by Raina Wilde
It wasn't long before he was forced to abandon this train of thought, though. He heard the sound of the door opening… and sure enough, there was Christy in the doorway. Predictably, she looked incredible; her fair blonde hair was pulled up into a pretty up-do, and she was wearing a form-fitting silver sequin dress that shone against her warm, tan skin. It suited her, not least because it wasn't at all like the over-modest clothes she usually chose to wear.
Graham supposed she had never dared to dress this way before for fear of her father's wrath. It was a shame it had to be that way, but at least she had her independence now – and Christy did wear her freedom very well.
Christy looked about as nervous as Graham felt, though Graham would wager that the young woman wasn't doing as good a job of hiding it. Her eyes darted around the restaurant, impatient as she tried to work out who had won her auction. It didn't take long for her eyes to land on Graham. As nobody else in the room was sitting alone at their table, it couldn't be anybody else. A thick blush fell across Christy's pretty face, and she crossed over the room to take the seat opposite Graham.
Maybe it was weird to feel this way, but Graham found her especially attractive when she was all shy like this.
“Hello, Mr. Sullivan. ”
“You know you can call me Graham, ” he assured Christy, sipping at his water to try and keep himself calm. He really needed to come across confident now, like he really knew what he was doing. Graham wanted her to know she was in safe and friendly hands.
“And you know I'm Christy, ” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. Her cheeks were still tinged pink with exhilaration, or shyness, or… whatever it was the blonde was feeling. Graham would certainly understand if it was humiliation. He, too, could feel the eyes of the rest of the restaurant on both of them, and he could have sworn the volume of conversation around them had dropped. “I'd say it's nice to meet you, but. . . ”
Graham smiled. “I suppose we've never met properly, outside of the groceries. ”
“Well, then, it is nice to meet you. ”
They exchanged a smile. As embarrassing as this was, Graham knew he had done the right thing in making this bid. It may be early days, but every second he spent in Christy's company only made him want her more. If she was flushing this badly now, Graham could only imagine what she'd look like when they slept together – the way the blush would spread across the back of her shoulders, and perhaps even in her thighs…
It was probably best not to think about that right now.
“It's nice to meet you too, ” he managed. “And I guess dinner's on me. ”
“It seems that way, ” said Christy, smile widening and turning a little sheepish. “That was, um… quite some amount. And out of nowhere…? ”
Graham knew that, of course. Maybe it seemed stupid or over-eager to up the bidding to $50, 000 so quickly. It probably wouldn't have reached that amount if he had just let the other bidders run their course and then beat them out at the end. Still, he would justify it to Christy the same way he had justified it to himself. “I think that's a fair balance between what I can afford, and what I think it's worth. ”
“That's… a very generous estimation. ”
“Really? ” said Graham, hiding behind his glass of water again. He hoped that Christy hadn't realized he was doing that. It was stupid for a 30-year-old man to feel this shy or self-conscious. He just wanted to win Christy's approval. “In that case, I'd say you're undervaluing yourself. ”
Christy flushed again, seeming to almost squirm in her seat. “There are lots of other young girls out there. ”
“Sure, ” said Graham. “All valuable. Some more so than others. ”
After all, he didn't mean to imply that he'd pay $50, 000 for just anybody. He wouldn't. The young woman serving them water was around Christy's age, and though she wasn't unappealing, Graham certainly wouldn't have stumped up that amount of money to sleep with her. He wouldn't have paid to sleep with most people.
Honestly, he might never have looked twice at Christy that way if it hadn't been for the taboo and the confidence of trying to sell her virginity in the first place, but now here they were, and already his attraction had wormed its way into him and spread. Now, it was so much more than that. Graham liked the way she worried her lip with her teeth; he liked the way she talked with her hands, and how her eyes lit up when she agreed with a person, regardless of how trivial the subject of that agreement was.
She was beautiful and whole – and Graham couldn't wait to make her come.
Their conversation over dinner steered in different directions. It was as though they hadn't met under auction circumstances at all; they covered topics as broad as the musical performances at the town fair and world politics. Graham didn't know much about anything going on outside of the US, and even on a national level his knowledge was limited, but Christy's world seemed to extend so far beyond her own fingertips that it was no wonder she felt compelled to get out of this small town. She already lived beyond it in her head, and Graham couldn't help but be impressed.
By the time they reached dessert, the restaurant had almost entirely filtered out around them, apparently bored of hearing the pair discuss movies and the weather instead of their upcoming sexual congress. Graham much preferred it this way. There was less pressure on both of them now, and he felt that both he and Christy could be less on edge without so many ears and eyes prying in.
With that extra privacy, though, came a new kind of pressure. It had been so much easier to talk about anything but the auction for the past hour or so, but now they had to cycle round to the elephant in the room – and Graham could tell that Christy felt as awkward as he did about it.
He cleared his throat. “So. Plans…? ”
“I kept my evening clear, ” said Christy. That was thoughtful of her, but Graham could sense a tension in her voice that he felt uncomfortable with. Clearly, the thought of spending that cleared-out evening having sex with Graham was making her nervous, and that absolutely wasn't Graham's intention in the least.
“Hey, I'm in no rush, ” he said, eager to quell those nerves. “It doesn't have to be tonight. ”
“No? ” said Christy. She sounded hopeful, and that only cemented Graham's thinking.
“Of course not, ” Graham confirmed. “We've had a nice night tonight. ”
“Absolutely. ”
“So – maybe you'd rather get to know me a little better first, ” Graham suggested, and then stumbled over himself to clarify. “I mean… it's your decision. I'm not trying to… you know. Drag it out, or get more time with you than I've paid for. That's not what I'm thinking here. ”
Christy smiled, shuffling her chair in closer to the table. “I know that, Graham. I'd never accuse you of that. ”
That smile was so bright and sincere that Graham couldn't help but get lost in it for a moment, pleased that she didn't think he was some sleaze or creep. “It's really just about what makes you most comfortable. That's my main concern. ”
“Well, I appreciate that, ” said Christy. “I really do. And honestly, I… I think you're right. I think I'd feel a little better if we took our time. ”
“Then it's settled. ”
They smiled at each other, and it seemed that a mutual weight had been lifted from them. Graham hadn't realized how nervous he'd gotten, but as soon as the pressure of fucking her tonight was lifted, he certainly felt a lot better. Judging by the look on Christy's face, she felt an awful lot better too.
“Maybe we can meet again in a few days' time. See how we feel. ”
Christy nodded, blonde hair bouncing around her ears. “Okay. That sounds great. Same time, same place…? ”
“Actually, ” said Graham, “I was hoping we could try something else. This turned out to be a little, ah. . . ” he trailed off, and cleared his throat. “I don't know. Didn't you feel kind of like you were in a zoo of some kind? ”
Christy laughed, big blue eyes twinkling. God, she was p
retty. “Yeah, actually. You could say that. ”
“Maybe instead I could drive us down the river? We could bring something to eat. Spend a little time like that. ”
It was strange for Graham to feel this talkative. Usually, he was quite abrupt and quiet in conversation, preferring to answer questions with quick, short sentences. With Christy, however, he felt himself compelled to talk more and more – to suggest things. To express himself. To impress her. He'd never felt this way with his ex-wife, Charlotte. How had he ever believed it was right to marry that woman?
He guessed he just hadn't known any better. He was following a path that everybody was supposed to go along. Date, marry, have kids. Thank god they hadn't gotten that far.
“That sounds great, ” Christy assured him, cutting through the thought process. “Maybe you could pick me up around 8pm? I'm living with Claire Piscatella at the moment, if you… uh. If you know where her place is. It's not far from the salon. ”
“Sure, I know the place. My sister works at that salon. ”
Christy blinked, surprised. “I thought I knew everything about everyone in this town, but… I didn't know you had a sister. ”
“I guess we've still got plenty to talk about, huh? ”
They shared a smile, and Graham made a mental note of their plans as he signaled politely for the check. This was just another thing to look forward to, it seemed. After all, what he'd told Christy was true. His main concern really was her comfort. He was in no rush whatsoever, especially now that he could see she had no desire to run in the opposite direction away from him.
Maybe it was wishful thinking, but she actually seemed to like him.
Chapter Seven
She had been meaning to torture Claire for a few minutes when she got back to her house, withholding the answer to the mystery from her for just a little longer – but as it turned out, Christy foiled her own plan. The second the door shut behind them and she was in the privacy of their space, her face broke out into a grin she couldn't contain. Immediately, Claire started shoving her in the direction of the couch.
“That's a happy face, ” she said, sounding excitable and sharp. “That's a happy face. Start talking. Tell me everything. Tell me who. ”
“It's Graham Sullivan, ” she said – and even she could hear the slight gushing tone in her voice. If she could hear it, goodness only knew Claire could. Had she really melted this quickly, over the course of dinner? Granted, Graham was far younger than Christy had been gearing herself up for, and he was very handsome. Maybe she was just riding on that relief? She didn't know.
Either way, there were more details to share.
“He was so polite – and I think kind of nervous? Honestly, we just kind of… talked. About lots of different things. Almost the entire time we didn't even mention it, and then at the end we agreed, um… you know. We'll take our time. Don't have to rush right into it. ”
Claire narrowed her eyes at Christy in that penetrating way of hers. “Christy. ”
“Claire? ”
“Please look me in the eye and tell me you're not going to start developing feelings for this man and end up turning down his check. Because you are not turning down $50, 000 dollars. You just aren't. ”
“I didn't say that!”
“You didn't have to, ” Claire insisted, pointing at her with an accusatory raised eyebrow. “I know you, Christy Robinson. I know that look in your eyes, and I can tell you're all gooey over this cowboy. And admittedly, yeah – he's a lot hotter than the kind of guy I was expecting you'd have to fuck, but that doesn't change anything. This is still business. You know that, right? ”
“I do know that, ” she promised.
“If you get your heart broken, I will kill you. ”
Christy grinned at her, endlessly fond of her protective nature. Claire really was one in a million, and as much as this whole tirade was probably a little premature, she couldn't help but love Claire more for having her back. She just really didn't want Christy to get hurt, and what more could you want in a friend? “I'm not going to get my heart broken, hon. I'm out of here once I have the money anyway. ”
“And that's another thing, ” she said. “Money first. Sex second. ”
“I'm not stupid, Claire!”
She shot Christy a broad smile, mirroring her own. “I know you're not stupid – but I also know you're soft as cotton candy, and if that man tries to work his way under your skin… I don't know. I just don't trust you not to fall for him, and if you do… well. Love and crushes do make people stupid. ”
“I don't have a crush on him, ” Christy insisted – and she continued to do that for the next few days as Claire kept pressing the point. When the day of her second appointment with Graham arrived, however, she wasn't so sure she was telling the truth. Whether it came from her relief or her genuine interest was still up in the air, but she couldn't deny the fact that she was excited to spend time around the handsome cowboy again.
She just had to dodge Claire's insistent look as she opened the door, ready to head out to meet him. Claire looked between Christy and the rancher's truck, brow furrowed against the sun, and Christy couldn't help but worry that Graham would get the wrong idea. “Behave, will you? ” she hissed out of the corner of her mouth, wiggling her fingers to acknowledge Graham. “He's going to think we hate him. ”
“He might be right, ” Claire said. “I haven't decided yet. ”
As always, though, she was only being playful, and waved her friend off happily as she made her way down to climb into Graham's truck. Only once she was a few feet from Claire's place did the nerves begin to bubble up again in her stomach.
Would it be today, she wondered? Or would they wait a little longer?
Once again, Graham had made an effort with his appearance, and his thick, dark hair was all smoothed back and tidy. Usually, Christy only saw him when she was delivering groceries, and at those times Graham was generally sweaty, dirty and tousled. Right now, he was cleaned up and fresh – and this looked to be a brand new shirt. Frankly, though, Christy couldn't say which way she preferred him. No doubt he was a very attractive man, and he scrubbed up excellently, but there was something pretty raw and sexy about the thought of him covered in his oil-stained jeans-and-tee combo, too.
Of course, Christy couldn't exactly say this outright, especially not when Graham had made such an effort. It was charming that he had tried so hard. In light of that, Christy filtered out the part of the compliment that said he was just as handsome in his everyday wear, and only said the rest. “Good to see you. You look great. ”
“Oh, please, ” said Graham, failing to meet her eyes. There was a small, shy smile on his face, and it was painfully endearing. “You look fantastic. I'm just trying my best to be presentable. ”
“Well, you've succeeded, ” Christy assured him, fastening her seat-belt. “And I've been really looking forward to this – though I've got to admit I haven't brought much for the picnic. ”
“That's alright, ” said Graham, gesturing towards the back seat of the truck. “I've got you covered. ” When Christy turned to look, she saw a large wicker hamper that had been fastidiously belted into place. That thing wasn't going anywhere, no matter how hard this truck braked. Perhaps Claire's guess about Christy's crush really was true; it was such an odd thing to be charmed by, but she just really liked that attention to detail. Perhaps he'd be equally as committed to the details in, ah… other vital areas of his life.
Christy had to fight off a blush as she thought about that. This really wasn't the time or the place. They were supposed to be getting to know each other; sex still wasn't a part of any of this. Yet.
“You're so prepared, ” said Christy, at least intending on showering Graham with compliments. However committed Graham had seemed to her comfort and well-being, she still felt a little guilty. Surely the man's patience had a limit, and he'd soon want what he had promised to pay for? But for now, at least, he didn't seem to be in any hurry. His s
mile was small but easy as he glanced at Christy in the passenger seat, and his handsome gray eyes flicked calmly over the road.
Not for the first time, a rush of excitement flooded through Christy as she realized exactly how lucky she was that Graham had won the auction.
Graham's smile didn't wane, and he continued to keep track of the road. He was such a careful driver. “I try to be prepared, ” he agreed, voice even. “I know how fast things can get swimming up shit creek if there's no plan. ”
“I've always sensed that about you, ” Christy admitted. “Even just from delivering your groceries. You're so…” she struggled for the word, eyes catching on different unimportant objects out of the window as they passed. “You're almost aggressively sensible. ”
“'Aggressive' doesn't sound too good. ”
“It's alright in this context, ” Christy assured him. “It's just really prominent in you, you know? I've always thought that about you – that you could organize anything. Take care of any problem. I don't know; I just can't imagine you doing anything crazy. ”
“Except this? ” Graham pointed out, and Christy had to laugh.
“Sure, ” she admitted. “Well, then, this can be your first time going crazy. I guess that makes two of us. ”
Graham nodded, putting his blinker on to make the turning towards the river. “If I'm honest, that's kind of what drew me towards you in the first place. ”
“The whole… first time thing? ”
“No, ” said Graham – and if Christy wasn't much mistaken, that was the hint of a blush on the back of his neck. Cute. “I mean the 'brand new Christy Robinson' thing. It's great to see you come out of your shell like this. ”
“Thanks, ” said Christy. It felt like a compliment, even if an unusual one. “Not everybody's as enthusiastic, but… yeah. You know what? I feel good. ”
When they arrived at the riverside, the sun was still up, but about to begin its descent. The smell and the sound of evening were beginning to sink in, and the atmosphere by the river was lovely. She might even go so far as to call it romantic. The breeze ruffled through her light blond hair and teased the hem of her dress, and when she closed her eyes she couldn't say she felt far from heaven.