Free Bachelor Auction by Darah Lace Page A

Mitch said. “If word of how we
    fixed the auction reached the press, funds could
    possibly be withdrawn and the children would be the
    ones to suffer. Preston Enterprises would also find
    itself involved in another scandal.”
    Marcus looked pointedly at Charlotte. “The
    company’s been dragged through enough mud in the
    last few months.”
    The reference to her father’s attempt to sabotage
    Preston Enterprises wasn’t lost on Charlotte. As he
    intended, she was flooded with guilt. Still, she did
    her best to pretend otherwise and pasted a bright
    smile on her face. “Hey, it’s no big deal. We can
    arrange to have our picture taken while we have
    dinner. Surely we can manage that. Two hours
    together tops and we can go our separate ways.”
    Spencer cleared his throat. She looked at
    Melody, who shifted her gaze toward the empty
    fireplace. Dread lodged in Charlotte’s chest. “What?”
    “We figured this was exactly the reaction we’d
    get from you two,” Spencer explained. “So we
    brought in extra sponsors, promising them a high
    profile couple on a weekend trip to Aspen.”
    The band around Charlotte’s chest grew tighter.
    “And you guaranteed Marcus and I would be that
    couple with the fifty thousand dollar bid.”
    Melody nodded.
    Charlotte slumped against the chair and closed
    her eyes, suddenly weary. If she was this tired after
    only one evening of trying to keep up her guard in
    Marcus’s company, how would she ever make it
    through an entire weekend? Just thinking about it
    exhausted her. “How many sponsors are we talking,
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    Mel?”
    “Five, possibly six.”
    Charlotte sensed Marcus’s presence near her
    chair, felt him draw near before she heard his voice.
    “Excuse me, but would someone mind telling me
    what the hell all this means?”
    “It means,” Charlotte opened her eyes and
    locked gazes with him, “that each sponsor will want
    their own photos. It means we’ll be forced together
    on at least five, possibly six different occasions
    throughout the weekend.”
    He turned to the others. “Is this true?”
    Melody nodded. “They won’t want to run the
    same publicity shot as the next guy. They’ll want
    theirs to be unique, down to the slightest article of
    clothing. They’ll be hoping for something better than
    everyone else’s.”
    Charlotte flinched at the string of curses Marcus
    let fly as he stalked past her. A second later the door
    slammed. Like she’d said, he was damn good at
    walking away, getting better with all the practice
    she was giving him. Good thing this time would
    probably be the last.
    She tilted a glance toward Chad and smiled.
    “Well, it looks like we’ll be having that good time
    after all.”
    He laughed. “Charlotte, darlin’, as much as I’d
    like to spend a weekend painting the town with you,
    it’ll never happen.”
    “But you said—”
    “Yes, but you heard Marcus. He said he’d do it.”
    Charlotte snorted. “I don’t think so.”
    “Believe me, he’ll do it,” Chad said. “Whether he
    admits it or not, you’re under his skin, and he can’t
    stand the idea of anyone else near you.”
    A glance at the rest of the conspirators showed
    they agreed, and Charlotte had to wonder if Marcus
    was really that angry about having to spend time
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    with her. Or if perhaps he was afraid. Afraid of what
    might happen between them if he did. After all,
    every time they’d been alone, which had only been
    twice, they ended up hot and heavy.
    She thought about those moments in the closet.
    He had condemned her in one breath. In the next, he
    had stolen hers with a kiss that melted any
    resistance she might have offered. He had pushed
    the limits, taken what he could in the limited
    privacy allotted, then stopped the minute they were
    alone again, prepared to walk away. Just as he had
    before.
    Charlotte released a long, pent up breath and
    shook her head. “I’m sorry to disappoint your efforts
    at