CHAPTER SIX
Kerry sucked in a deep breath and pushed herself shakily off the cold, hard chair as Madam Patricia Jen announced her stage name.
“And now, I have the pleasure of presenting the pure, flawless and perfect...Amber!”
Amber. She was Amber. A Gem in The Ring.
Kerry grimaced when she almost tripped on her way to the edge of the stage. She quickly straightened up and regained her composure and balance.
Kicking up her chin, Kerry flashed what she hoped was a confident smile at the audience and forced her arms to remain at her sides. She felt completely naked, even though she wasn't. Not technically. She was wearing translucent tights and diamond-shaped nipple pasties. Not that they covered much but still.
She had never exposed so much of herself to a bunch of strangers before.
Shifters, Kerry reminded herself. She was in a room full of shifters.
Keep calm, Kerry. They can smell your fear.
Kerry continued smiling as her eyes darted around The Ring. The twenty tables were placed pretty close to the stage. So the bidders could see up close and personal what they are bidding for.
Gulping, she looked straight ahead, avoiding all eye contact with the bidders. She knew she should be strutting her stuff, giving the bidders saucy winks and come-hither looks to attract higher bids. That was what she was here for, right?
But now that she was standing on the stage, being appraised and admired, she found herself wishing that no one would bid for her. She just wanted to run home and cover herself up from head to toe.
No, I can do this. I have to do this. For Tia.
Screwing up what little courage she had left, Kerry blinked and dragged her gaze down to the bidders seated at the tables.
A middle-aged woman was caressing her diamond choker as she sipped her champagne. Thankfully, her eyes weren't on Kerry. She was staring at Topaz, that handsome Asian stud muffin.
Kerry closed her eyes briefly and thought back to her training. She had attended a short training session after her interview with Madam Patricia Jen. Madam Jen told Kerry that she liked the photo that Kerry had sent, and she described Kerry as “a rare, beautiful, unpolished Gem”. Kerry had received the callback a few days after sending the photo, and she had been both thrilled and terrified. But she refused to let her fear get the better of her. How hard could it be?
Once she signed the contract, she was given a tour of the auction room and taught how to sit and walk on the polished revolving stage. She was also given tips on how to attract the attention of the bidders.
Tip number one: make eye contact.
Kerry took a shaky breath and forced her eyes open. She looked out at the audience as the stage continued rotating. As she glided past a pudgy man in a cowboy hat, he smirked and fashioned a gun with his thumb and forefinger. When he pretended to fire his gun at Kerry, Kerry flinched and stumbled back. The cowboy banged the table and guffawed.
Get a grip, get a grip.
Kerry inhaled a steadying breath and balled her fists. Anger was unfurling in her belly. She was a Gem, but she wouldn't be made a fool of.
Her eyes blazing, she glared at the client sitting at the last table. Table number twenty.
Her breath caught at the sight of him.
The man was sitting alone at his table, without a bodyguard or an assistant. His black suit accentuated his broad shoulders, and she could sense the coiled tension and power in his body. The man had short dark hair and sported a hint of stubble at his jaw. His features were sharp and chiseled and there was an unmistakable aura of authority and danger about him.
His white shirt was open at the collar, allowing Kerry a tantalizing glimpse of his tanned, hard chest. The man wore no jewelery, unlike the other patrons who seemed to be trying to outdo one another with their chunky gold bracelets, glittering necklaces and flashy rings.
Only an elegant, sophisticated watch peeked out from under his sleeve. Kerry was pretty sure that his watch alone cost more than her whole year's salary.
The man's piercing blue eyes raked down Kerry's body, sending a tingle of desire right to her core. This man was sinfully sexy, brooding and handsome. Kerry had seen quite a few handsome men around town and some of the customers at the restaurant were pretty charming and good-looking. But she had never taken more than a passing, appreciative glance at those men. She simply admired them, acknowledged their good looks and let them go. She never wanted them.
But this man, this tall, handsome stranger at table number twenty, she wanted. Her body wanted him. The jolt of lust that hit her was sudden and powerful, and she had to squeeze her thighs together to try to ease the maddening ache in her core.
Kerry whimpered and tried to tear her eyes away. But she couldn't look away from him.
His gaze was heated and possessive, holding her captive and branding her.
Bid for me, she silently begged.
As soon as she mouthed the words, the fog seemed to lift from her mind.
Kerry shook her head and suppressed a violent shiver. What the hell just happened to her? It felt as though she had just fallen into a swirling vortex of lust and unrequited desire.
She was out of her mind. That man was out of her league. Why would he bid for her?
But...why was he even here at the auction?
The man had the looks of a movie star, and the fact that he was here in The Ring meant that he was a high-net-worth individual. A rich handsome guy like him didn't need to bid for sex. He could have any woman he wanted.
Movie stars, rich heiresses, models, they would all be beating a path to his bed.
The moving stage dragged Kerry away from table number twenty but she could still feel his eyes on her.
There were twenty bidders but only seven Gems. So someone was sure to win her tonight.