I look at Lucy who’s focused on the crowd; I follow her line of sight and see she is looking at Miller. He shrugs at her, looking at a loss.
Shit.
“A grand,” Elliot calls, shaking his head as he knocks back his drink, his eyes not meeting the stage.
“Hot damn, any advances on one thousand pounds?” Megan asks.
“Two,” Lance calls out, a grin plastered on his face.
“Five,” Vinny announces, drawing my eye to the opening of the marquee.
He throws me a wink, a silent acknowledgement to let me know that Ellis is fine.
Everything is a buzz. Lucy is giddy, laughing and blowing kisses to Vinny, and Megan is standing, breathing loudly into the microphone.
“Ten,” Elliot counters, causing the room to fall silent. He spins where he’s stood, placing his tumbler down and signalling for another drink.
You could hear a pin drop.
“Megs,” I hiss over at her. “Wrap it up.”
“Going once, twice, sold.” She brings down her hammer, swallowing loudly into the microphone before turning her eyes to me.
I realise it’s my turn, and the thought that people will be looking at me, placing bids on me, Vinny or not. It makes me want to run.
But I promised him I wouldn’t.
My eyes meet his and everything else slips away.
“Next up, we have the gorgeous Nina. She’s a fiery one, boys, so only bid if you think you can handle her bite.”
Mason’s eyes grow tighter at Megan’s challenge.
My heart starts to pound as the bidding starts, but my eyes don’t leave his.
“How about we start at?—”
“Five hundred!” John shouts again, making everyone laugh.
“Five thousand!” Vinny yells, and my heart swells.
“Ten!” Charlie calls out.
“Twenty-five thousand.” My eyes snap to the bidder, realising it’s the man Mason was talking to when I arrived. Hemmings, he said his name was.
I flick my eyes back to Mason and instantly get lost in him again, his stare catching me on fire. He isn’t concerned with Hemmings, Vinny or John, he is honed in on me. Nothing else. Me.
His eyes seem to pinch tighter together, and I frown as something passes between us.
He won’t bid on me.
He won’t buy me.
“Twenty-eight!” Lance grounds out.
“Twenty-eight thousand! Wow, guys! Going once…”
“Thirty!” Hemmings outbids Lance, earning a collective gasp from the crowd and myself.
