Bachelor Auction (2 page)

Enterprises would get if all three of you studs were

on the auction block?”

“Sorry, Mel,” Mitch said, shaking his head. “For

all my talk of corporate image, I’d just as soon not be

put on display like a piece of meat for a bunch of

women to fight over.”

“They do that anyway, Mitch. You just choose to

ignore them,” Melody teased. “And speaking of

women, there are quite a few out there wondering

where the Preston men are. They want dance

partners without two left feet. And they’re dying to

know which of you is on the block. Did you know

there are bets on who it will be?”

Five years ago Marcus would have been thrilled

with the prospect of being fought over by dozens of

beautiful women. But now the thought of being

cornered by the winner left him cold. Thank God, the

auction was silent and he wouldn’t have to face the

humiliation of standing on stage during the bidding.

Chad clapped his hands together once and

headed for the door. “Well, I don’t have a problem

with women fighting over me. There’s plenty to go

around, and I’ll gladly share.”

Mitch shook his head as he followed in Chad’s

wake. “Better go keep an eye on him.”

Marcus hesitated, not necessarily eager to face

the music, especially after Mitch labeled him a piece

of meat. Still, he couldn’t hide any longer. At least

not here. Not when Spencer’s and Melody’s hushed

tones and close proximity indicated they would

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Darah Lace

appreciate a few moments of privacy.

He exhaled slowly and started for the door.

“Marcus, wait.” Melody laid a hand on his arm.

“I have a favor to ask.”

Surprised at her solemn expression, he glanced

over her head at Spencer, who gave him no inkling

as to what she wanted. Marcus returned his

attention to Melody and tried to convey a casualness

he didn’t feel. “Sure. What is it?”

“Well, the thing is...” She bit her lip as if afraid

to say more then suddenly rushed on. “I know

there’s something going on between you and

Charlotte, and since the night of the mayor’s Fourth

of July party...”

He didn’t hear her next words as the memory of

that night and what he’d shared with Charlotte in

the mayor’s garden, clouded his brain. He hadn’t

meant to let things get so out of hand. Hell, the only

reason he’d gone outside with her in the first place

was to keep her from interrupting Spencer’s plan to

be alone with Melody.

And the only reason he’d kissed Charlotte was to

distract her.

But at the first taste, after five long years of

wondering what it would be like to kiss those

sensuous pink lips, he had forgotten that Charlotte’s

father was stealing Preston Enterprises blind and

that part of the suspicion fell on her. And he had

forgotten her reputation was as tarnished as some of

the trophies in the cabinet behind him. Or that she

was a far cry from his ideal woman.

He had allowed that kiss to lead to more than he

should have, but not so far as to satisfy his own

needs. Holding himself from Charlotte had been by

no means an easy task as he watched her beautiful

body writhe with pleasure beneath his touch. Only

the memory of her rejection years earlier had kept

him from taking her on that cold stone bench under

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Bachelor Auction

the gently swaying willow.

Marcus knew he had been right to maintain

control when afterward she passed off his efforts to

please her as
a real treat
. As if they meant nothing

more to her than a way to pass the time. In

retaliation he’d made a cutting remark, one he

regretted the moment the words slipped out.

He still regretted it.

“...you two weren’t exactly civil at the

celebration for my promotion.” Melody squeezed his

arm, her brown eyes round with concern. “Anyway, I

just want you to be nice to her tonight. This is her

first public appearance since her dad’s arrest, and I

want all of us, especially you, to show everyone the

Prestons don’t harbor any hard feelings. If everyone

sees we don’t hold her responsible for her father’s

crimes against Preston Enterprises, then maybe

they won’t either. So, could you maybe ask her to

dance?”

“Sure.” Marcus swallowed hard. “No problem.”

She beamed as she whirled and grabbed

Spencer’s hand. “See, I told you he’d be reasonable.”

“That you did.” Spencer wrapped his arms

around Melody and mouthed the words ‘thank you’

over the top of her head.

“We’d better get back.” Melody moved excitedly

toward the door. “I need to get your picture in front

of the bidding sheet.”

Marcus watched Spencer and Melody stroll

away, glad everyone was so damned excited when he

couldn’t muster the least bit of enthusiasm.

Donating his time was one thing. His soul was quite

another. Which was exactly what his promise to

Melody would cost if he weren’t careful. He had

already planned to make nice with Charlotte, but

only long enough to apologize.

But would she let him? Or would she put up her

defenses as she had at Melody’s promotion party,

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Darah Lace

totally ignoring him and flirting outrageously with

his brothers?

“Only one way to find out,” he muttered and

forced himself down the hall.

He entered the ballroom behind Spencer and

Melody, and a flurry of commotion on the other side

of the dance floor caught his attention. There in the

middle of it all was Charlotte. He’d recognize that

silvery blonde hair anywhere. And, as usual, every

male in the building, young and old, flocked to her

side.

He made his way around the crowded dance

floor, his feet heavy and dragging. He hated the idea

of vying for her attention, of giving her the

satisfaction. Yet a promise was a promise and the

sooner he fulfilled it the better.

One dance, one apology, then he was done.

Ten feet from the pack of wolves drooling at her

feet, Marcus heard her laugh. His stomach tightened

at the husky sound. He’d forgotten how her laughter

carried a sensual quality that made him long to be

the lucky man she favored with a smile. A smile he

knew came with a price.

His feet stopped of their own accord. He couldn’t

do this.

No, what he couldn’t do was let the entourage

surrounding Charlotte sway him from his purpose.

After all, he only wanted a few words with her. He’d

simply walk up, ask for a moment of her time, and

get it over with. Forget the dance.

Once again he forced one foot in front of the

other with dogged resignation, and once again he

stumbled to a halt as the crowd around her shifted.

He’d been right. Not only were her defenses up,

but she’d donned full body armor in the form of a

gold pantsuit that would have been conservative on

anyone else. On Charlotte, who, to his everlasting

regret, wore the long-sleeved jacket with nothing

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Bachelor Auction

beneath, the suit screamed sensuality.

Imagination and a single button at her waist

held

the

damned

thing

together,

revealing

provocative swells barely concealed behind wide

lapels. Low-rise matching pants gave him a glimpse

of the smooth skin of her belly and accentuated the

slender length of her legs. Gold high-heeled sandals

adorned perfect feet, and Marcus knew from

experience they would bring her already five-foot

ten-inch frame closer to his own six-foot-three.

He had often wondered if her choice of clothing

was Charlotte’s way of arming herself against his

attentions. As if she knew her insufficient attire

bothered him and wore it specifically to deter him.

Of course, that was his ego talking and he’d never

allowed himself to believe it. But if that had been

her goal, she had accomplished it with flying colors.

Until tonight.

Marcus let his gaze travel up her svelte frame,

pausing once again at her breasts before moving on.

Her sparkling blue eyes met his, and her glossy red

lips, wet from champagne, parted in a come-hither

smile that sent a rush of heat to his groin. Again not

something he hadn’t felt a thousand other times. But

somehow the irritation he usually felt at the way she

flaunted herself in seductive clothing failed to

surface, leaving him to deal with his lust.

He tried to appear unaffected as he returned her

sultry stare. What little blood remained above his

waist roared in his ears, drowning out the music and

chatter of the crowd. If he inhaled deeply, he

imagined he could smell the scent of her trademark

perfume. Exotic, spicy, mysterious. Enough to lure a

man...

Hell, he was losing his mind. And his control.

Marcus dragged his gaze from her and caught

sight of Mitch in the crowd to his right, chatting

with Natalie Weaver, their ranch foreman’s

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Darah Lace

daughter. He turned and headed that way.

His apology to Charlotte would have to wait for

another time when the armor she wore served its

purpose and deflected his interest as it had in the

past. For a time when he’d mastered the desire to

take what she so blatantly offered.

The thought of doing so had crossed his mind

more than a few times over the years. It would have

been so easy to act on his unexplainable and very

much unwanted attraction to her, to finally have her

and be done with her. But she’d made it clear she

wasn’t offering it to
him
.

Until that night in the mayor’s garden.

Granted, he’d essentially caught her by surprise.

By the same token, her strong and instantaneous

reaction had surprised him. It had also been enough

to convince him she wanted nothing more than sex.

And he had admitted years ago, at least to himself,

he wanted more than that from Charlotte.

For Marcus it was all or nothing.

****

away to join his brother. What was she thinking,

smiling at him that way? She had all but invited his

approach. Thank God, he’d remained true to form

and reacted exactly as she’d intended when she

selected this outfit. One sure to draw male attention

and an ardent group of admirers that would keep

Marcus Preston away.

So why was she disappointed?

She had no right to be when she had purchased

the gold pantsuit knowing Marcus would be here. In

fact, she did a lot of things with Marcus in mind.

More than half her reputation was based on

moments when she clung to or flirted with the

nearest available man for the sole purpose of

keeping him at a safe distance.

From the moment Chad introduced them,

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Bachelor Auction

Charlotte had known Marcus was different. The way

his deep green eyes assessed her, certainly

physically, but also with an astute sense of

awareness. As if he knew the happy-go-lucky

persona she’d perfected over the years hid a

vulnerability she tried to deny. Frightening her

more than his insight was her own reaction to him,

because she knew instinctively Marcus was the type

who wanted more than she was willing to give.

She had sworn at an early age she wouldn’t end

up like her mother, loving a man who didn’t return

her affection and drinking her life away while he

flaunted one mistress after another. Though Marcus

sometimes looked at her with something other than

lust, he was just a man. A man who, like every

other, would grow bored and look elsewhere for

entertainment once the challenge of taming a

woman was met, once she’d fallen in love and

became dependent on him.

An occasional one-night stand. That’s all she

needed. It took the edge off her constant loneliness

as well as promoted her bad-girl image. An image

that kept the commitment-seeking men—those she