CHAPTER TWELVE #2
“He’s alive.” It wasn’t a question. She leaned back in her chair. “I have an idea.” She quickly texted someone on her phone, then looked back up at us. “He’ll be here in a minute.”
Leo walked in, and for a minute I thought she had texted him.
“Look, sis, don’t you think you should let Byron know about this? I think there’s the chance that he wouldn’t want…”
“Oh,” Carmen said, a secretive smile on her face, “I don’t think he’ll mind if she’s in the auction. He’s handling something important in Virginia right now.”
I closed my eyes, the pain still fresh. Why did I have to fall for a guy whose heart belonged to someone else?
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. Carmen was looking at me, and I thought I saw guilt flash briefly across her face. But I must’ve been wrong, because she was smiling again soon.
Leo wasn’t satisfied. “She’s Nadine’s sister! Nadine is one of your best friends,” he hissed. “Do you really think she’s going to be okay with this?”
Carmen frowned. “I think she’ll realize we’re trying to protect her.”
Leo still looked nervous. “Fine. I’ll… I have something to do.” He left abruptly and she frowned as she watched him go.
“Weird. But it’s Leo, so I don’t know why I expect anything different.” She glanced at Nora. “I’m afraid the plan I have is going to bump you to next month, Nora.”
“Oh. Okay.” She looked panicked for a moment. “You know, I wouldn’t need to be the headliner if that’s what you’re moving me for.”
“Yes. You do need to be the headliner. And so does Jess. She’s had a massive response in Cayenne in the short time she’s been here.
It’s drummed up interest in the auction from the Cayenne crowd.
Most of our auction goers tend to be from Sugar, so we’re tapping into a slightly new clientele.
I’m excited about it, but it does mean she has to headline. ”
“But why do I need to headline? I’m just a bartender…”
Carmen laughed. “You have as many fans as Glory, if not more. Everyone loves you. You work in both Sugar and Cayenne, so you have fans there, too. That would bring in Cayenne interest two months in a row. After that, I think we’d get permanent interest from them.”
“I’m sorry, Nora. I would do it next month, but…”
“You can’t,” Carmen said bluntly. She pushed my phone to Nora.
She read the text and went pale. “Oh my God. No, you have to do it this month. I’ll gladly give up my spot to you.”
“Thank you.” I got up and gave her a hug. “That means a lot to me.”
Nora just smiled her sweet smile. “Of course.”
Enzo walked into Carmen’s office. He looked at me. “So, that bastard is alive?”
I nodded.
“Tonight, I’ll be bidding on you.”
“The auction is tonight?” I was surprised. I hadn’t realized it was so close.
“We’re bumping it up,” Enzo said. Carmen didn’t look exactly pleased, but she didn’t say anything. “I’m going to bid on you.”
My eyes went wide.
He grinned. “You don’t have to sleep with me, baby. Unless you want to,” he winked. “This is for your protection. You’ll live with me for two months. There’s no way that asshole will try to attack you or take you from my penthouse. It would be a death sentence. Everyone knows that.”
“You could just give her the money she needs to get set up somewhere new. Get her out of town,” Carmen suggested.
“No. Then she’d be looking over her shoulder her whole life. She’ll stay with me for two months or as long as it takes to find this guy and eliminate him.”
“We have to make it look real,” Carmen warned. “You have to seem like you’re dying for her…”
“That won’t be a problem,” he said confidently. “And I’ll give her whatever I’m supposed to. Cars, a house, jewelry, clothes. We’ll just have Madeline pick out the clothes and jewelry.” He turned to me. “Unless you want to.”
“Not really. I’m not much of a shopper.”
He grinned. “Like Nadine.”
“And enough money to get out of town and start over,” Carmen said. She was really stressing the get me out of town part.
“If we kill this guy, she won’t have to leave,” Enzo said, not seeming to notice that Carmen wanted me gone.
Of course, I knew it was because of Byron. But she didn’t strike me as lacking confidence. Surely, she didn’t think me being around would threaten her relationship with him. If he loved her like I overheard… I wouldn’t be a problem.
“Okay,” Carmen said. “Well, I guess I don’t have to have the sex talk with you.”
“The sex talk?” I leaned forward. “I’m not a virgin—is that what you’re talking about?”
Everyone laughed. “No, sorry, I should have been clear. Most of the time I have to ask each woman going into the auction what they will and won’t do in the bedroom.
I have to make sure they’re sexually compatible with the guy who wins them at auction.
If you an Enzo are going to have sex,” she shrugged, “that’s one less thing I have to worry about. ”
Enzo gave me a slow grin. “But if you change your mind, I’ll make sure we don’t do anything you don’t want to do.”
God. I needed a fan. These Salazar men were ridiculously attractive.
Carmen rolled her eyes, and I had to wonder what it was like growing up with five brothers. She looked back at me. “Why don’t you and Nora go out and order in some food? You’ll be here a while, Jess. I’ll call Madeline and Glory to come work on you and get you ready for tonight.”
As Nora and I were leaving, Carmen was hurrying to Ardley. “Okay, I need you to re-print the auction flyers and send out an emergency text to all members that the auction is tonight…”
“Tonight?” she squeaked.
“Tonight,” Carmen nodded. “We’ve got a lot to do.”
Nora and I happily hurried away.
I was glad not to be handling the logistics of what was going to go down tonight. All I had to do was show up and look pretty.