Consensual non-consent. The highest-value option on the menu. The one I couldn't even consider without my stomach turning inside out.
The bored girl nods like they're discussing whether to get pizza or Chinese food. "Yeah. Mine was…" She blows out a breath. "Like… wow."
"You liked it?" the scared girl asks.
Confident girl mouths the words, "Loved it," without making any sound.
The scared girl looks at me. Tears forming in her eyes. "Did you ever do it?"
I shake my head no, unable to speak.
She goes back to looking at her feet.
A woman appears in the doorway. Severe features. Hair pulled back so tight it must hurt. Disappointment carved into every line of her face like she's been let down by absolutely everyone she's ever met.
She holds a clipboard. "Arabella Wilde."
Arabella Wilde.
The name sounds borrowed from a fantasy novel. Not real. Not something anyone would put on a birth certificate.
The trembling girl stands. Her legs look like they might give out. Fear rolls off her in waves I can actually feel from here.
She follows the severe woman through the opposite door anyway.
The door closes.
Two of us remain.
Silence settles over the room like dust. Heavy. Suffocating.
The confident girl's eyes lock with mine from across the room. Direct eye contact.
Questions pile up in my throat. But I can't ask any of them. Because I'm terrified of the answers.
Her mouth curves upward. Not quite a smile. "So what'd you check? Got anything fun going this time? How much you gonna make?"
I swallow. "Um. Not really. Forced confession. Total power exchange."
Her laughter fills the small room. Sharp. Mocking. "TPE? You checkedTPE?That's like a thousand bucks." She shakes her head. "Not worth it, my friend No. Absolutely not. Fucking newbies. Showing up with their little sex fantasies like this is a boyfriend experience."
My face burns.
Little sex fantasies.
It hurts because… it's true.
Mean lady is back.
"Already?" I ask. Surprised the last girl's auction went so quick.
Confident girl is already standing, like she can't wait to play with scat. She looks at me as she passes. "Oh, rape fantasies are pre-arranged. The auction was fake."
Then she walks out.
I'm alone.
The confident girl is gone. The terrified girl is gone. Just me and my burning face and the way my heart won't stop hammering against my ribs.
