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Fuck.
I must have really hurt her feelings back in the limo.
“Sorry about that,” I apologize with a sigh. “I guess I have been a little on edge tonight.”
“I know. This can all be a little bit intense if you’re not used to it,” she tries to console.
“Also, that fucking dress sure doesn’t help matters,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.
“My dress?” she parrots, her brows furrowing. “What’s wrong with my dress? You said I looked nice earlier,” she retorts, sounding hurt.
“No, I said you looked breathtaking, and I stand by it. Though it does make things more complicated for me to try and keep my cool when the most beautiful woman here is holding onto my arm all night.”
The gray hues in her eyes sparkle amidst a sea of blue as she stares at me, apparently at a loss for words.
“I just put my foot in my mouth, didn’t I?” I ask nervously. “I said the wrong thing, huh?”
“No, Nate. You didn’t say anything wrong.” She smiles sheepishly and then whispers under her breath, “You never do, and that’s the problem.”
I’m about to ask her what she means by that when someone else abruptly interrupts our conversation.
Goddamn it!
Can’t a guy catch a break?
“Mr. Wilder,” a no-nonsense woman with a tight hair bun and a tighter smile calls out to me. “We need you backstage in the auction room immediately. I have you listed as one of the eligible bachelors we are auctioning off tonight, and the event is about to start. Youarehere replacing Jack Donavan, are you not?”
Shit.
I totally forgot about that.
Erin was sure to only tell me the details of this godforsaken auction after she made sure I was already on board with her plan. Now I’m going to have to parade on a stage while every woman here makes a bid to go on a date with me. Not that I’m expecting many takers, though.
Fuck.
What if no one bids?
What if everyone is going to point and laugh at me?
I’m not sure I can handle that type of embarrassment.
“Go with her, Nate. And don’t worry. I have your back.” Lottie winks at me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
Her encouraging smile has me blindly following the general in charge of getting all the candidates to their respective places. And as luck would have it, the man I’ve been trying to meet all night just so happens to be waiting in line to be auctioned off, too.
“Wait here until the host calls out your name,” the stern-looking woman orders before leaving.
“Ray of sunshine, isn’t she?” Lawrence utters beside me as he fixes his cufflinks.
“I’ve had worse people telling me what to do and when. She’s not so bad.” I shrug.
“Same here.” He smirks. “Though it does get tiring, doesn’t it? People always telling you what to do? Like you don’t have a mind of your own to make your own decisions.”
“I don’t mind it too much. But then again, anytime I make my own decisions, I always end up getting into trouble.”
“Me too.” He chuckles, finally lifting his attention off his cuffs to look at me. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Lawrence Preston III,” he says, offering me his hand to shake.
“Nathan Wilder.” I shake his hand. “And I know who you are.”
