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“I want to remind everyone in this room that you’re mine,” he says.
I look up at the gigantic ballroom ceiling and see the sparkles of my diamond in the light. There’s no way anyone would miss the rock on my
hand. It’s bigger than the Hope Diamond and I had to have bands attached on either side of it just so my finger could hold it up.
“I love being yours,” I say, placing my cheek against his chest.
“It feels like forever since it’s been just the two of us.”
I lean up and kiss his lips. We went on a date, just the two of us, the night before last. He loves to be dramatic about things, but so do I, so I don’t argue with him. Romeo is still just as smothering and wonderful as the first moment I met him, but luckily we’ve had no incidents that required swords. Although I’ve gotten to fire the cannon quite a few times for fun.
Since we’ve had Romeo Jr we’ve experienced what life as a family has to offer, and it’s been wonderful. I wouldn’t change a thing about how we got to this point, but I’m just glad we didn’t have a baby when we were going through it.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re about to start the bidding!” someone calls over the microphone, and Romeo twists me in his arms so that he can hold on to me while I face the stage. “Our first bachelor of the night is going to be one for the ages. So loosen up those purse strings, ladies, and get ready to bid.”
“You better not be getting on that stage,” I growl under my breath.
Romeo laughs and kisses me below my ear before giving it a bite. “Never.”
“Tonight we have none other than Jericho Trope!”
I gasp as the crowd goes wild with women screaming and even some of the men catcalling. I look back to see Romeo is in shock, too.
“Did you know he was doing this?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“I had no idea. I don’t know why he wouldn’t tell me something like this.”
“Maybe he thought you’d talk him out of it,” I say and look back at the stage.
“I guess he’s got to lose his virginity at some point,” Romeo says, and then I gasp again. “Didn’t I mention it? He’s a virgin. With being a Navy SEAL trillionaire veterinarian, he’s never had the time to find a woman. I don’t think he’s been saving himself; he just stays busy.”
“I bet his hand does,” I mumble to myself, so low Romeo doesn’t catch it.
“Look, there he is,” Romeo says, pointing to the stage.
Jericho walks out in a tux with a brooding look on his face. He’s got the body of a swimmer, a short-distance runner, and a lumberjack combined. Also rugby thighs. He’s identical to Romeo in every way, yet I have zero attraction to him.
“Welcome, Jericho,” the announcer says. “Tonight we are going to start the bidding at three hundred thousand dollars. And remember, it’s all for a good cause.”
“What’s the charity?” I ask Romeo.
“Sick kids with sick pets.”
“A noble cause,” I say, nodding.
The gavel strikes and the bidding begins. Everyone goes into the millions right away, with women throwing bills on the stage. Jericho stands there and stares straight ahead as if he’s bored and angry.
After a moment of desperate housewives clawing at the stage, a look passes Jericho’s eyes and I see him focus on someone in the back of the room. There’s a waitress serving food at a table, and she’s ignoring him completely. Her black hair is piled high in a bun on top of her head and her clothes are cheap and messy. She’s got on thick glasses and she’s tripping everywhere she goes. It’s clear she wants nothing to do with this scene.
The same moment I spot Jericho staring at her, so does Romeo.
“He wants her,” he says, looking between them. He steps around me and takes a paddle with a number on it from the woman beside us. He holds it high and I gasp as he shouts, “One billion dollars!”
The brothers exchange a glance, and Jericho jumps off the stage and rushes to the back of the room. I turn to follow his line of sight, but the dark-haired beauty is long gone. Oh well, I guess that’s the end of that.
“Sold!” the announcer shouts, and the disgruntled women begrudgingly clap.
Romeo waves for a second before pulling me back onto the dance floor and holding me close.
“So that’s the end of the auction?” I ask as he kisses me softly.
“For now. I guess Jericho will have to go and find the woman he really wanted,” he says.
“Well, if she’s anything like me, I’m sure it will be a thrilling chase.”
He places his hand on my chin and tilts it back so I’m looking into his eyes. “There’s no one like you, Arabella.”
When his kiss turns deep, we decide to find a quiet linen closet in the back of the ballroom. He makes hard dirty love to me from behind as I bite down on a clean sheet. It’s fast and sweaty, but it’s exactly what I need. That’s the thing with Romeo. He always knows what to give me and when to do it.
As he scoops me up in his arms and carries me out to the limo I think I catch a glance of Jericho and the dark-haired girl, but I’m so tired my heavy eyes won’t stay open.
“Sleep, little love. I’ll kiss you awake in the morning.”
Bonus Story!
Jericho and Cookie
Chapter 1
Cookie
I grip the tray of champagne I’m holding and say a silent prayer that I don’t drop them. I tried to talk the manager out of making me carry tall, breakable objects filled with liquid but he just wouldn’t believe me. How many times can I say I’m clumsy before they believe me?
I take one slow step as another server shoots past me holding a similar tray. She’s super confident as she pushes open the door with her one free hand and turns toward the crowd. Meanwhile I’ve got both trembling hands gripped on either side as I try to control my shaking.
“Cookie, if you don’t get those drinks out there now, I’m going to send you home for the night,” my manager barks.
The sound causes me to wobble the tray, but I take another breath and do as he says.
“It’s okay. I got you,” my friend Butch says as he comes by and snags the tray from my hands. “I’ll deliver the drinks. You take the crab cakes.”
He swaps out our trays and gives me a wink as he pushes through the door. Thank God for him or I might be crying in the corner right now. Hell, I’d be homeless and jobless if it wasn’t for him. He’s my best friend in the world, but unfortunately for me he likes men. He’ll make some lucky guy an incredible Husband one day, but until then he’s all mine.
We bonded together in school, and after we graduated I needed to place to stay. My mom took off with her new boyfriend and I wasn’t part of the deal anymore now that I was eighteen. Butch was already out on his own after his parents kicked him out. They were super religious and when they caught him with the preacher’s son, let’s just say he wasn’t welcome at the dinner table anymore.
Butch has let me crash in his guest room for the past few months, and though he says it’s totally fine, I know it has to be wearing him down. I’m ready for my own space, too, and a few more nights of big parties like this and I’ll have the deposit I need. That’s why I can’t lose this job. It’s hard work with long hours, but the tips are always so good. Some of the girls wear low-cut tops and short skirts to pad their pockets, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it yet.
I’m what my mother’s boyfriend referred to as “a practice-girl.” He said I’m too chubby to be a girlfriend, but I’d make a good one to use on the side. That was right before he tried to stick his hand down my pants and my Mom, fortunately, walked in. After that they were gone, and I wasn’t sorry to watch them go. But his words still ring in my ears and I feel like nobody wants to see much of my skin. I’ve got rolls and boobs with a big butt and hips. Even as a baby I was kinda round and ample, so the name Cookie stuck right away. It doesn’t help that I’m super short. One would think being close to the ground would make me less clumsy, but you’d be wrong.
I watch as Butch carries the tray like a professional as he approaches a man nearby. He leans in a little and I watch the guy slip some bills into Butch’s back pocket. Even the men serving tonight ar
e going to make bank. I never make even half of what Butch does, but I don’t need all that. I just need enough to make the deposit and first month’s rent on a new apartment. I don’t have plans after that. I just know I want to work and save money. I grew up poor and I’ve never known what it’s like to pay bills on time and have money in the bank. That’s what I’m working for, and though it might be a dumb dream, it’s all I’ve ever wanted.
“I’ll take one of those,” a man says, reaching for my tray as I’m about to pass him by. I look at the woman he’s with, who clearly hasn’t eaten since the eighties, and offer the tray to her. She shakes her head and sips her wine, but I see the way she looks at the food. There’s longing in her eyes.
I’ll never understand women who don’t eat. As a kid we didn’t have much for toys or trips, but we always had food. I guess that’s why I’m chubby. But I’d rather live happy than miserable and always looking at food like it’s a long-lost lover.
Butch told me there’s an auction going on tonight. They’re offering people up for money and all of the cash earned is going to charity. All I could think about was how to become a charity and get my name on the list. But then, seeing some of these rich snobs makes me roll my eyes. The eyes they give me make me feel like dirt on their expensive shoes. But I remind myself that I’m here to lighten their pockets just a smidge, and put on my best fake smile.
I’m extra careful as I go back to grab fresh trays of food, avoiding the drink trays like the plague. I move through the crowd cautiously, trying to steer clear of a few men who’ve given me some creepy vibes. I’m not in this to find a sugar daddy, although Butch tells me that’s the ultimate goal. I think he’s after a silver fox to make him a kept man. I can’t say I blame him, but I’m not ready for that kind of commitment.
“How you holding up?” Butch says as he slips over next to me. “This place is packed tonight. I heard backstage they are auctioning off a billionaire. Can you imagine?” He puts his hands on his forehead and pretends to faint.
