“Do you have everything you need? The car’s waiting outside.” I’d put Lucy’s bag inside the bedroom since she’d be returning here tonight.
Without me.
What if she wanted to bring someone from the event back with her? Fury flooded me, but before I could call off the whole event and keep her trapped here with me, she thrust her phone and a ziplock bag of makeup at me.
“Yeah. But can you hold these for me? I forgot to bring a clutch, and this dress definitely doesn’t have pockets.”
As if I needed another reminder of how the dress clung to her every curve. She lifted her skirt so that her heels wouldn’t catch as she headed to the door.
Reality slapped me and I scowled. “Are you wearing heels?”
Lucy gave me a look that screamedDuh, and my palm itched with the urge to spank her.
I crouched down. “And you removed the ankle wrap. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“What do you want me to wear? Sneakers?”
“They’d be better than those.”
Her eyes narrowed. “If you think there’s any chance that I’m leaving here in sneakers, well then…” She paused, furrowing her brow. “Then you arewrong.”
I snorted. “I’m surprised I’m not bleeding after that cutting comeback.”
She pursed her lips, but her expression quickly changed into something almost gleeful before smoothing out. “You’re welcome to go without me,” she said, batting her eyes and gesturing at the door. “I’m happy to stay here and order room service, and you can be auctioned off to someone else.”
I snarled and closed the space between us, crowding her until her back hit the wall. Our lips were inches apart, and I gripped her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “You’ll lean on me so you don’t aggravate your ankle, and you’ll tell me if it’s hurting.”
Her lips were parted, eyes wide, but she gave me a tiny nod.
I took a step back and extended my arm, which she took without argument.
This was going to be a long night.
“How are we playingthis?”
I looked up from my phone. I’d pulled it out the second we got in the town car the event organizers had sent. Nothing on the internet could distract me from the omega sitting inches away, but I needed a moment to regroup after I’d almost kissed her at the hotel. Which was probably why I’d been typing random words into my notes app the past few minutes as we sat in traffic.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Should we enter separately and pretend we don’t know each other?”
I scowled. “Why would we do that?”
“To make the auction more dramatic.”
“I don’t care about drama. I just care about the night being over.”
She nudged my side. “Come on. Live a little, Mr.Grumpy Pants. This is going to be fun! Free drinks, free food, lots of fun people-watching, and King, the businessman, being purchased at auction by a mysterious woman.”
She batted her eyelashes, and I suppressed a smile.
“Whatever you say,” I responded dryly. “But we’re going in together. It will still bedramaticif my mysterious date bids on me.”
She sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to make do with that.”
We neared the venue and my jaw clenched when I saw photographers lining the red carpet. Shit. Lucy was on the side closest to the curb.
“Wait there,” I said once we came to a stop.
