The Date Auction (6 page)

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” William admitted. “What does a table artist do? Paint tables?”

“No, silly, I'm a waitress. I just thought
food producer
sounded more important.” She flashed another perfect, pearl white smile. “I'm trying to be an actress.”

“Like me.”

“You're trying to be an
actress
?” Alaina grinned. “Is there something you're not telling me about yourself, William? Like... that maybe your real name is Wilhemina?”

“Uhh, no.” He gave a nervous chuckle. “I just mean... we're both actors trying to make it.”

“I knew what you meant, I was just trying to give you a hard time.” The food arrived, which made Alaina clap her hands. “Oh boy. That looks GOOD.”

“It does.”

Alaina seized her sandwich in both hands and gobbled a giant bite of it. As she chewed, she asked, “So, ish there anyshing elsh you want to know about me?”

At the moment, William was just staring at his burger, wondering how he was supposed to eat something so heaping. “I'm interested in anything you want to tell me.”

“Well.” Alaina swallowed her bite and continued. “I'm twenty-four. I like hard rock and I hate country music. I have two siblings, a brother and a sister, and my brother's in jail.”

“Whoa.”

“My brother's a douchebag, so don't worry about it. He deserves it.” Alaina sounded casual, as if it was perfectly normal to have a brother in jail. “Anyway... I have a tattoo of a snake on my right ankle. It's a cute snake, not a scary snake. I love movies, and my favorite movie of all time is... don't laugh, but it's The Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez. I always thought that movie was really cute, but I also really like the movie Battle Royale, which is like Hunger Games before Hunger Games happened. It's about these Japanese kids who have to battle each other to death on an island.”

“I've never seen either of those movies, but they don't sound like they'd go together.”

“No. Probably not.” Alaina shrugged. “Anyway, do you like your burger?”

He had only taken a single bite of it, but it was enough to have an opinion. “I think it's pretty good.”

“Good.” She leaned across the table and pilfered a few of his fries. “I'm glad you like it.”

They spent the next several minutes talking about more of Alaina's favorite films, which consisted of everything from American History X to Hope Floats. Even though she did most of the talking, she managed to finish her food before he did.

All of a sudden, she trilled, “Oh my god, I
love
this song!”

“What song?”

“This song!” She was referring to the catchy pop song playing in the restaurant. “Will you dance with me?”

“What?! Dance?!”

“Dance with me!” Alaina popped off her chair and started swaying her hips to the music. “You like dancing, don't you?”

“Sure, but not
here
!” He took Alaina's hand and tried to coax her back to her chair.
Free spirit
didn't even begin to describe his overzealous date.

“Then you owe me a dance.” Alaina said it like it was a warning.

When they finished their food, they decided to continue their date in Central Park, where Alaina grabbed his hand and swung it as they walked. It was the beginning of autumn, when the leaves were just beginning to change color. They strolled under a canopy of sunset-colored leaves: red, orange and yellow.

They wandered to one of the park's benches, where Alaina decided it was an appropriate time to sit on William's lap. It was an invasion of space that he more than welcomed.

“Soooo...” Alaina sifted her fingers through his blonde hair as she spoke. “I remember your character from that cop show. You were kind of a badass.”

“Oh?”

“Mm hmm.” She nodded her head most adorably. “But now that I've met you in person, you are
so
not a bad boy. How did you pull that off?”

“Good acting?” he suggested with a chuckle. Alaina was right about him: he was too soft. He wished he was more like Ty Brockland than William Thierry.

“You seem like a nice guy, Will Will,” Alaina said, throwing out a pet name like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I like nice guys. I'm so sick of dating jerks.”

“Well, I'd certainly love to see you again, Alaina. I'd love a second date with you.”

“Second date second schmate,” she mocked him. “I want
more
than that! We should skip all that and go right to--” She spotted something in the distance that made her voice trail off. Several feet away, there was a man walking through Central Park in a pirate costume. “Whoa, look at that! He looks like Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean! That is
so
awesome!”

“Have you ever noticed that
all
pirates now look like Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean? I highly doubt that every pirate had stringy black hair and guyliner.”

Alaina rose from William's lap and took a step in the pirate's direction. “I want to talk to him!”

“Alaina, no!” William seized her wrist. “If you see a guy walking around in a costume in New York City, it's always a good idea to leave him alone. He's probably a nutcase. Or a drunk.”

“No he's not! He's Jack Sparrow!” To the pirate, she shouted, “Jack Sparrow! JACK SPARROW!”

The pirate swaggered toward her a bit flamboyantly, likely attempting an impersonation of Johnny Depp. “Yes, my dear?” he slurred.

William clapped his hands over his face and groaned.

Alaina raked her gaze over the pirate's entire body. “I like your costume.”

“It's not a costume, dear. I'm a pirate.”

The “pirate's” terrible attempt at a British accent had William snickering into his hands.

With a bow to Alaina, the pirate said, “My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature tells me you require something of me.”

“A hug,” Alaina said. “I want a hug.”

“Of course, my dear. Of course.”

“Jack Sparrow” seized the opportunity to capture Alaina in a bear hug. He even lifted her off her feet and grunted into her hair. When he put her on her feet, he was grinning. “It's been lovely, love. You smell delightful. We'll have to do this again sometime. Savvy?”

William wanted to crawl under the bench and disappear. In the race for Alaina's affection, the wannabe Jack Sparrow was winning. When Alaina returned to him, he felt ignored.
Betrayed.

Until she asked, “Do you want to come back to my place?”

If she meant what he hoped she meant, there could only be one possible answer. “Of course.”

“Good. I live in the Upper East Side, so my apartment's within walking distance from here.”

Alaina took his hand and headed in the direction of her place. Along the way, she talked about her favorite animals, her least favorite animals, her favorite Disney characters, the fact that she was a Buddhist, and her love of all things pink. He prayed she wouldn't quiz him later, as he only paid attention to fifty percent of it. There was only so much he could stand to hear about pink ribbons and Sebastian the Crab.

As soon as they entered her apartment, they were greeted by a soft
mew
and a pair of shiny yellow eyes. Alaina scooped the friendly feline into her arms and nuzzled her cheek against its soft fur.

“This is Jerry.” She held out the cat to William. “Jerry, meet William.”

He wanted to stay in Alaina's good graces, so he played along. “It's nice to meet you, Jerry.”

“Jerry was named after an ex-boyfriend of mine.”

“Your ex-boyfriend or your ex-ex-ex-boyfriend?”

“Actually, he was named after my ex-ex-boyfriend.” And with that, she lowered Jerry to the ground and whipped her shirt over her head, revealing the black bra underneath. “So... before Jack Sparrow came strolling by, there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“I...” The sight of her heaping cleavage had him tongue-tied. From head to toe, Alaina Torres looked like a Victoria's Secret model. She would have been a more appropriate girlfriend for Jamie.

“I just like to skip the whole dating thing and go straight for the good stuff,” Alaina told him. “I really like you, William. You seem like a nice guy. You're a bit quiet, but I can tell that you're nice.”

His mind was lingering on the words
good
and
stuff.

“We should just have sex. It would really break the ice, don't you think?” When she saw his dopey nod, she had to giggle. “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

“Uh... YES!” His answer couldn't have been more emphatic. He just hoped he wouldn't end up as her ex-ex-ex-ex-boyfriend anytime soon, with a cat named after him.

“Good.” Alaina unzipped her jeans and wriggled out of them, revealing matching black panties. “You're really cute. You know that?”

“And you're amazing.”

“Pick me up!” Alaina demanded of him. “Pick me up and carry me to my bedroom!”

Alaina's wish was William's command. He lifted her off her feet and wrapped his arms around her. She coiled her legs around his body and covered his mouth with a kiss. When she finally let him breathe, he asked, “There's only one problem.”

“What, baby?” She pressed her lips against his forehead and covered his face in obnoxious, feather-light kisses.

“I don't know where your bedroom is.”

“Thataway!” she declared, pointing to a room behind them. While carrying Alaina, William nudged his way into her bedroom and laid her on the bed. “Off with your clothes!”

She was commanding him like a queen, but somehow, he didn't mind in the slightest. He tore his shirt over his head, shucked off his pants, and climbed into bed with her. Without warning, Alaina seized the top of his underwear and pulled them down, freeing him from his boxers.

“You have a nice penis,” she matter-of-factly told him.

“Good. I'm glad you approve.” He unhooked her bra and gently peeled the garment away from her body, revealing the most perfect breasts he had ever seen. Alaina removed her black panties and slingshot them across the room. Then she moved down the length of his body and explored his private parts with her tongue. Her mouth went to places no woman had ever gone before, and she was making him cross-eyed.

Just as he was about to explode, she mounted William's body, straddled his stomach, and shoved his wrists against the bed. The naughty girl was trying to pin him down! “I love you,” she purred.

I love you I love you I love you.
Her words must have echoed in his head at least a half-dozen times. It seemed a bit soon for a declaration of love, but who was he to protest?

“Do you love me?” Alaina nibbled on her lower lip and simpered down at him.

“I, uh...” William could feel his throat getting tight as he rebelled against the words. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, to be denied further access to her body. “I... do.”

“Tell me you love me!” Alaina whimpered. “I need to hear you say the words.”

He liked her.
A lot
. She was quite possibly the most jaw-droppingly beautiful woman he had ever seen, but...
love
?

He needed to lie.

William's voice was weak, but he managed to say it. “I love you.”

“Say: I love you,
Alaina
,” she demanded.

“I love you, Alaina.” If she needed his love in order to proceed, he needed to be more convincing. He ran his thumb along her cheekbone in a demonstration of tenderness, and brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes. “I do. I love you.”

“Good.” Apparently, that was all she needed to hear. She grabbed William's hands, moved them to her chest, and smashed them against her breasts. Seconds later, he could feel himself sliding into her. Alaina sunk her fingernails into the flesh of his chest as she rode him, faster and harder than anything he had ever experienced. As she climaxed, she threw back her head and screamed his name to the ceiling.

When they were finished, she collapsed on top of him and lowered her head to his shoulder. As he took her in his arms, he could feel her body trembling, still wracked with pleasure. Stroking her hair, all he could think about was how wonderful—and strange—the day had been.

Alaina Torres was certainly... different.

And now, for better or for worse, she was his girlfriend.

Chapter Six

“So... fanny.” Harry's perfect eyebrows were raised as he uttered the word. “Can you explain that to me?”

“What am I explaining, exactly?” It was Jamie who answered the question, because his brother's attention was fully focused on the television. The New York Giants were on the verge of a touchdown.

“Fanny. In Britain, it refers to a specific part of the female anatomy. Why did the Americans feel like it was necessary to change it?”

“Maybe...?” Jamie had no explanation for his friend's random musing, so he hesitated. “Maybe you guys changed the meaning of it. Maybe we had fanny first.”

“Impossible. Americans are always the ones stealing things and altering words to suit their fancy.”

“You're putting
way
too much thought into this.”

“Am I?” Harry shrugged. “I always thought the song on that American show
The Nanny
was highly amusing. I think there's a line about her being kicked on her fanny. Now
that
is something I would like to see.”

William, who had a pretzel stick dangling from his lips, turned in Harry's direction and hissed, “Shush. I'm trying to listen to the game.”

“Very well.” Their British friend leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. “I'll
try
to watch the game. Although, I must say... I never understood American football. Specifically, I don't understand why they call it football, seeing as they rarely use their feet. For that matter, there's another example of a word that was stolen from us and horrifically altered.
Football
.” He completely ignored the fact that William was glowering at him “Soccer,” he snorted. “What does that even mean?!”

“Shuuush,” William repeated, more emphatically this time. “You're ruining a sacred moment.”

It was, in fact, a sacred moment. His team finally scored a touchdown. They watched the game in silence for several minutes. Even Harry, whose facial expression had permanently soured, made an effort to enjoy the action.