One of the girls smiled shyly at me. The girl who had asked about anal sex had gone beyond to the curtain that led to the stage. She came back.
“What can you see?” the black girl asked.
“Nothing. The whole place is full of mirrors. All the men must be hidden in cubicles behind one-way mirrors.”
The Indian girl’s eyes caught mine watching her so she came over to stand next to me.
“Sorry,” I apologized. “It was rude to stare. I’m just nervous.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m Indian. I get stared at by all my relatives all the time for being unmarried at my age,” she replied.
“Why? How old are you? You look the youngest amongst all of us.”
“I’m pretty certain I’m not,” she replied. “I’m twenty-four, about to be twenty-five soon. My spring chicken years are coming to an end, well after tonight, they’ll definitely be gone forever.”
Her spring chicken analogy made me break out into a grin.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“I’ll be twenty-two in two months.”
“See,” she said with a shake of her dark curls. “I bet my auction money I’m the oldest here.”
I liked her. She reminded me of Ella. “Well, you certainly don’t look it.”
“How did you find out about this place?” she asked curiously.
“Through a friend.” I returned the question back to her, “You?”
“I was at a party with some friends and someone they knew joined us. He got really drunk and told us he once worked as a bartender here and about the auction. I was sick and tired of living at home and listening to my parents telling me I was becoming an old maid, so I decided to make some money and set off on a trip round the world … on my own.”
“Wow, talk about taking your future into your own hands.”
She grinned showing not even a bit of the nervousness I was feeling. “That’s me, Anub Singh at your service. What about you? Why are you here?”
“Nothing as glamorous as your reason. I need the mon—“ I started to respond, just as there was the sound of someone clapping. We looked to see another woman had come in. She was tall and elegant. There was something about her I instantly didn’t like. Unlike the others, she was not wearing a name tag, so I assumed she had higher authority.
“The auction is about to start. When your name is called, you will walk on to the middle of the stage where you will get completely naked.”
I froze on the spot, just as murmurings across the room broke out. All those hidden eyes were going to see me naked! I didn’t even know when I spoke, “We're going to be completely naked on stage?”
Her response was simple and slightly patronizing, “Of course. How else will our patrons know what they’re paying for?”
“I’m so screwed,” Anub whispered to me. “My boobs are tiny compared to everyone else.”
Mine were a full, decent size that especially stood out against my slim figure, but that was the least of my problems. I was going to stand naked before strangers that I couldn’t even see? I turned my face away and stared at nothing.
The woman’s voice was all I heard from then on.
“You will go out towards the stage when your name is called, take off your clothes and stand in the middle of the star painted on the floor. Do not speak, just stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. When you’re asked to turn around, do so. And just a tip, put a little heart into all your poses. In my experience, the more exciting and eager you appear, the more you will be able to command. Now, as I call your name, please go towards the hallway and wait your turn there. Anub?” she called.
“Oh oh ... here we go,” Anub said and went forward.
The woman looked her over, then nodded. “You’re first.”
Anub walked over to the hallway.
“Theresa?” the woman called.
“Here,” the pretty black girl said.
“You’re next after Anub.”
“Valerie.”
The Chinese girl stepped up.
My heart was pounding.
“You’ll go after her.”
“Eugene? You’re next.”
“Freya?”
I opened my mouth but it wouldn’t work.
“Freya? Freya?”
I raised my hand and the women in the room turned to look at me.
The matron, with a frown on her face asked, “Are you alright?”
I nodded.
“You’re next.”
Freya
The moment the microphone beyond was tapped to signify the start of the auction, the entire waiting room quieted down to an almost scary silence.
There was a brief welcome by the auctioneer and then Anub was called out ... We couldn't hear it all, but it was easy enough to follow her, as the voice asked her to bend forward, turn, show her profile, lie back and … oh god … open her legs. Then, we heard the auctioneer begin the bidding. Her reserve price was twenty-thousand. It went up in increments of five thousand, then slowed down to two thousand, down to a thousand and finally to five hundred. We did not hear the final price. Only the auctioneer saying sold to telephone Bidder Number 21.