The Marriage Auction: Book One(24)
Of safety.
I gasped as the sensation continued, making my heart pound with an intense rhythm I usually felt before something good or bad was about to happen.
Madam Alana made some comment, but I didn’t hear it, my attention focused on a single spot in the dark audience. There was a man out there ready to make me his wife. I could feel him almost as completely as I could feel the air caressing my skin.
A buzz of sound seemed to rumble through the figures in the audience. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the big screen light up with people interested in bidding on me. More than I could have ever expected.
My mind was soaring with the possibilities of actually making this happen. Which was also when Madam Alana told me to remove my dress.
Without a single hesitation, I reached behind me and unzipped the stiff bodice. It slid down my hips and legs and pooled at my feet.
I heard a growling sound come from the audience and then a booming, cultured, accented voice called out, “Twenty million dollars.”
Episode 13
Faith’s Auction
JOEL
I could not believe I’d allowed the twins to talk me into this. The Marriage Auction. The entire concept sounded absurd and yet, there I sat, watching the men I trusted most in the world bid on women they’d never met and planned to marry. The only reason I’d agreed to come to this circus was because I was already in Vegas for a meeting with my resort team.
Deciding to open one of my resorts in Sin City had been a risky endeavor from the beginning. My resorts were known for their Mediterranean-style luxury and most specifically oceanfront beach views as far as the eye could see. Which is why I had resorts along every coastline in Europe, as well as several in Africa, South America, and the Caribbean islands. But it was my late wife’s dream to open one in America. Most specifically, Las Vegas.
Las Vegas was a shit hole. Dry air. The sun scalding hot with no hope for a reprieve through most of the year. And the worst part—no ocean. I’d lived and breathed ocean air all my life and would until the day I died. There was nothing more centering and soothing than the ocean. Hence the reason all of my resorts were always booked to capacity. And yet, for some reason, my love, my Alexandra had adored this city. In honor of her, I chose to open a resort here. We broke ground three years ago, on the one-year anniversary of my wife’s passing. The Alexandra was in its final phases and would be opening to the public over the coming weeks. At the time of the auction, it was open to a hundred of our most consistent customers as we tested our systems and setup to perfection.
I watched in shock as Nile Pennington, the most sought-after bachelor in London, pressed the “YES” button for the tall, slinky blonde named Ruby. His twin, Noah, smashed the button on the remote over and over to show his interest as well.
For the same woman.
“What are you guys doing?” I whispered as Nile’s remote lit up like a beacon in his hand.
“What does it look like we’re doing? Showing our interest in receiving the hand of the lovely Ruby Dawson,” Noah hissed. “Only my bloody remote isn’t working!” He waved to an attendant who stood in the back of the room.
The setup was odd. A crescent-shaped, amphitheater-style space where at least fifty or so bachelors and another twenty or more women sat. The lights were extremely low while spotlights lit up the black stage. Madam Alana, a woman who looked around forty or fifty, stood at a podium and auctioned off arranged marriages based on nothing but a name, a bit of information, and the guarantee of a three-year commitment. For no less than a million per year, three million total, if the bidder secured an individual for the base amount. However, the first step was showing an interest. Then the candidate being auctioned would exit the stage and come back for the lingerie portion. However, seeing the giant display screen lit up with interested bidders, I knew things were about to get interesting. Looked as though Nile was not the only one who wanted the blonde beauty outside of his twin, but other audience members as well .
“My remote isn’t working,” Noah complained to the attendant.
The stoic man shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Pennington. As you are aware, in the information provided prior to the event, the candidates are allowed to remove individuals from their auction. This particular candidate disqualified you from voting or bidding on her.”
My friend balked. “Excuse me?”
“I’m deeply sorry. However, there are a few other lovely candidates still to come. Perhaps those will be to your liking.” The attendant turned around and went back to his perch against the wall.
Nile grinned wildly. “Deeply sorry indeed, brother. You will not secure the hand of the fair Ruby. She will be mine and mine alone.” Nile waved his number thirteen paddle at his brother.
“I hate you,” Noah growled. It was the first time I’d ever heard him say those words to his twin, and I actually believed him. The Pennington brothers were wildly competitive. I imagined having identical faces and deep pockets would ramp up that emotion. “She’s perfection,” Noah whispered, his tone filled with sorrow and a hint of anger.
Nile looked straight into his brother’s eyes. “I know. That’s why I’m going to make her mine.”
“Don’t.” Noah spoke in a rough voice that proved how very much this was affecting him.
Nile ignored him. Instead, he smiled widely and waved his paddle in his brother’s face.