by Vanessa Vale
Alice cleared her throat and went over to the stove to turn the burner down, the sizzle of the meat quieting. She knew we weren’t virgins, but we sure as shit didn’t share where we put our dicks with her.
“She’ll give any man stage fright,” Huck countered.
“That was over ten years ago. She isn’t any better these days,” I added although not because I’d ever had her in my bed. Fuck, no. “She was at pick up. Her daughter’s just like her. Be glad Claire will be a year ahead in school.”
Huck ran a hand over his face and sighed.
“There will be other women bidding besides Delilah,” Alice added, steering the conversation back to the bachelor auction. “It’s a great way for women to approach you three.” She looked us up and down. “You have to admit, between your grouchy faces and your size, you’re formidable.”
“Can’t we just donate money to the program instead?” Huck asked, voicing my thought then taking a swig of coffee. He’d always been the moodiest of the three of us, but we were all equally doomed to this event. Complaining about it wasn’t going to make it any better.
“Enough.” Alice set her hands on her narrow hips. At close to seventy, she had a straight spine and was as healthy as a horse. Each of us might have almost a hundred pounds on her, but no one messed with Alice. “If Huck can talk about the hair on your balls, then I can talk about the days I used to help you wipe your butts.” She paused for effect, which had all three of us squirming. She pointed her knife at us again. “You three will be at the bachelor auction on Friday night. You’re being auctioned off to available—and hopefully appealing—women. End of discussion.”
3
SAWYER
Two days later
“This is a fucking nightmare,” Huck murmured, moving to lean against the wall. We were backstage at the community center, waiting for our turn to be called out and auctioned off. We were all wearing our fanciest duds which amounted to clean jeans and pressed shirts. Thatcher tossed me a breath mint then stuck one in his mouth.
Huck would rather run for the hills than stand here, and I knew only Alice’s wrath was keeping him—and me—from doing so.
“Dude, have you seen all the women out there?” Thatcher asked, going to peek around the corner to check out the audience. He seemed much more eager. Hell, he could have my date and probably Huck’s, too.
Clapping and lady shouts bounced off the concrete walls. Another guy bit the dust. The turnout was more than I’d ever imagined. The building was used for everything from basketball to swimming to seniors’ programs, plus designed to handle all kinds of town events, but a bachelor auction was a first. There had to be a hundred women out there, and the estrogen levels were through the roof.
About fifteen guys had been wrangled into trading dates for a charitable donation. We knew a few personally from growing up together or around town, but others must have been pulled from around the county.
Based on the bids the first three guys had been “sold” for, it showed how eager some women were to help the kid’s program. Or to find a date.
Thatcher came over, slapped me on the shoulder. “Have your balls dropped out of your throat yet?”
He grinned, and I glared.
Huck grinned. “Dude, you’ve got it bad.”
I did. I’d spent the past two days thinking about the gorgeous redhead who’d shot me down.
“I need to know what I did. What I said to set her off,” I said to them. Again.
“You need to steer clear of crazy,” Huck told me.
“You want to date her?” Thatcher replied, eyeing me.
“I have no idea what I want to do with the woman,” I replied. Date? I had no fucking clue. Maybe I hit my head when she took me to the floor because why the fuck would I want to track down a woman who very clearly wanted nothing to do with me? Who hated my guts.
Was she a challenge? Was she insane? Was I?
My answer only made Huck laugh, which was the first time since we’d walked into the community center. “Only you’d want to claim a woman who had bigger balls that you.”
Claim? The idea didn’t sit too badly. But I still had to find her. I had to know. She was hot to anger which only made me wonder if she got hot fast for other reasons.
The last thing I wanted was to make her upset. I winced, hoping whenever I saw her again, I could set things straight. A smarter man would just steer clear, so that made me as dumb as a box of rocks.
“Gonna be tough to make this right if you take another woman out on a date,” Thatcher said, tipping his head toward the stage.
I glared at him. “Whoever buys me isn’t getting anything more from me than coffee. With Kelsey, I want to...” I stopped talking because I had no idea what I wanted to do with her. Well, I did, but why?
“Whatever you do, wear a cup,” Huck joked, and Thatcher tossed his head back and laughed, even slapped his thigh.
She was so fucking pretty. Petite with curves that went on for miles. She wasn’t flashy like Delilah and Tracy had been in their designer duds and fake eyelashes as they’d watched their girls play. Kelsey’s simple outfit had only accentuated her pale skin, those full lips. The swell of her small but perky tits. The streak of paint on her shirt had shown she didn’t mind getting dirty, and the way she’d talked gently to the diva-in-training Tamara said she was a fucking rock star with kids.
Within five minutes, I’d figured out I wanted her. I needed to get her from no fucking way to yes, fuck me please. From kneeing me in the balls to cupping them in her palm while she sucked my dick.
Here I was backstage, ready to be some woman’s date for a charity, and I was losing my shit. For a preschool teacher.
I ran a hand over my face, watched as another guy had his turn.
Shit. I didn’t want a random date. I wanted Kelsey.
I ran a hand over my hair, which, per Alice’s instructions, was neatly combed.
“Manning, you’re up next,” Rev. Abernathy called, then stuck his balding head around the curtain. “Oh great, all three of you are here. Which one of you wants to go first?”
Huck, Thatcher and I glanced at each other. Huck tapped his nose, then Thatcher in our usual game of “nose goes”, where whoever touches last must do the task. In this case, auctioned to a noisy and rowdy group of women. I sighed, resigning myself to what was about to happen. “That would be me.”
The minister disappeared.
“Let’s get this over with,” I muttered then followed the man of the Lord out onto the stage.
KELSEY
I’d waited for the call from Irene to tell me I’d been fired. After I left the preschool the other day, I’d gone to the laundromat to wash the small pile of clothes I’d had in the trunk of my car. While I’d lost my shit. Then I’d gone to the community center, where I’d cried my eyes out in the shower in the ladies’ locker room at what I’d done. Then onto the grocery store to buy a few frozen dinners. When I’d unlocked the backdoor of the preschool with my key so I could heat up my meal in the microwave and get some sleep, I’d almost cried in relief. Not that Irene would have had the locks changed, but I’d been irrational in my fear of Sawyer Manning wanting me gone. Of having me fired.
I wouldn’t have blamed him. My behavior had been worse than Tamara’s.
Sawyer must not have done anything because it had been two days since I’d kneed his junk, and I hadn’t heard a peep. Sarah Jane hadn’t said a word and when I’d worked with Irene this morning she had only asked me with her usual concern about how I was doing with getting my deposit money together. It was as if the confrontation had never happened. Of course, Claire hadn’t attended either day since, so I hadn’t had a run-in again. There was always next week, which still had me freaking out.
When Sarah Jane invited me to the bachelor auction—what she’d said was the event of the summer—I’d met up with her and Irene in the auditorium. It was then I finally realized that to everyone else besides me and Sawyer Manning, nothing had happened.
There had to be a hundred women here, all seated at round tables, laughing and clapping, hooting and hollering as one man after another was auctioned off.
I didn’t have a dime to my name, so I had no intention of buying myself a date. Irene was married, so she was here just for the fun as well. Sarah Jane was my age and single, offering a play-by-play commentary on every guy and every woman who bid on them. She’d grown up here and knew every bit of juicy gossip. Because of that, she’d said she probably wasn’t going to bid on a guy although she was going to keep her options open just in case.
I was thankful for their friendship. Irene’s kindness in my predicament.
The minister—an odd choice for an MC for a bachelor auction—announced the latest guy. He came out on stage with a big, but nervous smile.
“Owen Zerwig. I went to school with his sister,” Sarah Jane said. The room was so loud that she didn’t need to talk quietly. In fact, she had to speak up for me to hear.
He had sandy blond hair and was a good looking guy. Sturdy work boots, pressed Wranglers and a plaid shirt. He had a full head of hair and from what the minister was saying, owned a home and was gainfully employed.
A catch.
“He’s a good man,” Irene added, tipping her chin toward Owen. “Handsome, too. Why don’t you put a bid in?” she asked Sarah Jane.
She shook her head, her cute chin length bob swinging around her cheeks. “I’ve seen his penis.”
My mouth fell open as she answered that as if she was asking me to pass the salt. Irene’s eyes bugged out.
“We were four and playing in a kiddie pool, but still, I’ve seen it.”
“I’m sure it’s… bigger now,” Irene commented, trying very hard to keep a straight face.
Sarah Jane and I looked at each other then burst out laughing.
“Oh look, Delilah’s bidding,” Irene said.
Sarah Jane and I turned at the mention of the preschool mother. She was just as put together as the other day on the playground although her top was a little tighter and her eye makeup a touch heavier.
“Isn’t she married?” I asked, picking up my plastic cup for a drink. This was an alcohol-free event, so there were water stations in the corners of the room.
They shook their heads. “Never put a ring on it,” Sarah Jane commented.
“She’ll probably hold out for one of the Manning boys,” Irene added, taking a glance at her cell phone then sitting it on the table.
My heart leapt at the name, and I coughed on the sip I’d just taken. She eyed me with concern but continued. “Rich and gorgeous. A double draw for Delilah.”
“For most women,” Sarah Jane added. “I heard they’re being auctioned tonight, too.”
Irene nodded. “They’re good boys. I’m friends with their housekeeper. She volunteered all three of them for the event. I wish I’d been a fly on the wall when she’d told them.”
I thought of Sawyer Manning. How big he was. How gorgeous. “There are three of them?”
Sarah Jane fanned herself. “Yup. Sawyer, Huck and Thatcher.”
“From Mark Twain?” I asked.
Irene nodded. “Nice job. Not everyone picks up on that. Their mother had a thing for his books.”
“They’re all equally gorgeous,” Sarah Jane added then bit her lip. “I might have to bid on one of them. Not sure which.”
“Dark, fair or ginger?” Irene asked her with a sly grin.
Sarah Jane considered, tapping her chin. “I wish the Mannings were like ice cream scoops, and I could have all three.”
I was totally confused, and I set my cup down, held up my hand. “Hang on. One of them is Claire Manning’s father.”
They nodded.
“But he can’t be in the auction. He’s married.”
“Sold!” the minister shouted, and the ladies clapped. Owen blushed and grinned from the stage. The woman who won him—not Delilah—stood, and he went down the steps to meet her. I watched but didn’t pay them any attention. My mind was on the fact that there were three Manning brothers. If the other two looked like Sawyer… wow.
“No. Huck’s not married. Not sure the scoop there but—”
I gripped Sarah Jane’s arm, stared at her wide eyed. “Huck?”
She frowned, looked down at my hold. “Yeah. Huck Manning is Claire’s dad.”
I licked my suddenly dry lips. “Then… then who’s Sawyer Manning?”
Cocking her head to the side, she looked to me then her eyes brightened. “The oldest. Oh, you met him at pickup the other day. He’s Claire’s uncle.”
Uncle. Not father.
“And he’s… a bachelor?” I squeaked.
Irene laughed. “All three of them. Huck never married. Alice wants them to settle down.”
Holy shit.
Sawyer Manning was single. He wasn’t married. And his turn was just called by the minister.
Ladies clapped, a few catcalled as the tall, dark and handsome cowboy walked out on stage. My blood pressure went to stroke point just staring up at him. Yeah, this was the guy I’d kneed in the balls. For no reason.
Oh my god.
“What do you ladies think of this fine bachelor?” the minister asked the crowd, and they responded by even louder clapping and shouting. I agreed with them completely. He was a stunning example of a red-blooded cowboy.
Sawyer Manning, in jeans, polished work boots and a crisp blue shirt, took off his Stetson and ran a hand over the back of his neck. While he was smiling, he didn’t seem too thrilled about all the attention. Or eager for a date like Owen before him had.
Sawyer had been into me the other day.
Oh my God.
He’d asked me out. I’d kneed him in the crotch.
I had to apologize. To make things right.
“Shall we start the bidding?” When the applause died down, the minister said, “Let’s begin with fifty dollars.”
The bids began, fast and furious, one after the other.
“He’s the oldest of the three,” Sarah Jane commented. “I’ve met him once. Super nice. I’m not sure if I’d pick him or Thatcher. He’s the red head. He’ll come up next or last, I assume.”
I vaguely nodded but watched the women bid from all around the room. Including Delilah.
My gaze returned to Sawyer. He stood tall and… huge, holding his Stetson against his chest. Looking at him now gave me the same thrill as the other day. My heart raced. My mouth watered. There was something about him that called to me. That made me want.
Every time Delilah called out a bid, his jaw ticked. While he stood casually, I couldn’t miss the way his fingers clenched then released. He wasn’t happy.
“This just might be the way she’ll get that date she’s always wanted,” Sarah Jane said, pointing to Delilah. She was smiling, a predatory gleam in her eye I couldn’t miss even from across the room. “It’s telling that she has to pay to do so.”
“You’re right,” I told her. “I heard her talking about him the other day at pick-up.”
Sarah Jane frowned. “No fun for Sawyer.”
Sawyer had told me he didn’t like her. Said he’d known her his whole life, that he hadn’t been into her all this time. If he was right that Tamara took after her mother… a date with Delilah would be miserable. And if she got those manicured talons into him…
It wasn’t fair.
“Three hundred!” Delilah called, raising the bid another fifty dollars.
The minister looked around the room waiting for other bidders. It had tapered down and petered out at that large amount for one date.
Sawyer remained still, his body tense. He’d volunteered for this, his time given freely for a good cause. Hundreds of dollars to the kids’ program was amazing, but while it would come from Delilah’s bank account, it would be costly to Sawyer to spend the time with the woman he didn’t like.
“Going once.”
I couldn’t let that happen.
“Going twice.”
“Five hundred dollars,” I shouted.
Every head in the room turned to look at me.
Irene gasped, and Sarah Jane stared at me wide eyed. Her mouth even hung open. I’d surprised them, and it seemed every other person in the auditorium.
Sawyer Manning’s gaze whipped to mine. Met. Held.
My nipples went instantly hard.
“Sold!”
Everyone clapped, but I didn’t hear it as I stared at Sawyer. My heart was in my throat, and my hands were clammy.
“Um, Kelsey,” Sarah Jane murmured then shook my arm. I wasn’t turning my gaze for anything. “What… why… you just won Sawyer Manning.”
“I know,” I said, equally thrilled and panicked. What had I done?
“Honey, I know we said he was attractive and all, but the money…” Irene said, her words tapering off. She was the only one who knew of my circumstances. Even Sarah Jane didn’t know I slept at the preschool. I was very careful, keeping my things like a toothbrush in a bag and tucking it in one of the higher cabinets. The small bed in the preschool’s back room I kept neatly made. The personal possessions my bitch ex-roommate hadn’t taken were tucked in a mini-storage locker on the edge of town. My clothes in the trunk of my car. What Irene was reminding me—because I’d clearly lost my mind—was that I didn’t have the money to pay for the bid. She didn’t care that I’d bought a bachelor but worried that I’d made my situation obvious by not being able to follow through. It would be embarrassing for me and for Sawyer. The charity would be short money some other woman, even Delilah, would have gladly given.
I nodded then admitted, “I know, I didn’t think.”
Irene chuckled. “Honey, you’re not the first woman to have her brain cells fried over a Manning.”
Sawyer hopped down from the stage, skipping the steps and sauntered over—yeah, that was what it was called when a hot cowboy walked my way—not looking anywhere but at me.
I licked my lips and swallowed hard, unable to tear my eyes from him.
“But why? Besides the obvious,” Sarah Jane wondered.
