“For what?” My eyes got wide.
“Selling your virginity.” She pointed at the screen.
“Are you serious?” I stared at the website she had loaded.
“Yeah.” She nodded and sighed. “It makes me really regret that night I spent in the backseat of Charlie’s car, because he definitely wasn’t worth a quarter mil.”
I scrolled through the website and realized that what she was saying was true, provided that it was legitimate. The website was called Sin City Auctions and promised the girl being auctioned two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars if she qualified. If the bid went higher than that, she would get ten percent of the total proceeds on top of the original price. I was flabbergasted that something like that could even exist, much less operate out of Las Vegas.
“This has to be some kind of joke, right?” I looked past the screen at Abby. “Who would do something like this? Who would pay this kind of money for a weekend with a virgin?”
“Well, the answer to your second question is people with so much money that it doesn’t matter to them. I think you already know the answer to your first question. The people doing it are just like you—they need money.” She closed the laptop. “I read a story about a model in Brazil or Venezuela or somewhere that got almost two million dollars for her virginity.”
“I’m no model.” I shook my head back and forth.
“You’re beautiful though—easily worth a few hundred grand.” She reached over and took my hand. “You want out, right? It’s one weekend. After that, you never have to see Las Vegas again except for when you come to visit me six or seven times a year.”
“Oh god…” I rolled over on my back and laughed. “That is ridiculous, Abby.”
“Were you really planning to save yourself for marriage? You almost slept with Brent.” She squeezed my hand. “Maybe this is fate giving you a second chance for always being the good girl.”
“I don’t know.” I exhaled sharply. “It’s a lot to think about.”
Abby left and I wandered downstairs to eat dinner with my mother. She was quiet for the most part and I was pretty sure she had started taking Xanax again, based on the dead look in her eyes as she chewed her food. She started taking them after she first found out my father had cheated on her and constantly went back to them as a crutch when times were bad. Even in her numbed state, she still had the strength to turn my father away. I just hoped she wasn’t mixing the pills with alcohol.
“Dinner was great, Mom. Thank you so much.” I stood and picked up my plate.
“Thank you, dear.” There was no emotion in her voice, she just maintained a blank stare and pushed another bite of food into her mouth.
I opened my laptop when I got back to my bedroom and looked for the website Abby had showed me. My virginity appeared to be worth a lot more to other people than it was to me. The initial price alone would more than cover the cost of my tuition for all four years. If I got a part time job, I could save some money and live a decent life in the process. If the ten percent bonus was good, I might not even have to work. I created an account on the website, put the information in that they asked for, and waited for my phone to ring.
3
Ruckus
“Come on Ruck, do a line with me!” The music was loud and Tommy was in a great mood thanks to all the cocaine he had snorted.
“Man, you know I don’t like to do that stuff.” I shook my head back and forth.
“You used to love it! You only stopped because you wanted to pick up some professional fights. You aren’t going to fight for a long time, bro!” Tommy pushed the silver plate towards me.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I rolled up a c-note and leaned forward, sending a huge line up my nose.
There was no experience that could have ever compared to my first line of cocaine. No matter how many times I chased that high, I only got a mediocre reflection. Even after staying away from it for years, it still wasn’t the same as the first time, but it was the closest it had ever been. It mixed with the liquor in my bloodstream and took my buzz to a different level. Tommy was right. I had no reason to avoid it if I wasn’t fighting. I immediately leaned forward and sent a second line down the same path as the first.
“Save some for the girls.” Tommy chuckled and pulled the silver plate back towards him.
“We can just buy more.” I shrugged and leaned forward. “I think I want to dance.”
“You don’t dance!” Tommy’s face reflected confusion as he looked at me.
“I do tonight.” I laughed and hopped to my feet.
I had always wondered what it meant when people said they felt like a million dollars. I finally understood why it felt so fucking amazing. I hadn’t fought anyone in almost a week. I was staying fucked up almost twenty-four seven. I had plowed so much pussy that my dick was practically raw. I hoped that was just from overuse and not from something I picked up along the way. We were living like we were the kings of Sin City and we sure felt like it—I did, at least. Tommy was still working on his empire, trying to recruit more fighters since he didn’t have to waste time booking fights for me.
“You’re Ruckus, right?” A pretty dark-skinned woman walked up to me on the dance floor.
“I am.” I nodded and smiled. “Who are you?”