A/N. This is the first of a few fics I'll be doing; taking on a few much-loved fanfiction clichés. The first one I'm trying is the "Character A buys Character B at an auction" story. Enjoy.
How did he get himself into this? He'd kick himself if he wasn't in such a compromising position. He should have known better than to agree to something he didn't have the full details on, but it was Claire's little sister. He could never say no when she was involved.
Mac stopped dead when he saw who was in his office. Jenny; sister of his late wife Claire, was sitting on the edge of his desk, looking nervous. Taking a small breath, Mac opened the door and smiled at the young woman.
"Jenny," He said. "I didn't know you were coming."
"Sorry I didn't call," Jenny replied softly. "I'm in a bit of a bind."
"Anything I can help with?" Jenny smiled at the offer, looking a little embarrassed.
"I know I shouldn't be asking you," She started awkwardly. "But I didn't know who else to go to on such short notice."
"Well, tell me what it is, and maybe I can help," Mac offered softly.
"I wouldn't have had to come, but my guy pulled out at the last minute, and it's probably not your scene, but I just…"
"Jen." Mac called her rant to a halt. "Tell me what you need."
And so here he was; kneeling, blindfolded and bound, with his shirt hanging open, as people milled around him. When she'd said 'Bachelor auction,' he'd never imagined this. It was too late to back out now, and so he took a deep breath and tried to focus his mind on something else. It had just begun to work, when a voice sounded right next to his ear.
"You're up."
(~*~)
Mac closed his eyes despite the blindfold as he heard the auctioneer describing him for the audience. The suggestive tone that was used every now and then put him on edge, and it quickly occurred to him that he had no idea who was out there looking at him. A move like this could get him into serious trouble with the chief of police. His mind was soon occupied with something else when the auctioneer started the bidding. A mix of male and female voices began battling against each other. Mac found it hard to discern ages from the calls. Slowly, the bidding died down to two people; one male, one female. It seemed like the woman was about to win when another voice joined the fray; and Mac almost choked when he realised he knew it.
"$3000"
"$3500"
"$4000"
"$4500"
"$5000"
Silence fell at the final bid; an excited whisper running through the crowd.
"I have $5000, is that the final offer?" The silence spoke volumes, and Mac's heart leapt into his throat as the gavel fell hard.
"Sold to the gentleman in the back."