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The other surprise was the elaborate outfit and makeup she wore. I knew the long-sleeved, embroidered wrap was called a kimono, but I couldn’t think of the term for the painted face I knew was traditional in one of the Asian cultures, and a hint of shame crept in to mingle with the worry and embarrassment.
I turned my gaze away before I got caught staring. There was a small gap in the curtain next to the woman where I could see the girl she’d sent out walking to the center of the stage, and once she’d turned to face the audience, the alpha swung her attention on me.
“So, this is your innocent Blossom.”
Her tone made it clear it wasn’t a question and she knew exactly what my status was, but her German accent was a bit jarring. While she looked me over from head to toe, her gaze was neither sexual, nor judgmental. More like a curious but benevolent cat, eyeing a mouse who dared to sneak out in front of it, but deigning to let it live.
The slight tilt of her painted lips was the only indication of her approval before the weight of her attention moved to Leo.
“Good choice.”
I heard his huff behind me, the heat of his hand still searing my hip since he hadn’t moved it, and nerves surged through me once again.
“Go to the end of the line, keep quiet, and pay attention when I call, Blossom.”
The alpha was a woman used to giving orders, and it was instinct to obey her the same way I did Leo. As I turned to walk past the others arrayed along the curtain, Leo’s fingers slipped from my flesh, and there was a brief flash of regret that he wouldn’t be staying by my side as I’d thought, but I didn’t let it stop me. None of the others had someone standing by to hold their hand through the wait, and I could be as strong as them.
My reflection in the mirror and the undercurrent of excitement I felt from the other girls eased a lot of my tension, and I straightened my shoulders as I took my place at the end of the short line. What I was doing might not be something most girls would agree to, but I was doing it for a good reason. I wouldn’t be in this position if I had other options, but I also didn’t want to torture myself over it, and while there was still a touch of fear lingering in my mind, there was also a secret thrill.
I was being sold to an alpha who would own me for the night. Bid over by strangers, who wanted nothing more than my body. Auctioned to a stranger who would be able to do anything they wanted to me, though the woman who had shown me to the room earlier had explained they weren’t supposed to do anythingdamaging.
Still, these were men who didn’t care about laws or rules.
Fear mingled with arousal, a heady mix my biology made me uniquely prepared for. The touch of one only heightened the other, my body responding the way it had been designed to, and wetting the folds between my legs.
Sucking in deep breaths, I closed my eyes and tried to calm my heart, focusing on the pleasant scents and excited whispers surrounding me. No matter what happened, I would survive, and Leo had assured me that even though I would only receive fifty percent of the amount I sold for, it would be enough to pay my brother’s debt at the least.
I had to hope I wouldn’t have a reason to regret trusting him.
Chapter Ten
Cadence
Somehow, it was already my turn. It had seemed like there was a swarm of women ahead of me in line when I’d arrived with Leo, and it felt like only a few minutes had passed, yet Leo was gone, and so were all the other girls. I was standing in front of the woman I had heard the others call Madame as she brushed my hair behind my shoulders and lifted my head with a finger under the chin.
“You’re a brave girl. You can look at this as a trial to endure, or a new experience to try. The choice is yours. What others think of your decisions never matters in the long run.”
It was as if Madame had seen straight into the tangle in my head and said exactly what I needed to sort it out. I considered her words as she ran her fingers through my hair, the soft tug soothing. I had already accepted what I was doing, and Madame’s words made sense.
Why suffer through what was going to happen when I could try to embrace it instead? It was only one night. Tiny in the grand scheme of things. Easily forgotten if it needed to be.
Exciting, if I ignored the risk of being with a stranger.
“Do you trust me?”
The question caught me off guard, and my brows pinched together as I considered my response. I gave a slow nod as I looked into Madame’s dark eyes. She hadn’t given me any reason not to, and despite being an alpha, she gave off a motherly vibe, as if she cared what happened to the girls she’d sent onstage.
“Turn around.”
I still hesitated for a moment before doing as directed. I felt Madame’s hands on the inside of my elbows, pulling my arms behind my back before something soft wound around them.
Madame started just below the bend of my elbow, working down to my wrists at a surprising speed. It was maybe a minute before I was bound, and Madame turned me to face her again.
“Too tight? Any pain or tingling?”
I tested the binding and shook my head. Although my arms were immobile, the soft rope she had used didn’t pinch, and I wasn’t losing feeling in my hands.
Madame gave a brief smile as she cupped my cheek.
