by K. C. Crowne
“Alright, easy over there.”
I glanced over her shoulder, taking a few moments to watch some of the guests file in. That was the nice thing about charity events, other than the fact that I actually felt good about the work – the types who went to them were a hell of a lot more manageable than teenagers.
“Are you seriously going to spend money on the auction?” I asked, returning my attention to her.
She shrugged and smiled. “I don’t know. I mean, I doubt I can afford the big trip to Vegas or whatever, but I can think of worse things to drop a few hundred bucks on than a dinner and, um, dessert.” She winked at me, knowing the limits of the auction but joking anyway.” Besides, it’s for a good cause.”
I laughed. “There’s an industrial-strength hose attachment back there in the kitchen. If you don’t take the horniness down a few notches, I’ll get Chef Bennet out here to spray you off.”
“Okay, Okay. But hey, a girl’s got to have her fun, right? Hell, you could stand to go out on a date every now and then.”
“Please,” I said, shaking my head. “Dating’s the last thing I have time for. And work’s satisfying enough for me.” I knew the words weren’t entirely truthful as soon as I’d spoken them, but the subject of my dating life was the last thing I wanted to get into during the most important night of my career thus far.
“Anyway,” Kenna said, giving me a playful shove. “It’s just for fun. Still, if you were to throw down a bid, I wouldn’t blame you.”
“Not going to happen,” I said. “Never in a million—”Right in the middle of my sentence, I glanced at the table, noticing that Gavin wasn’t there. “Are you kidding me?” I hissed under my breath, shaking my head.
“What?”
“We’ve got ten minutes before dinner starts and Dr. McDreamy’s MIA.”
Kenna glanced over at the table. “Yeah, you’re right – he is dreamy.”
“He’s a jerk is what he is.”
Kenna turned her attention to me, confusion on her face. “He’s a jerk? How do you know?”
Getting into my whole history with Gavin was the last thing I wanted to do right then. But at the same time, I didn’t want to lie. “I knew him in school. Total cocky jerk, thought he was better than everyone else.”
“Hell, when you look like he does, I can’t really blame him for being cocky.”
I needed to find him and make sure he was in his seat before the auction began. The last few guests were trickling in, and the serving staff was getting ready to plate serve the first course. It wasn’t the time for one of our auction pieces to wander off like a toddler in a toy store.
Before I could start looking for Gavin, I laid eyes on the man himself. He was at the bar, and I caught a good glimpse of him from behind. His scrubs were tight enough that the fabric clung to his round ass in such a way I couldn’t help but feel a rush of blood to my head…not to mention other places.
Then he turned, a glass of what appeared to be whiskey in one hand, a pair of champagne flutes in the other. He locked eyes with me, a crafty grin on his face that let me know he was up to something. It took all the restraint I had to not let my eyes drift down to check out just how well the fabric fitted the front of him.
“Wow,” Kenna breathed. “Those scrubs don’t really leave much to the imagination. I mean, not that I’m complaining.”
As glad as I was to see that he hadn’t gone far, I really wasn’t in the mood for chit-chat. But he looked like he had something on his mind, and he was headed right toward me.
“Hope you’re pacing yourself,” I said, flicking my eyes down to his whiskey. “Last thing we need is you getting hammered and making a scene, dancing around shirtless on a table.”
“Are you sure about that?” he asked, not fazed in the slightest by my comment. “I think that might help, ah, move the merchandise.”
“Don’t get any funny ideas,” I warned. “I’m running this thing like clockwork.”
“Right,” Kenna piped up. “Gia doesn’t appreciate improv.” She was trying to stay calm and professional, but I could tell Gavin’s presence, tall and towering and handsome, was flustering her.
“I brought you ladies some refreshments,” he said, handing one glass to Kenna and the other to me. “Figured you could use them.”
“Oh my God,” Kenna gushed, eagerly taking the glass. “You have no idea how much I’ve been craving this. Thank you so much Doctor, um…”
“Gavin,” he said, offering her his trademark winning smile, the kind that made little dimples form in his perfectly shaped cheeks. “Doctor isn’t necessary.”
“But it has such a nice ring to it,” Kenna said. “Doctor Gavin. Not to mention you really know just what prescription this patient needs.” She laughed musically before a quick snort.
I’d worked with Kenna long enough to know that snort was the sound of her getting flustered in the presence a guy she thought was totally hot. I’d also known Gavin long enough to understand that charm and smiles was the first step down a path that led to a broken heart. And he’d left many of those in his wake.
Including mine.
“Glad to hear it,” he said, still smiling. “And I hate to be rude, but would you mind if I had a talk with your boss for a moment?”
“Actually, I’ve got a million things to do right now, and talking to a man in a shrink-wrapped set of scrubs isn’t one of them,” I stated pointedly.
Still holding my drink and his, Gavin glanced down at his chest. “I guess they are a little tight around the pecs. Funny, I thought Duncan and I were the same size.”
“Well, I’ll let you guys chat,” Kenna interjected. “If you need me, I’ll be helping the stragglers find their seats.
“No,” I said, raising my hand to her as she headed off. “You don’t—”
But she winked over her shoulder as she twirled and headed to the front doors. I sighed, realizing there was no getting out of this conversation.
“She’s sweet,” Gavin observed.
“Do not get any ideas in your head,” I warned him, pointing at his chest. “She is sweet – sweet enough for me to not want her to get sucked into the orbit of Planet Gavin.”
“Planet Gavin,” he said, his eyes flashing as he grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
“It fits – planet-sized is how I’d describe your ego.”
He made an exaggerated expression, pretending he was hurt. “Come on now,” he cajoled. “First time we see each other in years and this is how you act? Gotta say – I’m wounded.”
I sighed. I was probably being a bit too harsh. “I’m just a little keyed-up right now.” I gestured around us, indicating the event.
“I get it,” he said, nodding. “Which is why I wanted to talk to you about something without taking up too much of your time.”
He handed me the drink, and I took it. As much as I still kinda-sorta wanted to dump the champagne over his head, I was pretty damn curious what had brought him over to me.
“What’s that?”
For a moment, his typical unflappable confidence faded and he appeared genuinely worried. But that only lasted a second. Whatever he wanted, it was serious. He cleared his throat and said, “It’s…kind of a sticky situation.”
“Lucky for you, sticky situations are where I excel. Comes with the business.”
“Then you’re just the person to help me out of this jam.”
“You’re in a jam? This I gotta hear.” I was really trying not to enjoy his discomfort too much.
“My…ex-wife is here.”
My eyes widened before narrowing. “Mariah?” I scanned the room, spotting her giant, blonde curls from a distance. She wasn’t on the guest list – must’ve been someone’s plus-one, which irked me.
“Yeah, Mariah. And despite her being remarried—”
“Remarried?” I asked with a snort. “What’s this, number seven?”
He grinned. “Actually, she informed me it’s only number four. But eith
er way, they’re evidently in the beginning stages of a divorce. And she’s trying to get her hooks back into me.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I saw Duncan and Annie approach the side stage, getting ready to go on. Looking at Gavin again, I spun my hand in a circle in the talk faster gesture.
“Long story short, she wants to bid on me.”
“Sounds like a you problem.”
“Oh, it’s most definitely a me problem. But I need your help.”
“Help how?”
“Bid on me.”
“What?” I squealed, rolling my eyes.
“Bid on me. I don’t care how much you need to spend – I’ll cover every last dollar.”
“You’re kidding. I can’t just…bid on you.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m running the event. I’m supposed to be working from behind the scenes, not getting involved in the festivities. Do you know how bad it would look if I got into some bidding war with a damn guest?”
“It’d look like you’re invested in the charity, like this isn’t just some event to you. And if you did get in a bidding war, so what? That’d mean more money for Duncan and Annie’s organization. Plus, it’s not like you have to do anything other than raise your paddle and make sure Mariah doesn’t bid more than you. Simple.”
I wasn’t comfortable with this for many reasons, mostly because I didn’t want to win a date with this man. “Gavin, I don’t know…”
“It’s perfect. And I’ll owe you big time.” Taking my answer as an agreement, he leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Thanks in advance, G,” he said, calling me the nickname he’d used when we were on friendlier terms. Then he turned and left, flashing me one more smile before he did.
As mad as I was, as frustrated as I might’ve been that’d he’d put me in a tight spot, there was something I couldn’t ignore.
His kiss had turned me on like fucking crazy.
Gavin
Okay, so maybe the kiss was a bad move.
I’d intended it as a polite thing, a “thanks a million, you’re the best,” sort of gesture. But the moment my lips touched her cheek, it was clear there was something much more than that. And I had the half-stiff cock to prove it. I cursed the scrubs for being too tight as I shuffled back to my seat, walking in a weird, sliding-step sort of way that allowed me to pull the waistband up and not let everyone around me see how excited I was.
But damn, that kiss. I’d had to use every damn bit of restraint within my power not to make the kiss something more, not to put my hands on those ripe, round hips and haul her in for something more passionate, a kiss that would lead to something else.
How the hell did she still make me feel that way after all these years? She was gorgeous, sexy, irresistible, sure, but there was something more.
Something deeper.
I slid into my open seat at the auction table, listening to the rest of the guys chatting and sipping drinks. The baseball coach, his shirt open and a whistle hanging between his bulging pecs, was in the middle of chatting with one of the waitresses.
Mariah had moved closer and was sitting a few tables away and flashing me a bright smile as she wiggled her fingers at me. As a man who’s been told I had a very high opinion of myself, I could recognize confidence when I saw it. And the look on Mariah’s face was that of a woman who was one hundred percent sure she was going to get exactly what she wanted.
But I had a secret weapon – I hoped.
A few women at the party made slow passes by the table, checking out the merchandise. A few of them were pretty, classy women who, in more normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have minded taking out for a weekend in Vegas. They seemed quite interested in me. I’d been around the block enough times to know the effect my blue eyes and chiseled everything had on women.
But none of them mattered. I smiled back to be polite, but there was only one woman on my mind. And she was the one woman who wanted so little to do with me I couldn’t even convince her to make a fake bid on me to save my ass from a weekend with one of the most cold-blooded women who’d ever stalked the earth.
I couldn’t blame her, really. Not after what had gone down between us.
The band’s music picked up, playing a lively tune as Duncan took the stage. The guy looked damn good in a tux. And he’d had a hell of a last few years. He was married, had an amazing kid and another on the way, and Pitt Medical Group was quickly becoming the name in professional medical services. The man had built an empire.
More importantly, he had a family he was crazy about and who he’d do anything for.
“Good evening, everyone,” he said, slipping one hand into his trouser pocket as he took the mic from the stand. “First and foremost – welcome. I truly can’t put into words how it makes me feel to see how many of Colorado’s biggest names attended this event. Thank you all so much, and please, give yourselves a round of applause.”
As he’d asked, applause broke out in the crowd, silenced only when Duncan raised his palm.
“And before we begin, I want to shine a bit of a spotlight on my lovely, brilliant, incredible wife Annie. She’s the reason you’re all here tonight. Her passion for children who need our help has made this charity come to life, and because of her heart and brains and ambition, Pitt Medical Group has become one of the biggest medical charitable organizations in the nation. If you all come away from tonight with just a bit more knowledge than you did before about how amazing she is, I’ll be one happy man. So please, let’s hear it for Annie.”
More applause broke out as Annie waved to the crowd, a sheepish but pleased smile on her face. Duncan gestured for her to come up on stage. She did, and he planted a kiss on her cheek, putting his arm around her shoulders and gesturing toward her, as if asking the crowd “can you believe I got this lucky?” They shared one more kiss before Annie took her leave.
I was happy as hell for those two. Love seemed like one of those things that only certain people found. And I sure as shit was not one of those people. Not like I was looking for love, however. My history with the subject had taught me that I didn’t really want to deal with love.
And as if the universe wanted to make the point for me, I spotted Mariah, her eyebrows flicking up as she waved the auction paddle toward me. I shook my head and turned my attention back to the stage. Duncan continued his speech, giving a moving little explanation of the importance of charity, how money wasn’t everything, and how being successful only mattered if it gave you the chance to give back.
Heartfelt stuff, and a bit of a surprise to hear it out of the mouth of a man who, at one point, only seemed to give a damn about being at the top of his field. Now he not only had that, but so much more.
“Now,” Duncan said, clapping his hands excitedly. “Let’s get to it – time to start the bidding!”
Applause sounded as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a small stack of notecards.
“Alright,” he said, switching over to auctioneer mode. “The first beefcake on the block is Jason Rickert, the coach for our own local baseball team, the Nickle Creek Crushers!”
Jason stood up and waved, doing a pantomime of swinging a baseball bat. Duncan gestured for him to come on stage, and he executed a slow job up the steps onto the stage.
“Let’s start the bidding at…one hundred dollars! Who wants to start for this real catch of a man?” His pun got some good-natured groan-laughs from the audience.
“One hundred!” called out a woman in the crowd.
And from there, it was off to the races. The bidding was fast and furious, the numbers going up, up, from one hundred to three hundred to five hundred then finally to a thousand. Bidding for Jason ended at twelve hundred – not a bad start.
“Next, we have Adam Elton, a volunteer firefighter for the local department, and if you’re not careful, ladies, the man who’s going to…” He grinned. “You know what? I’m not even going to get into the fireman puns – other than to say he might just start a f
our-alarm fire in your heart!”
More groan-laughs, and I couldn’t help but notice how much of a knack Duncan had for this emceeing thing.
Adam hopped up on stage, putting his hands on his hips and showing off that fireman physique. I did a quick scan of the crowd, making sure no women were passing out in their soup from the intensity of what they were watching. Jokingly, women were fanning themselves and throwing a hand on their foreheads as if faint, and I chuckled as I continued my scan through the room. As I looked, I accidentally laid eyes on Mariah, her own gaze narrowed, as if she couldn’t wait for the chance to make me hers in the only way she knew how – through underhanded bullshit.
I looked away quickly and spotted Gia. She was far in the back, leaning against the wall with a conflicted expression on her face. What she had in mind, I could only guess. But I sure as hell hoped she would help me out. God knew she liked Mariah probably even less than I did.
“Five-hundred!” Kenna shouted, raising her paddle to bid on Adam. Gia’s eyes lit up as she tossed an annoyed glance in Kenna’s direction. Kenna only grinned and shrugged, happily waving her paddle.
Her bid wasn’t the top for long. Some rich woman offered a thousand, ending the fireman’s run. Defeated, Kenna shoved her paddle into her purse, her fireman dreams extinguished. Adam walked off the stage proudly, and up after him was one of the musicians.
“Hope you’re ready to get rocked, ladies!” Duncan announced, laughing at his own joke. “Because we’ve got Cutter Powell, the lead singer of the Ravenettes! And rumor has it that he’s ready to pen his next hit in dedication to the woman who wins his bid tonight!”
Cutter pounced on the stage with the confidence of a man who’d done it a million times before. He stuck his tongue out, giving the devil horns sign with both hands, then grabbed the mic from Duncan’s hands.
“What the hell up Nickle Creeeek?” He wailed the words like he was about to launch into one of his hits.