The dress has a swooping neckline with very delicate straps. The back dips low, all the way down to the base of my spine. I pair it with simple, delicate jewelry and matching gold sandals. I grab my clutch and check in to see if Tyler has responded to the text I sent him almost an hour ago confirming he’s showing up tonight.
I breathe a sigh of relief when I see he’s finally responded.
Tyler:Yup
I find Trent when I get to the event and spend some time mingling.
“Milly, you look stunning!” I hold her at arm’s length and take in the plum-colored gown she’s wearing.
“Oh, thank you. This was my late mother’s dress, actually.”
“Brooklyn, this is Hudson’s wife, Devon, and Clay’s wife, Autumn.”
“Hi!” I extend my hand but Devon pulls me in for a hug.
“We’re huggers around here.” She smiles and Autumn also gives me a hug.
“So lovely to meet both of you ladies. I have to say, Autumn, your son Logan looks so much like you, and Devon, Axle and Aiden are so sweet. All of the Slade men have been so kind and welcoming at the brewery. You ladies raised some amazing men.”
I’ve only met them a few times—once at the board meeting and here and there around the office—but I mean it when I say their sons are wonderful people.
“Oh, thank you so much, sweetheart. Truly, that means so much to us. Especially given how macho these cowboys can be.”
Trent takes me around the room to meet several more people. The lights flicker a few times to get everyone’s attention, and Milly takes the stage to introduce tonight’s cause and thank everyone for attending. She highlights a few of the major donors who are present, then the auction begins.
“Oh my God,” Trent laughs as Ranger is first on the chopping block. “Did you tell Tyler he had to wear that too before he agreed to participate?”
Ranger’s wearing a pair of black Levi’s that are practically painted on his body. His belt buckle is covered in rhinestones and he’s wearing a bow tie and cuffs with a black cowboy hat.
I’m laughing so hard that I have to wipe tears from my eyes as I shake my head. “Nope.”
In truth, I didn’t tell Trent how I got Tyler to agree to this in the first place. He was beyond shocked—as were most people—but I couldn’t exactly say I seduced him into agreeing.
The room fills with hoots and hollers as the bids start pouring in. Each man puts on a show, some more than others. Ranger and Decker both make sure to flex and strut around. Logan and Ethan do push-ups. The women are waving their paddles in the air, not able to shout their bets fast enough as each man enters and exits the stage.
Finally, the last bachelor takes the stage. The screams are the loudest when Tyler walks out. I’m trying my hardest to capture images and videos on my phone, but the moment his eyes meet mine, that’s all I can focus on.
His gaze is direct and heated. I see Trent look at him then follow his gaze to me. “He’s going to kill you.”
“Oh, I hope so,” I say, taking a sip of my champagne as butterflies fill my belly. Because I know that if he doesn’t kill me, he’s going to punish me . . . and I’m not sure my body can handle that.
The bids keep coming in, higher and higher. I hear a woman’s voice keep shouting the higher bid every time someone else says one. I look around the room and finally see where it’s coming from: a tall, slender redhead with her back to me.
“Who’s that?” I lean in to ask Trent. He looks across the room until his eyes spot the woman.
“Selma, Tyler’s ex.”
A feeling of jealousy forms a pit in my stomach. I glance up at Tyler, whose eyes are on her. Without thinking, I grab a discarded paddle on a nearby table and shoot it into the air while shouting a counter bet.
“What are you doing?” Trent looks at me in confusion.
“Betting,” I say as I see the same look in Tyler’s eyes.
Selma fires back another bet, and so do I. After a few more rounds, it’s only the two of us betting. The rest of the women have stopped now that the bet is more than double what anyone else’s was.
I don’t know what’s come over me. Selma turns to see who keeps bidding against her, but I duck back a little in the crowd. Finally, she gives up.
“Sold! To the lady in the gold dress.”
I slowly lower my paddle as the room cheers and Tyler exits the stage, his eyes still burning into mine—only now it’s not lust or excitement . . . it looks like anger.