Page 16 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 2

I nodded and rested my head against his shoulder, his presence a balm to my shattered nerves.

“Can you think of anyone who would be upset with you?” He took my hand, interlacing our fingers.

I shook my head. “There hasn’t been an issue in decades. Besides the snafu with Rhodes and the actor I hired, I can’t think of a single disgruntled bidder or candidate.” I sighed.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this,mon amour. Relax, I’ve got you.”

Easier said than done. My mind wouldn’t stop trying to connect the dots.

Who could I have wronged so terribly they believed I ruined their life?

The real question though was…how far would someone go to get revenge?

Episode 36

How the Other Half Lives

NAOMI

I smiled as Memphis took in the helicopter. We’d just flown from Vegas to JFK and now needed to transfer to my father’s helicopter for the 40-minute ride to the Hamptons.

“This is yours?” He continued to gawk.

I shook my head. “No, it’s my father’s.”

“How rich are you?” He gasped, then must have realized what he’d said because he lifted his hand. “That was rude. Don’t answer that.”

I chuckled as the vessel door was opened. “Have you ever been in a helicopter?”

“Naw, this isn’t something I ever considered a possibility.” He hauled his large body in after me.

“Are you afraid of heights?” I reached out and gave his thigh a comforting squeeze.

“I wasn’t before now.” He grinned in that sexy way that made me want to kiss him. Then I realized I could kiss this man whenever the hell I wanted and did exactly that.

He teased my bottom lip and then my top lip before smiling as I pulled away. “What was that for?”

I shrugged. “Just wanted to. You’re my fiancé, which means I can kiss you anytime I want.”

He cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward until our faces were only a couple inches apart. “Then that means I can do the same.” He pressed his lips to mine.

I sighed into his kiss as the engine hummed to life and the rotors started to whirl, which made the aircraft tremble.

Memphis snapped back to attention and adjusted his seatbelt. He lifted his chin toward my lap. “Buckle up, Nay,” he instructed as if this was my first time in a helicopter.

I’d grown up zipping from one location to another in many helicopters over my lifetime. It’s my father’s favorite mode of travel. He’d never admit it, but I think it made him feel like he’d “made it” as a one percenter if he could afford to travel in this manner.

I indulgently buckled my belt and leaned back as the pilot handed us each a pair of headphones.

“What are these for?” Memphis asked.

“Sound protection and so we can talk to one another and the pilot.” I settled the pair on my head.

“Cool, cool,” he murmured, following my lead.

The co-pilot passed a bag back to Memphis. “Inside you’ll find today’s issue ofThe New York Times, some bottled water, and a few snacks.”

“Wow, you fellas thought of everything. This a pleasure helicopter?” He chuckled and dug through the bag as they did preflight checks and communicated with the tower before takeoff.

---