My words trailed off, and he looked at me with a befuddled expression. “Don’t what, Emmerson?”
With a shake of my head, I smiled. “Nothing. Never mind.”
He shrugged and headed back onstage.
“First up, ladies, we have a firefighter!”
I completely blocked out everything that Gus said as I scanned the tables and took in all the women bidding. The firefighter’s name was Luke. Or was it Duke? I saw Claire at our table, laughing at something someone had said. Most likely it was Hailey, who was probably finding something charming to say about Luke. Or Duke.
“Five-thousand, nine-hundred dollars to number twenty-two!” Gus shouted as he slammed his hammer down to end the auction.
Two other bachelors were also auctioned off for good prices. One went for six thousand, the other sixty-two hundred.
Next was Nick Monroe’s turn. Janet introduced her brother, and the women in the crowd got a bit louder, some more obnoxious but nothing too crude. As I looked around the room, my eyes locked on a pair of dark brown, almost black eyes that were staring back at me.
I sucked in a breath. It was Jason, my ex. He smiled and lifted his hand in a wave. With a quick look to his right, I saw a stunningly beautiful blonde sitting next to him, her arm wrapped in his.
I hadn’t seen Jason in over a year. He didn’t even live in Austin, so what in the world was he doing here?
“Nick is an up-and-coming actor who has starred in four films, and he even had a small role on a popular soap opera in the beginning of his career.”
Someone in the crowd whistled.
“We’re at ten thousand, can we get ten-five, ladies?” Gus shouted.
I felt my eyes widen in shock. “Ten thousand.”
“Psh, I think I’ve got him beat,” Landon stated.
“Twelve going once, twice, sold to number six!” Gus shouted.
I spun around and faced Landon. “Ready?”
He looked so relaxed. How could he be so relaxed? And why in the hell was I such a basket case?
“We saved the best for last. Sorry, little brother,” Janet said as the entire room erupted into laughter.
Landon frowned. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I looked past him at Jason, before bringing my attention back to Landon. I smiled and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. “Show them that Southern charm of yours and beat Nick.”
He laughed and went to walk up the steps before he leaned down and said, “Emmerson, do not let Claire win a date with me.”
I swallowed hard as I nodded and looked back at Claire. She didn’t have a number, so I felt pretty sure she wouldn’t attempt to bid, even though she’d said she would.
“Ladies, please welcome to our charity date stage the man who was voted one of People magazine’s sexiest men alive, as well as NASCAR’s most popular driver—and can we all agree, the most handsome man in the room tonight?”
Some boos came from a few men, but more cheers came from the women, with laughter mixed in between. I glanced back at the table where our family sat and almost laughed when I saw Emmit. His chest seemed to stick out a bit more as he gave Landon a thumbs up.
“Mr. Landon Lewis, please step on up here and show the ladies what they’ll be getting on their date.”
I balled my fists and let out what I was sure was some weird, growl-like sound, because the guy who stood next to me took a few steps away.
“Did you just growl?” Hailey asked from my other side.
“No.” I turned to look at her. “What are you doing over here?”
She rolled her eyes and groaned. “I cannot take another moment of Claire talking about my brother. Does she not even care that her date is sitting right there? Mike swears he’s a hired date.”
“Hired date? Do you think so?” I asked as Gus started the bidding for Landon at five thousand.
Hailey nodded. “Yes, he has to be. He could totally care less about anything the woman says.”
“Eight thousand!” someone called out from somewhere in the middle of the ballroom.
I spun my head so quickly in the direction of the voice that I nearly lost my balance.
“Nine.”
That one came from Claire.
“That bitch!” Hailey gasped. “She’s bidding on Landon!”
“She can’t bid! She doesn’t even have a number!” I said through gritted teeth.
“Ten!” another voice shouted.
I glanced up to see Landon smiling. All the bastard was doing was standing up there. He didn’t even have to walk around. Then he slipped his hands into his pant pockets, and that seemed to unleash the doors of hell, because another woman stood up.
“Eleven!”
“Do I hear fifteen thousand?” Gus called out.
“Sixteen,” came a smooth reply from Claire.
“Seventeen!” a voice from the very back yelled.
“Wow, I knew my brother was cute, but holy shit.”
“Eighteen, and that’s my final bid,” Claire called out. She glanced around the room as if daring anyone to outbid her.
Gus looked around. “Do I have eighteen and some change? Anyone?”
I met Landon’s eyes and he lifted a single brow, as if to remind me of my promise to not let Claire bid on him.
“Nineteen thousand!” I shouted before thinking better of it. It felt as if every single eye in the room was on me.
Oh wait, they were.
I chanced a look at Claire, and she smirked. Surely she wouldn’t bid again.
“Twenty,” she purred as she winked at me.
Gasps could be heard rippling through the entire room.
Hailey poked me in the ribs. “Bid again!”
I turned to look at her. “I don’t have that kind of money!”
Hailey lifted her chin at Landon. “He does.”
When I looked at him, Landon subtly nodded.
Claire stood and gave Gus a look that told him to declare her the winner.
“Twenty once, going twice…”
I opened my mouth—and what came out not only shocked the entire room, but I was positive would land me in jail when it came time to pay up.
“Thirty-thousand dollars!”
Hailey lost it laughing next to me, and Landon’s face went so white, I was positive he was going to pass out. Or was that me who was on the verge of hitting the ground? Everything seemed to be going black.
I looked at Gus and lifted my brows in a silent plea for him to end this.
“Thirty thousand it is to the lady in the front, Ms. Emmerson Wallace,” Gus quickly declared.
That was when I knew I’d made the first mistake of the night. The second would come only a few minutes later.
Emmerson
THE ROOM FELT like it grew smaller by the second. I felt someone take my elbow and lead me away from the stage. No, not someone, it was Landon. And he looked furious.
As we walked past, men slapped him on the back, and women looked at him as if a million dollars had just slipped through their fingers. I knew where he was taking me—to the kitchen area, most likely to strangle me and cut me into little pieces to make it easier to dispose of the evidence. How in the world was I going to come up with thirty-thousand dollars?
Before we made it to the door to the kitchen, Jason stepped in front of us, his date by his side.