Page 53 of Auctioned to the Billionaire Surgeon

I followed Carmen down the hall, the combined sounds of our heels making us sound like an army of ladies instead of just two. I had such a mixture of feelings. I held a hand over my abdomen, not knowing whether my stomach was more upset or more excited. This was insane. The whole time I’d thought about the auction I had wished that Paolo would bid on me, but I’d known it was impossible.

Now it seemed like the impossible had happened.

Carmen walked fast, but talked to me over her shoulder, forcing me to catch up with her if I wanted to hear what she was saying.

“I can nullify this whole thing,” she said. “He didn’t register prior to the auction. The only reason we didn’t kick him out is the family connection. You know he feels like another little brother to me—even more so than Reynolds.”

I knew the Salazars and the Lanettis were somehow friends from before they came to America, but they didn’t talk about it much.

I also noticed Carmen didn’t say anything about Byron being like a brother to her. I hid my smile at that. We all hoped they’d get together some day, but Carmen always insisted she wasn’t interested in settling down.

Bethany and Madeline thought she was full of crap, but I wasn’t so sure.

“Anyway, just say the word, and I’ll pull the plug on this. You’d have to wait until the next auction to go back up there,but…”

“No. I can’t wait. My internship is about to start, and I need it to be paid for.”

We could always let the runner-up have the option of taking over. I know Hugh McTavish is older, but he’s handsome and I’ve heard he’s good in bed.”

I made a face and she laughed. “Okay, then. There’s my answer.”

“Sorry,” I winced. “It’s just I think it would feel like I was fucking a granddad, you know?”

“I think he does have grandchildren,” she admitted, and I shuddered. “Alright. Paolo it is. I know you two have a flirty thing going on. Just remember something.” She stopped, turned to me, grabbed my shoulders, and stared at me. “Donotfall in love with him. I realize with the way things worked out for both Nadine and Daisy that girls might have started getting their hopes up for marriage. But this is not what the auction is about. It’s about earning your independence and giving yourself a much better start in your adult life than you would have possibly had without it. Of the couple of hundred girls who’ve gone through the auction in the past three years, exactly two have gotten married because of it. You just happened to be friends with both of them.”

She let go of my shoulders again and we continued walking down the hall.

“Don’t worry,” I assured her. “I have no illusions about what this is. Paolo has made it super clear that he’ll only marry a certain kind of girl, and I don’t fit the category. Besides, I don’t think I want to get married anyway.”

Carmen turned and gave me a look. “Not sure I believe that last part, but yes, Paolo’s going to marry a nice Italian American debutante, settle down, and give his parents grandchildren. I’m not sure, but I think that’s sort of the trade he made in order to get to leave the family business for a medical career.”

I frowned. I hadn’t heard that part of his story.

“Don’t forget—you get twenty-five percent of the auction money deposited in your account at the end of your contract. That’s one million, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

My eyes widened. I couldn’t imagine having that kind of money.

But it was too late to ask questions now. We’d reached a door. Carmen paused in front of it and looked at me critically.

“Do I need to fix my lipstick or something?”

“No,” she declared. “you’re perfect.” She smiled at me. “Let’s get the next part of your life started.”

She opened the door, and in we walked.

Paolo turned to watch me walk in, his eyes hot as he waited for me to get to him. He looked incredibly handsome in his suit. He always looked handsome, though.

I took a deep breath and walked over to him.

***

“You look amazing,” he said and pulled me into his arms. He kissed my cheek, then my neck.

“Hold on before y’all get too excited,” Carmen said. “Here are your contracts.” She slapped a manila envelope into Paolo’s hands. “Jelly, you already signed everything; yours is just a copy. Paolo, you’re late to the game, so you’re just going to have to sign everything. If you have major amendments, you can call me to discuss them. For the most part, though, we’ll be moving forward with what you’re holding in your hand.”

“Understood.” He moved his hands down to my waist, seeming unwilling to quit touching me.

Carmen smiled at us. “I’m leaving now. I’ll call you in a couple of days to check on you, Jelly.”