descent
continued. His right shoulder banged the wall, and
he landed on his ass, momentarily stunned and
covered in an array of wool, leather, fur, and
hangers.
“Sonuvabitch.” He slung expensive garments
and wooden hangers this way and that and
scrambled from under the ones left hanging above
him to his feet. As he raced out the door to catch up
with her, he couldn’t help but wonder if her last
statement had been a confession. Had she really bid
fifty thousand dollars on him? Why would she do
that?
Then he remembered the inviting smile she’d
given him when he first entered the ballroom. And
hadn’t she admitted she’d been watching him
throughout the evening? Had she decided to take
their relationship—if you could call it that—in
another direction, then changed her mind after what
had just happened between them?
He didn’t have time to consider how he felt
about that or why the possibility sent a rush of
adrenaline charging through him as he rounded the
corner and saw Charlotte plow into Henry McAfee a
few feet ahead. Henry fell against Lilly, sandwiching
her between his wide girth and the wall.
“I’m so sorry.” Charlotte pushed off Henry’s arm,
whirled toward the direction of the ballroom, and
kept running.
Marcus reached to steady Henry, and with his
own mumbled apology to Lilly, sprinted after
Charlotte. Henry’s “harrumph” and Lilly’s “Well, I
45
Darah Lace
never” were quickly forgotten as he gained ground
on Charlotte, whose high heels impeded her escape.
“Charlotte,” he called as she paused in front of
the open door of the ballroom.
She whipped around, pale blonde hair flying
around her. Wide blue eyes filled with distress
stared at him for a fraction of a second before she
ducked inside.
Still in a run, Marcus tried to put on the brakes
but between his slick-soled shoes and the wax on the
floors, slid past the doorway and only managed to
maintain his balance by grabbing the frame. “Shit.”
Mrs. Gardner, one of his mother’s cronies, gave
him a sharp look from just inside the door where she
stood watch, probably to guard against party
crashers. He pulled himself upright and entered
with as much composure as he could muster. His
gaze darted left then right.
Where the hell was she?
He caught sight of her arguing vehemently with
one of the women at the bidding tables. The woman
pointed across the room, and Charlotte looked that
way. He followed her line of vision to where Melody
stretched to hand a stack of papers to a man on the
stage.
The bidding sheets.
His gaze flew back to Charlotte, but she had
already disappeared. A flash of gold in the crowd
spurred him forward, and only then did the voice of
the emcee register.
“And the moment we’ve all been waiting for...”
Marcus cut directly across the dance floor,
skirting the immobile dancers. Several men with sly
grins slapped him on the back as he went. A few
women tried to block his path, but he sidestepped
them. The stage and Melody were just ahead,
Charlotte even closer, when Natalie appeared before
him.
46
Bachelor Auction
“Where have you been?”
He tried to move around her. “Not now, Nat.”
She clung to his arm. “But I need to talk to you.”
“I’ll talk to you later.” He glanced over her head
and watched Charlotte fend off Harry Townsend’s
drunken advances. He took a step forward, intent on
smashing the bastard’s face.
“Wait.” Natalie hauled him back. “Do you know
Charlotte Reese bid fifty thousand dollars on you?
She’s made a fool of you in front of all these people.”
He heard the tears in her voice, and since
Charlotte had succeeded on her own to get past
Harry, he focused on Nat once more.
“I tried to tell you earlier, but you wouldn’t
listen,” she accused. “You were like a hound hot on
the trail of a bitch in heat.” She let go of him, and
swiping a tear from her cheek, she eyed him up
continued. His right shoulder banged the wall, and
he landed on his ass, momentarily stunned and
covered in an array of wool, leather, fur, and
hangers.
“Sonuvabitch.” He slung expensive garments
and wooden hangers this way and that and
scrambled from under the ones left hanging above
him to his feet. As he raced out the door to catch up
with her, he couldn’t help but wonder if her last
statement had been a confession. Had she really bid
fifty thousand dollars on him? Why would she do
that?
Then he remembered the inviting smile she’d
given him when he first entered the ballroom. And
hadn’t she admitted she’d been watching him
throughout the evening? Had she decided to take
their relationship—if you could call it that—in
another direction, then changed her mind after what
had just happened between them?
He didn’t have time to consider how he felt
about that or why the possibility sent a rush of
adrenaline charging through him as he rounded the
corner and saw Charlotte plow into Henry McAfee a
few feet ahead. Henry fell against Lilly, sandwiching
her between his wide girth and the wall.
“I’m so sorry.” Charlotte pushed off Henry’s arm,
whirled toward the direction of the ballroom, and
kept running.
Marcus reached to steady Henry, and with his
own mumbled apology to Lilly, sprinted after
Charlotte. Henry’s “harrumph” and Lilly’s “Well, I
45
Darah Lace
never” were quickly forgotten as he gained ground
on Charlotte, whose high heels impeded her escape.
“Charlotte,” he called as she paused in front of
the open door of the ballroom.
She whipped around, pale blonde hair flying
around her. Wide blue eyes filled with distress
stared at him for a fraction of a second before she
ducked inside.
Still in a run, Marcus tried to put on the brakes
but between his slick-soled shoes and the wax on the
floors, slid past the doorway and only managed to
maintain his balance by grabbing the frame. “Shit.”
Mrs. Gardner, one of his mother’s cronies, gave
him a sharp look from just inside the door where she
stood watch, probably to guard against party
crashers. He pulled himself upright and entered
with as much composure as he could muster. His
gaze darted left then right.
Where the hell was she?
He caught sight of her arguing vehemently with
one of the women at the bidding tables. The woman
pointed across the room, and Charlotte looked that
way. He followed her line of vision to where Melody
stretched to hand a stack of papers to a man on the
stage.
The bidding sheets.
His gaze flew back to Charlotte, but she had
already disappeared. A flash of gold in the crowd
spurred him forward, and only then did the voice of
the emcee register.
“And the moment we’ve all been waiting for...”
Marcus cut directly across the dance floor,
skirting the immobile dancers. Several men with sly
grins slapped him on the back as he went. A few
women tried to block his path, but he sidestepped
them. The stage and Melody were just ahead,
Charlotte even closer, when Natalie appeared before
him.
46
Bachelor Auction
“Where have you been?”
He tried to move around her. “Not now, Nat.”
She clung to his arm. “But I need to talk to you.”
“I’ll talk to you later.” He glanced over her head
and watched Charlotte fend off Harry Townsend’s
drunken advances. He took a step forward, intent on
smashing the bastard’s face.
“Wait.” Natalie hauled him back. “Do you know
Charlotte Reese bid fifty thousand dollars on you?
She’s made a fool of you in front of all these people.”
He heard the tears in her voice, and since
Charlotte had succeeded on her own to get past
Harry, he focused on Nat once more.
“I tried to tell you earlier, but you wouldn’t
listen,” she accused. “You were like a hound hot on
the trail of a bitch in heat.” She let go of him, and
swiping a tear from her cheek, she eyed him up
Similar Books
