Page 21 of Auctioned To Be Mine

My skin crawled. I pressed myself harder against the case, looking for an escape route. “I’m good.”

“I’m serious.” He put his hand on the case next to my shoulder, effectively caging me in. “Why waste your money when I’m offering? We could skip all this auction nonsense and just get out of here.”

“Jeff, I see you’re being as charming as always.” Whoever owned that deep voice behind me was officially my hero.

Jeff straightened immediately, his hand dropping from the case.

“Why don’t you take a step back and let the girl breathe?” the voice said.

It wasn’t a suggestion.

Jeff’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. “We were just talking.”

“Looked like more than that to me.”

“She didn’t mind,” Jeff said.

“She did,” I replied.

Jeff snorted and walked away.

I turned around and wanted to melt into the floor. Callum Blackwell and his brother stood in front of me. The lighting in this dingy backstage area somehow made them look even better, which didn’t seem physically possible. Drew was grinning at me like we were old friends. Callum was staring at me with a confused expression, his brow furrowed slightly.

I felt my entire body tense. His eyes traveled over my face. I watched the exact moment recognition hit. His expression shifted from confusion to surprise.

“We meet again, restaurant girl,” he said. There was amusement in his voice that made me want to kick him in the shin.

“You’re not going to run me down again, are you?” I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to look more confident than I felt.

“That depends. Are you planning to stand in a doorway again?”

“I wasn’t standing in a doorway. I was standing on a sidewalk. You know, where pedestrians are generally allowed to be.”

He shrugged. “Okay, maybe I was a little distracted.”

“By what? Your own reflection?”

Drew burst out laughing. “Oh, I like her.”

Callum shot his brother a look before turning back to me. “I was actually on my way to a terrible date. Not that it’s an excuse.”

“It’s not,” I agreed. I forced myself to take a breath and slip back into professional mode. I didn’t want to scare him off before the auction. “I’m Victoria Cavendish. I work with the charity organizing tonight’s event.”

“Ah.” Something shifted in his expression. “So you’re the one I have to thank for this.”

“Your father volunteered you, actually. But yes, I’m coordinating everything.” I kept my voice pleasant and professional. “It’s a really good cause. Everyone appreciates you being here.”

“Did you just thank me for something my father forced me to do?”

“I thanked you for showing up. You could have said no.”

“Could I though?” He tilted his head, studying me. “Have you met my father?”

“Once. He seemed very persuasive.”

“That’s a diplomatic way of putting it.” He took a step closer, and I caught a whiff of his cologne. His scent was intoxicating in the best way. The cologne worked for him. Enhanced him, unlike the stink cloud from the last billionaire who stood close to me. “So, are you planning to bid on anyone tonight?”

“I’m working.”