Draining his ale before following the other bachelors, he tried to psych himself up for what he was sure would be one of the worst ways to start a new year. It’s for charity, a good—no, a great—cause. Lives are at stake here. Feeling decidedly better, Bas allowed himself to relax for the first time that evening.
~*~
MacKenzie and Ella stood off to the left side of the stage, watching the bidding frenzy. A total of six bachelors had already been auctioned; the couples were then escorted to the raised seating area, the guards expanded by two now. The bidding war currently taking place was winding down. A lady in blue took the prize with a final bid of £1,250. Shifting impatiently from one foot to the other, MacKenzie smiled when she saw him stepping into view. Finally, she thought, readying her paddle for bidding.
“Ma, there he is!” Excitement laced Ella’s words as her elbow found MacKenzie's ribcage.
“I can see that. Stop acting like a fool.” Glancing at the girl’s champagne glass, she had to ask, “Just how many of those have you had?”
“This is number three, I think.” She scrunched up her face in thought. “Yes. Rudy has brought me three.”
“You should make it your last.” The auctioneer’s talking drew her attention back to her prize on stage. “And who is Rudy?”
“The waiter from earlier this evening. Do try to keep up,” she said with a playful sass. “Oh look, the bidding is going to start.”
“Do I have an opening bid of £250?”
Raising her paddle slowly had MacKenzie increasing the bid to £300. A counter bid of £350 quickly came next. Within a few short minutes, the bid had risen to £600 with just two other ladies competing against MacKenzie.
“£750.” MacKenzie was not playing games.
“£800,” a red-haired woman countered, giving MacKenzie a death glare.
“£900.” She took a step forward, giving the redhead a death glare of her own.
“£1000.” It was just down to MacKenzie and Big Red now as the third bidder bowed out.
“£1250.” MacKenzie was not going to lose.
“£1500.”
“£1700,” MacKenzie spoke forcefully, taking yet another step forward, shoulder to shoulder with her competition.
“£1850,” announced the chick next to her.
With what she hoped was her final bid, MacKenzie walked as close to the stage as security allowed. Looking into her bachelor’s eyes and raising her paddle, she spoke firmly. “£2500.”
Her bachelor smiled brightly, mouthing the words thank you. His gratitude confusing her for a few moments, she almost missed the auctioneer declaring her the winner. She turned toward Ella, confirmed they’d meet up for the fireworks at midnight, then walked away to claim her prize.
~*~
The relief Sebastian felt as that hammer sounded the final and winning bid was beyond measure. He had not realized that short five minutes of stress had caused an ache in his jaw from clenching his teeth. His palms were a bit sweaty, and his heart was racing, all indicators he was far more worried than he ought to have been. Approaching the front of the stage, he saw her waiting. The look of triumph on her face was breathtaking as he formally introduced himself.
“Good evening. So nice to see you again. My name is Sebastian McBain.”
“Hello again. I’m MacKenzie Jenkins.” With a not-so-innocent smile, she asked, “So you wanna get a drink?”
“I’d love to.” He placed a hand on the small of her back. “But first, I believe we’re to follow this lady here.”
At that first touch to her back, Sebastian felt a shiver run through him, the same shiver he’d felt earlier when he’d held her for the brief moment of impact at the lift. It had taken the strength of Thor to release her rather than push her against the wall, start with a passionate kiss, and stop short of taking her there and then. His twitching cock expressed its approval. Down, boy. Not yet. Glancing down at MacKenzie, he had a nice view of her ample cleavage, and his cock twitched once again. This is going to be a long night, Bas thought to himself as they arrived at a small table.
Cream linen, pale yellow roses, and tapered candles gave the small space a romantic feel. Allowing his hand to lightly pass over her ass, he fought to not squeeze it. Instead, Sebastian opted for pulling out her chair and acting like a gentleman for now. Taking his own seat, he saw her sister waving in their direction.
“Your sister is trying to catch your attention.” He indicated with a nod.
A confused expression crossed MacKenzie's face. “I don’t have a sister.” She glanced over her shoulder. “That’s my daughter, Ella.”
Sebastian sat in stunned silence, his mouth working as if searching for words. He finally blurted out, “Your daughter? How old were you when you gave birth? Ten?”
With a light laugh, she responded, “No, I was twenty-five. At age ten, I was playing with baby dolls, not having babies, just to be clear.” Her bright green eyes twinkled with amusement.
His eyes shifted between the two ladies. “How old is she?”
“Ella just turned twenty this year.” She straightened a bit, and her voice seemed to take on an edge.
He was shocked. “You’re forty-five.”
“So you’re not just a pretty face. You can do simple math too. Good for you!” Her tone oozed sarcasm.
Throwing back his head, Bas let out a hearty laugh. “Okay, I deserved that. I’m sorry, you just . . .” He allowed his gaze to scan her body, pause briefly at her breasts, then return to her face. “Well, it was unexpected.” He gave a coy grin.
He clasped her left hand in his, running his thumb along her finger and coming in contact with a small rose-gold ring with three stones set in the center of the band. He briefly wondered about its origin with the stones being three different colors. Sebastian cleared his throat before meeting her eyes with his.
“So tell me about yourself. Tell me all about the beautiful MacKenzie Jenkins.”
“Did he just call me beautiful?”
“Yes, I did.” His voice was full of amusement.
“Fuck! I didn’t mean—” A disgruntled groan escaped as she buried her face in her hands for a moment. She peeked up. “Well, you don’t have to look so smug about it.”
Taking a deep breath, she continued, “So you want to know all about me? Are you sure? It’s a long story with a sad ending. Why don’t you go first? Tell me all about the amazing mathlete that is Sebastian McBain. It was McBain, right?” She sat back expectantly, sounding bored. It seemed like she was buying time to recover from her blunder, but she didn’t need it. Her awkwardness was endearing.
“All right. I’m forty-eight, and I’m a model, mostly for advertising, but I have done some runway work throughout my career. I’ve been divorced a year now. I’m currently exploring my options for the future.” Again, his wandering eyes lingered over her body. “I had not planned to come here this evening. The event planner is a friend of mine. She was down a bachelor and needed help. I must say, I was dreading this evening until now.” Relaxing back in his seat, he crossed his legs, looked to MacKenzie, and waited.
~*~
“Oh, my turn now.” She took a deep breath. “Well, as you so brilliantly summed up, I’m forty-five. I have been a widow for five years now—”
His face softened and there was a look of sadness in his eyes. “I’m very sorry. Were you married long?”
A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed and willed herself onward. “Ah, erm . . . yes. We were married for twenty years. I, erm . . .” She took a shaky breath. “We—Jason and I—met in high school and married a few years after I graduated. We have three children. Jason Jr. is twenty-seven, and he married his partner, Matthew, a year ago. Samuel is twenty-six and engaged to a lovely woman named Candace. They have not set a date as of yet. Ella is twenty, but you knew that already. I own a book café. We’re about to celebrate ten years come June. I, like you, didn’t want to come tonight. However, I was convinced to give it a try in an a
ttempt to move on and perhaps start dating again.” She stopped her rambling to give him a chance to reply.
“A book café? That sounds interesting. What, exactly, is a book café?” he asked with an easy smile and casual tone.
Relaxing back against her chair, she was in her comfort zone now. “Basically, it’s a small coffee house. We serve a wide variety of coffees, along with freshly baked pastries. Ella does some baking at the café. She’s studying to become a pastry chef. The decor resembles more of a bookshop than café; our customers are encouraged to enjoy a book with their coffee. There are also ‘take one or leave one’ shelves set about the café. It’s the same idea as ‘take a penny, leave a penny’, except with books.” She shrugged, knowing she was beginning to ramble again, a nervous habit she couldn’t rid herself of.
“That sounds amazing. I’d love to see it sometime.”
A mildly uncomfortable silence fell over them, neither sure how to proceed. MacKenzie shifted nervously in her seat, her thoughts racing. What the hell am I doing? I shouldn't be here. I’m so not ready for this. She could feel her heart pounding, her breath quickening. Say something, anything. She fought the urge to run. She was in flight mode, and there was no fight to give. She just needed to be gone as fast as her little feet could carry her, but then . . .
Sebastian took her hand, pulling her attention away from the racing thoughts. MacKenzie's gaze slowly drifted from their hands upward, landing at those mesmerizing aquamarine eyes. Feeling the tension slowly leave her body, she let out a content sigh. How does he do that? How does one touch just make everything better? It didn’t matter. She was all right now. She’d worry about the what-ifs, the hows, and the whys later. Tonight she was just going to let go and do something different.
~*~
“Tell me, MacKenzie.” He leaned across the table. “What would you be doing tonight if you were not here at this charity ball?”
“Truthfully?” She leaned forward too. “I’d be up in my suite wearing sweats and a tee, drinking my way through a twelve pack while watching the Patriots game. That would be my choice of how to spend this evening.” She sighed.
Sebastian couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. She would rather sit around drinking beer and watching sport? He couldn’t have heard her correctly, but he had. She was a unicorn! Not one woman he had been with had ever shown the slightest interest in sport, yet here was this beautiful, sexy, smart, funny lass wanting nothing more than to drink a beer and watch American football. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “What if we can make that happen—find a place to watch the game? Would you like that?” His mind raced with where they could go. Remembering the bar he’d spotted on his way in tonight, he had his plan set.
“Seriously? Hell yes! Let’s go.” She grabbed her clutch, then his hand, tugging playfully. “Come on. The game, beer, fun.” There was a mischievous look in her eyes as her voice pitched high, clearly excited by the turn of events. “We just have to be back before the fireworks. I promised Ella we’d watch them together. Okay?”
A quick nod was all she needed, then they were walking away together, hand in hand. He’d promise her anything just to keep her near.
Chapter 4
Breaking out of the ballroom, Bas tore up the floor with his long strides. MacKenzie came to an abrupt halt. The mischievous look from moments before was replaced with one of annoyance.
“Would you kindly take smaller steps? I’m not a fan of running in high heels.” A look of pure displeasure marred her face.
“Sorry. I was just excited to find a lass that likes sport.” He tried to dazzle her with a smile and a wink. “You are a rare find.”
“Uh, thank you?”
“You’re welcome. I promise to proceed at a more reasonable pace.”
“Great. Baby steps would be awesome.” Her gaze traveled the length of his legs. “You do have quite the advantage, don’t you think?” Her eyes regained their earlier sparkle, and her grin was playful.
Laughing hard, he purposely took the smallest steps he could, barely moving at all. Hearing a somewhat exasperated groan from MacKenzie, he glanced over to find her rolling her eyes. Dropping his hand, she walked on at her own pace. Bas enjoyed the view of her backside while following a pace or two behind her before catching her hand again and leading the way to the bar.
He couldn’t help thinking again just how different Ms. MacKenzie Jenkins was compared to every other woman he’d ever been with. She was fun, easygoing, feisty without the bitchiness, and beautiful. And she’s only here for holiday. A feeling of disappointment hit him like a ton of bricks. Of course, she’s geographically unavailable. But what if . . .
His thoughts stopped there as they made their way to the bar. The bartender arrived to take their orders.
“Do you have Bud Light?” she asked. “Oh! Is there any way you can put an NFL game on from the states? It’s the New England Patriots and New York Jets that I’m hoping to watch.” MacKenzie smiled.
The bartender leaned toward her. “I have Bud Light in a bottle. I will look for the game.” He returned her smile with his own seductive grin. “And for you, sir?” he managed to ask Bas without taking his eyes off MacKenzie.
“I’ll have a pint of Guinness,” Bas replied, his tone full of displeasure. He grasped MacKenzie’s hand in his, gently caressing the back with his thumb.
With a nod, the bartender turned to the television, changing the channel before proceeding to fill their order. Sebastian looked around the room spotting an empty table close to the telly hanging on the wall. “There’s a table over there we can sit at.”
“Oh, great. Thanks so much for thinking of this. I really wanted to see this game. The division championship is on the line.”
“It’s nae bother, I don’t mind watching sport. You might recall my early excitement on the way over here.” He winked at her and turned to pay for their drinks. “I’ve got that.”
“No, I’ll just sign it to the room.” She glanced over her shoulder with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “You can buy breakfast in the morning.”
Once they were seated at the tall table, MacKenzie turned and focused on the game. Sebastian tried to follow along with the final seconds of the second quarter. New York had the ball in a third-and-five situation, and the score was tied ten-ten. The ball was snapped and the quarterback dropped back for a pass. A defensive player exploded through the offensive line straight for the quarterback, taking him down for a six-yard loss. The whistle sounded, ending the first half of play. When the halftime analyst began, Sebastian tried to make conversation with MacKenzie.
“So, who are we rooting for?” His eyes flicked between her face and the screen.
“The Patriots, silver helmets and blue shirts.”
“Right, got it. So are you from New England?” he asked, trying desperately to gain her attention.
She picked up her beer. “Yes, I live in Dartmouth.” She took a drink, still not looking at him.
Blowing out a frustrated breath, Bas replayed what she had just said. Where did she say she was from? It kind of sounded like “Dahamyth,” an odd-sounding name if you asked him. Clearing his throat, he spoke again. “Where did you say you were from? Dahamyth? Does that translate into ‘the myth’ or something like that?”
That got MacKenzie's attention. Turning in her seat to face him, a look of utter dismay on her face, she repeated herself. “Dartmouth. I don’t know what it translates into, but I don’t think there is a myth involved.” Turning back to the television and taking another drink, she relaxed against the back of her chair.
“How can there be no myth when ‘myth’ is right there in the name?” His eyebrows drew together in thought.
“What? There is no ‘myth’ in the word! Dartmouth, D-A-R-T-M-O-U-T-H, Dartmouth! You guys have one here, down along the coast just past Plymouth.” Waving her hand in an unknown direction, she looked at him like he was not too bright after all.
“Dartmouth? That’s wha
t you were saying? Oh no, you did not say ‘Dartmouth.’ What you said sounded more like ‘daha myth’. And by the way, it’s Plymuth, not Plymyth.” Feeling vindicated, he took up his glass and drained the last of its contents.
“Seriously? You wanna give me shit about my accent? Dude, you can thank BBC America, Outlander, Shrek, and Braveheart for me understanding you!”
With a roar of laughter, he said, “Oh hell, this is the best first date ever.”
“I’m glad you’re amused. Now hush up, the game is back on.”
With another laugh, he said, “I promise to be a good boy while the game is on.”
Something Different Page 3