CHAPTER SEVEN
Kerry craned her neck to stare into those intense blue eyes, eyes that seemed to look right into her heart and soul.
She didn't want to look away from him. He seemed to be holding her with his eyes, steadying her and giving her strength. Her world narrowed to just him. The rest of the bidders receded away and she imagined that she was alone in the room with him.
Dimly, she heard Madam Jen's voice. Madam Jen had finished introducing the Gems and the bidding was now underway.
Kerry forced herself to pay attention to the bids. The three guys, Topaz, Onyx and Diamond, were being auctioned first. Of the three male Gems, the winning bid for Topaz was the highest.
Kerry almost fainted when she heard the amount. Twenty thousand dollars! That could pay for two of Tia's injections. Could she attract such high bids when it was her turn to be auctioned? Or would no one want her?
She would find out soon enough.
Once the three guys had been auctioned off, it was time to auction the girls.
Kerry's panicked eyes sought out table number twenty and she saw him give her a subtle nod.
Madam Jen strolled over to the statuesque redhead beside Kerry and gestured grandly, “Now, let's hear the bids for our fine Sapphire.”
The bidding began in earnest, and the bids just kept climbing. Kerry was getting a little giddy listening to the amounts being called out.
Most of the men in the audience wanted Sapphire. And it was easy to see why. Sapphire was hot with a capital H. She had legs that went on for miles and miles, and she was voluptuous with curves in all the right places. She stood a full head taller than Kerry and she looked like she owned the stage.
Almost all the men were bidding—except that hunky dark-haired guy in the suit. He was observing the proceedings with a detached air, and his eyes keeping returning to Kerry.
“And...Sapphire goes to table number nine for thirty thousand dollars!” Madam Jen announced.
After waving at the audience, Sapphire sashayed down the stage and went to the gentleman who had won her. She was his for tonight.
Kerry jumped when Madam Jen placed a cool hand on her shoulder. “And this is our sweet, pure Amber,” she purred. “The opening bid is one thousand dollars as usual. Let's hear it for Amber, ladies and gentlemen!”
Kerry realized she was starting to hyperventilate and Madam Jen's voice sounded further and further away. The buzzing in her ears warned her that she was about to pass out.
Don't faint! Kerry pinched herself hard and gave herself a big mental slap. She had to hold herself together.
“Fifty thousand!”
Kerry jerked her head up as the strident voice boomed across the room. It was the man in the cowboy hat. He grinned as he cocked his imaginary gun at her.
Kerry forced herself to focus on the bid and not the bidder. Fifty thousand dollars. It was more than she dared hope for.
Tia could start her treatment right away…
Kerry managed a wobbly smile and swayed slightly on her feet. The thought of spending one night with that cowboy filled her with dread but she knew she shouldn't let her feelings get in the way. She was doing this for the money. She just had to remind herself to focus on the money, not the man and she should be able to get through the night.
Madam Jen looked around the room and declared, “If there are no other bids for Amber, then for fifty thousand dollars, Amber goes to...”
Kerry braced herself. She would have to spend the night with that obnoxious cowboy.
She let out a gasp when a deep voice said firmly, “One hundred thousand.”