chapter 2

Two weeks came and went faster than Alphonse could have ever imagined. Papa was always more cheerful on days with an auction. These were the days where he made a large sum without having to do much of anything. “Alphonse! Alphonse!” Papa bellowed from his position at the front door. “Where are the wine glasses for this evening?” Alphonse brought a box of wine glasses to where Papa stood.

“Here they are,” he said in a somewhat sharp tongue.

“Hee-hee ho-ho ha-ha,” Papa hooted, his laugh like an avalanche, taking over everything in the room. “This evening is your first night as a real earner! Nothing can spoil my mood!” Alphonse winced at the reminder. Who would be the man to deflower him? A coal miner? A lawyer? An officer?

“Who has purchased my virginity?” Alphonse asked. Papa laughed again. He was absolutely giddy on these days of transition. All he could see was currency. Alphonse likely looked like a giant gold bar to him.

“You know there will be an auction as there is for any man’s virginity here.” Papa smiled and touched Al’s face tenderly, looking up at the young man. Alphonse was nearly six feet tall, towering over the stout older man. “If it wouldn’t set me back financially, I’d gladly shell out the money to make you mine.” He jerked his head away from Papa’s fingers. Papa laughed again and began to whistle a jaunty tune.

Later that evening the auction began in the large sitting room to the left of the foyer. Oskar and Moritz, two of Papa’s underlings, stood off to the side. They were there to make sure things didn’t go sour. The whole thing frightened Alphonse. Men in the house had described it before, but nothing they spoke of was as unsettling as what he was experiencing. The curtains were drawn, and the room was incredibly dim. Alphonse stood in the center of the room under a small overhead light fixture. The light shining above him made it difficult to make out just how many bidders were present. He could hardly see their faces. He stood naked, covering his manhood with shaky hands.

He’d bathed using expensive soap and washed his long, thick hair. Papa directed him to wear it down and he did as he was told. His shiny, tight coils were nearly to his shoulders. His mane added immensely to his sex appeal, and his beautiful dark hair was a talking point amongst the bidders.

Men yelled out monetary amounts. The numbers climbed higher and higher. Papa told him that he needed to turn around and he complied. His back was now to the group. Someone whistled. The numbers continued to rise.

“What an ass,” someone said loudly.

“And it is untouched!” Papa added, doing his best to make Alphonse sound enticing to the crowd. “I guarantee it! Turn back around Alphonse!” The young man did as he was told, facing the crowd once more. He wondered how long these auctions tended to last. He wanted nothing more than for the whole ordeal to be over.

Papa continued to encourage the men to bid more. “This virgin boy of eighteen is worth more than that!”

The numbers soared.

“Fifty thousand,” one man said, his voice louder than all the others. That was nearly triple the last amount offered. The voices hushed and everyone looked at the tall, sturdy stranger who had just placed an unmatchable bid on Alphonse’s virginity.

“Fifty thousand going once!” Nobody said anything. Nobody would. This was the highest bid ever placed on the virginity of one of Papa’s sons. “Twice!” Alphonse did his best to make out the stranger in the crowd. He hadn’t come forward and the others blocked Alphonse’s line of sight. “Sold!” Papa shouted, sheer joy in his voice, nearly foaming at the mouth at the thought of collecting that massive sum of money. That was what Dorian made in seven months.

Alphonse had just become the highest earner.

The crowd parted so that Rudolf Blauvelt could make his way towards where Papa stood. The large man handed him the money in a small briefcase. He looked over at Alphonse, who grinned awkwardly. It slightly tickled Rudolf and made him all the more confident in his purchase. Papa grabbed Alphonse roughly by the wrist and pulled him towards the exit of the sitting room. Alphonse looked back, dragging his feet, trying to get a better look at the man who’d just dropped a small fortune on him.

Papa tightened his grip and pulled Alphonse more aggressively. He led him to a large room towards the rear of the bathhouse. This room was only used for special occasions such as this one.

“You’d better not fuck this up with that mouth of yours,” Papa said, opening the briefcase and taking in the money. Everything seemed to be in order, and after he got the opportunity to count the bills, he’d bring Rudolf Blauvelt to claim what he’d paid for. “You’re to be hospitable, you hear? Offer him refreshments. Make him feel good. If he has any reason to ask for this money back, I’ll kill you.”

Papa left the room and Alphonse stood frozen in the middle of it. Things were happening so suddenly. He didn’t know the auction and the copulation would be occurring in the same evening. He didn’t even know anything about the stranger, but then he realized that was a foolish notion. He had no reason to know anything about this man. He was a whore who’d been paid to perform a service. He was not being courted. Thirty minutes passed before the door to the back room was opened.

The stranger—Mr. Blauvelt—appeared.

Rudolf Blauvelt was an intimidating figure. He looked at Alphonse with a severe expression that caused the smaller man slight distress. Alphonse worried he’d already somehow ruined this transaction. Papa was going to kill him. He would die a virgin. Nobody would bid on him again. They wouldn’t believe he hadn’t been with Mr. Blauvelt.

Alphonse took in the imposing man before him. Rudolf was tall, broad, and serious. He certainly did not dress like a coal miner. He wore an expensive looking blue jacket with a black vest underneath. His pants were gray and tailored expertly to his strong legs. His middle was full, and it was more than obvious that he was wealthy enough to eat properly. He had thick well-groomed sideburns that ended at the same level as his pouty lips.

“Would you care for something to drink?” Alphonse offered as he had been instructed. The stranger shook his head. Al took a small step forward towards the man, trying to initiate what had been paid for. He wanted to get it over with. He wanted to get started paying off his family’s debts so he could return to them. “Well, would you like to begin, sir?” The stranger was silent for a moment.

“My name is Rudolf Blauvelt,” he said finally, removing his jacket. Alphonse did not move any further, unsure of what to do next. Introductions weren’t covered in his briefing. “I purchased your virginity, but I do not plan on claiming my prize just yet.”

“Is there a problem, sir?” Alphonse asked. “I am willing to do whatever it is you’d like. I may lack experience, but I promise to do my best.”

“We should begin getting to know one another,” Rudolf replied. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt. He had thick forearms covered in dark hair that moved into powerful arms. His chest sat sturdily above his large, hefty belly. His thighs made Alphonse think of the largest of tree trunks and he felt that Rudolf’s tailor deserved nothing but praise.

“Why pay fifty thousand marks to converse with a whore? Surely I can do something to satisfy you.” Rudolf strode over to him and grabbed his wrist even more roughly than Papa had. Rudolf turned him around, pressing his clothed crotch into Alphonse’s bare behind. He grabbed Alphonse by the throat, holding it with a slight amount of pressure. Alphonse was above average height, yet Rudolf was taller still. If Papa didn’t kill him, surely his new sponsor would.

Al could feel Rudolf’s sizable penis through the fabric of his slacks and trembled at the thought that the man wasn’t even erect. If he were raped by a man with such a substantial member, he’d be in pain for weeks. Besides Rudolf’s cock, Alphonse could feel the businessman’s firm stomach filling the space above his behind. If the situation weren’t so alarming, Alphonse felt he’d might be enjoying himself.

“Is this what you want?” Rudolf asked, breathing heavily. “Do you want it to go this way? Painfully, without love? I could rape you and take what I paid for.”

“No, please,” Alphonse managed to get out. “I’m sorry, truly.” He’d been foolish. What did it matter that Rudolf Blauvelt wished to hold conversation before claiming what he paid for? He had a wonderful man pay for his virginity and in moments he had ruined it.

Alphonse whimpered and Rudolf released him.

“I’m sorry,” Rudolf said, his dark eyes filled with sorrow at his impulsiveness. He felt naïve, believing he could build a relationship with this man. What was he doing spending so much money on a man he’d never even spoken to prior to this evening? He’d thought with his heart and not his head, hoping with persistence they could fall in love with one another. He’d been reading too many women’s novels. “I will make arrangements for you to continue living here without having to sleep with any man but me.” Alphonse nodded.

“Thank you,” was all Alphonse could muster, trying to stop himself from crying. Rudolf could tell he’d frightened the young man and hastily gathered his belongings in order to vacate the room, embarrassed and fearful that Alphonse would never see him as anything more than a beastly whoremonger. Before he could even close the door behind himself, he’d heard Alphonse burst into tears.