Bid High

Chapter Two

Amber stood in front of her full-length mirror. What had she been thinking when she let Jessica talk her into this dress? She’d never owned anything so revealing before. She hardly recognised herself.

The dress was one of the most beautiful she’d ever seen. The silk green garment went all the way to the floor, had little thin straps and a bare back. She couldn’t wear a bra in it and had bought an itsy bitsy g-string for underneath. The black heels she’d bought ensured she’d break her neck before the night was through.

She’d curled her long brown hair and left it to cascade over her shoulders. Her minimal make-up was just enough to enhance her features. As she leant in to get a better look, she stared at a stranger.

Though she had to admit she looked good, great even. She looked like a confident woman who always got what she wanted. Turning to see from every direction, she wondered if she could pull this off. For one night, could she set her inhibitions aside and just have fun? She wasn’t sure she could, but she was going to try.

A car horn honked and she smiled at her reflection. “Time to go,” she whispered

Trish and Jessica oohed and aahed as Amber got in the car. Amber appreciated them but could tell they were slightly surprised by her appearance as well. The entire drive to the hotel where the auction was being held Jessica kept glancing at the rear view mirror with a huge smile.

Amber looked out the window as they pulled up to the valet of the hotel. The Crest Fall Hotel was the best in the city. One she’d never stayed at but had heard wonderful reviews about. Of course the auction would be held here. Some of the men on the block were the richest and most powerful in the city.

Her stomach was filled with butterflies as she stepped from her car. Trish hooked arms with her and pulled her forward. They followed other elegantly dressed people until they reached the ballroom.

Trish let go of her arm and dug in her purse for the tickets. They were handed three paddles to bid with, told to have a good time and reminded the bid was for charity.

The ballroom was marvellous with round tables covered with white tablecloths. Candles and flowers were placed in the middle of the tables. Red and pink balloons and streamers were placed around the room attractively. The lights were on as everyone found their assigned tables.

Jessica grabbed champagne glasses from a passing waiter and handed them out. “Let’s find our table. I can’t wait to see where our seats are.”

Trish rolled her eyes but smiled.

Amber followed at a slower pace, taking in the whole experience. She’d never been to one of these fundraisers before. She usually just mailed a cheque for any charity she wished to help. This…this was all so much.

She noticed they were walking deep into the crowd and looked ahead for Jessica. Her friend had stopped at a table right in front of the stage.

“This can’t be our table,” Amber said, her voice low, when she reached her friend.

“It is,” Jessica responded, happily picking up her nametag. Amber looked down and saw her name.

“Just where did you get the tickets?” she asked Trish.

Trish just shrugged. “I told you they were a gift.”

Amber narrowed her eyes at her friend, but Trish just took a sip of her champagne and smiled.

Amber sighed and took her seat. It didn’t look like she was going to get more than that from her friend. Jessica and Trish took seats on either side of her. Amber tasted her drink for the first time. It was chilled and went down like liquid gold—the good stuff.

She almost laughed at the thought. Of course it was. She’d seen the mayor’s wife here. As well as many other women who were just as notable. Feelings of not belonging with this crowd made her nervous. Even growing up with a lot of these women, Amber felt like an outsider.

“You brought your chequebook, right?” Jessica asked, elbowing her.

Amber nodded and drank more of her champagne.

“I have a feeling tonight,” Jessica whispered.

“Yeah me too.” Amber responded lowly. Only Amber was sure her feeling wasn’t as good as her friends.

The lights flickered, signalling everyone to take their seats. Jessica motioned to the waiter for more drinks. Amber gratefully finished hers and exchanged it for a new one. At least there was good booze.

The auction started with a welcome from the mayor’s wife and a speech from a board member of the children’s hospital that would benefit from the auction.

Both women told the crowd to bid big. It was for the children, after all.

Jessica was downright excited as the bidding got under way. She bid on the first two bachelors, not winning either one.

“I think you’re going to have to go higher if you want to win,” Amber commented dryly.

Jessica threw her head back and laughed. “Oh dear, this is just practice. I’ll get my man by the end of the night.”

Amber laughed and looked over at Trish. Trish just waved her paddle at them. “I’m saving myself for the right man.”

Surprised she was having fun, Amber settled in to be entertained. The next two bachelors went for even higher prices and had both Jessica and Trish bidding. The three friends laughed when Trish was outbid at the last minute.

Jessica kept the waiter close by, and with her fourth glass, Amber was getting in the spirit. She bid a couple of of times but her friends wouldn’t let her go higher.

“I thought I was supposed to win!” Amber teased.

“We have to see who else is here. You never know who might come strolling down the walkway,” Jessica answered.

Amber picked up her drink as the next bachelor was announced. She leaned over to whisper in Trish’s ear just as his name was called.

“Thomas Baldwin.”

Amber choked on her champagne and Jessica pounded on her back.

“You okay?”

Amber nodded, staring at the man who walked down the runway in a black tuxedo. She missed what was said about him, completely enthralled at the sight of him.

He walked closer to their table, smiling at the crowd, and Amber felt her heart pound. How could he look that good? she wondered. It just wasn’t fair.

She must have said it out loud because it was Trish who answered. “Genes, really good genes.”

Thomas reached the end of the platform, which just happened to be in front of Amber. His gaze met hers, and Amber felt a jolt to her system. He smiled and she was sure she was smiling back like an idiot. Amber just stared, unable to break the connection. He didn’t seem to want to break it either because his eyes never left hers.

It wasn’t until Jessica nudged her that she remembered where she was and finally looked away.

“What?” Amber complained.

“I think he wants you to bid on him,” she stage-whispered.

Amber looked back at him. No way! Could she? Should she?

Was that a small nod he gave?

“Hurry! Bid!” Trish ordered, picking up Amber’s paddle and handing it to her.

Eyes locked on his, Amber raised the paddle.

Thomas’s smile broadened and he winked. Amber was pretty sure she’d just creamed her panties.

Amber bid over and over. When she missed a raise, she’d receive a nudge from one side or the other and would raise her paddle. She stared at Thomas the entire time.

If he minded Amber bidding on him, he didn’t show it. He just stood and stared down at her, a smile teasing his lips.

Entranced, Amber missed the sale until Jessica jumped up and down and hugged her. “You won!”

She looked around the room, noticing she had indeed won. The crowd clapped and some women, other bidders, frowned at her.

“Ma’am, if you’ll come with me,” a man asked, stepping in front of her.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Jessica leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You have to go pay for your man.”

Trish kissed the other cheek. “Yeah. Go get your man!”

“But…I…”Amber suddenly felt dizzy. She couldn’t do this. How had she gotten so carried away?

Jessica pushed her from her seat. “Go!”

Amber stood and looked down at her friends. Their smiles were huge.

“I…I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Much later,” Jessica suggested, raising her glass. “Oh and don’t be good!” she added.

Amber followed the man outside the ballroom to a smaller room. There she handed her paddle in and was given her price.

“How much?” she asked, shell-shocked.

“Five thousand,” the woman repeated too happily.

Amber took out her chequebook, shaking her head. She’d just spent five thousand dollars on a date! She was beyond embarrassed and wasn’t sure what she was going to say to the man she’d won. How could she explain why she’d paid so much for him? He probably thought she was some desperate woman who would end up stalking him or something. Oh, how in the hell had she gotten here? Paying for a date? She sighed heavily, not even listening to the woman who hadn’t shut up.

“That was a wonderful bid. Probably will be the highest of the night,” the woman continued.

Amber handed her the cheque and forced a smile.

“Okay, Ms. Wilson. Right through those doors is your date.”

Amber looked over to where the women pointed. Well, she’d paid for him so she might as well go face him.

On shaky feet, she made her way to her five-thousand-dollar man.

Amber’s hand shook as she pulled open the door. It was a small sitting room and Thomas sat in a chair with his hands clasped in his lap. When he saw her enter, he smiled and stood.

“I was afraid you’d changed your mind,” he said as she approached.

His deep voice sent tingles through her body and robbed her of speech. Amber barely managed to shake her head.

“Good.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

As his lips touched her, she felt a sizzle and closed her eyes. Silly that this man could bring feelings no one else had ever managed with such a chaste kiss.

“I have a suite upstairs if you’d like to join me for a late dinner,” he said, his mouth close to her ear.

“A suite?” she managed without choking. Barely.

Thomas’s arm was already around her waist as he led her towards the door. She took several deep breaths, trying to control her raging hormones. It would just be a simple dinner. He’d let himself be auctioned for charity, it wasn’t anything more than that.

But her body shivered with excitement at the thought of being alone with him inside a suite—which would have a bed.

Amber tried to take in the décor of the hotel as they made their way from the room to the bank of elevators, but Thomas still had his arm around her. The strength of his arm, the heat of his body, was making it hard for her to think of anything but him. She liked the protective ease in which he held her.

Once in the elevator, she kept her gaze down and tried to think of something to say. Anything.

Thomas didn’t seem inclined to talk though. He just kept his arm around her, his thumb rubbing erotic currents against her hip.

The door chimed, letting them know they had reached their destination. He led her out of the elevator car and down the hall with a hand on the small of her back.

Three doors down, he stopped and used a magnetic card to unlock and open the door.

The suite was just as impressive as the rest of the hotel. In the elegant sitting room, Thomas removed his jacket. Amber watched the muscles in his back move as he went to the bar. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from moaning. She’d never seen him without a jacket. Her imagination had been the only thing she’d had when she’d thought about what his clothing hid. The thin dress shirt he had on under his jacket was tight and showed just enough to tease.

“Glass of wine?” he asked, pulling out a bottle.

“Yes, please,” she answered, glad to have her voice back.

There was a small dining table next to a large window. The table was set with white linens as if it was waiting to be used. Amber placed her purse on the table. A door that must lead to the bedroom stood open.

“Are you hungry?” Thomas asked behind her.

Amber jumped, unaware he had moved so close.

“What?” she asked, trying to get her mind away from the bedroom.

“I thought I heard voices.”

Amber snapped her head back around to the bedroom. Jake Grant walked out with a wicked look in his eyes and an easy grin.

He wore a pair of faded jeans and a tight black T-shirt. Knowing she would be drooling any minute, Amber quickly looked at Thomas.

Thomas held three glasses, obviously expecting Jake. Any thoughts of an erotic night of play quickly left her head. She hadn’t realised how much she had been hoping until the fantasy crashed down.

“You remember my partner, Jake Grant, don’t you?” he asked unnecessarily.

“Yes, of course,” Amber answered and turned back to the other man. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Grant.”

He nodded and walked closer. “And you as well, Ms. Wilson,” he told her as he took a glass of wine.

Amber shifted uneasily, unsure on what to do next. Her feet were starting to hurt because of the height of the heels, but she wasn’t sure how long she would be staying, so she didn’t want to just sit and take them off.

“Shall we sit and get to know one another better?” Thomas offered.

Grateful, Amber nodded and sat on the edge of the plush couch on the middle cushion. Both men surprised her by taking a seat on either side of her.

Amber sipped at her wine to have something to do with her hands.

“So you won the bid on this rascal, huh?” Jake asked and leaned closer.

She could feel the heat from his body against her scantily-clothed self.

“Yes. I…I’ve never been to one of the auctions before. I think I got a little carried away,” she told him and tried to justify spending five thousand dollars.

“Are you saying I’m not worth that much?” Thomas asked with hurt heavy in his voice.

Amber quickly glanced over, relieved to see the teasing smirk on his face. “Oh no, Mr. Baldwin, I’m sure you’re worth every penny.”

The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to censor them. She blushed as soon as she realised what she’d said.

The men, however, weren’t embarrassed. Jake laughed full out on her right side while Thomas leant in to her left.

“Mr. Baldwin?” he asked. “I think after the money you just spent you should call me Thomas.”

His breath whispered against her skin and she shivered.

“And I’ll call you Amber,” he added.

She nodded. His mouth was so close that if she just moved an inch she would be able to feel his lips against hers.

“You can call me whatever you want.” Jake’s voice came from her other side, just as close as Thomas’s. “But I’d prefer if you screamed it.”

Amber wasn’t sure she’d really heard his last words or if she’d imagined them until Thomas chuckled.

Thomas pulled back and lifted his wineglass to his lips. She watched entranced as his throat worked. He held her gaze the entire time.

When he pulled the glass away from his lips, he winked. “You’ll have to excuse Jake. He’s never had the patience for seduction,” he told her.

Jake growled in response as Amber thought about what he said.

“Seduction?” she repeated. As her mind whirled with thoughts on what the men were talking about, her body had already started to respond to the meaning behind the words. Her nipples were hard and stiff poking through the thin material of her dress, and she could feel the dampness of her sex as liquid pooled in her panties.

“Yes. I keep telling him patience will get him what he wants in the end,” Thomas continued as he stood. “Let’s see what room service sent up for dinner.

Amber tried to keep up with what was going on. Was she being seduced? Or was she supposed to seduce him? Them? She finished off her wine in a couple of gulps.

Jake took the wineglass from her hand the moment it was empty. He pressed against her as he set it on the coffee table.

“Seduction is a waste of time in my opinion,” he murmured. “If a man wants a woman and she wants him in return, I don’t see anything wrong with moving to the physical part.”

With him so close, Amber couldn’t argue his point. His hand brushed her knee and she barely held back a gasp. Didn’t they know what they were doing to her? Sweat prickled around her hairline and started to slide down her neck. Her hands shook and she clenched them tight. If she got any hotter, she would combust.

“This is a lovely dress,” Jake told her as his hand settled firmly on her leg. The silk material rubbed against her heated skin as he stroked the dress. “So soft and lovely.”

She moaned. She couldn’t help it.

He moved his hand lower, over her knee and down. “Great shoes too. But wouldn’t you be more comfortable with them off?” He removed one shoe as he asked. He held her foot and rubbed the arch. “You have lovely skin. Soft and silky like your dress.”

She was trying not to pant. Honest she was. Jake’s hands felt like heaven.

He knelt in front of her and slipped off her other shoe. “I bet you’re just as soft everywhere.”

She looked at his left hand, which cradled her foot, until he tilted her head with his right, so she met his gaze.

“How’s this, darling? Good?” he asked and pushed down on the pressure point.

Her toes curled and she groaned.

“So vocal,” he said with a chuckle. “I hope you’re always like this.”

“I…you…” she stumbled.

“Just couldn’t keep your hands off,” Thomas grumbled as he returned to the couch with a tray.

Amber looked up, shocked. She had forgotten about him as soon as Jake’s hands touched her.

He brushed past his friend as retook his seat.

“I…we weren’t…” What was she trying to say? Even she didn’t know.

“It’s all right, darling. I didn’t expect him to behave anyway,” Thomas soothed.

Wide-eyed, she looked from one man to the other. Oh, she was being seduced all right. She just wasn’t sure by which one.

Thomas set the tray on the table next to her glass and lifted the lid.

“You gonna sit back down?” he asked Jake, motioning to the sofa.

Jake just smirked and shook his head. “I like it here.”

Thomas mumbled under his breath before he reached over to pick up some fruit from the tray.

“Taste this,” he ordered, raising a chocolate-covered strawberry to her mouth. “It looks delicious.”

Amber lifted a hand to take it from him, but Jake quickly grabbed both of hers in his. “Uh, no hands.”

With no other choice, she opened her mouth.

Thomas rubbed the chocolate against her bottom lip once, twice, three times before slipping it inside. The chocolate broke in her mouth and the juices from the fruit flowed. She chewed slowly, hoping not to choke and ruin the mood.

“Mmm, good,” she commented in a soft whisper. It was too perfect of a moment to talk.

“I want to taste,” Thomas told her.

She nodded. He still held the rest of the strawberry.

He raised one eyebrow and set the fruit down. Amber opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, his lips were on hers.

He pressed down softly, then licked her bottom lip before adding more pressure and sliding his tongue inside her mouth.

Amber melted against him. The kiss was everything she could have ever hoped for. Exciting, erotic, and mesmerising.

As Thomas pulled away slowly, Amber followed. Their lips were only a breath apart as they sucked in much needed air.

Two fingers on her chin turned her head.

“I want a taste too,” Jake complained before his mouth covered hers.