Black Market Bidder Ch. 02

"Got a live one, Zander," Lance announced as he carried AJ into the new room. Her kicking, slapping, scratching and screaming continued until he unceremoniously dropped her onto the carpeted floor. She landed on her side and grunted loudly as the air seemingly fled from her body, making her gasp for it back in response.

"Oh Lance, don't be so rough baby," Said yet another mysterious voice. AJ looked up to see a man who looked like he paid a lot of money to appear younger than he was. He was thin and his skin was the color of dark mahogany. He was wearing a nice, tailored suit but the bright purple color and blinding yellow tie threw AJ for a loop and almost made her dizzy. He gracefully stepped down a few steps from what looked liked a mini-stage that AJ would later realize was a viewing area where outfits were fitted on models and tested for movement, flare, fit and other essential modeling terms AJ didn't know.

"I'm not the one who was being rough!" Lance replied, rolling his shoulders and wincing a little. AJ couldn't help but feel a smug satisfaction. She may not have broken through the armor but she sure as hell left some annoying damage. Zander just tsked and reached down to help AJ to her feet.

"Ignore him, Doll-face," Zander said to AJ. "You're in Zander's hands now and he's known for being gentle." He gave AJ a wink and she honestly had no idea how to respond. "Now, let's see..." He said, mostly to himself as he circled AJ to look her over closely. "Good height, amazing looking curves. Hips for days, baby girl!" He announced and AJ blushed. "Legs are long and strong, butt is full..." he continued, stopping in front of her again. He reached up to gently palm her breasts, making her flinch away. "Don't be shy, darling, I gotta make sure to get you into the perfect outfit. Don't worry, it'll be fun!"

Fun? How is any of this fun?

AJ only felt like a tossed around piece of meat but at least this guy seemed nicer than anyone else she's met in the last few hours. He pinched her chin softly between his thumb and forefinger to look into her eyes. "Blue eyes so soft that they're almost silver," He said wistfully. "And long, sleek hair the color of bright Rosewood," He finished and began to pace in front of her, now deep in thought. "My first thought is green to bring out your hair and it would also compliment your eyes. But you're so fiery, baby it would be a crime to not put you in something with some heat!" He said passionately. After a few moments of awkward silence between AJ and Lance and thoughtful silence from Zander, Zander finally snapped his fingers with a joyous, "A-ha!"

With more excitement than a six year old on Christmas, Zander ran behind one of the shimmering curtains and AJ could hear some light rummaging before he stepped back out holding a white outfit, still on the hanger. Now, not that AJ cared about what she was going to wear because she honestly had no idea what was going on, but white was not the color she was expecting. As Zander got closer, she realized that it was a white lace Romper that may as well had been lingerie. In fact, AJ was sure that it was in fact, lingerie and her cheeks turned red once again.

"The best thing about your features sweetie, is that you're all the color you need. Don't let them see that fire until they've earned it." Zander said with a wink and AJ actually smiled. At what, she didn't know because the infamous "they" could be anyone at this point. Why should she care about what they thought? Still, Zander was good at flattering her in these mysterious circumstances. If she got out of this, she'd use these words as life advice. "White is innocence, virginal and pure," Zander continued as he laid the outfit down before pulling off AJ's clothes without thought. Once again she was naked and she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge Lance who was leaning against a wall, a mere six feet away. "If you are anything more than that, a man will have to earn that knowledge and power from you." he continued as he helped AJ into the lacy outfit. The Romper was short, very short, only coming to the bottom of her round behind and leaving the entire length of her legs exposed. It hugged her body, showing every curve she had to offer. The lace pattern was thick at the bottom, covering her butt and lady bits only to thin out over her back and stomach to show her skin through the sheer fabric. The lace thickened again to cover her full breasts and up the thick lacy straps that covered just her shoulders. Starting from her mid-back, the Romper opened in a V shape to expose almost her entire back and in the front, the thick shoulder straps came down in a similar V shape, stopping below her breasts to expose her cleavage. In any other situation, AJ would feel as fierce as Zander was describing her. The outfit was sexy. Zander then did circles around her again, clapping and squealing his own approval.

Zander then took AJ's hand and lead her to one of the vanities to sit her down. Excitedly, he applied some light make-up to her face. The brownish-maroon eye shadow really brought out the shine in her eyes and complimented her hair. He completed the look with some eyeliner, mascara and quick swipe of gloss over her lips before moving to brush through her hair.

"I'm going to leave it down but I'll pin one side back with something sparkly!" He said, gently running his fingers through her thick, straight locks. AJ wished she could be as enthusiastic as he was. Any girl would love being made-up like this but AJ knew the purpose of this makeover wasn't good for her. All she could do was smile. Zander brushed her hair until it was silky smooth then applied some hair cream that gave off a floral but almost intoxicatingly amazing scent. He then went to what looked like an ordinary dresser, opened one of the drawers and pulled out a white hair pin. It was designed to look like a lily flower, sprinkled with silver glitter. He artfully pulled back the left side of AJ's hair-length bangs and clipped them into place on the side of her head. Lastly, he spritzed her with an expensive looking and lovely smelling perfume before standing her up with a proud smile.

"Now, normally I'd give you shoes but there's an annoying barefoot policy." Zander said with an eye roll before his smile returned.

Probably to stop anyone from attempting to run. AJ thought.

"You look like a flaming, deceptively innocent angel, girlfriend. Work it, be fierce and good luck." He kissed her cheek and handed her over to a waiting Lance before she could even muster a thank you.

"Are you going to walk right this time or do I need to carry you again?" Lance asked, his arms still crossed over his broad chest. AJ just gave him a glare in return before sauntering past him towards the elevator.

"Sassy," Zander chimed in with a playful growl. Lance just rolled his eyes before following AJ to the elevator. Once inside and moving up, AJ's curiosity got the better of her again.

"What's waiting for us upstairs?" She asked, hoping for any kind of answer this time around. Lance sighed and leaned back against the wall.

"It's difficult to explain to you and I'm sorry for that but there isn't any kind of preparation for what's next." He replied ominously and it only spiked AJ's anxiety. They rode the rest of the way in silence with AJ quietly freaking out next to Lance. He could feel her panic but he was used to it. He had no comforting words to give her, this was his job and even he didn't know where or who she was going to end up with.

The elevator shook to a stop and the doors slowly opened to reveal a thick, red velvet curtain that seemed to cut off half of the room. The half that AJ could see didn't do anything for her nerves. There were small platforms, AJ counted eight of them all in a line across the room. Each platform had a metal pole in the middle of them and some of the poles had other people either cuffed to them already or were in the process of having someone cuffed to them with their arms held above their heads. Each person was as skimpily dressed as she was and looked as afraid as she felt. There were three men and four women in all and including herself made it eight. AJ was so shocked and in a state of panic that she froze. Lance had to grab her arm and drag her out of the elevator. When she saw that he was leading her to a free pole near the end of the line on the right side, she let out a little scream that drew the attention of everyone in the room.

"Nope, no, no, no, nope!" She yelled, pulling back against Lance's grip. He ignored her like a parent would ignore their child throwing a tantrum in the cereal aisle. "Let go of me, Lance! I am not getting on that thing! Whatever this is, I'm not doing it so let go!" She screamed, clawing at his arm in desperation. His only response was to wince slightly as she scratched him but he took it. At this point, AJ was sure that this was a normal occurrence in his life. She tried to drag her feet but he only picked her up by the waist and carried her despite her continuous screams of protest and wiggling.

"Last one," Lance said as he set her on the platform. Before she could bolt, another large man helped him hold her up against the pole as yet another man yanked her arms up to cuff them tight. AJ let out a frustrated, terrified scream as she bucked and kicked her legs. "Here is her medical file and her belongings." She heard Lance say and she looked to see him handing her purse and the blue file to smartly dressed, middle aged woman. When the woman opened the file, she read it for a moment before her eyes widened and she looked up at AJ in shock, a large smile forming over her face. The woman then approached a small pedestal in front of AJ that she didn't even notice. On it laid what looked like a sign-in sheet one would see at a party or other event people used to keep track of guests. On the top of the sheet, AJ read upside down as the woman wrote, "STARTING BID: $250,000" before she placed AJ's folder down next to it, open so it could be read. AJ's eyes widened and sheer terror ran up her spine. Her worst fear was just confirmed. She was being sold!

AJ continued to wiggle and kick her legs, pulling against the metal cuffs that held her in place. Up until this point, the reality of her situation never kicked in. It seemed that she had completely and foolishly underestimated the people around her and their intentions. AJ took a moment to look at the other captives only to see them either staring at her in shock or just staring at their toes, completely resigned to their fates.

NO! I have a life, a job, school, friends and family! People are wondering where I am, people are worried. I can't give up, I can't let them do this to me!

AJ screamed the words in her mind and screamed like a frustrated, terrified animal out loud. The only thing that silenced her was when the curtain suddenly opened.

In front of her sat an audience of people, men and women of a whole range of ages and ethnicities. There were at least fifty of them, if not more. Some looked at each captive with curiosity, some with interest and excitement and some with nothing but seriousness as if this type of transaction was completely normal and just another part of their day. Each person was dressed up in obviously expensive clothing, jewels and styled to perfection. AJ hated every single one of them.

"Welcome Black Market Bidders!" The woman who had written on AJ's sign sheet was standing a few feet from her, addressing the crowd with a kind of enthusiasm that made AJ's stomach turn. She hated her too. "Today's batch is fresh off the streets just today, each one carrying their own unique qualities. As you are aware, we try to fit the needs of all our loyal customers and new Bidders just dipping their toes in," The woman stated. AJ wanted to vomit and it looked like her fellow captives were experiencing the same feeling. "As a reminder, the rules are as follows: Touching is permitted but no hitting or any form of punishment. If there is violence, you will be banned from this auction and a black mark will permanently sit in your file so keep in mind that new items can be feisty." Some of the Bidders looked at AJ at this point and she felt herself glaring back. "When you wish to bid, please sign your name with the bid amount on their personal sheets. Each item has a starting bid and going below that amount is forbidden,"

Item? Really? When were we stripped from the rest of humanity?! AJ screamed in her head as she glared at the talking troll.

"You have thirty minutes to bid and the person with the highest offer at the end of the allotted time is awarded the sale. And don't worry Bidders, if you do not find what you are looking for today or are outbid, there will be another auction at the end of the summer. Please see our information package for the exact date," End of summer? Given that it was only March, it sounded like they held these horrific events every five to six months. "Have fun and good luck!" The woman concluded her little speech and stepped off to the side.

AJ felt a wave of nausea as people in the crowd began to slowly rise and approach her and the other "items." Every time someone tried to touch her, she'd squirm and kick and yell at them to back off. This earned her some glares and amused chuckles alike. A few people went right to her folder and after reading it, would place a bid on her sheet. With each signature, AJ wished she had the ability to kill with her eyes.

"You're a little firecracker aren't you?" A man asked as he approached her platform. She only glared in response. This man was young, seemingly not even five years older than AJ. Even though AJ was elevated, she could tell he was tall, obviously over six feet. He was lean, she could tell as he was wearing a perfectly tailored gray suit that hugged his fit form with a complimenting, blood red tie and black undershirt. His light blonde hair looked as if it were styled to look disheveled but he made it look good. AJ had never seen his shade of green eyes, they were so dark but had a mischievous shine to them that made AJ nervous. He almost looked boyish and his clean shaven look only amplified that. If she was a firecracker, this man was a snake. He reached up to touch AJ's face and she flinched away, making him chuckle before he stepped back to look at her file. "Interesting," Was all he said before he wrote his name down. It was too small for AJ to read but she saw his bid clearly: $450,000. She shuddered.

"Why am I not surprised, Julian?" AJ turned to the new voice and saw another man, looking at the one who had just bid on her as he approached. This man was just as tall as Blondie, now Julian apparently, if not an inch or so taller. He was built a little more broad with a wider chest and bigger shoulders. His dark brown hair was trimmed very short on the sides and the back of his head but skillfully transitioned to the longer hair on the top and upper sides of his head. It was carefully styled to appear smoothly spiky. AJ couldn't even tell if he was using gel or not. His eyes reminded her of amber and the heat they naturally carried made her feel weak, although AJ didn't quite understand the feeling. His beard was carefully trimmed, thick but not long and seemed to complete his facial look nicely. He was dressed almost casually with dark, faded jeans, black, heavy looking boots, and a white button-up shirt that was topped with a very expensive looking black suit jacket that was completely unbuttoned. AJ could almost make out the lines of his broad figure beneath the white fabric. Lastly, he appeared older. Late thirties is what AJ guessed. "Of course you'd bid on the one most likely to give you a reason to hit her." He said and Julian gave him a friendly looking but secretly pissed off smile.

"Ah Leon, I didn't even see you arrive here," Julian greeted stiffly. Leon smoothly stuck his hands in his pockets, raising an eyebrow at the younger man.

"I tend to blend in," He stated and AJ almost snorted. This guy didn't blend in anywhere. In fact, AJ was sure he did everything to be noticed and she was also sure that Julian was full of shit and that he knew Leon was there the whole time.

"Indeed. You do it well," Julian replied and AJ saw a ghost of a smirk appear on Leon's face. "But I'm afraid you're mistaken. I just enjoy her fighting spirit." Julian added, smiling up at AJ. AJ wanted so badly to kick him in the jaw but he was just out of reach.

"I'm sure. I hear you have a knack for breaking them," Leon said, not taking his eyes off of Julian. After a painful second, Julian looked back at Leon and after another tense moment, gave him another blatantly fake smile.

"Yes, I enjoy discovering a fighter's obedient side. I cannot deny such a thing," Julian replied and that ghost smirk quickly vanished from Leon's face. "Enjoy the rest of the auction, Leon. I'm sure we'll cross each other again soon." Julian said before casting another quick glance at AJ and walking away. AJ didn't miss the hunger in his green eyes nor did she miss the subtle hidden meaning in Julian's last words. She was sure Leon would walk away as well so she was shocked when the heat of his amber eyes glided up her frame before landing on her face. As he captured her eyes with his, he approached and stepped up onto her platform. He was the first to do so and also the first to make no other moves to touch her yet she could still feel the heat from his body crashing into hers.

"Blue as the sky right before a thunder storm," He said and all AJ could do was give him a confused look. "You're balanced, I like that." He added, looking from her eyes to her hair then back to her eyes again. AJ was lost. Without another word, he stepped off the platform and walked over to her file. He read it thoroughly, slowly reading through the few pages the file contained. At one point, he looked up at her, only moving his eyes to give her a curious and almost confused look. After which point, he closed her file and went to sign her sheet. AJ's heart began to pound as she saw him write $750,000 next to his elegant signature and only one thought ran through her mind:

Fuck. My. Life.