the weirdest thought to ever cross my mind.
“This is Johnny,” Priscilla says, introducing the server on the other end of the line. “He’s an EMT by day and waiter by night. I’m sure he has many interesting stories to share. Let’s start the bid at five thousand.”
A particularly horny lady near the back of the room lifts her hand. Someone raises the bid to six. The first woman offers seven. The back and forth continues until the bidding war comes to an end.
“Fifteen thousand,” Priscilla announces with glee. “You can make your check out to the Priscilla Kelp Foundation. Thank you very much for supporting the creative endeavors of inner-city youth.”
The next server, a model with gorgeous blonde locks and vibrant green eyes, earns well over double. The one after that manages to bring in only eight. I’m strangely embarrassed for him. It’s by no means a low sum, but compared to the others?
It occurs to me with increasing alarm that my turn is quickly approaching. My stomach twists into knots. Oh,God. What if the same thing happens to me? What if nobody wants to shell out that kind of cash? I mean, I wouldn’t exactly blame them. A sane person wouldn’t dole out thousands of dollars for an hour-long conversation, to which I probably have nothing to contribute. Yet the longer I think about it, the more humiliated I feel. I don’t want anybody to bid on me because I’m not a piece of meat, but I think I’d also be mortified if they didn’t.
I suck in a sharp breath, dizzy and shaking uncontrollably. This whole scenario is ridiculous. Priscilla Kelp is a fucking hack and hypocrite. She claims she wants us to see we’re all human, yet here she is, having one group place value on another like we’re nothing more than cattle. Doesn’t she see the irony? I don’t give a shit if it’s in the name of art. I’ve never felt more dehumanized.
“And this is…” Priscilla walks up to me, places a hand on my shoulder. My entire body is rigid. “Sorry, dear. What was your name again?”
I swallow hard, my mouth unbearably dry. “Charlotte,” I lie. There’s no way in hell I’m giving out my real name. Besides, this was supposed to be Charlotte’s gig.
“Charlotte,” she says with a dramatic wave of her hand. “Tell me, what’s your day job?”
I don’t want to answer. Hell, I don’t even want to be here. My first instinct is to tell the truth, but then I think against it. Nobody hereactuallywants to get to know me. Even if I did, I refuse to give out personal information. I decide to make something up on the spot.
“I’m an OnlyFans model,” I say, my words burning with my indignation. I feel like being brash, crass. Screw these high society snobs and their weird naked parties and their fake altruistic causes. I’ll really give them something to talk about. Hopefully I can freak these assholes out enough to leave me the hell alone, then I can pick up Charlotte’s paycheck and be on my merry way.
“An… OnlyFans model?” Priscilla echoes. “I’m not too sure what that is.”
“Feet pics,” I continue unapologetically. I can tell I’m ruffling a few feathers by the way the party guests murmur to one another, sharing scandalous comments and whispers. “I sell feet pics to anonymous people online to pay my bills. Sometimes I masturbate on camera and sell the video.”
“Oh my, that’s—”
“You know how it is. Life’s hard sometimes, but I’m tenacious. Sex work is still work, after all.”
Somewhere in the back of the room, I hear a man laugh. It’s a deep voice, rich and loud, though the room is too dim for me to pinpoint his exact location. My cheeks burn bright red. I don’t think I want to know who’s laughing at me, either way.
“Well, that’s… interesting,” Priscilla says with an uncomfortable chuckle. “Uh… We’ll begin the bid at one thousand. Any takers?”
The silence that follows makes me want to crumple up in a ball, but I refuse to let these people see me break. I’ve made them uncomfortable. Good. Still, there’s no denying the sting of having people think I’m not worth a measly grand. They’ve been shelling out top dollar all evening, and my time isn’t even wortha fractionof the other models?
Screw them.
“Ten thousand,” a man’s voice cuts through the quiet.
My heart skips a beat. Ex-fucking-scuse me? Ten thousand, even after the stunt I just pulled? I almost roll my eyes. Do these rich pricks really have nothing better to do than throw their money away?
“Eleven,” someone else chirps. It’s a woman this time.
“Fifteen,” a different man announces.
Uh oh.Please don’t tell me they’re about to start a bidding war.My fake backstory was supposed to scare them off, but when I scan the faces of the crowd, all I see is intrigue. I really shouldn’t have mentioned something as lewd as masturbating for money. I sincerely hope they don’t think they’re going to geta show. Dear God, I really shouldn’t have said anything at all. I knew they were a bunch of eccentric freaks. My plan backfiredhard.
“Twenty!”
“Forty!”
