Highest Bidder - Chapter One

Help Cory make a difficult decision ...

To say that Ashley and I had a complicated relationship was an understatement.

For a start, even though she was a lesbian and therefore one-hundred-percent not into guys, I still found myself harboring a huge secret crush on her.

And on top of that, even though I considered her a good friend, I was also kinda scared of her.

You see, she had this Jekyll and Hyde personality: all sweetness and light most of the time, but if you messed with her or didn’t do exactly as she wanted then bam, out came ‘mean Ashley’, a bratty, venomous little bitch that you definitely didn’t wanna get on the wrong side of …

So when she called me that Friday afternoon, even though I was trying my hardest to finish up my latest freelance article-writing job, I found myself dropping everything and agreeing to meet, sensing that if I didn’t there’d be trouble.

And from the moment Ashley burst into the coffee shop, I knew something was up.

I’d seen that expression on her face so many times before, the one that suggested she had some crazy new plan — one that no doubt involved me, too.

“Hey, Cory,” she said as she settled into the seat opposite. “How’s it going?”

But even those simple words seemed charged somehow with mischief, like she was just getting these simple pleasantries out of the way before she launched in on whatever it was she really wanted to say.

“Pretty good,” I replied tentatively, arching an eyebrow, still feeling super suspicious of the way her pretty face was beaming back at me, blue eyes sparkling, blonde hair framing her face like a halo, even though devil horns would have been more accurate. “You?”

Sure enough, just like I suspected she leant in across the table, her voice dropping to a whisper as she said, “Actually, I have a proposition for you.”

“A proposition?” I echoed, feeling my heart sink as I wondered what crazy plan she’d cooked up this time, a plan that it would be almost impossible to get out of … unless I wanted to unleash ‘evil Ashley’.

“Yeah, a proposition,” she shot back. “You know that Mike’s been trying to think up ways to save Blondies, right?”

“Uh uh,” I replied, aware that our mutual friend, Mike, had been trying to drum up some much-needed support for his ailing bar, which had never really gotten back on its feet after Covid — the very same scummy dive bar where Ash and I first met, back when we both worked there a few years ago …

“Well, we were trying to think up some fun things he might be able to do for a fundraiser,” Ashley continued, “and I came up with a real doozy …”

She paused, biting on her lip like she was stifling a giggle, her bright blue eyes locking onto mine, causing a tingle of excitement in the pit of my stomach despite myself.

“C’mon,” I sighed, rolling my eyes. “Just spit it out already!”

“Alright alright,” she said. “Well, we decided on a charity auction. I’d be compering, and we’d auction off the bar staff on dates with the customers.”

“Actually, that does sound pretty fun,” I agreed, relieved to hear that her latest scheme actually had nothing to do with me, after all …

Thank fuck.

“Only thing is,” she continued in the same bright, breezy tone as before, “the ratio’s all off. There’s only one guy working behind the bar at Blondies right now other than Mike, so we increased the net a little to include ex-staff members too …”

She paused for a half second before finally saying the inevitable:

“Which means I kinda signed you up too, Cory.”

“You did what?!” I gasped, eyes widening.

“It’s honestly no big deal” she giggled. “We just wanted to have an equal split of men and women, and you do wanna help out the cause and save Blondie’s, right?”

“I mean, sure,” I sighed, feeling my frustration rising even more, now that she’d put me on the damn spot like this, making me seem like a total villain if I didn’t wanna help our favorite dive bar from closing its doors. “Even so, can’t I just help out in some other way?” I pleaded. “This sounds super embarrassing, Ash …”

“About that,” she shot back, her eyebrows knitting and her lips pursing, giving me my first glimpse of the bratty little girl that wouldn’t take no for an answer. “There’s one more thing I haven’t told you yet.”

I felt my stomach clench in an even tighter knot of anticipation as I waited for Ash to say whatever the hell it was that she was still keeping back from me.

“We thought we’d get way more hype if the event was gender swapped,” she said eventually. “You know, like that New Years’ party Mike threw a few years ago that sold out almost instantly?”

I felt the blood begin to drain from my face, and I stared back at her in dumb shock, feeling a mixture of disbelief and panic bubble up inside me all at once, the whole thing feeling like I’d suddenly been plunged into some kind of anxiety dream.

A gender-swapped charity auction?!

"I don't know, Ash," I croaked, struggling to keep my voice steady, my heart starting to gallop. "This sounds kind of crazy, don't you think?"

But she just smiled back at me, undeterred.

“Personally I just think it’s gonna be a whole lot of fun,” she said, her tone almost sarcastically light and playful, like she was daring me to say no. “If you wanted, I could even help you pick out a look? But obviously that’s down to you …”

I let out a sigh of frustration, feeling like I was caught between two equally awkward choices.

On the one hand, I didn’t want to let her down — she wasn’t just my secret crush, she was a really good friend too, and it was always so fun hanging out with her. Plus there was the very real chance I’d unleash that mean, bratty side to her if I flat out said ‘no’.

Yet at the same time, the thought of dressing up in drag and being paraded around at a stupid charity auction was honestly about the most awkward thing I could possibly imagine.

I sucked in a deep breath, then made my decision …

---

That’s it for Chapter One, folks!

It sure looks like Cory’s got a difficult decision to make. Should he agree to take part in the auction and let Ash help choose his outfit, or should he stay firm and tell her no (possibly unleashing ‘evil Ashley’ in the process)?

If you wanna help Cory decide what to do, then be sure to subscribe in order to cast your vote (below the paywall)!

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So what are you waiting for? Sign up now and help Cory decide …