Lora's POV
“Are you sure about this, Lora?” My best friend whispered, her eyes laced with concern as she placed a reassuring hand on my arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.
I forced a smile, trying to appear more confident than I felt, but my hands betrayed me, shaking slightly as I fidgeted with the hem of my dress.
“I'm good, Allison,” I lied, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You have been so quiet. Do you want to reconsider this? Do you want to change your mind? We can find another way to get the money.” She asked again, her hands still on mine.
I hesitated, my eyes darting around the room as I searched for an escape route, even though I knew within myself that I wouldn't back down.
Not after how far I've come.
Allison's grip on my arm tightened. “You have all the time in the world to back out, Lora. I'm sure you know that as soon as the auction starts, you won't be able to leave here. So if you want to leave, this is the perfect opportunity to—”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. “I have to do this, Allison. My mother's life is at stake. If I don't pay off my father's debts, those creditors will….. they will sell her organs. I can't let that happen,”
Allison's grip on my hand tightened. “I know, but this…..this is so dangerous. You are putting yourself at risk. What if something goes wrong?”
I shook my head, trying to push aside my own doubts. “I have to try. I owe it to my mother and I have to do it tonight. I don't have any other options,”
Her expression turned sympathetic, but she didn't push the issue further. “Okay, if you are sure. Just be careful, okay? And remember, you are using a fake name. Remember, you shouldn't give them any real information about yourself. Tonight your name is Lily Paulson, not Lora Thompson, okay”
I nodded, taking a deep breath. “I won't forget it, Allison. Thank you so much, Allison. I don't know what I'd do without you. Thank you,”
I forced a smile to my face, trying to appear more confident than I felt. Allison gave my hand a reassuring squeeze before releasing it.
Did I feel good about what I was about to do tonight?
No! But I can't back down now. I was way too far gone to even back out. It's either now or never.
“Okay, ladies, it’s time for you to shine.” The man with the clipboard announced, his voice dripping with amusement.
“Please be aware that the light on the floor means you won’t be able to see much, but make sure you smile and look around the room. You never know whose eye you might catch. It might be someone who wasn’t planning on buying you, but suddenly can’t resist you.” He added.
A shiver ran down my spine as I listened to his words.
The man's voice booms over the microphone again, echoing off the walls of the dimly lit room. “And we have kept you waiting long enough,” He announces as he stands on the stage.
The curtains open as the auctioneer's voice booms over the microphone. I try to block it out and listen to the clipboard man as he goes on and on about how to play in the room.
“Lily Paulson, remember to come back to me after you have your bid, so you can be paid. The club will take thirty percent while you will all be given the remaining amount. Is that clear?” The man with the clipboard asked and I nodded.
Just like Allison had suggested, I didn't give them my real name. In fact, all the information I had provided was fake. I lied to them that I was a student in dire need of money for my tuition fee, hence the reason why I was here auctioning my virginity.
“You want one night only, right?” He asked and I nodded again.
“You know if you offer the weekend, you will get higher offers, sometimes double,”
I blow out a deep breath. “At their homes?”
“I doubt it. More likely a hotel, or they might book one of the rooms on the top floors,”
“So tell me, are you interested in more than one night? Some girls offer a month. You can make a lot of money if you sign up for—”
“No. Just one night.” I cut him off. “But depending on the money, I might decide to stay a weekend,”
'What the hell are you agreeing to, Lora?” My wolf asked and just like the other time, I shut her out. I don't want her to make me feel bad about what I'm about to do.
“Next, we have a twenty two-year-old Lily Paulson,” The auctioneer declared, his voice booming over the microphone.
I stood frozen, my heart pounding as the auctioneer's voice resonated with the speaker.
My thoughts raced back to the occurrences that brought me to this point.
My father's addiction to gambling and alcohol had drained our family's resources, leaving us with a lot of debts. The creditors were now threatening to sell my mother's organs if we didn't pay up.
Now they are threatening to sell her organs if I don't pay up the money in two days!
Where am I going to get such an amount of money in a short time? Twenty thousand dollars? Even if I have to work two shifts, two days wouldn't be enough to gather that money.
I knew I had to take this chance, else my mother would die and I will never be able to forgive myself for her death, especially when I had the means to get the money and pay off my father's loan.
And that's the reason I found myself here, on this stage, ready to sell my virginity to the highest bidder. The thought alone sent a chill down my spine.
“Gentlemen, you should know that Lily Paulson is a student and you already know that all the girls tonight are virgins. Lily is offering herself for the night. She wouldn't mind staying for the weekend, but only for the right price. She's beautiful and sexy and doesn't even look like a twenty two year old lady. So dig deep, gentlemen or lose out,”
I took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage, my heart pounding in my chest. The bright lights above me blinded me and I could only make out the silhouettes of the people in the room.
“Good luck, Lily,” Allison whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. I smiled, trying to appear more confident than I felt.
“Damn! This has to be the hottest virgin I've seen all my life and I'll give anything to have her,” A voice shouted from the crowd. “Thirty thousand for the weekend,”
“Thirty four thousand. She can't be yours. She is mine!”
My skin prickled with goosebumps as the bidding war erupted, each voice shouting out a higher price like I was a prized possession on the auction block.
“I cancel that. Forty five thousand. Get her here right away” Another voice shouted.
All of a sudden, the room began to spin. The voices shouting out bids seemed to fade into the background as I struggled to catch my breath.
“Forty seven thousand,” a third voice shouted. I'm finally going to lose my virginity tonight, I thought, my mind reeling with the implications.
“I'm placing triple of what they proposed. Two hundred thousand dollars.” A voice sounded in the room.
“Three hundred thousand dollars,” It was another bidder.
The same man who had suggested two hundred thousand dollars shouted. “Three hundred and fifty thousand,”
I scanned the crowd, my eyes locking onto two men, who seemed to be in a fierce competition. They were bidding higher and higher, their eyes fixed intently on me.
One of them was tall, with broad shoulders and chiseled features. He has jet-black hair. His dark sapphire orbs seemed to bore into my soul. They sparkled with a mischievous glint. His eyelashes were thick and dark, adding to the intensity of his gaze.
I felt a shiver run down my spine at the intensity of his gaze. The other man was equally handsome with piercing blue eyes and blonde hair.
Both men looked dangerous, but I couldn't help feeling drawn to them. Who would win the bidding and what would happen to me next?
The bidding war escalated, with the two men competing fiercely.
“Four hundred thousand dollars,”
Finally, the tall dark-haired man won the bidding. The blonde guy couldn't keep up. The auction smiled, seemingly pleased with the outcome. “Sold to the gentleman in the back. Please come down, Lily,”
The next minute, the stranger took a few steps towards my direction, closing the little space between us, then he lowered himself, leaning close to my ears and I froze.
"Stay calm, I'll get you out of this place and away from these predators, okay.”
I hesitated for a moment, my heart pounding in my chest. What had I just gotten myself into?