Chapter 4: New York, Chicago, Ann Arbor

"Mr. Stewart, I presume?" the lady asked with a smile.

"Yes; Miss Smith?" I asked.

"Yes, do come in Mr. Stewart, time is in short supply," she said.

I climbed in and sat across from her, facing the front of the vehicle. Helen was probably in her mid thirties, and looked like a confident, high level executive or lawyer, dressed in a short skirt with a matching waist jacket over an expensive silk blouse. We got moving as soon as I sat down.

"You can call me Helen, Mike," she said. "We don't have much time so I'm going to just get right to it."

"Sounds good to me, Helen," I replied.

"The people who trade in young women are ruthless," she started. "They have to be to do what they do. You will see the girls drugged and pawed at by the buyers and whipped by the sellers if they don't respond properly. You have to be able to keep a straight face and not react to any of it. In fact, you might have to do some pawing of your own."

"Mr. Carroll explained it," I replied. "I'll do what I have to do to get the girls out and keep my feelings to myself."

"I hope so," she replied and then continued. "You're going to have to show that you're their equal. If someone gives you his or her first name, use it. If not, then you call yourself Mr. Stewart. Be almost arrogant with the sellers or they'll sense weakness in you. There might be time before the auction to inspect the merchandise. Take advantage of that and check them out, including the two you want. Everyone else will and you'll look out of place if you don't. Don't talk to them, ask questions and demand answers. They won't allow sex with them, just examinations of their fitness and firmness. Virgins won't be allowed to be touched below the waist. Any questions so far?"

"No," I replied.

"Bidding is just done by hitting a button on the table by your chair," she continued. "Your account information is handed over at the beginning, and if you're the winner, they will automatically take the money from the account. Bidding goes up by twenty five thousand over the last bid. Normal auction rules apply; if you hit the button, the bid is final."

"Sounds easy enough," I remarked.

"Ok, I'll be sitting next to you and help you when I can," she told me. "Don't bid too quickly or the price will go up. Both of them are older so they won't fetch top dollar like the young virgins do. There will be eight girls being auctioned off in total with four new acquisitions and four trained slaves, so we'll have to stay for the entire event. We'll be there for at least a couple of hours. The acquisitions you win will be brought to the car so at least everyone won't know who you've bought."

I nodded and we drove in silence for a bit. The limo turned into a warehouse and drove through it and back on to another street. We turned again and then pulled into a large deserted looking building. The car stopped at a door where a large man stood guard along with a smaller man in a suit holding a clipboard.

"Showtime, get your arrogant face on Michael, and let's go," Helen said.

"After you Helen," I replied with a smirk.

"You just might pull this off," she said as the driver opened the door.

She got out and I admired her ass as I followed.

"Miss Smith, it's good to see you back, and this must be your Mr. Stewart," the small man said. "I trust you've explained the rules to him, he seems rather young."

"That doesn't affect the amount of money in my account, and that's the important thing, now isn't it?" I asked with a cool look as I straightened up to my full height. "I'm here to buy what you're selling, and my age has nothing to do with it."

"True, Mr. Stewart," he said hastily. "I didn't mean to offend you. We need to keep this a secret for all of our sakes."

"Do I look like a fool?" I asked sharply. "One sniff of this gets out and it will be in every newspaper and on every TV in the Western world. So your people better keep their mouths shut or we'll all be sorry. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir," he said as the other guard nodded.

"Fine, let us in before someone takes a bloody picture of us out here," I said.

"Certainly, Claudia will escort you to the pre-show viewing area after you've given her your account information," he said quickly. "She's just inside the door."

He reached for the handle and opened it. I went in first and Helen followed.

"Claudia, I presume," I stated confidently.

"Yes Sir, You must be Mr. Stewart and of course I remember you, Miss Smith," Claudia said, standing up from behind an elegant desk. "Welcome and welcome back. If you would please insert your account information, we'll confirm by taking out a hundred thousand as a deposit, to be returned if you don't win any bids."

I typed in my account information and she made up a transaction request. I typed in the password into the laptop and then turned it around.

We waited until the transaction was approved.

"You've been approved, Mr. Stewart," Claudia said. "Miss Smith, is the account information on file still current?"

"Yes Claudia," Helen said. "You look simply ravishing today, doesn't she Michael?"

"Yes she does," I replied, looking Claudia up and down. "I hope the selection is as good as she or we'll be most disappointed."

"Thank you both for the compliment, I'm sure we'll have someone who will please you," Claudia said smoothly. "Please follow me and we'll get you a closer look at today's selection."

She led the way and I enjoyed watching her ass sway in her tight dress. I looked over at Helen who was also staring at Claudia until she caught my glance.

"She is quite the sexy thing," Helen said with a smirk. "Unfortunately, Claudia has never joined a buyer afterwards, man or woman. Believe me, many have tried."

"I'm sure she's very picky as she has every right to be," I said.

Claudia looked back at me with a slight smirk and said, "Mr. Stewart is right, I am very choosy and most who visit here have an issue with an equal as a partner."

"True," Helen admitted.

I kept my mouth shut as I really didn't need another woman in my life right now. We went down a hallway and then entered a door half way down. It led into a room that looked empty. Claudia opened the closet and pressed a code into a keypad hid behind an innocuous looking piece of wood-trim. Once the green light appeared, a seamless door slid open and she led the way in to a small room. The door shut and she pressed a button and the small room became an elevator and lowered itself down.

"I'm beginning to see how you've kept this place secret for so long," I remarked.

"Yes, we take security very seriously," Claudia said.

The door opened and she led the three of us down a hall and opened the door near the end.

"Ah, I see our last clients have arrived," a handsome man of Mediterranean heritage said as we entered the large room. "You're just in time for a quick preview before the auction must start. Miss Smith, your presence at our auctions has been missed. I hope we can provide an adequate selection to entice you to add to your collection."

"Mr. Lombardi, it has indeed been too long," Miss Smith conceded. "You're looking well and the place hasn't changed a bit. I'm thinking of adding at least one or two to my collection."

"I'm sure we have something to entice you," Mr. Lombardi replied.

"Mr. Lombardi, meet my protégé, Mr. Stewart," Helen made the introduction.

"Mr. Stewart, welcome to our humble abode," he said, offering his hand. "I must admit being quite surprised when Helen asked to bring you."

"Mr. Lombardi, it's a pleasure," I said, shaking his hand. "I'm new at this obviously, but I can afford to indulge and isn't college the time to experiment?"

"Yes it is, Mr. Stewart," he replied with a grin. "You're with one of our special clients so we trust that she has explained the need for discretion from both sides. Any loose talk will be dealt with harshly for all concerned."

"I hope so, because we both have powerful friends that will ensure payback if anyone breathes a word of me being here," I replied. "I have no reason to rat you out and every reason not to."

"Good," Mr. Lombardi replied. "Your deposit money has already been transferred or our lovely Claudia wouldn't have shown you down here, so why don't the two of you have Claudia give you the particulars of our merchandise up for bid this afternoon. We'll start the bidding in fifteen minutes, so I'm afraid your examinations will have to be brief."

"That's quite fine, Mr. Lombardi, I'm sure a cursory inspection will be quite satisfactory," I said. "Miss Smith assures me that all of your acquisitions are superb."

He nodded with a smile and Claudia led the way. Helen and I walked together close behind.

A stunningly beautiful woman came from the corner and said, "Helen is that you? It's been to long!"

"Stella, I thought you gave this up as well?" Helen asked as they hugged.

"My Cindy grew up and has left me, so I'm on the lookout for another one," she said. "How is Penny?"

"She is a delight but I thought I would add a couple to share the load," Helen explained. "Stella, this is Michael Stewart, a protégé of mine. This is his first auction."

"Michael, it's a pleasure to meet you" Stella said. "You're a bit young to get into this type of thing I would have thought, though you have the size and the look of it."

"And you're much too beautiful to have to find someone here, Stella," I replied as I took her hand. "I would have thought you would simply smile and bewitch any man or woman alive."

"Oh, he's good," Stella said to Helen. "With your looks, I would have thought the same."

"My age does tend to get in the way of certain appetites I'm developing," I replied, "both for the older and the younger."

"Yes, I could see how that could happen," Stella agreed. "Sometimes it's just easier to purchase them raw and mould them into what you want."

"Exactly," I replied with a knowing smile before looking down the room. "So, are they any gems among the selection provided?"

"I have my eye on a young thing, but I'm sure she'll be everyone's target, including yours," she said with a smile.

"Perhaps, but I'm looking for a couple a little older as well," I replied. "I'll leave you two to get caught up and go ahead with Claudia, if you don't mind?"

"Certainly, maybe we can converse after the auction?" she asked, looking hopeful.

"I would like that but we'll have to see how things go with the auction," I replied. "I'm sure Helen has your contact information if we can't."

"I'll give it to her again if she doesn't," she assured me.

I smiled and then Claudia and I moved along.

"You've already conquered Miss Redwood, an impressive feat for a newcomer and one so young," Claudia remarked quietly. "Maybe there is more to you than meets the eye, though what meets the eye is impressive enough."

"I'm new to this but I would have thought that someone interested in this line wouldn't find another one of us that attractive," I stated.

"The women who attend as bidders come in all types, and the lines get blurred for them," Claudia said. "They like to dominate other women but some still like men. Not too many women will like to have a subservient man so they're attracted to men like themselves. They hope to be equals in that relationship but few men who come here will allow themselves to be equal to any woman, let alone subservient to them. She's hoping since you're young and new to this that you might be willing to be an equal to her."

"You got all that from that quick conversation?" I asked.

"I'm not much different from her, but I'm not into hurting, let alone dominating, other women," she replied.

"Not to judge you, but why do you work here then?" I asked.

"Family commitments," she said. "I also try to keep the real bastards away from the auction, though I still will probably go to hell for what I'm doing."

"I'm sure you could do something else if you wanted to," I suggested.

"You don't leave this line of work except in a body bag or the slave of someone else," she said. "Enough about me, let's see who you might like. I have the feeling that you don't want anyone already trained and hardened. I think you might be a bit of a softy underneath all that brash and muscle. We have four new acquisitions that you might like as well as four trained slaves."

"I'm not all that soft, Claudia," I stated. "I'll take a quick look at everyone, but go ahead and point out the new ones."

"This first one just came to us yesterday, she's twenty two year old model and is Dutch Chinese," Claudia said. "Her name is Natalie."

Natalie was in a black bra and tiny g-string underwear underneath a thin black robe that hid nothing while looking sexy.

"Turn around," I told her.

Her eyes looked slightly out of focus as she slowly moved around on her high heels.

"Lovely," I said quietly. "What did you model?"

"Lingerie," she answered.

I looked at Claudia with an arched eyebrow.

"Sorry, Mr. Stewart, she was instructed but it hasn't sunk in yet," Claudia stated. "Do you wish a whip or shall we have the Mistress give her a quick refresher course?"

"Lingerie, Sir!" Natalie said quickly. "Sorry Sir, Ma'am. I can't seem to focus properly."

"They are all sedated to keep them calm for the auction," Claudia informed me.

"Fine, we'll forgive one slip," I said, looking at Natalie. "Come closer."

She moved close and even though she was on a six inch platform and had high heels on, she still was only eye to eye to me. I had noticed that both Mr. Lombardi and a brutal looking man were quite interested in me so I raised a hand and traced down her arm to her fingertips and then slid my fingers to her hip and traced up her side to her breast. I cupped her breast and squeezed her nipple. She closed her eyes and gasped quietly.

"Responsive," I said and liked how she blushed.

"I like this one," I told Claudia and stepped away. "Next."

Claudia gave me a smile and moved on. The two men seemed to be less interested in me but I knew I had to keep up the show for them.

"This is Mindy, she's fifteen and as you can see, was attending Catholic school when she was brought to us," Claudia informed me. "She's been certified as a virgin so no touching below the waist."

Mindy was an angel, long blonde hair, a beautiful face and a body just blossoming into womanhood. Her breasts were high and pert in her open blouse and her legs were coltish leading up to her short schoolgirl skirt and slim hips.

"Hi Mindy, what have you done with a boy so far?" I asked.

"I've been kissed and had a mouth on my breasts," she said, and quickly added, "Sir. I've felt one boy's thing through his pants but nothing else."

"And with a girl?" I asked.

"I've slept with one in the same bed and we've explored each other's body through our clothes, Sir," she replied.

"Come here," I commanded.

I reached in and traced her stomach up to just below her breast and she shuddered but didn't move away.

"Very nice," I said to Claudia.

I ran my hands down to the top of her skirt and ran a finger along the edge. She sucked her stomach in and I almost slipped a finger down but pulled my hand away and moved on.

"So is she the one everyone will go after?" I asked.

"Her and one more," Claudia said. "There is a young trained slave that most will go after, even though she's not a virgin."

I walked to the next woman and it was Chelsea, though barely recognizable as her. They had made her up nicely and the sexy negligee showed off her lovely body.

"This one is Chelsea, a twenty two year old from England, here as an intern," Claudia said.

"Where in England are you from?" I asked.

"London," she replied. "I mean London, Sir."

"I love the accent," I said to Claudia before looking back at Chelsea. "Turn around."

Chelsea was quite fit and had an excellent body.

I crooked her closer and cupped her ass shortly as I turned her around by her hip.

"Very nice as well," I said. "I'll be bidding on you for sure."

I hated to move on but had to before I let things get out of hand. I left her there and moved to the next one.

"She'll go cheap, Mr. Stewart, she's too old for most of them and not trained," Claudia said quietly.

"Good, I'm suddenly looking at acquiring more than one," I told her.

Claudia and I moved on the last girl in the first bunch. She was a thin Japanese teenager, pretty but sullen.

"This is Kim, a transfer student that was taken before she got on the plane home," Claudia informed me. "She's seventeen and, until her trip here, was a virgin."

"Oh, you met a boy here, did you Kim?" I asked.

"That's not your business," she said angrily. "I shouldn't be here, dressed like this. My family will find me and you'll be sorry."

"Feisty," I said. "You'll be a handful, I'm sure."

They had her in a short open Japanese robe with red bra and panties seen through it. She was just as sexy as any of the others.

"So, Kim, should I let one of the older men take you home with them, or maybe one of the women?" I asked. "Or would you like to come home with me instead?"

"I just want to go home to Japan," she replied angrily.

A woman dressed in black leather was walking close by and, before anyone knew it, gave her a swat with a whip, right on her butt. Kim shrieked and the other buyers still in the room laughed at her plight. I kept my face bland.

"Now, answer the Master properly slave or you'll get five more of those," the big woman threatened.

"I would go home with you Sir," Kim said quickly.

"That's good to hear," I said. "Turn around for me."

She presented her backside to me and I rubbed the mark left by the whip.

"Who was the boy who took your most prized possession?" I asked.

"The older brother of the girl I was staying with," she said and added, "Sir," when the lady enforcer raised the whip.

"Did you like it?" I asked.

"No, he was not gentle, Master," she replied.

"Neither will I be," I told her before looking at Claudia. "Let's just do a quick pass through the trained slaves."

"Yes Sir," Claudia said and led the way.

There were four slaves being sold by their previous masters. They all showed more poise than the new acquisitions and tried to show off their bodies to the best of their abilities. I watched as a man freely felt up one of them and the girl smiled and thanked him afterwards.

As Claudia suspected, only the youngest, a girl named Hanna attracted my attention. She was a slight girl, almost skinny but she was made up to look sexy in her heels and underwear. Her face was her best attraction; she had the face of an innocent child. She gave me a smile that would have melted the most brutal heart, and almost broke mine. I didn't have the heart to stop and give her false hope.

"Let's get you seated in the bidding chamber," Claudia suggested.

We left the room and walked down a hall.

Claudia led me inside a set of double doors at the end of the hall. The room was narrow with a catwalk running down the middle from a curtained off area at the other end of the long room. There were spotlights lighting up the catwalk, leaving the rest of the room dim. I could see chairs and small tables along the catwalk, most with people in them. There appeared to be about six other buyers in attendance. I couldn't see their faces, just the outline of a body in the chair.

Claudia let me to a chair at the far end and said, "You're bidder seven, Mr. Stewart. Use the green button to bid, and the yellow one to summon help if you need it. Good luck this afternoon."

"Thank you Claudia, you've been very helpful," I replied.

She smiled and walked away. Helen was about six feet away in her chair. She motioned me over.

"Ok, how many are you going to try and save?" she asked with a grin.

"My two and the other two new acquisitions," I told her. "I'd like to go after the youngest trained slave as well but I'm worried about drawing too much attention. Are you going for anyone?"

"Not for me," she admitted. "Stella is going after the youngest slave girl."

"Can you do me a favour and buy the schoolgirl and the Japanese girl?" I asked. "I'll pay you back after the auction. That is if you have the money to do that."

"Of course I have the money but the question is, do you?" she asked.

"I have few million from overseas, and about three in my account," I told her. "I can get more if needed."

"You'll get your two for less than four hundred and the school girl could go for at least four hundred to seven hundred," Helen informed me. "The Japanese girl will probably go for three hundred to five hundred."

"I can do pay for all four from the one account," I said. "So, will you do it?"

"We'll piss off the rest of these bidders but this is the last time I'm coming here and you'll never return either," she said. "I'll get the two of them. Leave the young slave for Stella; she'll be in good hands with her."

"Ok, let's do it," I said, hoping the Queen wouldn't mind me helping save the others.

I walked back to my seat and a minute later Mr. Lombardi came in and stood on the catwalk under one of the spotlights.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming on such short notice," he stated. "As always, all bids are final and payment will be taken from your account after Claudia comes around for the password and any other security protocols you might have. Each time you bid, the price increases twenty five thousand dollars over the current bid. If, after a minute, we have no more bids, the last bid will be accepted. Are there any questions?"

He looked around for a second and then gave us a smile before disappearing behind the curtain.

"Our first selection is Darla, an eighteen year old trained slave," Mr. Lombardi's voice came over hidden speakers. "Bidding starts at a hundred thousand."

One of the four trained slaves came out and walked down the catwalk, confident in her high heels and lack of clothing. She had a smile on her face and looked at each person as she passed. She was pretty and in good shape and I heard several buttons being hit.

"One hundred, one twenty five, one fifty, one seventy five ... two hundred thousand from bidder five is our current bid," Mr. Lombardi said.

Five more bids came before she was sold and she smiled at the room before leaving the runway.

Chelsea was next out on the catwalk.

"This is a new acquisition, an untrained slave of twenty two from England via New York; I present Chelsea," Mr. Lombardi stated. "Bidding starts at twenty five thousand."

Chelsea walked timidly down the catwalk, looking scared and wobbly on her high heels but looking good to me in her outfit. I hit the button when she reached the end and turned around.

"We have a starting bid of twenty five thousand," Mr. Lombardi announced.

Chelsea looked around worriedly as she walked back to the curtain. I took a few seconds after Lombardi announced the second bid and then pressed my button again. I waited the minute after it was announced and sighed when nothing happened.

"The final bid is seventy five thousand for Chelsea to bidder number seven," he announced.

Chelsea gave the room a final worried look and disappeared behind the curtain. Claudia appeared at my side with her laptop.

"Excellent buy, Mr. Stewart," she whispered. "I will take it off your initial deposit."

"Thank you, Claudia, please make sure she is transferred to the limo as soon as possible, without any undo further molestation," I replied.

"Certainly, Mr. Stewart, she's now your property and anyone touching your property is dealt with severely," she assured me. "Good luck with your future bidding."

The next one out was another trained slave that went for good money to bidder two. Natalie came out and bidding started at a hundred thousand and quickly five bids took it to two twenty-five. I put one in after that and two more brought it up to three hundred. I went to three twenty five and had to bid again at three seventy five. Luckily that was enough as the price went too high for the other bidder.

"Congratulations, Mr. Stewart, please input the password," Claudia said as she put the laptop on the table.

I typed it in and we waited until she got the approval from her bank and said into her headset, "We have Mr. Stewart's funds in our account."

She patted my shoulder and left. I was happy that I got the two ladies I came for and I relaxed. Kim, the Japanese teen was up.

Kim looked angry as she marched down the catwalk. She glared each time Mr. Lombardi announced the current amount. Bidding started at a hundred and fifty thousand and it finally stopped at four hundred and seventy five thousand at Helen's bid.

The third of four trained slaves went for five hundred and then Helen had to go up to six hundred and seventy five thousand to get Mindy the school girl.

"Our final selection is the cream of the crop in my opinion, though those last four were spectacular," Mr. Lombardi. "I congratulate all who have won a bid. Now, I present our last trained slave, Hanna, a precocious thirteen year old. Bidding starts at five hundred thousand dollars."

Hanna came out and walked down the aisle with the poise of a twenty five year old model. She smiled to everyone and cocked her almost non-existent hips at the end of the catwalk. I could hear buttons being pushed one after another in the darkness.

"I believe bidder four is the current bidder of record at seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars for this little minx," Mr. Lombardi announced.

Three more rounds of the five bidders went on before Stella finally put a bid in at one million, one hundred and twenty-five thousand. She finally won Hanna at one million two hundred thousand dollars. I heard Claudia congratulate her and get the transfer approved.

"That concludes our auction for this afternoon," Mr. Lombardi announced. "I thank you all for showing up and congratulate all of you who won your bids. I hope to see you all again next month."

The lights stayed dim which kept us anonymous a bit longer. Helen came over and she guided me to the hallway and to another door which led to some stairs. We opened the door at the top and had only a few steps to our limo, her driver waiting by the back door.

"Everything ok, Henry?" she asked warily as we approached.

"Yes, four ladies have been delivered and await you inside," he replied with a grin. "Congratulations to the both of you. All scans are negative."

"Thank you Henry, take us back to the Consulate," she replied before getting in.

I followed and found the ladies in various states of worry as we climbed in. They all sat on the one bench while Helen and I sat looking at them on the other.

"Hello ladies, I am Helen Smith and this is Mike Stewart," Helen stated as Henry got us moving. "Before any of you talk, we'll wait until we're back on the freeway."

All four of the girls looked worried but I gave them a smile and Chelsea gave me a tentative one back. Helen waited until we were clearly on the freeway and heading back to Manhattan.

"Let's get the money transfer done before we get back to the Consulate," Helen suggested quietly.

I nodded and she called her bank. I handed her the account information, including the password. I did a quick calculation and found I had just spent just one point six million dollars of the Queen's money.

"Ok, they are all yours, Michael," she said with a grin. "I hope you know what you're getting into."

"Of course not, but I'll have help once we get back to the Consulate," I replied, "I hope."

"Ok, Michael, you better tell them before they all pee their panties," Helen said with a laugh.

I looked over at their worried faces and said, "I was sent here to rescue Chelsea and Natalie and decided to get the other two of you out as well."

"Are you saying that we're not going to be your slaves?" Natalie asked.

"Nope, we're going to get you all back to your families as soon as we can," I told them all. "I'd like to apologize to all of you for having to touch you inappropriately, but I had to be in character or they wouldn't have let me bid on you."

They all broke out into excited chatter, laughing, crying and hugging each other. They had put short dresses on the girls to at least make them look a bit respectful. I was glad that they had as Chelsea came over and gave me a hug and a kiss with Natalie following suit. Mindy still looked worried and Kim looked angry.

"What's wrong Mindy, I won't hurt you and you're safe, I promise," I said, looking over at her.

"I'm not scared or worried about you, I just don't want to go back to the orphanage," she replied. "One of the caretakers there was the one who sold me to those people."

"Well, you won't have to go back there then, and we'll have someone take care of that person," I told her.