Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 57407 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57407 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
“Don’t listen to him. She’s a perfect little angel.” Chloe beamed as she dropped her phone back into the small purse she was carrying. “And if she exhibits a bit of headstrong behavior, well, I wonder where she gets that from, hmm?” She side-eyed her husband.
Drew laughed. “I cannot wait until she’s a teenager and that rebellion really kicks in. Remember all the wild things we did? Sneaking out at night, meeting up with girls at the park and—”
“I’m keeping her locked in her bedroom until she’s twenty-five,” Beck muttered.
Drew arched a brow at his brother. “You can try, but even Rapunzel found a way to escape her tower and have some fun.”
Beck glared, but truthfully, Drew had seen his brother with Whitney, and the little girl had him solidly wrapped around her finger. She was adorable, precocious, and sweet…if not a little stubborn.
The sound of someone tapping a microphone three times had everyone’s attention turning toward the stage, where Aurora stood at a podium. She made the announcement that the bachelor auction was about to begin, and for the men to take their positions in the line-up.
“That’s your cue to head on up to the butcher’s block…I mean stage,” his wise-ass brother said.
“Ha-ha,” Drew replied in a droll tone. “You’re such a comedian.”
Drew glanced over to where he’d last seen Tripp, and saw him heading their way. He waited for his brother, then the two of them walked together to the stage.
“Enjoy your conversation with Skye?” Drew asked on the way.
Tripp gave him a startled look, which he quickly replaced with a more neutral expression. “How do you know Skye?”
“I don’t. Chloe told me who you were talking to.” He eyed Tripp more intently, wondering what his brother was hiding since he was keeping his replies vague. “You seem to be juggling a lot of women lately.”
One corner of his brother’s mouth tipped upward in an annoying smirk. “Jealous?”
“Hardly.” Drew wasn’t interested in women, as in plural, just one in particular that he had no business wanting as badly as he did.
Based on their number in the lineup, they stepped up to their designated places on the stage, which put Drew next to Derek Bettencourt. He exchanged pleasantries with the other man, who seemed just as unenthused about being up for grabs as Drew was.
While Aurora spoke to the mostly female audience, encouraging the women to bid generously for a worthy cause, Drew glanced at the ladies gathered around the stage. Most of them appeared eager to win a weekend with one of New York City’s most eligible bachelors but his perusal screeched to a halt when he saw Georgia in the crowd.
She stood next to another woman with similar facial features—the same female who’d been sitting next to her during the Leadership in Law dinner at Roland Brooks’ table. Her sister, he assumed, and the differences between them were undeniable.
Their individual fashion style and appearance couldn’t be more opposite. Georgia’s modest beaded dress was a direct contrast to her sister’s bohemian flowing gown, the silver bracelets up her arm, and the glittering ring in her nose. She had a free-spirit, non-conformist kind of vibe about her, while Georgia was more the type to follow decorum and rules. The same impression she’d given him during their conversation as they danced at the banquet.
Her sister had an arm through Georgia’s as if to anchor her to her side so she didn’t bolt. A distinct possibility since Georgia shifted from foot to foot, obviously uncomfortable being here. And though she wouldn’t meet Drew’s gaze, her sister stared straight at him, a mischievous smile on her lips. She gave him a surreptitious finger wave while Georgia wasn’t looking, and he wasn’t sure what to make of the action.
The auction began, and the first three guys went for decent amounts. Then it was Derek’s turn, and the bidding war for him was insane, as well as amusing to watch because the two women who kept upping the ante clearly had some kind of rivalry going on between them.
Next, the auctioneer announced Drew, providing the audience with a brief introduction that highlighted his occupation and professional attributes before asking the standard opening question. “Who will start the bidding at ten-thousand-dollars for a three-day weekend with Drew Daniels?”
He did his best to stand tall and not wince at the awkward feeling.
“I’ll start! Ten-thousand-dollars,” a woman said from the audience, her voice coming through loud and clear.
Drew’s gaze glanced in her direction, shocked to realize the bid came from Georgia’s sister, who gave him a saucy wink and a satisfied grin. And when another woman bid after her, Georgia’s sibling upped the ante. From the determined look on her face and the increased spending, she was very determined to win him.
He glanced at Georgia, who appeared as shocked at her sister’s actions as he was.