"And now, our team captain, Emmett Black!"
The bidding starts at five thousand and climbs fast. I stand there with a fake smile plastered on my face, watching the numbers rise. Ten thousand. Fifteen. Twenty. Fifty. I scan the crowd and find Joelle. She's standing near the bar, champagne in hand, watching me with an expression I can't read.
"One hundred thousand!" The voice comes from somewhere to my left. A woman in a red dress with dark hair and curves for days. She's beautiful in an obvious way. All sharp edges and predatory smile.
"One hundred thousand going once ... going twice ... sold!"
Fuck.
The woman blows me a kiss, and I force a smile and exit the stage.
"Damn." Sully appears at my side. "She's hot."
"I'm not interested."
"You don't have to sleep with her. But damn, she did pay a lot for you. You should give a little something-something," Sully teases.
"Fuck off. I need another drink." I make my way to the bar, but I don't get far before Red Dress intercepts me.
"Hi there, Captain." She slides her hand up my chest. "I'm Victoria. I believe you owe me a dance."
"Yes, I do. Congratulations. Your donation was so generous. You are going to help so many kids with that money."
"Yeah, yeah. I want my dance now." She presses closer. "Unless you'd rather give me something else?"
Over her shoulder, I see Joelle watching us. Her expression has changed, there's a tightness around her eyes. Good. Hope she's as jealous as I have been all night.
"Let's dance," I say.
Victoria leads me to the dance floor, wrapping herself around me like a vine. Her perfume is too strong. Her hands are too grabby. She's pressing her breasts against my chest, andwhispering things in my ear that should be turning me on. They're not. I'm uncomfortable because all I can see is Joelle, standing at the edge of the dance floor, watching me with fire in her eyes.She's jealous.The realization hits me like a slap shot to the chest. She's jealous, and she's trying to hide it, but failing miserably. This makes me so happy.
I spin Victoria so my back is to Joelle, then pull her closer, playing it up. Victoria practically purrs. When I glance over my shoulder, Joelle is gone. Shit. Did I push her too far?
"Excuse me." I extract myself from Victoria's grip. "I need to use the restroom."
"Hurry back, Captain." She sing songs.
I won't be hurrying anywhere. I scan the ballroom but don't see Joelle. The terrace doors are cracked open, curtains fluttering in the breeze. She must be out there. I head outside. Bingo. She's there, leaning against the railing, staring out at the city lights. The wind catches her hair, and she looks like something out of a dream.
"Running away from the party?" I ask.
She jumps, then looks over her shoulder at me. She ignores me and continues looking out over the city. "Needed some air."
"Funny. So did I." I move to stand beside her, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off her bare skin. "Nice night."
"Don't," she warns.
"Don't what?"
"I can smell her perfume all over you." She sneers.
"She donated a generous sum of money for a needy cause."
"Don't pretend this is casual." She looks at me with fire in her eyes. "Don't pretend you didn't follow me out here. You wanted to rub that woman in my face."
"Maybe I just wanted fresh air." I lean against the railing, facing her. "You've been rubbing every man in there in mine all night."
Her chin lifts. "I don't know what you're talking about."
