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“I almost called a hundred times.” She
gripped her wine glass. “But, you jumped into a relationship with
Brittany Larson right away. I figured it would not last long, and
then two years later you were engaged to her. At that point, I
wasn’t going to call and tell you I couldn’t stop thinking about
you.”

“I wished I’d have known.” His dark eyes had
a seriousness about them. “I would have called. Brittany was nice,
but she wasn’t you.”

Thoughts of Zach with Brittany made her heart
hurt. “I imagine she was into that stuff with you.”

“I think she put up with it,” he said. “She
loved me and knew ‘that stuff’ was part of the package deal. I love
introducing people who haven’t tried it, bringing them along
slowly, and watching them get into it. With her, it never quite
worked. It isn’t the same when the other person doesn’t share the
same passion.”

“So, you are still into it?” She asked, then
realized it was a dumb question. While talking with him she’d
fallen back in time and forgot where she was and the fact that he
was wearing one of the pins.

He gave her that crooked smile again.
“Probably more now than at that time. I won’t change.”

She moved her fingers up and down the stem of
her wine glass. “It isn’t something you hear about every day.”

“It can make a relationship challenging.” He
picked up his wine glass and swirled the golden liquid. “It’s hard
enough to have regular every day interests match up. When you add
that certain component to a relationship…well, lets just say some
pretty special ladies, like yourself can get eliminated, or
eliminate themselves.”

She leaned forward and put meaning behind her
words. “I don’t want to be in the eliminated category anymore, Zach
Nikas.”

His intent gaze took her in. “How did you end
up here?”

She settled back in her seat. “It took some
time, but I got over being freaked out by what I saw—the pictures
of the women you had on your computer.” She swallowed, not sure she
should be spilling everything like this. “I started to look at all
of that stuff online.”

He looked intrigued. “And?”

“The more I read and looked at it, the more I
liked it and I thought about you. It gave me a better understanding
of all of it and what you like and why.” She glanced down then back
at him. “It actually drew me more to you. By then, like I said, you
were involved with Brittany and I didn’t know what happened to you
after that.”

He continued to study her, like he was trying
to figure her out. “You’re here, but it doesn’t sound like you’ve
actually tried it.”

“Only in my mind… Every night before I fall
asleep.” Warmth traveled through her at the thoughts of her
fantasies. “I haven’t had anyone to try it with.” She shook her
head. “I can’t believe I am telling you this.”

He leaned closer. “I had a feeling you had it
in you. The way it happened was a bad introduction, finding the
pictures and some of the equipment. It was too much before you were
ready to know about it.”

Zach studied her. “Take off the pin.”

“Why—?” she started. For some reason the look
in his eyes had her taking off her pin without question.

A voice came over the sound system. She
looked in the direction of the podium where Garth stood with a
microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please join us in the
ballroom,” he said. “The auction is about to start. Bachelors and
bachelorettes, please meet behind the stage. Everyone else find a
seat and we’ll get started.”

“We were supposed to mingle with bidders.”
She returned her gaze to Zach. “I only met a couple of men. I
didn’t think they would start so quickly.”

“I arrived early and talked with a lot of
people,” he said. “Interesting what you can learn about people in
just a short conversation with them.”

“That’s true,” she said before looking toward
the door leading into the ballroom.

The low murmur of the crowd grew a little
louder as everyone migrated. Her stomach twisted. She had to face
the fact that she might end up being with Henry at a resort for a
whole forty-eight hours. Even though she would have her own room,
she wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to push himself on her for
more than just a weekend in each other’s company. It would not be
pretty if he tried.

Would those other two men bid on her? Would
they be willing to bid more than whatever Henry had planned?

Unless Zach would bid on her…but he didn’t
have on a boutonniere She would be happy to give him whatever it
cost, although it could possibly break the bank.

She turned to face him with a proposition on
her tongue.

He was gone.

Christy’s heart pounded as she waited to be
called on stage, her escort at her side. She was the last one to be
auctioned off and the crowd had started to thin. Habit and her
nerves had her twirling a lock of hair with her finger.

Earlier, Leslie had won the bidding for the
Navy SEAL and was nowhere to be seen. Roni had been snagged by a
man who looked sexy in a primal way…almost dangerously so. Christy
only hoped her friend wasn’t getting in over her head and would be
safe. But then Roni had told her that this was a safe, vetted
crowd.

She peeked through the draperies and saw
Henry in the first row wearing a smug expression. She did groan out
loud this time.

One of the two men she’d met earlier, Jeff,
sat in the third row. She had kept an eye on him and Larry, hoping
one of them would outbid Henry. Larry was out of the picture now
since he had already left with a stunning model-beautiful blonde.
The fact that he hadn’t waited for her and had chosen someone
gorgeous, hadn’t surprised Christy in the least.

She wished in the worst way that Zach was a
bidder, but since he wasn’t wearing a white boutonniere, she knew
he wasn’t. It was a small consolation that he hadn’t had a red
carnation pinned to his chest that would tell the women that he was
up for auction.

But if he wasn’t a bidder, and he was wearing
a gold pin, what was he doing here? Maybe he
was
a
bidder.

She looked around for him but couldn’t see
him.

Even if he wasn’t a bidder, he was the one
she wanted. It was a weekend only with one of these guys. She
wanted more than a weekend with Zach.

Earlier Zach had been in the third row from
the back. Throughout the night she had watched people in the
audience and mentally notated which individuals purchased a
bachelorette or a bachelor.

“Christy Clarkson!”

Her stomach pitched as she fixed a smile on
her face and stepped onto the stage. Her escort led her toward
center stage and she waved to the audience—what was left of it—and
continued to where the MC waited.

“Christy is the owner of Baubles and Beads, a
boutique in downtown Baltimore.” The MC made a circle with his
finger, Christy’s cue to turn around. “One of you lucky men will
spend a weekend with Christy at an Arizona resort.”

Light applause was followed by the MC
stepping back and the auctioneer saying, “Take home Christy. Let’s
start the bidding at fifteen hundred dollars.”

Surprise almost made her drop her jaw but she
managed to remain poised. He had started the bidding out higher
than what he had for everyone before her, which was the minimum bid
of one thousand.

It was no surprise, however, when Henry
raised his hand, indicating his bid. To her relief, Jeff
immediately bid against Henry.

She bit the inside of her lip as the biding
went back and forth and her eyes widened the higher it went until
it reached eight thousand dollars.

Henry was the highest bidder. When the
auctioneer said, “Do I hear nine thousand dollars?” he looked to
Jeff who shook his head.

Christy wanted to hide. Not Henry, not
Henry…

“Going once, going—” The auctioneer gestured
toward the back.

A familiar voice called out from the back.
“Ten thousand.”

Zach.

This time her jaw did drop from shock as she
saw his tall form at the back of the room. She couldn’t believe
that he had just bid on her. He wasn’t one of the bidders. And he
bid such an enormous amount of money for her.

Henry was looking over his shoulder,
scowling, as he stared at Zach.

“Eleven,” Henry called out.

“Twelve,” Zach said, his voice remaining
calm.

Unlike Henry who shouted, “Thirteen!” His
features had started to turn purple.

“Twenty.” Zach calmly jumped to the higher
amount and Henry’s eyes nearly bugged out.

Christy wasn’t sure if she was going to be
able to stand as weak as her knees were at that moment. This was
crazy.

“Do I hear twenty-one?” The moment the
auctioneer looked at Henry seemed to draw out forever.

Henry folded his arms across his chest and
scowled. “Let him have her. I’m done.”

“Twenty going once, twice—sold to Mr. Zach
Nikas.”

Christy remained on the stage, stunned.

“You may join the winner now, Ms. Clarkson.”
The MC said and the escort took her arm again and directed her to
the stairs leading from the stage and saw Zach waiting for her,
that sexy smile on his face.

Her escort walked with her down the steps
then turned her over to Zach.

“Are you crazy?” She spoke in a hushed tone.
“Spending that much money on me?”

“Would you rather go with the gas bag?” Zach
sounded amused as he took her arm.

“No.” She looked into his dark eyes. “I just
can’t believe you spent that kind of money.”

“You’re worth every cent, Christy.” His look
was intense, hungry, and she felt heat throughout her. “Besides,
the money goes to charity.”

“How are you a bidder?” she asked. “You don’t
have a white boutonniere.”

Zach shrugged. “It must have fallen off.”

He rested his hand at the small of her back
and guided her toward the ballroom doors.

She looked up at him. “Where are we going?
There’s still dessert and the dance. Drawings will be afterward if
you want to win the car they’re raffling off for the charity.”

“I’d rather go someplace private.” He moved
his hand over the base of her spine, sending shivers through her.
“I’d really like to spend some time with you and not have to share
you with anyone.”

That sounded good to her, being alone with
Zach.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m all for that.”

When they reached the lobby, they stopped at
the bell desk. She gave him her coat check receipt and he turned it
and his own over to the bellboy. While the bellboy was retrieving
the items, Zach gave his ticket to the valet to bring around his
car.

The clerk returned with a man’s coat along
with her own as well as her purse. Zach tipped the bellboy then
helped her into her coat before putting on his own.

He guided her out into the crisp D.C. night
and she stuck her hands in her pockets to keep them warm.

“Is this yours?” she asked as a gorgeous
silver Jaguar drove up to the curb. The valet stepped out and gave
a slight bow to Zach.

“Do you think I borrowed it for the night?”
Zach asked in a teasing voice.

The valet went to the passenger side and held
the door open for Christy. Zach helped her into the low-slung car
and the valet shut the door behind her.

After he tipped the valet, Zach climbed into
the Jag.

It was then that the enormity of it all hit
her. Zach had just bid on her and won. Earlier in the evening she
had spilled out how much she wanted to be the woman in the pictures
Zach had. What did she get herself into?

She swallowed. “Where are we going?”

“I thought we’d cap off the evening with a
drink.” He pulled the car away from the curb. “Have you been to
Milonas before?”

“I run a successful business.” She shook her
head. “But not successful enough to even be able to afford to step
over the threshold of that nightclub.”

“Milonas it is.” He glanced at her. “I think
you’ll enjoy it.”

She nodded. “I have no doubt that I
will.”

As he drove she studied his profile, the way
light and shadows played on his features as they drove through the
city. He had long fingers and he wore a heavy gold ring on his
right hand. She was very happy to see no ring on his left.

The leather of her seat was buttery soft
beneath her palm as she looked at the sleek interior of the Jag.
The perfection of his suit, the amount he had bid at the auction,
the beautiful car, and the fact they were going to an exclusive
nightclub that only the elite could afford, told her that he had
done very well for himself since they were last together, eight
years ago.

As she looked at him, it was hard not to
think of the times they had made love. He was always so strong and
controlling and rough when they did. She had loved it. She hadn’t
known about his kinky side for a while but later, some time after
she broke up with him, she realized that questions he had asked her
had been designed to test the waters. It wasn’t until she found the
pictures and learned what he liked that she ran.

She tried really hard not to dwell on those
days, but it was hard not to imagine him naked. He’d had an amazing
body then…to look at him it had to be even more incredible now.

“When we dated, you were studying business.”
She tilted her head to the side. “What did you end up going
into?”

He glanced at her before returning his gaze
to the road. “The restaurant business.”

“Why am I not surprised?” She smiled at
memories that came back to her of going to his home where his
mother served up plate after plate of Greek food. “You always did
like to eat.” She looked him over. “Although you couldn’t begin to
tell by looking at you.”

The corner of his mouth quirked. “Seems to me
that you enjoyed my mother’s cooking.”