Scratching Her Vinyl

No! What am I thinking, I can’t seriously go through with this. I'm getting ready to just walk out when I remember where I am. I think of my record shop just a few storefronts over. Do I really want to risk losing it?

With a soft sigh, I exit the bathroom. I walk past the stage and through the crowd of people. I hesitate by the signup table, my heart pounding. "Oh, hey!" The woman from earlier greets me, “Having a good time?”

“I want to sign up,” I blurt out, before I can lose my nerve.

Her face lights up. “Excellent! You’re gonna have a great time, sweetie, you won’t regret this, I promise.”

She grabs a clipboard and pen and puts a stack of paperwork on it. "Take your time and read through it. There's no rush, we’re gonna be here a while," She assures me.

"Ok, thanks!" I reply with a forced smile.

I gulp and I nervously look down at the forms in my hands. Am I sure I want to go through with this? But I just keep thinking of those numbers, and I know my answer has to be yes. The store depends on it.

After I fill out my name and information I read through the rest of the form. The sign-up form gives me the option to either set a specific auction, like a date or a kiss, or to declare myself open for offers.

From what I observed, the open-offer lots seemed to go for significantly more, so while it terrifies to, that might be my best and only chance at making the money I need. And I can refuse offers, so it’s not like I’m just going to be forced to jump right in and do whatever depraved nonsense someone can come up with. So, with shaking hands, I check the open-offer box.

I take a breath and hand the forms back to the woman nervously, knowing that once they’re out of my hands, there’s no turning back. She looks them over with a smile. "Great! You'll go on next. Just grab a spot by the stage.”

I nod and follow her instructions. As I wait for this auction to finish I sneak a mirror out of my purse and try to make some last-minute improvements to my appearance, adjusting a curl here and touching up my lipstick.

The woman had told me to dress in something that showed off my body. This was the best I could do. I know it's not revealing, but it's so clingy and snug and shows off every curve of my body. Maybe that will appeal to someone. I still feel so out of place amongst all these supermodel-gorgeous women in their cleavage baring designer outfits.

How is anyone going to notice me? I can feel myself getting more nervous by the second as my turn grows nearer.

Before I know it, however, I’m being beckoned, and on trembling legs, I climb the stage. The auctioneer introduces me and what I'm auctioning. My face burns when it’s announced that I’m a virgin, and I almost wish I hadn’t checked that box on the paperwork.

It’s not exactly a point of pride that I’m still a virgin. But I’d just never met the right guy. Hell, I’d never even had a serious boyfriend.

But I try not to worry about all of that. It doesn’t matter, I’m here to save the store. I'm up there in front of the crowd, exposed, vulnerable.

I'm so nervous I have to close my eyes and hold my breath. My heart’s beating so hard I’m sure everyone in the crowd can hear it. I can't believe I'm doing this. The first bid rolls out, I open my eyes. Suddenly more bids happen, and I can breathe again. I want to laugh a little in relief and shock.

And on top of that, I have to admit, it’s a little bit of a confidence boost to be here with all these beautiful women and still have eyes on me.

Suddenly, they are bidding in the thousands. I'm shocked that we reached that high of a number already. So many people are bidding at once that it's hard to keep track of them. I can barely keep track, and suddenly I’m nervous. The numbers might be climbing, but with them, the expectations are growing. I’d kind of expected to sell a date, maybe a little more, but how far am I willing to go?

A large bid, in the upper thousands stuns us all. Even I stop being excited for a moment. The crowd parts a little as everyone tries to see who made the bid. I lock eyes with him and my heart stutters in my chest. I’d been so focused on the “competition” that I really hadn’t paid much attention to the men, to be honest, but this guy…