I knew the auction was going to begin at any moment, and I was doing my best to get ready for when it did. Maddy had assured me several times that it would be perfectly all right for me to watch without bidding, so long as I was careful to maintain the nonchalant-yet-curious attitude that the entire club thrived on.

It was difficult for me to see exactly what was going on with the strobe lights running onstage, and I was glad that when I had come the first time, I hadn’t been auctioned off in the beam of a strobe. I glanced around to see Kyle had disappeared. There was a feeling of panic that filled my chest for a moment, but I brushed it to the side and turned my attention back to the stage.

He was here, and he had no reason to leave. The bidding hadn’t even started yet, and I was certain he was going to go for someone in the high thousands. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to him if he bid on a girl and won. It would be an awkward situation if tried to tell him how I felt with another girl sitting right there next to him.

On the other hand, I was fine with saying what I needed to in the front of the auction crowd—right in front of everyone. I needed him to know, one way or another.

I might not have had the intention of purchasing one of the young women to spend the night with me, but that certainly didn’t mean that I didn’t appreciate the show. This time, I felt that I was being treated with greater respect than I had been the first time. I wasn’t sure if this was because I knew what was going on and was carrying myself with a bolder attitude because of it, or if this was because they had seen me here before and I was now considered a regular.

Whatever the reason, servers walked past often, offering me more champagne or a taste of whatever treat they were carrying on their trays. I helped myself to anything and everything I thought looked good. I had learned that these were things that were given as a compliment of the house, and I ought to take full advantage of them if I was going to fit in with the rest of the crowd.

Suddenly, my attention was again turned to the stage in front of me. The announcer, looking just as beautiful as she had the day I’d stood on the stage next to her, was beginning to announce the arrival of the lots. The auction crowd cheered. They were clearly more than ready to get the show underway.

I watched as the first girl was brought out. Several members of the crowd cheered, and the girl waved, clearly enjoying the attention. Now that I knew what was happening, I almost wished that I could get back up on the stage myself and show off for the group.

I wanted to see how much money these men and women would pay to have me by their sides, now, and a small part of me wanted to know if Kyle would bid again.

When his name flashed through my mind again, I abruptly turned and scanned the crowd. It was even harder now for me to see across the group, let alone make out anyone in particular. Hands were being raised as the bids rose higher and higher, and the passion in the crowd could be felt throughout the entire room.

I decided I couldn’t stand in one spot any longer, and resolved I was going to go find Kyle. I pushed my way through the crowd, doing my best to look as though I knew where I was going.

Several of the men and women moved out of the way when they saw me coming, but there were others who clearly felt it was my job to make it through the crowd without any help from them. I did my best to pick through the feet on the ground, not wanting to step on anyone in the heels I was wearing.

Out of nowhere, I came very close to tripping on something that was on the floor. At first, I thought someone had collapsed from the strobe light or the heat, but when I looked down, I couldn’t help but gasp.

A woman was on her knees in the midst of the crowd. She wasn’t paying any attention to the auction—she was too busy performing a sexual act on the man standing directly in front of her. My hand flew to my mouth as I nearly cried out in surprise, but I quickly recovered, apologized for nearly tripping on her legs, and continued.

Thoughts began to rush through my brain as I looked back over the bidding company. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, I could see that there were many lewd acts taking place within the crowd. Women were lifting the backs of their skirts and men were taking advantage of the opportunity. There were couples making out in the darkness of the strobe, only revealed every now and then by the flash of the light over in their direction.

Though the music had been lowered for the bidding, couples were grinding on each other in tune to the beat, each one bidding separately on the women who were brought up to the stage.

I tried to remind myself of what Maddy had said, and look upon these lustful acts as something the club was celebrating. It wasn’t for me to decide what others should and shouldn’t do with their own bodies, and maybe, if I opened my mind a little, I might start enjoying myself more.

I also wanted to be very careful not to do anything that might harm my sister’s reputation. It was clear that Maddy had wanted to come to the last party she had been invited to, and to now selflessly allow me to come in her stead—all in the hopes of finding a man who very likely wouldn’t even remember me—seemed downright ludicrous.

Then, I got another glance. Over in the corner of the room, I could see Kyle, surrounded by several incredibly attractive women. My stomach dropped instantly, and I considered turning around and walking right out of the club.

But when I looked closer, I could see that the women were all doing their best to get his attention, but nothing they could do seemed to be working. He would talk to one or smile at another, but each time they tried to get close to him, it was clear he was brushing them off in some way.

I felt a surge of confidence as I began wading through the sea of people. I kept my eyes on Kyle the entire time, not wanting to lose sight of him in the darkness of the room. I did my best to keep an eye on the floor as well, not wanting to surprise anyone else as I made my way over to him.

Then I noticed something else remarkable: Kyle wasn’t bidding. Many young women were being brought up to the stage, and though he looked at each one with interest, I didn’t get the feeling he was looking with any intention to bid. It was almost as though he were looking for something in particular, and that something wasn’t coming forth with any of them.

Suddenly, a woman cut right in front of me. I almost snapped at her, but I held my tongue, not wanting to draw attention to myself. To my horror, she walked directly over to Kyle and promptly put her arm around his shoulder. I watched as Kyle looked down at her and said something, and my stomach sank even further when she laughed and didn’t move her arm.

I didn’t know whether she was being incredibly forward with him, or if there was something more going on between them. I thought of the tabloid I had seen a couple of weeks prior, and those familiar feelings of jealousy began to creep back into my mind. I began to walk through the crowd with a purpose, formulating what I was going to say with every step I took.

To my dismay, someone else stepped in front of me, completely blocking them from my view. I nearly ran into the man, and profusely apologized, doing everything I could to ensure he was all right.

I wanted to find Kyle more than ever now, and glancing over to where he had just been standing showed that he had once again moved somewhere else. I sighed as I watched the man I’d run into straighten his tie and his suit, then I looked at his briefcase.

“I take it you’re a lawyer?” I asked with a smile.

The man stared at me suspiciously.

“What’s it to you?” he snapped, and I put my hands up, showing him that I didn’t mean to offend in any way.

“Apologies, I’m looking for a friend,” I said as I pushed past him.

It was difficult to get around him, as he refused to move out of the way at all, but I managed. Once I was on the other side of the crowd, I felt a mix of triumph and embarrassment, but refused to think too much about it. I was bound to make several more mistakes before the night was over, but that didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that I was going to find Kyle, and I was going to tell him exactly what I should have told him the night we’d met.