Page 43 of Like You Love Me

His soft chuckle drifted through the room. “I will be there raising my hand, trying to increase the bids.”

“The bids?”She glared at London and shook her head. “Don’t you dare. The auction is supposed to be an upscale event, so I don’t want you and my brothers there being obnoxious.” Her eyes narrowed. “And if you do, you’re liable to get popped upside your head.”

London laughed as he looped an arm around her waist and offered a bite of his eggroll. Grinning, she chewed the shrimp and chicken combo. It was delicious and one of the best she’d tasted in Delaware.

“I promise to behave.”

She gave him a look of disbelief. “I’m warning you. If not, I’ll have security kick you out.”

He found her comment hilarious. “I’ll be sitting with Jabarie and Jace getting our laugh on.”

She gave him another warning, then reached for a crab rangoon and took a bite. “I spoke with Debra today. She is super excited about the new venture.”

“So am I. I barely had theFor Leasesign in the store windows, and I already received a call for a potential fitness studio and a smoothie shop.”

“Nice! I am proud of you.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he said with a wink.

Bianca reached inside the bag and grabbed another eggroll. “I better go get ready.” She kissed him, and as she brushed passed her husband, London slapped Bianca on the butt. She jumped, then swung around and playfully rolled her eyes upward.

“Babe, I love how you’re keeping it nice and firm for me.”

She gave him a saucy grin. “Keep talking, and I will throw this eggroll at you.”

Her words sent him roaring with laughter. Bianca blew him a kiss then hurried up the stairs to their bedroom.

When Bianca made it to the community center, there was already live chatter. Her eyes scanned what was once a large empty space, now transformed into a theatre with a runway constructed just for tonight’s event. She spotted Sheyna and Danica weaving through a maze of chairs, placing programs on tables covered in white linen with tealight candles at the center. The lights would be dimmed for most of the evening, and they were determined to give off an air of elegance and sophistication, hoping to draw a big take from tonight’s event. The stage was set, the curtains drawn, and a podium and mic were set up for the master of ceremony of the evening. Everyone participating had volunteered to be a part of this event. Her mother was able to get an auctioneer from the art gallery to donate his time, and Bianca spotted him setting up in the corner.

Silk rose petals were sprinkled all around, coming down the steps of the stage and all along the floor that gave the romantic ambience they were hoping for. On each table was a small vase with two roses and baby breath. At first, she thought it was a bit too much, but the whole point was to make this an event to remember and what was Valentine’s Day without roses and hearts?

“Hey ladies, how’s it going?” she said to Sheyna.

“So far, so good. We’ve had a couple of people show up too early that we had to get rid of.”

Her sister-in-law Brenna bobbed her head, laughing. “This has been the talk all day long. If we don’t post a security guard at the door, we might have a female stampede.”

Bianca nodded in agreement. They had a vast selection of bachelors for the evening, including a professional basketball player—sure to draw big dollars—and a syndicated radio personality. Her cousin was too confident and cocky for his own good. Several others, along with Chavis and Rush, were sure to draw huge donations. The evening would be a lively event with music, beer, and wine. She felt hopeful this was an event that would make many families happy. The shelter was once again depending on their donations. The need for a place to call home for single women with children was even greater than before.

Bianca moved over to the Reserve section to ensure the tables were distinctly labeled, so there was no misunderstanding. Attendees were paying a minimal entry fee, but for reserved VIP access, several women were willing to pay the price just to be up close and personal with all twelve eligible bachelors. The doors would open at 7 o’clock, but the bachelors were scheduled to arrive before the event.

By 6 o’clock, all the participants had arrived but Remy. Bianca moved to a meeting room in the back where Danica and Sheyna were talking to Rush. Others were watching sports on the television mounted on the wall. Bianca closed the door behind her and walked across the room.

Sheyna clapped her hands. “Okay, everyone, listen up. It’s almost showtime.”

Conversations ceased. Bianca took a deep breath as her eyes traveled around the room at all the gorgeous men. Most of the bachelors had already taken off their shirts.Good Lord.The women of Sheraton Beach were in for a treat tonight.

“I want to remind everyone this evening’s event is about raising money for a good cause, and we have women and children depending on us. So that means I expect all you out there strutting your stuff and making these women dig deep into their pockets.” Her comment was greeted with a round of applause. Bianca didn’t miss the cocky grins on several faces who were highly excited about the evening.

“We’re gonna make you proud!” Dax Simmons assured her. He was a family attorney.

“I’m just gonna make it do what it do,” chimed Patrick, his twin brother and law partner.

Several of them laughed, slapping each other on the back, but Bianca noticed those who would rather be somewhere else this evening, like her cousin Rush. He gave her a playful eye roll.

Danica cleared her throat and added, “We appreciate you donating your time. And I just wanted to let you know how much it means to us.” Several of them had planned a night out in Philadelphia. There were even some who were going to go skiing in the Poconos. Trace Commons, the NBA basketball player, intended for a private jet to pick up his date and whisk her away for an evening in New York. The packages were dream dates publicized on Facebook and billboards around the state for weeks.

They were wrapping up the meeting when Remy strolled into the room.

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