Page 19 of A Christmas Auction

I opened the door and watched as Holly’s mouth dropped open at the sheer opulence of the suite. Alana did not scrimp, that’s for sure.

“Holy shit! Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” She spun around, her arms open wide, her booted feet clicking onthe tile as she did so. Her golden hair fanned out around her shoulders when she stopped. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes glittered with excitement.

“No, I haven’t,” I whispered, not looking anywhere but at her.

She swallowed as our gazes met, her chest rising and falling with her labored breaths. Her nipples peaked against the fabric as she licked her plump lips so sensually, I could almost taste her sweet berry flavor on the very air between us. I wanted to rip her sweater down the center and put my hands all over rounded curves.

Instead, I fisted my hands and offered a fake smile. “I need a drink.”

Her eyes lit up. “Ohhh, me too! Do you think they’ll charge an arm and a leg for it?”

I closed my eyes, allowing a renewed sense of patience and control to take over. “It doesn’t matter, Holly. Everything from the second you arrived to the moment you sign the marriage contract is free of charge. Live it up.”

“Very nice. I’m gonna order room service too. But first, I’m going to change. Will you make me a drink?” she asked as she located the room where her luggage could be clearly seen in one of the two king-sized bedrooms. I knew this because my men had already done recon prior to our arrival. Usually, I would check every nook and cranny prior to allowing my charge to enter to be certain it was safe, but it wasn’t necessary when my guys were on the job.

“What do you want?” I called out and headed to the bar.

“Anything with whiskey in it,” she hollered.

I pulled out a bottle of Glenlivet and poured us both a glass with two fingers. I slammed the first, appreciating the heat as it raced down my throat and filled my gut, then poured myselfanother. I’d need the liquid courage to get through a night of forced proximity.

Within what felt like mere minutes Holly was sauntering through the room bare footed wearing Christmas pajamas.

I scoffed at the sight. “What the fuck are you wearing?”

She frowned and looked down at the satin shorts and matching button-up, short-sleeved top that had a bunch of leaping cartoon deer with round red noses imprinted all over them. It was hard to focus on any one of them since the pattern was complete chaos.

Holly shimmied from one side to the other as though showing them off. “Aren’t they cute! It’s Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. They’re hilarious and comfy.” She beamed.

I shook my head and handed her the drink.

“What? Does Mr. Grumpy Pants not like Rudolph?” She waggled her brows and sipped at her drink. “Needs soda,” she murmured and went over to the bar, found a can of Coke and poured it to the top.

“If you wanted a whiskey and Coke, you should’ve just asked for one.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t know I wanted it until I got the drink and tasted it. Sometimes one doesn’t realize what they want until they’ve already had the same ole thing. Kinda like this auction.”

“How so?” I tilted my head and leaned against the back of the couch.

She went around me and plopped on the seat and pulled her long, tanned legs, up and to the side, resting most of her weight on her hip.

“Well, I never thought much about getting married before. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of owning my own business and making a ton of money. Traveling the world, taking lavish vacations. Marriage and kids never really factored into it.Now that I’m entering the auction, I’m going to be married and well off. And at the end of that three-year period, I’ll be opening my own bar.”

This was fascinating information. “What if you fall in love with your husband?”

She shrugged. “Like I said before. If my husband and I end up falling in love, then he’ll have to understand that I’m going to make my dreams a reality. I don’t plan to arrange my life or cater to his needs alone. That’s not a marriage.”

“And if he travels constantly for work? What then?”

“Lots of couples are happy in relationships where they don’t see their partner every day. If he was living his dream while I was living mine, I’m sure we could find a happy medium so that we could make time for one another.”

“Interesting.” I said and then went around the couch and took a seat, shucking off my shoes and putting my socked feet up onto the table. “So you’re saying, if your husband worked say, two weeks out of every month, you’d be okay with that?”

She nodded. “Of course. I’m not the type of girl that would sit around and pine after my man. If he was my man, I’d miss him, but there are things called phones and video calls.” She drank a large portion of her drink. “And just think, the phone sex would be off the chain, not to mention the fun it would be when he came home. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine a better scenario.” She leaned back, closed her eyes, probably imagining it right now. “My prince charming, surprising me at my very own bar, whisking me away to the back room for a hot shag on my office desk…yummy,” she hummed seductively.

My cock heard that low hum and paid close attention, hardening behind my slacks while my mind gave that salacious vision a whirl.

“Can you imagine it?” She opened her eyes, her pupils dilated, her mouth slightly open.

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