Acquired: A Billionaire Auction Romance

by Charlotte Byrd

  “Why are you laughing? It’s not funny. I know I’m okay but you could’ve seriously injured me. Or killed me. It’s not really a laughing matter. I’m so angry right now. Is this your way of getting back at me for spilling coffee on your shirt? Because I could’ve just gotten you another shirt you know.”

  “Really? And how exactly were you planning on doing that? You have no money in your account if memory serves me correctly?” I wished I hadn’t said that. She was easy to mess with but that came out very wrong. I saw her cheeks redden.

  “I do have money in my account. I don’t know why it got declined. That was not the greatest moment for me, so thanks for bringing it up again. Anyway, I have a job now anyway. So get yourself a shirt and take the money off my salary.”

  “Jane, don’t stress about the shirt. It was just coffee. I’m not mad about that at all. And I don’t care that your card got declined – these things happen. I didn’t mean to cut you off like that and of course I didn’t mean to drive into you. It was an accident. I didn’t go out of my way to do that to you.”

  “So exactly how long is it going to take you to say sorry? Because you do realize that I wasn’t in the wrong, don’t you?”

  I smiled at her. She was gusty alright. “I’m sorry. It was completely my fault and I’ll pay for the damage to your car. Really, I’m sorry. I’m always in such a rush to get everywhere. My car drives fast and it’s so frustrating being behind slow drivers.”

  I probably shouldn’t have said that. That just seemed to make her even angrier. “You do realize that I was going at the speed limit. Which means that I’m not a slow driver but rather a driver that was abiding by the laws of the road. Going at NORMAL speed. Ever heard of such a thing? You know… the law!”

  “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. It’s coming out all wrong and I really am trying to apologize. I’m glad you’re okay. Come on, let’s go have a look at your car and salvage your shoes.” She glared at me then even though I was just trying to lighten the mood. I noticed that her hands were shaking slightly and I felt bad – I guess it must’ve been a shock to her. Her car was worse off than I had initially thought. In fact I would go as far as saying it was completely wrecked. I saw her staring in horror at it as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.

  “Mr Honda.” She whispered.

  I looked at her then, slightly amused. “Uh… did you just call your car Mr Honda? Does your car have a name?”

  She looked at me with so much hatred in her eyes that I flinched. “Yes. Well he had a name. Look at him now. The poor thing. He’s never going to come out of the hospital alive.”

  I burst out laughing. “The hospital?! You do realize that your car is not a human being? I think you’ve slightly lost it.”

  I saw a smile playing on the corner of her lips, as if she was trying not to laugh. “I don’t know why I said hospital. And yes, I do know that. It’s just… well I’ve had this car for a very long time. It’s like family to me. I know that probably sounds stupid to someone like you.” Someone like me?

  I heard music coming from the car, despite the fact that the car was trashed and I moved in closer to listen.

  Something’s wrong, shut the light Heavy thoughts tonight And they aren't of Snow White Dreams of war, dreams of liars Dreams of dragon's fire And of things that will bite

  “Enter Sandman! Nice choice in music.” I said to her suddenly impressed by her good taste in music. She didn’t seem the Metallica type.

  “You’re a fan of Metallica?” She sounded incredulous – apparently I didn’t seem the type either.

  “Yes, and don’t look so shocked. It’s great music. Who doesn’t like it?”

  “Actually you’ll be surprised at how many people don’t even know who Metallica is. Not people that I’d want to hang out with let me tell you that.”

  I laughed at that. “You know, Jane, for once I actually agree with you.” I watched as she reached into the car to switch off the music and grab her bag and shoes. I couldn’t help but watch as her dress lifted slightly with the wind and I caught a brief glimpse of her underwear. I saw a flash of white and then the dress was back down again.

  “So, you got your shoes. Are you going to put them on now?” I asked her, back talking about shoes again for some unknown reason. Jane frustrated me. I didn’t even think she was cute and yet I felt different around her. Uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time.

  “No.”

  “No? Why not?” This girl was so strange. So different. Most of the time she said things that I would just not expect her to say.

  “To be honest. I hate heels.”

  “But you wore heels yesterday too and now you brought them in to wear again. Why?” I wasn’t sure why I had remembered what shoes she was wearing the day before – I wasn’t usually quite so observant.

  “I don’t know. Because that’s what you do when you’re trying to impress on your first week at the job.”

  I laughed at that. I bit my tongue and didn’t mention the fact that she had already spilled coffee all over her boss and gotten into a car accident with him. “You really should wear whatever you want. There’s no dress code at the casino and I have always believed that people work a lot harder when they are comfortable.”

  “So I can wear my slippers?”

  I chuckled at the image. “I dare you.”

  “I might then. Okay, I need to call someone to get this car. There’s no way it’s going to be good enough to drive in this terrible condition.”

  “Do you have a number to call?”

  “I do. It’s on my phone as well as on a notebook which I keep in the car. I’m a pretty organized person.”

  “I see that. Glad we hired you then. Go on, I’ll wait for you to finish on the phone.”

  I watched as she walked off and made the call, impressed once again at how much she had things under control. She seemed to have everything under control except for herself and she came across as quite a contradiction. I saw her talking animatedly into the phone, waving her arms as she spoke.

  “All sorted?” I asked when she got back.

  “All sorted. The tow truck is on its way. From the sound of things, he won’t be much longer than twenty minutes tops.”

  “Okay great, I’ll wait here with you.”

  “You really don’t have to wait with me Sebastian. I don’t mind waiting alone.”

  “Don’t be silly, a pretty young girl waiting on the side of the street holding nothing but a pair of heels? That’s just asking for trouble. Now, let me quickly phone Alison to let her know that we’ll be late.”

  I phoned Alison and told her the story. She seemed very worried but I assured her that everything was fine and I told her to let the rest of the team know what had happened. Thankfully the busy day at work had been yesterday so there wasn’t even a huge rush to go in.

  “Okay, all sorted. And the boss can’t even be upset with you seeing as though it was the boss that got you into this mess in the first place and the boss that’s standing right beside you now. If only we had some coffee to have while we wait.”

  “Actually, I do have some! That’s if it survived the crash of course. Hang on.” I watched as she went to the car and came back with a thermos and a huge grin on her face. She took a sip and then handed it to me. “And hey, it’s still hot.”

  “You really are organized. Thank you. Oh and look, you didn’t spill any on me this time.” I took a grateful sip.

  “True. But I’m still wondering if I should throw some on you.”

  “What? You’d do that to me?”

  “Uh… let’s see… you almost killed me. So yes.” But she laughed so I knew that she wasn’t too angry at me anymore.

  I was glad to see that she was at least talking to me now. “You’re kind of cute when you’re mad, you know that?”

  Her eyes widened. “I highly doubt it.”

  “Hey, you’re bleeding a little. Hang on…” I reached up and wiped the blood from
the top of her head. It was a tiny cut but I felt suddenly bad that I was the one that had created it. I felt strange being so close to her. Why was I feeling so odd? Maybe I was more knocked up from the accident than I thought. Just then I saw the tow truck pull up. Two men got out and put her car at the back.

  “Do you have a ride lady? We’re quite squashed in the front already, but we can try squeeze you in if you want. You might just want to duck down if we go past a cop car. It’s not something we like to do but we also don’t want to leave you stranded. You’re small enough anyway so it should be fine.” I thought of her ducking down onto one of their laps and I cringed. I’m sure this was exactly what they wanted.

  “No, don’t worry guys. My car is still fine. I’ll take her. We’re going to the same place anyway.”

  “Are you sure Sebastian?” She asked me, looking hesitant.

  “Don’t be silly, of course I’m sure. We’re both going to the casino. It makes sense for me to take you.”

  The guys took her details and drove off and then I smiled at her. “Okay, hop right in.”

  “I shouldn’t be getting in the car with you. You promise to drive slowly?”

  I grinned at her, “I promise.”

  When we got out the car I couldn’t help but smile as I saw her bend down and put on her shoes. They made her look good but she was clearly a little uncomfortable in them. She caught me looking. “Right, my shoes are on. Are you happy now?”

  Chapter 17 - Jane

  A week later and I was feeling a lot better about my new position at work. Just as I had suspected, it hadn’t taken me long to feel like a part of the furniture. It was probably day two that had broken the ice with myself and Sebastian as well as the rest of the crew. The moment that I had gotten back I had everyone crowded around me to listen to what had happened. Sebastian had gone straight to a meeting with David so it was just me with the rest of the group.

  “So HE hit YOU?” Abbie asked, and then rolled her eyes as if to say that she was not at all surprised by this revelation.

  “Yeah, and between us that guy drives like a maniac.” I said and then looked at them with guilt. Perhaps I shouldn’t be saying bad things about the big boss so early.

  Thankfully Kevin had burst out laughing then, “Don’t we know it. I swear all guys with Bentley’s drive like idiots.” Then he had quickly looked up to make sure that Sebastian wasn’t around and we had all laughed conspiratorially together. From that moment on I felt as if we were a team and I felt immediately accepted by them. The boys were lovely and because they didn’t have a strict deadline to get to I actually got to see their fun side. Kevin was 30 years old but already balding – a fact that he pointed out the moment we officially met. Almost like he just wanted to get that part of it out of the way. Because of this he always wore a hat or a beanie and always seemed to make jokes that pertained to his lack of hair. While he joked about it was obvious that he was only doing so because he was embarrassed by it. He was definitely the joker of the group and his laugh could be heard no matter where you were in the office. It was loud, boisterous and extremely contagious. I took an immediate liking to him. Then there was Michael – who I saw as the yin to Kevin’s yang. He was also 30, and was very tall, with a full head of hair, and an exceptionally quiet demeanour. And yet, the two of them got on so well – complimenting each other where it was important. They were like a little team together and it was no surprise to discover that they were both friends outside of the office. Also, it seemed as if they were both in love with Abbie – with each one trying to outdo themselves in front of her. I mentioned this to her when we were alone one day and I saw her blush.

  “Aw, no they don’t.” She said, but couldn’t meet my eye. She obviously knew that they were but she definitely didn’t seem like the type that would go around bragging about it.

  “Oh come on Abbie. It’s so obvious. They’re both in love with you. They cannot stop looking at you.”

  “Nah, that’s not true.” Her blush was getting deeper.

  “Okay, forget about them. Let’s talk about you then. So… which one do you prefer?” I nudged her and winked.

  She giggled. “Okay, okay. You got me. Man, you’re good at getting stuff out of people. So… I do actually kind of like Michael. You’re the first person I’ve admitted this to so please don’t say anything. He’s so tall. I’ve always been attracted to tall men. And… aw… he’s just so nice. But, nothing’s happened. Just a bit of flirtation. Kind of awkward because we work together you know. We’re just friends. But he’s a bit of eye candy for me too which is always great.” I must say, I didn’t find Michael at all attractive but I was glad that she did. Different strokes for different folks.

  “Well, he definitely likes you.”

  “Time will tell I guess.” Just then Michael had walked in and Abbie had walked off, her face as red as a tomato. I had a feeling Michael had noticed and I saw him smiling as he made his way to his desk. It was incredibly cute to watch. But I hope that the whole friendship with Kevin wasn’t what was getting in their way.

  It was Friday now and I was pleased to have gotten through my first week. Thankfully, after the dreadful morning of day one and day two things had actually gotten better. And somehow, probably because of the accident, I felt a lot more at ease between Sebastian. Despite his cockiness and surety on everything he was actually quite nice to me on that ride to work that day and the two of us had spoken with surprising ease. Also, as promised, he had made sure to take complete blame with the car and had paid me out in full. My car, unfortunately, would not be fixed but at least I’d have the money to buy a new one. Goodbye Mr Honda – hello new beginnings. In the meantime Danielle had been dropping me off at work and picking me up on the days that she could and I’d been taking cabs on the days that she couldn’t. Sebastian had actually offered to help with lifts but I had said no. He lived at the casino so it would be completely out of his way to have to help me. I was sitting at my desk, trying to decide whether or not to visit the restaurant for lunch or eat my rather sad looking sandwich when my phone buzzed.

  Hello Jane, what are you doing for lunch today?

  I didn’t recognize the number so I typed back, Well that depends who’s asking. Who is this?

  Seriously? You don’t know who this is? I’m shocked. Appalled and very saddened by this news. It’s me.

  I chuckled. Who is me? Oh, is it Kevin? I thought you were in a meeting.

  Kevin? No, this is not Kevin. Do you have the hots for him or something? Tell me more…

  Who was this? No, I do not have the hots for him. Okay, so you’re not Kevin. Uh… well I know you are not Michael – he’s at his desk and I can see him on the phone. And I doubt it’s Abbie. Is it Danielle? Yeah, I know it’s you – hey, when did you change your number?

  Michael? Yet another male name mentioned. My oh my… you seem to have a lot of men at your feet. Who is Danielle? Your girlfriend?

  What was going on? I was desperate to know who this was. Hmm… this is driving me nuts now. Kevin and Michael are guys that I work with. Danielle is my best friend. By the sound of this conversation you clearly know nothing about me.

  Oh, but I’d like to know more.

  A sudden thought occurred to me. What if this was Justin? What if he was playing some cruel prank on me? I felt a shiver go up my spine at the thought. I wanted to throw the phone against the wall. This didn’t seem like something that Justin would do but then again I never thought that he would cheat on me. Wait. Is this Justin? Because I swear I’ll change my number if it is. Please leave me alone. I felt tears forming in my eyes.

  Hey Jane, sorry… I was just messing with you. It’s Sebastian.

  Sebastian? That was the last person that I had thought of. And I had inadvertently just told him about Justin, which was the last thing I wanted to do.

  Sebastian! Oh goodness, I had no idea. Sorry… I didn’t have your number.

  That’s okay – I was just fooling around. Sorry
about that. So really, what are you doing for lunch? That really was a valid question.

  I’m not doing anything. I have a sandwich next to me.

  What’s on it?

  Cheese. Tomato.

  That’s a very sad sandwich.

  I know. But I didn’t have the time to make anything better this morning. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that.

  Well, how about you join me for lunch then? I mean, we do have a very nice restaurant at the casino. Have you been before?

  Was he asking me out? I have actually. Abbie took me. Thank you for the kind offer but I think I’m going to have to decline.

  Why’s that? His next message said.

  Well, because you’re my boss. I didn’t think I really needed to elaborate on that one.

  That’s a silly answer. And that’s exactly the reason why you should be saying yes to me. Actually… seeing as though I am your boss… I demand that you join me. Jane, please join me for lunch.

  No. No and No. Sorry, but I can’t.

  So you’re saying no to your own boss?

  Yes because forcing me to do something would count as sexual harassment and you certainly don’t want that title to be given to you. I stared at the words before I typed them out. I wasn’t sure if I should send them. It felt a little too bold. A little too much like I was flirting. And Sebastian really was the one person that I didn’t want to flirt with. But it was fun and I was actually quite enjoying this playful conversation. I was glad that Abbie was not around to see it happening. I had a feeling that she would be incredibly disappointed in me. But flirting was just flirting. It didn’t have to be anything else or go any further. It was just a bit of fun. I sent the message and then held my breath.

  Fine fine. You’ve got me there. I certainly do not want to be cited as sexually harassing you. Well, I’m going to get some lunch ordered and delivered to my office – say in about twenty minutes – and I actually do have some work that I’d like to run through with you. So, forget the lunch thing. Let’s pretend all that didn’t even happen. I’d appreciate it if you came to see me so that we could go through all this work. You may or may not have some of the food. That’s up to you. If you want, you can even bring your sad little sandwich along.