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She imagined that voice in the dark, his lips close to her ear, so close his warm breath tickled the hair at the base of her neck.
“We’ll hop in my vintage 1959 Cadillac convertible and head north to the new Santiago Resort and Spa in the beautiful Atlanta foothills,” he said. “My date will have a choice of how she’d like to spend the day. If she’s the outdoorsy type, they offer golf and tennis, or if it’s relaxation she’s after, there’s the full day spa or cruising on the lake.”
“Ooh, that sounds divine,” the announcer said. “And that’s a brand-new resort, ladies. I haven’t been but I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”
“We’ll finish the day off with dinner at the restaurant which sits right on the water’s edge,” he said. Then he turned and set his gaze directly on Nicole. “And with the right woman,” he added raising a brow, “who knows where the night could end.”
A million-dollar smile polished off his presentation leaving Nicole weak in the knees and ready to mortgage off the condo if she had to. With no effort, her imagination picked up where his description left off, turning the afternoon date into an adventure of sun, fun and sex.
She’d visited the Santiago Resort for a recent episode where they’d given away a romantic weekend for two. She’d toured the facilities and had no trouble imagining herself in one of those suites, buried under the fluffy down comforter with Devon Bradshaw in the flesh.
The thought swelled her insides and heated her blood, the way it apparently had with the rest of the women in the room. A round of hoots and whistles erupted, and though a number of women voiced their desire for that package, Devon never pulled his gaze from Nicole.
As if to signal her intentions, she smiled and faintly nodded, and the sexy expression on Devon’s face brightened to a grin.
“He’s mine,” Nicole said, twisting the pages in her hand, and when the announcer presented the opening bid, she raised her hand without hesitation.
And so did two dozen other women, but the numbers didn’t faze her. She was about to be a millionaire, and even though she didn’t have her money yet, staring into those beautiful blues with a weekend of sex on her mind, the sky was her only limit.
The price flew up from a few hundred dollars to over a thousand, and when it hit fifteen hundred, it was only Nicole and two other women.
“I don’t know if the station will go this high,” Eve said.
“I’ll pay for it myself.”
Fifteen-fifty and Nicole raised her hand taking the bid to sixteen hundred.
“Oh, my God,” Penny beamed. “He just passed the high water mark for the evening.”
A tall, too-thin woman, who looked a lot like the animated version of Cruella Deville, seemed as intent to win Devon as Nicole was. It was the same woman she’d seen him talking to earlier, and though that fact gave her pause, Devon’s heated stare swept away any doubts. Everything about his expression said he wanted Nicole to win, the smile of promise in his eyes, the sexy quirk of his mouth, right down to the way he rubbed his thumb against his fingers as he held his hand at his side.
It was his only hint of nerves, and Nicole couldn’t help but zero in on it. The higher the bid, the faster he rubbed, the faster he rubbed, the more intensely his eyes fixed on her. It was as if he was begging her to keep going, and she smiled, thinking he didn’t have to worry.
Nothing would make her stop.
Seventeen, then eighteen hundred, and the third woman finally backed out. Now it was just Nicole and Cruella, who really needed a solid meal more than she needed the date.
Like two opponents in a game of table tennis, the bids bounced back and forth between the two.
Eighteen-fifty, nineteen hundred, nineteen-fifty. Every time Nicole took the bid the other woman took it back and the higher they went, the more annoyed she became.
Who was this nightmare?
Nicole nearly yelled out to tell the woman to give up, now understanding the fierce annoyance that could throw a civilized woman into a cat-fighting frenzy. She felt like storming over and giving her a push.
Not that it would take much.
“That other woman really wants him,” Penny whispered.
“I’m taking her out,” Nicole replied, not at all feeling like it was the joke she’d intended. The more persistent Cruella was the more aggravated Nicole became. The woman was relentless, like a dog with its teeth clenched tightly on a sock. No matter how many times Nicole raised her hand, she just smiled and raised hers. It was becoming a ridiculous test of wills and checkbooks, and if Devon hadn’t continued to encourage her with the pleading look in his eyes, she might have backed out by now.
The price was now topping twenty-five hundred, nearing its way to three thousand, and though she could care less about the money, something about the situation stopped her in her tracks.
The contest between two brothers. The brunette talking casually with Devon before the auction. Her unfailing insistence on keeping up with the bidding and Devon’s heated encouragement for Nicole to keep going, to keep raising the price.
Was she being played?
“Nicole,” Eve warned. “This is getting pricey. You can’t count on the lottery, hon. We might not get our money thanks to Liza’s lawsuit against us.”
Raising her hand, Nicole took over the bid once more, but this time less intently. She didn’t care about the money, but the sudden flash that something here might be foul.
It was all too perfect, her attraction to this stranger, more hot and fiery than anything she’d felt before, all brought on by this undersea Eden set up to breed passion in everyone who entered. There was romance in the air, from the oysters on the half shell to the champagne to the plates of chocolate hearts on the tables.
And to find this instant connection with someone who gave her every signal he felt the very same way? How likely was that to happen? How much of this was simply the act of being swept up into the evening?
In a serious wave of doubt, her mind began spinning backward, rewinding to the first glance, her first impression, trying to recall what started all this and how she got caught up into it. Was this man sending her genuine signals or was he just trying to win the bet against his brother?
“Going once,” she heard.
Penny jabbed her in the ribs. “What are you doing? Don’t stop now.”
With a quick jerk, she raised her hand and took the bid again, now unsure exactly how high it was. Then she tried to shake the clouds from her thoughts.
This was silly, these doubts. If the man was trying to set up the bidding, he would have arranged it ahead of time, maybe with women he already knew. Not once had he approached her. In fact, he hadn’t approached any of the women here tonight. While all the other men were making contacts and getting to know the prospective buyers, he’d stood at the bar casually watching the room.
No, she thought. This was real. There was real heat here. Real attraction and she really wanted this date.
“What are you doing?” Penny asked. “You almost lost it.”
“She’s regaining her senses,” Eve said. “Nicky, don’t get carried away. Like you said before, you have the man’s phone number. You can always call him after the auction.”
“No,” said Nicole. “I want this.”
Up flew her hand to take over the bid again, the brunette still going on as if she could do this all night. And Devon still held his eyes on Nicole—that intense stare focused directly on her, the smile telling her she won’t be sorry, and that brush of his thumb caressing back and forth, prompting her to keep bidding.
To keep driving the price up so he can win the bet.
Damn, that voice of doubt. It was the same voice that had been paralyzing her for too many months now.
This was all about her parents and the situation that had stripped away her trust in everything pure and honest. And who could blame her? When the two people she should have believed in most handed her the greatest betrayal, how was she expected to have faith in a stranger in a bar? Maybe a year ago, she would have played into this without thinking twice. She would have taken everything at surface value, never considering that Devon and Cruella were conspiring to win this wager from his brother.
But when her parents were forced to admit they’d lied to her about her birth, her basic trust in human beings was destroyed.
It wasn’t even finding out that she was adopted that hurt the most. Millions of children are adopted and grow up with a solid sense of self. It was that her parents had never intended to tell her. That she’d always been led to believe that she was their natural child, that their heritage was her heritage, their culture her culture.
That she was a Reavis, and Reavis’s were doers and go-getters and survivors. It was in her blood, who she was.
And only when her mother became ill and the truth leaked out were her parents forced to confess the family secret.
Everything she had, everything she was had been a lie. And Nicole hadn’t been the same person since learning the truth.
“What are you doing?” Penny pleaded. “You’re going to lose!”
“Going once,” the announcer said.
“She’s wising up. This is too much money,” Eve said.
And in the midst of it all, Nicole’s mind went blank with confusion, halting her from taking action or knowing which way to turn. The same way it had every time she tried to make a move with her life or to find the answers she’d been seeking.
Perpetual limbo. Handed down by Don and Betty Reavis to their grown daughter.
“Going twice,” the announcer said.
“Come on,” Penny urged. “You’re going to be a millionaire. Who cares about the price? Get the guy, already!”
“I don’t…”
Nicole didn’t know what to do. Fixing her eyes on Devon’s she saw a mist of disappointment. A gentleman, he tried to hide it for the audience, but she could see the falseness in his smile. It wasn’t the same smile of expectation he had a moment ago, and she wondered if it had turned because she wouldn’t end up as his date or because the price hadn’t gone as high as he’d hoped.
Closing her eyes, she fumed. This was silly. Ten seconds ago, she was having a great time, anticipating a romantic date with the first man to warm up her insides in as long as she could remember. The chemistry was real. So why was she standing here doubting it all?
What happened to the old Nicole who went for what she wanted, reached out and grabbed the brass ring without worrying whether or not it was just worthless plated steel?
What happened to the doer, the go-getter, the woman who made things happen?
“Sold for three-thousand-five-hundred dollars!” the announcer said.
Sold to another woman, Nicole conceded, pulling her gaze away from Devon and turning from the stage.
“I can’t believe you let him go!” Penny cried.
She looked to Eve and Penny. Only Eve knew the truth about why she’d come to Atlanta, but even so, she still couldn’t explain why she could be confident one moment then a pile of hesitation the next.
Heck, even she didn’t get it. So instead, she lied.
Sticking up her chin, she pasted on a smile. “Eve was right. The price got too high.”
“But—” Penny started.
Nicole held up the crinkled pages in her hand. “I’ve got his phone number right here, remember? Let the woman have her date. I’ll catch him on the rebound.”
3
NICOLE PULLED THE PEN and notepad from her purse and recorded Devon’s auction result as she had the others. On stage, his brother, Todd, was selling the crowd on his date, and when the bidding kicked off, a flurry of hands went up promising that the wager between siblings could be a very tight race.
Next to him, Devon stood by idly watching the proceedings. A few times he’d glanced over, winked or smiled in a no-hard-feelings kind of way, but aside from that he’d kept his attention on the show. He’d moved on, his focus back to his brother and the auction and no doubt the woman who’d be enjoying his fantasy date.
And the longer Nicole stood there the more foolish she felt for backing out the way she had. She’d been having a good time doing something wild and spontaneous. She’d seen something she wanted and had decided to go for it.
For that moment, she’d been her old self again, and it felt good. She shouldn’t be standing here noting the fact that another woman would go home with her prize. She should be standing by the stage waiting for Mr. Delicious to come down and take her hand.
“There’s three thousand, do I have three thousand one hundred?” the auctioneer announced.
Two women held up hands leaving Nicole all but certain Todd would win. The auction hadn’t even slowed and already the price had neared the thirty-five hundred Devon went for.
“I’m sorry, but no date is worth that kind of money,” Eve said.
“Tell me about it,” Nicole murmured then vowed to believe it.
Eve was right. She shouldn’t be making such a big deal out of this. It was just a stupid date that would have cost her more money than she had at the moment. Instead of complaining she should be pleased she’d come to her senses when she had.
“I’ll throw in a dozen roses,” Todd said when the bid hit Devon’s, and when one woman raised her hand and made Todd the winner, the crowd erupted. With the bidding still going, he raised his arms in victory and did a happy dance on stage, leaving Devon rolling his eyes on the sidelines. A few more bids widened the margin before Todd’s date finally sold for three thousand eight hundred, relieving the two brothers from their presence on stage.
And of course, waiting by the stairs to be the first to claim her trophy was Ms. Cruella Skin-And-Bones. Nicole turned her attention to her notes, not interested in standing witness to the grand induction.
“Well, that was exciting,” Nicole said, trying to shake off her disappointment and move on with the evening. “They’ve raised over twelve thousand dollars so far and they’re only halfway through their list of bachelors.”
“I wonder if they’ve got any more dueling brothers,” Penny said. “That was amazing. If I wasn’t so broke, I would have gone after Todd. He’s almost as adorable as his brother.”
“Hopefully, we’ll get a lot of responses on the flyers the organizers are passing out to the winning bidders,” Nicole said, again trying to yank the discussion off Devon and onto something more pleasant.
“We should. Most people love the idea of getting on TV,” Eve said. “It wouldn’t surprise me to show up at the station Monday with a dozen voice mail messages.”
“I wonder how many people end up seriously involved after these dates. You know? Like, how many marriages come out of bachelor auctions,” Penny speculated.
The image of Devon and Cruella at the altar flashed in Nicole’s mind, making her seriously wish she’d left Penny at home tonight.
“Probably not many,” Penny added. “But I’ll bet the bulk of them end up at least doing it. I mean, you have to consider the odds and—”
“Can we stop talking about this, please?” Nicole took a breath, hoping to calm her aggravation when a familiar voice sounded behind them.
“I’m disappointed in you, Nicole. I thought I had my lead story for tomorrow’s broadcast.”
It was Stella Graves, The Grave Digger, as the crew at CATL-TV called her. Stella was the entertainment reporter for their rival television station, WTVU. Nicole should have known she’d be sniffing around at this auction tonight. The woman had managed to make a local celebrity of herself by nosing about town speculating on the comings and goings of prominent people in the city. Until recently, only Eve had been notable enough to get an occasional mention in Stella’s nightly gossip segments, and even then it was rare, most likely because WTVU wasn’t keen on giving publicity to its competitors.
But the lottery changed all that. If the win itself hadn’t been big enough news, the scandal created by Liza’s return made them all ripe pickings for anyone looking for a story. And Stella Graves had been right at the front of the pack.
“Granted,” Stella continued, “the friendly wager between the Bradshaw brothers might be a fun mention, but I’d been rooting for you to win. Atlanta would love to know their favorite lottery winners were spending their fortunes buying bachelors.”
Forcing a stiff smile, Nicole replied, “Sorry I couldn’t help you, Stella.”
The woman turned back to the stage and sighed from under the brim of her black felt hat. Part of Stella’s image was to look as though she’d just flown out from Hollywood, though Nicole had been there enough times to know few Hollywood locals actually dressed like her. In California, the wide-brimmed hats and rhinestones were more commonly found on drag queens and stage performers, though in all irony, Stella somehow made it work, coming across as more eccentric than foolish.
And be damned if Atlanta didn’t love her, which made the subjects of her nightly segments all that more annoyed.
Stella spoke through a huff and glanced toward Devon and Cruella. “That Abbey Westlaw certainly isn’t news. If I devoted my segments to all the men she dates, I wouldn’t have time to report on anything else.” She raised a brow and added, “Looks like your Devon will be the next notch on her bedpost, if he’s not there already. They do look as though they already know each other, wouldn’t you say?”
Nicole gritted her teeth and eyed Eve who shot a look that said let it go. They’d all dealt with Stella enough to know this was how she incited news for her segments. Push a few buttons and people were likely to say all kinds of things they’d find repeated on the next day’s taping.
