The Artist Offering

Spotlights swept across the sky, a beacon tracing back to the heart of Free State University’s campus. Once a year the Great Hall was host to the university’s most extravagant and exclusive event; the Grand Gala.

Though the strobing press was rabid outside, the Great Hall’s ballroom was seemingly impregnable. As gilded guests entered through heavy oak doors, they were met with the lustrous sounds of a chamber orchestra reverberating on polished marble walls. High society socialites, corporate chiefs, and celebrities of all ilk sipped champagne and spoke of gossip, business, and their building excitement for the upcoming auction.

Hidden away, past the crowds of guests and in the depths of the building, the staff was abuzz with electric energy. The kitchen was hot chaos. Caterers rushed from project to project. The University’s president, a hawkish woman with short grey hair, dodged around staff. Behind her, a fit woman with a red bow wrapped around her dark hair dutifully checked items on a clipboard.

“Penelope.” The president checked the time on. “Only a few minutes until the auction starts. What’s left?”

“You still need to speak to the auction volunteers. And,” Penny held up the clipboard, “this last one just says Troxell.” 

“Fucking grade-A son-of-a-bitch that man is. Troxell!” The president adjusted her bowtie and peeked at her reflection in a the polished stainless steel door of a nearby refrigerator. She spoke so quickly Penny could barely keep up. “Speaking of the volunteers. Penelope, kid, shouldn’t you be on your way there?”

“I’ll go check in.” Penny mocked a salute.

“Go get’em tiger. You’re gonna do great. Me? I’m off to make sure mister tech billionaire feels that his sweaty posterior is properly smooched.” The president turned on her heel and hurried towards the ballroom. She flipped back again to add. “Don’t repeat that last part kid. In fact, forget I ever said anything about him. Mr. Harold H. Troxell is an honored guest. We’re all happy, thrilled even, to have him as one of our greatest donors. The things we do for money, right kid?”

“Honored guest.” Penny echoed and scribbled a doodle of a demon-horned stick figure next to his name on the president’s itinerary and hurried off as well.

The further she got from the kitchen, the more the outfits of the people around her changed. It was as if she’d stepped backstage at the Moulin Rouge or a bawdy Broadway show. All around her were artistic, sexy, and sensual people of all shapes and sizes. A duo of short women, each dressed in little more than a bikini, a bunny tail, and matching ears tittered as the hurried past. A man and woman in matching fantasy-inspired cosplay armor trooped past, leading three others dressed as if they were captured elves wearing little more than tiny tattered bikinis and heavy iron collars.

“Why are you dressed like that?”

“Like what?” Penny turned and was found a woman who was nearly a head shorter than her staring up expectantly.

“Like raccoon. Trashy.” The short woman pushed up her round glasses and leaned in to examine the fabric. “Cheap synthetic. Screen printed by an amateur. Hand-painted tights too? Why? Did you think you’re going to art class?”

“Oh, okay. Hi and excuse you. My friends made these. Who the heck are you?” Penny pushed the woman away. By her estimate she could easily put her in a headlock and escort her outside. Why bother calling security when she could have the pleasure of ejecting such a rude person?

“You’re the no-show yes? Sabrina! Sa. Bri. Na!” Hani hollered off into the crowd then lifted a laminated badge off her chest.

“I’m here Hani.”

The woman stepping to Hani’s side was nearly a full head taller than Penny and was built like a goddess. She was perfectly curvy, perfectly pretty, and perfectly presented in an outfit that made Penny a little jealous. Her body was practically naked and powerfully so. Every curve was wrapped with latex and leather. Each strap was a line traced across her skin, highlighting every subtle bit of her goddess-like figure.

“Art Sabrina. You’re pure art!” Hani jabbed as Penny’s hip. “You see? Leather and latex. Pink and pretty. Hot!” 

“Oh, you flatter me Hani. I can’t thank you enough.” Sabrina turned to Penny. “And you miss. You flatter me with your gaze.”

Penny hurriedly looked away.

“I’m Sabrina, the Freeride Scholar from the Chemistry department.” Sabrina extended her hand.

“Oh. Me too.” Penny said, shaking hands and feeling weirdly professional. “I mean,” Penny added, “I’m a Freeride Scholar too but I’m from the art department. My name is Penelope, um, Penny. Your outfit is great.”

“Thank you.” Both Hani and Sabrina spoke in unison. 

“Miss Penelope.” Sabrina added. “I don’t mean to cause a scene but I think Hani is correct. Look.” Sabrina pulled another lanyard from her nearby bag. It, like Penny’s, said that they were both to be volunteers for the night.

“We’ve been missing a scholar from the art department. Miss Penelope, I believe that you might be that volunteer. I think you might be the missing piece of our colorful puzzle. You were instructed to wear something that would make you stand out as part of the art department for the auction. Does that sound correct miss?”

“I guess?” Penny turned to Sabrina. “I was told to dress artsy, I guess. Then I got here and the president told me to help her and I’ve been doing that all night.”

When Penny turned back to Hani. The woman wasn’t just standing there. She was kneeling in front of Penny, a pair of fabric shears in her hands.

“Excuse you!”

“Black shirt? Black tights? Too emo.” Hani brandished the scissors. “It won’t be a miracle but I’ll do whatever I can.”

With a snip, the shears closed on the shirt’s fabric and a cut a hole just below Penny’s bra.

“No. No. No. I don’t think so.” Penny pulled at her shirt, only causing it to rip along the newly cut seam.

“There are famous artists here. There are photographers.” Hani said flatly yet hate was in her eyes. “You will be a joke to the whole world. Everyone will know. Free State University will be a joke. The whole fashion department will be a joke.” 

“That’s a little extreme.” Penny huffed. “If it matters that much just let me change or something. I don’t even know why it matters what I wear anyways!”

“No!” Hani shouted. “You missed fittings. You’re late. No time. You need to be sexy. This is no good.”

“Fittings? Why? What? I’ll, well, I’ll just take it all off then?” Penny asserted and started to remove her shirt. “There’s plenty of other people who aren’t wearing much. I’m not shy.”

“No. No. No.” Hani slapped away her hand. “Bra and panties? Boring. Nudity is boring. Exhibitionism is boring. People are naked every day. You have to be fantastic. Now? Naked you, still boring. You have to tease.”

“Exhibitionism isn’t boring!” Penny said, immediately wondering why she was so enthusiastically defending it. 

“Give me attention!” Hani mimed lifting her shirt to flash the crowd. “No one cares. That succubus? You’ll remember her for months.” Hani pointed to a woman with a heavy plastic collar. 

Penny’s gaze lingered. The woman with fake little wings and thigh-high boots was entranced, her mindless eyes looking off towards nothing. The collar around her neck gave Penny a hint to her state. She’d recently visited the university’s Student Body Rental Center and had been dosed up with a few hours worth of their mind-altering BLNK shot. The pretty succubus would be little more than an enthusiastic and compliant doll for the rest of the night. More, that doll’s libido would be dialed up to an insatiable level.

“How is she going to help with the auction if she’s blanked?” Penny asked Sabrina. 

“She looks lovely, doesn’t she?” Sabrina said, a faint tinge of jealousy in her words. “Though, I don’t know how she’d be able to accept a bid. Maybe she has a chaperone? Still, a hypnotized succubus.” She clapped her hands with excitement. “What a thing what will be to see and what a dramatic choice. It’s a beautiful inversion on the power and domination of the demon archetype.”

Penny meant to ask more but her thoughts were punctuated by a sultry moan. Bent over the table, the succubus’ face and hands were pressed up against the mirror. Her breath blasted against the glass, fogging it. Her handler had pulled aside the thin string of the woman’s thong. In his other hand he held a silicone devil’s tail. Penny was too busy covered her mouth and staring, transfixed, as she saw exactly where the succubus’ handler was inserting the tail and the woman’s silky, enthusiastic reaction to it slipping into her body.

“The poor girl.” Penny averted her gaze. “The BLNK will make her so horny afterwards.”

“Oh, miss Penny, I’m sure she’ll find the auction incredibly stimulating.” Sabrina winked. 

Before Penny knew it, Hani had once again snagged her shirt again. Dodging Penny’s swatting and ignoring her protests, she the transformed what was once a fitted t-shirt into a crop top barely covering the bottom half of Penny’s bra. Content with this newest revision, Hani stepped back to admire her work. 

“Better. Better. No. Not bad. It’s okay.” She nodded approval for her own musings and started circling again, mumbling every branching thought.

‘You owe me a new shirt.” Penny crossed her arms with a pout.

“I gave you a new shirt. A better one. Take off your bra.”

“I thought you said nudity was boring.”

“Don’t argue. Bra.”

 “You are a very mean little woman.” Penny puffed up her cheeks. With a pout and a little work, the shirt and bra were both off and Penny’s hand rested across her exposed chest.

Counting to three she took her hands away. Then, with a leap, she spun. Her perky breasts were exposed for everyone to see.

Penny beamed.

Not a single person in the crowd noticed her.

“Boring.” Hani sneered. “Put the shirt back on now.”

“I do not like you.” Penny stuck out her tongue but obliged.

The shirt that had awkwardly covered just a sliver of her bra had transformed. Now it was almost like a drape, laid over the top of her otherwise exposed breasts. Below it, her nipples just barely covered. Taking a step pulled up the fabric and they peeked out; a tiny indecent peek in each step. 

“Get your bracelets and get ready lovelies!” That president had arrived for the final prep. “You all have five minutes until go time!”

Penny paused to watch the most fabulously dressed people she had ever seen congregate around the president. Despite the overwhelming visual menagerie, she found herself distracted by a familiar voice. She couldn’t quite place it. A tug at her tights demanded her focus instead. Hani’s scissors were already cutting through at the thigh. 

“These are nice.” Penny slapped Hani atop her head a few quick times. “My friend made them.”

Penny’s protests were suddenly inaudible. The doors to the Gala had opened and the swelling orchestra and raucous applause had erupted from them. Even if she had heard Penny’s plea, Hani soldered on with her task. With each cut and tug the tights were transformed to a ragged, tattered pair suited for a sexy punk rocker. Penny peeked at her reflection in Sabrina’s mirror. Her butt just peeked out from under the fabric around her hips. Then, in a flash of the scissor’s steel, the fabric fell away. Now she was in nothing more that the tattered shirt, some ragged thigh highs and her underwear.

“Oh my.” Sabrina giggled.

“Green? Green!” Hani threw her scissors and they embedded themselves in a nearby wall. “Who wears green underwear? Why would you wear green underwear to the Grand Gala! Woman! What. Is. Wrong. With. You?”

“Well, I didn’t know I would be doing anything sexy today miss judgmental! I didn’t know I was supposed to be a glorified model to get a bunch of rich jerks to bid on art and whatever. That’s what I’m supposed to do right? I go out and look all pretty and make them bid on art! Kinda sucks but whatever.”

Hani and Sabrina exchanges a quick, concerned glance. 

“What?” Penny huffed.

“You do know?” Sabrina smiled nervously. 

“Know what?”

“You.” Hani poked at Penny’s sternum. “You raccoon girl. You’re the offering. They will bid on you. You. Are. The Offering.

“Oh come on! I’m not that gullible.” Penny’s gaze again lingered on the succubus. As the her mindless body was lead off again, the president gave the tail a playful little tug. The moan that melted out of the weak kneed woman made everything click for Penny.

“Oh my god. People are going to have sex with her?” Penny squawked, gawked, and pointed at the alluring devil.

Hani felt as if she could have murdered someone in that moment. 

“And people are going to bid money so they can have sex with me?” Penny’s voice squeaked.

“Certainly.” Sabrina nodded confidently.

“Actually, no, probably not.” Hani crossed her arms. “You look like a garbage raccoon.” 

“I’m supposed to have sex with strangers?” Penny bit her knuckle. Her mind wandered, exploring the implications of such a thing. She’d be exposed in front of hundreds, maybe thousands of people.

That sounded extremely exciting. 

Why was that exciting?

At any time, any of the thousands of guests could take a casual peek at her body. That seemed nice, fun event. Her most private parts would be bid on though. Would she be used there, at the Gala? All the while she’d be a show for the others? Every lustful moan and gasp drunk up by an audience just waiting for their own turn. She was the sort of woman who solidly, definitely, undoubtedly, unquestionably, never, ever fantasized about being in such a slutty situation, no matter what, and why was she getting turned on by all of that?

“One last thing.” Hani was there again, orbiting Penny.

“What now?” Penny squeaked, her eyes darted back and forth between her outfit and the other offerings in line. “Can you see I’m busy! Apparently, I’m supposed to be a prostitute!”

“Yeah, okay you are, whatever. Tonight you’ll be a dirty slut. Want to quit? There’s the door. You want to go home?”

“No!” Penny covered her mouth. Why did she say no? On top of that, why did she say it so quickly? How did she keep getting into situations like this? That was why they kept the Grand Gala so secret! That was why the cameras were locked outside. This was just volunteer prostitution! That idea was so dirty that Penny couldn’t help but bite her lip. She’d had adventures before. Sexy adventures even. She’d even tried BLNK. But this, this was almost too much!

Almost.

She worked herself up. Bargaining with herself, trying to flame up a bit of bravery. The idea did sound fun and the event was really secretive. No one she knew personally was there anyways. In a way, the gala was just another fight to win. She could prove how much of an adventurer she really was!

She stood up straight. She wasn’t exactly emboldened though. Her knees still shook; partially it was excitement but also nerves.

Looking around, she realized most of the other volunteers had already paraded out into the ballroom. Only Sabrina remained, politely waiting for Penny.

“Too scared.” Hani sighed. “Figures.”

Penny got a jolt of rage. Hani was a bratty pain in her ass and she could not let the salty little fashionista win. More than that though, she wasn’t the type that would just walk around nervously. If she was going to be a prize, then she’d make them fight for her. 

“Come at me world.” Penny pointed proudly at the doors as they opened and the procession of offerings began. “I’m Penny and I’m going to kick your ass!”

It was at that moment, the very height of her pride, that she felt her underwear flutter off her behind. She spun and saw Hani smiling impishly.

“Oops.” Hani stuck out her tongue. The short fashionista scooped up the snipped garment with her scissors and and, with a proud flourish, flung it over a shoulder towards an empty trash can. It missed. 

“Miss Penelope.” Sabrina slipped between the two of them. “I can barely wait a second longer. Such fun awaits us. Let’s go!” Sabrina grabbed Penny by the elbow and pulled her towards the door. Penny, blushing and confused, struggled to cover her now exposed crotch couldn’t help but follow.

“Oh, Miss Penelope, we’ll get such a large bid as a duo. You and me as a package deal. Us, an instant menage-a-troi!”

“What?” Penny blinked hard. “A threesome?”

“Maybe” Sabrina held up her bracelet wrapped wrist and gave a cute wink. “Only if the bid is right.”

Penny watched in dumbfounded awe as she was pulled into the glittering Gala. Looking down to her tattered shirt, Penny shot a glance back. A ways back now Hani was standing, arms crossed and looking pleased as could be. Penny grinned. If she was going to do something absolutely insane tonight, she was going to do it her way or no way at all. 

With a tear, Penny triumphantly ripped off the tattered remnants of her shirt and the gala guests gasped and clapped. When she looked back, Hani was frantically waving and hurrying forward, desperately trying to get Penny to halt her madness. Hani’s face turned red and the crowd could almost hear her hollering over the swelling orchestra as Penny, with a devious grin, tore off the snipped remnants of her once-pristine pants.

“Yeah nudity!” She bellowed to the gala. A few gasps, a lot of laughs, and even more applause broke out after her enthusiastic display. She threw the tattered remnants of her clothes in the air. As they rained down, she spun around to face Hani. Wearing nothing more than her big red bow and matching sneakers, Penny flipped her off as hard as she possibly could.

“Oh, now look, Hani is throwing a fit.” Sabrina giggled. She reached out to take Penny’s hand. Behind them Hani was being pushed back by two bouncers, both were twice her size and had no problem wrangling even her most furious struggling.

“Good.” Penny blew a kiss back towards the detained woman. “Lets go Sabrina. You and me! Lets go and punch this night in the face. Lets go be slutty and have a threesome or something!”

“You are very energetic, Miss Penelope. You’re quite the fighter. People are going to love it.” Sabrina laughed as Penny pulled her out into the sea of guests that was the Grand Gala.