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I close the curtain and turn to Aurora and Cindy, hoping they’ll offer good advice.
“I shouldn’t be here. That argument I heard with my brothers earlier, I’m messing everything up.”
“No, you can’t leave. You’ve been so excited about this.” Aurora and her cheery demeanor can barely break through my nerves. The announcer’s voice booms over the PA system, rattling me to the core.
“You have to go,” Cindy says. “You’re first.”
The key issue here is that if I don’t go first, Cindy will be. She was clear that she didn’t want to be first or last. She wanted to be sandwiched safely in the middle.
“I don’t think I can go through with it. Mark’s going to cause a scene. If I just leave, we can pretend like none of this ever happened.”
“Think of the women’s shelter,” Aurora says.
“I’m sure you two will raise enough.”
“And you don’t want to be a part of that?”
She knows how to get at me. My stepmom is really big on fundraising, and I’m trying to be more of an adult and emulate her selfless actions. Even though, for the most part, I could never be like her. But that’s one thing she gets right.
The door slams and adrenaline spikes through me that it’s Mark. It’s not.
“What are you doing here, Wendy? Aren’t you getting married today?”
We’re not close friends and I heard it was going to be a small ceremony. Who knows, I might have gotten the date wrong. She’s in sweats so that’s no help. But her frantic expression hints that she might have bigger problems than I do.
As she wrings her hands and takes a few deep breaths, I note what Jefferson, the emcee for the evening, is saying. “Thank you for showing up. Let’s make this bigger than last year. In case anyone isn’t aware of how this works, the women have agreed to volunteer four hours of their time to help with holiday preparations, nothing more…unless mutually agreed upon.”
Wendy’s shaky voice pulls me back. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be a piece of property getting traded as part of a business deal. My dad, my boyfriend…if they don’t respect me now, how do I think they ever will? I had to stand up for myself?”
“I had no idea that’s why you were getting married.” I feel dumbfounded that people still do that.
Aurora hugs her. “You want to be a part of the auction? I couldn’t decide between two dresses so I have an extra.”
Wendy’s voice wavers. “I hate to admit this, but I came here on purpose. I saw the contract. My virginity was part of the deal my father offered to his pervy friend. I want to officially break the contract.”
“We can’t guarantee who will win you, but remember, you don’t have to have sex.”
“I know. Thanks, ladies.”
Aurora nearly whispers, “Everyone from last year’s auction ended up marrying the guys that bought them.”
Wendy grimaces. “I doubt I’ll be that lucky, but as I ran through the room, I saw quite a few guys I’d be happy to make a deal with.”
“Well, last year was an anomaly,” Cindy says. “I don’t know that we can count on that, but the auction is for a good cause. And well, quite frankly, what better way to lose our V-cards than with experienced guys. I mean, if it all pans out. If not, we just clean a house or wrap presents for four hours.”
Aurora pulls us in for a huddle. “It’s showtime. They just called Bianca…”
Did they?
Aurora continues, “Cindy is second, and I was going to go last, but you can go before or after me, I don’t care.”
Jefferson emphasizes my name over the PA. “Let’s give a round of applause for Bianca Sinclair.”
The roar of the crowd grows. My confidence ticks up one notch. I tug my skirt down.
Aurora slaps my hand. “Enough of that. I know you think you’re not pretty enough, not skinny enough, but you’re skinnier than all of us. And it wouldn’t matter if you weren’t. Don’t let your stepmom get in your head. Walk out there, chin high, tits out, and let that money roll in.”
She slaps my ass then guides me to the edge of the curtain.
