Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 65189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
With trembling fingers, I lifted my skirt and pulled the front panel of my panties out so I could see, though a big part of me had no desire to look. The sight of the newly bare skin made me gasp. It looked so naked, so exposed. I traced the smooth flesh with my fingertips, shivering at the sensation.
A ping from my phone startled me out of my reverie. The notification had come from the Selecta Arrangements app, reminding me to complete my profile questionnaire. My stomach churned as I picked up my phone and opened the app.
CHAPTER 4
Lucas
Five minutes after I had made my mind up not to retire, I got an email from Pierre, my agent.
“So?” he said, without even a salut.
“One more season,” I told him. “Then I’ll retire.”
“I’ll believe you when you’re ten kilos heavier and waking up at noon in the country,” Pierre replied, amusement in his voice.
“Is there anything else?” I said, a little annoyed. Yes, I’d almost retired for the past two seasons, but this time I really meant it. My legs had needed a full month after the World Cup to feel like I was ready to train again. My heart and lungs could go from one end of the pitch to the other for ninety minutes and still want more—but my knees… well, if my doctor had had his way, I would have retired three years ago.
“Yes, actually,” Pierre said, “though you don’t deserve it. Selecta came to me with an offer yesterday.”
I frowned. “Selecta? They don’t…”
“Not yet,” Pierre said. “They want you as their first athlete. They say you fit their corporate philosophy.”
That took me aback. I had spent enough time at soirées among the global elite to know exactly how closely I aligned with the well-known open secret of the megacorp’s central philosophy of using their market share to promote traditional gender roles. That, however, concerned my private life. The idea that information about my sexual proclivities had made its way to the ears of Selecta executives brought a flicker of anger to my chest.
“Pierre—” I started, but he cut me off.
“No,” he said, “no one talked—especially not me. Word is that Selecta has ways of detecting a man’s dominant sexuality from biometric data.”
“And who gave them my—”
Pierre interrupted me again.
“Data like the way you walk, the way you speak, even the way you decide to pass or shoot on the pitch.”
So nothing private, really—except that they could draw a very private conclusion. They would never have reached out to Pierre unless they knew that in the bedroom I preferred to dominate. That I expected my sexual partners to submit, and to accept my firm hand’s discipline when they misbehaved.
“What’s the offer?” I asked, intrigued despite myself.
“They’ve started a program in Paris, a version of something they’ve been doing in American cities.”
I felt my eyebrows go up. I knew exactly what Pierre was talking about. Selecta Arrangements. I had gotten an email—in fact, I had signed up to get that email, when I had received an earlier email saying that Selecta Arrangements would open in Paris soon and did I want to be one of the first to know.
“It’s called Selecta Arrangements,” Pierre went on.
“I’ve heard of it,” I said, trying not to let the beginnings of excitement in my chest—and, to be frank, below my belt—creep into my voice. “It’s not the kind of thing one accepts a sponsorship for, though, no? I’m not going to wear an advertisement for a service that provides wealthy men with obedient fuck toys on my jersey.”
“Not publicly, no, of course,” Pierre said, laughing. “But their offer is simply that you use the service. They promise no formal publicity. Word of mouth only.”
“And what do I get?”
“They provide the membership, and they give the girl you sponsor a luxury allowance, plus a thousand euro per week subsidy for you to buy her gifts.”
“Merde,” I said, exhaling in a whistle. I didn’t even have to think about it. “Tell them yes.”
Pierre laughed. “Very well. I thought you might be interested. I even have a code for you to redeem the offer on the app today.”
A few moments later I hung up the phone, my mind racing with the possibilities. Selecta Arrangements. Yes, I’d heard about the program—usually in whispers—but I’d never imagined I’d have the opportunity to participate, even when I’d signed up for the notification when they brought it to Paris. And now, not only was I being offered membership, but they were practically paying me to join.
I opened my laptop and navigated to the Selecta website, curiosity getting the better of me. The homepage was sleek and professional, with subtle hints of luxury and exclusivity. I clicked on the ‘Arrangements’ tab and was prompted to enter a special access code.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment before I typed in the code Pierre had given me. The screen refreshed, revealing a new set of options. My eyes were immediately drawn to a button labeled ‘Browse Associates.’