Page 12 of Hacker Auction

“The promise goes away on the second date?”

His eyes darkened. “I’m sorry I don’t do second dates. I normally tell women the rule when I first meet them. I don’t go on more than one date with a woman.”

“You mean you don’t have sex with a woman more than once.” Either way, even if his words weren’t directed at me, they still stung. At least multiple dates wouldn’t leave me to be heartbroken because this man would break my heart easily.

“Both, I only go on one date. Sometimes it leads to sex, but the one date doesn’t give anyone the illusion of something more.”

“Because you have to fight them off with a stick?” I couldn’t help the sarcasm as it dripped from my voice.

“No, it’s a rule I made years ago.”

I could tell there was something he was holding back, but none of it mattered since we only had one more meeting together. Then this man would be out of my life, which would be easier than falling head over heels.

“Well, how about we go to the restaurant near the ocean and listen to live music and have a drink,” I said.

“I’ll pick you up from your house at four. You can bring your son along.”

Damn this man and being thoughtful. Besides his one-and-done policy. I really needed to find another reason not to like him. “I’m sure bringing Sage along would break some rule in my mom’s imaginary rule book.”

Wes shook his head. “Oh, the rule book exists. The thing is huge. I planned to read it, but my date backed out. Now I’ll have to make sure to read it completely, so I don’t miss something.”

“You’re right. I should glance over the rules. We don’t want to break one, and then I’m not sure what we would do. The auction rules would go against your one date rule.”

Wes’s fingers brushed against his face, and he sighed. “Rules aren’t engraved in stone. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure the charity gets what it needs.”

His words were like a bucket of water, reminding me that I bought this date. Wes was a kind man and fulfilling the obligation. “Sure.”

We geared the conversation around things he liked to do in London. When the bill came, I grabbed it from the waitress and handed her my card.

“Hey, I can get that.”

“Remember, this isn’t a date. Even if it was, there is no rule which states I can’t pay for my own or your meal.” We got up and walked out of the restaurant. “Thanks for joining me.”

Wes nodded. He took a step forward, his eyes trained on my lips, and I swore he was going to kiss me. My body leaned forward as people walked around us. The shrill of his phone sounded, pulling us both out of the moment. He glanced down at the text. “Seems I need to get to the hospital. Mia said the patient woke up. Can I have your number this time?”

He held out his phone as I typed in my number. Since I’d thrown his number away, I pressed call so I would have his as well.

I took an awkward step back. “I understand.”

His eyes locked with mine, and it seemed like he was looking for something, but his phone sounded again, and he waved as he took off.

My heart kept thinking about the what-ifs. My brain knew there would be no what-ifs. I had two weeks to figure out a way to seal my heart up and complete the requirements of the auction.

CHAPTER5

Wes

I glanced at the clock.Rachelle would be on her way to take her son to the park. The night after we had lunch, I stared at her number on my phone and decided to check to make sure it was the correct number. I sent a text to the number and asked if her day had gotten better.

She quickly replied yes and went on to tell me how her son crawled for the first time. Each night we would text, and she would tell me about her day at the hospital. Seeing Elise in Ft. Lauderdale threw me. Brock handed me a file the second I stepped foot in his office after leaving the hospital. My ex worked as a registered nurse. When we were dating, she’d just finished her nursing degree and worked one month at the hospital in Virginia. Only to quit because it was too hard. My former team member and the man she left with was also in Ft. Lauderdale working as security for a Mafia boss.

For the past few days, I spent hours combing over my ex’s life and Milton’s. Something about the way she acted in the hospital didn’t sit well with me. I also worried she would come back after Rachelle for firing her. Elise barely had enough money in her account to make it another day. She needed her job to support her spending habit.

Matt walked into the conference room and pushed my files to the side. He and Mia were working on a separate project, but they still bounced ideas off me.

He sat down in the chair across from me and set down a folder. “You heading down to the club tomorrow night?” Matt asked. Out of all the men who worked at Blackwood Security, I spent the most time with Matt over the last few weeks. It probably went back to the fact he was one of the few single men left at Blackwood Security.

“No, I’m going on my date.”

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