Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“You know, you’re cute when you’re correcting people.” He winked at her.
“Does this mean you’ll do it?” she asked, suddenly feeling much more hopeful.
Nate did that staring thing again. “I’ll do it, but the night after, your ass is mine.”
This made her brows go up. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You want to use me to raise your money because we both know I’ll get the most, otherwise, sweet little Molly wouldn’t be here. So, how about you and I do a little wager? I earn the most, you date me the following night.”
She opened her mouth and closed it. Her first instinct was to turn him down, but she couldn’t turn her back on the money she knew he’d raise. This was totally unfair. She wanted to scream at him, but instead she forced a smile to her lips, and then nodded her head.
“I didn’t quite hear you,” he said.
“Fine, you have a deal,” she said.
He held his hand out after wiping it with a cloth. She took a deep breath, approached, and held his hand. She forced a smile to her lips and knew there was a slim chance he wasn’t going to win.
Molly quickly turned her back and left, knowing tomorrow night was going to be successful. Nate wasn’t going to win their agreement, as she was going to make sure it was impossible. He’d not specified when he could be sold and she would keep him for the end of the night, when all the women had spent up, and there wasn’t much money left.
There was no way she was ever going to survive on a date with him. Besides, why would he even ask her?
****
“What has put a smile on your face?” his best friend Randy Jacobs asked.
Nate turned toward him and shrugged. “Can’t a man be happy that it’s a beautiful day outside? The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and it’s a good day to be alive.”
Randy licked at his popsicle, looked at him, and then shook his head. “Everyone else can feel that way, but not you, especially when I saw Molly leaving and I know you’ve been after that piece of ass for as long as I can remember.”
“What would your wife say if she caught you using that language about a lady?”
Randy snorted, but then looked a little panicked. “You won’t tell her, will you?”
Nate couldn’t help but laugh. Randy and Bethany had gotten married straight out of high school. They had been sweethearts, and, well, Bethany had already been pregnant before they graduated.
He knew Randy liked to pretend at times that he was tied to a wife and kids, like the proverbial ball and chain. He also knew his best friend was happy and very much in love with his wife.
“Nah, I won’t tell you, but don’t talk about Molly like that.”
“Dude, are you ever going to tell me what it is about her that makes you go crazy?”
“I don’t go crazy.”
“Oh come on, the moment she arrived at the lot, you were willing to do anything for her.”
“I’ll have you know that is so not the case. I turned her down.”
“Only because you were figuring out how to win this thing.” Randy wrinkled his nose.
“You’re not into auctioning bachelor men?” he asked.
“I haven’t been asked, so it doesn’t bother me, but trust me, unless my wife was willing to pay for what she gets for free, I wouldn’t put myself up for just anyone to purchase. You’re a brave man.” Randy slapped him on the back.
“Actually, I’m going to need your help,” Nate said.
He saw this intrigued his best friend, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the curious look on his face.
“You are?”
“Yes, you see, I know Molly is going to use me as the last man of the night, which is fine. I’m worth waiting for, but she is hoping the ladies are all … broke. She is going to try and get out of our little arrangement, and that is where you come in.”
“It is?”
“Yes, my genius plan will involve you paying for me. I have the money and the means. I’ll sign the check ready, and you just have to put in the final sum.”
“You want to pay for yourself?”
“No, I want to win this auction and take Molly out on a date. You, my best friend, will win a night with me, and I’m springing this on you so you’ve got time to tell Bethany. To make it authentic, bring her along, you could both vote for me.”
Randy shook his head. “Not going to happen.”
“We both know Bethany would find this hilarious.”
“She would find it hilarious, but she would also find it more entertaining watching you with Molly, so I think you should both expect an invite to dinner.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
Randy shook his head, then made his way out of the lot and headed in the direction of his home.