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“That’s right.” Roni rolled her eyes. “That’s
one thing I can thank him for. Other than that, he was just a
selfish, egotistical SOB.”

Christy laughed. “So even after he got booted
out of office, you kept coming to the club.”

Roni nodded and swept her gaze around the
room. “Not long until we each go to the highest bidder.”

Christy took a deep breath. “Not long at
all.”

“Try the pin, Christy,” Roni said.
“Everything is safe. Board members have screened the participants
and Garth knows everyone from KC. It’s a class act.”

Christy looked around the room. Why stick
with vanilla when she could have so much more?

Because I really am a big chicken.

“The pampering is going to be amazing. You
can have a facial and massages at the resort, not to mention the
wonderful dinners out.” Roni gave Christy a quick hug. “You’ll have
fun. Promise.”

“A little pampering does sound good,” Christy
said. And maybe some fun that didn’t involve a relationship outside
of playing around. After Ted had cheated on her… She wasn’t ready
to jump into another serious or exclusive relationship. She would
really have to trust the next man she gave her heart to and know
that he wouldn’t hurt her.

Roni handed Christy her drink she had set on
the table. “You never know what you might find out there.”

Christy smiled at her always-enthusiastic
friend. “I suppose you’re right. We should follow Leslie’s lead and
do the mingling thing.”

“Oooh, this is going to be fun.” Roni pushed
her bouncy red curls behind her ear. “I’m ready.”

Christy took a deep breath. “Here we go.”

Christy smoothed her short black sequined
dress as she looked at the crowd. Then she raised her chin and
headed into the mix. She put on a smile, doing her best to look
elegant and appealing to prospective bidders. Normally she sold
trinkets in her boutique but this time she was selling herself.

She nodded at people she knew and she smiled,
doing her best to act natural. She put her hand up to the red
corsage and took a deep breath, telling herself she was ready for
anything. Maybe she should put on the little circle pin. After all,
wasn’t that why she was here? She’d been excited, thinking of being
bid on by someone who was into BDSM.

Yes, she should put on the pin, but she just
couldn’t bring herself to do it.

A man touched her elbow and caught her
attention. He was several inches taller than her, had an adorably
boyish smile and baby blue eyes, and he wore a white boutonniere,
indicating he was a bidder.

No gold pin.

A dimple appeared in his cheek. “I’m
Jeff.”

She held out her hand and he took it.
“Christy.”

“I saw you in the program.” He released her
hand. “You’re even more beautiful in person.”

Pleasant warmth went through her as he paid
her the compliment. He said it so genuinely that it would be
difficult to not take him seriously.

“Thank you, Jeff.” She started to ask him a
question about himself when another man joined them. Another man
with no pin.

“Larry Schmidt.” He shook hands with her and
then with Jeff. Larry had a little bit of a receding hairline, but
he had the air of a playboy to him. He looked like he’d be fun for
a weekend. Not the kind of guy to write home about, just pure
fun—if you didn’t mind his eyes wandering to every pretty girl who
walked by. Which he was doing even as he spoke.

Amused, she said, “I’m Christy.”

“I know you are.” Larry held up the program.
“This is my little black book for the evening. A sexy brown-eyed
brunette with a cute figure—you’re at the top of the list.”

“Looks like there will be some competition.”
Jeff smiled at Christy again. “Hope to see you later.”

“Not possible.” Larry shook his head.
“Christy will be mine.”

The two men started arguing in good humor
over who would win Christy. She’d never been fought over by anyone.
Did this count?

The more the men talked, the more she
realized she didn’t want to be won by some vanilla guy. They
couldn’t give her what she really wanted.

She reached into her purse and pulled out the
circle pin. She pinned it on her dress, beside her corsage then
straightened her spine and raised her chin. Now she was ready for
the real fun to begin.

A groan rose up within her and she had to
fight it down as she glanced away from the two men and saw the CEO
of one of her major suppliers, Henry Hawthorne. She’d had no idea
he would be here tonight or she might have backed out of the whole
thing. He’d been trying to get her to date him for years. And if he
wanted to bid on her, he had the money to make sure he would
win.

The heavyset man pushed his thick black
glasses up his nose. Using his bulk, he bumped other guests out of
his way as he headed in her direction.

Not Henry. Please not Henry.

She wanted to put her face in her hands and
hide like a toddler who thinks that if he can’t see you, you can’t
see him.

She looked at Jeff and Larry as if they might
rescue her, but they were now embroiled in a conversation about the
upcoming World Series playoffs. Baltimore was in this year, playing
the Yankees, and from what she could tell by the tiny bit of
conversation she overheard that Jeff was a diehard Orioles fan, and
Larry a Yankees fan.

She didn’t stand a chance now.

Ladies room. She searched in vain with her
gaze, praying she could make her escape. Where’s the ladies
room?

“Christy.” Henry reached her, his cologne
about knocking her over. His suit stretched across his hefty form,
straining at the buttons.

He was wearing a triangle pin.

And she had just put on hers. The last thing
she needed was for him to know that she was with the “kink
set.”

Too late for that.

She tried not to be stiff as she said, “Hi,
Henry.”

He took her hand in his fat one. “When I
heard you were going to be here tonight, I had to come.” He looked
at her pin. His eyes glistened with excitement. “And to find out
you’re a member of the club. Very exciting.” He seemed to get a
good look at Christy’s expression. “Don’t worry. The nice thing
about our interests is that we don’t go around telling people about
them or other people we know in the lifestyle. And you a
submissive, no less. We seem to be a match.”

Christy felt ill but worked up a smile and
tried unsuccessfully to draw her hand from his. “I’m not in the
life—”

He cut her off as he squeezed her hand harder
and she winced. “Looks like I’ll get that date after all. You’ve
been playing hard to get for far too long. Tonight will settle
it.”

She took a deep breath, trying to think of
someway to politely put him off as she managed to pull her hand
from his. “Henry—”

“Christy?” A masculine voice came from behind
her. A familiar voice.

A thrill caused her to shiver from head to
toe as she turned and faced Zach Nikas. Eight years ago she had
left him… And had regretted it long after.

Their gazes met and held and she didn’t think
she would ever be able to breathe again. He was as magnificent as
he’d been when they had dated, maybe more so. His black eyes were
as intense as ever and his black hair gleamed in the light from the
chandeliers. His olive complexion and the cut of his features
reflected his Grecian ancestry. His suit fit perfectly on his tall,
muscular form and his sexy smile made her toes curl.

Seeing him brought a wave of memories that
started with the amazing times they had spent together and ended
with the reason why she’d broken up with him. She’d thought about
him so many times since then and a part of her had thought about
what it might be like if they had a second chance. Now that she had
a better feel for the part of him that she hadn’t understood back
then, she wondered if things would be different if they had stayed
together. But they had each moved on with their lives, end of
story.

Yet here he was, larger than life.

“Zach.” Her throat was so dry that she barely
managed to get his name out.

The magnetism that had drawn them together
the first time was just as strong now as it had been then. Maybe
stronger. She felt electrified just being near him. “It’s so good
to see you.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” His smile
was sending her heart into overdrive.

Henry cleared his throat. “Excuse me,” he
said, jerking her out of her Zach-induced trance. He sounded
irritated. “Ms. Clarkson and I were just speaking together. Do you
mind?”

She cut her gaze to Henry. She had forgotten
about him but could not believe how rude he had just been. He was
glaring in Zach’s direction and she turned her attention back to
him.

With a slight bow of his head, Zach said to
Christy, “A pleasure seeing you again.” He started to turn
away.

“Wait.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Give
me a moment. I want to talk to you.”

“I’ll be at the bar getting another glass of
wine.” He smiled but she could tell he wasn’t pleased by how rude
Henry had been. “Can I get you anything?”

“Yes.” Christy moved her hand away. “A
chardonnay, please.”

He met her gaze for one long moment then and
then gave Henry a nod and walked away.

When Zach left, she turned back to Henry. He
looked a little put-off but then he smiled. “I suppose we’ll have
plenty of time together once I buy you at the auction.” He bowed.
“Until then.”

Another sick feeling traveled through her
belly as she watched him wade through the crowd and then she
couldn’t see him anymore. Being forced to spend an entire weekend
with Henry—she couldn’t imagine anything worse as an outcome to
this auction.

Is it too late to back out now?

She glanced at Larry and Jeff who were
oblivious to what was going on and she mentally sighed. They were
vanilla, not what she truly wanted. But being with one of them was
a far better prospect than being with Henry.

When she faced the direction of the bar she
saw Zach talking with a couple of women with red corsages…and they
each had a gold circle pin, meaning they were submissives, and
their corsages told her they were up for auction.

She sucked in her breath. Zach had a triangle
pin, a Dom’s pin. She hadn’t even noticed it before. But he wasn’t
wearing a white boutonniere, so he wasn’t a bidder.

He smiled and laughed at something one of the
women said. Then he turned his head and met Christy’s gaze. Her
heart seemed to stop. It was like the very first time she’d seen
him, all over again.

Electrifying.

He excused himself from the other women, who
looked disappointed, and he came toward her, carrying two glasses
of white wine. When he reached her she caught his clean, masculine
scent. Thoughts of what it had been like making love to him rushed
through her mind. It had been nothing short of amazing.

What would have happened if she hadn’t
freaked out and bolted?

“Your friend?” Zach’s gaze flickered in the
direction Henry had gone.

“Not exactly.” She held back another groan as
Zach pulled out a chair for her at a small table. “Henry’s the CEO
of one of my suppliers. He’s had a thing for me and he doesn’t know
what the word ‘No’ means.” She sat and Zach pushed the chair in
before taking his own seat.

Zach’s gaze slowly traveled over her as if he
wanted to memorize every curve of her body. “What man wouldn’t want
you that badly?”

Fire seared her through and through and her
cheeks heated.

When his eyes met hers again, he studied her
for a long moment and the corner of his mouth curved. “Christy
Clarkson. You’ve changed.”

More heat flooded her as he gestured to her
pin. “Maybe a little,” she said.

“I seem to remember something about this
lifestyle…upsetting you,” he said. “And now you’re here.”

“I came with friends.” She rushed her words.
“This is my first time.”

He nodded, looking at her thoughtfully.

“How have you been?” she said, her words soft
amidst the murmur of conversation around them.

He gave a little smile and it seemed like
there was something more in his words when he spoke. “I’ve missed
you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” She bit her lower
lip. “And I’ve thought about you a lot.”

He smiled. “I would have welcomed a
friendship at least.”

“I know you would have,” she said.

He looked at her with that crooked smile that
she’d always loved. “You didn’t want any part of even a friendship
then. You thought I was some guy with a psychotic hidden life. And
here you are sitting with me now. Do you feel safe since we aren’t
alone?”

He always loved to tease me, she thought. He
hasn’t changed.

She teased him back. “I am not too worried
about you in a room like this.”

He glanced at her pin. “Something tells me it
wouldn’t freak you out now.”

She glanced down at her hands that were
folded in her lap. “You would be surprised to know,” she said,
“that I’ve thought about being alone with you a lot since we split
up and—”

“After you left me,” he corrected.

“Okay, you made your point.” She offered him
a smile. “I was saying, I have thought about you a lot since I
left. I couldn’t get my thoughts off you and that part of you I ran
from.”

She couldn’t believe she was actually telling
him all of this, but she couldn’t help herself. She’d regretted
leaving him. His interest had caused her to research and understand
him better. The more she looked into it, the more regret she’d
had.

“You never called.” He leaned back in his
chair. “What part of you was intrigued by the bad boy side, but
couldn’t bring yourself to come back to me? You just didn’t feel
safe, did you,” he stated.