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Yet as the auction got underway, I inched closer while remaining in the shadows. The initial bids seemed low, but within minutes, I was surprised how generous as well as excited the men in the room seemed to be. Some bids were reaching numbers close to one hundred thousand dollars.
It would seem I’d need to up my game.
As the number of selected bachelorettes started to dwindle, I had a feeling Marshall had already planned on his daughter going last. I’d also noticed that there were at least three men who’d moved to the front row, taking the place of bidders already spending time with their chosen lady.
Uh-huh. Her father had planted men in the crowd. Amusement remained in my system as Lark was finally asked to come toward the microphone. Like the others who’d come before her, she’d been asked to provide a brief statement about who and what she was.
I sensed her unhappiness at being forced to volunteer. That made the event that much sweeter.
“Let the bidding begin,” Marshall said, his smile wider than before. “Do I have ten thousand dollars?”
As the auctioneer hired to handle the bidding stepped back to the microphone, there was a gasp of surprise as the first bid was one hundred thousand.
It got lively from there, the dickering going on first between five men then the three I’d seen earlier for a full five minutes.
I leaned against the wall, handing off my empty drink to one of the passing waiters. I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off the stunning woman, the red dress captivating me almost as much as her smile.
What she couldn’t know was how much her insubordination aroused me, my need to dominate her completely throwing me off my usual business acumen. While I understood what Grant was warning me of, I had no intentions of backing down to anyone.
Including now.
“Two hundred ninety-two thousand going once,” the auctioneer said. He did the usual dramatic pause, glaring at every man in order to shame them. “Remember, boys, this is for a very good cause and one right here in our backyard. You’ll help feed helpless animals, providing for their care.”
The man was good. Within a minute, the bids were close to three hundred forty thousand. I shoved my hands in my pockets as I walked closer, ready for this mockery to be over with.
“Three hundred fifty thousand dollars!” The announcer raised his voice from excitement, the entire crowd clapping and cheering. “Al-right, gentlemen. You have one. Last. Opportunity. Going once…”
I glanced at Lark, her face still pensive. She searched the room as she’d done several times, finally settling her anger-filled eyes on the man who’d outbid everyone else. It was clear she wasn’t happy with the selections her father made.
“Going twice…”
While I wasn’t the kind of man to enter into grandstanding, I did appreciate the element of surprise. In fact, I’d become very good at it over the years. Unfortunately, it would seem the light continued to blind my lovely submissive as I stepped from the shadows.
“Five million dollars,” I said clearly, enunciating every syllable.
The gasps in the room were loud, almost obnoxious. Then there was a collective moment of silence as the auctioneer turned his head in my direction.
“What did you say, son?” the auctioneer asked, obviously as surprised as everyone else in the room.
Before tonight, the last time I’d been called son had been by my own father, something he’d stopped doing the day he’d noticed gray hairs peeking out from my dark strands. I shifted my gaze toward my prize and my balls tightened.
She was attempting to determine if she recognized the voice, her mouth twisting in frustration. Meanwhile, Daddy dearest was taking solid strides toward my side of the stage, acting as if everything hadn’t gone according to plans. Too bad.
“I said,” I started again as I walked even closer, never taking my eyes off the insanely gorgeous woman, “five million dollars, but there are conditions.”
It took Lark’s father longer to recognize who I was than it did my submissive. The man was no fool. He’d also been a guest inside my club during a session of Congress years before. Perhaps he’d forgotten all about his night of debauchery, one reason for his determination to destroy Jameson’s club.
When she started to walk across the stage, the various emotions flashing through her bright eyes brought another wave of desire into my system.
Disbelief.
Anger.
Horror.
Curiosity.
Lust.
