Turning to look down at her, I was awestruck by the look on Emmerson’s face. It was one of pride, yet she seemed…lost to it all. As if she was in a place that made her utterly happy. She looked so beautiful I had to look away from her in order to catch my breath and calm my rapid heartbeat.
“This is stunning, sweetheart.”
Her head turned and she looked at me, her eyes sparkling a little more than normal. She should be damn proud of herself; she had done an amazing job.
“Thank you. It turned out so much better than I thought it would.”
Waiters and waitresses were walking to each table and filling up the glasses with water, while other people walked around each table to make sure everything was set up correctly.
“Look at the stage,” Emmerson said with a giggle.
I followed where she was looking and groaned. “That’s where it’s going to happen, huh?”
She faced me. God, she looked so beautiful tonight. It was hard not to stare at her, to tell her how she left me speechless every time I looked at her.
Lifting one hand, she pointed at me. “You better bring in more money than Janet’s brother.”
I drew in my brows. “Why, Emmerson Wallace, are you being competitive?”
Her hands went to her hips. “Yes! She brought in her hot brother at the last minute. And he’s an actor!”
A surge of jealousy ripped through me. “You think he’s hot?” I asked as I looked back over toward the doors, where the dick was standing right outside.
“Of course he’s hot.”
“But he’s…he’s…” My voice trailed off as Emmerson tilted her head and regarded me with a confused expression.
I clenched my fists at my sides, wanting to issue a stupid demand that she wasn’t allowed to say other guys were hot. At least not in my presence. Before I could say something so utterly insane, someone came rushing up to us.
It was a woman dressed in an elegant silver gown. She looked to be about my age, maybe a year or two older. She was pretty. Not anywhere close to being as beautiful as Emmerson, but she was certainly easy on the eyes. Maybe ol’ Nick would catch her attention.
“Emmerson! It looks beautiful in here. You have done such an amazing job. I cannot even begin to thank you for all the hard work and time you’ve put into this.”
Emmerson beamed, “I’m so glad you’re happy with it, Claire.” Emmerson took my arm and drew me closer to her. “Claire Castings, this is Landon Lewis. Claire is a very close and personal friend of the Worthington family. She’s here to represent the family since they were unable to make it this year.”
I reached for Claire’s offered hand and shook it. I could tell immediately she wasn’t a committee member. Not with the diamonds that draped down her ears, across her neck, and on each wrist. Not to mention the giant rock that sat on her right hand. The woman was covered in thousands of dollars’ worth of jewels, and she had that look about her. The one that said she had more money than she knew what to do with.
“So, you’re the one,” Claire said as she openly looked me up and down with an expression that said she was undressing me in her mind.
“I’m sorry, the one?” I asked.
“In the auction. You’re much more handsome in person. I may have to break the rules and bid on you myself.”
I laughed, but I had a feeling she was serious. I glanced over at Emmerson, and the look she gave Claire should have dropped the woman to the ground. If there was one thing Emmerson didn’t like, it was people who didn’t play by the rules.
“Well, let’s not break any rules tonight,” I stated with an uncomfortable chuckle.
A sinful smile spread over the woman’s face before she leaned in closer to me and said, “Well, unfortunately, when I see something I want, I tend to make it mine. Rules be damned.”
That caused me to jerk my head back at the same time Emmerson huffed, loud enough that Claire looked at her. The woman raised a single brow at Emmerson, but before she could say anything, Emmerson beat her to the punch.
“If you’ll excuse us, Claire, it appears people are starting to arrive. And I see our parents.”
Emmerson nearly ripped my arm out of the socket when she jerked me away from Claire and started to march off.
“We’ll catch up later. I’m sitting at your table!” Claire called out.
I could practically feel Emmerson vibrating with anger. “That little bitch!”
“What?” I asked with a startled laugh.
She took a quick glance over her shoulder at Claire, scowling at the woman.
“Do you not like her?” I asked.
Emmerson’s eyes jerked up to mine. “What?”
“Claire. Do you not like her?”
“Not after tonight, I don’t.”
I couldn’t help the smile that spread over my face. Was Emmerson jealous that another woman was showing interest in me?
This night just got a whole helluva lot more interesting.
Emmerson
THE CHARITY BALL was going as planned. The food was divine and the liquor was flowing. That meant the auction should bring in a good amount of money on top of the one-thousand-dollar-per-plate price of admission.
The evening would have been perfect, had Claire Castings not changed the seating chart and planted her ass at our table.
Claire and her date, Doug, were somehow seated at our table, which had originally only been meant for our family. But with Noah unable to attend, we had two open seats, and I never even thought of filling them with fake names. I wouldn’t make that mistake ever again. Claire was flirting nonstop with Landon, even though Doug sat right next to her, acting oblivious to his date’s open fascination with my date.
“Claire, what is it you do for a living?” Addie asked.
Claire took a drink of her wine and asked, “Do?”
I could almost feel Hailey roll her eyes, but I didn’t dare look at her.
Hailey cleared her throat. She gave Claire the fakest smile I’d ever seen grace her beautiful face. “You know, a job? Or is that something foreign to you?”
“Hailey!” Addie, Landon’s mother, said as his dad, Emmit, covered his mouth with his napkin to hide his cough and smile. A quick glance around the table showed me that he wasn’t the only one. My father scanned the room, pretending he hadn’t heard what Hailey had said, and my mother, well…she was attempting not to smile by pressing her lips between her teeth.
Landon sat back and simply enjoyed the show, much like Emmit was doing.
Claire laughed and tossed her hand in front of her as if she’d been asked Hailey’s question a thousand times before.
“Oh, I don’t work. I do a lot of volunteer work around the Austin area. It’s my life’s passion.”
From under the table, Landon hit my leg with his, nearly causing me to laugh.
“Your life’s…passion?” This came from my mother.
“I’m very blessed, you see, with my daddy being in the oil business and all—and his daddy before him. Granddad left me a large trust fund, so I’m able to give my time, and of course my contributions, to those charities I hold dear to my heart.”
At that, she looked at Landon and licked her lips so seductively, I was pretty sure my mouth dropped to the table.
Landon reached under the table and grabbed my leg right above my knee. He knew it was a sensitive spot for me, and I instantly let out a small scream and then covered my mouth.
“Is everything okay?” Claire asked as all eyes swung to me.
Trying with all my might to remove Landon’s hand, I nodded, unable to open my mouth or I would fall into a fit of laughter. If he squeezed again, I was positive I would jump up from the chair.
“Why are you squirming in your chair like that?” my mother asked.
My father’s eyes met Landon’s, and he must have remembered the game we played as kids. When Landon wanted my attention, he would try to make me laugh at the table by squeezing my leg.
“Are
you sure now is the time to be playing that…game…Landon?” my father asked with one brow raised.
Landon’s grip relaxed on my leg, but he didn’t move his hand. When I placed mine over his to push it away, he laced our fingers together and then brought our hands up and kissed the back of mine.
“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” he mused as he shot a smile over to Claire.
That little gesture caused her eyes to nearly pop out of her head. “Oh, I didn’t realize that you two were dating.”
Oh shit. Everyone looked at our hands joined together. Hailey wore a smile so damn big, I thought for sure her face would split in two. Four other sets of eyes, all from our parents, stared at the two of us with both confusion and…was that…happiness?
“No, wait––” I started to say before Janet’s voice cut through the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to start the bidding. Who’s excited for this year’s auction?”
A round of applause broke out, and my mother leaned over and whispered, “When did this happen?”
“What?” I asked.
She motioned with her head toward Landon.
“It didn’t, Mom. He’s trying to throw the piranha off his scent.”
My mother glanced over at Claire, then back at me, and I immediately noticed the disappointment in her eyes.
As she settled back in her seat, I swore I heard her say, “Well, damn.”
My phone buzzed in my clutch, and I opened it to see it was a text from Hailey. I tucked my cell down below the table so no one could see me responding.
Hailey: First, I want to throat punch this woman. Second, could you shoot her any more eye daggers, Emme?
Snapping my head up, I shot Hailey a dirty look and then got to work typing out my reply.
Me: I don’t know what’s wrong with me!
Hailey: I do. It’s called the green monster ;-)
Me: Stop texting me!
Hailey: Truth hurts, doesn’t it?
I glanced back up at the table and almost shot Hailey the middle finger when she laughed.
Focusing back on Janet standing on the stage, I pulled in a deep breath.
Green monster…go away! Please!
The first round of items went by in a flash. They were your typical auction items, donated gifts such as hotel stays or dinners for two at some of Austin’s most elite restaurants. My father bid on a weekend stay at a new resort right outside of Fredericksburg and won. He overpaid by at least three-hundred dollars, but it was for a worthy cause. Another big-ticket item was a donated BMW, which pulled in a large sum of money.
As we drew closer and closer to the bachelor auction, my heart started to race wildly in my chest.
Glancing around, I could see many of the women in the audience staring at Landon. Did they know who he was? That he was up for auction soon? Sure, he was the most handsome man here, save for my father, so it wasn’t surprising women would gawk at him like they did. But which one of them would bid on a date with him? Worse yet, which one would win? They were all so beautiful. And rich. Not that Landon was interested in that. But some of them looked like the type of women he had dated in the past, and I hated how that made me feel.
Then the truth of it all hit me so hard, I sucked in a breath.
I was…jealous.
“Hey, don’t be nervous, everything’s going off without a hitch,” Landon whispered against my ear as he placed his hands over mine. It was then that I noticed I had been wringing them together in my lap. A chill ran through me, and he asked, “Are you cold?”
I closed my eyes and took in a few deep breaths. How did I tell him it was the opposite? That his whispered words lit a flame deep inside of me that had me so confused. How did I tell him that his body leaning against mine made my stomach pull with desire? Or how his hands instantly calmed my beating heart?
“Is it…is it getting hot in here?” I asked without thinking as I glanced around the table.
“Hot? You just shivered,” Landon said.
I wiped at the back of my neck. “So. Hot.”
Before I knew what was happening, a cold, wet napkin was at the back of my neck. “Are you feeling okay?” Landon asked as my mother gently touched my forehead as she held the napkin in place.
“She doesn’t feel warm,” Mom said.
“Oh, I know what she’s suffering from,” Hailey said with a wide, knowing smile.
“I’m fine; it just got a bit hot in here, that’s all,” I stated as I motioned for Landon to take the napkin away and gave my mother a reassuring smile. “Honestly, I’m just nervous about the auction.”
With a warm smile that lit up my mother’s pale blue eyes, she nodded. “This is why I left that damn committee. It’s easier to write a check.”
I sighed. “Now you tell me.”
“Ladies, it has come to that time in the night when we have our most popular items up for bid. The charity date auction!”
“Oh hell,” Landon whispered as I stood and took his arm. I ignored the few gasps coming from the tables and walked Landon up to the side of the stage. Our table was close to the front, so it wasn’t a long walk, which I was thankful for. That meant the women in the back didn’t get a good look at Landon, so maybe fewer would bid on him.
I stood next to Gus Morgan, the auctioneer we had hired for the night, as he took a quick break. As he went back up to the stage, I grabbed his arm. “Gus, don’t…”
My words trailed off, and he looked at me with a befuddled expression. “Don’t what, Emmerson?”
With a shake of my head, I smiled. “Nothing. Never mind.”
He shrugged and headed back onstage.
“First up, ladies, we have a firefighter!”
I completely blocked out everything that Gus said as I scanned the tables and took in all the women bidding. The firefighter’s name was Luke. Or was it Duke? I saw Claire at our table, laughing at something someone had said. Most likely it was Hailey, who was probably finding something charming to say about Luke. Or Duke.
“Five-thousand, nine-hundred dollars to number twenty-two!” Gus shouted as he slammed his hammer down to end the auction.
Two other bachelors were also auctioned off for good prices. One went for six thousand, the other sixty-two hundred.
Next was Nick Monroe’s turn. Janet introduced her brother, and the women in the crowd got a bit louder, some more obnoxious but nothing too crude. As I looked around the room, my eyes locked on a pair of dark brown, almost black eyes that were staring back at me.
I sucked in a breath. It was Jason, my ex. He smiled and lifted his hand in a wave. With a quick look to his right, I saw a stunningly beautiful blonde sitting next to him, her arm wrapped in his.
I hadn’t seen Jason in over a year. He didn’t even live in Austin, so what in the world was he doing here?
“Nick is an up-and-coming actor who has starred in four films, and he even had a small role on a popular soap opera in the beginning of his career.”
Someone in the crowd whistled.
“We’re at ten thousand, can we get ten-five, ladies?” Gus shouted.
I felt my eyes widen in shock. “Ten thousand.”
“Psh, I think I’ve got him beat,” Landon stated.
“Twelve going once, twice, sold to number six!” Gus shouted.
I spun around and faced Landon. “Ready?”
He looked so relaxed. How could he be so relaxed? And why in the hell was I such a basket case?
“We saved the best for last. Sorry, little brother,” Janet said as the entire room erupted into laughter.
Landon frowned. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I looked past him at Jason, before bringing my attention back to Landon. I smiled and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. “Show them that Southern charm of yours and beat Nick.”
He laughed and went to walk up the steps before he leaned down and said, “Emmerson, do not let Claire win a date with me.”
I swallowed hard as I nodded and looked back at Claire. She didn’t have a number, so I felt pretty sure she wouldn’t attempt to bid, even though she’d said she would.
“Ladies, please welcome to our charity date stage the man who was voted one of People magazine’s sexiest men alive, as well as NASCAR’s most popular driver—and can we all agree, the most handsome man in the room tonight?”
Some boos came from a few men, but more cheers came from the women, with laughter mixed in between. I glanced back at the table where our family sat and almost laughed when I saw Emmit. His chest seemed to stick out a bit more as he gave Landon a thumbs up.
“Mr. Landon Lewis, please step on up here and show the ladies what they’ll be getting on their date.”
I balled my fists and let out what I was sure was some weird, growl-like sound, because the guy who stood next to me took a few steps away.
“Did you just growl?” Hailey asked from my other side.
“No.” I turned to look at her. “What are you doing over here?”
She rolled her eyes and groaned. “I cannot take another moment of Claire talking about my brother. Does she not even care that her date is sitting right there? Mike swears he’s a hired date.”
“Hired date? Do you think so?” I asked as Gus started the bidding for Landon at five thousand.
Hailey nodded. “Yes, he has to be. He could totally care less about anything the woman says.”
“Eight thousand!” someone called out from somewhere in the middle of the ballroom.
I spun my head so quickly in the direction of the voice that I nearly lost my balance.
“Nine.”
That one came from Claire.
“That bitch!” Hailey gasped. “She’s bidding on Landon!”
“She can’t bid! She doesn’t even have a number!” I said through gritted teeth.
Fool for You Page 6
