Please Let Me Be Ch. 01

All characters in this story are entirely fiction and at least 18 years of age. Any and all similarities between reality are coincidental. I use the word girl not to mean under-aged but rather female. This chapter is just an introduction of characters and has no sexual activity in it. If you wish to read something more along the spicy line of writing then please wait for the next chapter.

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I leaned forward to look down the row of beautiful women to my left before leaning back into place with a small sigh. All of them were gorgeous in their own right; different colorings, shapes, sizes and personalities. Not me, though, I was the tester product. Plain in all ways but not ugly by any stretch was me. I wasn't like Jolie with her long legs and curly black hair or Anna of the petite size and large green eyes. My size was a little above average as was my shape. My hair and eyes a strange shade of brown that blended in with the background. Pale skin that wasn't pure alabaster nor a gentle blushing rose but instead a slightly mottled white-tan. Nothing about made men go crazy which was, I suppose, the point of me being the tester. Who would want a tester that was too beautiful or too ugly to show the unique qualities of the other women in the line-up?

My gaze focused on the mirror window in front of us. The other women were reflected back. They looked forward with practiced poses in their costumes and make-up. I felt an ache to be pretty. That wasn't allowed though. The business didn't let me touch the supplies. Only plain brown clothes a size too large were given to me. I knew better than to try any of the products after the first time I was punished. Growing up in the business as a unneeded child of one of the products and a worker had let me know that I wouldn't be pretty like the other women. I would never be needed, wanted, or necessary. Except as the tester, as Tess the tester cake for the other women I was allowed their friendship even though I was sometimes treated more as a servant.

The speaker above the mirror clicked on and Eric the coordinator said,"Ready?"

We nodded as one and some of the girls straightened. The business mantra running through our heads; heads high, shoulders back, stomach in, and a smile on.

A door opened on the other side of the mirror and footsteps echoed through the speaker.

"These are our top line of Products. The girls will go through a show if you would like?" Eric asked the visitors. There was a pause before, "Go ahead."

Individually the women stepped forward announced their name, performed a curtsy and stepped back in the line. Like a platoon of soldiers in high heels. Except for me in flats, I suppose some things are worth being the tester. Murmurs of appreciation came through the speaker as the more unique of the girls introduced themselves. When it came to my turn I stayed back in the line. I had learned that lesson the first time when Eric punished me for thinking I could ever be as good as a product.

"What about that one?" a deep, dark voice asked.

"That is our tester. She is just there to bring out the differences of the other products." Eric explained.

"I'd like to see more of her."

Despite my curiosity I kept my face neutral and my eyes down. I stepped up to the line that marked our introduction spot and quickly bowed then said, "Tess," before returning to my earlier spot.

Jolie glanced at me out of the corner of her eye with curiosity before looking forward again. The girls continued their show. It was almost like a talent show I had seen on TV once. Each girl sang a small passage to show their voice, they showed off their dexterity and finally each smiled and sank to the floor in a graceful bow when they finished. I sang a short song called Kookaburra before quickly pirouetting and finally collapsing to the floor as smoothly as I could. A click signaled the speaker shutting off before the negotiations could begin.

"Tess?" Jolie looked at me when I bowed in my brown pants and long sleeved shirt.

"Hm?" I looked at her in her short, white, velvet dress with envy. The dress contrasted with her dark skin perfectly like it never would with mine.

"Why d'you think they wanted you to show?"

"No clue. Maybe they think I'm a magical creature in hiding and in fact am the most exquisite of all of us," I jokingly muttered.

"What'dya say?" She asked with all innocence.

"Nothing. I don't know."

The click of the speaker jerked our heads back into place near the floor.

"Anna, Marissa, Jolie, and Tess please stay in the room. Everyone else can leave."

All the other women rose and made their way out the side door. I knew what was to be done in this next round because I usually stayed as the tester regardless but this was the first time Eric had said my name in the list. The four of us rose to our default positions, them with their bodies and faces displayed in fanciful costumes and me with my brown blandness and down eyes.

"Begin."

Anna sang a full aria in Italian that showed off the Italian skin and eyes she thought were too dark to be beautiful. Her hands gestured as she lost herself in the music and her body strained against the leather stays that held her chest close. By the end of the song everyone was holding back tears.

Marissa performed a slow acrobatic show that had her bent in ways that would break most anyone else. Her pale creamy skin and short red hair and blue eyes made her the new favorite that was recently purchased for this showing. She was sold to the business because she had an attitude that made her dangerous to others. The fact that she could snap upright from a flat position in a second did not make her much safer to be around. She stepped back into line sweat beading her body and deep breaths.

Then Jolie came forward and I started to hum the song that she had chosen earlier. Her dance moved to the rhythm of my voice. Jolie was all things graceful and elegant in the world. If anyone was magical it would be her. My deep alto faded as she stepped back. Silence as I waited for Eric's next instructions.

"Tess?" Eric said.

"Yes?" I tensed at the order in his voice but didn't act because of my confusion.

"It's your turn to show."

"Oh," I took a deep breath and presented myself. My too large shoulders squared further along with my jaw. I stared at my reflection in the mirror with an empty expression while taking a deep breath then closed my eyes.

Please let me be

Let me be the one you love

Let me love you for truth

Please let me be

Let me be the one who breaks

Let me break for you

Please let me be

Let me be the one who cries

Let me be the one who cries for you

Cry for your pain

Cry for your heartache

Cry for your love

Cry for you

Please let be

Please let me be the one for you

I blinked back the tears that came whenever I sang that song and stepped back with my empty expression and downcast eyes once more on my face.

"I want her," the dark voice said. My head snapped up.

"What? But she's the tester . . ." Eric said.

Anna, Marissa and Jolie's gaze bore into the side of my face before I dropped my eyes to the floor again.

"How much?"

"She's not for sale. She's not a Product! Can't you see that she isn't worth anything?" Eric was incredulous.

"How much?"

"Let me go ask my boss," a chair squeaked and then a door opened, "I'll be right back."

"Why would you want the tester? I think you should get the moor. Her dancing is mesmerizing," a male voice came through the speaker that was accidentally left on.

"No, you should go for the little Italian. That voice," a new man groaned.

"That ginger. She is the true gem of the show. Why, Darrien?" a reasonable voice though still male.

"Because," Darrien, he of the deep, dark voice, answered. It should have sounded petulant or childish but instead was an end to the conversation.

I wanted to know. Why would he choose me? I was not beautiful or gorgeous. I was slightly tall and definitely pudgy and pale. My brown hair was pulled back severely in a bun that was in no way attractive. My eyes were empty and dull hazel even to my gaze in the mirror. Even my voice though comforting was nowhere near the level of Anna. Remembering the other women in the room I snuck a peek and found them preening from the compliments but still curious about this new turn of events.

A door opened and footsteps on the other side of the mirror came through the speaker, two people instead of just Eric.

"Five million," said Garret.

"Five million! Are you kidding me?" Marissa burst out before any of the men on the other side of the mirror could exclaim in anger like she did.

"Marissa!" Eric scolded.

"No, I did not get sold to this hovel just to be out-staged and out-bought for a Tester. A damned Tester for fucks sake," she ground out.

"Marissa, leave the room," Garret demanded quietly, "Anna and Jolie please leave as well."

I watched them leave from the corner of my eye. Jolie gave me a worried expression then smiled and winked which did nothing to make me feel better about my situation but certainly lightened my heart regardless.

"Tess, come over to the red room," Garret's voice came through the speaker before it clicked off.

Now, I just had to figure out what was happening. Someone wanted me. He wanted me. A new feeling broke through the shell that held my heart. This was something I had never expected. I was Tess the Tester who was sometimes Testes if I pissed someone off. I was never the wanted one. Always I was unneeded and underfoot from infancy to current times. Was this what it felt like to have someone want you? I thought on that as I quickly left the room and the mirror behind. Jolie joined with me outside the door. We turned down the back hallway that led to one of the hidden doors for the red room.

"Do you think they'll actually pay five mill'? That's a lot of money," Jolie whispered.

"I highly doubt it. Maybe the man behind the mirror just wants to piss off Garret and Eric. It wouldn't be the first time one of the customers tried to show interest in one girl just to get a cheaper price on another," I said logically while my heart settled down, "What man would buy the tester for an outrageous sum when he can have a girl like you instead? Garret's just screwing with him."

"Well, you never know, maybe he fell for you. That song was wonderful. I've never heard it before. Did your mom sing it to you?" Jolie asked.

"Nah, my mom sang the Kookaburra song often and a few other lullabies but not that one. That song is just something I made up on the spot. I've never had to show in the second round before so I didn't have anything else and I couldn't think of the other lullabies right then," I shrug, "I was kinda surprised Eric even asked. Plus my mom was bought when I was five, can't have Products toting around children."

"You made it up? On the spot," Jolie stared at me, "Wow."

"It's not that big of a deal. Just a lot of repetition and simple phrases," I didn't tell her that I sang it to myself every night since I first became a Tester in the line-up rather than one of the cleaners who helped in the business.

We stopped outside the red room and Jolie turned to me, "You'll do great."

"If you say so," I grumbled when she hugged me.

I shooed her away and entered the red room. It was called that because it was all red. It rather looked like they had covered the entire room with blood. Despite the dark look I knew the true reason behind the color. Garret wanted people to desire the Products, he wanted them to get their pulse jumping so they slammed down money fast before debating the numbers and what better way than to use red. The light made the Products seem more seductive and helped the customers feel hornier than if they were in a blue or green room. Plus the red helped to warm everyone up even when the AC was on full blast. Garret knew his color theory through and through. It was also the same reason that the show room was a light pink.

No one was in the room when I came so I stood against the back wall and waited. I didn't wait for long. The door opposite opened to let in Garret, Eric and four other men. I observed them on the red glass table's reflection while my face stayed down. The men were a different set in spite of the same suit they wore. Garret and Eric were also in suits but theirs were garish White in comparison to the other men's dark black. Someone in the group must've liked color coding though because each had a different colored shirt and tie.

"Five million is still way too much for a Tester," the yellow shirted man whined. He was the shortest and had blonde hair that now looked ginger in the red room.

"I agree. She is lovely but certainly not worth that much," blue tie man nodded in my direction. He was thin and tall with dark hair, possibly brown against tan skin.

"I will say that we shouldn't buy the ginger acrobat from earlier. If her attitude is a reflection on the rest of your Products maybe we shouldn't even purchase here," a white-tied man with no hair and a stout body and dark skin looked at the room around him.

"Five million," this came from the deep, dark voiced man from earlier, Darrien. He wore a green tie and shirt that looked black in the light. His hair was short and black and he was possibly my height, short for a man but tall for a woman. He had pale skin like me but it shone like Marissa's did.

Garret walked toward me in his now red, glowing suit and lifted my face for inspection. Eric led the men to sit in seats around the room facing me. Darrien was seated in the center and I could feel his eyes run down my body from the short distance between us. I tuned out the haggling as Garret checked me over. I had heard of what happened in the red room. Inspection and testing of the Products, I had never done either of those before. Being a tester was much different from being tested. The red room was used to make sure the Products had proper figures and perfect beauty before buying; it was also used to test the products though not tamper with them. The girls had always gossiped about what happened. Some said the men were gentle and thorough while others came back with bruises and blood. Like purchasing horse flesh I would be inspected from toes to the top of my head for imperfections and then left alone with the potential buyer to see if I was untouched and ready. As a tester I had never had to worry about other people pawing at me. Not even the male workers in the business cared to try for me since I was so normal compared to the others they could chase after.

"Strip," Garret stepped back from me and gestured at my clothes.

I pulled off my shirt without question. Garret had taught me to take orders immediately, punishment was never a fun thing and nudity meant less to me than pain. I placed it to the side before unsnapping my bra. There was nothing sexy about my movements aside from being a women undressing in a room full of men. All eyes watched me slide my pants and my panties down my legs. I stepped out of them and slid off my shoes and placed them all on the chair I had laid my shirt and bra on. Brown cloth pooled over the chair. I wanted badly to pick them all up and run away but there was nowhere to run to and no one to protect me except Jolie and I would not put her in that spot. Garret motioned me back to him. He pulled my hands down from my breasts where I had instinctively covered myself.

"She is 5' 9" and of a mixed descent. She weighs 200 lbs but wears it well," Garret fondled my large breasts and squeezed my ass.

"Mixed descent? You mean she's a mutt," white-tie asked.

"No, I mean she is German, Native American, and Latina," Garret lifted both my breasts and looked underneath for imperfections.

"She certainly seems sturdy," the yellow-tie man joked.

Like a quarter-horse with a large back rather than a thoroughbred or Arabian. I had made the comparison before and understood that sturdy was a kind description.

"Sturdy isn't necessarily bad but still . . . five million?" the blue-tied man had to add in his two-cents.

"Price is negotiable but she is an important part of our business. Tess has been a worker here for a long time and the tester since she was fifteen. It will cost to find another like her. Despite what you think it's very hard to find a tester with training and experience who is good at her job. We have Tess here do the cleaning and care for all the Products we have. She's a hard worker," the most complimentary words I had ever heard from Garret. He lifted my arms and stretched them.

"Is that why you want her? As a tester?" this was Eric.

"No," Darrien was a terse person it seemed. His eyes were narrowed on Garret's manhandling of me. I couldn't tell if it was in anger over the price, Garret touching me, or the thought of buying me as a new tester.

"Regardless of why he wants her he wants her," Garret lifted my lips and peered at my perfect teeth. I'm slightly proud of them. He tapped them with his nail and smiled in satisfaction, "Say ah."

"Aahhhhh," I opened my mouth wide and stuck my tongue out.

"Did you clean yourself?" Garret asked after he let me close my mouth.

I nodded.

"May I ask what you want her for?" Garret turned to Darrien.

"Product," Darrien answered seriously.

"You're kidding!" the yellow-tie looked at his associate with shock, "I know we brought you here for product but you can't possibly want to purchase this Clydesdale for pleasure."

I barely winced then glanced at Darrien. His dark eyes stared at me for a few seconds. My head tilted in a question though my facial expression didn't change. He smiled and my breath caught for a second before he turned to look at his friend.

"Product," he turned the words into a threat at the yellow-tied man.

"Then I assume you would like to test our Tess," Garret interrupted before harsh words could be exchanged.

"Yes."

I darted a sharp glance between Garret and Darrien. I was going to be tested.

To be continued . . .