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“You won’t because I told you not to.” I can’t deal with the thought of what he wants to do with her. His intent can’t be far from my own, which I can barely tamp down. And if either of us screws our stepsister, we stand to complicate our family and business in one harsh blow.
“Let’s say I got the high bid. I could fund the entire goal for the women’s shelter.”
“No.”
“Why not? You want to be the shining star? You want to control what Bianca does with the four hours of her volunteer time?”
“Bianca’s not taking part in the auction.”
“What if you don’t get to decide what she does with her life?”
“I’m not letting our eighteen-year-old, as in she’s legally an adult, stepsister sell herself.”
“Don’t patronize me.”
“Don’t interfere with my plan.”
Sean’s exasperated sigh as he turns into the parking lot amps up my need for alcohol.
“The only part of your plan I agree with is that we get some drinks in you so you can calm down, hopefully not make a fool of yourself.”
“What about Bianca making a fool ofherself, or of our family? Have you thought about that?” I slam my door and beeline for the bar.
The rush of Sean hurrying over the gravel lot and his continued pleadings don’t help any. “Trust me. I’ve thought about her walking across that stage and what she thinks will happen.”
My cock thickens as he forces the thought into my mind. “We have to think of what’s best for the family.”
“You’re assuming she wants the same thing we do. She’s not like us.”
The bartender nods as we enter. I hold up two fingers, and he gets to work on my usual.
“She loves luxury as much as the rest of us. She’ll need a career.” The ease with which lies flow from my tongue should bother me. What I really want is to lock Bianca in the highest room of the tallest tower and keep her for myself. She wouldn’t need a career. She’d need me and only me. But I’ve seen how relationships change men, ruin their drive for success. Then they start a family and become domesticated.
I’m not ready to be tied down. And her father’s been a generous mentor when he’s not busy being a prick.
“Everyone loves luxury, but all she talks about in her future is a family. You ever notice she doesn’t mention a career or lavish trips?”
“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t want them.”
“But it means that when she looks at her future, there are things more important than professional success.”
The bartender brings me two Rusty Nails. They’ll either calm me down or they’ll seal my coffin when I make a scene at the auction.
I can’t stand the thought of anyone, even my brothers, buying Bianca. Even if it is for four innocent hours, I’d lose my fucking mind. Which means there’s only one solution. If I can’t get her out of the auction, I have to win the bid.
That’s a dangerous path. If I buy her, I’m responsible for her. A lot can happen in four hours. But I’m not the settling-down kind of guy she wants. I’ve crafted my entire career around never being limited to one location. A fucking catch-22.
Three
Carl
SeanandIdecidedthat he should go with Mark to the bar. It’s a chance for Sean to figure out what has Mark so riled.
I suspect he’s as obsessed with Bianca as I am, but we’ve never spoken about beyond-sisterly feelings, or how we’d deal with one of us dating her.
My ulterior motive was to go straight to the auction and make a game plan to try to keep Mark from turning this evening into a fiasco and embarrassing Bianca.
The last few days since she’s been back in town have unlocked my creative genius. I’ve had more breakthroughs for work projects and an idea for a special feature to add to our app.
