Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 58952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
“Good.” Skye looked relieved on Lauren’s behalf. “Did you make it back to the stage in time to bid on a bachelor?”
Lauren groaned, the sound filled with dread. “Yes, and I ended up with Mr. Grumpy Pants, not Neil Pierson the dependable accountant I was expecting. By the time I got back to the ballroom, he was the only one left and I just panicked and didn’t let that scowl deter me from bidding on him. Not that I had much competition,” she muttered.
Skye bit her bottom lip. “What happened to Neil? Did the auctioneer say?”
“Apparently he got sick with the flu, so this Chase guy was his last-minute replacement,” she explained. “Billie must have been desperate to find someone, because he did not look happy to be up on that stage. But at least I got him dirt cheap.”
“Well, that’s a plus, at least,” Skye said with a smile, trying to be positive.
Lauren sighed. “I’m on my way out to the greeting area to meet him. Keep your fingers crossed that I can persuade him to accompany me to my sister’s wedding next month for our weekend together.”
“You’ve got this.” In a show of support, Skye held up both hands, fingers crossed for double the luck. “Go dazzle him with your beauty and charm, and I’ll handle checking in with the Meridian service staff to make sure everything is still running smoothly.”
Lauren straightened her shoulders and attempted her own smile. “He doesn’t look like the type to be bowled over by beauty and charm, but I’ll certainly try my best.”
They parted ways, and Lauren walked out of the ballroom and headed toward the meet and greet area, seeing Chase already there, standing off to the side. He had an impatient look on his gorgeous face—which unfortunately did nothing to lessen her attraction to him, sigh—and she wasn’t surprised to see him push back the sleeve of his tuxedo jacket to check the watch strapped to his wrist, as if he were ticking down the minutes to when he could leave.
She refrained, just barely, from rolling her eyes.
Under any other circumstance she would have given this man a wide berth and avoided him completely. But she didn’t have that luxury. He was hers for a weekend, bought and paid for, and she planned to at least get her money’s worth.
* * *
When Chase agreed to stand in as a replacement bachelor at the auction for Billie, he knew he’d hate the entire ordeal, and that had proven to be true. Standing onstage had been uncomfortable and awkward as fuck, and despite Billie trying to encourage him from the sidelines to smile and charm the women in the crowd, he hadn’t been able to pretend to be anyone’s fairytale hero. Faking anything, especially a particular emotion, wasn’t in his genetic makeup.
What Chase hadn’t counted on was a bold and beautiful brunette not giving a damn about his grimacing smile or unenthusiastic participation, and actually bidding on him. There had been a moment between them, right after she’d shouted out five thousand dollars, when he’d arched a brow at her, questioning her sanity and courage for even wanting a date with a man who was clearly less than thrilled to be a bachelor up for auction.
She didn’t seem to care and had arched her brow right back at him. She’d been assertive and determined despite all the reasons why she should have steered clear of him, just as the other women had, and he’d been silently impressed with her gumption. And, admittedly, a bit turned on. He was used to women backing down in the face of his imposing personality, not challenging him, as this one had.
The fact that this woman’s actions intrigued Chase made him all the more determined to get the hell out of there before he found himself spending the rest of the evening “getting to know her”, which wasn’t part of his plan. Yes, he’d fulfilled his obligation to Billie and stood in for the guy who’d been sick, and he intended to make it worth this woman’s while for bidding on him for the sake of charity. But, he had absolutely no intentions of actually spending an entire weekend with her doing… well, anything.
Besides, she was probably already harboring regrets for bidding on him so spontaneously, like an impulsive purchase that seemed exciting at the time, until the reality of the situation set in. He was hardly the kind of charismatic guy the rest of the bachelors had been, and instead of the two of them spending a boring and awkward weekend together, he’d make sure she walked away from this transaction satisfied, nonetheless.
As he continued to wait in the meet and greet area for her to arrive, he shifted impatiently on his feet and checked the time on his watch, beyond ready to call it a night.