BID HIGH
Crissy Smith
A Total-E-Bound Publication
www.total-e-bound.com
Bid High
ISBN # 978-0-85715-133-9
©Copyright Crissy Smith 2010
Cover Art by Natalie Winters ©Copyright April 2010
Edited by Jess Bimberg
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2010 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom .
Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.
Dedication
Love is not always conventional, and here is to all who celebrate and accept that fact.
Chapter One
“You didn’t!” Amber Wilson was shocked. In disbelief, she stared at her two best friends.
Trish nodded. “I did!”
Jessica laughed with Trish. “It wasn’t easy either. The auction has been sold out for months.”
“I’m not going!” Amber argued. They really expected her to go to an auction, bid on a stranger and have sex with him? Her best friends should know her better than that.
“You’re going,” Trish told her sternly. Then Amber watched with horror as Trish took the tickets from her purse.
Amber tried a different angle. “You can’t afford those!” She was not going.
“Actually I didn’t. They were…a gift. And you two are my dates.”
Jessica stirred her coffee. “We don’t need dates. We buy them there.” She giggled.
Taking a drink of her coffee, Amber tried to come up with another excuse. “I can’t afford the men there.”
Her two friends exchanged amused smiles. “It’s for charity. A very good charity. And we all know you’re loaded anyway.”
Amber sighed, knowing no excuse would be good enough. “I’d be so embarrassed.”
Reaching out a hand, Jessica patted her arm. “We’ll be there for support. I’m sorry we had to do it this way but you need to get out there again.”
“It’s been three years, honey,” Trish added.
“I know how long it’s been,” she snapped, not wanting to dwell too much on why it had been three years. “And it’s not that I’m not ready, I just haven’t met anyone I find…interesting.”
“Maybe Friday night you will,” Trish pointed out gently.
Amber knew she was lucky to have such good friends. They’d been friends since college and had witnessed her meltdown after Dan. Just the thought of that man had Amber’s stomach turning. They had been together five years, and just eight weeks from getting married, when she’d found out he was with her because of a deal with her father. Marrying her would have given him control of her father’s company. If that hadn’t been bad enough, he’d been running around on her. And it seemed everyone had known but her.
Shaking those horrid thoughts from her mind, Amber gave serious thought about her current situation. She knew what happened at the auctions. Her friends had been telling her stories for years. She just couldn’t see herself doing it.
“I don’t know,” she finally said, knowing she was giving in. There had never been any chance she wouldn’t go. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. She didn’t have to bid. She could just enjoy a night out with the girls. That didn’t sound too terrible once she really thought about it.
“Don’t worry,” Jessica encouraged. “We’ll be there with you.”
Amber didn’t feel better. Her friends could get crazy.
Looking around her bookstore, Amber tried to see herself being as outrageous as they were. She’d never been one to party or have one-night stands.
She liked books. The fictional characters knew how to live and love. Lost in a book, she could be anyone—the seductive co-ed, the naughty librarian, the sexy secretary—but in real life, she was just Amber.
“Say yes,” Trish pleaded, and Amber felt the first stirrings of excitement.
Hadn’t she been complaining that she was bored? That she wanted something more than going home at night, alone? Well, this was her chance. She could check out the auction. It didn’t mean she had to bid.
“I’ll go.”
“And bid,” Trish finished for her.
“I’ve got to get to work.” Jessica said, glancing at her watch and standing.
Trish also looked at her watch and groaned. “Me too. Maybe today someone will rob the bank and give me some excitement.”
Amber laughed. That’s what she loved about her friends. They were never boring. And under the humour, they had hearts of gold.
Picking up the empty mugs, Amber walked over to the sink hidden off to the side away from customers and set them inside. “I don’t know what to wear.” Friday was only four days away.
“We’ll go shopping!” Jessica squealed.
Amber cringed. Shopping with Jessica always took hours.
“Tonight! We’ll meet here after work,” Jessica continued, not noticing her reaction.
Amber looked over at Trish who only shrugged. “Fine. If I’m going to do this, I might as well do it right.”
“You won’t be sorry,” Jessica told her before kissing her cheek and heading for the door.
Trish waited until Jessica left before speaking. “You really won’t. This is going to be great. The Bachelor Auction is always the biggest fundraiser of the year.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll probably end up with an accountant who talks about stuff I don’t have a clue about all night.”
Trish smiled back at her. “I can promise you that is not going to happen.” She picked up the tickets from the table. “I’ll just hold on to these to make sure they’re safe.”
Amber laughed. Trish was always one step in front of her.
“See you tonight. We’ll get you the sexiest dress they have.” Trish winked. “You’ll see.”
Amber wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t really have much choice. Her friends had gone through a lot of trouble for her.
Amber was still thinking about the auction when the bell on her front door jingled two hours later. She looked up and almost bit her tongue.
Dear Lord! Thomas Baldwin. The six-foot-two hunk of man smiled as he approached.
“Ms. Wilson,” he greeted with that sexy and low voice that made her panties wet.
“Mr. Baldwin, what a surprise,” Amber replied then wanted to kick herself. She sounded so stupid. He was her landlord; he could come by anytime. He often dropped by to share a cup of coffee or pick up a book. In the last few months, he’d been in at least once a week.
He continued to smile and nodded. “Sorry to interrupt your day, but I wanted to let you know that we’re having a problem with the water line in the alley.”
“Oh,” she replied stupidly. Damn, she wished she could think of something else to say. Anything else.