He removed his black sunglasses. “No, that’s why you’re here. To work your magic.”
She removed her seat belt. “Before even offering this opportunity to him or anyone else, I’d like to talk to him and get a feel for him.” A male auctionee was a new venture, but she had enough experience in the auction department to know they couldn’t simply say too much at first. She didn’t want a future prospect to become too eager to be selected and end up fooling them into picking him.
He kicked a few bits of gravel out of the way. “You’re assuming he’ll say yes if you offer the position.”
She lifted her chin. Of course she didn’t envision a lot of struggle from a young man when offered a huge amount of money to sleep with an eager woman. Maybe I’ve become more cynical than normal. “Yes. Trust me, that amount of money is life changing. Everyone has a price.”
He touched her cheek with his index finger, tracing her skin and sending little shivers down her spine. “But not you. I heard many have tried.” Defiance glinted in his eyes, carrying a promise she shouldn’t dare to understand.
She stepped back, breaking the contact, her insides still in turmoil. “But no one has succeeded.”
“That’s interesting. You’ve never, hmmm, sold your goods?” he asked, looking down at her as if they were completely alone in a dimly lit room, and not standing in front of a barn in broad daylight.
She sucked in a breath and spoke through her teeth. She couldn’t count on her fingers how many men had offered money to fuck her—even when she’d been a scared teenager, running from home. “No.”
He angled closer, and a dark shadow took over his expression. “Why not? I mean if you’re so nonchalant about it.” He said it evenly, but she detected a slight criticism in his tone.
“I don’t see why this matters,” she said, her voice shakier than she intended. Hell, she’d paid her own price for not sleeping with men for money. She’d been hungry and homeless for weeks until an old lady took her in for a couple of months and let her stay in her house in exchange for some company and cleaning.
“We’re partners now. I need to know some of your core values.”
She squared her shoulders. Core values? Did he want her to join a conservative community or make them both money by choosing the right auctionee? Annoyance pinched her, and she flashed him a dismissive glance she hoped put him in his place. “We’re temporary business partners.”
He nudged her elbow, and she quickly withdrew. Didn’t the man have any notion about personal space? Her flesh seared where his fingers had brushed, and she cleared her dry throat. “Which is why you should trust me.”
“Which is why the reason I don’t sleep with men for money doesn’t matter,” she said.
“Now, don’t be so defensive like a frog cornered by a rattle snake. If you asked me the same question, I wouldn’t be offended.”
She suppressed a chuckle, the idea of this mega rich man charging for sex utterly ridiculous. “Fine. What’s your price, Mr. Taylor?”
“At least five hundred thousand,” he said without hesitation.
“For a month?”
He winked. “For a night.”
She laughed, ignoring the shiver zapping down her spine. If she wasn’t planning on saving for an early retirement from the virgin auctions, she’d spend that money on a man like him. “Your ego is as big as your ranch.”
“That’s not the only big thing at stake.”
A wave of heat flooded her cheeks. She could tell, when they’d kissed, and she’d felt his massive hard-on against her. “I’m glad you know how to brand yourself. Big ego, big cock. A rare breed these days,” she said, sarcasm lacing her voice. “True original.”
He touched his heart, making a sad face, like her words had wounded him beyond repair. “That’s why we need to talk more about personal things, Madam. Because you’re so good at putting me in my place.”
She swallowed. As long as I remember your place is far away from me.
Chapter Three
“And that’s what I do around here,” Logan said, sliding his hand down his horse’s lustrous mane.
Brooks straightened his shoulders. For the past half hour, he’d let Alexa speak with the blond young man and act like she was Brooks’s friend from out of town visiting his ranch. He didn’t interfere much, watching how she talked to Logan with ease, asking him about the ranch and throwing in a couple of personal questions for good measure.
“So fascinating,” Alexa said, smiling yet again at Logan.
Annoyance coated his throat, and he cleared it. Twice. Did she need to sound so convincing?
He drummed his fingers on his leather belt, impatiently. Though watching her wasn’t necessarily a sacrifice. Sharing Alexa, though, was a different story. He had to give her something—even though a part of him doubted a young buck like Logan would actually go through with the auction idea, he had to show her he was serious in order to keep her close.
A damn hard task.
“If you want, I reckon I can take you horseback riding tomorrow,” Logan said, running his fingers through his hair. “Show you around.”
“What a great idea,” Alexa said.
Brooks popped his knuckles to keep from clocking an eighteen-year-old into next week. “We’ll all go.” A wave of heat moved through him, making it impossible to stand still.
Logan looked at him and nodded quickly. “Yes, sir. If you excuse me, I’ll go feed the horses,” he said, disappearing into the barn.
Alexa stepped closer, hands perched at her waist. “What are you doing?”
“We’re partners. If you want to veto, that’s fine. But if you take off with my potential virgin and who knows, maybe pop his cherry yourself, then I have nothing,” he said, the mere idea of her getting naked with Logan or anyone else heating his blood. He’d heard through the grapevine Logan had never dated, which made him a good candidate. The image of Logan
