CHAPTER TWELVE
Megan
That morning, Tristan surprised Megan with a bouquet of white lilies and pink roses.
“Good morning,” he said, handing them to her when she opened the adjoining door between their suites.
“Oh, wow. They are beautiful, Tristan. Thank you.” She couldn’t’ help but think about the flowers and gifts that Jensen had delivered to her but she tried to push it into the back of her mind so she could enjoy the ones handed to her by a man who seemed to truly appreciate her.
“How about some breakfast and then a walk around the city? I would love to show you a few of my favorite places.”
“I would love that.” She grabbed her purse, locked up and followed him out toward the elevators. They spent the morning at the Eiffel Tower and took in the sights at the beautiful Louvre Palace.
“It says here that this palace was built in the twelfth century as a fortress under Philip II,” Megan said as she read a plaque on a wall. “There is a museum here.”
“Yes. It is Le Louvre. The one we talked about last night at dinner. I wanted to bring you today since we missed the opportunity last night.”
They walked along to the museum and when they went inside, Megan was awestruck.
“How big is this place?”
“This museum houses over 380,000 pieces of art including Egyptian antiques, Greek and Roman pottery and sculptures, Islamic art from ceramics and glass to textiles and metalware, different sculptures from Michelangelo’s collection, stained glass pieces and the Mona Lisa. You said you liked art.”
“Oh, and I do. I am so excited.” She pulled her phone out and pulled up the camera. She positioned it on one of the paintings on the wall and took a picture. Her flash made others turn around and look.
“No pictures,” Tristan said, quickly swiping her phone. “It strips the quality of the pieces. Some of the paintings are light sensitive.”
“Shut up. They are not.”
“I am not kidding.” He pushed the button on her phone and held it until the power turned off completely. He handed her phone back to her and put his arm around her. “Come on, let’s go and see the Mona Lisa.”
After they spent a few hours in the Louvre museum, they walked around the block to Carrousel du Louvre. When they went in, Megan gasped.
“What is this place?” She marveled at the glass staircases and the delicate monuments that stood in the middle of the lobby.
“It’s a mall. I wanted to take you shopping.”
“This… is a mall?”
He smiled at her naiveté and enjoyed escorting her into a life she wasn’t aware of. They went into a few different shops and she bought a few beauty items while he shopped for a new money clip. She tried on some very large floppy hats and giggled when she saw her reflection in the mirror. When he turned the corner wearing a black fedora that matched his suit, Megan nodded in approval. She flirted with him and his new sexy mafia look and kissed her hand, blowing it in his direction.
When they left the store, he took her hand and led her outside, hailing a cab.
“Where to now, my good man?” she said in a horrible English accent.
“We have one more stop before some lunch. Then we can head back to the hotel.”
“What is it?”
“Didier Ludot La Petite Robe Noir.”
“Here we go with the French again,” she teased.
“It is a little boutique I want to stop at.”
The taxi cab took them around a few blocks and stopped in front of a plain looking building. When they got inside, she saw dresses and coats that had price tags way out of her range.
“Tristan,” she whispered as he pulled her along. “Tristan!”
“What?” he whispered back with a grin.
“This place is too much, too expensive. Why are we here?”
“I want you to try this on.” He motioned for a sales associate and picked up a stunning black floor length dress. Megan’s mouth dropped when she saw it. The associate escorted her into a dressing room where she carefully tried on the dress. She looked for a price tag but it was removed. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t believe how amazing she looked. The dress was sleeveless, seemed on both sides just at the neck, exposing her shoulders and hugging her breasts. It was form fitting along her waist and her hips, then flowing down to the floor and spilling in a puddle at her feet. The waist was peppered with small diamonds from just underneath her breasts to her waistline. She felt elegant, sexy, seductive and graceful.
When she emerged from the dressing room, Tristan smiled immediately. The seductive look on Megan’s face told him exactly what he wanted to know.
He turned to the sales associate. “We are going to need shoes to go with that dress.”
“Tristan, no.” She tried to protest, but it was no use. He was already pulling out his credit card.
When they walked out, she was quiet. He walked into her, bumping her off balance. “What’s with the silent treatment?”
“Where am I ever going to wear such a dress?” she scolded.
“Tonight, as a matter of fact.”
“What’s… tonight?”
“I would love it if you would escort me to a charity ball.”
“A charity ball? It sounds fun.”
“It is okay. Kind of boring, but with the right company… we could have a good time.”
“I would love to.”
Back in her hotel suite, Megan was growing more nervous as she showered and got herself ready for this ball she was invited to. She didn’t know what to expect but she knew Tristan would guide her through. She sat in front of the mirror and looked at her image.
Would he kiss her again, like he did last night? She touched her lips with her fingertips. It was nice, but not like Jensen kissed her. When she remembered the way Jensen kissed her so passionately her heart ached. She wanted to move on from him and start fresh with someone else, but she wasn’t sure if Tristan was that someone. She didn’t feel a connection with him.
She applied a smoky dark color to her eyes, giving her that French bedroom eye look. Her stomach started to hurt as she filled her lips in with a bright red lipstick and slipped into the dress Tristan bought for her. She put on a pair of black three-inch Jimmy Choos heels and accessorized with some jewelry she was able to borrow from the hotel jewelry shop. Trying to calm her nerves, she took a few deep breaths and shook her arms while looking at her image in the full length mirror.
“You can do this, Megan.” She closed her eyes and tried to think positively.
She was curling her hair when she was startled by a knock on her door.
“Shit!” she yelled, dropping the curling iron to the floor. “Hang on!” She picked up the iron and threw a couple more curls in before unplugging it and walking quickly to the door. She shook her arms again and forced a smile before opening the door.
Tristan stepped back when he saw her, shaking his head. “Megan. I did not think you could get any more beautiful.” He took her hand and spun her slowly around, taking in every angle of her. “You…are stunning!”
“Thank you,” she said shyly, looking down and blushing.
“I am a very lucky man to have such a beauty on my arm for this evening’s events. We will be the envy of the entire ball.”
He handed her a single long stemmed rose, as red as blood and took her arm. He didn’t take his eyes off her as they walked down the hallway. A luxury town car waited for them outside of the hotel and drove them to the ball.
“What sort of charity is this ball for?”
“To save the forests. It’s more of a political hob knob event than anything else.”
“Ah.”
They pulled up to a beautiful venue that sparkled with little white lights and beams of light that traveled along the path and over the lawns and gardens. Once they got inside, they were directed to a large conference room decorated with the same white lights. Red drapes cascaded down parts of each wall giving the white room a beautiful and rich splash of color. An orchestra played along the front and tables of fruits, nuts, breads and several main courses lined the back wall with attendants standing behind them ready to serve. As they sat at their designated table, Megan saw a single carpeted runway leading up to a stage that displayed several paintings and sculptures.
“Champagne?” A lovely woman in white presented a tray of flutes filled with the bubbly liquid. Tristan took two and nodded at the woman.
“Here you are,” he said handing one to Megan.
“This is lovely,” she said, looking around. I feel like I am at the royal ball.”
“Well, if we were, you would be the princess,” he said kissing her hand.
She felt like he was being way over the top with this romance stuff. It didn’t seem like the same man who hired her a few weeks ago.
“Would you like to go up to the auction bar and check out the items?”
“I… um… I think I’ll pass.”
“They could have some beautiful pieces that sell for a steal. It’s a good idea to get a feel for what you are interested in before the bidding starts.”
She felt her face get warm. “I… didn’t bring any money. I guess I wasn’t thinking.”
Tristan laughed and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a note and set it on the table, sliding it over to her. She was about to protest his generosity until he put his hand up. “Think of it as an advance in your pay.”
“Thank you, Tristan.” She put the note in her purse and together they walked along the carpet up to the stage. She stood next to him, admiring a painting that was close by on a pedestal, as Tristan looked at the list of items that were up for auction.
“Oh, look at this,” he said. Megan redirected her attention to the list and saw a special event scheduled for the evening. “Charity date auction,” he read out loud. “Sign up for a chance to bid yourself to the highest bidder. What is more exciting that a date with a mystery person? Raise money for charity and have fun while doing it. Megan, you should do this.”
“Me?” she blurted out. She started smiling when she thought about it. “I don’t know.”
“Can you imagine how much money you would bring in?”
“Probably not that much.”
“I disagree. Look at you. You are stunning.”
“Stop it.”
“I will make a side wager for 1,000 that you bring in more than 10,000.”
“Are you insane? Who would bid that kind of money for a date with me?”
“I would,” he said.
She looked up at him and saw the intensity in his eyes.
“You really think I should do this?”
“Absolutely. And, to make you feel a little safer, I will be sure to be the highest bidder.”
Her smile broadened. “I’ll do it.” She grabbed a pen and signed a waiver, writing down a small description of who she was. She felt giddy and excited to think she could be a part of something good in the world.
Back at their table, dinner was being served as the auctioneer began introducing the items.
“I do apologise for beginning the auction portion of this evenings events so early and while dinner is being served, but we do have several pieces we need to focus on this evening. So, if you will bear with me, we will get the bidding started very soon.” A tall blond haired man stood up on the stage, microphone in hand. His skin was dark and his smile was brilliant. He could have easily passed for a surfer dude at the beach with the right attire.
“Is everyone here beautiful?” Megan asked quietly.
“Anyone can look good if they have enough money.”
She pressed her lips together and looked around at all of the beautiful women in the room. Even with the dress Tristan bought her, she still felt under dressed and demure.
After a few paintings and a porcelain, hand painted vase were auctioned off successfully, the auctioneer introduced a picture of a full sized yacht. “This baby was donated by Dr. Angela Spano from right here in Paris. This yacht is in perfect condition, approximately four years old and has set sea in beautiful waters such as off the Coast of Cocos Island in Costa Rica, Curacao and even Marsa Matrough, Egypt. It retails for 150,000 pounds. Who will start the bidding at 10,000?”
Tristan raised his marker and Megan looked at him with wide eyes.
“We have 10,000. Do we have twenty?” The man looked around. “We have twenty. Do we have thirty?” He looked toward Tristan as he raised his marker. “Thirty. Forty?” The man pointed toward the other gentleman. A woman in the back of the room raised her marker. “Forty. Fifty?” The bidding war went on until the price went well over 100,000. Tristan stopped bidding at that point and let the bid go to a gentleman in the front for 135,000 pounds.
“Did that just happen?” Megan asked, leaning into him.
“Yes. See? He got that yacht for a steal.”
Megan did not think that was a steal. In fact, she was sure she had never even seen that much money at one time. A few more items went quickly, and when the auctioneer introduced a weekend getaway at a holiday cabin in Geneva, Tristan looked at Megan, smiled and held his marker up until he won the trip for 5,000 pounds.
“So, how does this all work?” she asked.
“Well, the auctioneer introduces an item, explains what it is and what it is worth. The highest bidder wins the item and the money goes toward the charity. It is all non-profit and 100% tax deductible.”
“Wow, fascinating.”
“Yes. Quite.” He smiled at her, amused at how innocent she was. “Let me get us a refill on our drinks.” He stood up and took their glasses to the champagne fountain.
Megan enjoyed listening to the next auction and wondered if she could possibly get away with bidding for the fun of it. She toyed with the idea when she heard a very familiar voice behind her. She turned around and looked to see Jensen standing at a table a couple of rows from her, shaking a gentleman’s hand and smiling. Her heart jumped up into her throat and she froze. Of all places to run into Jensen Dean, it had to be in Paris at a charity ball? She looked at him with curiosity then noticed a blond haired woman standing next to him. She couldn’t see the woman’s face but she did see Jensen’s hand on her lower back.
“Kristina?” she whispered. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes. She felt an ill feeling in her stomach and looked down into her lap as she tried to control her emotions.
“I am not with him anymore. I am not with him….”
“What?” Tristan asked as he handed her drink to her. She looked up with a quivering lip as the tears spilled from her eyes. “Megan?” he asked with more sincerity.
She choked back a sob and grabbed her champagne, drinking it down quickly. She slammed the glass on the table, causing a bit of a scene. A few people turned to look as she wiped a stream of liquid that escaped from her mouth and ran down her chin.
Tristan quickly sat down and put his arm around her, trying to cloak her from the onlookers. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Excuse me,” she blurted out.
She quickly stood up and pushed past him. She walked quickly out toward the ladies room with her hand on her mouth, trying to hold back any more tears from falling. She leaned against the wall and took a breath before opening the door. As she reached down a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“Give me a minute!” she barked, turning around quickly. Her breath caught when she realized it wasn’t Tristan who went after her. Jensen stood there with a sick and worried look on his face.
“Megan? What are you doing here?”
“What do you care?” she spat. A few people nearby stopped and looked.
“What do you mean?” He put his hands on her arms, trying to calm her down but it only made matters worse.
“Don’t… touch me!” More onlookers joined the perplexing battle between them.
“Damn you, woman!” He opened the ladies room door and pushed her inside. He looked under the stalls to be sure they were alone before locking the door and imprisoning her in the corner with his arms. “What is wrong? Talk to me! Please!” His tone was desperate. “I have been trying to contact you all week, texts, calls, I have sent flowers…. I don’t understand what I did.”
She reached up and slapped his face. “I’m tired of this!”
He bowed his head, rubbing his cheek. “Of what? Why are you so upset?” he asked grabbing her wrists.
“Of your lies! And your infidelity! And you bring her here? To what? To taunt me? To ruin my night? My life? Do you think I am stupid?” she spat.
“Who!” he roared, completely confused.
“Kristina,” she whispered. “I saw her out there… with you.” She choked out a sob and covered her face.
He let her go and turned around, walking away from her. He pushed his hand through his hair and lowered his head. “I didn’t bring Kristina. The woman you saw is my sister, Stella.” He turned back around and looked at her. “If you recall, I wanted to bring you but you said you had to work all weekend.”
Megan looked at him, barely blinking. “What?”
He nodded. “I told you, I threw Kristina out of my life a long time ago.”
Megan calmed herself down a little embarrassed that she jumped to conclusions.
“Kristina was busy this weekend huh?” she asked sarcastically.
Jensen shook his head. He knew he wasn’t going to convince her that he was through with his ex. His forehead creased as he looked at her.
“What about you, Megan? What are you doing here? Are you working?”
“Yeah… yes. It’s a business trip.” She didn’t want to give out too much information.
“Why didn’t you return any of my calls? You had me worried to death.”
She scowled at him and went to the mirror. “Why are you so worried about me? You should worry about the way you conduct your business meetings.” She wiped her face and cleaned up her make up. “Keep your fiancée on a leash. Don’t you know it’s very unprofessional to mix business with pleasure?”
She grabbed the door, unlocked it and flung it open. Jensen’s face went pale. He knew what she was talking about but didn’t have a clue how she knew about Kristina’s little escapade when she walked in to his meeting and bombarded him with a kiss.
“Wait.” He rushed out of the bathroom. “Megan!” He looked around but she had disappeared into the crowd.
“There you are,” said Tristan. He came up behind her just as she reached the bar. She waited for the bartender and felt Tristan’s hand on her back. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said forcing a smile. “I just need to get a drink. Do you want anything?”
“I’ll take a beer, Kronenbourg.”
When the bartender pointed at her she gave him her order. “I’ll have a vodka with lemonade and a Kronenbourg 1664 please?”
“Megan? Are you sure you are okay?”
“Never better,” she lied. He shifted his weight and crossed his arms.
“I saw… Jensen in the crowd.” His eyes were focused on her face. When she looked away, they stayed silent. The bartender served their drinks and she handed the beer to him. She stirred hers, took a drink and stirred it again. She looked out into the crowd, pretending to be interested in the people passing by.
“We can leave if you want to,” he said, breaking the silence.
“No. Tristan, you bought me this amazing dress for this evening. You have been nothing but sweet and a complete gentleman to me. I am not about to let some jerk from my past ruin this night. We came here to have a good time and that is what we are going to do.” She took his hand and led him back toward their table.
The auctioneer finished up the bidding war on a set of wedding rings from a royal family as Megan nonchalantly looked around the room for Jensen. She didn’t know where he had gone to and wanted to avoid him at all costs.
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to announce that the dating auction will soon begin. Would all of you who signed up for this event please make your way up to the stage? I would love to announce that we have nine participants in our dating auction this year. The crowd applauded as Megan leaned toward Tristan.
“Wish me luck,” she said.
He kissed her cheek and smirked at her as she made her way to the front. The auctioneer had them all stand up on the stage so the crowd could get a good look at each one before ushering them off the stage. They formed a line as the first woman went up and waited for the auction to begin.
“Introducing Abigale Admonte. She is originally from Versailles and resides here in Paris. She is 28 years old and a veteran at our charity balls for the past five years. Can we start the bidding at 5,000 pounds?”
Megan felt her nerves starting to get the best of her as thoughts of no one bidding on her went through her mind. She didn’t know why she was always so insecure, but she did know how embarrassing it was going to be if Tristan was the only one who bid on her. Then another thought hit her as she looked around for Jensen. Would he dare bid on her? Her stomach started to hurt.
The woman in front of her turned around and looked at her. “Hello. You are Megan, right?”
“Yes. How… did you know that?”
“I am Stella. Stella Dean,” she said smiling. She put her hand out and Megan reluctantly shook it. “Jensen’s sister.”
“Oh! I… um… hello. I’m surprised to see you here. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You also. My brother was right.”
“About what?”
“You are a pretty little thing.”
“He… talks about me?”
“All the time, yes. I briefly saw you talking to him earlier. It’s so nice to see you back together. He really loves you.”
Megan forced a smile as the auctioneer wrapped up the bidding for the seventh woman in line. She didn’t have the heart to correct Stella, nor did she have the opportunity.
“I guess it is my turn,” Stella smiled. “Good luck.”
“You too.”
Jensen’s sister took the stage and the bidding began.
He loves me?
Megan looked out over the crowd, rubbing her arms and trying to calm her nerves.
Why did I sign up for this, she thought.
“7,000 going once, going twice. Sold to number 584. Congratulations. And our last auction of the night, Miss Megan Jenkins.” The crowd lightly applauded. “Miss Jenkins grew up in London England and loves long walks on the beach.”
Megan caught Tristan’s stare and he winked at her, giving her the confidence she needed to make it through. She smiled and took a deep breath. She scanned the room and saw Jensen in the middle of the crowd, his eyes dead set on hers. He looked furious and when he glanced over toward Tristan then back at Megan, she knew why.
“Oh, God,” she whispered. She lost her smile and found the sick feeling she had in her stomach she previously got rid of. Jensen turned and walked away, out of the crowd.
“She is an avid reader and likes her quiet time, but does like the occasional night out on the town. Who will start the bidding at 2,000 pounds?”
Tristan held up his marker.
“We have 2,000. Do we have 3,000?” Another gentleman in the back raised his marker. Megan was pleasantly surprised. “3,000. Do we have four?” Someone else put their marker up, making Megan giggle to herself. When the auction bid got up to 9,000 pounds, she looked at Tristan and shook her finger at him to remind him of his little side wager.
“We have nine. Do we have ten?” The gentleman in the back acknowledged. “Ten. Fifteen?” The auctioneer pointed toward the back. “Fifteen. Do we have twenty?” He pointed again. “Twenty. Thirty?” Megan started blushing at the amount of the bid. She found it hard to believe that so many were interested in a single date with her.
“Forty. Do we have fifty?” Tristan raised his marker. “Fifty. Sixty?” The auctioneer looked at the man in the back. “Sixty to you, sir?” The man smiled and shook his head no. “Fifty going once…fifty going twice.”
Megan smiled at Tristan, thrilled at the outcome.
“Sixty,” yelled a voice in the crowd. Megan gasped and looked quickly in the direction of the voice. Jensen stood on the other side of the room with his marker up. Megan covered her mouth, shocked and upset. She looked at Tristan with wide eyes. His smile faded and he scowled, raising his marker up.
“70,000!” Tristan yelled. He wasn’t about to let his arch enemy win Megan over.
"80,000,” said Jensen calmly.
Tristan clenched his jaw together. “90,000.”
“100,000.”
The crowd started murmuring amongst themselves and looking from Tristan to Jensen to Megan. They were all curious as to why this woman on the stage was so spectacular that two wealthy men would have such a bidding war against each other for one date with her.
“110,000,” said Tristan.
Megan’s embarrassment was growing and she wanted to run off the stage and end this charade. The auctioneer had stopped trying to control it and stood to the side with his hands behind his back, smiling from ear to ear.
“Five… hundred… thousand,” said Jensen slowly, staring at her. She looked at Tristan with wide eyes, shocked at the huge jump in Jensen’s offer. When Tristan didn’t counter offer, Megan begged him with her eyes.
The auctioneer stepped forward and looked at both men. “500,000 going once. 500,000 going twice.” He looked at Tristan.
“Tristan, please?” Megan whispered but he looked away.
“500,000 pounds, ladies and gentlemen!” The crowd erupted in a loud applause as Tristan looked over at Jensen. Jensen looked back with a smirk on his face as he lowered his marker.