The auctioning of the next three bachelors followed a similar script. Courtney read from the bio each man submitted, shared what he planned for the first of their four dates, and then started the bidding. So far, the largest sum, forty thousand dollars, had been dished out for Junior Morris. And much to Tory’s shock, Milan hadn’t been the winner despite her best efforts.
Tory sipped her wine and watched as a woman who appeared to be in her early forties walked on stage to claim Junior. Like each of the three previous couples had, they shared a kiss and posed for the photographer from the Providence Gazette before exiting together.
Across from her, Alec rubbed his hands together and smiled. “Finally.”
“You might be a little too excited, considering he’s your best friend,” Gianna said before Tory could say something along the same lines.
“We both know Duncan would act the same way if it was me up on that stage tonight, Gi.”
Tory didn’t know about Duncan, but Alec’s older brothers and male cousins certainly would be acting in a similar manner if Alec was about to be auctioned off. Heck, his sister might too.
“Our next bachelor this evening is Duncan Ferguson.”
As soon as Courtney said his name, Duncan walked out on stage, and she continued with his introduction—not that Tory needed to hear it. She’d not only read it, but she’d learned whatever she could about him from the internet. She’d almost called Alec too, but decided it would be too awkward of a conversation.
“Once again, we will start the bidding at five thousand dollars,” Courtney said.
Well, here goes nothing. Crossing her fingers, Tory raised her auction paddle.
“I have five thousand. Can I get eight?” Courtney asked, sticking with the same routine she’d used so far tonight.
At the table next to them, Tasha Marshall raised her paddle.
“He’s in trouble now,” Leah said before she sipped her water.
“Why?” Gianna asked.
“Remember the conversation about Tasha Marshall at Curt’s house? That’s her.” Alec tilted his head toward the other table.
“And there is no way I’m losing to her,” Tory said, putting up her paddle before Courtney finished asking for a higher bid.
Seeing the auction paddle, Courtney gestured in Tory’s direction. “I now have ten thousand. Is anyone willing to go to twelve?”
Before Tasha could raise her paddle again, an older woman at table number two jumped into the bidding war.
Just great. More competition.Tory might not win in the end, but she wasn’t ready to concede the fight yet. However, if she did lose, she’d rather it be to whoever the new bidder was than Tasha.
After a few more rounds, the dark-haired woman at table number two gave up once again, leaving Tasha as Tory’s only competition.
“I now have twenty-two thousand; can I get twenty-four?” Courtney asked the crowd after acknowledging Tory’s most recent bid.
Like everyone else in the room, Tory watched to see what her competition would do. This time, Tasha didn’t come back with a higher bid, unlike earlier.
“Going once.” From behind the podium, Courtney glanced around the crowd. “Going twice.” Still, no further bids came. “Bidder number fifty-five is the winner of four romantic dates with Duncan Ferguson.”
“Thank you for saving Duncan from Tasha,” Alec commented as she stood up.
She wasn’t big on being in the spotlight, but she had no choice tonight. And the sooner she got up on stage to collect Duncan, the sooner she and Duncan could turn it over to someone else.
“Anytime.”
* * *
Duncan had thoughtthe night couldn't get much worse. Then he saw Tasha Marshall join the bidding war. Although he'd seen her at other events, he'd never spoken to the woman. But he knew her reputation. He couldn't think of anyone else who might be in attendance he'd rather be auctioned off to less. But either his luck was changing, or Tasha had decided she'd rather spend the money on someone else in the lineup, because he was leaving the stage with Tory Sherbrooke, not Tasha.
It'd been close to eighteen years, but Duncan remembered the first time he saw Tory. It'd been his third day of freshman year at Phillips Exeter, and he'd been on his way to English class. She'd been with a group of friends and passed him in the hallway. At the time, he hadn't known her name, what grade she was in, or that she and his roommate were cousins.
It hadn't mattered, though. From that second on, he'd had the biggest crush on her. For the rest of the week, he kept an eye out for her whenever he left his dorm room.