Chapter 1
I look at myself in the full-length mirror. I still can’t believe that I’m doing this. I never do anything like this, but I also can’t say no to my mother.
Ugh…
I need to learn to tell my mother no going forward.
I sigh and adjust my bow tie until it is just right.
When is the last time that I have worn a black tuxedo? Oh, yeah. Last year, at the same charity event, when my mother told me that I had to go. Luckily last year, they didn’t have this silly auction. Whoever came up with this idea needs to be slapped. I wonder who else is going to be auctioned off.
Oh, no. Who is going to buy me?
At least when my mother tries to set me up on blind dates, I can say no, when I meet the girl. However, I don’t have any say in who buys me for the weekend. Why couldn’t they have just done a simple movie and a dinner date thing instead? Why did they have to go and do this weekend thing?
I run my hands down the front of my tuxedo.
Gulp.
There still has to be a way for me to get out of this.
Knock. Knock.
SHIT!
My heart slams hard in my chest, as I stand frozen in place, with a lump in my throat. I try to open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I glance towards the door through the mirror.
Maybe they will go away.
“Gulf! It is time baby. You are going to be up soon.” My mom’s voice slowly fills the small dressing room.
Gulp.
The door slowly opens, and my mom walks in. As soon as her eyes lands on me, a huge smile appears on her face.
“Gulf, we need to go. Come on.”
Unable to say anything, I just stare at her, while my mind is still trying to think of some way to get out of this. There has to be something that I can do.
I watch as my mom gently grabs my wrist. As she pulls me out of the room, she coos, “Son, it is going to be all right. I won’t let any crazy person buy you. Everyone here are very reputable people besides being wealthy.”
My mom continues to talk about how safe this is, but I can’t hear her. My mind is running through all the various possibilities where I end up with some really old woman, who wants to only have me stay in the room for the entire weekend while she tries to do unthinkable things to me. Or maybe it is some old man.
Ugh… I don’t even want to think about that.
No. It can’t be some old dude.
Yuck.
I silently follow my mom as she pulls through the short hallway to the backstage. My mother stops just off stage with us hidden behind the curtains, I glance through the opening in the curtains across the stage towards the previously auctioned men.
Gulp.
I’m the only one who is in a tuxedo. Damn.
The other men are in suits, except for one teenage boy, who is in designer jeans and a nice shirt.
Man, I wish that I could wear that, instead I’m in this freaking tuxedo.
I glance at the tall brown haired man in front of me, who is wearing a simple suit. I hesitantly look at him from head to toe, before I lean forward and peak around the curtain again and scan the auditorium.
Shoot. That is a lot of people.
I don’t even pay attention to my mom as she pens a number to my jacket. My mind is still roaming around the crowd. Who is going to be the highest bidder and win me for the weekend?
My eyes stop on some older ladies in the front row.
No. Please not them.
I quickly scan the crowd again, before my eyes stop on a couple elderly men along the right side of the auditorium.
Oh, please don’t let them be the ones to buy me.
My palms begin to sweat, while my heart begins to beat wildly.
My mom breaks my thought by patting my arm. “Gulf, baby. You’re up.”
Already? I don’t want to be.
My mouth instantly goes dry as my feet slowly move forward. After a few steps, my feet stop moving as a bubbly middle aged woman, on the other side of the stage, smiles at me. She brings the microphone to her mouth and everything goes in slow motion as I slowly turn towards the audience.
This is it. Why couldn’t I have found a way to get out of this?
Reluctantly, I shuffle my feet a little more until I’m standing in the middle of the stage, while the MC announces, “Let’s give our final auction item for tonight a warm round of applause.”
Breath. It will be over soon. It is only a weekend. It will be all right.
I quietly take a deep breath as the crowd claps. After a few moments, the auditorium quiets down again.
“This is our final auction item for tonight. Just a reminder that we haven’t quite reached our goal for the event yet, so if you want to have a weekend with this handsome young gentleman, you better bid now before someone else does.”
No. Don’t encourage them.
I want to turn my head towards the MC and shoot daggers at her with my eyes, but I can’t.
Instead, I glance over to the side of the stage and with my eyes, I beg my mom to help. However, instead of helping, she smiles and gives me two thumbs up.
What the heck?
The MC clears her throat and announces, “This handsome young man’s name is Gulf. He is 23 years old….”
As the MC continues to give my information like I’m some baseball player, I wish that I actually was some kind of athlete instead being a piece of meat. That is right. I feel like a piece of meat right now. This is wrong on so many levels.
I cold shiver runs down my spine when one of the older ladies in the front row suddenly raises her hand and screams, “500.”
Mentally, I shake my head.
I breath a sigh of relief when a gorgeous young woman, a few rows back, raises her hand and shouts, “1,000.”
Now, if she is the one to win me, I don’t think I’ll mind too much. I could handle spending a weekend together with her.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see an older man raising his hand.
Shit! No!
“2,000.”
My heart slams hard again. I wish I could have had Mild or Sammy bid on me, but they weren’t invited, and my mom wouldn’t allow them to come either. She said that it isn’t right to have my friends bid on me and win.
But right now, I don’t care. I wish that they would have snuck into the event anyway and bought me. I could have dealt with my mom’s anger later.
The older lady in the front raises her hand again. “5,000.”
No.
Another beautiful young lady, on the left side of the audience, raises her hand and shouts, “10,000.”
Wow. Okay. I’d been fine with her too.
Before I even have a chance to truly focus on her, the old man shouts, “20,000.”
Please, someone, not him. Please, someone save me.
I look down at the edge of the stage. This is the end. No one is going to outbid him.
My palms begin to sweat again, and my breathing becomes slightly uneven, while I continue to mentally chant, “Please, someone save me.”
“100,000!”
My head whips up as I scan the audience. Who said that?
As I continue to scan the crowd, the MC chimes, “Oh, my. That is high. I think that is the highest bid that we have ever had in the history of our auctions. Is there anyone going to bid higher than that? Going once. Going twice. Sold to the handsome man in the back!”