Cassandra walked around the elegantly decorated bedroom inside the posh hotel. It was furnished with some of the most expensive furniture. Stylish bureau with matching mirror...oak desk set aside and a chair that looked like it had been picked up at a pricy dealership.
Of course in the middle of the room was the king sized bed, its spread turned down and what felt like silk sheets beneath her fingertips. She wore a black Vera Wang dress which hugged her figure as intended and sheer stockings that led to black heeled shoes.
Underneath she wore lingerie from the most exclusive catalog of Victoria's Secret in matching black of course. All accentuated by a diamond necklace that could have financed her entire grad school education but instead of hocking it, she wore it.
Perfect for the occasion...the party she had just left. Earlier that day she'd been at the day spa where Sophia sent her to get an aromatherapy massage and of course, a full manicure and pedicure.
Whatever it took to be ready for this night...the grand event inside the ballroom of the city's most posh hotel...which had attracted a most exclusive crowd.
She mingled around the party while suited waiters served champagne to guests who stood in throngs talking to each other. Sophia told her to walk the room and if any man wanted to talk to her she would stop and give him her full attention. Quite a few distinguished men had walked up to her, men who had made their mark in the world in one way or another.
Groundbreaking surgeons, record breaking athletes, famous entertainers and politicians. Men who ran companies at the top of the corporate food chain...the upper crest of society. They milled around the ballroom conducting power meetings in the guise of a social event.
But that's not all they did. In another room, there was a table where a dozen cards were displayed, highly decorative cards in the most elaborate script. They held photos of beautiful young woman with a brief description. Underneath, was another card where the men submitted bids in what was a silent auction...Cassandra should know, she was one of the women on display.
She thought about slipping away and going into that room to check her card but opted not to do it. It was difficult enough to not remember why she was here.
"You will be here to make every man want you," Sophia had said, "to make enough of them desperate enough to bid...and for one man, lucky enough to win."
Sophia had looked across from her desk at her while she sat there feeling more nervous by the moment. Eying the door looking for a reason, any reason to leave and not look back...but reality hit.
"What will I get if a man...wins?"
Sophia's smile widened.
"You'll get 30% the total winning bid per auction."
Her eyes had widened. Damn, the casual way that those words had rolled off of Sophia's tongue. But Cassandra didn't see that kind of money every day...money she so desperately needed. She already knew what the ball park figure would be...if she did well. But she'd hesitated.
"I...I'm not experienced in well...men..."
Sophia shrugged.
"Then you may get even more...if you sell it as an asset."
Then Cassandra understood what would happen next.
She remembered that conversation even before she had accepted the offer. After all, she made barely above minimum wage at her current job clerking for one of the city's most powerful partners at a legal firm.
Cruz Callantine...who had hired her just out of law school and put her to work as a paralegal while she studied for the State Bar. She currently specialized in contract law, and he loaded up her desk in her cubicle with work.
He kept her busy during the day but she knew if she were going to keep her apartment and pay off her student loans, she had to get a second job which meant...moonlighting. She didn't tell Cruz that was what she did because she barely saw the guy and she figured if she needed a second job to pay her bills, it wasn't his business as long as it didn't interfere with the work she did for his firm.
Still, this wasn't the normal type of moonlighting job...to work a job where she'd be auctioned off to the man who placed the highest bid. Then she would be escorted up to a hotel room where the high bidder would show up and claim his prize for the night.
She talked to a variety of men who wanted to know more about her before placing their bids for the night. Most were friendly and asked questions related to her education and work, not what she'd expected at all.
After refreshing her champagne, she walked to a corner of the ballroom. The alcohol had warmed her throat and had given her some courage. But as long as she didn't think what she was doing...she could almost enjoy herself in such posh surroundings.
Sophia walked up to her dressed in an elegant gown and a diamond pendent around her neck.
"You are enjoying yourself?"
Cassandra nodded.
"It's really nice...the men..."
"They've been casting bids in the other room," Sophia said, "I shouldn't say this but you're doing very well...attracting quite a bit of attention for someone so new."
Cassandra's skin flushed.
"I...I...wow...so what'll happen...?"
"Like I told you, you'll be taken upstairs into one of our nice rooms and the man who cast the highest bid will be waiting for his prize. Now the men have all been screened...so no crazies or sociopaths nothing like that. They are all repeat customers, the cream of our crop receive these invites."
Cassandra tried to calm herself. Her palms had started getting clammy and her heartbeat quickened.
"You'll be fine," Sophia said, "and you'll have money to pay off that debt."
Cassandra nodded and smiled because she really needed that weight off of her shoulders.
"I'll see you afterward..."
She watched as Sophia left. She went to mill in the room, listening to the music playing from a band in the corner.
Then she looked across the room and saw him. Cruz, standing there talking with another gentleman by the bar. To say he devastated in his Armani would be an understatement. For a man who spent his days in courtrooms or conference rooms, his rugged physique could flatter any outfit but his spirit couldn't be contained by finery. Dark black hair and tanned skin, muscles carved out of his yen for mountain climbing and deep sea diving. He'd led expeditions into the crags of mountains and explored the coral reefs and skeletons of ancient ships.
But he knew how to command attention on the job; he could get out of a cross-country flight one moment and within an hour be arguing a brief in front of a judge. Rumors buzzed about what he did on his travels when he wasn't on the clock. Late nights spent in the fanciest clubs with a woman or two on his arm and later in his bed.
Not that Cassandra paid much attention to what he did unless he gave her a project to do. She could go days without seeing him and then suddenly, she'd be called in his office to get an assignment, complete with deadline.
Though there were times, idle moments in a busy schedule when she imagined what it'd be like if she weren't there just to work. She imagined what it'd be like to fuck him. She reined herself in when she got too far into her fantasies. If she didn't she wouldn't get anything done.
To envision what she'd do to him if she didn't have to be a good employee. What'd it be like if she were in his office on her knees, suckling on the crown of his erection before he slid it inside her mouth. Better yet, he'd be the one with his mouth between her thighs worshipping her nether parts with his lips. Her panties grew damp before she knew it.
"Cassandra...what a nice surprise..."
Damn, her boss had seen her and was walking towards her. Oh how was she going to explain this to him? After all, he had to know what kind of party this was and what she would be doing here.
"Mr. Callantine...Hi..."
He smiled at her and to say he had a nice smile would be underselling it. It wouldn't be true either because often he smiled at those he was about to pull the rug out from under in the board room or in court. She learned to be wary of that smile...even as it made her insides go on slow burn when it was for her.
"I'd ask you what you're doing here but I know why."
She felt nervous suddenly. Oh god, what was he going to do now, would he fire her? It was one thing to moonlight, that he might understand but as a...she couldn't even say it to herself.
"Mr. Callantine...I can explain...I..."
"Call me Cruz...I think under the circumstances it's warranted."
That confused her and the way he appraised her now...that threw her off. She felt flustered.
"I....Mr...Cruz...it's just that..."
He put a hand up.
