“You know her well,” she observes and I want to answer that I wish I could get to know her even better.
The song ends and she lets go of my hand and I bow my head. “That was the best dance of my life.” I put my hand to my chest. “Thank you.”
“Oh, you are smooth.” She shakes her head. “Very smooth. Now get to your seat because the auction is about to start.”
I look around to see if I can spot Kylie when I see Lexi standing at the side next to Trent, who has a glass of whiskey or scotch in one hand, while the other is in his suit pocket instead of holding his wife’s hand. The two of them are chatting with Darryl and one of the other bachelors.
“If I can get everyone to their tables, please, we are going to be serving the first course and starting the auction.”
I walk over to my table and find Kylie walking back from the bar with a glass of champagne in her hand. The smile on her face is from ear to ear. “I feel so fancy.” She sits down next to me, putting her purse in front of her name. “Table two.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “You’re a big deal.”
“It’s only because they are auctioning me off.” I lean back in my chair and look over at the table beside me, seeing Lexi is sitting down next to Trent on one side, who is busy talking to the lady beside him, while Lexi just looks around the table.
Darryl pulls out the chair next to Kylie and introduces himself to her. “I’m this guy’s sister,” she quickly points out and I have to laugh.
“This guy has a name,” I mumble, trying not to look at Lexi’s table but failing miserably. He never fucking once tries to talk to her and she’s stuck talking to Cheryl’s husband, who is sitting with an empty chair between them, no doubt left for Cheryl.
“Did you bid on any of the silent auction items?” Kylie asks from beside me as the first plate is placed in front of me.
“I didn’t see them all,” I admit, grabbing my glass of water in front of my plate. “Why? Did you?”
“Not yet.” She smiles, taking a sip of her champagne. “But I will. What’s my budget?”
I can’t help but snort when she leans in. “How much can I bid on Darryl?” she asks right before she leans back to her other side as she chats with Darryl, the two of them laughing at whatever she said.
I barely eat the food, nervously waiting for the auction part of the evening. Cheryl stands up when they are clearing the plates of the first course, with Lexi next to her. “Okay, let’s get the bidding out of the way,” she begins. “There are ten bachelors.” She names us all.
She starts with the first bachelor and he goes up to the front and she makes him do a catwalk of sorts. “I’m not doing that,” Darryl quickly states. “I’m drawing the line.”
“I think you should,” Kylie urges him, and I just look over at her with my eyebrows pinched together.
It takes no time to go through the eight bachelors, most of them going anywhere from thirty thousand dollars to fifty-five. “You can bid up to eighty-five thousand for me,” I tell Kylie, who grimaces.
“Why would I bid on you?” she retorts, grossed out. “You’re my brother.”
“Okay, fine, you can bid on Darryl up to eighty-five and then seventy-five for me,” I tell her and she shakes her head.
“Kylie,” I hiss at her as Darryl pushes away from the table and tosses his napkin down on the table in front of him.
“Here goes nothing.” He looks at me and I hold out my fist and he fist-bumps me as the clapping starts, and he goes to the center of the dance floor. He grabs the microphone from Cheryl. “Before you ask me to strut my stuff”—he looks at Cheryl—“I’m just going to say that whoever picks me won’t be sorry.” He makes everyone laugh as he hands her back the mic.
“Shall we start the bidding at ten thousand?” she questions and it quickly goes up to fifty-five.
“Sixty,” Kylie says from beside me, and I can’t help but close my eyes and shake my head, laughing. “It’s for a good cause.”
“Seventy,” someone else bids on him.
“Seventy-five,” Kylie bids. “Now it’s personal.”
“For who?” I ask her, and I hear Cheryl egging on the other woman.
“Sold.” She points over to our table at Kylie, who claps her hands together. “Come and get your prize.”
“Hold my beer,” she mumbles, getting up and strutting over to Darryl, who runs to Lexi’s table. He leans in to grab a flower from one of the vases and goes back to Cheryl, who is standing with Kylie laughing, as he hands Kylie the flower before taking her free hand and bringing it to his mouth, kissing it.
“That’s what you all missed out on.” He looks at the crowd and it makes everyone laugh. The two of them come back to the table and she puts the flower down next to her purse.
“I’m going to need to borrow seventy-five thousand dollars,” she whispers in my ear, making me laugh even more.
