Dirty Deal (A Perfectly Matched Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (14 page)

After a moment, Q’s eyes snapped open again and she shook her head. “I’ve got nothing.”

“Well, normally we can set up a stage on the far end of the hall and—”

“Not that,” Q said. “We’ll figure something out. I guess I’m just a little out of sorts, that’s all.” She rubbed a hand over her biceps, then spun on her heel and began to pace. “The hospital is expecting so much. The last auction went so well.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Serena said the words calmly, the same way Grace always did, but something seemed…off. Fishy. Still, she gave Q the benefit of the doubt and tried again. “You got a really great turnout. The tickets are already sold out for next week.”

Q nodded, but didn’t look up from her pacing. “That’s true. I just need to make sure this lives up to your company standards, too. You’ve done so much for us and you’ve already been through a lot.”

Serena tried to hide the wince, but Q had apparently spotted it anyway. She paused mid-pace, her round eyes wider than ever. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant. What I meant was… Well, I sort of. Kind of. Maybe need a favor. Sort of.”

“What do you mean?” Ah, yes, that’s where the smell of fish had been coming from.

“The last company, for the auction, you know? Well, they backed out. I guess they were some sort of traveling circus and their tires blew out so they’re now more of a stationary circus. The bearded lady has a skin condition. It was a whole thing on the phone and—”

Serena sighed. “Honey, I’m going to need you to cut to the chase.”

“Well, this is a local business auction. For goods. And services. So. You’re the only business that isn’t signed up… And I have a slot open.” Q turned on a thousand-watt smile. “It would be great exposure for you and Grace. So I was hoping you could step in.”

Her stomach was already sinking at the prospect of getting roped into one of these things again. As if the first one hadn’t turned out swimmingly enough, now she was going to sign up for additional floggings? Still, there was something about Q that couldn’t be turned down, so Serena said, “I’ll ask Grace.”

“I called her earlier today. She said she’s fine with offering a complimentary setup, but that she’s busy the night of the auction, so…” It didn’t seem possible, but Q dialed up the wattage on her smile, and Serena resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

She wanted to help the charity. And God only knew that she’d done worse things than stand on a stage and peddle her skills for a good cause. Maybe the fishiness was just her being overly skeptical. One night wouldn’t kill her.

And it wasn’t like she could get her heart stomped on again.

“Fine, then. Sounds good.” She nodded and Q jumped up and down. Just like that, the faraway look was gone, and she was all energy and light again.

Wrapping Serena in an embrace, she squealed, “You will not regret it! I’ll even take care of the rest of the planning. You can just sit back and enjoy yourself. Leave everything else to me.” Q grinned.

“Why does that not sound comforting?” Serena asked.

At last, Q pulled away and fixed her with a look strangely like ones she’d only seen from Grace. Mischievous. “Trust me. You won’t regret this.”

Funny, she already did.

Chapter Twelve

On a scale of one to ten, this mistake was like an eleventy.

It wasn’t that the party was bad. On the contrary, Q had clearly outdone herself. The whole of the ballroom was decked out like a 1920s speakeasy, complete with kitschy drinks and outfits. Like
The Great Gatsby
on crack, it was exactly the kind of party that people would line up for miles to get into and talk about for years after they left. Or at least that’s what she could surmise from the sidelines. She’d been out among the party guests for only a few minutes before she was pulled into the little sitting room they’d been using to get ready for the auction.

Weirdly, it was a kind of relief not to have to entertain and joke and chatter. She’d been through that so many times, was known for it, but now, like so many other things, it just made her feel even lonelier than being alone.

It had never bothered her before…watching other couples interact. Casual, almost subconscious touches, unspoken communication with just a look, the easy way some of them seemed to lean into each other when they did speak. In fact, she wasn’t sure if she’d even noticed it. Until Bryan.

Bryan, who had come in and broken through every defense she’d thrown up. Bryan, who made her want to screw his brains out and then still want him to stay when it was over.

Bryan, who had ripped out her heart and stomped on it before lighting it on fire and throwing it in the trash.

Bastard.

“I found it. Sorry for the confusion.” Q interrupted Serena’s thoughts. Her brown braids were flying behind her, partially undone, and she was waving a long, sequined strap and feather aloft to get Serena’s attention.

Right, her costume.

Q was the only one who’d been worried about the headpiece, but once the other woman sat it in front of Serena, she could see why it was such a big deal. A pretty black number that matched the rest of her frilled ensemble. It fit just right when Serena slid it on and finger-combed her pin curls again. Yes, definitely not bad. Before she had been in costume, now she looked like a jazz singer who killed her bootlegging, cheating husband or something. Very twenties.

“You really did the damn thing, huh?” Serena smiled, but Q looked more alarmed than pleased.

“What do you mean?” the other woman said.

Serena gestured around to the other local business owners, all dressed as flappers and mobsters, fluffing out feathers and shining their sequins while the buzz of the crowd beyond the curtain grew steadily louder.

“This,” Serena said. “It’s amazing. You’ve got a job for whenever I throw a party.” She genuinely liked the other woman, and would have loved to add another girlfriend to her woefully short supply, but she couldn’t bring herself to offer more than her business. Q was a painful reminder of her brother, and even now, looking at her made Serena’s throat ache.

She swallowed hard and forced a smile. When was this going to get better? “Thanks.” Q grinned back at her as she pinned her braids atop her head until it was an elegant sort of chignon. When she was finished with the final touches, she smoothed out her dress and called to the other participants, “Five minutes until showtime, people. Five minutes.” Then, more quietly, “Serena, you’re on deck. You might want to head out with me.”

Serena nodded and puffed her face a final time before following Q out to the makeshift stage. They’d done a pretty good job of it on such short notice, and the platform was complete with heavy red curtains and a wooden lectern just as the first place had been.

The only difference tonight was that it was Serena’s head on the chopping block. Luckily, it wasn’t for a date. She and Grace had offered up a two-day matchmaking package with Love Will Find a Way, and Serena was going to be their representative.

Even at that, though, she couldn’t fathom how Bryan had done this in his underwear. She was fully clothed and the idea of standing out there for all the world to judge was practically more than she could bear.

“You’re going to be great,” Q’s voice sounded in her ear, then with a pat on the back, the music began and Q sauntered off toward the lectern.

A sea of applause followed her as she went, so thunderous that it drowned out the music entirely.

How many people could be out there for there to be that kind of noise?

Steeling herself, Serena peered through the curtain.

Yet another mistake.

She’d thought the crowd would be the loyal hospital donors who had been there for the first auction. A sizable number, but nothing outrageous.

And boy had she been wrong.

Apparently word of Q’s party-planning powers had gotten out to the general public, because it looked like half of Salem was in attendance tonight. The mayor, the owner of the crappy little diner in town, Grace…

Grace?
And Trick was with her.

They were supposed to be away at a B&B for the weekend celebrating some fake-ass nine-month-and-three-day anniversary since their first date or some nonsense.

So what were they doing here?

She shot them a look that had Trick shrugging and Grace mouthing, “Go get ’em, tiger.” Which didn’t answer her question at all. She was still trying to make heads or tails of it when Quinn called her name.

“Let’s start with our lovely hostess tonight, Serena Elliott.”

On her cue, she strolled out to the middle of the platform and feigned a smile, waving to the crowd. They stomped, whistled, and applauded until Q spoke again.

“Serena is part owner of Love Will Find a Way matchmaking service and is offering a two-day, one-on-one consultation with her. Not only will she help you work on your look and your game, but she’ll also help you find the person you’re meant to be with.” Q threw out an arm and gestured to Serena with a wide smile. “Bid on this package and Love Will Find a Way won’t quit until they find you a match. Do I hear five hundred dollars?”

Serena peered out into the crowd, hoping this wasn’t going to be like fifth-grade gym class where she got picked last because she had a shit dodgeball arm.

Her fears were unfounded, though, as a deep voice boomed, “Five thousand.” She whipped her head toward Grace’s seat, and her knees buckled as she stared into the face that had been plastered on every billboard in Salem and had haunted her dreams.

Bryan. Looking tall, and fit and gorgeous as ever, with an armload of hot-pink roses. She covered her mouth with a trembling hand and tried to get control of her whirring thoughts.

He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was deployed. With the army. He was supposed to be gone forever, or at least long enough for her to forget he ever existed.

That son of a bitch.

Half of her wanted to leap off the stage and throw her arms around him. The other half wanted to wring his ever-loving neck. Who did he think he was, strolling in here after a month, and bidding on her services, no less? After all he’d put her through.

Ice-cold fury mixed with adrenaline to make a heady cocktail of flat-out crazy.

“Do I hear fifty-one hundred?” Q called, excitement lighting her face as her gaze flickered between Serena and Bryan. “Anyone?”

“Fifty-one hundred,” Serena bit out.

Q’s brows popped all the way to her hairline as she stuttered into the mic, “Um, o-okay. So you’re bidding on yourself, then?”

The murmurs of the crowd reached Serena’s ears, but she had eyes only for Bryan, who was the one person in the room who didn’t seem even a bit surprised by her bid. In fact, he didn’t miss a beat before responding.

“Fifty-five hundred.”

“Six thousand,” she shot back, heart pounding wildly in her chest. It was insane. She didn’t have that kind of cash. She’d have to take it out of the trust fund she’d promised herself she’d never touch, but suddenly, she couldn’t think of any better use for her parents’ money. It was for a good cause, after all.

“Seven,” he called, his hazel eyes glinting in challenge.

The audience roared with delight as they watched the two of them in laughing confusion.

If she gave in and spent even ten minutes in his company, she was toast. Even now, she could feel herself softening. Wanting so much to believe that, if she gave him the chance, he would say exactly the right thing that could fix all that had been broken between them.

“Seventy-five.” Her voice was weaker this time, but she wasn’t ready to give up the fight yet. He’d hurt her so badly.

“Ten thousand.”

Q gasped, and the audience mimicked her response. The whole room went silent, every eye on Serena.

“And I’m not going to stop, Serena. Not until I don’t have a dime left in this world.”

It was there on his face. The regret. The apology. But was there something more? What if she let him in again? She couldn’t take it if she was wrong.

She dragged her gaze away from Bryan to glance at Grace, who nodded, with most serene smile on her face. Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. Q’s “sudden” cancellation. Grace’s aloofness. All of it. Hell, maybe even from the get-go. Grace and her damned tingles.

Then Q patted the microphone and the sound brought her back to the present.

“Ten thousand going once.”

Now or never. Risk it or don’t, baby girl.

“Ten thousand going twice.”

He’s going to break your heart.

And he might.

But what if he doesn’t?

“Sold, to Dr. Bryan Metcalf for ten thousand dollars!”

…

It always took him a minute to process exactly how beautiful Serena was, but tonight was a special case. The month they’d been apart had been kind to her. While his hair was shaggy and unkempt, and he hadn’t slept a full night since the last he’d spent in her bed, she’d somehow gotten even more gorgeous than she had been before. With her platinum hair swept back to reveal her high cheekbones and china-blue eyes bright with anger and fear, she was like a force of nature, created specifically to knock him on his ass.

And, damn, she did. Now here it was. His one last opportunity to make up for what a complete idiot he had been.

Q banged her gavel, and he murmured a “Wish me luck” to Grace before striding toward the stage and his girl.

He reached her there and took her hand wordlessly, the tension in his body so tight, he felt like he was going to snap. She was stiff but didn’t fight him as he led her out the French doors to the garden behind the house. They’d just reached the gazebo when she yanked her hand away and wheeled around to face him.

“Why are you here?” She choked the words out and dashed a hand over her eyes, wiping away the tears that had streaked a path down her cheeks.

Seeing her cry made his gut twist, and he reached for her again, but she held up a hand and stepped back.

“Answer me, Bryan.”

He thought of the million things he wanted to say to her but settled for the simple truth. “I’m here for you.”

“Why? Why now?”

He cleared his throat, trying to figure the best way to begin. “I’m getting out. I have three more months, but then I’m resigning my commission and coming home. I’ll serve the next twelve weeks in Connecticut. Then I’m done.” He tucked his hand beneath her chin. His heart squeezed and he added, “And why? Because I want to be with you.”

Her cheeks went pale and she shook her head. “I don’t get it, you said you didn’t want a relationship and—”

“I said a lot of stupid things,” he admitted softly, wishing he could take the pain away. Get back the month they’d lost so he could see her smile again. “And I’m sorry. For more than just turning you away. What I did, what I said, was awful. You’re not the same as
anyone
I’ve known before, and comparing you with my past relationships was nothing more than me acting like a scared, stupid asshole. You’re unique. You’re wonderful. You’re funny. And you’re perfect for me.” He swallowed hard, the emotion in her eyes making his chest ache. He only hoped he wasn’t too late to tell her. “I love you, Serena. I think I knew it was coming the first night we spent together. And it terrified me. After everything with Piper, and everything I watched my mother go through, I didn’t think I could handle it. Now I know the truth. The only thing I can’t handle is being without you.”

He took her hand and kissed it. “Even if you turn me away, even if you’ve moved on, I needed you to know it. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes for however long it takes, to earn your love.”

He’d pictured this moment every night before he went to bed, every morning when he woke. This was the first step, but it would never be enough. Even if she took him back, he’d have to make a concerted effort every day to give her the kind of love she deserved.

“But leaving the army…what about your promise?”

“Q was right. That was a promise he never should’ve asked me to make. I have to be my own man. A better man than he was. And I want to start today. With you.”

She stared up at him like she was sizing him up, the tears gone now. Her eyes were alight with hope and something else. “What if I act a little crazy sometimes?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“We’re going to fight. And things won’t always be perfect…” She stepped into him and ran her finger over his bottom lip. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything. I knew the second I let you go, it was the biggest mistake of my life.”

His pulse pounded as she looped her arms around his neck.

“You did all this for me. Got Grace and Quinn to set it up.”

He nodded and she did the same.

“Those lying bitches,” she murmured, a smile tugging at her lips. “You’re a pretty impressive guy, Bryan Metcalf, I’ll give you that. You’re the kind of guy a girl could fall for.”

She paused a beat, just long enough for his heart to feel like it might explode, and then squeezed his hands. “I love you, too. You make me want to face my fears. You make me want to try. And I love the shit out of you.” She leaned in close, and his heart sped to double time as he took in the sweet smell of her perfume.