Bidding On The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 8) (12 page)

“I’m not sure, but I think I see some flames escaping from your mother’s head and I doubt Paris will ever be able to close her mouth again.”

“Please don’t say anything else about them or anything else about this whole night. Ever.”

“I won’t mention your family again, but we’ve got a few other things to talk about later. And I think you know what those things are.” He got them within a few feet of her table and then took a good look at her mother’s face. Perhaps sitting with Scarlet Novak wasn’t the wisest of moves right now. Glancing over his shoulder toward his own family, he met the stares coming from everyone sitting there too. “How does some fresh air sound?” While the ballroom took up most of the top floor of the hotel, a small garden terrace was set up off the main lobby.

“Great idea, but I need to arrange payment and my purse is at the table. Avoiding my mother isn’t possible for me.”

Once her mom got her claws into her, Brooklyn wouldn’t escape. “Stay here, I’ll grab it for you. You can settle the financial obligation, and then we can step outside. Maybe even stay out there until your family leaves.”

“Like that would stop my mom? If I don’t go over there, she’ll follow me out. It’s better if I get this confrontation over now. Besides, with so many people around, she may remain a tad more calm than she’d be at my place.”

Brooklyn had a point, although he needed to speak with her too. “Do you want me to walk over with you? Then we can escape here together.”

Brooklyn tugged her hand free before she answered him. “It’ll be better if you don’t. We can talk about getting the dates set up and over with this weekend. I know you want them done soon, but I think it can wait a day or two.”

If their upcoming dates and simple money were what he wanted to discuss, it could wait several days. That wasn’t the conversation they needed to have. “We’ve got more to talk about, Brooklyn.”

She’d already taken a few steps away from him, but she stopped. “Right, the money part. Call me tomorrow if you’re around and we can settle everything. I think I better deal with my mom now. The longer I make her wait, the worse it’ll be. If you’re busy tomorrow, call me on Sunday instead.”

Before he could agree, she walked away leaving him no other choice but to watch. When she reached her table, she received an earful from her mother. From where he stood, he couldn’t hear Scarlet’s comments, but considering her facial expression as well as Brooklyn’s, she didn’t have anything pleasant to say. Before she finished whatever tirade she’d started, Brooklyn touched her mom’s shoulder, said a few words, and then walked away, her purse in hand.

Intent on following her and getting her away from everyone else, he started after her.

“I never realized you were so devious.” His cousin Courtney’s voice reached his ears a moment before her hand landed on his arm.

Talk about bad timing
. Unable to ignore his cousin, he watched Brooklyn exit the ballroom. “No clue what you’re talking about.”

“Then you’re the only one who doesn’t.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. He’d assumed there was a fifty-fifty chance his aunt and cousins would suspect what he’d done, but not anyone outside the family.

“Well, maybe not everyone here, just everyone in the family. I don’t know her well, but I’m surprised she went along with this. Deception doesn’t seem like her.”

“Who says it was my idea?” He kept a lookout for Brooklyn. Since her mom remained seated inside the ballroom, he assumed she would return to their table eventually.

“At least she kept Tasha away from you. I’m sure that’s what this was all about. Were you sweating blood up there when Brooklyn took so long to put in her final bid?” Thankfully Courtney kept her voice low. “I bet she did it on purpose. If you’d asked me to do something similar, I would’ve wanted to make you squirm a little first.”

He hadn’t considered that as a possible reason for her delay, but Courtney had a point.

“You realize you might have ruined things for her with Trevor?” Courtney sounded annoyed. “Or was that all part of your grand plan too?”

Judging by his cousin’s comments, she’d been talking to his twin sister and heard Allison’s theory that he wanted to be with Brooklyn. He’d dismissed Allison’s idea and tried not to think about it. His body’s reaction on stage when they kissed had him wondering about it and a lot of other things. Things he needed to discuss with Brooklyn, not his cousin or anyone else.

“Can we let this go, Courtney, before someone overhears us?” For the moment, the lobby outside the main doors remained empty, but it wouldn’t stay that way. “And so you know, everything’s fine between her and Trevor. She told him everything and they’re still seeing each other.”
At least for now.

Twenty minutes after arranging for the bank transfer and sneaking out of the Bellevue Hotel before either her mom or Derek came looking for her, she still wasn’t positive whom she wanted to avoid more. She walked into the safety of her apartment, although how long it would remain safe she didn’t know. Once her mom had realized Brooklyn didn’t plan on returning to finish their conversation, she’d probably called her husband and filled him in on what happened and how their daughter had possibly ruined the chances of him merging Dimension with Atlantic Coast Marketing. Even as she locked the door, her dad could be on his way over to share his opinion of her little stunt and the likely repercussions.

The same went for Derek. She suspected he was ticked because she’d held off on her final bid, making it look like Tasha had won. Although she’d been reluctant to put in the first bid, once she got going, she’d had no intention of letting him down. However, considering all the trouble their little agreement was about to cause her, she’d wanted to make Derek sweat just a little up there. And he had.

She’d seen it in his face as Tasha made her way toward the stage and up the stairs. Even so, she realized it had been a little childish and cruel. Maybe depending on when she saw him, she’d apologize. Or perhaps not. A lot of it hinged on her dad’s reaction and the amount of time separating her confrontation with him and when she saw Derek. If by some super unlikely twist of fate they both showed up tonight, Derek was not going to like what she had to say, especially now that she had a big bone to pick with him.

Brooklyn switched on lights as she walked through the apartment, Derek’s stupid kiss set on a continuous loop in her head. After she’d seen Colton, the first bachelor, kiss the winning bidder, and every bachelor who followed do the same, she’d resigned herself to the idea of Derek kissing her too. She’d expected a brief touch of his lips against hers, much like the kiss Henry Blakey, another bachelor auctioned off, dropped on the woman who stepped on stage next to him. Heck, Henry kept his kiss so short the photographer had asked them to do it again because it ended before he got a picture.

The kiss Derek dropped on her hadn’t been a mere touch of lips, but rather a warm, sensual caress that convinced her arms to wrap themselves around him despite her brain’s loud objections. While she wished he’d followed Henry’s example, she’d admit the kiss Derek gave her did look better for pictures, and it would certainly help sell their charade more than a quick peck. Perhaps that was why she’d gone along with it. At least until he’d tried to take it even further. When he’d tugged on her bottom lip as if to get her to open for him, her brain’s arguments won out and she’d pulled herself away. Giving the camera and crowd a convincing kiss was one thing, giving them a full openmouthed lip lock was another.

Stupid, stupid
. What had he been thinking? Just because Milan and her bachelor and one other couple had gotten all hot and heavy on the stage didn’t mean everyone had to. And it was what he would’ve done if she hadn’t stopped him. She might be a virgin, but she’d been kissed enough times to recognize the signs of someone taking a kiss to the next level.

Stepping out of her gown, she placed it on a hanger and returned it to her closet. Monday she’d drop it off at the cleaners and then later return it to the far corner of her wardrobe. Rather than merely wash the layers of makeup from her face, she carried her cotton shorts and T-shirt into the bathroom. A hot shower was just the thing to help ease the tension in her neck and shoulders.

Hot water pelted her from the numerous jets inside the shower stall. For several seconds, she stood under the onslaught allowing the water to work its magic. When the knots in her shoulders began to lessen, she reached for her favorite citrus body wash. Brooklyn took more time than normal in the shower, but when she stepped out, the tension and aggravation she’d carried in had been washed down the drain along with the soapsuds.

Glad to have whatever hair products the stylist had used earlier gone, she combed out her hair and left it loose to dry. Most days she blew it dry after a shower; otherwise, it turned into an unmanageable mop. Since the only plans she had for the rest of the evening involved her couch and television, she skipped the unpleasant task and headed toward her kitchen.

Yep, since she was more relaxed now; she needed a way to remain that way. A nice mug of hot chocolate and a movie were the perfect recipe for keeping her mind on things besides tonight’s events. Or more specifically, Derek’s lips against hers.

For a few months after they first met, she’d fantasized about how it would be if he kissed her. As their friendship developed and he became one of her closest friends, she’d forced herself to stop and never think of it again. Only occasionally did she find it a difficult task these days.

Now, thanks to their little arrangement, she no longer needed to imagine because she had firsthand knowledge. Knowledge she didn’t want and would give back if she could. Unfortunately, some things you couldn’t return

Her eyes watched the mug in the microwave rotate, and her mind replayed the kiss up on stage. Their bodies had come in contact numerous times over the years. Sometimes when they were together their knees would bump or their hands would touch. Until tonight though, she’d never had his entire body pressed up against hers. And man, oh, man she’d liked it. No, correction: she’d loved it.

Be smart. Forget about it and the kiss
. If she didn’t find some way of blocking the memory, she’d never be comfortable around Derek again. The last thing she wanted was to lose his friendship.

The microwave dinged, but before she retrieved her hot chocolate, the doorbell chimed. Frozen in place, she considered her options. Security on the first floor checked everyone who came in who they didn’t immediately recognize. If the unfamiliar visitor was listed in the computer as a family member or regular visitor, they were allowed up; otherwise, the guard on duty called upstairs before allowing anyone to proceed. Since she hadn’t received a call from security, she suspected the visitor was either a family member or Derek.

It could be Robbie, she admitted. Her neighbor never called before crossing the hall and ringing the bell. Brooklyn checked the stove clock. Midnight. Robbie never visited this late. She didn’t need to ask to know it wouldn’t be either Paris or Milan. Paris would be at her hotel talking to Seth before going to bed. And more than likely, Milan was getting to know bachelor number six better in her hotel room. Leaving only two other possibilities….

She could pretend not to be home. Whoever stood in the hall would get tired of waiting and leave, at least for a little while. Tomorrow whoever it was would return and possibly be more annoyed than they were now. Besides, ignoring them tonight didn’t accomplish much except to prolong whatever unpleasant conversation awaited her. And it was going to be unpleasant no matter what.

“Better to get it over with now anyway.” Brooklyn pushed away from the counter, all the tension that had been washed away rushing back into her neck and head. Already a throbbing pain beat just above her left eyebrow, and she hadn’t opened the door yet.

Rubbing at her forehead, she paused, her right hand poised over the door handle. “Who is it?”

“Your parents.” Her dad’s voice came through the door, the thick wood doing nothing to muffle the anger in it.

Her left eye twitched as she opened the door.

Neither of her parents waited for an invitation. Instead, they strode inside as if they owned the place. Asking why they were making a midnight visit would only irritate them both more, and judging by their expressions, she’d done enough of that already tonight. So rather than risk saying the wrong thing, she closed the door and followed them into the living room.

“I’m sure you know why we’re here,” Scarlet said rather than a proper hello.

“Mom, Dad, it’s late. Can we have this conversation after we all get some sleep? You’re going to be in town all weekend anyway. And sometimes it’s better to sleep on things.”

“We had an agreement, Brooklyn. You gave me your word.” Donovan Novak ignored her request as he stepped closer to her. “Less than two months ago you sat across from me and promised to give a relationship with Trevor a chance. One evening out is hardly doing that.”

Although curious how he knew how many times they’d seen each other, Brooklyn decided it was in her best interest not to inquire about that tonight.

“And this stunt of yours, bidding on Derek Sherbrooke. What were you thinking?” her father demanded.

Considering how much her dad disliked Derek, focusing on Trevor rather than the auction seemed like the wisest of moves. “Trevor and I’ve also met for coffee several times and talked on the phone. In fact, I saw him on Tuesday afternoon. So I am giving him a chance. But we’re not seeing each other exclusively. Our relationship hasn’t progressed there.”

“And it never will if you spend time with that playboy you call a friend.”

Derek wasn’t a playboy. She’d told her dad that over and over. “Dad—”

“I’ve known plenty of men like him. Sherbrooke has only two uses for a woman like you.”

A woman like her
. His words stung more than a slap across the face would, because even without asking, she understood what he meant. Although he’d never said it to her face, she knew her father considered Paris and Milan his beautiful, talented daughters, while he thought of her as his intelligent, reliable one. Most of the time it didn’t bother her. Looks faded; intelligence and a good work ethic were things she’d have the rest of her life. His unexpected comment tonight, however, sank deep into her heart.