The sensation of Derrick’s kiss still haunted her lips. Elizabeth sighed and allowed a tender smile to warm her eyes. Tim Perkins brushed the final touches of glitter along her cheekbones. His bald head reflected the lights that dotted the edges of the mirror.
“I’ve seen that look before.” He winked at her knowingly.
“What do you mean?”
“That is the look of a woman in love.” He wagged the tip of the makeup brush at her before dusting off his hands.
Elizabeth averted her eyes quickly. “What? No. I’m not in…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Love? Was she in love with Derrick? Her heart throttled against her chest. The memory of being pressed against the wall still took her breath away.
“Whatever you say.” He chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you think?” He spun her chair around so she could see the finished project.
A black floor length dress hugged her curves. Crystals swirled intricately across the bodice, and a slit on the side went up to her hip. The smoky colors of her makeup make her seem alluring and exotic. “Wow.” Elizabeth tilted her head to the side. A small voice in the back of her mind wondered if Derrick would like it.
Clapping from the back of the room caught their attention. Derrick stood in the doorway looking her up and down. “Excellent work as always, Tim.”
Tim did a faux bow. “It’s easy when I have a beautiful model to work with.”
“Miss Adams, are you ready to go?”
She took the silver clutch that Tim held out for her. “Yes.” It was hard to look him in the eyes.
Derrick walked ahead of her to the car. He held the door open for her, but didn’t make any physical contact. The car ride was silent. Something felt off. Even though they were so close to one another, Derrick felt distant. Elizabeth fiddled with the clasp on the purse that Tim had loaned to her. A cold lump settled in her stomach. When the car parked outside of a large silver building, Elizabeth couldn’t take the silence anymore.
“Did I do something wrong?” She chewed on her lip, still afraid to look him in the eye.
“Why do you think you did something wrong?”
“You just feel distant tonight.”
Derrick sighed and put on his formal smile. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
The insincerity stung. She knew something was wrong, but she was unable to make herself push the issue. Without another word, he got out of the car. Not wanting to be a burden, Elizabeth opened her own door and shut it a little too forcefully. A sliver of pain crept out from under Derrick’s business mask. He turned and walked up the steps. His hands were jammed into the pockets of his black suit so that it was evident he didn’t want to hold hands. The sudden switch from acceptance to rejection made Elizabeth’s stomach ache.
Inside the building were dozens of well-dressed couples. Evening gowns sparkled under twinkling lights. Long tables filled with finger foods and beverages lined one wall. Derrick signed his name to a piece of paper and picked up a red paddle with a number stamped on it. A live string orchestra thrummed gracefully in the corner. It would have been beautiful if Elizabeth wasn’t distracted. The distance Derrick was exhibiting dampened the event for her. She mindlessly accepted a flute of champagne.
As she sipped, a man in a tux stepped on stage. The musicians stopped when he raised his hand. A soft hush fell over the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, I would first like to thank you all for coming out to support our cause. All proceeds from tonight’s event will go to Buxton Orphanage. So, without further ado, I would like to bring out our first item.” Two men carried out a large piece of wooden furniture. “This armoire was made circa 1880. It is in excellent condition and still retains the original ornate floral pattern on the front as well as the bronze work embellishing the top. Shall we start the bidding at $100,000?”
Hearing the price made Elizabeth almost squirt champagne out of her nose. Paddles rose around the room as the bidding commenced. Terrified of being mistaken as a bidder, Elizabeth tried to remain as still as possible. These people had that much money to throw around?! She reminded herself it was for charity. Derrick had disappeared into the crowd. She thought she caught a glimpse of him through the throng of people, but then he disappeared again. If he was just going to leave her as soon as they got to the event, why did he even bother bringing her here? Her lips pouted, and she cautiously took another sip from her cup.
A parade of furniture and paintings slowly made their way across the stage. Elizabeth had lost interest after the fifth oil painting sold for an egregious amount of money. She felt out of place amongst these people. She sighed and glanced around the room again trying to find Mr. Page.
A murmur rippled across the crowd. A large, covered frame was rolled onto the stage. “For the last item of the evening, we have a very special treat from Page Industries.” Elizabeth’s eyes flitted to the stage. The auctioneer pulled a chord, and the cloth covering the frame fell away. Intense embarrassment flooded her. On stage was a large replica of the picture of Mr. Page and herself that had been chosen for the new ad campaign. “The item up for bid is one evening with the lovely woman in this picture.” He glanced down at the cue card in his hand. “Is Elizabeth Adams here tonight?” Slowly, the crowd turned to look at her and cleared a path for her to the stage. She could feel their eyes on her. “Miss Adams? Would you please make your way to the stage?”
For a moment, the entire room was silent. Her legs moved as though she were walking through water. Elizabeth’s cheeks flamed. How could this have happened? She didn’t agree to this. Her body was shaking as she took the stage. Panic was building just under the surface. The crowd sized her up deciding what her time was worth. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Betrayal stung her heart. Had Derrick set this up? Was this the reason he wanted her to be at the event?
The auctioneer grabbed one of her hands and twirled her in a circle. Elizabeth stumbled through the motion. “What do you say, ladies and gentlemen? Shall we start the bidding at $500?” The price was so low next to the other items that had been paraded across the stage. A paddle in the back went up hesitantly. Elizabeth recognized the man bidding on her. He had been at the coffee shop the day she had stood up for Derrick. “$500 to Mr. Ethan Craft. Do I see $600?” Another paddle shot up across the room. The bidding continued until they reached $1000. She still hadn’t seen any sign of Derrick. Had he left her here to deal with this on her own? Her hands were cold as ice. “$1000 to Mr. Craft. Going once. Going twice…” Elizabeth’s heart was in her throat.