Page 84 of Sin Bin

Anauction.

Adateauction.

Apparently, I’ve been tasked with convincing Gwen to vote on one particular man—MarshallHunt.

When the first player struts out onto the stage in nothing but his hockey pants, the crowd goes wild. Gwen, in particular, sticks two fingers in her mouth and whistles. “His abs?” she says, nudging my side. “I could eatoffthem.”

On my other side, Charlie leans around me to say, “You’reinsatiable.”

Gwen shrugs. “How is that my fault? You’re married,Zoe’smarried, and I’m rocking singlehood like it’s the newPrada.”

I hold up a finger. “To be fair, I’ve never heard you say that youwantarelationship.”

“Well, no.” Gwen grins slowly. “But that’s not to say that I wouldn’t want to get one of these playersintobed.”

“Clearly she’s learned nothing from us,” Charlie says with a boisterous laugh. “We’re both cases of breaking professional boundaries, and here’s Gwen with not a care in the world if she sleeps with aclient.”

“Icare.” After taking a sip of her cocktail, Gwen adds, “It’s just that I like sex more. Plus, if I just make sure not to sleep with someone whoismy client, problemsolved.”

The next player comes out and I realize that it’s Marshall. Just like the guy before him, he’s in just his pants and shoes. Married or not, I give a low whistle because the man is dangerously sexy. Something that Gwen fails to notice, if the way she checks out her phone is anyindication.

Marshall turns around at the end of the stage, blows a kiss to the crowd like a damned Victoria’s Secret Model, and swaggers back toward the rest of the guys who are all lined up, waiting fortheirturn.

“Gwen.”

“Hmm?” She doesn’t look up from herphone.

“Did you not see Marshall Hunt just now?” I point at the stage. “He’syourtype.”

“He’s tooyoung.”

Too young?“Girl, the man is ripped, funny, and fifteen different shades of sexy; I don’t think his age is an issue.” Time to go for broke. “I think you should betonhim.”

That gets her attention. “Absolutelynot.”

“It’s just a date.” I give her a little nudge. “Dinner. Hell, you can even just grab coffee if you don’t want to spend that much timewithhim.”

“He’s not worth themoney.”

Beside me, Charlie lets out a whoop oflaughter.

I don’t knowwhyAndre asked me to get Gwen to bet on his teammate, but all I know is that he did. Time to pull out the big guns—guilt. “Your bid goes to charity. You’re helpingpeople.”

Gwen’s blue eyes dance away from me. “I didn’t say that I won’t bid on anyone; I just won’t bidonhim.”

Hold on here a second . . . “Did somethinghappenbetween the twoofyou?”

Her cheeks bloom red, and I know for a fact that it’s not her expensive blush doing the trick. “Absolutely not,” she mutters, eyeing her phone again. “Absolutely not. I wouldn’t touch Marshall Hunt with a ten-foot pole. I’d be likely to catchherpes.”

Considering that Gwen is a wild bird herself when it comes to men, I opt to hold my opinion tomyself.

But then the announcer, Coach Hall, steps forward to start the bidding process. McDermott comes first and, surprisingly, a few hands swing up as numbers are called out. He promptly goes for two hundred dollars to a man in the back of the room.Figures.

One by one, the Blades members step forward. When Duke does so, his gaze immediately searching for his wife, Charlie flings her hand up in the air and shouts, “No one bother! I’ll outbid every single oneofyou.”

The Mountain sells to his wife for a grand, after a few of his teammates throw out random bids just to mess withHarrison.

Charlie smiles into her drink, and murmurs, “Best one thousand dollars I’ll everspend.”

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