Bidding War (5 page)

The woman smiled. "Do you kiss on the first date?"

I returned her smile. "When I've been treated properly."

Her smile grew larger. "Two thousand dollars," she said in a clear voice.

The room was silent, then there was applause. I stared at the woman, stunned at the offer. When the applause died out, a woman on the other side of the room stepped forward. "Twenty-five hundred."

I looked at her. She looked somewhat butch, but she was attractive and expensively dressed, with short blond hair and an athletic figure.

"Three thousand," said the woman who had asked the questions. She turned to look at the other woman. "Going to raise me, Gwendolyn?"

The woman, whose name must be Gwendolyn, said, "How much do you want her, Moira?"

"I just closed on three houses," Moira said. "I'm feeling flush."

Gwendolyn, the attractive butch, said, "Thirty-five hundred."

"This is insane," I said quietly to Sam. "I'm not worth that. Either of them would have more fun with anyone else."

"They want you," she said. "This is what I meant, Pamela. This is why you were last."

"Thirty-eight," said Moira.

"Four thousand," said Gwendolyn. "Surgeons make more than real estate agents, Moira."

Moira looked at me and licked her lips. Then she looked at Gwendolyn. "One moment, madam auctioneer," she said. "I believe the bidding is high enough you can allow a little informality."

Sam nodded to her, and
Moira crossed to Gwendolyn. The two talked for a minute then came to some sort of agreement. Moira pulled paper from her purse and handed a sheet to Gwendolyn. I watched as each wrote something on the paper and folded it in half.

"What's going on?" I asked Sam.

"I have no idea."

The rest of the room was quiet, watching things unfold. Finally the two women turned back to the stage. "Madam auctioneer," Moira said. "Gwendolyn and I have an unusual offer for bachelorette number six."

"Oh hell," I said quietly. "They want a date each."

"Looks like it," Sam said. "It's your call."

I thought about it. "What is your offer?" I asked them. I didn't use the microphone, but I projected, and the room was quiet. I was sure everyone heard me.

"We have each written down our offer. For three dates, not one."

The room began to buzz, and I took a small step back, then steeled myself and stepped back up to Sam.

"We wish you to accept both. Whoever's offer is higher gets you for the remainder of the evening, but we each want three dates."

I stared at her. "Will you show me the offers?" I finally asked. She nodded and took Gwendolyn's paper from her. She advanced to the stage and held them up. I bent down and took them from her.

I stood up and opened the first one. It was Moira's bid, the real estate agent. Six thousand dollars. I stared at it then looked at Sam. "Why?"
I asked quietly.

"I told you," she said.

I handed it to her then looked at Gwendolyn's, the surgeon. It was for eight thousand dollars. I handed that one to Sam as well. "Do you trust they'll treat me properly?"

"Yes," she said. "Neither of them would hurt you."

"Drug me?"

"No, nothing like that."

I looked at the two of them as they stood next to each other, waiting for my response. "Three first dates."

"Three dates. Each. Proper dates," Moira replied.

"This is crazy," I told her.

"It's for charity," she said. "A good charity."

I looked back at Sam. She was waiting to see what I would do. "Is this allowed?" I asked quietly.

"It's our event and your dates," she said. "We can make up whatever rules we want. You'll have a nice time. Six kisses for fourteen thousand dollars. Or one kiss for four thousand."

I smiled at her then turned to the waiting women.

"You are both sure?" They nodded. I took a breath of air. "Sold."

I was speaking to them, so Sam said into the microphone, "Moira's bid was six thousand dollars. Gwendolyn's was for eight thousand. Pamela will spend the evening with Gwendolyn and three dates each with Moira and Gwendolyn." She paused. "Fourteen thousand dollars for Wishes for Kids."

The applause was thunderous.

In a daze, I stepped past Sam and descended the stairs. I walked up to Moira and hugged her. "You're crazy," I said into her ear. "Please tell me you aren't expecting sex."

"I am expecting
a nice time," she said. "It's for charity. I won't abuse your trust. I'll call you to set up our first date."

Then I stepped to Gwendolyn and hugged her as well. "Were you as terrified as you looked?"
she asked.

"Yes."

She hugged me a little tighter. "You are wondering if I expect to bed you."

"Yes."

"I will treat you very well, you will do your best to have a nice time, and you will offer to me no more than you are willing. I have no expectations beyond that."

Then she released me but took my arm.

Sam was thanking everyone, and when she was done, she turned the microphone to Suzanne. Suzanne thanked everyone as well, said the silent auction would be open for another hour, and invited us next door to eat.

I felt better about everything, but I still was upset with Sam, Suzanne and Bonnie.
I'd get over it. Or so I hoped, anyway.

I glanced over at Gwendolyn. She was smiling at me. I judged her to be upper thirties. She had a firm grip, but when I looked at her hands, they were delicate. I took one. "Surgeon's hands?"

"Vascular surgeon," she said.

"I'm impressed," I told her.
She shrugged.

She took my arm again and led me into the next room.
Two long tables were reserved for the bachelors and bid winners. Dinner was buffet style with two separate sets of tables set up for the buffet. Gwendolyn and I were ushered towards one set of tables, and when I looked, Moira had been assigned an escort for the evening. I was happy to see she wasn't being neglected.

"Gwendolyn," I said. "I have no idea how I am to behave tonight. Or on our dates. Am I expected to wait on you
tonight? You're paying so much money. Is that part of it?"

"No," she said. She paused. "I can see how you might be unsure. Perhaps you should behave like you would on a date with a gentleman. If you can be relaxed, it would make me happy." Then she smiled. "Will it frighten you if I flirt?"

I thought about how to respond. Her smile began to fade.

"Wait," I said. "I wanted to find the right words. The simple answer is no, flirting won't frighten me, and I will return it.
There is probably a long answer, but I am not sure what it is."

At that point, I was saved any further thought, as we had reached the food. Gwendolyn stepped in front of me and handed me a plate before taking one for herself. Then as we moved down the line of tables, she dished onto my plate the tidbits I asked for.
No man had ever treated me that way, and I decided I liked it. We reached the end, and I followed her to a place at one of the two head tables.

We both sat down with Gwendolyn holding my chair for me before seating herself. A waiter came by offering wine. I whispered to Gwendolyn, "Red would be lovely," and she procured two glasses for us.

Then I stared at her. She caught me staring. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. You did something right. You're treating me better than I've ever been treated on a date."

She smiled broadly. "Good. Do you enjoy it?"

"Yes. Thank you."

We spent the next minute or two eating our salads, looking over at each other periodically. "Gwendolyn," I said. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Are you being coy?"

"Why am I being coy?" she asked, grinning.

I sighed. "Why did you just offer a very large amount of money for a few dates with me? I imagine any of the other women would have been far more fun. Bonnie, for instance, is at least as attractive as I am, and probably knows how to behave."

She took a sip of her wine before answering with a smile. "First, I came with the intention of donating
to the charity. I greatly prefer doing my donations through the local LGBT group this way, as I believe it gives our community good press it desperately needs."

"And you're a surgeon, so this much money probably means a lot
less to you than to me. But you still would have had more fun with Bonnie."

She smiled. "First, at least the way you are dressed, you represent my type far more than Bonnie does. Pamela, you are absolutely stunning."

"Thank you." I paused. "This is my only gown of this nature. And my mother paid for it as her way of donating to Wishes For Kids. Otherwise I would have been in the runner up gown. The closest I have after this is an LBD."

"Perhaps for one of our dates, we will do something sufficiently formal you can wear this gown again." I nodded. "But I haven't answered your question completely," she said. "If I were to ask you out in a more normal fashion, what would your response have been?"

"I would tell you I was straight."

"Right. So this is the only way I could get you to go out with me."

"But-"

"I know. Wait." She paused. "I have a hectic schedule, so it would be wrong to say I date a lot. But in my way, I date a lot.
I've dated Bonnie. I don't need to make a large donation to charity to go out with her. And there are a lot of gay women who are happy to be my date. You, however, are unique. That makes you a prize."

"Dating a straight girl is going to be just as awkward for you as it will be for me." I looked around. The other bachelors and bachelorettes were all focused on their new dates, and I saw a lot of flirting. Bonnie was practically hanging on her date, who seemed exceedingly happy with the attention. "Everyone else is touching their dates. You're not touching me because you're afraid it will frighten me. Don't you feel cheated?"

"No, I don't." She paused. "Would it frighten you if I touched you?"

"It would depend upon the touch." Gwendolyn was sitting to my left, and my left hand was in my lap. I raised it and brushed the skin of her arm briefly with the back of a finger.

She smiled. "You're being a very good scout for having been set up this way."

I looked away for a minute.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have reminded you."

I drank a little of my wine then looked back at her and smiled.
"I'm still angry at Sam. I'm more angry with Bonnie and somewhat unhappy with Suzanne. They should have told me. But I've calmed down about it."

"I thought you forgave her while on stage."

"She was crying. It broke my heart. I forgave her enough that I won't let it destroy the friendship, but when I figured everything out, that's what I thought had happened. I thought she put this event in front of our friendship. I still feel that way. I honestly don't know how to get past that."

It was Gwendolyn's chance to turn away. I reached over with my hand and clutched her arm. "Hey," I said quietly. "I am happy to be here with you."

"You don't want to be here," she said, turning back. "And then we made you accept not one date, but six."

"First, I could have said no," I told her.

"If you had any heart at all, you had to say 'yes'," she said. "The donations were too high. Moira and I are no better than your friends."

"Gwendolyn, please do not go down this path." I paused. "Are you planning anything nefarious with me?"

"Of course not," she said.

"I am happy to be here with you," I said again. "I am looking forward to our dates. I am deeply curious where you will take me. I am equally curious how you
will treat me. I am scared I won't measure up, or that you expect more than I can offer."

She looked down at me. "When you figured out what was going on, why did you stay? I think I would have been very angry myself."

"I was going to leave, right after screaming at Sam. I felt deeply betrayed." I thought about it. "I still do. But Bernard slowed me down and asked the right questions."

"Like what?"

"How bad could it be? I'd have a nice time, if perhaps somewhat awkward. That was the big question. He also asked what would I have been willing to do to help out Sam."

"But you're still angry."

"Yes, but I'll get past it. I'll get past it faster if Sam grovels sufficiently. If she doesn't, I imagine this will put a permanent strain in our relationship. I feel like she used me to get out of a problem, and she was dishonest about it. That makes me very sad." I paused. "It would have been difficult, but the three of them could have talked me into this honestly." I paused again. "I could have stormed out. I don't know what that would have done to the event tonight. I was given to believe that people would have felt cheated being short one bachelorette."