CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT #2
The relationship I had with Reynolds was strange now.
I mean, I guess it always was considering the whole auction thing.
But it was even more messed up now. I tried to take the changes in stride, but spending three or four nights a week without him hurt.
It was like he’d chosen Whitney over me, which wasn’t fair considering she was his girlfriend before he’d had anything to do with me.
But he was so hungry for me when he did come over. The way we went after each other was crazy, and hot, and even more so whenever there was a costume involved. It was easy to forget that there was another woman he was with as well. One that was suitable.
“Nadine? You okay?” Carmen asked at the same time Madeline kicked me under the table.
I jolted from the pain of the sharply pointed toe of her shoe. “What? I’m sorry. My mind wandered there for a minute.”
“No problem at all,” Gloria said smoothly. “I was just wondering when you’d be finished with your real estate course.”
“Oh, I’ll be done at the end of this month. Then I plan to study for the license test for a couple of weeks before taking it.”
“Great.” She looked at Carmen. “You were right about her being perfect for the real estate division of Salazar Enterprises. Maybe Enzo or Javier could be her sponsoring broker. She could work for one of them.”
Carmen eyed her mother. “I was going to do that, but I changed my mind. I was actually going to place her with Tiffani Grace, instead. But I could ask Enzo or Javier if they’d rather me put her with one of them.
It’s just that they rarely take on any new realtors under them anymore.
” She paused. “And, um, they both seem to find Nadine pretty irresistible.”
They did? That surprised me. I met Madeline’s eyes across the table, but she took it in stride.
Gloria waved her hand in the air as if it wasn’t a big deal. “That doesn’t surprise me. Oh, Tiffani’s fine. She’d be a good person for Nadine to learn from, for sure.”
“Nadine, you have the official stamp of approval,” Carmen declared with a wry smile at her mother. “I’ll pick you up on Monday to introduce you to Tiffani and get you set up in an office.”
“Really?” This was real. This was happening. I couldn’t wait for Mama to see me in an office.
“Also, Lonnie, I think you can declare her a graduate of your etiquette program, dear. Good job,” Gloria said.
“Thank you,” Lonnie said with a beatific smile. I didn’t blame her. She deserved sainthood for working with me.
“If you ever need a favor, just let me know,” Gloria said as she reached for her purse.
It was a clear sign that lunch was over. We all started gathering our things, but Lonnie Maitland spoke up.
“Actually,” she said, causing all of us to stop in our tracks. “I do have a small favor.” She turned to Carmen. “This auction that Nadine was part of… do you ever accept older women?”
If she’d stood in the middle of the table topless and danced, I would have been less surprised. Well, maybe not. But still. What the hell?
Carmen was shocked into silence. We all were, and Lonnie’s face turned pink with embarrassment.
“Oh, please forget I said anything. I’m being silly.”
“No, no.” Carmen rushed to make her feel comfortable.
“You have a valid question. Right now, we only accept women ages twenty-one to thirty. But you’re not the first person to ask me that question.
In fact, we’ve had some men in their twenties and thirties who’ve asked for more mature women to be admitted to the auction.
I’ve been kicking around a few ideas for how best to do that.
Believe me, once I get the details worked out, you’ll be one of my first calls. ”
Lonnie smiled. “I’d like that. Or,” she continued, “if you had a reverse auction where women bid on men, I’d be interested in that as well.”
Carmen’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s actually a project I’ve been working on. I’ll let you know when I have something set up.”
I could see the gears turning in her head.
“You’ve given me a lot to think about Ms. Maitland. I’ll be in touch,” Carmen said as we all stood, gathered our things, and said our goodbyes.
“Nadine, dear, it’s been a pleasure,” Gloria Salazar said and pulled me in for a hug. I was so shocked, it took me a minute to return the embrace. I met Carmen’s eyes over her mom’s shoulders. She looked pleased but also as shocked as I felt.
Madeline took me home.
We couldn’t talk much since she had her convertible top down. The wind whipped around us drowning out any chance at conversation.
When she pulled into the parking garage, she turned and stared at me. “Girl, you’ve done the impossible. You told Gloria Salazar that you were a stripper and in a sex auction, and she loves you anyway.”
We talked about it a little more, then I gave her a quick hug and said goodbye.
As I rode the elevator up to my floor, I went back over the day in my mind. I shook my head. I couldn’t believe it.
Sometimes life really was like a fairy tale. A sad thought crossed my mind. I wouldn’t be ending up with my prince in this tale.
In fact, I sometimes wondered if there would ever be a prince as part of my future.