His Bidding (The Best Medicine #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

she was making up every little implication through some sort of misguided wishful thinking, or if the vibes she was reading were real. If he had been any other man she’d be certain he was flirting. It was subtle, but it was there. But this wasn’t “any other man.” This was the embodiment of her hottest fantasies.
    She felt herself blushing even as her next words tumbled from her mouth. “You might want to brush up in case your auction date decides she wants you to take her to the best chow mein place in town.”
    The silence was deafening. He looked at her with surprise, and she couldn’t tell if it was due to her knowing about the bachelor auction or, more likely, if it was shock that she would blurt out such a thing. If she could have willed a hole into the floor to swallow her up right then and there, she would’ve done so.
    Finally, his fork still sitting empty in his hand, frozen mid-motion, Sam cleared his throat. “I...hadn’t realized that was public knowledge yet.”
    Brynn resisted the urge to cover her face with her hands, or to simply bolt from the room. It wasn’t easy. “There are flyers up,” she practically whispered.
    “Are there.” It wasn’t a question. He set his fork down and sat back in his chair, looking at steadily at her. She couldn’t make herself look at him to see what he might be thinking. She simply nodded, gazing at her hands as they knotted themselves in her lap.
    His next words shocked her more than she could possibly have shocked him.
    “You’re coming to the party, aren’t you? You really must. I think I have a job for you.” He paused thoughtfully. “How would you feel about being my highest bidder?”

SIX
    B rynn felt her head snap up as though it was on a spring, her eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. His highest bidder? What? What did that even mean?
    “Uh. Okay,” Sam said, followed by an uneasy laugh. “Maybe I shouldn’t have just pulled that out of nowhere. You don’t have to answer. I mean, you shouldn’t feel obligated to... I’m not handling this well, am I?”
    She couldn’t reassure him with a response, her tongue still refusing to form words of any sort. This had taken a bizarre turn. Was she dreaming? Had she even gotten out of bed this morning, or had she fallen back asleep and just imagined everything she’d done – what she’d done in her shower, everything she’d done here – since hitting her snooze button?
    “Awkward,” Sam murmured, looking down, unnecessarily straightening his tie. That grabbed Brynn’s attention once again.
    “I... I’m sorry?” It was all she could manage.
    He was definitely blushing now. “Don’t be.”
    “No...” She fought to get her head, and her words, straight. “I mean...I’m just asking for clarification.”
    He looked up, seemingly a little less afraid that he’d offended her and had perhaps just confused her. The latter was certainly true.
    “Okay,” he said, more to himself than to her. He looked to be readying a proper explanation. “I was going to ask you about this when the announcement about the auction went out...which was earlier than I’d assumed, it would seem.” He sat forward in his chair and rested his arms on the desk, lunch now long forgotten. “There are...office politics, you could say...that I hadn’t considered before I offered myself up for this party. I don’t want to renege on my promise – not when it’s charity – but I also don’t want to spend one of my rare nights off being...” He trailed off, as though searching for the right phrasing again.
    Brynn had managed to close her mouth, but her eyes were still wide with bewilderment. Spend his night doing what, exactly? She had no clue what he was trying to get across.
    He seemed to realize that. With an embarrassed smile, he shook his head. “I’m really blowing your mind with this, aren’t I? I’m so sorry.” Again, as if to himself, he murmured, “I sound like an idiot.”
    “No, you don’t.”