The Auction: The Billionaire Wins a Date

by Starla Harris

  “Oops, sorry. I hope I didn’t get your sofa.” She tried to catch the drops from rolling down her thigh.

  “It won’t have a chance,” Travis said huskily. He knelt in front of her and licked the drops away with a sensual stroke of his tongue. He looked up briefly and grinned at her before he buried his face in her lap.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Travis had to attend some sort of family dinner the next day, so he drove Lia home on his way to his father’s house. “I’ll be in touch about our next date,” he said after he kissed her goodbye.

  “All right. See you soon!” Lia smiled as she got out of the car. He waited for her to disappear inside the building before he drove off.

  He wasn’t really in the mood to talk to his father, he’d much rather spend the day with Lia. He couldn’t stop thinking about her—what she looked like, the way she smiled when she teased him, the smell of her neck and the soft skin of her thighs.

  Come on, don’t act like a love-struck teenager, he thought. He was embarrassed by how much he wanted Lia. He couldn’t pinpoint the reason for his infatuation with her. Maybe it was her fearlessness, her independence, or her smart mind? Maybe it was how she made him want to be something more than just a spoiled rich playboy? For their next date, he knew he wanted to have her all to himself.

  Sunday was a quiet day for Lia. She spent the day alone, catching up on her laundry and some ideas for next season’s program, should they be lucky enough to still be around that long. She thought, if Travis’ influence kept the audience coming, they might have a chance. By the time Monday rolled around, Lia was ready to get to work early. Birds were chirping and a soft breeze was wafting in the air as she made her way through the streets.

  As usual, Maggie was already at the office, but this time, she wasn’t sitting at her desk. Lia heard strange noises through the half open door, as if somebody was dragging a large and heavy object across the floor. She heard laughter and both male and female voices.

  She pushed the door open and saw Maggie and Ronnie were doing some kind of dance in the office. It was like they were having some sort of private celebration.

  Lia couldn’t help but laugh. “Now that’s a sight for sore eyes on a Monday morning.”

  Maggie and Ronnie jumped apart, both of them looking slightly embarrassed and immensely happy at the same time. “This is the most wonderful Monday morning ever,” Maggie said. “Look at this!” shoving pages of charts of their ticket sales for their upcoming performances in front of Lia.

  Lia took the papers and her mouth fell open as she inspected the figures. “But… this says that we’re sold out until the end of next month!” She looked up at Maggie and Ronnie who were both grinning like maniacs.

  “We are!” They yelled in unison. “Over the weekend, all of our tickets were snatched up like candy,” Ronnie added.

  Elation swept over Lia. “This is awesome!”

  “We’re safe for a while at least,” Maggie said. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Also, look at this article my friend Shaylin wrote about us on her blog.” She waved another piece of paper in front of Lia’s face. Lia felt a surge of adrenalin hit her heart when she spotted a picture of Travis and herself on the page.

  Pages is THE place to be! The small theater keeps its promise on revolutionary productions: their interpretation of Othello is fresh and thought-provoking. Bold ideas are rewarded by attention from the rich and famous: Pages is frequented by billionaires and celebrities. Check out these pictures from last night and don’t hesitate to buy your ticket to Pages’ next show if you want to hang out with Travis Paulson & Co. It’s supposed to sell out pretty quickly…

  “I have no idea where all those people came from, but I already love every single one of them,” Ronnie announced. “Oh, and that reminds me, I have to go look at catalogs. Because now you can’t deny my request for that new curtain!” he said to Maggie.

  “We’ll see about that,” Maggie chuckled. Once Ronnie was safely out of earshot, she turned to Lia. “I know perfectly well where all those people came from, and so do you.”

  Lia nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, they’re mostly Travis’ friends.”

  “And the wannabes!””

  Lia sat down at her desk. “Yes. I have to admit he helped us a lot.”

  “Yes, he did. He has really good intentions. And he’s been so totally selfless. I mean, what does he gain by all of this? I think you ought to change your opinion about him and be nice, because I don’t think he’s the man you think he is.” Maggie drew a chair closer and sat down next to Lia. “Oh, by the way, how was your date? Did he like Othello?”

  “Yes, he loved it. He said he especially liked how we addressed the issue of Othello not doing the obvious and just asking Desdemona about everything.”

  Maggie smiled. “He’s a clever guy, you see?”

  Lia nodded. “Yeah, apparently some brain matter has survived, despite all of his heavy partying.”

  Maggie ignored her comment. “And what did you do afterwards? Did he take you to dinner?”

  Lia felt her face burst into flames. “Not exactly. Although we did eat at some point.”

  “Tell me everything!” Maggie’s eyes gleamed as she leaned forward in her chair.

  Lia recounted the events of last Saturday night, though not overly detailed. Maggie was beaming.

  “Lia Malcolm, you and Travis Paulson, a twosome. Who woulda thunk?” she marveled proudly.

  The realization suddenly hit home. Maggie was right and a part of Lia was actually happy to hear this. The rest of her was really scared. She’d never imagined herself dating a billionaire playboy. The thought had always sounded more like a slow and agonizing form of suicide. “No way. He’s just really good in bed.”

  Maggie shook her head. “I don’t believe you. Although I bet that’s an important part of it. You can’t fool me. I can tell you’re deeply in like with him if not already head over heels in love.”

  Lia held up her palms. “Whatever. So what?”

  “If you’re in love, you shouldn’t fight it.”

  “I’ll admit, he does intrigue me. I can’t stop thinking of him. And whenever I’m with him, he has this power over me. It’s good in a way, because it makes me feel safe, but it’s also frightening at the same time. ”

  “Aw, honey. You’re lovesick.” Maggie beamed at her.

  Lia sighed. “But… is it good for me? I mean, he’s not exactly the perfect guy to fall for.”

  Maggie frowned. “Why not?”

  Lia started fiddling with her necklace. “He’s a rich playboy who parties almost every night. He literally has a line of girls falling over themselves just to be near him. Once he’s bored with me, I’m sure he’ll move on to his next target. That’s the way guys like him are.”

  “You don’t know that,” Maggie said. “Has he given you any reason to think like this?”

  “No, not yet. But you know his reputation, right?”

  “Of course. But most of that is based on gossip.”

  “What if it isn’t?” Lia said softly. “Let’s see what we can find out about him online.”

  “OK.” Maggie wheeled her over to Lia’s desk.

  Lia fired up her computer, waiting impatiently for it to come alive. Once it was fully functional, she typed ‘Travis Paulson’ into the search bar.

  The search results produced about 500,000 results.

  “Wow, he’s not exactly difficult to find,” Lia remarked as she clicked on the first result. “He even has his own wiki page.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. Even I can have a wiki page,” Maggie pointed out. Together, they read through the short text detailing Travis’ personal data, family connections and education. “See? Nothing about his lifestyle.”

  “I wonder who wrote this article,” Lia mused. “Probably some PR person at Paulson Tech. Let’s see some of the other results.” She skimmed the headlines. Most of them were celebrity sites dedicated to the rich and famous. Travis
Paulson partying in Dubai, The heir of Paulson Tech having fun, Nothing is too over the top for Paulson heir, Travis Paulson: A true ladies’ man, Travis Paulson, party beast!

  Her heart sank. She shook her head in frustration. “I don’t even know what to believe anymore.”

  Maggie put a hand on Lia’s shoulder. “Come on. Half of this is rubbish and you know it. The media never reports what’s really true.”

  Lia pointed at a picture of Travis, surrounded by gorgeous women in bikinis. She hoped all those women got sunburned really badly. “Who are all those women? He looks like he’s having a pretty good time.”

  “So what if he did? Since when is it a crime to have a good time?”

  “The picture was taken less than two months ago.”

  Maggie sighed. “Come on, Lia. Why are you doing this to yourself? You’ll make yourself miserable with this kind of torture. That was then. This is now. You have to follow your heart and trust your instincts. You know the person you were with. ”

  “Do I?” Lia grabbed her necklace. “Maybe he’s been playing me all this time.”

  “And why would he do that? If it’s true that he could have any woman he wanted, why would he go to the trouble of breaking your heart?”

  Lia shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a bet? Like in those movies? Where the idiot has to prove he can land a girl?”

  Maggie snorted. “Yeah, sure, a bet. But may I remind you that in those movies the idiot always turns into a great guy who falls in love with the girl and in the end, they live happily ever after.”

  Lia chuckled. “Fair enough. I still don’t know what to believe. Who exactly is the real Travis? Is this him?” she pointed at another image of Travis admiring several women in bikinis on a boat. The caption read, A bevy of Hollywood starlets flaunt their curves for Travis Paulson, billionaire heir. “It’s as if the person I’ve been seeing is someone else entirely.” She looked again at Travis’ smiling face among all the half-naked babes.

  “What if he shows a playboy image to the world, but in reality he’s a kind, smart and thoughtful person inside?” Maggie asked softly.

  Lia shook her head. “How can a person have such completely different versions of themselves?”

  “Whatever.” Maggie threw her arms in the air in frustration. “I don’t see why you’re so hell bent on hating him when he’s only been wonderful to you and to Pages. And besides, you’re clearly attracted to each other. So why fight it?”

  “Because it’s not practical for me to get involved with a guy like him,” Lia said in a small voice. “And anyway, I can’t get over the fact that he literally bought me. Do you know how cheap that makes me feel? I want a partner who sees me as an equal, not someone you can buy at an auction. If someone has paid for you, they have power over you. Of course, you’ll play into their little charade if that’s what they want you to do. Because that’s what they paid for. Don’t you see?”

  “If that’s the way you see it, it sounds like you could be leading him on. And if that’s the case, it’s kind of cruel, you know.”

  “Why? I’ve never promised him anything other than I’d go on these dates with him in exchange for his donation to Pages.”

  “But you’re having sex! And from what you tell me, it’s the kind of sex that suggests something more.”

  “I admit he’s great in bed and all. But I honestly don’t see anything long-term or real for us down the road. And I’m sure he knows that as well.” Lia felt disappointment well up in her chest.

  Maggie raised an eyebrow. “Does he now?”

  Lia didn’t reply. She turned back to her computer and with a decisive click, she closed the browser window with the list of articles about Travis.

  Maggie sighed. “So, do you know anything about what you’ll do for the third date?”

  “No.” Lia swiveled back to her friend. “He said he’d call.”

  Just then, right on cue, Lia’s cell phone rang. She knew it was Travis. Despite all of her objections, her heartbeat picked up at the prospect of hearing his voice. She tapped the green button. “Hello?”

  “Hi, baby. It’s me.” His voice was deep and husky and sent pleasant little shivers up and down Lia’s spine.

  “Hi Travis. What’s up?” She tried to keep her tone cool and casual, but she couldn’t deny the way her heart fluttered upon hearing his voice.

  “Well, I’ve been racking my brains trying to think of what we should do for our third date, and I think I have the perfect idea.”

  Lia felt a tiny pang of excitement. “Really? What do you have in mind?”

  “Guess?”

  “Erm… A walk through the cemetery?”

  Travis laughed out loud. “You have an interesting idea of romance, honey. Although it does sound quite gothic. We’ll keep your idea for future reference.”

  Lia’s heart gave a little jump. Did Travis envision a future with her? “OK, I give up. What do you have in mind?” she asked.

  Travis cleared his throat. His usually cool voice was filled with excitement. “Well, I thought I’d take you to our beach house in Mexico for the weekend.”

  “Wow.” Lia was speechless. She had to admit that the idea of spending the weekend on a beach somewhere in Mexico alone with Travis sounded very appealing. “It’s really generous of you. But are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Travis sensed the hesitation in her voice. Give it some thought and let me know once you made up your mind. I hope you’ll say yes. I can’t wait to get you alone and all to myself for the weekend uninterrupted.” With that, he hung up.

  Lia stared at her phone, not really sure if the conversation had actually happened.

  “What is it?” Maggie asked. “What did he want?”

  Still stunned, Lia told Maggie about Travis’ suggestion.

  Maggie sighed. “You know honey, 99.9 percent of all women on this planet would kill for a date like that.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “If you don’t jump up and down at the idea of a free weekend spent in a private beach house with a sexy billionaire who just happens to be crazy about you, then I really don’t know how to help you.”

  “Please don’t make me feel bad about this.” Lia’s tone was stern.

  Maggie held up her hands. “Sorry. Of course it’s your decision. Do whatever you want. But think of Pages. What if you don’t go and he asks for his donation back?”

  Lia sighed. “OK. Let me get this straight. You’re telling me to suck it up and the real reason I should go away with Travis is so that we can keep his money?”

  Maggie tilted her head to the side. “Basically, yes.”

  “This is just great. Can you make me feel any more like a whore?” Lia buried her face in her palms.

  “Come on, Lia,” Maggie groaned. “Don’t act like he wants you to go and work in the mines or something.”

  “That might actually be better,” Lia said miserably.

  “It’s not as if you haven’t taken the leap and had wild sex with him. You even spent the night with him!” Maggie pointed out. “From what you described, it wasn’t as if he forced you to do anything you didn’t want to do. In fact, you sounded like a pretty eager participant.”

  “Maggie!” Lia exclaimed. Despite herself, a warm tingle of arousal prickled at her core. A whole weekend with Travis? Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea after all. “OK. I’ll think about it.”

  Maggie grinned. “I knew I just had to bring up the sex. You bad, bad girl.”

  Lia grinned back, blushing. “I haven’t said yes yet.”

  “Oh, but you have.”

  Lia turned away from Maggie and pretended to get back to work. She leaned over her cell phone and typed, What if we just spent the weekend in your bed here? Her face turned a deep crimson as she pressed ‘Send’. He replied, My bed… in Mexico, baby.

  She tapped her reply into her cell. OK. I’m in.

  The rest of the week flew by at an alarming pace. All of their shows were sold out, and Lia was
busy trying to prepare the next season’s performances. She and Travis kept texting each other like school kids, and Lia couldn’t deny to herself the delicious tingling of anticipation whenever his name showed up on her screen.

  By the time Friday rolled around, Maggie grinned at her when she arrived at the office with her suitcase in tow. “So what did you pack?”

  Lia stuck out her tongue playfully. “None of your business.”

  For the rest of the day, she couldn’t help but daydream. She found herself blushing at the thought of them having sex on the plane. It was almost a week since she’d last seen Travis. She couldn’t stop thinking about his arms around her, his mouth on hers, his hands roaming her body. She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining his naked body on top of hers. She felt herself getting wet.

  Her phone rang. It was Travis. He sent her a picture of a bed, with the caption: ‘the countdown has started’. She felt her face turn bright red. OK, that’s it, she told herself. I need a cold shower.

  She went to the small breakroom and poured herself a cup of cold coffee and checked her watch. Thirty minutes to go before she could leave.

  “You seem restless,” Maggie remarked. “Relax. It’ll be fine. And it’s the last one. Come Monday morning, you’ll never have to see Travis again.”

  Lia’s heart sank. It must have shown on her face, as well, because Maggie added, “If that’s still what you want.”

  “Sure. That’s the sensible thing to do,” Lia said unconvincingly.

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “Let’s forget what’s sensible for a moment. Why not just go with the flow and see what happens?”

  Lia sighed sadly. “We talked about this. You know I don’t want to be more involved with him than I already am because it will just be harder to break it off.”

  “Aha!” Maggie said, raising a finger. “So you do admit you have feelings for him? Then why do you have to break it off?”

  “I just don’t see how it could work. And besides, our attraction is purely physical.”

  “Whatever you say.” Maggie turned back to her computer and went back to work. Lia continued to daydream until her phone beeped. “Oh no,” Lia said. “Travis is already waiting for me downstairs.”