by U
Pierce gazed around the large, airy room. Was Madison around somewhere? He just hoped she’d managed to control her heat cycle pheromones.
A hand gave his shoulder a squeeze and he whirled around with a growl, ready to cuff the person, only to find himself gazing into the smiling green eyes of Al, in a tux and a cowboy hat to cover his chestnut curls. His tanned face was shadowed by the hat. Pierce had to hold back a laugh at how ridiculous he looked. And yet he wore it well, full of confidence.
“So where’s Jess? I thought she’d be here.” Al’s glance darted around and Pierce could only shake his head. The man’s crush was so evident it would be a shame if Jess didn’t bid on the cowboy.
“She’ll be here later. Getting ready from what I understand. Have you seen Madison?” Even to his own ears, Pierce sounded desperate.
Al grinned. “Yup, over by the buffet. Already started on the wine. There’s a wide circle around her. The felines are giving her a large berth. I can’t smell the pheromones myself but even I feel a bit antsy around her.” Al shook his head. “You better get her fast, buddy, otherwise you might have a fight on your hands.”
If there was a fight, Pierce intended to win it. “I’ll go check on her.”
He cut his way through the crowd, winding around women who were all giving him the eye and whispering as he passed. Pierce ignored the heat of lust that was directed at him. All he cared about was getting to Madison and seeing how she was doing. He made it to the buffet, which was located in the center of the main hall where the auction would take place.
Madison wore a simple black corset dress that hugged her curves, showing her ample bust and ass. Around her waist, she wore a simple cincher. Her breasts were pushed up to create a provocative amount of cleavage that made Pierce’s gut tighten and his shaft fill with blood. Her makeup was simple: crimson lip gloss, mascara, and a hint of blush. No other artifice was needed. She was sensuality and desire come to life.
A groan formed in Pierce’s throat as his pants grew uncomfortable. He didn’t care if anyone could see his reaction to her. All that mattered was that she was there and looked to be safe.
He started toward her when a tall, blond lion shifter walked up to her and took her in his arms, giving her a tight hug that sent a spear of pain through Pierce’s gut. Who the fuck was this? He let out a low growl and stalked toward them. The lion didn’t let her go. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against her ear. Pierce watched, enraged, as Madison shivered and stepped back.
Had she led him on? Was she already mated? Had she found someone to sate her heat cycle? Anger lashed around Pierce’s body, and his vision turned red. There was no way in hell he’d share her with the smirking jackass that stood before her.
Ryan came up to his side and grabbed him by his back. “Don’t do anything stupid, Stupid. Not here. Confront her later.”
As much as Pierce wanted to stay, the sane part of his mind told him that what Ryan was saying was right. Not here, not now, and certainly not at a charity for kids. He glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at Madison. This wasn’t over.
Ryan pulled him to the back gathering area where all the bachelors were to sit and relax until they were called up onto the stage. He had no clue what Matt had put down as his likes and dislikes, but he didn’t really care. All he could see was Madison in the embrace of that smarmy lion shifter. The more he thought about it, the more his stomach threatened to rebel.
“Hey, look at me,” Ryan growled. “You’ll get answers. Stop pouting, dammit.” His eyes shifted from gray to sky blue and back again. A bit of his cheetah peeked out to police Pierce’s tiger.
“What’s wrong with him? Someone piss in his beer?” Mack asked, as he sipped on whiskey and soda.
“Bad business deal.” Ryan eyed Mack’s drink. “Why watered down whiskey?”
“Don’t wanna be drunk,” Mack replied, as he flopped down on the couch next to Pierce.
Pierce latched onto the mundane conversation on drink choices and Mack’s stories of how rugby practice was going. So far, so good. And from what he’d heard the New Zealand Blacks were willing to lend sponsorship to a Kiwi team if they could scrounge up enough shifters. A rush of relief filled Pierce at the thought of having official backing from a world-class organization. Now if only other clubs would follow suit, it would be a relief and not a pain in the ass.
“Now, now, gentleman, no more talk of business. Time to walk the plank.” The organizer’s gaze fell on Pierce. “Time to go, Mr. McKinney. I promise this won’t hurt a bit.”
Panic replaced any relief Pierce had felt. He glanced from Ryan to Mack in desperation. Both of the bastards raised a glass toward him and drank down the contents until nothing was left, smiles on their faces. Ryan turned traitor and gave his ass a pinch and then Mack shoved him forward. Pierce went stumbling toward the curtain and barely had time to right himself.
“It’s not so bad, Mr. McKinney, I promise. And just think of all the children you’ll help. We have a lot of takers tonight. You’ll get a huge going price today.”
Pierce felt as if he was being led to his death. The curtains parted, and then he heard his name and the roar that followed it. Blinded by lights, he walked down a long, red runner edged in gold.
“And here we have the very eligible Pierce McKinney! Come on, ladies, let’s hear you roar for him!
The crowd went wild. Pierce continued to walk even though a sense of doom filled him with each step.
“Let’s start the bidding at one hundred dollars. Do I hear a hundred?”
“Two hundred!” a woman screamed. Pierce couldn’t see who it was.
“I hear two. Can I get three?”
“Five hundred!” another woman called out. The crowd went wild.
“One thousand!” a woman called out before the auctioneer could ask for another bid.
“Five thousand!”
“Ten thousand!”
What the fuck was going on? Pierce looked this way and that, trying to find the women who were willing to throw away all that money on him. He couldn’t see a damn thing and his tiger was going ape-shit inside of him. The feline wanted to shift, badly. Pierce couldn’t blame it. In desperation, he tried to find Madison’s unique scent to anchor him. No matter how angry he was that she might have played him, he didn’t care. He just needed her, now. He opened up his other senses and allowed the tiger to seek her out. Among all the cloying perfumes and colognes he couldn’t find her anywhere. He felt like a moron standing at the end of the runway waiting for something to happen.
The out-of-control bidding continued to ratchet up. His eyesight was gradually adjusting to the lights. No Madison, anywhere. Pierce spotted her friends Lea and Alec. Lea waved a paddle madly. Every few seconds she’d lift her arm and hold it up high.
“Back off bitch,” Lea called out. “Twenty thousand!”
Pierce’s heart leaped up in his throat. Did she have that kind of money?
“Twenty thousand five hundred!” her competitor shot back, a woman who seemed to have painted her makeup on with a spray gun and was going for the surprised clown look. Determination filled her blue eyes.
“I can do this all day, honey. Twenty-five thousand,” Lea called out. Determination was etched on her face, focus in her amber eyes.
The painted clown woman’s eyes flickered. She licked her lips and opened her mouth. The auctioneer began the count.
“I have twenty-five thousand. Do I hear thirty thousand? Anyone? Anyone?”
Lea crossed her arms over her chest and the other woman let her arm fall at her side. Out of the corner of his eye, Pierce spotted a stacked blonde lifting her arm. He met Lea’s gaze and nodded toward the possible new adversary.
Lea either got the message or had spotted the blonde herself, Pierce wasn’t sure which.
“Fifty thousand!” Lea shouted out.
Pierce stared at Lea. Had she gone mad? What the hell was she thinking?
A murmur went up in the cro
wd. The blonde’s hand dropped.
“I have fifty thousand. Going once. Twice. Sold!”
Pierce heard a gavel bang down, and he damn near dropped to the ground. Lea and Alec were bouncing up and down, glee on their faces.
“Pierce McKinney sold to Lea Washington for fifty thousand dollars. Congratulations, Lea. Please come up here and claim your man!”
Confused, Pierce watched Lea twist and turn in the crowd, walk up onto the platform, and grab his hand.
“Come on, unless you want to sell yourself again,” she hissed in his ear.
Pierce didn’t question it. Instead, he allowed her to pull him down off the walkway as a voice announced that Mack was up next. Pierce’s attention was all on Lea, who pulled him into the hall.
“Look, I don’t have time to explain. I’ll call you later tonight. Give me your number and I’ll give you the details for your date with Madison. Now hurry it up, hot stuff. I’ve got my eye a few sexy studs, and I’ve got money that’s not mine to burn.”
In a haze, Pierce took her phone, entered his number, and gave it back to her. Madison? Had she really said Madison? A stupid grin spread across his face.
“Thanks.”
Lea grabbed her mobile and ran back into the hall. Rather than leave as he had planned, Pierce decided to stay to watch the festivities and enjoy the rest of his night. His friends were up for auction and he had a date with Madison. Life was good.
The rest of his evening passed by filled with amusement. There had been such a fight over Mack that he’d agreed to go again. Pierce grinned at that as he downed more champagne. Lea and Alec won dates for themselves, and Ryan scored a date with a full-bodied beauty who didn’t seem that interested in him. Pierce watched as Ryan tried to seduce his way into getting a kiss from his date, only to be shut down and for her to hand a check to the organizer and walk away. Pierce had to hold back laughter at the look of hurt on his friend’s face.
By the end of the night, Pierce felt buzzed but was exhausted. He grabbed Ryan, who was well into several beers, and they piled into the limo.
“Well at least my night’s gone well. How about yours?” Pierce nudged Ryan.
Ryan snorted. “She hates me. Didn’t talk to me for most of the night. I don’t even know why she bid on me in the first place. I could have gotten more enthusiasm if they’d let me put myself up on the GLBT auction. They know I’m bi.”
Ryan slouched into the seat and took a pull from his beer.
“At last, the great Ryan has been cuckolded by a woman who isn’t attracted to him,” Pierce guffawed.
“Shut up,” Renault growled. “I’ll win her over. You just wait until our date. She won’t be able to resist me.”
“Keep telling yourself that. I, on the other hand, have a date with Madison. Her friends bought me for her. That sounds really bad, but at least my night ended on a high note.”
Pierce’s phone buzzed and he answered without looking at the number. At first, all he heard was giggling. He was about to hang up when he heard Lea’s voice.
“Pierce, it’s Lea. Look, I don’t have much time before I have to tell Madison what we did and she kills me. I’m just hoping that doesn’t happen before I can get laid. So here’s the skinny: she likes milk-chocolate-covered peanuts, almonds, and pretzels; she hates roses, so you’ll have to be creative on the flower front; she likes classical music and jazz. Oh, and if you don’t mind, she’s interested in ménages. OK, gotta go face the firing squad. Night.”
Pierce disconnected the call and stared at his phone. Ménages? Hates roses? Chocolate-covered peanuts? A grin curled on his lips. Not much to go on, but he could make her fantasies come true.
He turned to Ryan. “How would you like to take part in a ménage with me, my friend? Madison apparently wants to experience one.”
Ryan sat up and stared at him. “You inviting in?”
Pierce nodded. “Yes. Only once and only her ass. Understand?”
Ryan grinned back at him. “Of course, my friend. Set up the time and day and I’ll be there. Looks like you’ll be my host for a bit longer. You’re going to need more wine and beer.”
Pierce snorted. “I know it. Just don’t eat and drink me out of house and home. And don’t get arrested going after your surly date. I’ll call Sully to book us the Purple Suite. I think she’ll like that. And I’ll make sure that it’s stocked with everything we need.”
It looked like he was finally going to get Madison to stop running away from him. His only worry was that she was only interested in using him for her heat cycle and wouldn’t allow them to explore their attraction further.
It would have to be a night she would never be able to forget.
Chapter Seven
Madison stared at Lea as if she’d lost her mind. She and Alec both must have, otherwise they wouldn’t have bid on and won Pierce for her.
“What the hell is wrong with the both of you?” She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.
Sully glanced their way but said nothing. Thankfully, the cleaning staff and Sully were the only ones in at the moment.
Madison grabbed Lea’s and Alec’s hands and dragged them to the booth in the corner. “Are you trying to kill me or drive me insane? How could you do that to me?”
Her throat constricted in panic as her heart raced. She had a date with Pierce. Where were they going to go? What was she going to wear? Why the hell did the fates hate her?
A burst of heat rolled over her and she groaned as liquid fire filled her core. “Shit.” She sulked. “Look, did you do this because of my heat cycle? I have to know.”
Lea grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze and Alec gave her a peck on the cheek. “No, we did it ’cause you need to get laid.” Alec kissed her temple and slid out of the booth. “Gotta go. Lunch break over.”
Alec left and Lea sighed. “Babe, look, I know you’re attracted to Pierce and you’re in your heat cycle. You need someone, badly. You can’t control yourself. You get emotional and wham, suddenly I need a vibrator.”
Madison sunk even deeper into her seat. “Sorry,” she murmured.
“It’s not your fault, you had a lot on your plate in the last year and…well…I had to act and the auction was the perfect place to do it. Besides, why not someone you know and are attracted to instead of a stranger?”
Madison hated how sane and logical Lea sounded, but she did have a point. “How much did you tell him about me?”
Lea beamed. “Flowers, chocolates, ménages. That kind of thing.”
Madison sat up and gaped at her friend.
Lea held up her hand. “I doubt he’ll do the last one, but it will give him some pause if he thinks that you aren’t ready to settle down with just one man. You know,” Lea’s voice dropped a few octaves and became deeper and rougher, “‘Me Pierce. Me strong tiger man. Me all you need.’”
Madison laughed so hard she forgot to breathe. “You forgot the British accent. Never forget that. OK, fine. So what should I wear? When does this date take place?”
Lea beamed. “Alec has volunteered to take you shopping since I can’t do it, and the date will take place tomorrow night. Sunday. Shadows needed a day to get prepped. So how do you like it so far? Working for Sully can be difficult given his affinity with being sneaky and all, but other than that it’s pretty cool, right? I’m so glad to be working with you. Just like high school and the ice cream shop.”
“Just like it, only it’s more adult and they use ice cream in a different way than what we did.” Madison snickered. “I haven’t seen the top levels yet, but I have met most of the staff and I’m excited to be here. I can’t wait to help plan the parties and events. I can’t thank Sully enough.”
Lea chuckled. “Don’t look too grateful otherwise his ego will swell even more than it already has.”
“Right. Anyway, gotta get back to work. You should too. I’ll call Alec and meet up with him. Knowing him he’ll want to go all out—hair, nails, pedicures, the lot.” Madiso
n frowned. She didn’t look forward to being given the Alec Treatment.
Lea slid out from behind the table and headed back to the bar. Madison followed suit and got to work, but her mind was on just what Pierce could have planned for their date. If he really did go through with the ménage suggestion she wouldn’t know how to react. The first rules of BDSM and kink were “Safe, Sane, Consensual” and “Risk-Aware, Consensual Kink.”
He wouldn’t do anything she didn’t want to do, that much she was sure of. But to give him total control of the situation? Of her body? She would have to be pretty damn sure of herself to do a thing like that. Now she had a job and a way to make income, but her sexual confidence had sunk to a new low. She looked down at her body. Pierce might be attracted to her clothed, but would he like her naked, with all her curves and rolls? She bit her lip. Madison didn’t feel confident or sexy in the least.
For most of the afternoon she tried to drown herself in work. There was so much for her to do as a hostess. She had to call caterers and decorators, talk to the staff, hire entertainment, convince the kitchen staff to allow strangers in, and keep Sully apprised of it all. Her brain had turned to mush by the time Alec picked her up after his weekend tutoring sessions.
Sully had let her have the afternoon off, only to tell her to be back by the seven for opening time that evening so he could introduce her to the members. The staff kept to themselves any reservations they might have had about having someone other than Lea plan the party. Madison felt that she was doing well. It was a matter of being organized, planning for contingencies, and making sure that everything was prepared to meet the clients’ needs. She still wasn’t sure that she would be a success, but she was learning fast.