Sabrina smiled. "So what? Remember the money goes to your favorite charity."
"I know, but this dress. It's so... so..." Gabriela faltered.
"Hot, revealing?" Sabrina asked with a mischievous giggle.
"Yes, I wish you hadn’t picked it. I feel naked!" Gabriela turned to give her an exasperated look. "What will my co-workers say?"
"That you look simply gorgeous."
"They’ll say I moonlight as a stripper." Gabriela grabbed Sabrina’s shoulders and pinned her with suspicious eyes. "Are you sure Ruben Ball is planning to outbid everyone?"
Sabrina disengaged herself from Gabriela's tight grip. "That’s what he said. Now quit stalling and get out there. The natives are restless."
Before Gabriela could stop her, Sabrina reached up and pulled out the large rhinestone clasp holding Gabriela's hair. With growing unease, Gabriela felt her friend's hands fluff out her tumbling curls. Then giving her a firm nudge, Sabrina thrust her forward into the blinding lights of the grand ballroom stage.
A thunderous burst of enthusiastic applause met her arrival onstage.
"Oh, God," Gabriela moaned inwardly, brushing back the mantle of wild black hair flowing midway down her back and over her bare shoulders.
She blinked a few times to adjust her vision to the bright lights, only to meet the approving gaze of several men in the audience. Thrusting her head up, she concentrated on making it across the stage in her red satin stiletto sandals.
"Gabriela Morales is North Collier Hospital’s finest social worker. When she’s not at work helping an unwed mother or a migrant family, Gabriela can be found at the beach. She loves sailing, cooking, dancing, and concerts and plays…" the auctioneer said.
"Deep breaths…one step at a time," Gabriela silently coaxed herself, trying not to listen to the descriptive accolades Sabrina had sent in about her. She was doing this for a cause dear to her heart. Otherwise she would have given in to the overwhelming impulse to bolt off the stage and run out of the Naples Ritz-Carlton to the safe oasis of her beachside apartment.
If she could get through this moment, she could do anything. Practically hyperventilating, she somehow got a hold of her nerves and thrust her chin up and shoulders back as she teetered across the stage while the auctioneer talked about her.
* * *
Dr. Marcos Calderon leaned forward and watched, fascinated by the dark-haired knockout strolling onto the stage. Gabriela Morales? Not in a million years! He couldn't believe his ears when the auctioneer confirmed that she was the conservative social worker at the hospital where he worked. Just this morning, they’d locked horns at the board meeting.
When it came to her causes, Gabriela was passionate and pigheaded. Her prim, businesslike manner had never appealed to Marcos, and that was precisely the reason he'd waited till the end of the auction to bid on her. Normally reserved and proper, she was the one woman who would fit the bill for his plan.
But he hadn't expected her to look so hot.
Marcos’s jaw dropped as he took in her hourglass figure, an ample bosom above a tiny waist and round hips, and endless, shapely legs. This hip-swaying bombshell couldn't be the same Gabriela who hid behind demure, oversize suits—the same woman who always seemed to be on opposing sides from him at hospital board meetings.
"What happened to the proper social worker?" Marcos asked Dr. Alex Cortes, his colleague bidding beside him.
"I don’t know, but Gabriela looks damn sexy tonight. Two thousand dollars!" Alex called out, upping the amount from a thousand.
"Quit bidding on her," Marcos muttered, raising his paddle when the auctioneer called for two thousand, five hundred.
"I can’t help it. Who woulda known she was hiding a body like that? Those curves—"
"Knock it off. I need to win," Marcos retorted.
"Five thousand," another bidder called out.
Marcos’s head swiveled around to find an older gentleman holding up his paddle with a determined look on his face.
"Who the hell is that?" Marcos asked Alex.
"Ruben Ball, self-made millionaire. He must want a piece of her, too."
"Well, he’s not getting any. She’s mine. I need her for the weekend."
Alex chuckled. "I don’t blame you. Okay, I’m out. She’s all yours."
Marcos lifted his card and raised the bid to ten thousand, ignoring the mocking grin on Alex's face as he concentrated on outbidding his other opponent.
"Ten thousand dollars," the auctioneer repeated. "Do I see ten thousand five?"
Marcos leveled a fierce look at his opponent.
Undeterred, Ruben raised his paddle.
"Ten thousand five. Do I see a bid for eleven for this gorgeous creature?" the auctioneer called out, revving up the audience’s interest with a meaningful look.
"Fifteen thousand!" Marcos shouted, ignoring Gabriela’s glower when they locked eyes.
"Fifteen thousand! Do I see fifteen five?" the auctioneer asked, his keen gaze scanning the audience.
Ruben took a moment to ponder it and then shook his head ruefully, signaling he was out of the running. Marcos flashed a victorious smile and winked at Gabriela.
"Fifteen thousand once, fifteen thousand twice. Done! The weekend date with Gabriela Morales goes to Dr. Marcos Calderon for fifteen thousand dollars!" the auctioneer announced gleefully. "This concludes our bachelorette auction. Gentlemen, please adjourn to the Vanderbilt Ballroom with your dates."
Gabriela barely made it off the stage without openly glaring at that arrogant Dr. Calderon, who'd had the nerve to wink at her when their eyes met. How dare he ruin everything!
What happened to Ruben Ball, the shy widowed lawyer, who was supposed to bid higher than everyone else for a weekend date with her?
Why would arrogant Dr. Calderon be willing to divest himself of so much money for a date with her when most of the women at the hospital were throwing themselves at him? she wondered uneasily. From what she'd seen, his tastes ran more toward cool blondes.
Once she was safely inside the dressing room, Gabriela was glad the other women had already gone into the audience to meet their respective dates. She stared at the unfamiliar seductive woman in the mirror returning her gaze. She had never worn so much makeup in her life. Her green eyes smoldered with smoky eye shadow and black eyeliner, her mouth looked like a swollen cherry, thanks to Sabrina's vivid red lip gloss, and her cheeks glowed hot pink, a combination of cream blush and being upset over her predicament.
She did not want have a date with Dr. Calderon, but she was stuck and it was her own fault. She had come up with the idea for a charity fashion show, and then approached Sabrina Munson, renowned for her organizational skills and contacts in the community, to chair it. Unfortunately, Sabrina had taken it a step further, urging her to combine the fashion show with a bachelorette auction. Gabriela had agreed when she realized how much money could be made off the wealthiest bachelors in Naples, especially in December, the beginning of the snowbird tourist season.
The only good thing that would come of this date was the whopping fifteen thousand dollars Dr. Calderon had pledged to the Fresh Start center for unwed mothers. Let him spend his wealth on something worthwhile. He had probably never known a moment of hunger or a bout of struggle in his privileged life. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he was stubborn and bossy and too handsome for his own good!
Gabriela studied her bountiful cleavage in the mirror. Thanks to the provocative gown Sabrina had chosen for her, her breasts were pushed upward like an offering of cupcakes. After he got an eyeful of that display, Dr. Calderon would surely expect more than companionship during their weekend date.
With a sigh, she gathered her long hair into a heavy knot at the back of her neck, anchoring it with the tortoiseshell clip she always used to tame it. A sly smile played at the corners of her mouth as a plan began to brew in her mind. If Dr. Calderon thought she had transformed her conservative image to bait a well-to-do bachelor, he had another thing coming.<
br />
The cocky doctor was in for a little surprise.
About the Author
New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, Sophia Knightly cooks up hot romance and delicious humor in her sexy contemporary romances that pair hot, alpha heroes with strong, smart women and throw them on a challenging emotional journey. Published by St. Martin's Press, Kensington, and Samhain Publishing, her popular Tropical Heat Series and Heartthrob Series have consistently been on multiple best selling lists.
Sophia loves writing books that end with a sigh and a smile. In addition to traveling, foodie adventures, and enjoying the arts in all forms, one of her favorite pastimes is simply watching people--especially those in love! Sign up for Sophia’s Book News and Giveaways at:
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Check out the other books in the TROPICAL HEAT SERIES.
Linc and Isabel
Clay and Marisol
Marcos and Gabriela
Check out the HEARTTHROB SERIES.
Nick and Veronique
Ian and Natasha
Alec and Kate
Cameron and Evie
Leo and Teddy
Kissed by You Page 13
