Page 20 of 21 Week Hiatus

It's down to me and one other bidder, but I refuse to let Savi go anywhere with him... or anyone else for that matter.

You think you can outbid me, you little schmuck? Let’s see how deep your pockets really are.

“Two thousand five hundred to the gentleman in the blue t-shirt. Can anyone offer two thousand seven?”

I raise my hand again.

Only this time, having been one of the two bidders, Savi looks over in my direction and finally notices me in the crowd. Despite the distance between us, our gaze locks and a jolt of electricity passes between us. The air between us tingles with anticipation as we continue to hold each other's gaze, our past relationship suddenly brought back to the forefront of our minds.

I place my hands around my mouth and let out a deafening shout. “Ten thousand dollars!” The air explodes with gasps and murmurs.

“And we have a winner!” The MC announces, his voice echoing through the speakers. “Ten thousand dollars! Congratulations to the sharp-dressed man in the black shirt! That was quite a bidding war, huh? Come on up here and claim your date, good sir!”

While my eyes are locked with Savi’s, the crowd slowly parts like the red sea opening a path for me to walk to the stage. The song ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None The Richer starts to play as I start walking. Every step I take toward her my heart beats that little harder.

As soon as my foot hits the first step that leads up to the stage the crowd starts to chant ‘kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss’.

If this were a chick flick, I would walk right over to her, curl my fingers at the nape of her neck and kiss her like I’ve been longing to for the last four months and believe me when I tell you I am tempted. Alas, this is not a movie nor a fairytale. Savi watches me closely as I walk over to her. Those warm honey colored eyes of hers that I have missed stare into mine with a mixture of annoyance and perplexity.

“Hi,” I greet her sheepishly.

Savi opens her mouth to respond but the MC cuts her off as he walks over and stands beside her. “Ladies and gentlemen what do you think?Do we have our first potential LoveFest match? Come on, folks,” he says excitedly. “We’re all invested now. Are you really going to deny our lovely audience what they want? I mean, this is LoveFest after all! Anyone else choking on the chemistry between these two. Whew!” he adds while fanning himself with his cap for dramatic effect.

“May I?” I gesture towards her with a hopeful look in my eyes.

Savi exhales slowly, her eyes glancing warily over my shoulder. I follow her gaze and see her friends, Hannah and Venice, standing by the backstage curtain watching us intently. There’s some unspoken communication between them that I can’t decipher. However, when Savi turns back to me, she licks her lips gracefully and nods in response to my question.

My heart is pounding against my ribcage like a caged bird desperate for freedom as I take a step forward shrinking the space between us. I’m immediately welcomed with the sweet and floral notes of her perfume. My eyes are drawn to the gentle curve of Savi's lips, and instinctively my hand reaches out to brush away loose strands of her hair. Savi’s eyes close while I trace the line of her jaw with my fingers. I’m entranced by the silkiness of her skin beneath my touch.

Our faces inch closer, until I can feel the warmth of her breath mingling with mine. Every fiber of my being longs to close the tiny gap between us and taste her once again. With a trembling hand, I lift her chin and tilt her head back, aligning our lips in a perfect, tantalizing line.

My lips lightly graze hers and I feel a quiver pass through her as she parts her lips for me, eagerly granting me access. I lose all control; I can’t hold back any longer, so I give in to my carnal urges and press my lips to hers and kiss her.

The cheers and whistles from the crowd slowly fade into the background as our lips remain locked. This is not our typical passionate kiss, but it still holds so much meaning. As much as I’m bursting to tease my tongue with hers and deepen the kiss, I resist the urge. If after this I get the chance to kiss her properly, it’s not going to be in front of thousands of people and certainly not while she’s upset with me.

Begrudgingly, I keep my tongue in my mouth and slowly start to pull away from her. A quiet sigh emits from Savi as our lips part and her eyes flutter open. I hold her gaze unwaveringly and it kills me that in the depths of her gaze, I can see remnants of the pain still lingering from the night we broke up.

“Goddamn, screw the girl. I want to bid on him!”

A female voice shouts from the audience.

“I’ll gladly pay ten grand for a night with you, Daddy.”

Another voice joins in, causing me to nearly choke on my own saliva. I’m cringing when the female members of the crowd start cheering, and I catch Savi's narrowed eyes and sour expression. Personally, I don't like anyone else except Savi using the term Daddy for me. That’s our thing and I have absolutely no desire to be with another or be called that by anyone else.

“Hear thatDaddy, there’s a long line of women waiting to spend the night with you.”

Licking my lips, I press them together to keep myself from grinning. My heart twists with both guilt and satisfaction as Savi's eyes narrow in jealousy as she speaks. Even after all this time, she still clearly can't stand the thought of other women showing me attention. And I can't deny the rush it gives me, to know that she still cares so fiercely for me that it bothers her.

This is good.

If she cares enough to get jealous, it means I still have a high chance to win her over.

“Alright ladies, calm down. The auction is over, and that particular heartthrob has chosen his intended. But don't worry, lucky for you we have plenty more eligible bachelors within arm’s reach for you to swoon over. Now let's get back to the party!” Savi quickly retreats from the stage, and I follow her, waiting until we're out of sight to speak.

“Savi,” I call after her, but she ignores me and heads backstage towards her two friends. “Wildfire, please, can we just talk?” I plead as shecontinues to walk away. Suddenly, she stops and turns around to face me, her eyes blazing with anger.

“Don't,” she fumes, narrowing her eyes and pointing an accusatory finger in my direction. “Don’t you dare ‘Wildfire’ me, Logan.” I hold my hands up in surrender.

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