Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Paolo
I smoothed my tux jacket down and stared at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t believe I was going to do this.
I sighed, fastened my cuff links, and walked out of my penthouse.
I couldn’t believe that while Jelly was being auctioned off to the luckiest man alive tonight at the Cinnamon Auction, I would be stuck at a gala benefit with Lyla and my parents.
I gave myself a severe talking to, reminding myself that while I was more attracted to Jelly than any woman I’d ever been around, that didn’t mean much to the people counting on me to put on a good face and be one of West Bay’s golden boys.
My driver parked in front of Lyla’s parents’ home in the Estates at South neighborhood.
I got out and went to the door, feeling very much like I was a high school kid attending prom.
Her parents had mentioned taking pictures before we left.
I heaved out a sigh as I climbed the stairs the led to her porch. I was too old for shit like that.
Still, I gritted my teeth and bore it.
“You look lovely, Lyla.” She didn’t. If possible, this dress was worse than the first one she’d worn.
It was a huge puffy white thing that looked like a fucking wedding gown.
She also had her hair up in some sort of strange style with curls in the shapes of sausages hanging around her temples and ears.
Bizarre.
I don’t know what she was thinking.
I was quiet as we drove over to the benefit site. It was one of the country clubs in town, this one was a newer one than most, I thought to myself as we pulled into the parking lot. My driver dropped us off, and we had to wait to walk the red carpet together for photographers.
“Dr. Lanetti,” a pretty blonde reporter asked, “this is the second event you’ve been seen attending with Ms. VanHorne. Can we assume the two of you are a couple?”
Before I could answer, Lyla threw herself in front of me. “He’s my boyfriend,” she giggled.
Damn. I knew she was a good ten years younger than me, but what the hell? She sounded like an overeager high school kid. Still, I couldn’t refute her. I just gave a tight smile as we posed for a few more photographs before entering the gala.
We were to be seated at a table with my parents. I strode over to them once I spotted them in the corner. I pulled out a chair for Lyla. “Mama, Dad, this is Lyla VanHorne. She’s my date for the evening.”
My parents looked charmed, and I was hopeful they’d give up on that whole fix up with Gia Santoro. Preferably forever.
“Lyla,” Mama said, “I’m on several committees with your mother. It’s so nice to see you with our Paolo.”
Lyla beamed at her.
“I do some business with your father down at the port,” Dad said gruffly, checking out some blonde waitress’ ass as she walked by.
The conversation wasn’t… scintillating.
As the night wore on, I knew I wasn’t being a good date. Sure, I danced with Lyla a couple of times, but I kept staring at my phone, checking the time obsessively. By nine o’clock, I was starting to sweat.
“Excuse me, please,” I said, getting up and heading outside where it was both cooler and I could have at least some privacy while I made a call.
He picked up on the third ring.
“What’s up?” Nico asked softly. “You know I’m at the auction, right?”
“Yeah.” I ran a hand through my hair and tried to keep from pacing back and forth in front of the country club. “Listen, do I have to be, um, present at the auction to place a bid?”
Nico went silent. “Nobody’s asked that fucking question before, man. I mean… I think so. It’s not like I can interrupt the whole auction to ask Carmen. Let me get a consensus around our table.”
I heard him asking my question and then recognized his brothers’ voices answering. While Leo and Javy sounded hopeful, Joaquin didn’t say a damn thing, and Enzo shot it straight down. “Hell, yes, he has to be present to win. What kind of question is that?”
“Did you hear…”
“I heard him,” I said, frustrated. “Look, I gotta go.”
I hurried back inside and found my parents looking very nonplussed at our table. Lyla was dancing with a handsome guy much younger than me.
“Why did you leave for so long?” Dad asked. “Your date,” he waved his hand in the direction of the dancers on the floor, “gave up and started hanging out with her ex-boyfriend.”
I took another look at Lyla. She looked positively radiant as she smiled up at her dance partner. This was an excellent break for me. Maybe I could come out of this looking like a decent guy after all.
“Excuse me,” I muttered. “I’m going to have to leave.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Mama said, throwing up her hands in disgust. “What about your sweet date?”
“I’ll see if her friend minds taking her home.”
“Of fucking course you will.” Dad tossed back a drink and tapped the edge of the glass so a waitress nearby would come refill it.
I ignored him and walked onto the dance floor. “Lyla,” I said gently. “I have to leave. It’s a work emergency,” I lied, looking around and hoping no one from the hospital would rat me out. “Can you please make sure she gets home?” I turned to the ex-boyfriend to ask.
“Sure, man.” He looked pumped, actually. I didn’t know who had instigated the breakup between the two of them, but they both seemed to regret it tremendously.
“Thanks.” I clapped my hand on his shoulder, told Lyla I’d see her another time, and made my escape.
As I slid into the back of the limo, I had my driver take me to the back parking area behind the private Salazar clubs and wait for me there.
I got out and ran to Cinnamon, crashing through the doors and causing heads to turn.
The building was styled in the form of an old-fashioned gentleman’s club, like the ones still in existence in London.
Upstairs, though, is where the auction took place each month.
I sprinted up the stairs and followed the signs to the auction room.
“Sir,” a bouncer moved towards me as I approached the room, “do you have the proper credentials…”
“It’s alright.” Enzo appeared out of nowhere. “He’s with me.”
“Very good sir,” the bouncer nodded and gave a weird little bow that made me wonder if he’d watched too many re-runs of Downton Abbey.
“What are you doing here?” Enzo asked.
“I just… I know Jelly’s going to be in it,” I said quietly, stopping at the door to the luxurious room and peeking inside.
There were circular tables set up throughout the room, with a runway-style stage taking up the large majority of about half the room.
Tables took up the other half, with still more tables running along each of the sides of the runway.
It was packed. I couldn’t believe how many men were in attendance.
I knew a lot of these men. I scanned the room quickly.
There were married men, men with long-time girlfriends, single men, widowers, and divorced men.
I wondered how many of them were actually going to take their Cinnamon Girl out on the town and how many would keep them tucked away in a luxury condo, far away from the sight of West Bay society.
I saw Thad Russett, and a sick feeling grew in my stomach. He was single. My guess was he would proudly take Jelly with him to social functions.
In that way, she’d be better off with him. I knew, deep down, I should let him have her.
But I was jealous as fuck.
“Is the auction over?” I asked Enzo. Almost immediately I saw the look on Carmen’s face as she saw me at the back of the room. She was the emcee for the show, and she looked truly lovely in a beaded silver gown. She was not smiling at me, though.
Then I saw Nico. He was waving Enzo and me over to his table. He was sitting with Leo, Joaquin, Javy, and Byron.
Enzo got a grim look on his face. “I think it’s almost over. I believe only the headliner Cinnamon Girl is left to be auctioned.”
I looked at him sharply. I’d made it just in time for Jelly.
Before he could say anything else, we’d reached the table, pulled out chairs, and sat down.
Enzo looked at his watch. “You’re lucky.
Just a few more minutes and the bids would have started for Jelly.
There’s no way we could have helped you then.
It wouldn’t have been seen as fair. And these men pay exorbitant dues for the privilege to be here. ”
I nodded absentmindedly, barely even hearing him. “You’re sure Jelly is the headliner for the Cinnamon Girl Auction?” I asked the table at large. I was paranoid that somehow I’d missed her and they didn’t want to tell me.
“Sure is,” Leo said. “She’s the last one up. She’s about to go now.”
I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I really had made it in time.
“I thought you would only entertain the idea of going after well-bred society women,” Enzo said a little testily.
“Give me a minute,” I said. “Just… let me see her.”
He sighed. “This is a bad idea.”
“Gentlemen,” Carmen said, striding to the middle of the stage and looking like a model herself, “we’ve reached the part of the night you’ve all been waiting for. Tonight’s headliner is Ray Ann Pinkoe.”
There was utter silence in the room. Carmen rolled her eyes. “You all know her better as Jelly.”
A roar of applause and catcalls broke out through the room. “You know, I tried for the longest time to get her to go by Ray Ann. But Jelly just seems to suit her better.”