“Was I too loud?” I ask.
“No, baby. You were perfect. These people are just a bit…boring.”
“All golf people?”
Ford chuckles. “No, just these people in particular.”
I look over and one of the guys waves at Ford who gives him a curt nod in response. Ford then turns back to me, leans down and kisses me softly on the lips and I melt into his arms.
“Let’s go, baby,” he says and puts his hand on my waist as we go to the club’s restaurant for lunch.
I get to eat more pancakes and cut up fruits as we chat. Not about anything in particular—like we’re getting to know each other. Ford tells me about his family. He tells me about his two sisters, one of which just had a baby. His other sister recently married one of his friends which I thought was amazing.
“So your friend is now your brother-in-law?”
“Yup. We used to joke when we were younger about us being family someday. Well, more like him saying that. I thought it was stupid. We weren’t that close, but little did I know he was saying that because he liked my sister and wanted to see how I’d handle it.”
“Did you handle it well?”
“I had to handle it well. My sister made it very clear that if I had a problem I could go to hell.”
I laugh and say, “Tough sister?”
“Tough sisters. Dad was a little bit of a hard ass, and he raised his kids to be like that. He was tough, so we became tough. Thankfully, mom had just the right amount of finesse to keep us from turning into cold-hearted pricks. She’s even managed to tap into dad’s softer side. In his old age, mom’s softness has definitely changed him. He’s a lot nicer now.”
“Well, they sound really nice.”
“Maybe you’ll get to meet them someday,” he says, changing the subject.
His statement implies I’d stick around for more than a week. I can’t say I’m not completely enraptured by Ford. He’s so nice and treats me right. He’s handsome, great in bed, and understands my situation. He didn’t press changes when I stole from him. He did buy me in an auction, but beggars can’t be choosers and I’m surprisingly okay with it. I’ve never been a big ‘what if’ girl, so I can’t even think about what would’ve happened if I never went to that auction. I’m not sure I want to.
I did auction off my virginity. And I was bought by Ford Devlin for a week. That’s how this story goes.
We finish our lunch and go for a drive. He shows me around the city and then we go to the beach and walk along the sand. It feels like a relationship rather than a contracted date. As we walk hand in hand, watching the waves hit the rocks and the sun set, I daydream about this being permanent.
I guess I am a ‘what if’ girl, after all. What if I stayed? What if this contract ends, and I never leave? Would he want me to stay, or am I a distraction? A charity case?
This is why I don’t think about ‘what if’s.’ Because my thoughts start out as happy and slowly I start to think it’s a giant farce.
“Hey, Ford?”
“Hmm?”
“I was just wondering, why did you buy me at the auction?”
Ford doesn’t look at me. We just keep walking as he looks at the water.
“I don’t know. I just saw you and…I could think of nothing else but having you.”
Whoa.
“Really?”
“At first I wanted to see you and ask why you stole from me. And I wanted my wallet back. But then I saw you in those matching bra and panties and I knew I wanted you.”
“So it wasn’t like you felt bad for me or something?”
“No,” he says, and he stops walking, coming to stand in front of me. “It wasn’t like that at all. I don’t know why you were there, and I don’t care. It was your choice. The only thing going through my mind was…you. I don’t know. I can’t explain it.”