“Do we have three fifty?” Kiera prompts, looking around as paddles lower, and it’s just Hadleigh and Sarah.
“Goddammit,” Hadleigh grinds between her teeth before she loudly repeats the offer.
“Three seventy-five?” Kiera asks.
Hadleigh flashes Sarah a glare, almost daring her to try her. Slowly, Sarah bows out, and when Hadleigh’s the only one with her hand raised, it’s known she’s won. She grins wide.
“Alright, three fifty to Miss Hadleigh Callaway!”
“Whew.” She sighs, then a flash of panic rises over her face. “Shit, I’m not gonna have much left for Kane.”
“Ask Ma if you can get a two-for-one special,” Kaitlyn suggests, laughing.
“This next bachelor is six feet of pure muscle with chocolate brown eyes you could get lost in. If your ovaries haven’t exploded yet, prepare yourselves, ladies.”
I hate that even before Kiera finished her introduction, I know she’s talking about Grayson.
On cue, he walks along the stage and struts down the runway. The sleeves to his plaid shirt are rolled to his elbows. He has it completely unbuttoned, showing off his dark chest hair and all six of his abs.
Motherfucker.
His teasing is working too. The ladies are losing their goddamn minds.
Probably to make me pay even more for him.
Grayson stands on the edge of the stage, resting his hands around his belt buckle and flashing a perfectly white smile to the audience. The ladies are nearly tripping over themselves to get a closer look.
“Based on your responses, let’s start at one hundred dollars. Any takers?” Kiera prompts, looking around at the handful of eager women.
Groaning, I hold up my paddle and find two pairs of shell-shocked eyes on me.
“Did you hit your head or somethin’?” Hadleigh chuckles.
“I wish,” I murmur.
“Are you bidding on him to prank him later on your date?” Kaitlyn asks.
“Again, I wish.”
They watch me with furrowed brows, and I know I’ll have to eventually explain the situation. For now, I just need to focus on not losing.
“Two hundred?” Kiera asks.
I glance over and see Sarah Cooke eagerly waving her paddle. Fucking great.
“Two fifty?” Kiera makes a show of walking around Grayson and staring at his ass. “The view ain’t so bad back here either, ladies. Do I hear three hundred?”
Now it’s just Sarah and me. I glare at her, but she ignores it, probably determined not to lose a second time.
“Three fifty?”
Grayson’s gaze finds me, and I clench my jaw at the amount of money he’s making me spend. He flashes a devilish smirk, loving this way too much. Asshole.
“Sarah!” I shout, grabbing her attention. “If you don’t put your paddle down, I’m gonna shove it down your throat.”
An echo of gasps surface, but I don’t care. I give her a hard stare, daring her to keep her arm up. I’m not spending another dime on him. When I hear a masculine chuckle, I look up and see it’s Grayson.
The bastard is laughing.
Perhaps I should feed him to the wolves and let Sarah have him.
“Three fifty going once, twice…” Kiera’s voice rings out, and as soon as I step closer to Sarah, she yanks her paddle down.
“Sold to Miss Kenzie Bishop. Good choice, honey.” She flashes me a wink, and I fight the urge to vomit.
“What the hell was that about?” Hadleigh asks.
“I owed him,” I say.
As soon as Grayson’s off stage, Kane enters, and Hadleigh’s eyes perk up again.
“I only have two hundred left,” she mutters. “So prepare to scare some women away for me.”
“I gotchu,” I say with amusement.
“These boys are so good-lookin’, I had to make two of ’em,” Kiera gloats as Kane shows off his biceps in a tight T-shirt. “Let’s start the bidding, ladies. Who’s got one hundred?”
A minute later, the bid shoots up to three hundred, and Hadleigh gives up. “Fuck, he’s gonna hate me.”
“Nah, he’ll get over it,” Kaitlyn says though I’m not sure by the way Kane’s staring at Hadleigh in disappointment.
“Five hundred!” Sarah Cooke shouts above the noise. She’s hell-bent on winning someone, and unfortunately for Kane, her paddle’s the last one in the air.
“Sold!” Kiera announces, and Hadleigh winces.
“Kenzie!” I hear my name being called and turn around to find Lacey.
“Hey, you made it!” I give her a hug as she squeezes next to me.
“Took me a while to find a parking spot. What’d I miss?”
“Knox, Grayson, and Kane.”
“Hope I brought enough money,” Lacey says, pulling out her wallet.
“Now that Sarah Cooke’s cleaned out, you might have a chance.” Kaitlyn laughs.
Next comes Luke, and Lacey’s face lights up.
“Guess you really did make it just in time,” I tease.
Lacey ends up winning Luke for one fifty. After another comedic break from Kiera and Jackson, Payton walks on stage, showing off his tattooed muscles and newly trimmed beard. At the two-hundred mark, Kaitlyn waves her paddle and manages to win.
“Ma’am…what’s the story?” I ask with a hand on my hip.
Kaitlyn waves me off. “We’re just friends. Don’t get any ideas.”