Orlando points at Ryder before he scans the room, asking for higher bidders.
The painting of the horse-camel sells for twelve thousand dollars.
Orlando moves like he was born to do this. Charming, composed, and in complete control.
By the time the stage is cleared, we’ve raised nearly half a million dollars.
His jacket’s off now, sleeves rolled, glasses slipping slightly down his nose.
Calm and collected. Like, thisisn’tthe most exhausting night of the year for him. Not that he would ever let it show.
"Normally, my good friend and client Avery Jones donates something for the bidding," Orlando says, and my stomach drops.
A hundred heads turn toward me like someone just announced I was giving away a kidney.
And for a second, I forget how lungs are supposed to work.
I pull at my collar to loosen my tie around my neck, but with no luck. The air is suddenly thick, like I’m breathing through fog.
"But this year, I told him not to worry about it. Told him I had it under control."
The crowd buzzes. Speculating. Excited.
I sink deeper into my seat, wishing I could disappear until this whole damn thing blows over.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight, you will be bidding on a date with none other than the man himself, Avery Jones."
Oh, fuck me.
I bury my face in my hands, my elbows colliding with the table, making a loud crashing sound that is thankfully drowned out by the overwhelming sound of women screeching.
Not screaming.
Screeching.
They sound like a ravenous pack of fucking hyenas.
I’m officially terrified for my life.
All for the charity, all for the charity.I repeat it like a mantra in my head until it starts to feel a little more normal, and less like my worst possible nightmare.
"Not only will you get alone time with New York’s hottest bad boy," Orlando says once the cheering subsides, "but you will also be rewarded with…"
I zone out. I cannot bring myself to hear the rest of his sentence. I’m about to live in it, for Christ sake.
Why force it on me twice?
"Fifty thousand dollars," the older woman directly in front of me raises her paddle before turning back to face me, sending another wink my way. The man next to her visibly pales.
How much?
Yet, before I can fully comprehend what is happening, another voice sounds, making every single person in the room gasp.
"One hundred thousand dollars."
Chapter ten
Olive
