Page 17 of Ruin Me, Daddy

“Certifiable,” Frankie confirmed as Silver slid onto the bench across from them with a sigh.

“Seems to be my type.” Guilt twisted her stomach as soon as the words left her lips. Ice might be an asshole, but at least she always knew that no matter what, he’d take care of her. Which was a hell of a lot more than she could say for Ace.

Lottie’s gaze shifted from Silver to something behind her, and the corner of her mouth twisted up in a smirk. “Wanna get him back?”

Before Silver could ask what she was up to, Braden stepped up to the table, a welcoming ‘Owner of This Fine Establishment’ smile on his face. “Ladies. I wasn’t expecting to see the three of you together.”

There was an undercurrent in his voice that had the hair on the back of Silver’s neck standing up. Lottie, however, seemed completely unaffected.

“Oh, yeah, we made plans yesterday to hang out tonight. I told you about it this morning.”

“Did you?” Judging by the way Braden’s brow quirked upward, Lottie hadn’t told him any such thing and he wasn’t buying her story for a second. “Odd, because I distinctly remember you asking for Ms. Sterling’s number this morning and pouting because I wouldn’t give it to you.”

Some of the color drained from Lottie’s face, but she covered it quickly by turning the wattage on her smile up to blinding. “Did I? I don’t remember. But, that’s not important. Silver needs a favor.”

“I happen to think lying to your Daddy is very important, little girl. But we can discuss it later.” His attention shifted to Silver, and she very nearly squirmed under the intensity of his pale gaze. “What can I do for you, Ms. Sterling?”

“You can start by calling me Mandy. Or Silver. Please,” she added with a strained smile.

“Of course. What can I do for you, Silver?”

“She wants a spot in the auction!” Lottie answered, bouncing excitedly in her seat. Even the sharp glare Braden sent her way didn’t seem to dim her excitement.

“Is that true, Silver?”

Shit. She’d only brought it up because Ice had gotten in her face about playing tonight. Did she actually want to auction herself off to the highest bidder just to get back at him?

A picture formed in her mind of a furious Ice watching her with an unknown partner for the evening, and she grinned. Unlike the night before, the thought of making him jealous didn’t make her stomach hurt. If he wanted to play the jealous asshole, she was all too happy to give him a reason. “It is absolutely true, Sir.”

Braden watched her for a while longer, his expression unchanging, and it took everything in her not to drop her head to avoid his steady gaze. “Very well. As it happens, we had someone back out a few minutes ago, so I have an opening. Would you like me to put you down as Mandy or Silver?”

“Silver, please. Um, do I need to do anything? Pay an entry fee or something?”

“All of that is taken care of by the bidders. I will need you to fill out a form with your hard limits and preferences. I’ll send Ivy up with that in a minute. In the meantime, no alcohol for any of you. And that includes you, Charlotte.” He turned to pin Lottie with a stern look. “I want you completely clear-headed for the discussion we will be having about honesty later tonight. Have I made myself clear, little girl?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Lottie answered with a long-suffering sigh.

“Good. Frankie, you and Silver will report down to the pit at exactly nine o’clock for the bidding to start. I’ll see you ladies downstairs.”

“Wait, you’re in the auction, too?” Silver turned to Frankie as Braden strolled over to the next table.

“She’s hoping her Giant Silver Fox Daddy will bid on her,” Lottie teased, giving Frankie’s shoulder a little bump.

“That is not why I joined the auction.” Brows drawing together, Frankie glared at her friend. “I just thought it would be fun.”

“Mmhmm.” Not looking the least bit convinced, Lottie leaned over the table, dropping her voice to a loud whisper. “Those two have been dancing around each other for months. But Frankie’s too proud to admit she fucked up by dumping him, and Holden is… well, he’s Holden. You’ll see what I mean if you meet him.”

Silver slid her gaze over to Frankie, who was doing an admirable job of looking bored. Except for the fingernail she kept tapping rapid-fire against the tabletop. “What are you going to do if he doesn’t bid on you?”

Frankie jerked a shoulder, a bit too strongly for it to come off as nonchalant. “Won’t bother me. As long as I get a spanking and an orgasm, I’m happy.” Her gaze turned sharp. “But what about you?”

“What about me?”

“What are you going to do if your Viking doesn’t bid on you?”

“I don’t want him to bid on me.” She wanted him to watch, while he choked on his own stubborn pride, or whatever the fuck it was that was making him act like such a dick.

“Because you want to make him jealous,” Lottie said with a sage nod. “Totally makes sense. That’s how I got Braden.”

---