Chapter 8 – Mariah
At first, the idea of going into the basement of a well-lit, but apparently super-secret building, doesn’t seem like such a good idea. Even though I know Paul and his companions are probably down there, hoping to see us, I can’t keep the anxious twist from my stomach. I’m still not sure what else we’re going to find out while we’re here.
Thankfully, Jane steps into the basement first, and drags me with her. If not for that, I’d be frozen in place on the top step. As we descend the first couple stairs, I reach into my pants pocket and grab my phone. Just in case. I tell myself it’s just to see the time, and the fact that Mom sent a text.
A text about how sorry she is that I’m not going to be there right on Christmas day, like I promised. She’d been so upset when I’d told her I couldn’t come, but, now is not the time to feel guilty about that. Now is the time to figure out where I am and what’s going on.
It’s really not about the time or the text. The Exchange Club may not be what either of us bargained for. Maybe there’s not even a place down here called that. Maybe it’s just an empty basement, with guys waiting for a couple of dumb, curious girls to come check it out.
With these blossoming horror stories in mind, I keep following my friend down the stairs. But now I’m shaking, and I’m trying not to drop my phone.
“Don’t be scared, babe,” whispers Jane, “those guys wouldn’t have invited us just so we could be shanghaied.” Her voice is calm. Maybe even a bit playful, but I can hear an edge of concern in it all the same.
Finally, we get down off the stairs, and onto lush carpet. And that’s when I see what I’m not expecting: the sign for an actual restaurant/lounge called The Exchange Club. It’s in big gold letters on a black plaque. A smartly dressed doorman stands at attention near the entrance.
Jane pulls me forward toward the doors, taking out the card Alex gave us. She flashes it at the doorman. “We are guests. A guy named Alex and his friend Jordan invited us, does that sound —”
A door opens for us, courtesy of the doorman before she can even get the full question out. “Please head inside, ladies. It’s almost 8 PM, and the gentlemen you speak of have already taken their seats.”
My heart is pounding when I hear this information.
“Come on.” With that, Jane hauls me through the open door of The Exchange Club. “They’re waiting for us.”
I allow myself to be dragged along, though I can’t help but wonder what is waiting for us inside.
I don’t have to wonder long, though. Once we step through the door, I’m surrounded by a timelessly elegant room. It’s like something out of a Victorian theater or ballroom. The ceilings are grand and tall, decorated with chandeliers and inset lights. The walls are dark and seductive. The sprawling floors are covered with the most luxurious carpets.
Unlike a ballroom or a theater though, this room is filled with tables and chairs. Candles and champagne. Bread and hors d’oeuvres. The only thing it has in common with a Victorian-era theater is its grand stage up at the front.
Toward the front is immediately where Jane begins to take us. Indeed, a woman in a tuxedo, bowtie, and Fedora has just made her way toward one side of the stage, preparing to exit. “Let’s go talk with her,” says Jane. “I bet she’ll know what we do as invited guests.”
I don’t have any response to this. I’ve stopped looking at my surroundings, and started looking for Paul. I see a lot of suits and ties, but no Jaguar eyes. Not yet. And if I’m going to not regret coming here, I better find them. Quickly.
It seems like I’m scanning forever, but finally his eyes jump out at me. Snatch me out from this big, dusky room and hold me tight. The moment his golden-brown eyes touch me, I can feel my heart melting into my toes. My hands beginning to sweat.
His intensity seems raised. If it weren’t for all these people around, he looks like he might just run over and grab me. Bury his lips, and maybe even his teeth, in my neck.
I keep my gaze level, hoping to send this message through my eyes at him: I won’t resist. I’m not afraid. Come get me, Jaguar.
Just when I see Paul beginning to stir, fidget, the woman from the stage is upon us. “Good evening, ladies,” she says, appraising us. “I assume you’re here for tonight’s auction, yes?”
“Uh, yeah?” Jane tightens the grip on my hand, and pulls me so that I’m standing next to her. “My friend and I were invited here by a couple of good-looking guys, and all they told us was just to show up.”
“Good!” She smiles, giving us both a once over again. This time pausing to study our curves. Something I’m not quite comfortable with. “Well, the auction is this way.” She begins to turn on her heels. “So, if you’ll just follow me…”
“Wait!” I stop short, embarrassed by the anxiety in my voice. “Wait, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.” Patiently, slowly the woman turns her eyes back to us. “What auction? What are you talking about?”
“Oh.” Her eyes light up. “So, you don’t know.”
“No. We don’t.” That’s Jane, and she sounds like she’s about to smudge the woman’s pretty lipstick, and not in a pretty way.
“Ladies, here at The Exchange Club, we have a special practice.” A pause. “We allow wealthy gentlemen to ‘buy’ beautiful women — that’s you — for a particular price, for a particular act or activity.” Another pause, one in which she seems to be enjoying the possibilities for Jane and me. “If the gentleman wins at the bid, you are his for the night to do whatever activity or activities he has paid you for.” The woman from the stage looks meaningfully at me. “Most of these men pay handsomely, even for dinner, so it could be worth your while.”
Handsomely? I can’t believe I’m even thinking about doing unknown things for the highest-paying gentleman, but I’m quickly realizing that this might be just the solution I need for next semester. And beyond. If I do something like this, I could pay my tuition easily. I wouldn’t have to worry about where the money is coming from. I feel a bit of a smile forming. That means I wouldn’t have to get a job! Which means I wouldn’t have to worry about my grades slipping…
Not to mention, of course, that Paul is here. Paul will likely be the high bidder, if his eyes tell me anything at all. I was already planning to lose my virginity tonight. And hoping it would be to Paul. Why not get paid to do it?
“Let’s do it,” I say, surprised at my own readiness.
“What?” Now it’s Jane’s turn to be awestruck.
“Yeah,” I say, taking her hand now. “Let’s do it! This could be just the thing I need, Jane.”
Jane takes an agonizing moment to decide, but finally, she nods. A bright, mischievous smile follows. “You’re right. Let’s do it, girl!”
“Excellent, ladies.” The woman from the stage smiles, and leads us up to where she just was. “Right this way.”