Lucy has sent Lance, Charlie, and Elliot upstairs to try on the suits she brought over for them. She had one put back for Mason and will get Elliot to deliver it on Friday. Hopefully, everything works out and we pull the whole thing off. A lot has been planned in under a month and I’m so proud of Scarlet and what she has achieved, it’s going to be an incredible evening.
“So, I have food to be served at seven, the band is starting at eight thirty, and the auction will begin at nine thirty in their break. I’ll need you girls ready for that a little while before.”
“Auction?” I blanch.
Scarlet looks up from the piece of paper she’s reading from. “Yeah, Lucy didn’t tell you?”
I turn to Luce who is wide-eyed with guilt and gulping her cocktail. “Luce?”
“It’s for a good cause?” She dabs at her lips.
“What kind of auction?” I ask, my stomach tightening with what my intuition is telling me.
“Megan is hosting, I’m dealing with the money, so Luce said the two of you would donate a date.”
“A date?” I snap, staring at Lucy.
“Sorry! It’s just one night and we can get Dad to bid, and Megan will take what he offers. Won’t you, Meg!” She elbows her in the side, but Megan just smiles impishly.
“No!” Scarlet asserts. “You have to put yourself out there. Come on, girls.”
“Why don’t you do it then? I can deal with the money!” I beg her.
She cringes, her hands crunching the paper slightly. “Uhhh, no, sorry.”
“Scar!” I cry.
“You know my brother will buy you!”
My heart sinks and my body tenses. I never stopped to consider what Mason would think of an auction. He would hate it, and hewouldbuy me, there’s no doubt in my mind, and with what Joey told me today, I can only imagine how much deeper he would drive the dagger.
“I don’t have a lot in donations yet, it would mean so much if you could do this, Nina.”
“Oh god…”
Her lips thin and she shrugs unapologetically. “Thanks, babe.”
My lip tips up as she starts to chuckle. “I’ll think about it. No promises.”
“You are doing it?—”
“What do you think, ladies?” Lance announces, sauntering into the room with Charlie and Elliot hot on his heels.
FIFTEEN
Nina
The four of us seem to lose all thought.
“Holy hotness hell.” Scarlet pants, fanning herself.
The three of them are in varying styles of tuxes. Elliot’s is navy and seems to have a slight shine to it, as if it’s textured. Lance’s is all black, the jacket, shirt and bow tie, and his tattoos peek out of his sleeves and collar. And Charlie’s looks like velvet, a dark jade shade that does absolutely everything a woman needs it to. They look fucking delicious.
“Boys, you look?—”
“Fit!” Elliot finishes for me, pulling on his lapels.
“I was going to say handsome.”
