Page 62 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 1

MAIA

“Oh my God, it’s you!” My shaky hand lifted to cover my mouth as a wave of heat rushed to my cheeks.

“Yes, it is, sweetheart. And you can call me Rhodes, your fiancé, or Mr. Davenport,” said a man I instantly recognized but could not in my wildest dreams believe was standing next to Madam Alana. The two of them smoothly entered the room I’d been assigned to wait in until my bidder arrived.

My body temp rose as I watched them enter. Gooseflesh pebbled on my skin and my ears burned.

“My fiancé?” I gasped. Rhodes Davenport was the man I’d crashed into and pickpocketed at the airport. A man I was sure I’d never see again. Which meant, if he was here now and standing next to the Madam…Rhodes Davenport was my bidder.

A whooshing sound ripped through my head and cut off everything but the bright lights above. I blinked rapidly as my ears throbbed, the noise of large gusts of wind going through a tunnel the only thing I could hear. My vision blurred. I inhaled desperately as my heart pounded so hard I thought I might be having a heart attack. I covered my aching chest with my fist and backed up as he and Madam Alana stared at me, each with an undecipherable expression.

The room was closing in on me like a mouse trapped in a bucket, with only a dirty stick of peanut butter to nibble on until its fate was decided. Rhodes was the hunter, I, the mouse. Would my hunter eat me whole or set me free to roam the earth again? As I tried to breathe, I realized Rhodes didn’t have to do anything. I’d already eaten the poisoned peanut butter and signed the contract. That act would change the trajectory of my life. Now I just had to suffer through the consequences of my decision.

“Are you here to get back at me for stealing from you? It was only a few hundred bucks, man. Rent was due and I was already behind. And besides,” I gasped, still sucking in as much air as my suddenly restricted lungs would take in, “I gave back the phone and the credit cards. I could have taken you for a lot more.” I banged my fist into my chest as I started to feel dizzy.

Rhodes shook his head as a gentle smile spread across his handsome face. “Stealing is stealing, Maia. We’ll have to work on that little habit of yours.”

I glared at his insinuation, as if it were a habit I enjoyed. Most people didn’t steal because they wanted to. They did it because they were desperate, or just assholes. I was the former, and maybe a bit of the latter, but the streets had taught me to be that way. If I were kind and sweet, people took advantage of me. If I looked like I might be a force they didn’t want to tangle with, I was more likely to survive. Not that he’d understand. But if anyone understood, it would be Alana. She once lived on the streets.

Alana approached me, her expression filled with concern. “Darling, come here, have a seat, you look pale,” she clucked as if herding her baby chick around the coop. I let her take my elbow and lead me numbly to one of the chairs lined up along the wall. Once seated, I instantly bent over my legs, trying to shake off the buzzy sensation overtaking my mind.

“What’s happening to me?” I gulped, my breath sawing in and out of my lungs.

Alana ran her hand up and down my spine in a soothing pattern. “You’re having an anxiety attack,chéri. Just breathe with me. In for four beats, out for four beats. Follow along,” she demanded in a stern voice.

I did as she bade, closing my eyes and focusing entirely on the sound of her voice. Alana had never done anything but help me in the past. She wouldn’t have brought this bidder here tonight unless he’d been thoroughly vetted and ready to pay for his bid. She couldn’t have known he was someone I’d stolen from.

Man, what did I ever do that was so bad I now had to face my pickpocket? I wasn’t prepared to look into the mirror of this sin just yet.

And now I was supposed to marry him.

“Good God, why am I such an idiot!?” I wheezed and then coughed.

“You’re not an idiot. You are scared. And I’m right here. Nothing is going to happen to you while I’m here, darling. You are safe.”

I nodded, but kept my eyes closed tight, breathing as she instructed.

“In for fourchéri…good, good, now out for four. Excellent. You’re doing great. Just keep breathing, Maia.” She cooed, easing the fear clinging to every single one of my cells. I hadn’t had such a visceral response to anything since the night Sam saved me in that alley.

Suddenly I felt a warm touch on my bare knees. “Everything is okay, Maia. I’m not mad at you for the stolen cash. You did what you had to do,” said a soothing, deep rumble. “It’s okay. No harm, no foul, right?” It was the same words he’d said to me when I ran into him. And once I was literally sitting on top ofhim, my hands directly over his wallet and phone, the desire to snag those items was too much to ignore.

His touch on my knee, and his reminder of what occurred that day, brought me back to the present. I was finally able to breathe more easily as I opened my eyes, only to stare into the prettiest gray eyes I’d ever seen. They were like a frozen lake. Icy in color, but cool and calm in temperament. And so pretty I could stare into them for a lifetime, yet never be able to differentiate each tiny burst of color.

Rhodes smiled gently. “Hey there, you feelin’ better, sweetheart?” He cocked his head and rubbed both hands across my knees again. It was nice, a gesture of comfort I hadn’t experienced in many years.

I nodded, uncertain how to respond. I felt bamboozled and off-kilter.

Madam Alana suddenly appeared with a glass of water. I hadn’t even seen her step away. “Here, Maia, sip on this. Did you eat today?”

I thought about the day from start to finish. My stomach had been in knots since I arrived. If I’d put a single morsel of food into my mouth I’d have been kissing the porcelain gods for sure. I shook my head.

“I can take care of that. How about we go to dinner, and you and I can talk? Determine if going through with this auction is the right thing for you,” Rhodes suggested.

My haze of fear and anxiety shattered at his insinuation that I may want to get out of this situation. “No, I need the money. Period. I’ve already signed the contract.”

Rhodes lifted his hands. “Hey, hey, slow down turbo. It’s okay. I haven’t signed yet. No one is rushing you into anything. You can still get out.”

“And I’m telling you that I’ve already made my decision. If you don’t want to be with me, because of what I did, or becauseof this,” I waved a hand in front of me referring to my panic attack or whatever the hell it was. “That’s on you. The contract was very clear. I knew exactly what I was signing. It’s just seeing you was a huge surprise. You were not at all who I expected would be walking through that door,” I said as I pointed to it.

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