Page 11 of Highest Bidder
Jess and I slowly turn around to find Myles now leaning against the wall next to the bathroom doors.
“Were you waiting for me?” I ask while I glare at him and hope he will let me avoid all this and completely change the subject.
“Well, I wanted to give you a peace offering.” He holds up a cup in his hand. “You seemed angry after I opened the door for you. So I brought you a real cup of coffee since your cup seems to be a chocolate sugar rush disguised as coffee.” He smirks, holding a paper cup out to me.
I glare at him and ignore his offer. “No thanks. I love my coffee. I don’t need anything fromyou,” I growl back at him.
“Oh, no?” he chuckles.
Jess is soaking up our entire exchange and can’t seem to get enough, judging by the glee in her eyes.
“No,” I grit out between clenched teeth.
“Well, from the way you seem to enjoy my ass, it sounds like you might need more than just coffee. But, I, uh, cut you off,” he says, rubbing the day-old scruff on his chin. “Did you want to add something else? Possibly about my arms? Chest? Abs?” he says smoothly.
Oh, for the love of all things holy. The last thing I need is for him to point out his body parts.
I sneak a peek at Jess, and her eyes are as large as golf balls now. I turn back to Myles and level him with a look. “I was going to say your ass may be nice, but your ego is so big you have a hard time fitting your head through the door. Also, you need a new hat. That one is old and grimy.” I say, scrunching up my nose.
“Hm,” he says as he takes off the dingy hat, examining it closely. “Well, there is no way I’m getting rid of this hat, but if you keep looking at my butt, you won’t even notice it,” he says with a small laugh. Then he pats me on top of the head with hisnasty hat and walks past us toward the lanes. “I’ll even walk away first, so you can have a better view, Hershey,” he adds over his shoulder.
GAH! That man infuriates me to no end!I look over and see Jess smiling. “What?” I snap while rolling my eyes.
“We could have cut the tension in here with a knife. That was amazing!” Jess says, all perky. “And he gave you a nickname that fits you perfectly. You do love your chocolate.”
“Come on, we need to get out there. Our meetings are about to start.” I pull her toward the auction lanes outside.
“Okay, but you have to admit it, that banter with Myles was fun!” She loops her arm with mine.
“I will admit that he’s annoying, and I’m here to work. He’s also the one who’s trying to take my job. I can’t let myself get distracted.” Yes, stay focused. I will concentrate and not think abouthim, or the fact that I want to grab him around the neck and kiss him while snaking my fingers through his hair. No, I will most definitely not think about that. Not at all, because I will stay focused.Laserfocused.
Jess gives me a knowing look.
“What? I’m just here to work. It’s almost Thursday, and I have to figure out how to get hired at the two auctions running tomorrow.” I nod my head, trying to think about how I will make it happen. Forcing my thoughts in that direction, I hope it helps distract me from that unpleasant encounter. Manheim has two sales each Thursday, the morning one is in Tampa, and the other is in the evening in St. Petersburg.
“Right. It’s good you’re not going to let anything distract you,” Jess says.
We walk out into the lanes and see the auctioneers gathered around to start the meeting on lane one. The block clerks are down on lane ten.
Jess leans over and whispers, “Remember, you don’t want anydistractions. Especially not from the man who is simultaneously undressing you with his eyes while planning your demise.”
I look over and catch Myles staring right at me. His eyes are darker, the knuckles on his balled up fists white, and his jaw flexes. It looks as if he’s struggling to keep his composure.Oh, Lord, help me. It’s going to be a long sale.
9
MYLES
Why isthis girl getting under my skin? Sure, it’s fun messing with her, but I can’t let her distract me. I want the GMs to hire me, and they won’t if I’m not on top of my game. Watching her hips move in those jeans has been torture. Marcella needs to put me on a different lane. I could use a little space to get some clarity.
Marcella clears her throat, getting everyone's attention for the meeting. “I’m sure most of you saw Hunter Smith at the sales yesterday. She will be on lane five with JT.” Marcella turns to Hunter, shooting her a megawatt smile.
“Alright, Fun-Size!” JT cheers. “Let’s do this.” He reaches over to give Hunter a high five.
My head whips around when Hunter gives a boisterous laugh. Her face lights up with amusement, and I suddenly want to hear that beautiful sound again. She radiates happiness.
“This is going to be fun!” Hunter exclaims.
JT looks at me and winks. He says something to make her laugh again, and she puts her hand on his forearm, making me want nothing more than to be on the lane with her and get her away from that incessant flirt. This is ridiculous. Why does shemake me feel like I’m losing my mind? I want nothing to do with her, but then I want to be around her all the time. She’s fun, sassy, beautiful, and doesn’t put up with my shit.
