“And perverted.”
“Then why are you doing it?” Capri questioned me.
“Because I need the money.”
“Don’t we all.”
We made our way to the auction house which was in the Notting Hill area. The house was a historical building, and we were patted down before being allowed to enter. Once in there, our names were written down and we were ushered into a large communal shower and ordered to strip naked.
I felt humiliated, but there was nothing to be done. I had to go through with it, and it wasn’t as if I hadn’t been naked around other people before.
Capri and I scrubbed down before we were shown to the waxing room. The name alone made me wince, but it was nothing compared to the rough hands of the Russian women who waxed us bare, as rough as if they had a personal vendetta against us. Then, we were rubbed down with oil, our hair styled, and our makeup done.
Finally, a bored-looking man presented us with a contract each, the papers a mile long. I gave Capri a worried look, but the blonde had already scribbled her signature.
“Capri!”
“What?” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve already made up my mind.”
I went through the pages painstakingly, obviously annoying the guy watching us until he was tapping his foot so loud, I just went to the last page, flushing as I wrote down my name on the dotted line.
“Good,” he said, snatching the papers away from me. “About damn time. Now get in line. You’ll be up soon.”
I was too shocked to reply, and Capri and I were ushered to a line of girls waiting in the backstage. We’d been dressed in pink silk robes and nothing else, with a pair of heels on our feet. Capri looked beautiful, and from the jealous looks of the other girls, I assumed I looked good as well.
"Amicia Romano, you're up next."
My knees nearly gave out as I stood up. I tried to find Capri behind me, but it was too late. Someone shoved me from behind, and I stumbled onto the stage, shattering the first impression I'd wanted to make. Snickers and chuckling followed me as I made my way to the front of the stage, my cheeks burning brighter than any Christmas tree.
"She's twenty-two years old," the auctioneer read off his notepad, raising his brows at the lack of information on it as I took in the room before me. It was like a theater, with about sixty people watching me move on the stage. "No college degree, just a high school diploma. Well, how disappointing." He took a long, leering look at me, adding, "Though her looks almost make up for it, don't you think?"
I glared at him, but he paid it no mind, ordering me to strip on the stage. Though I'd known it was coming, my cheeks were alight with embarrassment as I pulled the belt off my silky pink robe. The crowd stared, the bright lights above me blinding as I slowly slid the robe over my shoulders.
This is what I was good at—it's why I'd wanted to be a dancer my entire life. I had the presence, the mysterious je-ne-sais-quoi so many others were missing. And I believed in myself passionately, despite the entire world attempting to convince me that I wasn't good enough.
It was why I was standing on that stage, after all. To be sold to the highest bidder. To receive money in exchange for my body. It would make all my dreams come true.
My body swayed to the sound of music only I could hear. Through the bright stage lights, my gaze flitted from one person in the audience to the next, trying to find a face to settle on. They were all men—older, suited-up men with unforgiving faces and hungry eyes devouring my now naked body. My hands slid down the generous curve of my waist, fingertips gliding over silky soft skin. Just then, my eyes zeroed in on a man in the third row, wearing a grey pinstripe suit with a black shirt and a black tie underneath.
His dark gaze was enough to make me stop for a single second, frozen by the weight of his stare. He was handsome in a cruel way, all sharp lines and the dark shadow of stubble that never quite went away. Dark salt-and-pepper streaked hair was slicked back, shaved closely on the sides and longer on top. He was devilishly handsome. And he screamed danger.
The robe fell to my feet as