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  I took one last look and Jenny’s sleeping body, and I walked out, shutting the door behind me.

  Chapter 5

  Phoenix

  The ballroom was crowded. People of all ages gathered around, drinking, laughing and talking. The joviality in the air confused me. Did no one my age know what was about to happen? Did the people who had done this before forget what it was like to find out what was about to go down?

  I didn’t know very many people and most of the ones I did were colleagues of my father who I had met growing up over the years. Back then they were ‘Daddy’s friends’ and I loved when they came over. Now, they were Masters and if I was being honest, they scared me a little.

  Across the empty dance floor, I saw a group of girls my age I had gone to school with and they waved at me. I turned to ask for permission.

  “Daddy?” I asked. “May I go say hi to my friends?” I pointed them out.

  “You may go for a brief minute, but the auction is going to start soon and I want to introduce you to a few potential Masters I have in mind for you, if they are willing, and if you are good.”

  I nodded at him and walked away. I wanted to run to them, but I knew my father was still watching me. I could feel his eyes on my body with every step I took, and I, once again, shivered under his gaze. I had never felt like this before around him, and it was not something any girl could ever really get used to.

  “Phoenix!” The girls called out for me. “You look absolutely radiant tonight!” One of them squealed, enveloping me into a tight hug.

  “Thanks Britt, you too,” I complimented her wide pink ballroom gown.

  “Man, I wish I could pull off a skin tight dress like that,” she laughed, taking my hand and twirling me around.

  I looked around us, and noticed the amount of attention we were receiving from both men and women. “Can we go somewhere else to talk Britt?” I asked her.

  “Sure, PheePhee,” she used my despised nickname, “What’s wrong?”

  I grabbed her arm and headed into a small alcove a few feet away.

  “Did your family explain to you what we’re doing here?” I whispered to her, looking around to see if anyone had noticed our departure or could pick up on my worry.

  “I mean, a little bit,” she said. “He said we were going to find our husbands tonight, which is a little weird I guess, but I thought it was more like a metaphor for meeting some of the guys our age, right?” She blathered on.

  “No, Britt. We’re literally going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder!’ I exclaimed as quietly as I could. I needed someone else to understand how dire our situation was although, admittedly I felt bad ruining her pleasant mood.

  “What?” she asked stunned, “I don’t understand.”

  “The Masters are going to bid on us, and claim us as their wives.”

  “Masters?” She shrieked. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “Shhh. Not so loud!” I begged her, looking around again. “We are going to be slaves,” I explained to her.

  “You--You don’t know what you’re talking about Phoenix.” Brittany yelled. “I’m going to find my dad.”

  Before I could stop her, Brittany took off out of our secluded hole and I watched her hunt down her dad. I hated that I was the one who broke the news to her, but the excitement from all the other girls around me made me realize that I might have been the only one given the actual reason for this party tonight.

  “What are you doing in here, little flame,” My dad’s voice rang out next to me. I had been so worried about watching Britt, I hadn’t even seen him approach.

  “I was- uh, just checking my make-up, Daddy,” I smiled up at him. It was a feeble excuse, but it was the best I could come up with on the fly.

  The next thing I knew, his hand was around my throat and my back was pressed up against the wall, his body holding me in place.

  “You’re lying,” he seethed, as his other hand snaked up my dress and pulled the snug fabric down, exposing my right breast. “Since when does my little flame lie to me?”

  I could smell the alcohol on his breath and I turned away. His hot mouth came within inches of my face and he pinched my nipple, bringing it to attention.

  “I may not be your Master for much longer, but until you’re bought and paid for, you are still my property and you will do as I say.”

  “I’m sorry, Daddy,” I cried out, praying he would let me go and that no one was any wiser to what was going on in this small secluded alcove.

  “Not yet, you aren’t, slut, but you will be soon.”

  With that, he released my nipple and my throat and took a step back. I choked out a breath as tears escaped my eyes.

  “Now you can claim you’re fixing your makeup, my little bitch. Get presentable. The auction is going to start soon, and you better pray someone powerful wants you.”

  In an instant, he was gone. The entire encounter had lasted less than a minute. But I felt like I had been pressed up against the wall for hours.

  What in the fuck was my life turning into? My wonderful and adoring Daddy had just manhandled me like I didn’t mean anything to him. This had to have been a dream. Maybe I slipped in the shower and I was in a coma? I pinched my arm and realized, this was no dream. This was my life.

  I pulled up my dress, covering my nudity, and pulled a compact out of my clutch. With a few gentle swipes, and some not so girly sniffles, I had righted myself and I stepped out of the shadows. No one around me seemed to be any the wiser, or if they were, they didn’t acknowledge what had happened. I spotted my father across the ballroom and he gestured for me to come over.

  Under normal circumstances, I would have rushed over, to be met with his loving and gentle eyes, but those eyes were gone. In their place I saw nothing but disgust, dollar signs and lust. A shiver ran through me as I made my way to his side.

  “Master Llewellyn, I’d like to introduce you to my daughter, Phoenix. Phoenix, this is Master Llewellyn. He is here to make some bids.”

  I held out my hand to him and both my father and the man in front of me chuckled.

  “You silly girl,” the man said. “Shaking hands is a man’s gesture, or did your father not teach you your place?”

  I dropped my hand and looked up at my dad. His disapproval radiated through me. “Master Llewellyn is your better, girl, bow to him.”

  Awkwardly, I dipped my head in his direction and looked back at my father for guidance.

  “Don’t worry about her Master Ainsworth,” the man spoke to my father, no longer acknowledging my presence. “Should I be lucky to win her, I will teach her her rightful place.”

  And with that last sentiment, he shook my father's hand and walked away. Seconds later, his gaze fell on me and he grabbed the underside of my arm, hard, and pulled me with him.

  “Are you trying to ruin everything you ungrateful bitch?” He hissed under his breath.

  “No, Daddy,” I whimpered, trying to keep up with him. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

  “Are you so dumb that you’ve forgotten everything you learned in school?”

  Memories of middle school and high school came flooding back. At the time, I didn’t know why we were taught lessons on manners, greetings and our role as women, but now they were all flooding back.

  I tried hard to remember everything I had been taught, but it had been so long ago, and if I was being honest, the last few years out of school I had dismissed most of them in favor of living the life of the rich and spoiled.

  “Just don’t fucking say anything. Do you think you can do that?” He whispered through his teeth. “Just stand there and look like the fucking whore you are in that dress and nod when you’re addressed.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” I replied, feeling my heart break just a little bit more with every derogatory name he called me. It was as if the last twenty-one years of my life had been a lie. A cruel lie only to be shattered in an instant. I was now seeing my father for who he was, and h
e was now showing me his true colors; his real intent.

  For the next hour, Wayne Ainsworth introduced me to over thirty Masters, all seemingly more cruel than the last. I watched in fascination as every girl I had grown up with were all being subjected to the same treatment I was, and it seemed as if I was the only one who had a clue what was going on. The laughters and smiles from my young peers had died away, replaced with confusion and sometimes tears.

  Everyone else in attendance didn’t even seem to notice or care. Young and old slaves alike hung on their Masters every word, fetched drinks as commanded, and were nothing but voiceless arm candy for their Masters. This was going to be my life now, and I didn’t want it. Every fiber in my body told me to run. To get as far away from this room as I could, but my brain provided me with the ugly truth I couldn’t ignore.

  I had no money. I knew no one except the people in this room, and I had no real education. Where would I go? What exactly would I do? I guess I could be homeless, but my lavish lifestyle growing up sneered at the idea. My only hope for right now was to pray that I got a decent Master, do my duties for as long as necessary, and plan my escape. I wasn’t a dumb bitch as my father had called me several times already that evening. I was smart, and I would do whatever I needed to do to survive this hell I had just been dropped into.

  A sound, coming from the stage at the far end of the room, brought about a hush around the ballroom. My father turned me to look at the man at the podium, placing me in front of his body.

  “Are you ready for this, little flame? Are you ready to meet your new Master?” He sneered into my ear.

  I nodded as he had instructed but inside my blood simmered. How easy it would be to stomp on his foot and run as quickly as my body could take me. But then, that would prove him right. That would make me a stupid bitch.

  “Good evening to all of the Masters in attendance,” a booming voice sounded all around me. “Welcome to the 105th annual auction. This is our biggest event in over ten years and I am sure you are all excited”

  The men whooped and cheered, while the women with them politely clapped, probably recalling their first party and the lack of excitement they felt.

  “Tonight we have thirty-six girls who have come of age and are eligible to be owned. Fathers, can you please bring your girls to the stage?”

  One by one I watched as my classmates and friends were escorted to the bottom of the stairs of the large stage, waiting for the next part of the auction to commence. I was eighth in line, my father standing behind me, a wide grin on his face.

  The man on stage turned to us and nodded.

  “Arms up little girl,” my father whispered into my ear.

  Without thought, me and the thirty five girls next to me raised our arms as our fathers unzipped or unlaced our garments, letting them pool to the floor at our feet. I watched as many of them tried to cover their nakedness, only to be restrained by their own fathers. Most of the girls were lucky they had bras and modest panties on. My dress couldn’t be worn with a bra, and I preferred small lace thongs to any other panties I had ever worn.

  “Very nice, slaves,” the man on stage sneered, his pants getting noticeably tighter in the crotch region.

  “Many of you know what I’m about to say, but these thirty-six young slaves are new and haven’t had the pleasure of my speech.”

  The men around me, including my father, all chuckled, their daughters looking on in horror, and the Masters in front of us drooling at the flesh in front of them.

  “The world around us is crumbling. Technology has taken over and the human race is descending into madness. Men and women are treated as equals everywhere we look. Women are running for president, women are making more money than their male counterparts, and the population is decreasing because these women aren’t having children anymore. But we are The Faith,” he cried out, everyone in attendance cheering him on. “The Faith know who is superior. The Faith know who is almighty, and The Faith will restore order to our great planet.

  “When God created the earth he created Man in his image. Not woman. When God rained down a flood lasting forty days and forty nights, did he task a woman to build his arc? No, he didn’t. He tasked Noah, A man. And when he sent down his offspring to save the earth, did he send his silly daughter? No, he sent his son.

  “Men are the rulers of this Earth, and it is our job to take back our ownership. It’s time we take back what belongs to us out of the hands of inferiority. It’s high time we teach these cunts who is the boss!”

  The men in the crowd erupted in cheers while the man on stage smiled at his own heroic speech, patting himself on the back.

  “Today, like we have for over a hundred years, we will introduce another generation to our ways. We will teach them about The Faith. Under the hand of their new Masters, they will find their rightful place, at our feet and under our thumb. If they choose to go against us, they will be punished, for we are the almighty gender.”

  My mouth hung open, my ears not truly believing what they were hearing, and I wasn’t the only one. Most of the girls in my place were just as appalled as I was. To them, we were inferior. We were worth less than the soles on the bottom of the shoes we weren’t meant to worship.

  The clarity in his speech reigned down on me, as my situation came into full light. The Faith wasn’t just a society of over glorified men, it was a patriarchy. Men were to be worshipped and women were to be in servitude. Because I was born with the wrong body parts, I would spend my days at the hands of someone who despised me for what I was.

  A pinch to my ass brought me back into the present.

  “Pay attention, bitch,” my father sneered into my ear. Looking up, I could see a mostly naked woman on stage with the man, kneeling at his feet.

  “Ladies, if you would please kneel at your father’s feet, just like my slave, and repeat after me,” the man on stage instructed.

  Slowly with as much grace as I could muster in my current state of undress, I kneeled down at the feet of my father and looked up into his eyes.

  “Thank the father, for without him I would have no present.”

  I repeated the words to my father and watched as the woman on stage recited the same and bent down to kiss both of his boots.

  Bile and champagne rose up in my throat, but I choked it back down and leaned over to kiss my father’s boots. I could feel his pride emanating from his body, and I could see the hard-on he had hidden behind his zipper.

  “Very good ladies, now please turn, remain kneeling, and face the crowd.”

  I did as instructed.

  “Thank the Masters, for without them, I would have no future.”

  I recited the new words and leaned over to kiss the ground in front of the crowd as the slave on stage did.

  “Lastly please face the stage,” he instructed.

  “Thank The Faith, for without them, I would have no past.”

  With one last kiss to the ground, I sat up and waited, in horror, for the next part of my nightmare to continue.

  “Please remove any remaining garments you have on, and join me on stage,” the man said, taking his slave by the hand and helping her to her feet. I watched in fascination as the man kissed her forehead and sent her on his way. It wasn’t the kiss that beguiled me, it was the pure unadulterated love that shone in her eyes.

  In a foggy haze, I stood up and removed my lace thong, dropping it on top of my perfect dress. With my head bowed I followed the train of shocked and hurt girls up the stairs on to the stage to meet our destiny. I should have been embarrassed. I should have been like ninety percent of the other girls with me and tried to cover my body but I didn’t.

  I was strong and I was going to make it through this. I just had to hold my hand close to my chest, and when the time was right, I would drop my cards onto the table, and take them all for everything they were worth.

  Chapter 6

  Zander

  It was the same speech every year. The same words to illicit
the most about of shock to the young girls participating. And just like every year before this one, it had worked. I stood in the back, but I could still see the tears coming from their pretty little eyes. I could see their modesty as they tried to cover their tits and cunts with their tiny hands. The monster inside of me paced, begging to be let free, but I had to stay strong, for both myself and my soon to be new wife.

  I rolled my eyes at the thought of taking a wife. I was probably the only person who referred to them as such. The typical words you heard around the society was slut, whore or slave. A large part of me still believed that’s what they were, but I tried not to call them as such. They might have been inferior to us in most ways, but they were still humans.

  I shook my head at my errant high-handed thought. The Faith called them inferior, not me. Most of me didn’t subscribe to that line of thinking, but there was still a part of me that did. It was a part that I didn’t want to give any weight to, a part that both terrified me and excited me a little bit at the same time.

  I watched as one by one the scared girls climbed the stairs to the stage and lined up behind Master Brutas. I glanced over each girl, sizing them up. I wanted to find the one who looked the most scared, the most submissive. I needed someone who could play the part of slave when needed but would stay out of my way every opportunity she could.

  The first few girls in the row definitely fit the bill. They weren’t even trying to contain their tears, and even with a warning from Brutas what would happen if they didn’t calm down, they still sobbed. I watched in expectation as he punched both of them, closed fisted in their soft bellies, making them both topple over in pain.

  “You are here to serve, not to cry. The Faith doesn’t give a fuck if you’re scared. You will do your duty to your father, your Master, and The Faith, either by choice or by force.”

  Both girls stood and glared in front of them, wiping their tears from their faces. I had to give it to them, they were putting on a brave face. Little did they know what would be coming for them if they were bid on. It was my least favorite part of the activities of the evening. I shook my head, remembering I would be a part of those said activities for the first time in my life. I wasn’t looking forward to it.