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A tall man in a classic black suit walked up to the mic and tapped it. Even though his tone was even, there was something menacing about him. “Everyone, please be seated. We will begin in five minutes.”
Misty hooked her arm through mine and led me to the table closest to the window. There were name cards as well as a wooden paddle with a number on it for each place setting. Mine was thirteen; it wouldn’t surprise me if Lucas had somehow planned it that way. My seat faced the stage, and Misty sat on my right.
I ran my finger along the top of my card. “How did they know I was coming?”
She gave me a wicked grin. “Lucas asked me weeks ago.”
“Traitor,” I mumbled.
She bumped her arm into mine, and something sparked in her eyes. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
I flagged down a waiter who was holding a tray of champagne flutes and grabbed two, ignoring the judgmental look he gave me. If I was getting through tonight, I was going to need a little liquid courage. Moments after she said it, the light dimmed low, and a spotlight illuminated the stage. A woman with brilliant red hair stood in front of the mic and gave us a wide smile.
“I’m going to start by saying thank you for joining us tonight. I’ve been a part of the Northern Lights Foundation for the past few years now and have personally seen the change it makes in the world.”
A blond, tatted guy whooped from the back, and she rolled her eyes at him before continuing. “Tonight, we’re going to have some fun and hopefully spend some money. The Huskies hockey players are definitely worth your time. Who knows? You might be lucky enough to land more than one.”
A man covered in gray tattoos and styled brown hair brought her a blue file. She gave him a warm look that made me sure they were together.
“Okay, we’re starting tonight off with starting forward Alex Grayson. He’s six foot four, made up of pure muscle, and has a total golden-retriever vibe going for him. Just my type.” She gestured to the side of the stage, where Alex walked up, giving the crowd a wide smile. He lived for this type of thing.
The auctioneer straightened her shoulders and spoke into the mic at a ridiculously fast speed. “Starting off the bid at five hundred dollars.”
I jolted in my seat, hearing the opening bid. I thought that was going to be the final for each player. I was very quickly proven wrong when four women went into a bidding war.
“One thousand dollars. Do I have a bid for fifteen hundred?”
The crowd went back and forth like that until a girl two tables behind me bid five thousand dollars.
Alex’s grin was beaming, and by the way he bit his lip looking at the winner, he wasn’t disappointed by the outcome.
There was a buzz through the room as guy after guy was auctioned off, and I found myself smiling. Misty raised her brows at me. “See? I told you it would be fun.”
And it was until Lucas stepped onto the stage.
The auctioneer gestured to him and listed off his stats, but all I could hear was static and the sound of my pulse beating in my ear. I downed my second glass of champagne and desperately wished I’d grabbed a third. I couldn’t do this. Pushing back my chair, I started to stand, fully planning to hide in the hall until this was over, but Misty clasped my arm and yanked me down.
Her grip tightened. “You are not chickening out.”
I glared at her and then faced the stage, ready to have every nerve in my body rebel. Lucas was already looking at me, a cocky smile on his face. Whatever look I gave him didn’t have the desired effect. I could see his chest shaking with his laugh. He would pay for that.
The bidding started off at five hundred again but quickly climbed to five thousand. There was a bidding war between three women, each raising their paddle quicker than the next.
When it hit ten thousand and no one raised their paddle against the woman in the stunning purple dress, my ribs compressed around my chest. The other two bidders sat back in their chairs, lips tipped down. That was a lot of money for a good cause, but why couldn’t she be ugly?
“Ten thousand. Going once, going twice—”
The redhead was cut off when Misty stood up, shouting,“Fifteen thousand.”
The air was sucked from my lungs, and my mouth dropped open. “What are you doing?”
She scrunched her nose. “Winning. What does it look like?”
The red-dress woman raised her paddle, raising the amount to seventeen thousand. I thought that would be the end, but Misty jumped it up again to twenty-two. The bidding was going by so fast I couldn’t keep track of the numbers until the auctioneer shouted, “Sold to paddle thirteen for twenty-five thousand.”
I yanked Misty down, grasping both her arms in my hands, and struggled to speak. “What the hell are you doing? That’s my paddle.”
“Yes.” She looked entirely too calm for someone who’d just dropped that kind of money.
