Chapter Seventeen #2
The entire dance repeated two lots later. But this time the lot was a case of wine, the bid ended at over eight thousand, and the wine was going home with Alex.
It became very apparent that anything Alex bid on, Melissa was right there with her. To the point where the room anticipated their volley and sat back to watch.
More times than not, Alex played Melissa, letting the wine go to her at a much higher price than the auction anticipated.
The last auction before the break between the less expensive and the ultra-exclusive lot was for two bottles Piper had shown interest in.
Alex waited until the wine in question was between two bidders, neither of which was Melissa, before she raised her number.
Melissa, as expected, joined in.
Alex never looked her way and kept bidding. Only when Alex hesitated, and the wine had reached a stupid number ... did Melissa succeed.
When the auctioneer announced the break, Lawrence leaned forward and asked, “Do you know her?”
Alex barely looked at him as she reached for her purse. “She was my stepmother. If you’ll excuse me.”
Alex left the stunned table and walked to the back of the room where Hawk stood.
“Did you know she was coming?” he asked.
“If I did, you would have been told.”
Hawk looked over the heads of the people moving around the room. “Do you know who she is seated with?”
“No.”
Before they could talk more, a woman approached and grabbed Alex’s attention. “Alexandrea Stone?”
“Yes, I’m sorry ... you are?”
“Renee Clairemont. My husband played golf with your father. I’m so sorry to hear of his passing. We were at the funeral—”
“There were a lot of people at the funeral,” Alex said. Her words were automatic since she hadn’t made any effort to learn the names of the people who had shown up.
“Of course. I wouldn’t expect you to remember us.”
Alex felt Hawk’s fingers graze her arm. “I’ll be over here,” he said as he snuck away.
When Hawk left her orbit, several other people approached. All of them knew her name, and she knew none of them.
So much for remaining anonymous.
There were those who knew her father and those who knew Alex’s soon-to-be stepfather.
While everyone seemed pleasant enough, Alex’s joy for the event had waned.
Before the auction continued, Mrs. Clairemont whispered in her ear, “I see Lawrence has found you.”
Alex glanced to her table, and the man in question smiling over at her.
“We just met.”
Mrs. Clairemont kept a smile on her face but defiance in her chin. “He and your stepmother have much in common. There is a reason he’s here and unable to bid on the wine, my dear.”
Alex swallowed. Of course. Too much charm painted on way too quickly.
“Thank you,” Alex told her.
“Anytime. I do hope Melissa and Lawrence don’t scare you off from this event. You’re much more pleasant than your father was.”
“So is a pit bull.”
Mrs. Clairemont laughed as she walked away.
Alex slipped on a smile and returned to her seat.
Lawrence pulled out her chair and continued to say the right things and laugh at the right times.
Alex kept her newfound knowledge of the man’s motivations to herself.
The auction resumed. And even though Alex hadn’t planned on raising her bidding paddle again ... she did. Twice, she spent too much money on wine she didn’t need.
She waited for the guilt that didn’t come.
When the auction ended, Alex said her goodbyes to the people at her table and was left with Lawrence.
“You’ve made this otherwise boring event much more memorable,” he told her.
“It was very memorable for me.” Alex smoothed her palm over her dress and looked him in the eye.
He took that as an invitation and reached out to touch her arm.
Alex turned to the side at the last second.
His eyes narrowed.
“Can I see you again?” he asked.
“A date?” she clarified.
He smiled.
“No.”
That smile fell.
Instead of calling him out on his search for a sugar mama, Alex said, “I don’t feel that ... spark. The kind one should if they were going to date.”
“I have a way of growing on people,” he told her.
“Like a fungus?” she asked.
He scowled.
Alex pointed to the back of the room. “I need to go settle with the auction. Thank you for your company, Lawrence. Perhaps I’ll see you next year.”
“But . . .”
On the way to the tables set up to settle her bill, she noticed Hawk standing by with her coat draped across his arm.
Alex removed her cell phone from her purse and sent a quick message to her pilot.
When she was finished pressing send, a person stopped in front of her.
Alex met Melissa’s smile.
“Hello, Melissa. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“Your father and I attended every year.”
“Were you even old enough to drink when you first attended?”
Melissa scowled.
“Are you here looking for the next Mr. Stone?” Alex couldn’t help the dig.
“I’m doing everything I can to not need another one,” Melissa admitted.
“Admirable of you.”
Melissa dropped her smile. “The police came to me. Asking questions about buildings and bombs.”
Alex noticed Hawk moving closer as patrons weaved in, out, and around the two of them.
“The police questioned a lot of people.”
“That’s not the impression I got.” Melissa gripped her purse with both hands. “What I can’t wrap my mind around is why you or your brother would think that I would want to blow up a building and a business that I am now part owner of.”
Alex wasn’t sure of that either, but disgruntled widows screwed out of millions because of a prenuptial had a way of making the list of suspects. “How did you come to be on the board? There is no possible way you had the funds to buy Yarros out.”
Melissa smirked, not giving away even one card. “Some of us have to work to make the money in our accounts and buy our shares. We didn’t have it given to us.”
Hawk stepped close at that point, his eyes on Melissa.
She looked at him, then back to Alex.
Melissa’s brows knitted. “You brought a bodyguard,” she said flat out.
“We should go,” Hawk said, reaching for Alex’s arm.
Melissa leaned back. “Someone threatened you.”
Alex wasn’t sure what bothered her more, the fact that Melissa genuinely sounded concerned or that she’d made the conclusion at all. “See you at the next board meeting.”
Alex turned.
Melissa stepped in front of her.
Hawk put his arm out, keeping Melissa out of reach.
She held up a hand and backed away. “Much as I’d love to take some of Stone Enterprises out from under you, and the occasional bottle of wine, I’d never stoop to violence.”