Surprise Bidder

I swallow because his gaze seems to be piercing my gown. “I…”

“Leah.” Fiona appears beside me.

I let out a breath of relief.

Fiona nods at the man talking to me and leads me away from the crowd.

“What are you doing all alone? Where is Gavin?”

“I’m looking for him,” I say. “Have you seen him?”

She gives me a puzzled look. “What do you mean? You didn’t come with him?”

“No,” I answer. “He was in Toronto. I- ”

“So you came here alone?” Fiona asks me.

I don’t understand why she’s looking at me like I’m crazy.

“Like I said, I am looking for him,” I answer.

Fiona frowns and pulls my arm. “Come with me. Quickly.”

I can’t think of any better choice than to follow her. She leads me away from the crowd and inside a dark, empty room. She turns on a lamp.

“For your own sake, stay here,” Fiona instructs me. “I’ll try to find Gavin for you.”

I give her a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

She leaves the room. I sit on a chair, grateful to rest my aching feet. I open my purse and pull out a tissue so I can dry some of the beads of sweat on my face. As I return it, my eyes fall on the handkerchief I’ve brought with me.

Gavin’s handkerchief.

I take it out and trace the monogram with my fingertips.

I still don’t know what the T stands for, but I know this handkerchief is Gavin’s. Once he sees it, he’ll believe me. He’ll understand what I’ve been hiding from him, and hopefully, he’ll help me.

But first, Fiona has to find him.

I put the handkerchief back inside my purse.

How long has it been since Fiona left? Five minutes? Ten? I know she might take a while, though, so I sit back. I might as well try to relax as I remember what I’m supposed to tell Gavin.

I draw a deep breath and place my arms on those of the chair. I jump and gasp, though, when I brush against leather.

Leather straps on the arms of the chair.

I go still.

This is not an ordinary chair.

I look around and my eyes grow wide with fear. My heart pounds in my chest.

This is not an ordinary room.

There are shackles suspended from the ceiling. There’s a horsewhip hanging on the wall.

Alarms go off inside my head. In a panic, I grab my purse and head for the door.

It opens before I can get to it.

A man about as tall as Gavin but not Gavin enters the room. He’s wearing a white suit. Wisps of sandy blond hair coat his forehead. His brown eyes grow wide after meeting mine.

I look away. “Excuse me.”

I try to get past him, but he grips my arm. My purse drops to the floor.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asks me as he closes the door behind him.

His gaze scares me even more than that of the man earlier. Instead of lust, I see cold calculation.

A dangerous man.

I try to wrench my arm away, but he won’t let go. The ruby ring on his finger gleams as he tightens his grip.

I glare at him. “Let me go.”

“Feisty,” he says in an amused tone. “I was told you were feisty.”

Told? By whom?

I try to free my arm again. “Let me go. My protector is looking for me.”

“Is he?” His brown eyes narrow. “Is he even here… Leah?”

My eyes grow wide. He knows who I am?

“Who are you?” I ask.

He laughs. “Why don’t we play for a little bit, hmm? After all, we’re in such a fun room.”

A knot forms in my throat. The alarms in my head blare.

I struggle harder against his grip but he just grabs my other arm. He pushes me against a wall and pins my wrists above me.

Not good.

“If you know who I am, then you know my protector.” I use my words because they’re the only weapon left to me. “You know Gavin will get you for this.”

“Yes, I do know Gavin,” he admits. “We’re quite close, actually.”

My eyebrows arch. They are?

He whispers in my ear. “Which is why I know he won’t mind it if I lay a finger on you right now… or more.”

My heart hammers. What is he saying? Is he saying Gavin gave him permission to touch me? Impossible.

“Don’t tell me he didn’t tell you,” my captor continues. “Oh, right. Maybe he didn’t because the two of you are fighting.”

He knows that?

“Fine, I’ll explain. Tonight is the night protectors show off their prizes. By that, I don’t mean they just wear their prizes on their arms. Some of them actually allow their prizes to run free and play with other men. So if Gavin is not with you, that means you’re free for others to play with.”

So that’s why so many men were looking at me like a piece of meat. Shit.