Page 6 of Claimed and Catalogued
Tess hands me the mic and smirks. “You ready for the chaos?”
“Absolutely not.” I straighten, eyes skimming past the rows of women all grinning with their paddles ready and toward the goliath of a man stepping out of the broom closet.
Holy shit!
His Santa pants are four inches too short, the red sleeves end well above his wrists, and the velvet fabric stretches across his shoulders as though it’s begging for mercy. His jaw is set, and I can’t tell if he’s angry or if this is his normal everyday expression. He steps forward through the crowd slowly, his massive frame squeezing through the narrow aisle between folding chairs and twinkling lights.
Silence.
Silence and gasps.
I grip the mic tighter, trying not to notice what everyone else is noticing. The bulge in his red velvet pants is by far the most noticeable thing in the room.
He walks forward, like he’s done this before, like he’s completely comfortable, like maybe there’s even a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
I take back what I said about him being angry. He’s in his element. This man knows exactly what he’s doing. Who else would stride into a room with a massive cock on display like that?
I almost hate him for it. Even though we barely know each other, we’ve barely had two conversations, and he’s doing me a favor, he should’ve saved the eggplant outline for me.
The crowd cheers and bidding cards start waving before I’ve had a chance to introduce him.
Of course they do. The man could fuck you in one room while making dinner in another. For most women, that’s the full package,literally.
Tess winks toward me, and for the first time since she mentioned she’d bid, I hope she meant it.
“Okay.” I clear my throat and try to focus on the job at hand. “We’re kicking off our holiday auction with this hunk of a man.” I gesture toward Nick. “He might not fit into his Santa costume, but something tells me he has other things to offer.”
The crowd cheers and the bids start rolling in.
“I’ve got fifty, do I hear seventy-five? Seventy-five… how about a hundred? Nick here has muscles for days, ladies.”
“Five hundred,” a woman says from the back, and a shot of jealousy rushes through me. She’s gorgeous. Like, insanely stunning. Long blonde hair, tight waist, perfect tit to ass ratio. I’d bet she’s the kind of girl Nick would go for. Why wouldn’t he? He’s big, broad, muscular, and he’s swinging a dick that looks like it gets in the way when he bends his knee.
“Five fifty,” Tess holds up her paddle.
“Six hundred,” the woman says softly.
I grip the edge of the podium, trying to remain cool as I telepathically beg Tess to bid this woman straight out of the store.
A moment later, Tess bids. “One thousand dollars.”
I nearly choke. That’s more than my rent. More than my rent and my gas payment combined. More than I could ever pay her back for.
“Going once, going twice,” I lift the gavel and slam it down quickly before the blonde can bid again, “sold to the woman in black for one thousand dollars.”
Well… that just happened.
Chapter Four
Nick
The rest of the men are sold off in less than twenty minutes, and the thirstiest of women in the crowd are foaming at the mouth. It’s like watching a pack of wolves come across a buffet. I swear, it’s worse than any man I’ve seen.
“So, here’s the deal,” says the redheaded woman who won me as she leans forward on the bookstore counter. I recognize her from the tree lighting. “I bought you as a gift for Evie. She’s way too shy to ever ask you on her own, but I was born with no shame.” She grins. “So… I need you to take her out tonight, get to know her a little.”
My heart kicks like a drum. “Evie?”
The redhead smiles wide and flips her hair back and away from her shoulder. “Sorry if you were excited for me, but you’re not my type.”
