Highest Bidder

The room was quiet and hushed as men filtered into the auditorium, finding their seats in the shadowy darkness. Most of them were men, all of them finely dressed, and a few of them with women hanging onto their arms. The women were gorgeous – long, slender legs, full breasts, slinky dresses which looked deliciously flimsy. The lights were low and there was a lot of low murmurs as everybody complimented each other’s couples and groped the women frequently. The stunning women leaned into the petting and stroking, some of them even drawing their offender into a slow, open-mouthed kiss.

As people settled, waiters began to travel the aisles and pass out champagne. The seats were specifically spaced farther apart than usual, allowing room for one to kneel on the floor while another patron sits. A few women were already crawling down the aisles, their breasts skimming the ground, prowling in search of their prey. Several of the men were swapping training secrets, wondering when the bidding would start and what the surprise for the evening would be.

These meetings happened once a year – once a year, over two hundred of the top Masters displayed their best slaves, trained for months at a time, and sent them off to the highest bidder. Although there were a lot of more casual auctions during the course of the year, this one was the biggest and only the best Masters were invited to come. This year was going to be different, however – for the past three decades, Grand Master X had hosted the auction, and it had been going moderately well. However, this year, his son was taking over, a young man who said that this year the auction would be an event to remember.

Master J, as he was called, would be taking on the title of Grand Master when he hosted the auction this year, and people said that he was even better at training slaves than his father had been. This rumor was widely disregarded in public – after all, Grand Master X had been the best of the best – but in whispers they wondered which slave he would put up for grabs. His sister had been auctioned off five years ago in a thunderous war of bidding which ended up costing a lascivious man over three million dollars. During the entire show, the Grand Master and his son had watched impassively – Master J had even smiled slightly! – while their own flesh and blood was sold in a collar and nothing else.

The whispering stopped as the floodlights kicked on, throwing the stage into sharp light. “Gentlemen, welcome to the Annual Auction Spectacular,” A booming voice announced over the loudspeaker. “I trust you have all arrived with deep pockets and full wallets, because this year there are some young, beautiful girls just waiting to serve you.”

There was a polite patter of applause which rippled through the room.

“And now, your host, Master J!” The loudspeaker announced, and the applause burst through the rafters as the young man stepped onto the stage. The lights dimmed until he was surrounded in a single circle of white light.

“Thank you, thank you,” He said, hushing the crowd with a simple sweep of his hand. He had his father’s striking good looks: his hair was dark and swept back, his profile sharp, his hooded eyes flinty and the color of artic ice. He was dressed in the Grand Master’s costume – tight leather pants, two strips of leather crossing in an X over his pale chest, and cat-’o-nine tail whips belted to his hips. “I want you all to know what a pleasure I have hosting this auction tonight,” He said, his voice hinted with a lilt of an Irish accent. “And know that it is with deepest regret that I am taking over for my father, Grand Master X, who has not only done a superlative job of hosting these auctions, but also been the best Master on the face of this planet.”

More thunderous applause, and the spotlight rose to a viewing box set into the wall in the back of the room. Seated on a throne-like, plush chair, was a distinguished man, his hair graying slightly, but his good looks apparent and his physique still impressive.