It doesn’t take me long to find the rest of the guys who are partaking in tonight's festivities. I know a few of them from doing business with them. That, or I’ve gone to school with a couple. The majority of them are as well off as me, but a few of them are just regular joe schmos off the street. Yes, they’re good looking and in great shape, but they can’t offer dates like McKenna Low and I can. I’m sure his rock star ass has something amazing planned. He’ll sing to her until her panties are soaked and then… You get the picture, right? Rock stars always get the girl. I wasn’t surprised to hear he was partaking in tonight’s festivities; I knew he was in town because his mom had taken a tumble, and news travels fast when a rock star makes an appearance. The last time McKenna had been home was six years ago when the town was rocked by Kevin Garcia’s death. McKenna, Kevin, and Jacoby were all very tight. Kevin was a well-decorated soldier who took his life after suffering from PTSD. Just another reason why this auction has huge hometown support.

A dressing area has been set up for changing purposes, so I quickly find a vacant area and change into my hand-tailored tux. Quickly, I tuck at the lapels, ensuring everything is pristine, and reach into the black silk bag to extract my mask. Unlike some of the bachelors this evening, I’ve chosen to keep mine simple and elegant. Black leather surrounds my eyes and nose, stopping just above my mouth. The top of the mask is scalloped and embroidered with black beads around the edges. Black jewel accents are strategically placed around the opening for the eyes, bringing out more of the blue than gray of my eyes. I stand for a moment in front of the full-length mirror, taking in my appearance. When I’m satisfied with how I look, I push back the curtains and step out to join the rest of the men.

“Don’t you look amazingly dashing this evening, Lincoln?” Nadine’s eyes lower from my head to my feet as she speaks.

I am startled to have her recognize me. “How did you know it was me?”

Nadine laughs loudly. “Oh, my young man, I’ve known you long enough to say that everything about you stands out above the rest. Some of those women out there may not know it, but you can't fool me. That is no ordinary tux, Lincoln. It’s plain to see it has been custom made to fit you like a glove, and though you’ve tried to stay simple and understated with your mask, young man, there is nothing simple about it. I’m sure that mask cost you more than what some of these bachelors are being sold for tonight.”

Nadine pats me on the shoulder and laughs once again as she walks away. My strides are quick and determined as I step closer to the curtains that line the stage. Slowly, I push one aside slightly to peek through, letting my eyes scan the crowd before stopping on the two women in the third row. Lillian and her friend sit whispering to each other as the crowd begins bidding on the next bachelor up for bid. To my horror, and I’m sure his, he sells for only seven hundred dollars. The room becomes quiet as the next bachelor takes the stage.

When McKenna walks onto the stage, the bidding quickly escalates with one bidder determined to win his ass for the night. I see the fear in his eyes as he looks into the crowd, pleading rolling off his body, hoping that someone other than the woman holding her paddle and screaming out numbers will be the winner. When the bid hits seventeen hundred, and the auctioneer begins spewing, “Going once, going twice…” one last bid rings out. “Two thousand dollars,” a woman in red calls out, and the auctioneer slams his gavel down, calling out, “SOLD.” A look of lust fills McKenna’s eyes when he realizes who the winning bidder is.

It is my turn to step out onto the stage. Confidently, I make my way center stage as the auctioneer begins to read off his cue cards.

“Ladies, tonight you’ll be bidding on this handsome bachelor and his amazing date package. This package entails multiple gifts to make a woman feel like a princess. Not only are spa treatments and a shopping spree involved, but you’ll enjoy an evening dinner cruise with this mystery man.”

The auctioneer swings his right arm to the side pointing at me. Placing one arm around my waist and the other behind my back, I take a bow, causing the crowd to roar in laughter. But as I take my bow, my eyes land on the one woman I can’t help but wish will bid on me. Lillian.

As the auctioneer starts out calling for an opening bid of five hundred dollars, Lillian stands, placing her paddle on her chair and excusing herself. I watch as she walks to the back of the room and exits. Disappointment washes over me as I hear the auctioneer ask for a bid of one thousand dollars, and a paddle is raised in the back. I have no idea who placed the bid, and frankly, I couldn’t care less. I just watch the empty chair hoping that it will once again be filled.

As the dollars quickly rise, I watch in awe as the woman who Lillian accompanied places her paddle in Lillian's chair and raises the paddle numbered twenty-four high as she says, “Fifteen hundred.” What is the looney tune doing? She is using Lillian's paddle to place her bids. “Seventeen hundred,” she calls out next, and once again a bid comes from the back of the room.

“One thousand nine hundred, and I swear if anyone bids against me, I’m going to go postal.” The sheer determination comes from the voice of the woman sitting next to the empty chair I am completely enthralled with.

The auctioneer calls out, “Do I hear two thousand?” The room is quiet. “Nineteen hundred going once.” No answer comes. “Going twice.” Again, no answer comes. “SOLD to number twenty-four.”

The room fills with clapping as I watch Lillian excuse her way through the row to sit next to her friend again. Her eyes are in complete shock as her friend hands her the number twenty-four paddle with a smile. My lip-reading skills aren’t the best, but from what I can see, Lillian just asked her friend what the fuck she has done.

“Ladies,” the auctioneer calls out, “are we ready to see who the lucky winner just won?” The room once again comes to life. “Bachelor, please reveal yourself.”

My eyes lock with Lillian’s as I reach behind my head to untie the strings holding my mask in place. With one hand, I slowly pull the mask away and watch as the realization of who I am crosses her face. I smile brightly at her, knowing that my revealing has taken her breath away. Taking one last bow, I wink at Lillian and then step off the stage to join the other men who have already been auctioned off.

The chatter between the post-auctioned men is loud. Obviously, some had too much to drink and are bragging about the winning ladies while others are not so happy. As usual, I sit off by myself with a glass of scotch in my hand. When the final bachelor enters the room, I stand and walk toward the curtains hiding the stage and peer out. Nadine thanks everyone for coming out and encourages them to continue to mix and mingle amongst themselves as the accounts are being settled, and then she will make a final announcement of how much has been raised for Healing Heroes.

“Number twenty-four, Lillian Vicci, please raise your paddle,” a portly man in a black suit calls out amongst the remaining crowd.

I continue to watch as Lillian's friend snags the paddle from Lillian's hand and raises it. “I’ll be settling this account for Ms. Vicci,” she calls out.

Shock still firmly in place on Lillian's face, she watches her friend and the man in the suit leave the room. I inwardly laugh once more at the audacity of Lillian's friend all the while wanting to high-five her for doing what she did. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, so I reach in and grab it to see that I have a call from Bethany.

“Yes, Bethany,” I answer, less than eager to hear what she has to say. I know it could be anything from Peanut being rushed to the hospital to her just being nosy. Unfortunately, knowing that Peanut is going to have surgery on Monday, I’m not willing to risk the chance that it’s the first and not the latter.

“Sooo, how did it go? Did you raise a lot of money? Who won you?”

Bethany keeps firing the questions off, one right after the other, leaving me unable to answer them until she finally runs out of words.

“It went fine, Bethany; I raised nineteen hundred just on my own.”

“So, who bought you? Anyone we know?”

A smile breaks across my face. “It just so happens that Dr. Vicci was the winning bidder,” I says, my voice a bit smugger than I meant for it to be.

“No, just no. Love, please tell me you're kidding me. This is so bad.” Angst and fear lace Bethany’s voice.

“Bethany, why is this bad? I would think you would be happy that someone like Dr. Vicci was the winner instead of that horrid shrew of a friend of yours, Renee. I saw her in the crowd bidding, you know.”

Don’t get me wrong; I’d have gritted my teeth and bared the evening if someone like Renee had been the winning bidder. I might have requested that the captain make the boat ride a little shorter so that I didn’t have to spend so much time with her, but what would she have to complain about? She would have already gotten a morning at the spa and thousands of dollars of clothing out of it. No, the fact that Lillian won only makes me want to make this date much more special. As a matter of fact, I think a few modifications are needed.

“Oh, Love, you know you are the best brother around. But let's face it, you said it yourself. All your dates end in sex. Do you honestly think that having sex with the doctor who is going to perform open-heart surgery on your nephew on Monday is such a great idea?” Exasperation that sounds almost like anger rings through my phone.

“Easy, killer. Have a little faith in me, will you? I’m not going to have sex with the good doctor. I’ll keep it strictly platonic, I promise.” And I will if that is what the good doctor wants, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be fishing around after Peanut’s surgery for a second date. “I’ve got to go, Bethany. Nadine has just walked back into the room.” My phone disconnects before an argument can ensue between my sister and me.

Nadine calls out to all of us, handing each of us a golden envelope containing a red card with the information of the winning bidder and her cell number. I trace my finger over the name written in a golden sharpie. Dr. Lillian Vicci, 757-979-4826. Everything inside me wants to call her right then and there, but that isn’t how this date was planned. No, my assistant, David, will be handling everything up to the point of dinner. Only it is time to change a few of the plans, the first being to reach out to David with the information of the winning bidder. The second change is that I will be traveling to New York with the lovely Dr. Vicci instead of meeting her there. I’ve officially decided I’ll now be shopping with her instead of meeting her on my boat.