A broad smile never left Carrie Ann’s face. Her hips swayed to the soulful sound of jazz as she mingled through the guests. Jason approached her as if nothing had changed, thankfully. His gaze seemed softer, more relaxed, but he only spent a limited amount of time with her before wandering off to work the room filled with future clients.
As Carrie Ann stepped onto the raised platform at the far end of the pavilion her fingers gently cinched into the folds of her dress. The signature slit at the side of her gown exposing a hint of toned thigh. Crossing the stage, she made eye contact with Shayla, waiting in the wings to be introduced. Sara stood beside her wearing a gorgeous black dress and an irreplaceable grin. It was her assistant’s first big event and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t conceal her excitement.
Nerves fluttered in her tummy. As she reached for the microphone, the drummer of the jazz band gave a soft roll on his cymbal. A hush fell over the crowd.
“Good evening everyone.” Carrie Ann’s face heated with pride and anticipation. Her gaze surfed through the hundreds of faces, not focusing on anyone in particular, simply taking in the moment. “I’d like to thank all of you for coming out to the Have a Heart Foundation’s Fifth Annual Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction.”
The simple introduction earned a roar of fashionable applause.
“We’ve got an amazing evening in store for you. In addition to our smokin’ hot bachelors and sizzling, sexy bachelorettes, we have a room full of silent auction items ranging from surf lessons, to extravagant dinners, to luxurious spa treatments and several vacation getaways. So, make sure to put your bids in there as well.”
Carrie Ann introduced their many sponsors, giving praises for their good charity, receiving another round of applause from the crowd. Shayla joined her on stage wearing a stunning white gown, which earned a cat call from her husband, setting fire to her golden cheeks. Bachelors and bachelorettes paraded across the stage one at a time as Carrie Ann and Shayla took turns describing their best qualities and the date that would go to the highest bidder.
“We each have different reasons for being here tonight.” Carrie Ann curled her fingers over the shell of her ear, pushing back a lose strand of silky hair. “Some of you came to support friends. Others came to have a fun night out.”
“For some of you, it’s the best way to guarantee a date.” Shayla could barely contain her giggles adding her five seconds of comedic relief.
“But most of you are here because you know someone with heart disease. And unfortunately, like myself, some of you have lost someone you hold dear in your life to heart disease. A father. A mother. Perhaps a grandparent or sadly enough even a child.” She sniffed back the burning sensation threatening to spill. “So that being said, in the name of those we love, let’s make tonight’s event one to remember.”
Shayla’s husband, John, approached the stage, asking for the microphone with his long reach. Carrie Ann slipped a coy glance at Shayla. Her only response was a small shrug, before handing over the mic.
“What Carrie Ann is trying to politely say is, we know your heart is in it, but tonight…let’s open up our wallets and kick some ass for heart disease.”
Deafening cheers and applause erupted beneath the canopy, bringing a wry grin to John’s mug as he handed her back the mic.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself. Now, who’s ready to get this party started?”
“Twenty thousand.” A deep raspy voice called out from the back of the room.
A swarm of butterflies set free in her belly. She felt herself blanch, color draining from her face. Fuck! Fuckity-fuck! Her pulse hammered too fast, too hard, watching a pair of well-defined shoulders attached to a headful of sandy blond hair make their way through the crowd.
A cold ache chased through her body causing her to tremble. Carrie Ann attempted to be cognizant of the reaction splashed across her face, but she was slow to react. Countless emotions did a quick stampede through her heart.
Shayla carefully interceded, “See what I mean? I know you’re all excited, but you’ve got to wait for us to announce the first bachelor.”
A pair of whisky-colored eyes, demanded her attention as Summer moved toward the stage. His piercing stare shot straight through her, robbing Carrie Ann of her voice. Her breath caught when she opened her mouth to speak and a shaky laugh, awkward and uncomfortable, slipped from her lips.
She cleared the nerves from her throat. “You’re a little premature. Aren’t you, Ryan?”
Carrie Ann felt Shayla’s chilly fingers on her back, moving back and forth in a comforting fashion and prompting a clear reminder to keep her composure. Summer tipped his head to the side. The glow from the chandelier played over his striking features, casting spiky shadows from his lashes to the top of his cheeks.
“Never,” he taunted. The curve on his lips had nothing to do with a smile. “I’m bidding on you, Carrie Ann. In the name of charity, of course.”
Stunned faces and whispers danced around the quiet room. She looked at Shayla for backup, but her face mirrored Carrie Ann’s. Seconds felt like minutes. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. Just beyond the side of the stage, Sara nodded hotly in the background. This triggered less than zero response from Carrie Ann. Seconds ticked by. Her assistant’s eyes bulged wide indicating she needed to do something.
“Twenty-five thousand.” Another familiar voice joined in the bidding.
Her head twisted, seeing Jason’s tall silhouette closing in behind Summer.
“Thirty-thousand dollars.” Summer’s tone held firm, tossing out the figure like he was throwing change in a wishing well.
Her eyes tracked his every movement. He didn’t budge an inch when Jason joined him center stage. Separated by a mere inches.
Jason countered without hesitation. “Thirty-five.”
“Fifty,” Summer interjected, before the bid barely left Jason’s lips.
Shayla whispered in her ear, “What should I do?”
Tension gathered force as hundreds of jaw-dropping faces waiting on bated breath. The absurdity of the situation was already too far gone to rein in the madness. She couldn’t turn down a donation of that magnitude. Only twice in the history of the event had a bid gone to this proportion.
Purely by some divine intervention, she managed to pull a coherent thought from her scattered brain. She conceded with a curt nod, “For charity.”
Given the green light, Shayla took control. “Mr. Calver? Will you be taking us to fifty-five?”
Jason didn’t even have time to open his mouth, let alone give a response. Without so much as flinching, Summer threw down the gauntlet, stealing any chance Jason thought he might have at winning the bid.
“One hundred thousand dollars.” His chin lifted as he approached the stage, never breaking eye contact. The reflection of her red dress, set fire to his amber irises. Summer slid his hands into his pockets, asking in a low voice, “Would you like me to add another zero?”
Cocky. Mother. Fucker.
Masking her fury, she forced a pleasant smile. “How generous.”
Peeling his focus away from Carrie Ann, he turned to Shayla. “Mrs. Mathews, put me down for one million dollars.”
In one swift movement, he hopped onto the stage to claim his prize. Applause erupted to a near earsplitting decimal. Feeling his hand at the small of her back, she had no time to react. In a blur, Shayla’s eyes popped as big as quarters as Summer escorted Carrie Ann off the platform. Leaving his hand-hold in the dust, she stomped…eloquently around the back of the stage, hiding behind a canvas panel.
The smell of tobacco put her on high alert. Her eyes darted into the corners of the veranda, praying not to find her father. Her life did not need any more special surprises. A bartender stood in the shadows smoking a cigar-like cigarette. He took one glance at their weighted demeanor and split without saying a word. She’d deal with him later for walking past two no smoking signs to light up.