Chapter One

 

Spring, 2319

 

Melody tore her eyes away from the gyrating, half-naked men and women, wearing barely-there thongs over their greased bodies, along the path set up for the buyers to follow inside the airport's rented auction room. A difficult task, considering almost every inch was being used up by booths, poles, tables and cages.

That last one Melody didn’t particularly like, but it wasn’t any of her business how these handlers dealt with their wares.

She shrugged it off. To be fair, not many handlers put their stags or doe in cages, and the ones they'd used weren't exactly cramped. Most were even prettified with scarves and pillows for the humanoids to play with and relax on.

As the doe lounged in her cage, Melody eyed her, pretending to be interested as a buyer instead of someone who also handled stags and doe for a living.

Stags and doe, humanoids engineered and born in labs, were very popular, and expensive, in the sex industry. Little, if anything, was on their minds. Save for the act of sex, when they would get it, who would give it to them, and how many times they could have it. The perfect sex toy, a warm body that wanted nothing better than to please and be pleased, who asked for virtually nothing in return.

The only reason for conventions like these was that stags and doe couldn't be bought and sold online due to credit fines if they were refunded or returned. Then there was the hassle of shipping them, which many people had abused. In person rentals and purchases only. Cash was the only acceptable currency. Or gold.

The tag on the cage listed the doe inside as Daniella. She was a blond little thing with perky breasts, peaked nipples, half-lidded blue eyes, and a round ass that would be good for grabbing. Melody stared at the breasts and ass in particular, but out of envy rather than lust.

Daniella was currently handling her breasts, squeezing and massaging them as other buyers stopped to look and consider whether she would be worth emptying out their entire savings on her.

She would be expensive. Melody could tell already, and she wanted to walk out of here with a couple of stags anyway, and not a single doe.

She walked away as the handler negotiated prices with rich college frat boys who'd been openly eyeing the product. There were other young men walking around too. Most were in in groups of three or four, and judging by their clothes and the open looks of awe and lust on their yaps, they were going to be pooling their money together for a rental, rather than a purchase.

Melody was not a rich college girl by any stretch of the imagination. For a start, she was a little past that stage, but she was certainly dressed the part of a patron with deep pockets.

She looked like she was getting ready to attend a social luncheon with the queen of the United States, what with the way her dress was not too tight, went to just above her knees, and the way she held her tiny beaded purse in both of her hands. The very best anyone else did was wear a professional suit, and that gave them away as handlers in an instant.

Melody didn't like advertising herself as a fellow handler. It made the other sellers weary of her, less likely to talk, give away any little secrets and upcoming trends they might know about, and otherwise not want to lightly give to the competition.

“I can fuck you until that dress melts right off.”

Melody turned. One of the stags, only a little taller than herself, was looking at her with open lust. He was holding one of the stripper's poles in both hands, his neck chained to the very top, with more than enough wiggle room for him to dance around it.

Melody cocked her head, “Really?”

The male licked his lips. He was of a wiry build, but he had a nice sized erection, and was pumping his hips back and forth, mimicking the act he wanted to perform on her.

His handler, a tiny woman who couldn't have been more than five feet tall with the brightest red hair Melody had ever seen in her life, stepped forward. “He's for rent only, and is very knowledgeable in giving pleasure and prolonging orgasm.”

Melody smiled, pretending for a minute she wanted to rent the stag. “How big?”

“Six-and-a-half when erect, four inches for width. He can go for up to four times without losing his stamina as well.”

Melody's brows shot up, and she nodded, impressed. “I'll look around some more and come back later,” she said.

“Take your time,” Red said with a smile. “Satisfaction is guaranteed here or your money back.” She handed Melody a brochure before she walked off.

Melody flicked through it, her spirits lifting. Her sales had been a little weak lately because of the economy, but nothing to cry about. Not yet. Still, this was amazing research.

Serving her customers with a smile like Red had done, and giving out real printed brochures by hand instead of sticking them on her website for her clients to download was much more personal, easier to trust.

And, with research in mind, maybe she really would take home a stag for a night of pleasure. There were always the stags she herself owned back home, but it was never a good idea to sample one's own wares. Handlers, both men and women, had been known to become possessive of their stock after sleeping with them, forgetting they were stags, rather than real people capable of becoming companions. Even Melody's mother had been a victim of that.

Melody passed another cage, staring with an open mouth at the sight of the male inside, on his back, his breathing heavy as another stag rode at a leisurely pace up and down on his lap.

Their handler, a much bigger and less than friendly woman than Red, with long brunette hair braided tightly behind her, came up and slapped her hand down on the bars, yelling at them to stop.

The noise jostled them, but then they went back to their business as though nothing had happened.

“Stop that!” The handler yelled. “Save it for later!”

“Why tell them to stop?” Melody asked.

The handler startled and jerked up, clearly not having sensed Melody's approach.

She scratched her head, dislodging several strands of hair from her braid. “That's when you can tell they're damn near worthless,” The handler said. “I've tried introducing them to women, and they stay as soft as jelly. They can only get it up for other stags or men, which limits my clientele by fifty percent.”

Odd, that was. Stags were known for being able to eagerly perform for whoever purchased or rented them, regardless of whether the client was male or female. The same went for doe. For the two males in this cage to stay soft as jelly, as the handler claimed, was not something Melody had heard of. She was practically standing next to the cage and neither male inside gave her a come-hither look, neither so much as acknowledged her either.

No matter. Clearly, this handler didn't know that there were lots of women willing to pay double to watch a show like this up close, without ever needing to touch the males at all. It was especially better if the client rented out a third stag to have sex with while the other two handled each other.

As it was, it looked as though the bad temper of the handler was scaring away any man or woman who might want to come closer to observe what the two in the cage had to offer.

“If I can't sell them today, I'm tossin' them. They cost enough to feed while barely earning any money back.”

Melody's brain was working. The handler was young, looked to be about nineteen or twenty, around the same age as Melody herself when she first got into this business, and she didn't know what she had.

Melody looked a little closer. She noted the visible ridges of rib bones poking through thin flesh, the dirt under their fingernails, and the way both were at least two days overdue for a shave.

Maybe their reasons for not being attracted to women weren't so mysterious after all.

Melody then took stock of how their hands were locked together, fingers intertwined as they moved and kissed. She didn't know stag bothered with such things, whilst not being commanded by clients, that is. It was actually very sweet.

“Are you married?” Melody asked.

The handler stopped glaring at her males to look curiously at her, for the first time the snarl of disapproval leaving her face, which was shockingly pretty. “Got a girlfriend at home, why?”

That explained her disgust for the two inside the cage. “Nothing. How much?”

The handler's jaw dropped, and then they began to haggle.

Melody would've liked to say she was the type of business woman who always paid a fair price, never haggled, and never underpaid for something she knew was worth a hell of a lot more than it was, but that wasn't how you got ahead in business.

That, and she didn't like how the other girl spoke so easily of tossin' them. Stags were not human, but Melody would never throw them out in the streets to starve.

More so than they already were, at any rate.

By the end, Melody had negotiated in her favor, signed the digital papers transferring ownership, and paid in crisp bills. She wondered how angry this irate handler would be when she eventually found out the worth of the two males she'd mistreated and sold. Hopefully that wouldn't happen until after the convention ended.

She walked away from the handler's booth, taking the woman's card, and trying not to stare too hard at the cage as the moaning within became louder and more erratic.

She stopped at several other booths, inspecting the males for rent, enquiring about prices, size, and stamina. It was also prudent to see bar codes and certificates proving their authenticity.

It wasn't unheard of for a real man or woman to try and pass themselves off as a stag in order to sell their bodies and make some easy money.

The problem with that was that stags and doe were unable to catch or carry sexual diseases, become pregnant, or, in the case of males, cause pregnancy.

It was always a nasty surprise for a client to become pregnant after renting out what she'd thought was a stag during the week her husband had been away on business.

But Melody didn't get the vibe that any of the stags here were actually human, and after a time, her confidence began to build that she had not only had the best looking stag with the better stamina, but also the better prices. It was probably why she was able to stay afloat with minimal downsizing during such an economic slump.

Melody pulled her stylus and minimized tablet from her teeny-tiny purse. She stretched the plastic, made her notes, and kept right on going.

The lights in the hall suddenly dimmed. There was a hush of murmurs, and Melody pulled herself away from the male she'd been inspecting. A power out? Now? Surely the airport wouldn't have been affected by electricity rationing.

A loud voice rang in her ears and echoed throughout the hall, calling the attention of everyone.

“Welcome, Ladies and gentlemen, welcome.”

A spotlight switched on, and dead centre on the main stage stood a leggy woman in the highest of black high heels, fishnet stockings, and a penguin suit jacket, white blouse, and tie. Her boobs barely fit into the costume. Melody crossed her arms over her own, barely there chest.

The dark-haired woman took off her top hat, revealing a cute pixie cut, and she did a little bow. “Welcome,” she said again, her blood red lips pulled up in a smile that showed off white teeth, “to the tenth annual escort trade show. My name is Marcy, and I would like to present a gift for all of you, for the chance to make a special bid tonight.”

Yeah right, Melody thought. This sounded like one of those win a chance for a salesman to come to your house and sell you a two thousand dollar house cleaning android.

Despite the setup, no one rolled their eyes or chuckled. The crowd all stood stock still as they watched their pretty hostess smile and bat her heavy lashes. They were totally transfixed.

Okay, maybe Melody was a little curious to see what this special bid would be. She didn't move away either.

“We have a real treat, one in which the bidding will only begin at the unbelievably low price of five hundred dollars!”

That got the crowed going. They began smiling and clapping, and a few even released high-pitched whistles and cheers. Melody was probably the only one in the crowd to have her jaw drop. Five hundred? To sell? That was it? Granted, it was only a starting bid, but that was unheard of. To rent for a couple of hours, sure, maybe, but start a bid?

Had to be on the older side, but still good looking enough to draw some attention.

“Now, now,” Marcy patted the air in front of her, a knowing look on her face as she soothed the crowd, “let me assure you all that this is the real thing. Good quality breeding, size, width, and stamina, and,” she stopped to lick her lips, her cheeks coloring, “not bad to look at, of course. He will be mostly for the ladies in the room, or for you men who want to add a little adventure in your marriage. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you all the gorgeous Dex!”

Marcy clapped her hands together, prompting the crowd to do so as well, and the sound of more than three hundred pairs of hands coming together just about consumed the whole hall.

Despite that, everything slowed down and became far away to Melody's ears. Her heart literally skipped a beat, and the odd sensation in her chest nearly buckled her knees.

Dex? Surely, this couldn't be the same...

Two male handlers walked out on the stage. Both men held a single chain in their hands, attached to the leather collar wrapped around the stag's neck. The chains were for show; stags didn't have a history of violence, but with the sheer size of the male who was collared, you almost forgot about that.

Also, a lot of people loved the look of stags and doe in chains.

Melody's face and neck grew hot. There was no mistaking it. It was him. It was Dex all right, and, as was normal with stags in his age bracket, he hadn't aged a day since she last saw him thirteen years before.

He was only three or so years older than she was, but stags and doe tended to look anywhere between the ages of twenty-five and thirty human years by the time they hit fourteen, having been engineered that way to be sold faster. Amazingly, as soon as they finished ageing, they just stopped, and stayed looking the way they did up until forty-five or fifty when the stags finally started to show their ages and lose interest in sex. And get abandoned by their owners.

She'd been fifteen when her mother caught them kissing in her room. They hadn't been doing anything else. Dex refused to sleep with her despite Melody's pleas and bargaining, but she'd always been happy to kiss him. Then they were caught.

Because Melody's mother was the type of handler who had sex with her own stags, her fury and jealousy nearly tore down the walls of their house. In a fit of young, and insecure teen weakness, Melody had lied and said that Dex had come into her room uninvited. By morning, her mother had Dex sold.

Melody had been crushed when he went away. She'd hoped to get out of trouble, but she hadn't thought for an instant that her mother would sell him.

Worse still, her mother had snubbed her after, never quite getting over the fact that her daughter had tried to "steal her man."

Melody's heart fluttered inside her chest like a panicky butterfly trapped in a bottle. Maybe those memories were a little more tender than she thought they were.

She knew all the tricks used to spruce up a stag for sale. All of Melody's men were tanned, oiled, trimmed and shaved before her cameras could get near them.

Dex had all of those done to him, but she could instantly see how he didn't need them. He never did. The oil may have highlighted his muscles, of which there were many, and his dark chocolate hair was done up in some strange spiky gel set-up that he didn't have when they were younger. Didn't stop her from mentally putting the image away to try on her own stag, though. His ice blue eyes, high cheekbones, and the serious look on his face, he'd always had. Those were not implants.

He scanned the crowd with little to no interest as his handlers linked his chains to a short and thick pole, as though he were incapable of unlatching himself.

Very few stags actually tried to run. The ones that did only ran to the arms of another human promising sex, rather than to freedom. The chains and poles were all for the look of them.

“Dex here has a very special talent,” continued their host. Marcy circled Dex like he was her prey, her black heels clicking loudly on the floor of the stage. His feet and chest were bare, but the black dress pants were tight, showing off his bulge and leaving nothing for the audience to imagine what he had beneath them.

“A talent that will make anyone he touches melt before him. And that is without the aid of his penis.” Marcy finished.

Melody immediately understood. It was the reason her mother had taken Dex to her bed all those years ago. It had taken a while before she'd been able to get Dex himself to tell her what it was he was engineered to do, and when he did, she hadn't believed him.

She looked around herself, listening to some of the confused murmurs of the crowd. Some of the men made lewd gestures, mimicking what they thought Dex's talent was.

“No, no,” Marcy said, coming to stand just to the side of Dex. His two handlers had moved off to the side for better viewing, but they were no more than ten feet away.

“Though he is talented with his mouth, this is a much more special talent.” She reached out with her hand, her fingers just brushing along the oiled skin of his massive shoulder.

Dex shrugged away her fingers. It was his only reaction to her, and about as hostile as Melody had ever seen a stag openly be.

Marcy hardly seemed to notice. “Our dear boy Dex is able to bring any woman to climax, or man,” she added with a wolfish smile, “with touch only.” She lifted a finger, as though to emphasize that.

“We can do that too!” One woman yelled. Laughter travelled through the crowd like ripples in a pond.

Marcy shook her head. “Yes, we all have that ability, but let me assure you that this is much different. With just a single brush of his hand, or mouth,” she said with a smile. The bright red lipstick suddenly made her look more devilish. “Dex can bring you to orgasm. One touch—No rubbing, petting, stroking, just plain touch. He was engineered for it.”

Another murmur, louder this time, passed through the crowd.

Melody could understand their disbelief, as she herself didn't believe it when Dex told her all those years ago. It was one thing to engineer a stag to keep an erection for long periods of time, or to have one on command, but to bring orgasm with a single touch? It sounded impossible.

“Can you prove it?” Someone called.

Marcy searched through the crowd, then touched her hand to the barely visible headset on her ear, eager smile never leaving her face. “Yes, someone asked a question? Who was that, please?”

Everyone looked amongst themselves, searching for the woman who'd asked.

She must have gone suddenly shy under the attention, because no one lifted their hand to take credit.

Macy's smile wavered. “Do we have any questions?”

Melody steeled herself, shooting her hand up into the air, “I do,”

Everyone stopped to look at her. She lowered her hand slowly, suddenly feeling caught as a hovering stage light streamed its circular light over her, trapping her in the gazes of everyone in the hall. The bright artificial white light in her eyes practically blinded her to everything around her.

Now she understood why that other woman had kept quiet.

Marcy's smile came back in full force now that she had her victim in sight. “Yes, sorry, what was your question?” Her voice came loud and clear over the speakers.

“I, uh,” Melody cleared her throat and raised her voice, to be heard as well as Marcy. “I was wondering if you could prove the claim. It's not very reliable,” she said, forcing her arms to keep from crossing in front of her.

She looked to the side and caught sight of Dex's eyes, wide on her. She could see the whites all around the blue pupils. His mouth was open only a fraction, but it was enough. He recognized her, and the sight of her had shocked the hell out of him.

Marcy nodded. “Of course we can prove it. Come on right up here.”

Every vertebra in Melody's spine went tight. “What?”

Marcy made large scooping movements with her hands. “Come on up stage and we'll give you a free preview.”

A giant fist reached inside her and squeezed her heart, stomach, ribs and guts in a tight iron cast. She hadn't meant for them to test it out on her!

The crowd began clapping and whistling, urging her to go on up with as much vigour as Marcy herself. They wanted proof too, it seemed.

Dex's shocked expression was replaced with something a little more curious. A single dark brow lifted slightly over that perfect forehead as he awaited her decision. Did he want her to go up? Or stay where she was?

Melody steeled her shoulders. She wasn't a kid anymore, and this time, he was in no position to deny her like all those years ago. She was going to be reckless.

At least the benefit of this was that no one here knew who she was, so it wasn't like this would be something to be embarrassed about later.

Back straight, she moved through the heavy crowd of buyers and sellers—had they all multiplied by a hundred?—and walked up the little wooden steps to get to the stage with all the pride of a queen.

Marcy was having none of that. She held out her hands to Melody and looped their arms together, all best friends forever like, as they walked towards the tethered stag.

He wasn't just looking at Melody now, he was studying her. His shrewd eyes, going up and down her not so fabulous body, made her shrink a little on the inside. Noting the lack of difference the years made on her curves, no doubt.

Despite her hurt pride, she moved as though she was on a catwalk.

Still, did he have to look at her like that? It was hard for Melody to find and wear clothes that made her body look sexy. She was too skinny—and yes, there was such a thing—so as far as curves went, it was fair to say that she had about as many curves as a twig. Dex's eyes made sure that she knew about it too.

The crowd was still laughing, cheering and smiling as she made her way up and stood before the towering male. From down below with the rest of the ladies, he was big, but up close, he stood a whole head taller than her, and she wasn't exactly short, and his body size alone had to be four times what she had.

She gulped as she looked up at him. She'd forgotten how big he was. His massive chest rose and fell in even breaths; his nipples slightly budded from the air conditioning. Every inch of her skin tightened at the urge to touch him. It had been so long since those days when she would slink into his room, or he into hers, for a few minutes alone.

She'd looked at the male body before, plenty of times, stags and men, as a requirement for her job and the times when she'd dated.

Dex was far superior to anyone she'd ever seen, even now, years later when she had more experience in such things.

“Alright ladies, now that we have our volunteer, let's get on with the show!” Marcy raised her arm up high, her hand fisted, enticing the crowd into more cheering and clapping that engulfed the whole space of the room.

Dex's face suddenly relaxed, his lips lifting in the gentlest of smiles, and Melody couldn't hear herself think. Only a strange thumping in her ears as her breath picked up.

“Have you ever kissed anyone before?” she had asked him, feeling scrawny and simple next to his muscles.

“No,” he replied. Dex stood straight, back to her door, waiting to be commanded. He looked ridiculous standing in her room, her pink painted room, a color she hated, and filled with stuffed animals. She never had much use for them, except now, hiding behind one of her teddy bears seemed like a comforting idea.

“Liar,” she said, her eyes going up and down his body. He was dressed as he usually was. Feet bare, huge chest exposed. Today he was wearing joggers instead of dress pants. He was for her mother's personal use, not to be done up and rented out, so there was no need to put him in expensive suits. He hadn't been oiled, his hair hadn't been gelled, and it was even allowed to grow out a little.

That dark brow lifted. “You don't believe me?”

“Of course not, you're a stag.” It had come out bitchier than intended, but she didn't care. It had gone around her school that her mother was keeping a stag in their house, and Melody was the one bearing the brunt of it.

There was nothing illegal about it, nothing even morally wrong with it, but the other girls in school were making her life hell; asking if she was allowed access to the stag, and saying that she must not be a virgin because her room was virtually next to his. Fucking Stephanie, Melody's former best friend, had been the one to let that slip. Even the boy Melody liked wouldn't look at her any more, and just when she'd finally got up the courage to tell him her name.

It had hurt.

That didn't stop her from wanting to get back at her mother, or the way her stomach constricted, or her heart from skipping beats now that she'd finally gotten Dex in her room, the one place in the house he was forbidden to be.

Dex reached his hand out to her, and the sensations she'd felt then were on her now, only worse. She couldn't hear the crowd any more, just the hard drum beating in her ears. Of her heart.

His fingers were hot as they touched down on her collarbone. A shiver passed through her entire body. Her sex throbbed immediately as though he had touched her there, crooking his finger inside her folds. Then his calloused, warm palm lay flat down over her heart. He slid his hand up and around the curve of her neck. There was no pressure, no grip, he was just resting his hand there.

He'd touched her before, but it had always been innocent; he'd never done this, the thing he'd always refused to do to her no matter how much she'd order him to. He wouldn't have sex with her, and he wouldn't touch her in that way he was engineered to do. This would be the very first time, and now, in front of all these people, he had to do it.

Melody's legs shook as the electric tingles shot straight down from his hot touch all the way to her swollen sex. Her lips trembled, and she bit down on them to keep from showing any other outwards signs of pleasure, but then, that invisible finger moved and stroked her through her wet panties, she jolted and moaned.

It wasn't a long, drawn out sort of sound. Because she'd been holding back, it came out as more of a startled squeak, but it was enough to pull her out of the haze she was falling into and become more aware of the things around her.

Dex still hadn't moved, his hand stayed right where it was, the other down at his side, not touching the folds of her sex, not rubbing at her clit. What the hell...how was he doing this?

The buzzing crowd grew silent, as though they were watching an engrossing play, rather than a quick sex show. No one could take their eyes away, and despite the fact that Melody already had her proof that his touch was indeed bringing her physical pleasure with no apparent effort on his part, she couldn't bring herself to give the command to stop.

It was too good. Exactly what she'd wanted him to do to her. If only it was his real hand touching her between her legs and not...whatever it was she was feeling down there.

So it went on. More sensations passed through her. Even though she was still fully dressed, she felt the distinctive lick of a velvet tongue swiping down her stomach, her thighs, and then inside the place she wanted it most. As though he were actually between her thighs, a hand ghosted back up her body to pinch and caress her breast and nipple.

Melody squeezed her eyes shut against the onslaught, but they kept right on coming. Her hair came down from her bun in waves, his fingers threading through the strands, grabbing, pulling her closer as Dex climbed up her body. She opened her mouth to the sensation of his soft lips on hers, and his cock thrusting inside her.

When she opened her eyes, she jerked back in surprise. Dex still had only his one hand on her, her hair was up, and she was still fully dressed.

“What—?” She nearly fell back a step, but now Dex's hand tightened on her shoulder. A little smile played on his lips.

“You always wanted this.”

She barely saw his lips move as he spoke. Rough and accusing words they were, but he was right, and now, he wasn't about to let her get away.

Her face felt overly hot, and she knew she was that unattractive red she became whenever the heat got away with her. A layer of warm sweat broke out over her skin, but Dex kept right on going.

The jolting pleasure hit her again as she felt the steady thrusting inside her speed up. She couldn't take it any more. Melody collapsed against his chest, allowing his other arm to wrap around her. He held her up as she gasped and moaned in earnest.

She didn't care about the hundreds of people watching her. People? What people? It was just her and him. Dex never moved his hands, he just held her.

Then the images came on along with the sensations. Visions of herself on her back, legs open to the man in front of her, then on her knees in front of him while he pumped in and out of her mouth.

For a second it was like she wasn't even on stage any more, but alone with him in her bedroom, having the best sex of her life.

“Oh, God, fuck me!” she cried out.

“I will.”

Then the pulsing, mind numbing, pleasure building inside her hit that peak, and it was a downward glide from there, faster and faster until everything inside her exploded and let go.

When she opened her eyes, she was on her knees, for real this time, and not in her mind. Dex's hand was no longer on the crook of her neck, as he was still standing straight, Melody keeping a firm grip on his calf. She didn't remember grabbing him.

Her vagina throbbed, she needed a change in underwear, and she was still catching her breath. Her heart and lungs were having trouble working as she panted for breath while that hard beating raged in her ears.

Then she stopped and fully took in her position. Oh damn, she was on her knees. She looked up at the outright shock on Dex's face. The breath of the hall seemed to be on hold.

Melody didn't know what had actually happened, but she could picture it, and think on what it must have looked like to the crowd of people.

A stag had forcefully put a human woman on her knees. Completely illegal.

Putting a stag or doe on their knees was not an issue, and buyers only allowed themselves to be put on their knees when no one was around to see it.

Forcing a buyer or handler on their knees was considered a defiant act, comparable to the violence of pushing a human down, attempting to escape, or attempting to force sex, and punishable by immediate death.

The two handlers came forward before Melody could pull herself up. They grabbed for her arms instead of Dex's, hauling her up and dusting her off, as though nothing happened.

Marcy quickly took the forefront of the stage. “As you all can see, he has a real impact!”

Small, nervous smiles and chuckles sounded. Hesitant clapping followed that only grew stronger and louder as the atmosphere cleared.

It wasn't unusual for a handler to try and brush off any untoward behaviours of her stag in order to keep from losing out on income, or pay fines. Melody was just glad no one here was a stickler for the law.

“How do you feel?”

Melody jerked. Marcy had been talking to her.

She took stock of herself. Her knees were still iffy and she was leaning against one of the handlers to keep her balance. She pulled away and straightened herself. It was a matter of willpower to make her voice come out strong without clearing her throat. God, she hoped she wasn't still blushing. “He does what you said he does.”

Marcy shot away from her before Melody even finished speaking, focusing all her attention back on the audience. “There you have it, ladies! Bidding is now open at five hundred dollars. Any bids for five hundred?”

Of course someone put their hand up, and another, and another. The few buyers who thought Melody was faking it just walked off to keep browsing amongst the other stags available.

Melody wasn't about to do the same. She looked back to Dex, still chained to the post in the centre of the stage. No one came to escort Melody off. It was like they'd forgotten all about her now that the bidding wars were starting.

Not Dex. He was staring at her, hard. The hand that had brought her such an intense orgasm was now resting on one of his chains.

Every memory she had of him came back as if they were happening all over again, every feeling he had stirred inside her, and the grief she felt when he'd been taken away.

She was done with shopping.

“One hundred thousand,” Melody said.

Marcy stopped to look at her, “Pardon?”

“I bid one hundred thousand dollars for this stag.”

Poor Marcy looked like a rabbit in a wolf's den. She looked back out amongst the sea of buyers, clearly not knowing what to do. It seemed no one ever tried to outbid like this on her watch before.

“The bidding is still down to only two thousand. Are you—?”

“I'm sure. One hundred thousand.”

Marcy deactivated the tiny mic in her ear and stepped closer, keeping her voice down so the crowd below couldn't hear her. “That's a lot of money. Will you be able to pay it?” Marcy's eyes roamed up and down Melody's suit dress, her heels, and makeup. It was as though she was trying to determine if Melody's clothes were as expensive as they looked.

Melody pulled out her plasti-tab from her beaded purse, stretched the screen out to a comfortable size, and loaded the encrypted page for her banking information. “Right now if you like.”

Marcy blinked at her, and then, mouth open, turned her attention back to the audience, her mic back on. “Do I have any bids at one hundred five?”

Everyone looked amongst themselves, likely just as confused as Marcy concerning whether or not Melody's bid was real.

Others shook their heads and left, the bid way out of their price range.

“Going once. Going twice...” Marcy waited much longer than required at this stage before she finally gave in. “Sold, to the client on stage.”