Unravel (Club V 1)

“This is Clara,” the auctioneer read from a leather-bound journal on a podium. “She is 22, a senior at NYU, and has studied ballet for the past 17 years. Turn around for us please, Clara.”

I watched as Clara did what she was told, totally mesmerized and aghast at what I was seeing and hearing. They truly were auctioning off women here on the second floor of Club V.

“Clara, like all of our lovely young ladies here this evening, meets all the standard requirements. She is a virgin and as you can tell by the emerald collar, she is willing to engage in sex, a little bondage, and…anal? Do you do anal, Clara?”

Clara turned and smiled coyly at the auctioneer and the crowd and nodded.

“Ah, very good. Why don’t you bend over for our bidders.”

I watched, transfixed as Clara bent over and spread her cheeks, showing the potential bidders in the audience her ass and pussy. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I wanted to run, to get out of the room without anyone noticing me, but there was something about it that was so…shocking and scintillating, I almost wanted to see things through to the end.

“Very nice, Clara. You can turn back around now. You’ll see Clara has smaller breasts, 30A. She watches her figure for ballet and there’s a note here that the bondage must be performed pretty carefully so as not to leave bruises because she has a performance coming up in less than a month.” The auctioneer looked out into the crowd. “That means you’d better stay away from this one, Mr. Delaney.”

A few members of the crowd of bidders laughed at this and then the auctioneer began asking for bids.

At that point I had had enough. I could not believe what I was seeing, that all the rumors were true, and that they were auctioning off virgins up here on the second level of Club V. I needed to get out of there and fast before someone noticed me standing there watching the borderline illegal proceedings.

I turned and ran smack dab into a brick wall I didn’t remember being there before and then realized it wasn’t a brick wall, but one of the largest men I had ever seen and in the low light I could read that his name tag said “Carl.”

“How did you get in here?” he whispered gruffly as he grabbed me by the elbow and steered me back out past the velvet curtain, through the door and out into the hallway.

“I was looking for—”

“Did you find what you were looking for? What do you think you’re doing nosing around up here? You know you aren’t supposed to be in this part of the club. I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but I’m taking you down to Vance’s office right now.”

My heart raced as the bouncer led me back down the hall and to a different elevator, one that took us down to the hallway that housed the offices. Carl wasn’t taking any of my explanation.

“You can talk to Vance about it. You know you aren’t supposed to be up there. It’s a private area. You’ll lose your job over this.”

Furious and almost in tears, I crossed my arms across my chest and realized I must look like a sullen child, but I wasn’t going to take this treatment from a bouncer. I would explain myself to this Vance guy or Jake, if I could locate him. I’d get Celeste to come in and back me up. I had only been looking for vermouth!

The door to one of the offices stood slightly

ajar and Carl knocked on it before leading me inside.

“Mr. Vance, this one was in the auction room.”

“Oh really?” The man looked up from the work on his desk, somewhat amused at the sight of me next to massive Carl. “I wonder how the little mouse managed to make her way in there. Were you trying to crawl up on the auction block yourself?”

“I can explain—” I started to say but was cut off.

“I’m sure you can. Carl, thanks for bringing her down. You can head back up in case there are any other infiltrators trying to make their way into the auction.”

“Yes sir,” Carl said as he turned and left me there in the office with Vance.

“Come in, have a seat. We’ll chat.”

I followed his instructions, really wanting to do what I could to keep my job. It was clearly going to take a moment to explain, but I knew that once I had Celeste come in to back me up everything would be fine.

I took a seat across from him and now, closer, I could see what a handsome figure this man, who I assumed must be a manager or one of the other owners, really was. He had dark hair and a little stubble on his chin. Just enough to make him look sexy and sort of disheveled. His eyes were a striking deep blue and the rest of him looked like he was a Greek statue that had come to life. At least one with the clothes on. Fuck he was hot!

He caught me staring at him and smiled. “What’s your name?”

“Samara Tanza.”

“And what are you doing here tonight, Samara Tanza? God, that name just rolls right off the tongue.”

I crossed my arms and tried to remain as composed as possible. “I’m here bartending. I’m from the New Jersey location and I was brought in as backup for your bartending staff.”