“What I’m saying is…that it’s a miracle Josh is here today. He shouldn’t be, frankly. It’s the sort of thing that might show up in an infant or not and they might be dead the next day. It’s astounding that something hasn’t happened before now. But here we are and you’ve got to think about some things. Josh is young, so he’ll be moved up the list, and he’s healthy so that’s also in his favor.”
“Wait, what? Are you talking about a transplant?” Josh blurted out.
Dr. Douglas nodded. “I’m afraid that is our only option here, Josh. There might be a possibility of repairing the hole in your heart, but given the severity of the malformation it is unlikely that surgery would make much difference. If you want any chance of living out your adult life, we’re going to have to get you a new heart.”
It was then that I thought I was going to pass out. I took a deep breath as the news began to sink in with all of my family members and I silently prayed that this would all work out, somehow.
**
It took a week to hear back from the insurance company. We knew what the cost was going to be now and the first thing Suzy did for me was to start a fundraiser so that we could pay the medical bill for Josh’s new heart.
Hearing the amount it was going to cost after all the insurance would cover was terribly disheartening and I didn’t know how we would ever manage it. It was a debt that my parents would be saddled with for the rest of their lives. Any hope they might have had of retiring was snuffed out of sight, because they would pay every last cent they had to make sure that their child had the medical care he needed to survive, like any parent would.
I cursed the state of American healthcare and buried my face in my hands in the dressing room of Club V. I was on my break and had just gotten off the phone with my mom who was getting ready for whenever they would eventually receive the call that Josh was getting a transplant. It was something that worried her, the thought that someone else was going to have to die to give Josh a chance to live. She was coming to terms with it though and had accepted that somehow, something good was going to come out of all of this.
“Hey,” Suzy said as she came up behind me and rubbed my back. “How are you doing?”
I sighed and shrugged. “I would be a lot better if my lotto winnings decided to show up. You know, the lotto winnings to the lottery that I never remembered to enter.”
“Ah yes, that one. Yeah, I’m waiting on those to come in as well.” She looked at me, pity clear in her eyes. “I wish there was something I could do to help you out, Samara.”
“Suzy, you have done so much already to help with the fundraising. Really, I can’t thank you enough.” I took a deep breath. “It’s just that it won’t ever be enough. I’ve decided to give my parents all that I have saved to go toward Josh’s surgery.”
“Seriously?” She looked shocked at this admission.
I nodded. “I don’t have nearly enough, but even the smallest amount helps. Twenty-thousand is all that I have saved, which I know is a lot, considering, but it’ll hardly touch this. I just have no idea how we’re going to come up with $150,000. I’ve got to find some way to get this money and fast. Seriously, I’ll do anything to get the amount they need, but I just have no idea how to accomplish it. I think it might be impossible.”
Suzy looked a little sheepish then, like she was keeping something from me. We had known each other for far too long for her to start keeping secrets now.
“What?” I asked. “I know that look on your face. You can’t hide anything from me. Cough it up, now.”
Suzy bit her lip. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but I want you to promise you aren’t going to hate me or get mad at me over this. Okay?”
I reached out and grabbed her hand gently. “Suzy, never. You’re my best friend. What’s up?”
“I was thinking about how you might be able to get some cash fast and seriously, Samara, if I could do it myself then I would, but unfortunately that ship sailed a long time ago.”
I shot her a funny look. “What are you talking about?”
She cleared her throat and braced herself to say something that was clearly difficult for her to verbalize.
“I’m talking about ‘The Room’. The one you saw in New York.”
The Room was enough, she didn’t have to clarify any further than that. I took another deep breath.
“I would be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind,” I admitted in a hushed tone.
Suzy gave my hand a squeeze. “Listen, Samara—there is nothing to be ashamed of. Honestly, I’ve never heard of a more admirable reason to do something like this. It would be to help your family and while I in no way think you need to feel pressure to help them financially, if this is something you are committed to doing…then this is an option.”
I nodded and stared at my hands. From the moment I first heard the amount that my parents were going to have to pay for my brother’s transplant surgery, the thought of the auction block at Club V NYC had been floating there in the back of my mind like a specter. As much as I had been averse to the idea when I first encountered it in the flesh, now that it was my brother’s life I was taking into consideration, there were a lot of things I would do to make sure that he got the care he needed.
“Yeah, honestly I am glad you brought it up. I have really been thinking about it and sort of asking the universe for a sign. I know you probably don’t want to be that for me,” I said with a reassuring smile, “but I think I’m going to pretend that you are.”
“Samara, seriously, you don’t have to do this. But I do want you to know that you have my full support if it’s the route you want to take. There is nothing to be ashamed of here. It’s your body and you can do what you want with it. And you know what? I bet since you’re an employee here already they will do some…what is that called? ‘Extreme vetting’ for you.” She couldn’t keep herself from giggling. “Seriously though, Stew loves you to death and would never let you end up in a bad situation. He’s close with the folks in New York. Let him make a few calls and get the thing set up if you want to do it. I bet they can make sure that someone really nice is there for you. They won’t let you go to any kind of sick fuck or someone that’s into dishing out harsh BDSM.”
The idea was really starting to take root in my brain now and I wondered exactly what kind of guy I would end up with. There would be no way of knowing beforehand, not even who would make up the group of people who would be there that night for the bidding. And that was if I could even make the cut for the auction block.
“What if they…don’t want me?” I asked timidly. I didn’t know what was coming over me in that moment, but something about it made me feel very vulnerable.
Suzy held onto my hands and pulled me up to my feet, then turned me around to face one of the full length mirrors.
“Look at yourself,” she said softly. And I did, for the first time in a while I took a long look at myself in the mirror. My eyes were a little puffy from all the crying I had been doing over the past few weeks, but overall my face still looked pretty, young and fresh as it ever had.
“May I?” she asked and like that my best friends hands were on my body, running her long fingers down my curves as she whispered into my ear. “You’ve got a stunning figure and any man would be lucky to be with you. I think it’s important that women tell their friends things like this. You are going to go up there and knock ‘em dead, Samara. Mark my words.”
**
Suzy went to Stew for me and had the first conversation broaching the subject. At first he hadn’t wanted to discuss the matter at all, acting as if the auction block was only a myth or false rumors. But as she later told me, when she pressed him on it and told him about my run-in while I was at the New York location, he finally conceded. Still, he didn’t want to let me go.
I went in for a meeting with him to discuss matters and to help him eliminate any fears he may have had about letting me make this decision for myself.
“Let me be clea
r, Stew, I am not talking about working the floor. That’s not on the table for me.”
“You’re damn right it’s not,” he seemed offended that I’d even consider it. Even though management at Club V was always open to us moving up the chain, Stew was very protective of his bar staff and it seemed like he had come to think of me as almost a daughter.
“Samara, I just need to know this is something you really want to do. I understand what a sensitive topic it is and how uncomfortable you might feel talking to me about it.”
I sat across from Stew at his desk. I didn’t often venture into this room, but it was clear that the guy behind the desk was one of the good ones. A family man who was looking out for his people, he only wanted the best for me.
“Stew, I assure you I came to this decision on my own. My family needs my help now more than ever and if I can do this for them then I feel like I would be a fool to pass it up. I don’t feel like I’m holding on to anything anymore. This would simply be a transaction. And I’m guessing the club would act as the broker here?”
My boss nodded and sighed. “But let’s get this clear—I’m getting you the best price I can. They’re fair, I suppose, don’t get me wrong about that. I’d never tarnish the name of Club V. I just don’t want you to end up getting a deal that isn’t a good one. And you aren’t going home with one of those sick fucks either. No, I will make sure personally that whoever has the option of bidding on you will be the top of the line…like, marriage material. Samara, do you think I could just set you up with someone and you guys could get married?”
I laughed at him. He was clearly still very troubled by the idea of me selling my virginity.
“Stew, while that is a very generous offer, I’m afraid that I’m here for the money and not a husband or true love. Just make sure he’s decent and then I guess I’ll take it from there.”
My boss nodded and let out a long exhale. “Okay then. If you’re set on doing it then I don’t suppose there’s any way of talking you out of it. I’ll make a call and get the ball rolling. You should know something before the end of the week.”
**
It didn’t take that long to get an answer from the New York club. It was a quick and definite, YES. Stew told me to expect a call from Elle and like clockwork it came the next day.
“Samara? Hi, it’s Elle. I’m the staffing director…we met back when you worked here one night.”
“Right, of course. Thanks for calling, Elle.” I heard a nervous edge in my voice and tried to push any of the nerves I was feeling out of my mind.
“We’re so happy that you’ve decided to come on board with the club in this capacity. However, given the sensitive nature of this business, I’m going to have to ask that you come to the New York club so that we can talk about this in person and get things all set up. How does tomorrow afternoon sound to you?”
“Great, I can be there whenever you need me.”
We set up an appointment for 2:00pm the following afternoon and I made my way to the city the same way I had six months prior. I had less trepidation this time around, which was odd considering what I was going to the club to discuss. I had a lot of thoughts swirling in my mind and my only hope for the day was that I would not come face to face with Neil Vance.
I was buzzed in and Elle greeted me at the door before leading me back to her office. It was a bright, open space, so unlike the rest of the establishment and I immediately felt reassured and at home in her presence. She was dressed in a tight black dress this time around, still professional but enticing enough to make her fit right in at Club V.
Elle took a seat behind her desk and invited me to make myself comfortable across from her. She flashed me a genuine, beaming smile as she spoke.
“Honestly, Samara, I am so glad that you have come to us with this. I know it can be a very sensitive thing to discuss and I understand if you feel a little weird about it, but I want you to know that you can trust me and that this is all done with the utmost discretion.”
I nodded. “I’ve been assured that this is the place to go if I am looking to…sell these sorts of goods.”
She laughed good-humoredly. “You’re funny. That’s good. It’s really important to have a sense of humor going into this. It helps to keep things a little lighter, I think. To get down to business though—you are a virgin, correct?”
“Yes. I was under the impression that was a requirement.”
“Oh, it is for this, however I was just going to let you know that I’ll spare you the medical verification. You’re an employee and you’ve been with us for a while and I’ve been assured that you are trustworthy. Now, here’s the part where I would typically ask you about your interests and what you are okay with and not okay with and all that jazz—however, we have a sort of unique situation here.”
I was curious about what she could possibly mean. “Oh?”
“Well, it’s not entirely unique. You see, sometimes we have men who speak up for women right away. These women never make it to the auction block. It isn’t very common because we don’t really like to do our business that way. It’s better to bring them into the club, you know. We aren’t just some virgin matchmaking service.” She laughed. “This is about the Club V experience. We want everyone to have the best time and we also want to maintain some of the mystique we’ve managed to build. Keeping the auctions in house and insisting that our bidders show up and participate in the event is one way of doing that.”
It all made sense to me, but I still wasn’t sure what she was talking about when she said there was a unique situation.
“What I’m saying is that you will not be going on the auction block.”
“What?” My eyes went wide, stunned. Hadn’t she just told me that they were thrilled to have me here for this?
“Oh, you’re still going to be matched and receive your fee,” she said, as if she could hear my inner monologue. “You just won’t appear for auction. Look at it this way, it’s fewer people who get to see you naked. Personally, I’m convinced that some of those guys just come for the show. We boot browsers out after a few times though. No, you’ve already been matched. Someone saw your photo come up in the listing of women who were soon to be up for auction and he requested to have you taken down immediately and put on reserve for him.”
I swallowed hard. This had all happened very quickly and now I was faced with the fact that it was very real and was going to happen soon.
“Wow, I guess I’m flattered.” I didn’t know what else to say about the matter.
“Yes, well, like I said it is pretty rare, but sometimes we make allowances for really good clients. I even let him know of the specific situation we are dealing with here—I am so sorry about your brother, by the way. But I let them know that we had a hard minimum on the fee. This person countered that offer.”
“Countered it with what?”
She slid a stack of papers across the desk to me. “As you know the length of our contracts can vary, with some of our individuals who are auctioned going for up to a year.”
I gulped. “Someone could buy me for a year?”
She shook her head, “They could, but they didn’t. Don’t worry. That is usually limited to royalty from certain countries several thousands of miles away. You’re not going overseas.”
“Thank goodness,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief as I looked at the documents.
“This person offered terms and I’ll explain them to you now so you don’t have to worry about reading all fifty pages there. That’s just to say that you agree to everything and it’s a binding contract between you and the buyer and that Club V is only acting as an intermediary between two consenting adult parties who are engaging in legal activities.”
I nodded as I took it all in. It was a lot for one afternoon.
“The terms that this person offered are very simple. You will be at their disposal for one week. If you agree, then the contract will start this Saturday at 7:00 pm in the evening. His counter offe
r was, I quote, ‘To pay her brother’s medical bills in their entirety.’”
I dropped the pen I had been holding in my hand as I looked over the documents and looked up at Elle with what must have been complete and utter shock written all over my face.
“I know,” she said with a soft smile. “It’s a very generous offer. This includes all billing for your brother’s transplant surgery and whatever happens during his recovery. I really couldn’t believe it myself, but this is a very special sort of client and he seemed keen whenever he got a look at you.”
“I really don’t know what to say, Elle.” I didn’t know what to say, but I knew what I was thinking. There was no turning back now. No matter what the rest of the terms were, I was going to take this man up on his offer because there was no way I could get a better deal than this. If it was about helping my family then this was the ultimate—the ideal situation that I could find myself in. Only a fool would refuse an offer like this.
“There’s just one more thing you need to know before we get to the boring legal stuff. Their one stipulation was that you would not find out who they are until you arrive at the place you’ll be staying for the week. Rest assured that this person has been thoroughly checked out and that you’ll be in good hands here. Totally safe.” She smiled again, a clear attempt to make sure that I felt comfortable. “So you’ll be picked up on Saturday evening and taken to the place where you’ll be spending your week with this individual. You’ll meet him there and then…things will go from there. This is lined out in more detail in the paperwork, but I’ll explain in simple terms for you here.” Elle cleared her throat. “While no one is expected to be coerced into anything or to participate in any act that they feel uncomfortable with, it is imperative that you understand you are agreeing to full sexual intercourse to completion with this individual at least once in the span of the week. That is all you are legally required to do when you sign this document. I will say that since you have been purchased for the week that slightly more is typically expected, but that is to be discussed between you and your buyer. If you fail to perform this one act that you are agreeing to in this document, you will forfeit all profit and Club V will not be expected to pay you anything. Do you understand?”
Unravel (Club V Book 1) Page 6