She could see now that the person interrupting them was the charity auction event manager—an English ex-pat called Sarah, who had become a friend of sorts. They met whenever Lia came to New York.
‘What’s wrong, Sarah?’ Lia was relieved that her voice sounded calmer than she felt.
The attractive blonde woman looked panicked. ‘Stacy Somers, the supermodel, was supposed to be here for the charity auction, which is due to start in ten minutes. The deal was that she’d auction a kiss, and now we’re stuck.’
Lia’s eyes widened at her friend’s expressive look, and she spluttered, ‘But...but you can’t mean for me to fill in?’ All her old insecurities flooded back. ‘I’m hardly supermodel-replacement material—and hardly anyone here even knows me!’
Her friend’s eyes were wild and panicked. ‘Please, Lia. You look amazing tonight, and no one will care who you are. It’s for charity, and it’s a fun item, and it’s in the auction brochure and my boss is going crazy at the thought of the schedule getting messed up...’
Lia felt cornered. Just the thought of everyone staring at her made her skin break out in a cold sweat.
And then a deep voice from beside her said, ‘I’d pay for a kiss from you.’
She looked up at the man—she’d almost forgotten he was there in her moment of panic. And now she felt hot all over. At the thought of his eyes on her. At the thought of him claiming her in front of everyone. Lord. New York was warping her brain completely.
‘I’m sorry, but who are you?’
The question came from Sarah, and Lia’s attention snapped to her suddenly very curious-looking friend. The thought of him revealing who he was here and now threatened to burst the intimate bubble that had cocooned them.
Lia made a split-second decision and said, ‘I’ll do it.’
Her friend looked at her and her relief was palpable. Lia shrugged off the jacket and handed it back to the stranger. Their hands touched and she felt a zing of electricity. She felt jittery, as she had last night. Had she just sent him a challenge? Would he bid for a kiss and reveal himself?
Before she could think about it any further Sarah was taking her by the arm and all but hauling her back into the thronged room, gabbling about what she needed Lia to do. Lia barely heard a word.
She glanced back once before she was sucked into the crowd, but when she did the patio was empty and she wondered for a crazy, panicky moment if she’d just dreamed up the whole encounter with the enigmatic stranger. And, if she’d ever see him again.
* * *
‘Now, who is going to start the bidding for a kiss with our lovely English rose, Julianna Ford?’ said the smooth-voiced auctioneer behind the tall lectern.
Benjamin stood at the side of the room with his arms folded and his hands tucked under his arms. Because he was afraid he might reach out and throttle anyone who dared to attempt to kiss the woman standing on the dais, situated in the centre of the vast room.
She looked far too enticing with her hair pulled back, exposing her long neck, but also strangely vulnerable. He would have thought that someone from her background and particular social scene would be accustomed to showing off in such a manner. She’d certainly shown an authoritative side when they’d met the previous evening.
And yet he recalled her wide-eyed look of shock just after they’d collided. The way colour had washed into her cheeks. Most women he knew would have made the most of such an encounter, but she’d appeared slightly awkward. Unsettled.
She wore an elaborate black lace mask over the top half of her face and it only enhanced her beauty, making her look mysterious. But even the mask couldn’t hide the brilliant blue of her eyes. Or that enticing mouth.
He could sense other men’s interest and a surge of something completely alien rushed up inside him. It took him a moment to recognise that it was possessiveness, because he’d never felt it before for a woman.
Mine. The word thrummed through Ben’s blood, just as a voice near the front shouted out, ‘Five thousand dollars!’
Something went tight inside Ben as the bidding started to escalate... Ten thousand, fifteen...twenty... There were gasps now, people were looking around.
And then a booming voice called out, ‘Fifty thousand dollars!’
Ben knew who it was immediately. An old foe of his—someone who had tried to stamp out Ben’s company before it had even got started. He saw the man pushing through the crowd now, small and squat, eyes bulging, perspiration beading on his brow.
He also saw, even from where he was, how Julianna’s eyes widened behind the mask as she took him in.
The auctioneer held up his gavel and asked if anyone wanted to contest this latest bid. No one moved. The thought of that man getting anywhere near Julianna made Ben feel a level of violence he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
The auctioneer brought the gavel down once, twice... And just before he could bring it down again Ben spoke authoritatively into the silence. ‘One million dollars.’
Everyone gasped and turned to look at him. He walked forward, the crowd parting to let him through.
When he was near the dais he stopped and said, ‘But I want more than a kiss. For a million dollars I want a weekend with Julianna Ford.’
* * *
It was him. She hadn’t imagined him. She’d looked for him in the crowd as people had bid for the kiss, squirming with embarrassment but trying not to let it show. All the confidence and bravado she’d felt out on the terrace had faded under the glare of lights and hundreds of people.
But he was here. Still in the mask, like so many others. Who was he?
As if reading her thoughts, he said, ‘If you agree to the bid I’ll reveal myself.’
Her heart palpitated. She’d wanted this, hadn’t she? She’d never felt so exposed in her life, and yet so tempted to throw caution to the wind and act completely out of character. Apart from anything else, the promise of a million dollars as a donation to her favourite charity was mind-boggling.
There was a discreet cough from nearby and the auctioneer said, ‘Miss Ford? Do you accept this bid? It’s a little unorthodox...’
Feeling as if she was taking a giant leap off a cliff and into the unknown, she nodded her head jerkily before she could lose her nerve. She was barely aware of the auctioneer wrapping up the bidding—because who on earth would bid more than a million dollars? It was crazy, outrageous.
Romantic, said a small voice that she quickly shut down. Since when had she been interested in romantic? Certainly not after seeing the devastating effects of her mother leaving her father...
And now the auctioneer was saying, ‘I think we’d all like to know who our mysterious benefactor is—not least Miss Ford, who has to spend a weekend with you.’
Slightly nervous laughter rippled through the crowd as the man reached up to pull his mask off. Just before he did, Lia caught a flash of light blue eyes and a shiver of foreboding skated down her spine.
