Page 62 of Auctioned to the Billionaire Bodyguard

I decided it was probably time to get going for the rest of the day’s activities. I gave Nadine a subtle wink.

“Oh, lean forward,” she told me, waving me towards her. “I think you’ve got an eyelash in your eye.” I did what she said so I wouldn’t bring attention to our not-so-subtle plan. But then she grabbed my face and stretched my eye wide open to the point of pain.

“Nadine,” I protested, trying to pull away from her. She had a surprisingly strong grip.

“Hold on,” she said, and pulled my face incredibly close to hers and stared into my eye. She wouldn’t let me blink, and it was starting to water. “Huh. That’s strange. I don’t see anything in there. Reynolds, give it a look.”

He didn’t answer because he was laughing so hard he couldn’t speak.

“What? What are you laughing at? Jesus, Reynolds! Your friend is in pain, and all you can do is laugh at him. I swear, I don’t understand guys at all. Do you, Jess?”

Jess was hiding her face, also laughing.

“Jess! You’re laughing, too? What the hell is wrong with y’all?”

“Nadine,” I gasped, “please let go. My eye is drying out.”

“Oh.” She let my face go, and I sank thankfully back into my chair, holding my damaged eye. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to help.”

“I know,” I said and tried to smile at her, but I couldn’t uncover my eye yet. It hurt too bad.

“Nadine,” Jess said, “I think Byron was trying to signal to you that whatever plan the two of you have cooked up should get started.”

Reynolds choked on another fit of laughter.

Nadine frowned. “How did you know?”

Jess put a hand on her sister’s. I think Byron was trying to wink at you to let you know it was time to go…”

“Oh God.” She made a face, and her cheeks turned pink. “I just wasn’t thinking. Sorry if I hurt your eye, Byron.” She looked sorrowful.

“It’s no big deal.” It would’ve been more believable if tears weren’t still streaming from that eye.

“Do you want me to go down to the pirate store and get you a patch to put over your eye?”

Reynolds looked hopeful. “Oh my God, please say yes.”

“Um… I kind of do.”

“I’m on it,” Nadine jumped up and was gone before anyone could say anything else to her. She waved as she walked past us. Reynolds frowned as every man on the street turned to get a better look at her.

“I think I should’ve gone with her.”

“She’ll be fine,” Jess laughed. She turned to me. “Is your eye okay?”

Since Nadine was gone, I could be honest. “It really fucking hurts. I’m pretty sure she scratched it with her fingernail.”

Jess winced. “Should we take you to the eye doctor?”

I waved her off. “No, nothing like that. I think the sun is bothering it because it’s so bright. The patch should help.”

Reynolds was texting someone, his fingers whirring over his keyboard.

I had little doubt about what he was doing. “Are you texting…”

“Nico and Paolo to be on the lookout for pictures of you dressed like a pirate? Oh, hell yes.”

I would’ve rolled my eyes, but it would hurt too much.