“It will fit you. There might be a little more cleavage than you like to show, but hey … maybe it will get you some extra donations.”
It was too late for me to argue with her; I was just going to have to suffer through whatever I looked like. I didn’t have the luxury of being demure about it; I had to be on stage in fifteen minutes.
I quickly slipped into the dress, and Beth did some magic on my hair and face with no time to spare. As I walked down the hallway toward the stage, I couldn’t stop looking at my cleavage and hoping my boobs were going to behave themselves while I was on stage. The thin white fabric barely covered all the necessary areas and plunged deep down my back as well. It was nothing that I would have picked out for myself, and I couldn’t even imagine that Beth had picked it out for herself.
“Where were you going to wear this dress?” I laughed as I prepared to go on stage.
“I was going to embellish it and wear it for a wedding dress some day.”
“Oh, my gosh, Beth. This is not a wedding dress.” I laughed. “Please promise me you won’t wear it on your wedding day.”
“Why? Because you want to wear it?” She laughed too.
“Yes, exactly; I really want to wear it when I get married.” We both laughed as I waited for the announcement and time for me to head to the stage. “Thanks for getting me this, though. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Me either.”
“Without further ado, I’d like to welcome the woman behind all of this, Miss Kristina Masters!” Maxine said, and the crowd cheered like they knew who I was.
As I walked out onto the stage, I instantly felt all the eyes in the room staring at my breasts. There wasn’t a thing I could do about it, though, so I tried to harness all the pretend actress energy I could.
“That’s a smoking hot dress,” Maxine said softly in my ear as we hugged.
I had to laugh. Only a celebrity like her would think this dress was appropriate for a charity event. I would have even turned heads at the Oscars with how low cut the dress was. I said a little thank you for all my workouts and being too busy to eat junk food the last few weeks as I prepared for the event. I certainly didn’t look horrible in the dress and even had to admit I looked pretty damn good.
“Hello everyone, I’m so happy to have you here for our annual Girls Tech gala. Tonight, I hope you enjoy all the entertainment, food, and make sure to bid on the silent auction items. At the end of the evening, we will have some very special items up for auction that I know you’ll want to break those checkbooks out for. Now let’s watch a little glimpse into some of the amazing programs we put together this year.”
I stepped to the side while the video played and looked out at the audience to see who all had come to our event. If just a few celebrities and bigwig New Yorkers showed up, there was a chance we’d be able to get the donation money we needed.
For the next hour, I took turns talking to the crowd and mingling among them. We had a comedian and local band, as well as a headliner band, play a few songs. We had plenty of people bidding on the silent auction items and even a few people who seemed very interested in the main auction that was coming later in the night.
“Kristina,” Beth said as she pulled me aside behind the main curtain to the stage. “I need to talk to you.”
“I can’t right now; I’ve got to lead the main auction. Let’s talk when it’s done,” I said as I started to walk away.
“But, Kristina …”
“Beth, when I’m done.”
Whatever she had to tell me could certainly wait until after our big finale. I had five large ticket items that we were auctioning off, and they were going to mean the difference between hitting our goals or not. I had to give the auction my full attention.
“Alright everyone, are you ready for the big event?” I asked as I stood at center stage and addressed the audience. “We have a few really amazing items up for auction, and I want to see you giving as much as you can. The first item we have is a genuine signed print of The Weeping Woman by Pablo Picasso. That’s right, the real thing here. This is from the private collection of Maxine’s good friend, Dean Morrison. I don’t even want to start this bidding out with a number smaller than seven hundred thousand dollars.”
“Seven hundred thousand dollars,” I heard a woman yell out.
“We have seven hundred; do I hear seven hundred and fifty thousand?”
“Yes, seven fifty,” another woman yelled.
The bidding went on and on until it had reached a a million dollars before it finally sold. My heart pounded with the excitement of it all. I couldn’t believe how much it had gone for, and I couldn’t wait to see what our next item was going to sell for.
“Next, we have a trip anywhere in the United States on a private jet; this is a round trip experience, and you can bring up to ten people with you.”
The bidding for the private plane went over and ended at nearly one hundred thousand dollars. I continued with the evening of auction items that included a red Ferrari donated by a professional baseball player, a dinner with a famous musician, and our final item was a photo shoot with Maxine.
“Okay, now that’s what I call an auction,” I announced as we closed out the bidding and I glanced at my dress to make sure it was still covering all my important parts.
“Wait, we have one more item,” Maxine said as she slipped through the back curtain and onto the stage with me.
I was confused, and I probably looked really confused. I just stared at her as she grabbed the mic and took over the auction from me.
“I had a last minute addition to the auction, and I just couldn’t turn it down. In fact, we managed to get it here in the building for you all, and I think it will really amaze you. Our last item up for bid is a 2017 royal blue Lexus GS F convertible!”
The crowd went crazy as the large red curtains of our stage were pulled back, and the blue convertible drove out to the center of the stage. I knew that car, it was the same one Merrick and I had ridden in through Sonoma for the wine tasting. It was a beautiful car, and I could only hope that it would bring in some seriously large donation.
“Kristina, I’ll hand this back over to you so you can bring in our final donations of the night. Let’s make sure we are giving everything we can for the girls of our communities,” Maxine said as she handed me back the microphone.
“Oh, um. Yes, well as you can see we have a very beautiful new convertible. 2017, yes, and it’s got tan leather, and um … okay, let’s just start the bidding at one hundred thousand,” I said as I tried to pull myself together.
I walked around the convertible, and it looked exactly like the one Merrick and I had been in. The leather was identical, the smell so familiar to me. I could have sworn it had been delivered right from California to our stage.
“One hundred thousand,” a man’s voice said from the back of the crowd.
“Okay, we have one hundred; do I hear one fifty?” I asked.
“One fifty,” a woman near the front yelled.
“Two hundred,” the man in the back countered again.
“Three hundred,” the woman in the front yelled again.
“Okay, now we have some action. Do I hear three fifty from the gentleman in the back?”
There was no answer, and I couldn’t see the man, but I heard a bit of a commotion going on toward the back of the room. I tried to move out of the spotlight so I could get a better look, and just as I finally got my eyes to focus, I realized who it was.
“Four million dollars,” Merrick said as his bright blue eyes smiled up at me from the middle of the room. His impeccable black tuxedo fit in well with the crowd, but he still stood out as he looked up at me.
I swallowed hard and looked at the woman who had been bidding against him. She just shrugged her shoulders in defeat. It was obvious she wasn’t willing to go against Merrick’s gigantic number.
“Okay, well we have four million going once …”
; “Wait, I have one requirement,” Merrick yelled as he continued walking toward the stage. “You have to go out with me too.”
The crowd erupted in laughs and clapping at his suggestion. I looked back at Maxine who seemed utterly amused by the whole situation, but I was still really confused. I hadn’t heard from Merrick at all since our fight. What the heck was he doing showing up at my fundraiser and willingly giving so much money to my cause?
“Um, that’s not really part of the deal.”
“Oh, well then I take my bid back. You can have the lovely automobile,” he said to the woman who had been bidding against him.
The crowd groaned at my refusal of him and his withdrawal of his bid. There was nothing I could do. I had to accept his offer.
“Fine, I’ll go out with you,” I said reluctantly.
“Okay then.” He laughed and turned toward the crowd who cheered him on. “There’s one other think that I’d like to add to my bid. And you’re going to have to accept it if you want my money for this car.”
“Well, that’s all we have for tonight. Everyone, please stick around and enjoy the entertainment, desserts, and drinks. We appreciate you all and thank you for your support.”
After a moment of applause, I hustled behind the stage where Beth, September, and Maxine were all standing there with huge smiles on their faces. It was clear they had known about what was happening long before I had.
“What the heck is going on here?”
“Well, I think you just met your fundraising goal,” September said as she shrugged her shoulders like she had no idea what I was talking about.
“Yep, I think she did,” Maxine repeated.
“Yeah, it sounded like she hit her goal to me,” Beth added.
“What the heck are you three up to?” I asked as I looked at the guilty expressions on all of their faces.
“I think they are just being good friends,” I heard Merrick say from behind me. “You’re a lucky lady to have women like this willing to stick up for you.”
As I turned around, I saw Merrick standing there in a perfectly pressed black tuxedo and a white pocket square. He was holding two dozen white roses and smiling from ear to ear.
“Wait, you were all in on this?” I asked as I turned back to the three women, but they had all disappeared and left me standing there alone with Merrick behind the curtain.
Chapter 13
Merrick
“I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner,” I said as I handed her the roses. “I couldn’t figure out what to say.”
Kristina looked like a movie star in her elegant white dress. I had already talked with her friend Beth and coordinated my outfit with hers, but I couldn’t have anticipated just how stunningly beautiful she was going to be. Her red hair was pulled up and showed off the curve of her neck. The plunging neckline enticed my imagination with all the memories of her delicious body.
“You just spent four million dollars for a car,” Kristina said with a smile. “That’s got to be some sort of record.”
“Actually, I also got a date with it, so I’m comfortable with how much I donated.”
“I would have gone out with you again; you just had to call. I’m sorry …”
I grabbed her and kissed her before she could finish her sentence. There was no more of that nonsense. I knew now that she hadn’t intended it to be some sort of trickery, and I didn’t want the moment to be marred by the back and forth of apologies.
Her body pressed away from me for a moment before she let herself lean fully into me. She still cared for me; I felt it in her lips, and I felt it in how her arms reached up and around my neck. There was an instant relief as I realized we were going to get through this. No matter what else happened, I knew we were going to be together.
The feeling of her soft lips against mine filled my mind with memories. The chemistry between us was electric and even stronger than it had been while we were together on the airplane. This girl was mine. No questions about it; I wanted her more in that moment than I had ever wanted any other woman.
“You don’t apologize. I need to apologize,” I started as I pulled her off into a corner. “I was a jerk. A huge jerk. You were right; I know you. I know you didn’t keep that a secret because you were trying to get my money. I know this deep down, and I’m sorry it took me so long to come out with it.”
“Okay,” she said with a small smile.
“Okay? That’s it?” I laughed.
“Yep. I accept your apology.”
“There is one other thing,” I said as I tried to look a little sad. “I talked with Maxine, and she is going to shut down her charity. It didn’t really matter how much money you raised. I think she actually gave you that benchmark so she would have an excuse to close. She didn’t think you’d actually reach it.”
“What? But I did reach it. We will have plenty of money to fund this year,” I said as we walked to a quiet spot near the back of the hallway behind the stage.
“I think she was tired of her social quest and wanted to get back to being a socialite.”
“So I’m out of a job? Crap that kind of sucks right before Christmas.”
“Actually, I have my own tech education charity, and I’m going to work with Maxine and merge the two. I’ve got some great connections with the Boys and Girls Clubs, and I think we can get the programs into all of the clubs throughout the country.”
“Wow, that’s amazing, Merrick. That’s really awesome. I believe all kids should have access to learning code; it is the future.”
“I’m glad you are so passionate about it because I’d like to ask you to run the organization for me as my CBO.”
Kristina looked excited but also seemed very concerned about what I had just said to her. I knew it was a long shot that after all we had been through she would want to work with me. Even if we did decide to continue dating, it was probably not the best idea to work together too. But I would be busy with my investment firm, and she could head the charity. Even if we had a falling out, which I didn’t think we would, I trusted that she would be a strong leader for the charity.
“I don’t know …” she started to say.
“You don’t have to make your mind up right now. There’s a lot to figure out still, and Maxine and I will go through all those details; just say you’ll think about it. Say you’ll at least give it a thorough look when we come together with all the details.”
“I was going to say I don’t know what a CBO is.” Kristina laughed.
“Oh, it’s the Chief Business Officer. Basically, I’d have to be the CEO since it’s in my name, but you’d run the day to day operations of everything.”
“I don’t know. It’s probably not a good idea for me to work with you.”
My heart sank. It sunk lower than I thought was humanly possible. She had kissed me back; I felt it. I could tell she still had feelings for me; there was no way she could deny that. But I wasn’t going to fight her about this; if she didn’t think being around me was a good idea, then that was how it had to be.
“I understand,” I said reluctantly. “Thank you for all you did to organize this. It’s a very worthy cause. I’m sure I’ll find someone to run the organization. I better get going.”
Kristina grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward her. She held onto me tight as her eyes looked like she was about to cry.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to work with someone I love,” she managed to get out before the tears started to roll down her face.
“You love me?” I said as I grabbed her into my arms.
“Yes.”
“Well, then we can figure everything else out! I don’t care. I’ll hire someone else to run it if I have to!”
Kristina wrapped her arms tight around me as I held onto her with all my strength. No matter what was ahead of us, I didn’t plan on letting her go. The way I felt with her in my arms was more powerful than anything else I had experienced. She was mine, and together we were going to live one
damn happy life.
***
“Let’s go, people; we have the board meeting in two minutes,” Kristina hollered as she walked quickly down the hallway.
Her high stiletto heels clicked on the floor, and I couldn’t help smiling as I watched her walk past me. The fitted business suit she had on was professional, yet I knew every inch of what was underneath it and couldn’t stop thinking about what I was going to do to her when we got home that night.
“Let’s go; you know we’ll get in trouble if we are late,” I said to September as the two of us walked toward the boardroom. “Are you excited for the meeting?”
“No way … I never know what to expect in these things. I’m nervous.”
“Even with Kristina being in charge?” I laughed. “She loves you. There’s nothing to be nervous about,” I said as I held onto the blue Tiffany and Company box in the pocket of my blazer.
I was going to propose to Kristina at dinner that night. I had it all planned out and couldn’t wait for our workday to be over with. I bought the biggest rock I could find in the store. The emerald cut diamond practically glittered right through the box it was so big.
“No, Merrick, she loves you. I’m just that quirky coworker who she kind of likes. She’ll still tear me up if I’ve done something wrong.”
“Let’s go, guys, find a seat. We have a lot to talk about.”
The room was filled with all our staff and volunteers. Kids Tech had gone from a small dream of an organization to a full-fledged operation within one year thanks to all the work of Kristina and her staff. She really knew how to run things and took control from day one.
It had been a bit of a battle to convince her to run things, but the more we talked about the organization, the more I saw her passion and knew she had to be in charge of things. Our relationship had been solid throughout the growth of the organization too; that was something she had really been worried about.
“So let’s get started. First off, I want to thank all the volunteers for everything you’re doing. We have received some pretty amazing praise e-mails, and I’d like to read some of those first before we go any further.”
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