Annoyance sharpened within him as she stared back at him defiantly. Her luminous blue-green eyes seemed to taunt him and he had a sudden thought that he wouldn't be able to think if he continued to stare at her. Snatching the clipboard from her hand, he simply signed his name in the description and growled," Would you care for a bet? I am going to be receiving the highest bid tonight!"
Jeannie Boon stared at the man in front of her. He was so much taller than she had realized. She'd actually felt his rippling muscles when she had taken off his jacket.
Jeannie tried to steady her breath. She had never drooled or gaped over a man like her university friends but she felt that she was dangerously close to doing it now.
He raised an eyebrow at her as if mocking her for her embarrassing thoughts. It was then that she thought of his question. A wager?
Curiosity and wariness battled inside her until curiosity won,"How can you be so sure?"
"Why don't you bet and we will find out."
Jeannie thought carefully. If he did get a high price, it would only benefit the charity. And hadn't she just said that everything was fair for charity. But.." What do you want to wager? I don't have much money."
"Of course you don't. And I don't have need for your money. What I want, is you... on your knees."
Jeannie felt her eyes widen at the double entendre in her sentence. What did he mean being in her knees? She had no idea why her mind went to the gutter when she heard his words but before she could feel offended, he continued,"... begging for forgiveness. And if I win, I will donate the same amount to the charity that gets the highest bid."
It seemed that this Sebastian Spark was some kind of a psycho. She cocked her head in thought. She did owe him an apology for having attacked him but in her defense, she felt that being on her knees was too much.
However, she had a feeling that he would not be getting the highest bid. She had insider news that a princess was going to attend and she wanted to bet on the oil billionaire Delaney Cooper.
Smiling, she nodded once, "You're on."
Her determined smile made his breath catch but he just nodded and walked out from behind the screen, ready to mingle with the crowd.
As Jeannie watched him walk away, she suppressed the urge to stick her tongue out at his back. She was going to win this bet, by hook or by crook.
Pressing a button on her earpiece, she picked up her clipboard and whispered a few instructions into the earpiece before she started going over the last minute instructions with her Assistant.
Jeannie Boon was all of five feet and a few inches but her presence was known to be formidable. She had single handedly created the non profit organization FREE to help women who had just broken up from abusive relationships. She did not play by the rules and as the Vice President of the charity, she was not going to let anyone get in her way.
Once the doors to the ballroom had been opened, she covered her earpiece by bringing her brown hair forward to obscure it.
Her gaze, however was drawn repeatedly to the tall man that stood in the middle of the ballroom, almost a head above the others. There was something magnetic about him, she could see the gazes of many females looking at him covertly.
She felt a slither of worry. It would be a good thing for the charity if he commanded a higher price than the others but it would be really bad for her.
Just then her ear piece buzzed and her assistant's voice sounded in her ears, "Is it time to start?"
Nodding, she ordered him," You round up the bachelors. I'll begin."
Soon, Jeannie enthralled the crowd with quick anecdotes about the small successes that they had made in the past two years. Even though the back story of these women who had gotten over hell were sad, she made them sound from victims to heroes.
Christopher Spark listened to the woman on the stage and nodded. He could see why his grandmother had been inclined to favor this charity. He could respect a woman with passion.
But that did not mean he would be willing to take the attack on his dignity that she had made tonight.
Soon the crowd hushed in anticipation of the oncoming sale and the first bachelor was introduced. As the bachelors were sold one after another to the women who were rowdily catcalling and some men, Christopher knew he would have to take some action to prevent himself falling prey to some gold digging bit** for an evening. Taking out his cell phone, he ordered his assistant to bid on him.
Soon it was the turn of Delaney Cooper. The handsome man walked over to the stage and even before he could be introduced, several hands shot up in the air to bid on him. After a fierce bidding war, where the price that Delaney Cooper commanded had Jeannie's eyes light up with dollar signs, it was the turn of Sebastian Spark.
As Jeannie looked down to read his description, she widened his eyes. Shocked, she looked up and found herself arrested in those magnetic blue eyes. He had not written any thing that he would offer for a date, but just one arrogant sentence," A date befitting a princess" Under that he had signed his name Prince Christopher Sebastian Lucille Sparks of Othon.
Raising an eyebrow in challenge, he crossed his arms and waited.
Taking a deep breath, Jeannie tried to suppress the panic that she had placed the lowest bid on a prince, she began," And now, for the star of our show. Prince Christopher Sebastian Lucille Spark of Othon will be joining us. Since we firmly believe in equal opportunities and Prince Christopher has offered a date befitting a princess, the bidding for this bachelor starts as low as a thousand dollars."