6. Amy

6

I've lost my mind. What was I thinking when I agreed to do this?

A beautiful auburn-haired woman gently takes my hand in hers and offers me a soft smile before she whispers, "Breathe. Everything will be fine."

Then, before I can change my mind, she pulls me onto the middle of a brightly lit stage.

"Next we have Ginger." I try not to roll my eyes at the completely unoriginal name that was chosen for me on account of my hair. Then I remind myself that it doesn't matter what they call me, because I'm not going to remember any of this anyway. "The bidding will start at one million dollars."

The moment she finishes, the audience is a roiling cacophony of shouts and whistles, as the bids start pouring in.

One million-five hundred.

One thousand.

Ten thousand.

One hundred fifty thousand.

Five hundred thousand.

I'm frozen, slack jawed as I try to keep up with the increasing bids. And I can't help feeling like a bit of a fraud standing here in a designer dress and all the shapewear it took to squeeze into it. With my face made up to the point I hardly recognized myself. Whoever wins me, is in for a big surprise when he gets me back to—wherever he'll take me—because as soon as he unzips this dress I'm going to bust like a can of biscuits.

"Three million-five hundred. Do I hear five thousand?" the woman calls out.

The crowd has calmed considerably since moving past the three million mark and my nerves are torn with being glad that this part is almost over and terrified for what comes next.

"Four million!" A soft voice calls out above the soft rumble of the crowd.

The woman beside me smiles and gives me a wink before lifting her arms. "Sold."

Wait. That's it? Isn't she supposed to say going once…?

Her arm snakes around my waist and she pulls me to the other side of the stage where a… a minotaur is waiting to help me down the stairs.

Because, as if being auctioned for a night of sex with a stranger isn't bad enough, I now know that everyone in this theatre is some kind of monster. Even the woman who just passed me off with a grin, shows off sharp canines before heading back across the stage for the next girl.

When I called the number on the card Yesenia gave me, all of this was explained. Including the part where these auctions are run by monsters. At first, I assumed they meant monster in a purely figurative way… but no.

"Right this way, Ginger." The bull-man says. His grip on my hand is soft and surprisingly gentle as he leads me through a short maze to a small room lit with a red light. "Your gentleman will be here shortly."

With a graceful bow, he closes the door and I'm left alone to think about what I've just done.