Bid High

by Crissy Smith

  “We have to see who else is here. You never know who might come strolling down the walkway,” Jessica answered.

  Amber picked up her drink as the next bachelor was announced. She leaned over to whisper in Trish’s ear just as his name was called.

  “Thomas Baldwin.”

  Amber choked on her champagne and Jessica pounded on her back.

  “You okay?”

  Amber nodded, staring at the man who walked down the runway in a black tuxedo. She missed what was said about him, completely enthralled at the sight of him.

  He walked closer to their table, smiling at the crowd, and Amber felt her heart pound. How could he look that good? she wondered. It just wasn’t fair.

  She must have said it out loud because it was Trish who answered. “Genes, really good genes.”

  Thomas reached the end of the platform, which just happened to be in front of Amber. His gaze met hers, and Amber felt a jolt to her system. He smiled and she was sure she was smiling back like an idiot. Amber just stared, unable to break the connection. He didn’t seem to want to break it either because his eyes never left hers.

  It wasn’t until Jessica nudged her that she remembered where she was and finally looked away.

  “What?” Amber complained.

  “I think he wants you to bid on him,” she stage-whispered.

  Amber looked back at him. No way! Could she? Should she?

  Was that a small nod he gave?

  “Hurry! Bid!” Trish ordered, picking up Amber’s paddle and handing it to her.

  Eyes locked on his, Amber raised the paddle.

  Thomas’s smile broadened and he winked. Amber was pretty sure she’d just creamed her panties.

  Amber bid over and over. When she missed a raise, she’d receive a nudge from one side or the other and would raise her paddle. She stared at Thomas the entire time.

  If he minded Amber bidding on him, he didn’t show it. He just stood and stared down at her, a smile teasing his lips.

  Entranced, Amber missed the sale until Jessica jumped up and down and hugged her. “You won!”

  She looked around the room, noticing she had indeed won. The crowd clapped and some women, other bidders, frowned at her.

  “Ma’am, if you’ll come with me,” a man asked, stepping in front of her.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  Jessica leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You have to go pay for your man.”

  Trish kissed the other cheek. “Yeah. Go get your man!”

  “But…I…”Amber suddenly felt dizzy. She couldn’t do this. How had she gotten so carried away?

  Jessica pushed her from her seat. “Go!”

  Amber stood and looked down at her friends. Their smiles were huge.

  “I…I guess I’ll see you later.”

  “Much later,” Jessica suggested, raising her glass. “Oh and don’t be good!” she added.

  Amber followed the man outside the ballroom to a smaller room. There she handed her paddle in and was given her price.

  “How much?” she asked, shell-shocked.

  “Five thousand,” the woman repeated too happily.

  Amber took out her chequebook, shaking her head. She’d just spent five thousand dollars on a date! She was beyond embarrassed and wasn’t sure what she was going to say to the man she’d won. How could she explain why she’d paid so much for him? He probably thought she was some desperate woman who would end up stalking him or something. Oh, how in the hell had she gotten here? Paying for a date? She sighed heavily, not even listening to the woman who hadn’t shut up.

  “That was a wonderful bid. Probably will be the highest of the night,” the woman continued.

  Amber handed her the cheque and forced a smile.

  “Okay, Ms. Wilson. Right through those doors is your date.”

  Amber looked over to where the women pointed. Well, she’d paid for him so she might as well go face him.

  On shaky feet, she made her way to her five-thousand-dollar man.

  Amber’s hand shook as she pulled open the door. It was a small sitting room and Thomas sat in a chair with his hands clasped in his lap. When he saw her enter, he smiled and stood.

  “I was afraid you’d changed your mind,” he said as she approached.

  His deep voice sent tingles through her body and robbed her of speech. Amber barely managed to shake her head.

  “Good.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

  As his lips touched her, she felt a sizzle and closed her eyes. Silly that this man could bring feelings no one else had ever managed with such a chaste kiss.

  “I have a suite upstairs if you’d like to join me for a late dinner,” he said, his mouth close to her ear.

  “A suite?” she managed without choking. Barely.

  Thomas’s arm was already around her waist as he led her towards the door. She took several deep breaths, trying to control her raging hormones. It would just be a simple dinner. He’d let himself be auctioned for charity, it wasn’t anything more than that.

  But her body shivered with excitement at the thought of being alone with him inside a suite—which would have a bed.

  Amber tried to take in the décor of the hotel as they made their way from the room to the bank of elevators, but Thomas still had his arm around her. The strength of his arm, the heat of his body, was making it hard for her to think of anything but him. She liked the protective ease in which he held her.

  Once in the elevator, she kept her gaze down and tried to think of something to say. Anything.

  Thomas didn’t seem inclined to talk though. He just kept his arm around her, his thumb rubbing erotic currents against her hip.

  The door chimed, letting them know they had reached their destination. He led her out of the elevator car and down the hall with a hand on the small of her back.

  Three doors down, he stopped and used a magnetic card to unlock and open the door.

  The suite was just as impressive as the rest of the hotel. In the elegant sitting room, Thomas removed his jacket. Amber watched the muscles in his back move as he went to the bar. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from moaning. She’d never seen him without a jacket. Her imagination had been the only thing she’d had when she’d thought about what his clothing hid. The thin dress shirt he had on under his jacket was tight and showed just enough to tease.

  “Glass of wine?” he asked, pulling out a bottle.

  “Yes, please,” she answered, glad to have her voice back.

  There was a small dining table next to a large window. The table was set with white linens as if it was waiting to be used. Amber placed her purse on the table. A door that must lead to the bedroom stood open.

  “Are you hungry?” Thomas asked behind her.

  Amber jumped, unaware he had moved so close.

  “What?” she asked, trying to get her mind away from the bedroom.

  “I thought I heard voices.”

  Amber snapped her head back around to the bedroom. Jake Grant walked out with a wicked look in his eyes and an easy grin.

  He wore a pair of faded jeans and a tight black T-shirt. Knowing she would be drooling any minute, Amber quickly looked at Thomas.

  Thomas held three glasses, obviously expecting Jake. Any thoughts of an erotic night of play quickly left her head. She hadn’t realised how much she had been hoping until the fantasy crashed down.

  “You remember my partner, Jake Grant, don’t you?” he asked unnecessarily.

  “Yes, of course,” Amber answered and turned back to the other man. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Grant.”

  He nodded and walked closer. “And you as well, Ms. Wilson,” he told her as he took a glass of wine.

  Amber shifted uneasily, unsure on what to do next. Her feet were starting to hurt because of the height of the heels, but she wasn’t sure how long she would be staying, so she didn’t want to just sit and take them off.

  “Shall we sit and get to know one another better?” Thomas
offered.

  Grateful, Amber nodded and sat on the edge of the plush couch on the middle cushion. Both men surprised her by taking a seat on either side of her.

  Amber sipped at her wine to have something to do with her hands.

  “So you won the bid on this rascal, huh?” Jake asked and leaned closer.

  She could feel the heat from his body against her scantily-clothed self.

  “Yes. I…I’ve never been to one of the auctions before. I think I got a little carried away,” she told him and tried to justify spending five thousand dollars.

  “Are you saying I’m not worth that much?” Thomas asked with hurt heavy in his voice.

  Amber quickly glanced over, relieved to see the teasing smirk on his face. “Oh no, Mr. Baldwin, I’m sure you’re worth every penny.”

  The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to censor them. She blushed as soon as she realised what she’d said.

  The men, however, weren’t embarrassed. Jake laughed full out on her right side while Thomas leant in to her left.

  “Mr. Baldwin?” he asked. “I think after the money you just spent you should call me Thomas.”

  His breath whispered against her skin and she shivered.

  “And I’ll call you Amber,” he added.

  She nodded. His mouth was so close that if she just moved an inch she would be able to feel his lips against hers.

  “You can call me whatever you want.” Jake’s voice came from her other side, just as close as Thomas’s. “But I’d prefer if you screamed it.”

  Amber wasn’t sure she’d really heard his last words or if she’d imagined them until Thomas chuckled.

  Thomas pulled back and lifted his wineglass to his lips. She watched entranced as his throat worked. He held her gaze the entire time.

  When he pulled the glass away from his lips, he winked. “You’ll have to excuse Jake. He’s never had the patience for seduction,” he told her.

  Jake growled in response as Amber thought about what he said.

  “Seduction?” she repeated. As her mind whirled with thoughts on what the men were talking about, her body had already started to respond to the meaning behind the words. Her nipples were hard and stiff poking through the thin material of her dress, and she could feel the dampness of her sex as liquid pooled in her panties.

  “Yes. I keep telling him patience will get him what he wants in the end,” Thomas continued as he stood. “Let’s see what room service sent up for dinner.

  Amber tried to keep up with what was going on. Was she being seduced? Or was she supposed to seduce him? Them? She finished off her wine in a couple of gulps.

  Jake took the wineglass from her hand the moment it was empty. He pressed against her as he set it on the coffee table.

  “Seduction is a waste of time in my opinion,” he murmured. “If a man wants a woman and she wants him in return, I don’t see anything wrong with moving to the physical part.”

  With him so close, Amber couldn’t argue his point. His hand brushed her knee and she barely held back a gasp. Didn’t they know what they were doing to her? Sweat prickled around her hairline and started to slide down her neck. Her hands shook and she clenched them tight. If she got any hotter, she would combust.

  “This is a lovely dress,” Jake told her as his hand settled firmly on her leg. The silk material rubbed against her heated skin as he stroked the dress. “So soft and lovely.”

  She moaned. She couldn’t help it.

  He moved his hand lower, over her knee and down. “Great shoes too. But wouldn’t you be more comfortable with them off?” He removed one shoe as he asked. He held her foot and rubbed the arch. “You have lovely skin. Soft and silky like your dress.”

  She was trying not to pant. Honest she was. Jake’s hands felt like heaven.

  He knelt in front of her and slipped off her other shoe. “I bet you’re just as soft everywhere.”

  She looked at his left hand, which cradled her foot, until he tilted her head with his right, so she met his gaze.

  “How’s this, darling? Good?” he asked and pushed down on the pressure point.

  Her toes curled and she groaned.

  “So vocal,” he said with a chuckle. “I hope you’re always like this.”

  “I…you…” she stumbled.

  “Just couldn’t keep your hands off,” Thomas grumbled as he returned to the couch with a tray.

  Amber looked up, shocked. She had forgotten about him as soon as Jake’s hands touched her.

  He brushed past his friend as retook his seat.

  “I…we weren’t…” What was she trying to say? Even she didn’t know.

  “It’s all right, darling. I didn’t expect him to behave anyway,” Thomas soothed.

  Wide-eyed, she looked from one man to the other. Oh, she was being seduced all right. She just wasn’t sure by which one.

  Thomas set the tray on the table next to her glass and lifted the lid.

  “You gonna sit back down?” he asked Jake, motioning to the sofa.

  Jake just smirked and shook his head. “I like it here.”

  Thomas mumbled under his breath before he reached over to pick up some fruit from the tray.

  “Taste this,” he ordered, raising a chocolate-covered strawberry to her mouth. “It looks delicious.”

  Amber lifted a hand to take it from him, but Jake quickly grabbed both of hers in his. “Uh, no hands.”

  With no other choice, she opened her mouth.

  Thomas rubbed the chocolate against her bottom lip once, twice, three times before slipping it inside. The chocolate broke in her mouth and the juices from the fruit flowed. She chewed slowly, hoping not to choke and ruin the mood.

  “Mmm, good,” she commented in a soft whisper. It was too perfect of a moment to talk.

  “I want to taste,” Thomas told her.

  She nodded. He still held the rest of the strawberry.

  He raised one eyebrow and set the fruit down. Amber opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, his lips were on hers.

  He pressed down softly, then licked her bottom lip before adding more pressure and sliding his tongue inside her mouth.

  Amber melted against him. The kiss was everything she could have ever hoped for. Exciting, erotic, and mesmerising.

  As Thomas pulled away slowly, Amber followed. Their lips were only a breath apart as they sucked in much needed air.

  Two fingers on her chin turned her head.

  “I want a taste too,” Jake complained before his mouth covered hers.

  Chapter Three

  Jake’s kiss was pure heat and hunger. Hard and dominating where Thomas’s had been slow and easy. Any thoughts she’d had blanked out as her senses overwhelmed her where all she could do was kiss Jake back with all the passion she felt.

  “Oh God!” she gasped when Jake stopped kissing her as quickly as he started.

  “More,” Jake demanded and his mouth landed again.

  This time, she was prepared. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close as his mouth moved over hers. Jake groaned. He pulled her to the edge of the couch, his hands moving around her back.

  Long minutes passed before Thomas spoke.

  “I’m feeling left out here” he complained.

  Amber broke away from Jake. Everything was happening so fast. She couldn’t think. One glance at the need on Thomas’s face and Amber decided thinking was highly overrated.

  She reached out and grasped the back of his neck and planted her lips back on his. Thomas opened to her immediately as she rubbed her tongue against his. Vaguely, she felt one of her dress straps slip down her shoulder. Then lips traced over her bare arm and moved up. The sensation of both men touching and caressing her was the most amazing feeling.

  Jake nipped at her ear and she broke away from Thomas.

  She looked from one to the other as her breath came out in pants. “Wh…what is going on here?” she had to ask. Never in her wildest fantasies
had she imagined both men loving her body.

  Thomas straightened and grasped both her hands in his while Jake moved to sit once again on the other side of the couch.

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Amber,” Thomas started. “Jake and I have been trying for a while to get close to you. Now that we have you here, we plan to make you realise that there is no one else you’d rather be with. Just the two of us.”

  “You want me? Both of you?” she repeated, scared it was too good to be true.

  Jake’s chuckle vibrated against her side. “Yes, both of us. You could say that Thomas and I are more than just business partners. We’re partners in every way.”

  She glanced at Thomas for acknowledgement. He nodded his agreement.

  “We are very happy together, but we both knew we need something more. Someone else to complete us,” Jake told her.

  Amber swallowed hard, trying to get moisture to her dry throat. “Why me?”

  Instead of answering in words, Jake wrapped his arms around her and lifted her onto his lap. He sat back against the couch with her sideways as Thomas moved and placed her legs over him.

  The hard muscles of Jake’s thighs and the erection that pressed against her bottom made her want to put off any further discussion. Why should she question the reason she’d been picked? She should just count her lucky stars and enjoy. She opened her mouth to say just that but Thomas started to speak first.

  “From the first day we met you, we both knew we were attracted to you. That’s not unusual. We’ve shared woman in the past, but with you there was something more there,” he told her.

  Jake rubbed up and down her sides, distracting her, and she wiggled to move his hands away.

  He groaned and gripped her hips to hold her still. “Unless you’re ready to move into the bedroom right now,” he growled, “I suggest you stop doing that.”

  She giggled, feeling like a teenager on her first date. “You didn’t like it?” she teased. Oh wow! Look at her being all slutty. It felt good.

  Jake thrust his hips up, digging his hard shaft deeper into her flesh. “What do you think?”

  The laugh died in the back of her throat and was replaced by a gasp. Under his clothes Jake felt huge pressed against her. Her body tingled with her need to get skin on skin, to touch him, hold that stiff, hard…