"Sold, for one hundred ten thousand dollars!" the MC declares victoriously. The whole room bursts into applause, and reluctantly I follow as does Christian, ruining our fun.
He turns to me and his lips twitch. "Ready?" he mouths over the rapturous cheering.
"Yes," I mouth back
"Ana!" Mia calls. "It's time!"
What? No. Not again! "Time for what?"
"The First Dance Auction. Come on!" She stands and holds out her hand.
I glance at Christian who is, I think, scowling at Mia, and I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but it's laughter that wins. I succumb to a cathartic bubble of schoolgirl giggles, as we are thwarted once more by the tall, pink powerhouse that is Mia Grey. Christian peers at me, and after a beat, there's a ghost of a smile on his lips.
"The first dance will be with me, okay? And it won't be on the dance floor," he murmurs lasciviously into my ear. My giggles subside as anticipation fans the flames of my need. Oh, yes! My inner goddess performs a perfect triple Salchow in her ice skates.
"I look forward to it." I lean over and plant a soft, chaste kiss on his mouth. Glancing around, I realize that our fellow guests at the table are astonished. Of course, they've never seen Christian with a date before.
He smiles broadly at me. And he looks... happy. Wow.
"Come on, Ana," Mia nags. Taking her outstretched hand, I follow her onto the stage where ten more young women have assembled, and I note with vague unease that Lily is one of them.
"Gentlemen, the highlight of the evening!" the MC booms over the babble of voices.
"The moment you've all been waiting for! These twelve lovely ladies have all agreed to auction their first dance to the highest bidder!"
Oh no. I blush from head to toe. I hadn't realized what this meant. How humiliating!
"It's for a good cause," Mia hisses at me, sensing my discomfort. "Besides, Christian will win." She rolls her eyes. "I can't imagine him letting anyone outbid him. He hasn't taken his eyes off you all evening."
Yes, focus on the good cause, and Christian is bound to win. Let's face it, he's not short of a dime or two.
But it means spending more money on you! my subconscious snarls at me. But I don't want to dance with anyone else - I can't dance with anyone else - and it's not spending money on me, he's donating it to the charity. Like the twenty-four thousand dollars he's already spent? My subconscious narrows her eyes.
Shit. I seem to have gotten away with my impulsive bid. Why am I arguing with myself?"Now, gentlemen, pray gather round, and take a good look at what could be yours for the first dance. Twelve comely and compliant wenches."
Jeez! I feel like I'm in a meat market. I watch, horrified, as at least twenty men make their way to the stage area, Christian included, moving with easy grace between the tables and pausing to say a few hellos on the way. Once the bidders are assembled, the MC begins.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in the tradition of the masquerade we shall maintain the mystery behind the masks and stick to first names only. First up we have the lovely Jada."
Jada is giggling like a schoolgirl, too. Maybe I won't be so out of place. She's dressed head to foot in navy taffeta with a matching mask. Two young men step forward expectantly. Lucky Jada.
"Jada speaks fluent Japanese, is a qualified fighter pilot, and an Olympic gymnast...
hmm." The MC winks. "Gentleman, what am I bid?"
Jada gapes, astounded at the MC; obviously, he's talking complete garbage. She grins shyly back at the two contenders.
"A thousand bucks!" one calls.
Very quickly the bidding escalates to five thousand dollars.
"Going once... going twice... sold!" the MC declares loudly, "to the gentleman in the mask!" And of course all the men are wearing masks so there are hoots of laughter, applause, and cheering. Jada beams at her purchaser and quickly exits the stage.
"See? This is fun!" whispers Mia. "I hope Christian wins you, though... We don't want a brawl," she adds.
"Brawl?" I answer horrified.
"Oh yes. He was very hot-headed when he was younger." She shudders.
Christian brawling? Refined, sophisticated, likes-Tudor-choral-music Christian? I can't see it. The MC distracts me with his next introduction - a young woman in red, with long jet-black hair.
"Gentlemen, may I present the wonderful Mariah. What are we going to do about Mariah? She's an experienced matador, plays the cello to concert standard, and she's a champion pole-vaulter... how about that, gentlemen? What am I bid, please, for a dance with the delightful Mariah?"
Mariah glares at the MC and someone yells, very loudly, "Three thousand dollars!" It's a masked man with blond hair and beard.
There is one counter-bid, but Mariah sells for four thousand dollars.
Christian is watching me like a hawk. Brawler Trevelyan-Grey - who would have known?
"How long ago?" I ask Mia.
She glances at me, nonplussed.
"How long ago was Christian brawling?"
"Early teens. Drove my parents crazy, coming home with cut lips and black eyes. He was expelled from two schools. He inflicted some serious damage on his opponents."
I gape at her.
"Hasn't he told you?" She sighs. "He got quite a bad rep among my friends. He was really persona non grata for a few years. But it stopped when he was about fifteen or sixteen." She shrugs.
Holy f**k. Another piece of the jigsaw falls into place.
"So, what am I bid for the gorgeous Jill?"
"Four thousand dollars," a deep voice calls from the left side. Jill squeals in delight.