Page 63 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 2

“Proving my point? Yeah, I am.”

Abraham turned to the side, crossed his legs, and tapped his chin with an index finger. “What it comes down to, Memphis, isthis. You are not good enough for my daughter. Very few people would be, so I’m not holding it against you. What I will say is this: that ten million dollars you received recently, I’ll match it right now if you agree to break things off with Naomi and never look back.”

I burst out laughing while Abraham put his hand into the inside jacket pocket of his blazer and pulled out a slim checkbook and a shiny gold pen. He made a show of opening it on the table and clicking the top of the pen.

“You’re barking up the wrong tree, sir. Naomi’s worth way more than ten million dollars.” I crossed my arms over my chest, the cool air having dried the sweat and the saltwater from my run making my skin itch.

“Okay, how about twenty…” he upped the ante.

I shook my head and stood.

“Thirty million, final offer…”

I pushed my chair in and looked down at the man I would soon be calling father-In-law. “I’m surprised you haven’t gotten this yet, Mr. Shaw, but your daughter, Naomi…”

“What about my daughter?” His jaw was firm as he stared me down, thinking I would crumble under such intense scrutiny. He was wrong. Another thing football taught me. When you stare into the eyes of your enemy, you give nothing away. Not your fear. Not your friendship. Not even your concern or compassion.

“No amount of money is worth letting a woman like Naomi go.”

He glared and his lips compressed into a thin line. “Everyone has a price.”

I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly as I counted to five in order to calm down. “Sorry sir, but you’ve got it wrong. Not everyone has a price, because the Naomi Shaw I’ve come to care for ispriceless.Thanks for the chat.” I walked my sandy feet out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

The second I opened the door I saw Naomi sitting up in bed and untying then removing the pink satin bonnet she’d wrapped around her hair last night before we went to sleep.

“Hey baby, how was your run?” Her voice was sweet and sleepy, both things I’d come to appreciate about my woman. And I loved that she woke easy, with a smile on her face.

I padded over to her, curled my hand around her neck and bent down as she lifted her face up to greet me. My lips met hers, and she hummed low in her throat as I took her mouth in a deep kiss.

“Tastes like salt and sunshine.” She licked her lips and smacked them playfully. “All we need now is some tequila!”

“I’m sure that can be arranged,” I teased. “But first, I’m gonna shower.”

Her eyes lit up with interest. “You want company?”

“From you, always. Besides, it will give me a chance to tell you about the conversation I just had in the kitchen with your father and your ex.”

Her entire mood went sour, her shoulders slumping, and she threw her body back down to the bed dramatically as she flung her arm over her eyes. “Tell me they weren’t mean to you,” she groaned.

“Mean is a strong word. Your ex is a stuck-up asshole. Your father though, I think I could have a chance at winning him over…one day.”

She peeked out from under her arm. “Really? I wouldn’t expect you to say that. What did he say?”

I chuckled. “Before or after he offered me thirty million dollars to walk out of your life today?”

Instantly she sat up, got to her knees and became a spitting, growling mad tigress. “He didwhatnow?” Her voice rose almost to a yell. “I’ll rip him a new one!”

I waved my hands to calm the beast and sat on the bed next to her. “It’s okay, Nay. I didn’t accept.”

“Well,” she pouted and reached for my hands. “I guess that’s something. Thirty million is a lot of money…but what on Earth would give him the idea that he could buy you off?”

I shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I have no job, no degree, and no real-life plan?” I had to laugh or I might’ve shed a God-forsaken tear. It’s not as though I didn’t have some plans in the works, but what I wanted for my own life came second to what my family needed. I’d be okay no matter what. I could get three jobs to take care of myself, but that’s not what was most important.

She squeezed my hands. “I know you took a leap of faith entering the marriage auction. And I also know the money I paid is going to make a huge difference in your family’s lives. I’m sorry you couldn’t share that with my parents, but if they ever found out about the auction, they’d never stop trying to break us up. Believe me, I’ve been trying to escape their meticulous life plan for me since I was in middle school.”

“Babe, I can handle your father. I can even handle Malik. As long as the two of us are open and honest with each other, we’ll make it through anything they can throw at us. Still, one day, I have hope of winning your parents over. Once they see how happy I’m going to make you…” I grinned and leaned forward to steal a quick kiss. “Maybe then they’ll realize what we have is real.”

She looped her hands around my neck and stared deeply into my eyes. “Is it really real? This thing we have going?” She swallowed slowly, and I watched as the uncertainty crossed her face.

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