No Reserve

For my friend Joe...It's finally done so now you can stop e-mailing me!

The gavel came down with a resounding clank and the room fell silent. $2,000,000. That was highest price ever bid for a Renault; at least as far as Rhonda knew. She worked the podium at Sotheby's for almost 5 years now and saw many a priceless painting come through, but this one intrigued her. Not because of how much it sold for, but because to her, it wasn't particularly special. She had an eye for great works of art and this painting, though good, certainly was not worth the money paid for it. She wondered why the bidder would waste such an insane amount of money on something that was barely worth much more than the canvas it was painted on. As the stage crew arrived to carry it away, she eyed the array of pale brown colors and horribly out of place pastels. There was nothing particularly moving about the piece and this intrigued her even more. Her gaze fell once more to the audience where she saw the buyer sitting, 2^nd row from the front, 5^th chair in. He was gleaming. He had short brown hair and hazel eyes. Very well dressed. She thought his suit was Armani, but she wasn't sure. His blissful countenance made her smile.

The remainder of the auction completed without incident, but Rhonda couldn't help but wonder about the Renault and its over zealous buyer. As Rhonda prepared to leave the stage, she saw "Mr. Renault" gathering his things and preparing to talk with the cashier about payment. Rhonda stepped down from the podium and waited patiently while the transaction was settled.

When the deal was completed, "Mr. Renault" turned around to find her outstretched mahogany brown hand waiting for him. At first he was startled to find someone standing directly behind him, but was pleasantly surprised to find it was the very attractive auctioneer that sold him his precious painting.

"Joseph Thompson," he said grabbing her hand with both of his and giving her a warm smile in the process.

"Rhonda Simmons," she replied and smiled in kind. "I was just wondering what kind of man would drop a cool 2 mil for that...piece." Joseph furrowed his brow as he wasn't sure if she was being facetious or just arrogant. He stepped back in an attempt to get a better look at her and dropped her hand as he did.

"WellMs. Simmons, let's just say it happens to have a lot of – sentimental value. My family had very close ties with the late Mr. Renault and I promised his family I'd secure the piece for them." He watched as Rhonda placed both hands behind her back and eye him intently. She was an attractive black woman, about 5' 8" with a medium frame. She was wearing a simple form-fitting black dress that stopped at the thigh. She wore frameless glasses that seemed to seamlessly blend into her silky smooth brown skin. Her hair was black, long he supposed. Maybe slightly past shoulder-length. It was hard to tell precisely since it was wound so tightly in a flattering bun.

"So you do charity work, then?" Rhonda quipped as she stared down at his Bruno Magli's.

This synched it for Joseph, it was definitely arrogance. The smile quickly vanished from his face and he became visibly annoyed. "What exactly can I do for you,Ms. Simmons?" He asked not wanting a response.

"It's not what you can do forme, it's what I can do foryou. I came by to make you an offer. You obviously are a man with" she looked back at the stage where the painting once stood, "interesting tastes. How do you feel about antiques?"

"An antique what?" he replied with his interest suddenly piqued.

Rhonda smiled. "Come with me" she said as she crooked her finger and headed toward the stage entrance. Joseph followed close behind, secretly admiring the alluring view.

They reached the display area behind the stage for items that were to be auctioned off at tomorrow's sale. The items were locked behind a huge glass box with a security guard on opposite sides. Within it were countless paintings, jewelry, vases and what looked like an Easter egg with gold trimmings. The pair viewed the contents of the vault from a safe distance.

"See that egg?" Rhonda said pointing at it through the glass. "I want you to buy it."

"How much is it worth? What's so special about it?" Joseph eyed the egg seductively, almost as though the mystery surrounding it was arousing.

"Oh, I'm guessing around $10,000 or so." She turned to stare at the egg. "Not a hell of a lot for a man of your stature, right?"

"Why do you wantme to buy it? I would imagine a Sotheby's auctioneer would be able to afford that, no?" He picked a piece of lint off of the shoulder of her dress and tossed it to the floor.

Rhonda turned to him abruptly and laughed. "Oh, I don'twant it. If you buy it you can keep it... resell it privately... whatever. I don't care."

"Well, why the ...?"

Rhonda interrupted him already knowing what he was about to ask.

"Why do I want you to buy it?" She looked down at the floor. "Do you know a Samuel Simmons?"

"The famous art collector? Of course. He's bought some of the most precious pieces at Sotheby's. Renowned for his interest in antiques. What about him?"

"He's my hus—EX... husband." She looked toward the glass vault again. "We bought that piece at an auction in Paris about 3 years ago. We purchased it together, but at the divorce proceedings the judge decided it didn't belong to either of us and that it should be sold on the auction block. I happen to know for a fact that Sam has a buyer coming in tomorrow to bid on it for him."

"You just don't wanthim to have it." Joseph stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. They both stood staring at the egg.

Rhonda turned and faced Joseph once again. "I love the piece, but it would only serve as a reminder of my 7 years of hell being married to that man. I'd rather have a stranger own it than him. He only wants it so that he can be sure I don't get it. The only way he can ensure that is to have someone else buy it for him."

"What if the bidding goes beyond $10,000? He might be willing to pay more than it's worth to own it."

Rhonda laughed. "He won't. He's frugal if nothing else. He won't pay a cent more than we paid for it. He loves his art, but his head is firmly planted in reality, I'll give him that much."

"And what do I get for my troubles?" Joseph said barely above a whisper.

"I'll happily return any amount you pay -- with interest," Rhonda said without even glancing up at him.

He whispered in her ear. "And what if I don't wantmoney?" He took the back of his hand and slid it along the side of her neck. That small gesture sent a brush fire through the both of them.

"I'm only offering money. Take it or leave it." She stood straighter now, head higher. Joseph became fully aware that her hint of superiority had returned.

"Leave it," he said abruptly as he straightened his posture and ran his hand through his hair. "Good dayMs. Simmons." He wrapped his brown trench coat around his arm the way a waiter would a towel at a fancy restaurant. "And good luck." Joseph turned and made his way toward the backstage exit.

Just before he could open the door, Rhonda stopped him.

"Wait!" She came running after him, her haughtiness more apparent than ever. "I don't know who orwhat you think I am, but..."

"Listen," Joseph interrupted, "I'm not going to debate the details with you. Either you're interested in my offer or you're not. Who orwhat you are is irrelevant. You want something, and I want something in return. All I want to know is...do we have a deal or don't we?"

"You fucking bastard!" Rhonda folder her arms.

"I'll take that as a yes?" Joseph pulled his wallet from his back pocket and took out a business card. He found a pen in his coat pocket and wrote down an address on the card and handed it to Rhonda. "Meet me at this address tomorrow at 7:00pm. Bring an overnight bag...and an open mind." He smiled and walked out the stage door.

The next evening's auction went exactly as planned. Samuel's secret buyer stopped slightly below the item's expected selling price. Joseph only wound up paying $8500 for the antique egg. Rhonda was shocked and relieved Joseph got the artifact at such a steal.

At the end of the auction, just as Rhonda was stepping down from the podium, she saw Joseph sitting in the audience staring at her and tapping his watch. She looked at hers. 6:15 PM. She thought about the small overnight bagged she had packed in her car.

She watched as Joseph picked up his belongings and headed to the main exit door. He stumbled through the maze of the crowd and walked out the door without even so much as a cursory glance back in her direction. The thought of what the night had yet to bring made Rhonda's stomach tighten. She took a deep breath, turned toward the stage's exit door and headed to her car.

Rhonda arrived at the address scribbled on the card and found it was a large apartment complex. She walked through the front doors of the brownstone looking for apartment number 202. When she found the door, she saw a small envelope taped to the door with the nameMs. Simmons scrawled on the front. Inside the envelope she found a key and a note which read:

PLEASE COME IN. I WILL RETURN SHORTLY, I HAD TO MAKE A

SHORT STOP BEFORE OUR MEETING. PLEASE GO STRAIGHT UP THE

STAIRS, FIRST DOOR ON YOUR RIGHT AND WAIT FOR ME THERE.

Rhonda took the key and unlocked the door. Inside, the apartment had a smoky blackness to it that frightened and unnerved her as she felt her stomach tighten once more. She could see the shadowy outlines of what appeared to be two huge sculptures of some mineral or other. She reached out to feel one and its cool surface sent a chill down her spine. She could also make out the shadow of a banister that lead to a steep stairway. Instead of fumbling around looking for the lights, she decided it was easier to try to make her way up the stairs and endeavor to find the bedroom in the darkness.

As Rhonda made it to the crest of the stairway, she made an immediate right turn, and stubbed her toe on a hall table that was impossible to see from that angle in the dark. She cursed the pain and limped a little further along the wall until she came across a door. She searched for the door knob and when she found it, turned it and walked inside.

Inside, there was still blackness but this time she searched the adjoining walls to find a light switch. It took a couple of minutes to find, and when she flicked it on, she could see the layout of the room in its entirety. It was surprisingly bare. In the center of the room stood a King sized canopy bed with no draperies. Across from that was a full sized Cherry Wood dresser and mirror combo with little tassels that hung from the top corners of the mirror. Next to the window was an antique Queen Victorian chair with a DVD case laying face down in the seat. She flipped it over and glanced at the title, "Vampyros Lesbos."

"What!?" She laughed out loud. "What a weirdo."

Rhonda slumped her overnight bag onto the floor and sat on the edge of the bed trying to absorb her predicament. How did she get into this mess and why didn't it surprise her? Samuel alwayswas able to push her buttons, and this hopefully would be the last time she would have to sacrifice anything for him.

Just as she lay back on the bed with her arms spread, she heard the front door open and shut down stairs. "It's Joseph," she thought. She sat up abruptly and looked toward the bedroom door. As the footsteps ascended the stairs, her heart jumped into her throat. The door opened and in walked Joseph clutching his coat and clearing his throat upon entrance.

He looked up and saw Rhonda sitting on the bed staring at him.

"I see you made it. Good, I was hoping you wouldn't chicken out. I would hate to have to come looking for you," Joseph said as he hung his coat up on the hook behind the door.

He crossed the room toward her and Rhonda stood and faced him. He quickly spun her on her heels so that her back was to him and his hot breath feathered down upon her neck.

Joseph stood behind her, his body pressed against hers and lifted up her dress from behind taking the time to let his hands feel the smoothness of the round brown globes of flesh beneath it. He ran his fingers up the lacey material of her panties, pulled at the outer elastic and slowly slid his fingers underneath. His fingers dove in between her fleshy cheeks and down toward the increasingly moist slit between her thighs. Rhonda's initial reaction was to gasp and the arch her body made ground her buttocks into Joseph's crotch. Rhonda felt his penis twitch and instinctively pulled away.

"Shhh", Joseph consoled as he pulled her body back against his. Rhonda again could feel his cock rising in his pants. Joseph let her dress fall back down around her legs and turned her so that she now faced him.

He reached behind her and grabbed her ass forcing her breasts into his chest. As their bodies connected again, his lips found hers and mauled her mouth. She kissed him back with such an intensity it made him groan. Her tongue danced inside his mouth and made small little circles at the tip of his tongue. Joseph shuddered and broke their kiss. He began to unbutton his shirt and watched in awe as Rhonda slowly lowered herself onto her knees, took her hands and ran it along the length of the shaft protruding through his slacks. She could see the outline of it through his pants and her mouth started to water. She licked her lips and ran them up the side of his ever stiffening bulge and he shuddered again.

His shirt now long forgotten on the floor, her hands relentlessly fondling their new found treasure, Joseph feverishly unbuckled his pants and slid them down his thighs, kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his pants in one fluid motion. Rhonda was impressed. She took her hand and inched along the inside of his briefs and played with is cock. Joseph closed his eyes and tilted his head back. He automatically reached for her head and pulled it toward his dick. Her hot breath sent goose bumps all over his body and a deep guttural moan escaped his throat.

Rhonda finally freed her new toy from its confines and her hot mouth devoured it instantaneously. Joseph nearly fell over from the intense pleasure her mouth was giving him. His legs were weak and he had to move them farther apart to keep his balance. He grabbed her head tighter, intentionally releasing the cumbersome bun that had been holding her hair in place like a rock. Once he pulled out the pin and threw it to the floor, her soft black hair fell to her shoulders and he grabbed a bunch of it in each hand using it to help guide his cock in and out of her mouth. Joseph pulled her head from him and backed away. He knew he would have to sit down soon as his legs were giving way beneath him. He stumbled over to the edge of the bed, his manhood still wet and standing at full attention. Rhonda crawled between his thighs and ran her tongue up the underside of his shaft. She grabbed him at the waist to get better balance and once again enveloped his cock in her mouth. The hot friction of it all sent Joseph backward onto the bed while still clutching onto Rhonda's hair. Rhonda took the entire length of him in her mouth and completely back out again letting his cock pull away from her mouth so that it bounced in front her.

"Oh, fuck", he moaned in ecstasy. The exquisite feel of him in her mouth sent his breathing into a frenzy. He gathered enough strength to sit up and pull his penis from her mouth. Rhonda, wanting helplessly to feel his thick shaft in her mouth again, sucked at his scrotum making loud slurping sounds as she did.

Joseph stood up taking Rhonda with him. He lifted her dress over her head and discarded it to the floor. He swirled her around so that now, she replaced his spot on the edge of the bed. He knelt between her thighs and pulled her black lace panties up so that it disappeared into her hot, inviting slit. Her smooth outer lips framed the taught fabric and the friction of it rubbing her clit made her squeal. He licked at her outer lips while steadfastly holding the fabric between her legs. He peeled the crotch of her panties from inside her lips and pushed it over to the side so that he could have a better view of her beautiful brown, wet mound. He impatiently dove between her legs and sucked at the stiffening nub covered by its protective hood. He took his fingers and moved the fleshy outer covering back and circled her clit with his tongue. Rhonda gasped with delirium. The look and smell of her was intoxicating and her involuntary squirms made him crave her juicy pussy even more. He probed his tongue into her hole as far as he could humanly get it and Rhonda locked her hands around his head like a vice pushing him deeper between her legs. He circled his head what little space he could move it trying to lap up every drop of her juices. She gasped again and let out a squeal that made her legs lock his head between her thighs. Joseph laughed to himself and slowly pushed his head away from her sweet, tempting cunt.

He helped Rhonda completely onto the bed and bent her at the knees, her back toward him. He quickly mounted her from behind and plunged his thick shaft into her hot, waiting furnace. The moans of pleasure escaped both of them and their bodies began to move in rhythm as their flesh became one. Upon every few thrusts, he would completely withdraw from her and slide his member up the front of her clit, deliberately bearing up on her button just enough to send small Earthquakes all through her. His body was tormenting hers and she was loving every minute of it. He took this opportunity to unfasten the hooks of the bra she was still wearing, although the majority of her bosom had abandoned the material long ago. The material fell along the side of her hanging breasts revealing the small raisins that were her nipples. The bra fell from her shoulders and it joined their pile of clothes on the floor.

Rhonda met each of his thrusts with her own and the force of their bodies coming together made wet slapping noise on impact. Rhonda's body finally collapsed on the bed and Joseph took her leg and swung it across his body making sure not to withdraw from her fiery furnace. Now he lay facing her watching her beautiful brown breasts thrash each time he entered her. He was ravenously assaulting her hole with an unconscious need to fill her with his seed. Rhonda's hand found its way between them and feverishly kneaded her clit, both of them delighting in the euphoric bliss that was emanating between their legs.

Joseph grabbed her legs at the hips and with one last powerful thrust, he filled her to the hilt, his orgasm hitting him like a brick. His cock jerked inside of her and he fell on top of her while his cock was still pumping his seed inside her. Feeling the warmth of his hot cum filling her made her come as well. She arched her back and held on to Joseph until her body stopped quivering. They both fell into a heap of tangled bodies, sweat and lust onto the bed. There they lay for several minutes recovering from their escapade.

Their bodies met and parted three more times throughout the night until exhaustion finally overtook them and they slept until morning...

The next morning, after Rhonda had gotten showered and dressed, she returned the bedroom to say her good-byes to Joseph.

"Thanks for securing the egg for me", she said as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Joseph was still lying in bed fully naked with the covers pooled around his feet.

"Thankyou for last night", he said with a wink and a smile. "Let me know if you have any more antiques that require purchasing. I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement."