suddenly at Stephen, begging him with imploring eyes to say something, even though I didn’t really wish to belong to him.
I had no idea what happened if nobody bought a girl. Was she just free to go? That couldn’t be it, because if it was then people would just not bid altogether. No, if I wasn’t bought then something awful would happen.
Finally, Stephen raised his hand, accepting the opening bid, and I let out a breath.
“That’s lucky for you,” the auctioneer whispered. “If no bidder came forward, you’d belong to the city. And believe me, you don’t want that.”
“Do I hear any more?” He directed the question to the men standing below. A few chuckled. And one shouted out, “Nah . . . that one has too much attitude for me. Nice piece of ass, though. Maybe Stephen will let us watch.”
My face flamed as a couple of snickers erupted from the row of girls standing behind me, including the one who didn’t have someone who could afford to buy her. Even she felt as if she were in a position to mock and giggle.
As the auctioneer was about to slam the gavel down, a voice rose from the back, doubling the price. I couldn’t get a good look at the man because he was shrouded in a dark cloak. His voice sounded like boots crunching on gravel: hard-edged, dangerous, accented. Accented from where? Was he from another planet? From a transport ship? One wasn’t due here for another year.
Visions of being taken from my home planet and belonging to some ship’s captain caused a shiver to run through me. I couldn’t ascertain if the shiver was excitement or fear. Maybe a bit of both. Though I didn’t really want to go with the stranger. Of course not.
With every second that crept by, my agitation grew. Stephen looked to be in a state of indecision. Please don’t abandon me to him. Please. Who was this stranger, and why did he want me? I wasn’t unattractive, but I also wasn’t the prettiest, at least not in my opinion. I also had a reputation for being difficult, little better than a criminal. Probably the only reason the city hadn’t classed me as such was a vain attempt to get some coin out of me first.
Stephen raised the bid, but not by much. Immediately the man at the back countered. People started whispering, murmurs with question marks on the end. I couldn’t hear the questions, but I could make a few guesses.
The stranger seemed as if he could bid all day. He hadn’t hesitated for a moment when Stephen had raised the bid.
Despite all odds, Stephen countered, but the price was upped by the other man. Stephen shook his head at me. All I could think was: I suffered through all those blow jobs for nothing. And then following directly on the end of that thought was: At least I won’t have to do it again. Not with him.
“Sold!” The auctioneer seemed practically giddy. No one had expected me to go for so much.
The crowd parted for the stranger as if he were royalty. As he got closer, his size became more apparent. He wasn’t one of us. Not human. He was one of the monsters, those who were here before we colonized, who had let us live for the amusement value we brought them more than anything else. My pulse thundered in my head, the urge to run seeping into the muscles of my legs. Escape scenarios tumbled through my brain.
The monsters never came to these things. Though we were only able to fortify the city with small, weak fences that could never keep out a monster who could fly, they had promised to stay away as long as we never ventured forth from the one small area they’d granted us use of. Up until today, they’d kept that promise.
He stopped at the front of the crowd and tossed a leather bag with gold coins on the block at my feet.
“Count it if you like,” he said. His accent was thick, his mouth not used to forming words like ours, probably because of the sharp and pointy teeth these creatures were said to have. Another shiver went through me, and the tension in my body spiked
I had no idea what happened if nobody bought a girl. Was she just free to go? That couldn’t be it, because if it was then people would just not bid altogether. No, if I wasn’t bought then something awful would happen.
Finally, Stephen raised his hand, accepting the opening bid, and I let out a breath.
“That’s lucky for you,” the auctioneer whispered. “If no bidder came forward, you’d belong to the city. And believe me, you don’t want that.”
“Do I hear any more?” He directed the question to the men standing below. A few chuckled. And one shouted out, “Nah . . . that one has too much attitude for me. Nice piece of ass, though. Maybe Stephen will let us watch.”
My face flamed as a couple of snickers erupted from the row of girls standing behind me, including the one who didn’t have someone who could afford to buy her. Even she felt as if she were in a position to mock and giggle.
As the auctioneer was about to slam the gavel down, a voice rose from the back, doubling the price. I couldn’t get a good look at the man because he was shrouded in a dark cloak. His voice sounded like boots crunching on gravel: hard-edged, dangerous, accented. Accented from where? Was he from another planet? From a transport ship? One wasn’t due here for another year.
Visions of being taken from my home planet and belonging to some ship’s captain caused a shiver to run through me. I couldn’t ascertain if the shiver was excitement or fear. Maybe a bit of both. Though I didn’t really want to go with the stranger. Of course not.
With every second that crept by, my agitation grew. Stephen looked to be in a state of indecision. Please don’t abandon me to him. Please. Who was this stranger, and why did he want me? I wasn’t unattractive, but I also wasn’t the prettiest, at least not in my opinion. I also had a reputation for being difficult, little better than a criminal. Probably the only reason the city hadn’t classed me as such was a vain attempt to get some coin out of me first.
Stephen raised the bid, but not by much. Immediately the man at the back countered. People started whispering, murmurs with question marks on the end. I couldn’t hear the questions, but I could make a few guesses.
The stranger seemed as if he could bid all day. He hadn’t hesitated for a moment when Stephen had raised the bid.
Despite all odds, Stephen countered, but the price was upped by the other man. Stephen shook his head at me. All I could think was: I suffered through all those blow jobs for nothing. And then following directly on the end of that thought was: At least I won’t have to do it again. Not with him.
“Sold!” The auctioneer seemed practically giddy. No one had expected me to go for so much.
The crowd parted for the stranger as if he were royalty. As he got closer, his size became more apparent. He wasn’t one of us. Not human. He was one of the monsters, those who were here before we colonized, who had let us live for the amusement value we brought them more than anything else. My pulse thundered in my head, the urge to run seeping into the muscles of my legs. Escape scenarios tumbled through my brain.
The monsters never came to these things. Though we were only able to fortify the city with small, weak fences that could never keep out a monster who could fly, they had promised to stay away as long as we never ventured forth from the one small area they’d granted us use of. Up until today, they’d kept that promise.
He stopped at the front of the crowd and tossed a leather bag with gold coins on the block at my feet.
“Count it if you like,” he said. His accent was thick, his mouth not used to forming words like ours, probably because of the sharp and pointy teeth these creatures were said to have. Another shiver went through me, and the tension in my body spiked
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