by Dixon
Ava couldn’t help but cringe at this woman who was straight out of an Absolutely Fabulous sketch and feel sorry for Freya, who seemed like the only normal one in this family.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Oliver cut in, his hand delicately upon Charlotte’s shoulder as he advised with a polite smile, “The bachelorette auction is about to begin, Charlotte.”
“Thank you, my dearest,” Charlotte replied, turning to press a small kiss on Oliver’s cheek, which caused Ava, Nate, and Peter to exchange confused looks as the Forbeses played nice together as though they weren’t at war in a financial lawsuit. “Oh, Ms. Archer! You should put your name forward for the auction! I’m sure some dashing young fellow would sweep you off your feet!”
“Uhm…no…I’m quite fine for that, thank you.” I’d rather shag a cactus.
“Come on, ol’ girl. It’s for charity!” Peter egged her on.
“Let’s go take our seats, yeah?” Nate veered, saving her from any further awkwardness as he led her to the front row.
“I’ll be back in a mo!” Peter grinned, disappearing with Charlotte.
“Where are those two off to?” Ava asked Nate, who gave her a meek shrug.
“So…not your idea of fun, hm?” he asked, nodding his head towards the bachelorettes lining up at the side of the stage and checking their makeup in their compact mirrors.
“Being objectified and sold to the highest bidding man? No, I think I’ll pass.”
“Considering it’s for charity, I doubt folks will see it so chauvinistically.” He chuckled.
“Then why don’t you put your name forward, Mr. Brooks?”
“Because it’s a women-only auction.”
“Exaaaactly…” Ava sang, batting her lashes at him and grinning at the way he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head with suppressed amusement.
“Fair enough,” he said with a smirk, his tongue wetting his bottom lip as he stared at her. Although he would never admit it, he admired the fire inside this bold vixen. She was perhaps the only person in this room, maybe even his life, who could call him out for his shit, and he loved it.
“What’s up with you?” Ava squinted up at Peter as he rejoined them with a menacing smile on his face.
“You’ll see.” Peter grinned, cracking his knuckles and reclining in his seat.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming to today’s auction,” Oliver announced on stage with a mic held to his mouth. “As some of you may know, our beloved father was taken from us due to his ill heart. He was a generous man and very passionate when it came to giving to charity. That is why all proceeds from today’s event will be going to the British Heart Trust.”
The audience filling the marquee applauded as Charlotte joined him on stage, however, Ava’s attention was on Jenson, who placed his hand on top of Freya’s, their expressions sombre over their father’s death.
“Thank you, son,” Charlotte said over the sound system before pressing a quick kiss to Oliver’s cheek. “Holden would have adored seeing you all here today. We are all so grateful for your contributions so far but would like to give special thanks to Archer and Brooks for their generous donation of ten thousand pounds!” She encouraged the crowd to applaud as Nate gave a simple but courteous nod in her direction. “Well, let’s not keep the ladies waiting any longer, fellas, as we commence our bachelorette auction!”
Nate chuckled, knocking his knee against Ava’s as she tutted in disapproval. A table was rolled onto the stage housing a red glittery box that Charlotte dipped her arm into.
“The first lucky lady you have the chance to win a date with will be…” She pulled out a red envelope and peered inside with an excited giggle. “Why…it is the beautiful Ms. Ava Archer!”
Ava choked, looking up at Mrs. Forbes, the blood plummeting in her body as she felt her stomach nearly fall out of her arse.
“Go on then!” Peter laughed, nudging at Ava to stand up.
“Did you do this?” Ava snarled at Peter, slapping at his grip on her arm before he all but threw her up onto her feet.
“Gerrup there!” He howled with laughter, his fingers in his mouth as he whistled and applauded with the crowd.
Gulping down the bile in her throat, Ava dragged herself onto the stage, standing beside Charlotte and grimacing down at the horny men who were straightening themselves in their chairs to angle a better view at their soon-to-be prize.
“Don’t be nervous, darling! I’m sure they won’t bite…much!” Charlotte jested, eliciting laughter from the crowd that made Ava feel as though she were stood naked inside her own living nightmare. “Give us a twirl!”
“I’d rather not…” Ava said through a plastered grin, her uncomfortable response causing the crowd to laugh harder at her obvious dismay.
“Gentlemen, I’m sure you will all agree that a date with this fine beauty”—Charlotte motioned her hand over Ava as though showing off a piece of art—“is simply priceless, therefore, shall we start the bidding at say…five hundred pounds?”
“Here!” one man shouted instantly at the back making Ava’s eyes widen.
“Five-fifty!” another shouted.
“One thousand!”
“My, my, Ms. Archer. You are very popular with this crowd!” Charlotte nudged Ava, who felt like at any second she was going to lose her stomach contents or scream bloody murder. She knew these men were wealthy, but would they honestly stoop so low as to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of their money on a goddamn date?!
“Five thousand pounds!” A new bidder stole gasps from the crowd as everyone turned to see the mysterious man at the back: a red-faced, round man dressed in tweed and nearing retirement age.
Ava’s eyes widened in horror as she looked down at Nate and Peter, pleading with them to do something, but Peter simply shrugged his shoulders and laughed at her misfortune.
Something twisted inside Nate’s gut. This auction had suddenly taken a perverse turn now that it was Ms. Archer’s dignity that was at stake. He knew she was no damsel, a woman who was far too fierce ever to be saved from distress, but here she was pleading with the halfwit redhead next to him who was letting her dangle by a noose.
“Seven thousand five hundred.” Nate rolled his eyes at Red and raised his hand in the air.
“Eight thousand five hundred,” the tweedy man boasted from the back of the tent.
“Ten thousand,” Nate countered with cool composure.
“Twenty thousand!” the man boomed across the drama-thirsty crowd.
Ava’s palms were going to be scarred for life with the indents from her nails, anger and anxiety tearing through her veins from the humiliation of it all. Never before had she felt so tiny and minuscule, a second-class citizen being fought over by two men without her say in the matter. It was so degrading.
Nate turned his head over his shoulder to peer at the imbecile at the back. Clearly, this stubborn ass of a guy used his pay packet to measure his dick. He was going to call it quits in the bidding war, turning around to give Ava the bad news when he saw her blue eyes on her feet. She looked so small on that stage, so submissive and caged like a lion at the circus. It made him feel sick to his stomach to see the fire in her diminished to just a flickering flame.
Ah—fuck it!
“Fifty thousand pounds.” Nate’s offer caused a crescendo of gasps from the audience before a tense silence dropped upon the auction. He watched as Ava’s eyes met his, but the surprise on her face didn’t show any relief.
“Do I hear fifty-five?” Charlotte asked the man at the back, who was rubbing his face before growling and throwing his hat to the ground. “Going once…twice…sold to Mr. Brooks! Come get your prize!”
Humiliation, anger, and a touch of relief filled Ava as Nate came up onto the stage, his fingers linking through hers as he gave a quick nod to the wolf-whistling crowd and abruptly escorted her off stage and out of the tent. The second they were clear of the crowd Ava suddenly hitched up her skirt and bolted towards the house.<
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“Ava!” Nate shouted, receiving concerned glances from people, darting after her as she stormed inside the house.
“That was so fucking humiliating!” Ava snarled, stomping inside the room that showcased arcade games from the 1930s and causing people to turn around with their jaws dropped.
“Ah, c’mon, it coulda been worse…look who ya coulda ended up with.” Nate tried to lighten the situation but was half expecting her loud reaction.
“Could have been worse?! Oh, easy for you to say when you’re flaunting your bloody wallet and testosterone around!”
“Hey! A thank-you wouldn’t hurt considering I’m gonna have to sell one of my goddamn cars for that!”
Ava’s scornful gaze snapped up to the people drawn towards the commotion. “In here,” she hissed at Nate, yanking the lapel of his jacket and pulling him inside a retro photo booth.
“The hell are you do—”
“I’ve had quite enough of people ogling me like some spectacle!” she snarled, yanking the velvet curtain closed behind him. “Now, where was I?”
However, her brain stalled at the lack of personal space inside the cramped box and made for a dizzying reaction with her hormones as her nose twitched against the alluring scent of Nate’s cologne.
“I believe you were acting like an ungrateful brat after I saved your ass back there.” Nate’s arms crossed as he scowled down at her.
Ava opened her mouth to unleash hell, but something stopped her. Perhaps it was the restless pools of honey she was swimming in, perhaps it was the heat radiating from his body, or maybe it was just her conscience. “You’re right,” she began, choosing to ignore the way his eyebrows jumped in surprise. “Thank you for what you did.”
“Wow.” He stared down at her as his arms slowly uncrossed. “Who are you and what have you done with the real Ava?”
“Don’t make me regret it, Brooks. Now move, the dust is bothering my nose.”
“Annnnd there she is.” Nate chuckled, adoring the nickname she gave him as he retreated out of the photo booth. However, as he did, his elbow knocked a lever and a flash blinded them. “Might as well?” he asked with a raised brow and nodded at the camera.
“Only if you pull a funny face.” Ava smirked.
“Not a chance,” he replied, deadpan.
“Are you always so serious?”
“No.”
“Do you always say no to everything?” She raised her brow.
“No.”
Nate watched her face flatten dubiously and couldn’t help but to laugh as he poked his tongue out at her just in time for the flash to go off again. Her eyes lit up brighter than any camera flash as she tossed her head back and laughed the type of hearty laugh that came from the soul. He couldn’t help but marvel at this side of her.
“These are brilliant,” Ava chirped, handing him the monochrome photos. “Here, you keep them. Let it be a souvenir of your time here in London.”
“How thoughtful,” he joked, peering down at the photographs. “I’ll keep it in my wallet until the next time I have to save a damsel.” Nate laughed at her reaction as she shoved at his chest, his feet stumbling forward and tripping upon his shoelace as he fell up against her but luckily caught himself on the wall of the booth before he could crush her.
“I think you’re the one needing to be saved,” she jested in breathy laughter that fell quiet as she watched his intense gaze fall upon her lips.
Her back slowly peeled from the wall, encroaching on unknown territory as she stared up into not the eyes of her boss, but the eyes of a man that she desired. If he didn’t want this then he certainly did not make that fact evident as he remained firmly in place, his breathing growing louder as though he were struggling to remain composed. She was playing a dangerous game, contently caged in by his arms as her fingertips curiously stepped up the buttons on his shirt, closer towards his exposed clavicle before suddenly a loud bang snapped the moment in two.
“You’re a bloody disgrace, brother!” Oliver roared from outside in the hallway.
“What the hell?” Ava gasped as she and Nate stepped out of the booth in time for Oliver to throw Jenson across the room. The pair crash-landed upon a foosball table that clattered, snapped, and banged into broken pieces on the floor which they wrestled upon.
Nate jumped into action, gripping at Oliver and yanking him off of Jenson, whose nose sat at an alarming angle, blood staining his pink shirt.
“Father would turn in his grave if he knew! You disgust me!” Oliver spat at his brother before roaring at Nate to get off him.
“Do everyone a favour and walk it off, buddy,” Nate ordered, easily dominating the situation as he pushed Oliver out of the room and into the now-crowded hallway. “You that way.” He thrust his finger down the hall at Jenson, sending the squabbling pair in opposite directions before returning to Ava and huffing in exasperation.
“What the bloody hell was that all about?” Ava gaped up at Nate. “They were all acting fine two minutes ago!”
Nate sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned against the door frame and said, “You wanna see who people really are? Just add money to the equation and that’ll unmask them.”
Seventeen
“Why do I always miss out on this shit!” Sam whined as the elevator climbed towards another tiring day at the office.
“It was bloody horrific. You should have seen the twat that was bidding for me.” Ava shook her head trying to get rid of the images.
“I bet he was sexy.”
“Samantha. He smoked a pipe, used a cane, and wore a bonnet!”
“Oh, you lucky bitch!” Sam laughed, elbowing Ava in the ribs and causing her friend to chuff slightly at her own disarray. “Speaking of booze—”
“What? We weren’t speaking of booze?” Ava screwed up her face.
“Aye, we were,” Sam said, deadpan, before her face lit up in mischief. “This weekend, you, me, and Mr. Malbec?” Her brows wiggled enticingly.
“You really are something else.” Ava laughed as the elevator doors pinged open on their floor. They both stared out onto a department that was in a state of pandemonium. Phones were ringing from every corner, people were yelling orders over the table at one another or dashing back and forth.
“Well, fuck that for a game of soldiers. I’m off to hide in the kitchen and pour vodka into my cuppa,” Sam remarked as she raised her handbag to her face and stealthily dashed towards the kitchen.
Rolling her eyes at Sam, Ava stepped out of the elevator as she hesitatingly walked through the chaos and finally saw Peter, who looked at her as though she were his saviour.
“Thank God you’re in today!” Peter sighed, wiping his brow as Ava set her things down on her desk.
“What the hell is going on?” Ava peered up at Nate’s office, worrying that the blinds were shut. They were never shut.
“Haven’t you heard the news?”
“What news?”
“Oliver Forbes was found dead in his apartment at the weekend,” Peter explained, causing Ava’s eyes to bulge. “They’re saying it’s suicide.”
“Suicide?” Ava gasped.
“Taylor!” Nate’s voice boomed from his office, and Ava and Peter simultaneously jumped.
Peter gave Ava a nervous look and advised, “Do yourself a favour, ol’ girl, and stay out of the boss’s way today.”
Staying out of Nate’s way was surprisingly easy considering he never once came out of his office and Ava didn’t dare chap on his door when the blinds remained shut, the door closed, and his status set to do not disturb. Whatever he was caught up in would no doubt be testing his patience and making him work for his salary.
Ava remained busy also, put on edge that her intercom was no longer being used as Nate pinged his orders at her. She wasn’t upset at it, oddly feeling sympathetic towards him as she worked fast to assist him in whatever way he needed.
Ava had blinked and it was suddenly finishing time, perhaps the fastest wo
rking day she had ever done, but she wasn’t ready to leave just yet. As per their contract together, Nate and she had a meeting scheduled to discuss the details of the Forbes case, which Ava no longer knew for certain was going ahead since the scandalous news this morning.
“Ms. Archer, I need you in my office,” Nate’s voice beckoned over the intercom and for once, Ava jumped at the chance to see him.
“Yes, sir?” she asked with a small smile, hoping her politeness would save her from his bark. However, as she took in his appearance, her lower lip descended, and her brows lowered in concern.
The executive desk was covered in a mess of white papers strewn about as if a window had shattered and the wind had placed the sheets where it saw fit. Nevertheless, in that chaos, Nate saw order. He leaned onto the dark wood with his knuckles pressed upon its surface as he diligently studied the papers. His black suit jacket hung around the back of his chair, his white shirt unbuttoned at the top, and his red silk tie wrapped around his clenched hand—a sign that he was as deep in thought as he was frustrated.
In light of the news this morning, the Forbes civil case had blown into a full-on criminal investigation, the press breathing down his client’s neck and therefore his own too.
“Come in,” Nate said, pleased that she had come so quickly, “and close the door.”
Ava did as instructed, her eyes glancing to the coffee table that had long been wiped clean of any evidence relating to their little sleepover fiasco. “What do you need?” she asked as she approached the front of his chaotic desk that coincided with his appearance and likely his emotional state.
“I had it this morning,” he explained, slowly tapping his fingertip against the hard surface of the desk. The cuffs of his shirt were rolled up, exposing his muscular forearms, which could only mean one thing—he was all business now. “I saw it. I saw it, but now I can’t seem to damn find it,” he grumbled, the ragged furrows of his forehead capturing his frustration as his eyes scanned the scene. Nate was searching for a particular paper among many that had lost its rightful place in the file and was crucial at this moment in time. That sort of thing drove him wild, and not in a good way. “I’m looking for a certificate that has a gold foil seal on its front, can you help me find it?”