Page 99 of Decidedly Off Limits

I glanced at Miss Eager-to-Get-into-Trent’s-Pants, and my heart squeezed hard. All I could think about was the photo in the calendar of Trent and myself, but instead of it being me, it was her.

She licked her lips, and my heart beat harder and louder and minus the big girl panties.

Jodi finished explaining the rules of the auction, then introduced the first man. January. Eventually she got to Trent. Needing something else to focus on instead of on him, I sipped my white wine.

“Trent Salway is one of the hottest and brightest up-and-coming mutual fund portfolio managers on the west coast. His latest hobby involves cooking up something sweet for that special woman.”

And my mind instantly landed in the gutter, remembering a few times we’d had sex in his kitchen.

On the counter.

On the floor.

Against the stainless-steel refrigerator.

Damn traitorous mind.

All the men—except for January—walked off stage. January stepped up to the microphone and described what his date would entail. “We’ll go out for dinner and a show at Marrakech Magic Theater.”

A collective sigh came from the tables behind me.

The professional auctioneer who had volunteered to help with the event stepped to the podium. “Let’s start the bidding at a hundred dollars. Do we have a hundred dollars?” he rapidly fired.

About twenty hands went up.

And so began the auction. By the time it got to November (Trent), the winning bids ranged between three to seven hundred dollars, depending on the man and the prize.

October went for six hundred and eighty dollars. Slightly less than the Viking, but way more than I could afford for a date, especially if the guy turned out to be a self-absorbed bore.

“Next up we have November,” Jodi announced. Miss Eager-to-Get-into-Trent’s-Pants was practically panting—and I frowned. Something about her made me uneasy.

“Because you know I always get what I want.”

Trent walked to the microphone. He was typically a man of confidence, which was why he excelled at his job. He had to be confident with his choices or else he might make foolish errors. But as his gaze settled on me, I realized the usually confident man had uncertainty sitting on his shoulder—and I couldn’t figure out why.

“The date will begin with a hike in Muir Woods,” he said, gaze still on me.

With a perplexed frown on her face, Jodi glanced down at her notes, then flipped the index card over.

“We’ll have a picnic at the spot by the stream where I first realized I was falling in love…with the place.” Trent’s gaze remained locked on my face. It was the same spot we had stopped for lunch when we had gone hiking together a month ago.

Oh, God, was I reading too much into this…or did he feel the same way about me as I felt about him? Owen said something but I didn’t hear him past the pounding in my ears, the blood rushing to my heart.

I must have made a noise because Alice turned to look at me. She then looked at Owen and I could tell the wheels were turning in her head, but in the wrong direction. Oh crap! She had no idea that Owen’s and my engagement was fake. To her I was the fiancée who was interested in the wrong man. The man she had posed practically naked with for the calendar. She had no idea about my long history with Trent or how I knew him.

“He’s my brother’s best friend and the brother ofmybest friend,” I told her, as if that explained everything. Trent was describing the next part of the date, which included dinner at my favorite restaurant and stargazing. There might have also been something about going on a sunset cruise.

She nodded and smiled knowingly. “He’s very good-looking.”

“He is. But he’s also an amazing friend and brother. He’ll do anything for the people he loves.”

Note to self: No more dreamy sighs. Best leave that for the women who are allowed to bid on him.

Even if the date was supposed to be mine.

I knew this from the way Trent looked at me and from the way he had planned the date to play out. The hike, the picnic, my favorite restaurant—they were special to me and only me. On top of that, he remembered what I’d told him about stargazing the day we’d hiked in Muir Woods.

The auctioneer took the microphone from Trent. “Let’s start the bidding at—”