Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 16728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 84(@200wpm)___ 67(@250wpm)___ 56(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 84(@200wpm)___ 67(@250wpm)___ 56(@300wpm)
But as the bidding starts, something pulls my gaze into the crowd, and an instant spark of energy blasts through my chest as I see the woman standing in front of the stage. She’s by far the most striking woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. With that fiery red hair twisted up in a fancy knot that makes her look sophisticated yet playful, I can’t look away. My Hollywood days introduced me to plenty of beautiful faces, but she is something else entirely. She’s a goddamn siren.
She’s not tall, but God, her hourglass figure is downright captivating. It’s as if the universe took every desirable quality and poured them into this extraordinary woman. Those big, expressive eyes are the color of emeralds, and they seem to flicker with mischief and curiosity as they scan over me. Hell, I can almost feel those eyes moving over me like fingertips brushing my skin, sending shivers of awareness coursing down my spine.
“Starting bid at one thousand dollars!” Roman announces, his voice slicing through my thoughts and reeling me back into reality. Some voice from the back offers up an amount, but I hardly register it. She ignites something primal inside me.
All of a sudden, the nervous energy I was feeling fades. I just need to keep my head in the game. I know Roman only allows members and their guests to these events, so it shouldn’t be hard to find out who she is. I’m drawn toward her, wanting nothing more than to see what lies behind those mesmerizing eyes.
“One thousand!” “Two thousand!” Numbers become a blurring backdrop as bidding for me continues, my focus lasered in on the woman in the crowd. I want to escape this damned stage and have her to myself, to study what makes her tick, what brought that stunning smile to her face.
“Three thousand!” someone calls out from the front, but I’m solely focused on her. I stare into her expressive eyes, willing her to bid for me.
But she stays silent, just watching, and I can’t help but feel disappointed. The thought of spending a weekend on a yacht with anyone except her is just not acceptable to me.
“Four thousand!” comes another voice, and I glance over to see some overzealous woman in a sequined dress, shoving her hand up with a manic gleam in her eye. Fucking hell.
“Five thousand, going once, going twice,” the auctioneer shouts, and still no sign from my gorgeous redhead. The electricity passing between us is palpable, yet she doesn’t make a move.
“Six thousand!” someone yells, and my eyes dart back to her.
When I see her white teeth bite down on her bottom lip, the urge to climb off this stupid stage and break this ridiculous barrier between us hits me hard.
“Seven thousand! Eight thousand!” The bids keep rolling in as I hold her gaze, unable to look away.
At the last moment, a smirk crosses her gorgeous heart-shaped face as she winks at me. “Ten thousand dollars!” she calls out, and the entire room goes silent. Even the auctioneer stumbles a bit, caught off-guard.
Oh, little siren, I’m going to spank your luscious ass until it turns bright red for letting me sweat this out until the last goddamn second.
“Going once, going twice…” I hear the auctioneer declare, but I’m hardly paying attention. I’m completely consumed by her.
Chapter 4
Eve
He’s the most stunning man I’ve ever laid eyes on. Holy heck, I barely resist the urge to fan myself as he stares down at me. Towering tall with muscles rippling beneath his shirt, he commands the room effortlessly. His short, perfectly styled, black hair adds an edge to his already mesmerizing looks. And those dark brown and piercing eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that feels like a spotlight aimed directly at me.
A shiver runs up my spine, and it’s not just from the brisk air in the room or the occasional draft brushing my skin. There’s something magnetic about him, a pull halting my breath in my chest. No matter how hard I try, I can’t tear my gaze away from his.
There’s something in the way he carries himself that screams confidence. He has every reason to be confident with that arrogant smirk playing at the edges of his lips and the short, trimmed beard over a jawline so perfectly chiseled it makes me question reality.
My heart thumps away in my chest like a heavy bass drum as the auctioneer continues the bidding. Tension crackles through the crowd and bids continue to rise, but I’m still fixated on him. The grinning women around me shout their offers as the thought of some other woman spending the weekend with him causes my stomach to clench.
So, I make sure that doesn’t happen. The ten-thousand-dollar bid leaves my lips, shocking not only him but myself. Oh well, I’ll just have to tighten my purse strings to pay for it.