Chapter Six
Everly
Everyone was staring at me, and all I wanted was to jump off the stage and make a run for the exit, but that wouldn’t help anything. I’d end up on my ass after tripping over these ridiculous heels. Phil’s words, his urging reminder that this was only going to help my career in the long run, was the only thing keeping my feet in place.
The auctioneer continued to take bids, and I almost fainted at the amount these hungry, wealthy men were planning on throwing away just for a single date with a woman they didn’t know. I faked a smile on the outside, but if anyone bothered to actually look at me, they’d recognize it was forced and painful.
The back of the fundraiser, a part of the building that had been roped off and reserved for parents to play games with their children in a giant, carnival-themed party, was loud and distracting at least. It took me a moment to realize the bid was between two men, and it was over 10,000 dollars.
“Ten and one?” The auctioneer pointed at one of the men, a balding man who leered me at with hungry eyes and licked his lips far too often. He was plump in the middle, with a nose that stuck too far from his head and eyes that threatened to pop out with the smallest amount of force. The auctioneer pointed at the other man still left, and before I turned to look at him, I was already praying for him to win.
“Eleven and five,” a smooth voice said, and I saw him. A tall man leaning confidently in his seat, eyes on the auctioneer, but body turned toward me. His head was shaved, and he had a five o’ clock shadow spreading across his chin, but he was big and strong, and if I had to be honest, not bad looking.
I shook my head and reminded myself that he was participating in this gross event, and paid attention to the other people at his table. A few more wealthy business owners, no doubt, but the people directly next to the man were surprising. One was another man close to his height, with blond hair that curled at his ears and an attractive smile. I realized he’d been staring at me the whole time.
And on the man’s other side was a little girl; she couldn’t have been more than three, with a head full of blonde curls and eyes as blue as the sky. She wore an odd ensemble of clothes, and rested her head against the blond haired man’s arm. His daughter, perhaps?
By their attire, they didn’t look like they fit in at the fundraiser. No, they seemed more like a father/daughter duo who would have more fun in the carnival with all of the other children and parents.
“Twenty.” The man sitting with the odd pair said at last. The older man dropped out, and shortly after, the auctioneer rushed me off of the stage as he started the bid for the next woman. It all happened so fast, I didn’t know what to make of any of it.
A night with me was just purchased for 20,000 dollars. My knees were weak as I found Lacey and Belle waiting near the side of the stage, but I listened closely as the other women’s bids didn’t even come close to my amount.
“I’m so sorry we’re late, Everly,” Lacey said, and I took turns hugging them both. Belle, a 5-year-old dressed in such expensive clothes I never once imagined wearing at that age, looked at the crowd with wary eyes. “My date with Michael lasted longer than I expected. I had no idea you were being auctioned off though; you didn’t say anything.”
“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” I admitted. The final applause roared as the auction ended, and the crowd dispersed, breaking off into smaller groups to converse with one another. “My boss heavily suggested I volunteer, and if I’m ever going to get anywhere in that place, I need to keep him happy.” I found Phil, the asshole owner of the restaurant I worked at, shaking hands with the man who’d just purchased our date. “There he is now; I guess I’m meeting the lucky man.”
Lacey and Belle both turned and watched as Phil slapped the man’s shoulder and they exchanged a few words and smiles. Phil noticed me pointing them out and gestured toward us. The man paused as our eyes met, and he said something to Phil and began walking our way.
The butterflies in my tummy started to bite and I took a deep breath as they came closer.
“There were a few games in the carnival that Belle wanted to play,” Lacey said. “We’ll be over there.”
“You mean you wanted to play,” Belle said and looked at me. “She’s been wanting to throw darts at a wall of balloons since we got here.”
I could barely register what they were saying, as all of my attention was fixed on the man coming my way. “I’ll find you,” I said and waved them off.
“Hello.” I turned and found myself staring into a pair of kind, gray eyes. The man was taller than I expected, and an expensive whiff of cologne confirmed that he was indeed very, very rich. “I’m Maddox Moore.”
“Everly,” I said, not particularly interested in giving him my last name. An eyebrow rose, but he shrugged and shook my hand. Maddox Moore… why did that name sound so familiar?
“You were a natural up there,” he said, as if every weekend for him was spent bidding on women. It dawned on me that it might be. A handsome man like him with fat pockets could buy his fill of women any day of the week.
“Thank you; it was my first time,” I said, realizing his hint of sarcasm a bit too late.
We stood in awkward silence, something that I didn’t expect from a man who probably hosted galas and drank only the finest scotch in front of a fireplace.
He leaned in and my back stiffened as his arm brushed against mine. “I’ll have everything prepared for our date. Until then, I’ll let you enjoy the fundraiser, and I’ll pick you up tomorrow night, if that works for you?” His brows lifted, as if he anticipated my response.
I wanted to tell him that no, it didn’t work, and that there might not be a day that ever worked. But Phil’s eager face popped in my mind and I nodded, although I really didn’t want to give him my address. I considered all the grunt work I’d have to do to make it up to Phil if I didn’t go through with it. He’d have me scrubbing the toilets at the restaurant if I embarrassed him, and I couldn’t afford to be on his bad side. I’d sacrificed so much already to give up on my dreams over a silly date.
“Tomorrow night is fine. Do you have a pen?” Maddox nodded and pulled one out from his pocket. I dug out the night’s program from my purse and wrote the address of a not-so-fancy restaurant far from my apartment before handing it to him.
He glanced at it, and a lopsided smile appeared. It was almost charming, but I quickly shut that thought down. It was best I kept my level head and not let him charm me into some swooning idiot who’d lose focus on her future for a shitload of heartache.
“I’ve never eaten here.” His voice brought me back down to earth, and I faked surprise. I had no doubt the man had never dirtied his feet in that restaurant, which is why I chose it. “I’ll meet you at 7, Everly. It was a pleasure to meet you.” He smirked, and I watched as his broad shoulders slipped away into the crowd.
Despite his politeness and looks, I still didn’t feel comforted by the fact that I basically was sold to him for the night. I grimaced, already dreading the following day. If nothing else, I needed to figure out how I knew his name. It rang a bell – a warning bell.
I found Lacey and Belle popping balloons at one of the game stations at the party. They were both giggling so hard their faces were red, and my sister had tears in her eyes. I’d missed whatever had gotten them to that point, but it was good to see them having fun.
“She’s been losing the whole time,” Belle said as she handed me a dart. I watched as Lacey attempted another hit, aiming far too low and throwing her dart toward the ground. The two of the tuned up their giggles again, and I realized my sister was the laughingstock with her poor aim. “Mom, will you let Auntie Everly try?”
Lacey moved aside for me and handed me a dart. I squared my shoulders and stuck my tongue out a bit as I aimed. With a flick of the wrist, the dart sailed across toward the balloons, headed right for a fat blue one. As it made contact, the dart bounced off and fell to the floor. Belle and my sister both stifled their giggles as I gave them a sideward glare, but soon the three of us were giggling and I was red-faced too.
“So, how was Mr. Moneybags?” Lacey asked. She tapped my shoulder and pointed across the room, where Maddox was standing next to the blond-haired man and the little girl. It was obvious, from how the little girl was hanging off of the blond man’s arm, that she was his daughter. I blew out a sigh of relief; at least Maddox didn’t have children.
“He’s polite,” I offered. “Meeting me at Thad’s tomorrow.”
“Oh dear Lord, please don’t tell me you picked the restaurant,” she said. “Wait, of course you picked it. A man like that would never eat there. He probably wanted to pick you up in his helicopter and fly you to the top of a skyscraper where an esteemed chef would be waiting with a seven-course dinner,” Lacey said, and Belle gasped.
“A helicopter? Does he have one?” Her little mouth hung open and she turned to see who we were talking about.
“No,” I told Belle. “Your mom is being difficult; there’s no helicopter.” But as I glanced at Maddox, at the fine lines of his suit and the glow from a watch that was possibly more expensive than the price tag on my date, I wondered if maybe he did have a helicopter. Or two or three? It wouldn’t be that surprising; men like him usually did have their big toys. My face felt warm as I realized he’d just purchased me like I was another one of his toys. It certainly made me curious to see the toy box. Surely a rich man like him had a nice home or two.
“Still,” Lacey said, as I threw my next dart and hit a balloon. “You could have done a lot worse.”
The balloon popped, and I watched as Maddox walked back to the fundraiser floor.
Maybe, I thought. Maybe so.