Page 28 of The Temptation
“It wasn’t theonlyway, but it was certainly the easiest. No, I had to kiss him because I needed the practice. How else was I going to learn to be an amazing kisser for you if I didn’t kiss a few other people?”
Pierce made a grumbly noise, but I didn’t miss the way his entire body seemed to relax next to me and the frown that had slashed across his face faded with each step we took.
Jealousy. Delicious, wonderful jealousy over me.
Oh, Mr. Sutton, you’re not as immune to me as you like to pretend.
We continued to walk in silence to view the rest of the items up for auction. Pierce placed a few more offers, but none as impressive as his first one.
“Here. Bid on this for me.” I pulled him to a small abstract statue that had been carved from obsidian.
He looked at the statue for a moment, tilting his head this way and that before returning his attention to me. “You like it?”
“I do. It’s eye-catching.”
“You’re not the only one who thinks so.”
My gaze followed where he pointed to the sheet of paper where people were placing bids. The page was almost full, and the latest bid was significantly higher than I would have guessed the statue was actually worth.
“Someone might outbid me,” he warned even as he picked up the pen.
“It’s not about getting the piece,” I said, releasing his arm so he could write on the paper. “I like the idea of you bidding on something for me.”
A noise I couldn’t quite make out escaped Pierce, and the bastard shifted his body so I couldn’t see how much he wasbidding on the piece. As he moved out of the way, he grabbed my arm and turned me, pushing me away from the table.
“How much did you bid?” I demanded.
“None of your business. But I suspect I could still be outbid.”
That was fine. I was already riding on cloud nine. Pierce had bid on a piece of art I’d said I liked. That was as good as buying me a present. I didn’t need to get the statue.
When he reached a nearly empty gallery, I pulled him aside and snapped a few selfies of us together, which inevitably required his grudging help because of the nine-inch height difference between us. He seemed less grudging about it now that he’d admitted that some of my evil scheme to convince his parents we were dating wasn’t so bad.
“You said you had two reasons for bringing me to this event. The first was more social media pictures, I’m assuming. What was the second?” I began as we began walking toward the large room where the welcome reception was being held. “Was it that you missed me?”
“No. My father has thought of a new way to torment me.”
“Pfft. If your dad needs help finding ways to torture you, he should come to me,” I muttered under my breath.
“No kidding.”
“At least my torture is fun.”
“Not even close.”
I rolled my eyes and elbowed him in the gut. “Fine. What’s your dad doing now?”
“He wants to have an office party before he and my mother leave town.”
I tipped my head to the side, my brow furrowing, as I gazed up at him. “Shouldn’t you have had your holiday party already? It’s February.”
“We did, and that was a lunch for the employees. This is more of a mixer—drinks and light finger foods—for employeesandsignificant others.”
I inhaled sharply and released a wicked chuckle. “That sly old dog. He wants to see if you’d be willing to introduce me to all your coworkers.” I closed one eye and smirked at my pretend boyfriend. “So? Are you?”
“Yes, if you’ve got some free time. I’ll try to have it in the middle of the week, so it won’t conflict with your upcoming performances.”
“No worries. I’ve got some weekends free soon. I’m not scheduled to perform with the symphony every time. Some free time is necessary if I’m to write this original piece they’re supposed to perform.”
