The Auction House Deal: Bought by A Billionaire

Once the bill was paid, and Lauren and I managed to get enough water into Kristen and Lori that they were relatively sober, we moved as a group to the door.

Kristen had her arm looped with mine, wiggling her fingers at tables of men we passed on the way out. She wasn’t a stumbling drunk at that point, but they certainly seemed to be having a good time.

As much as I wanted to be angry with her for having stolen away the evening into a drunken sort of flurry that included trying to give me alcohol when I already said I didn’t want to drink, I knew she was doing her best to let loose and make sure we all did as well.

Things had been tense, and Lord only knew what Kristen had been going through alone while out in the world in her secretive ways.

As we headed down the sidewalk to the parking garage, Kristen stopped in her tracks. Her eyes locked forward.

"What is it?" I asked her.

She raised a trembling hand and pointed across the road. "It-It’s... Oh, what was his name?" she whispered.

My eyes went wide. "Whose name?"

"That man!" Kristen exclaimed. "He was from the Auction House!"

Just like that, the guards all sprung into action. Half of them hurried across the street, the crosswalk granting them clear access.

I stood there, frozen in nothing short of crippling fear and shock. My mind ran rampantly over every possibility.

Was the guy alone? Was it a customer or one of the employees? Was he meaning us harm, or was he out about his day?

I was dizzied, my breathing shallow and shaky. What were we supposed to do? It was then that Kristen yanked my arm.

I moved out of instinct rather than actual thought. I didn’t want to stand around and get hurt. It was as though Kristen had kicked in fight-or-flight for me, and I was ready to fly as far away as possible. I was thankful I had opted for boots instead of heels, having more confident strides to carry me away from the scene. My brain barely registered our remaining guards shouting after us.

Where were we supposed to run? The only place I could think of was Roman’s office building. I knew there was a fair amount of security there, so we were likely going to be safe if hiding out there. How far away were we, though?

Just as I thought to suggest it, we turned another corner, and I was dragged through a crowd and through an entryway.

Thumping music, loud voices, and bouncers indicated to me we were in a night club. As we approached the bar, I looked to Kristen with confusion. Were we there to hide in crowds? I supposed it was a good idea, knowing it would be hard for someone to grab us in front of people. We just had to stick together...

"Oh, don’t look at me like that," Kristen giggled.

"What?" I muttered.

"You look so confused and dazed. Okay, okay. I told a little lie. How were we supposed to have an appropriate girls’ night? Is that so bad?" Kristen asked me, placing her hands on her hips before she turned to the bartender and ordered a round of shots.

I couldn’t stop staring at her, her words not fully sinking in.

She... had lied? She lied about seeing someone from the Auction House so we could ditch the security detail?

I just... I was at a loss for words, my mind somehow not being willing to accept it.

Why would she do that? If she wanted to club, the guards could have come with us. They hadn’t at all interfered with our dinner. Besides, didn’t she say we would go back to the house after dinner?

I couldn’t tell if I was angry, frustrated, rattled, or all of the above.

Before I could gather any sort of response, Kristen turned and snatched my purse from me. I opened my mouth to snap at her for it when she pulled my phone out and tucked it into her bra. I glared so hard that I was pretty sure I was trying to turn her to stone.

"No tattling," she grinned.

"You have to be joking," I snapped. "Have you lost your mind?"

She frowned and shrugged. "Listen, I know it is wrong to lie about that sort of stuff. How else was I supposed to lose them? You’re never going to forget about the dangers and all that stuff if you have those guys standing around. A girls’ night is about forgetting your troubles, not being haunted by them."

She patted my shoulder, handed me a shot glass, and walked off.

I stood there, blinking, and grinding my teeth. I didn’t know how to feel. I could understand her sentiment, but could she have not at least asked me how I felt about it? I didn’t want to be without the guards, and I most certainly didn’t want to be without my phone.

Roman was bound to catch word about what was going on, right? He was going to worry. Flashbacks of the last time Kristen and I went clubbing played across my mind and I felt nauseous.

I didn’t know what to do, and I felt defeated.

Finding a table, I sat down and stared down at my shot. I worried about getting drunk and something happening, but what else was there to do in a club? I didn’t want to dance with anyone that wasn’t Roman. Out of pure misery, I took the shot and pushed the glass away.

Lori appeared at my side and looked at me with her big doe eyes. "I know what Kristen did was wrong, but I think we should embrace it."

"I’m not doing that," I muttered.

"Why not?" Lori asked. "The deed is done. We can’t just leave her here. So we might as well have fun for a little while before we leave."

"Because it’s wrong, Lori. Those guards are going to freak out. Their jobs are going to be in danger. Roman is going to be worried, and all for what? For a night at a club I didn’t ask for? I told her just earlier how I was nervous about getting back out in the world because of everything, and this is what she does?"

Lori squeezed my arm and looked at me with the sincerest eyes I think I had ever seen. "I know it’s weird and sounds like I’m just defending her, but I do think she means well. Maybe she wanted your first experience out in the world again to be a fun one, so that it left a good impression. You know?"

When I didn’t respond favorably and kept my eyes on the tabletop, Lori tried again. "It’s like... How people show love differently. I would have held your hand and let you guide the way to show love through patience and comfort. I think Kristen thinks she’s doing right by you, and just happens to have the sort of love like... like a dad throwing the kid in the deep end to teach them to swim. The dad of course doesn’t want the kid to drown. He just wants the kids to learn. All the while, he stands on the edge, watching the kid flap and flounder. Ready to help if he needs it, but has faith the kid will get it."

Something about her metaphor did crack through my walls.

Looking up at her, I then searched past her and found Kristen on the dance floor. She was looking over at us, dancing simply and waving us over. She was radiating joy and fun.

Was I in the wrong for being upset? I wasn’t sure. Everyone else seemed to be on board with everything that was going on.

"This wasn’t a fair way to approach it. But she’s trying. You know as well as I do that she hasn’t had a typical life by any standard. This isn’t right, but it’s her trying. I think a talk is in order later, but don’t crush her when she’s trying," Lori stated as though she could read my mind.

She had a point. I was still angry, but I should try to connect.

Letting out a sigh, I nodded. "I’m not really in the mood for dancing or drinking, though."

"Give her a song or two, try and have a good time. In a half hour, if you still feel this way, we will go."

That was fair enough. I nodded again and moved with my sister to the dance floor.

We met up with Lauren and Kristen. Even though an attitude clung to me in the atmosphere, I was going to do my best to live by my word. Kristen was trying, even if it was short-sighted and not very thoughtful. I owed it to her to at least try her way.

I moved to the music and tried not to think of Roman and if he had heard we had gotten away, but it was impossible.