Page 25 of Mr. Aster
John laughed. “Holy shit, I can’t imagine what it’s like being in the company of you two, given how you talk about each other behind the other’s back.”
I smiled, “Well, you’re about to have that opportunity because she will be my fake girlfriend to keep me from being the prized bull on the auction block at her little benefit.”
“And how will you do that?”
“Trust me, she’s got something I can bribe her with. She’ll be all smiles and all over me when we show up together at this stupid little benefit—which is in how many days?”
“Once the planners get the go-ahead and invitations are sent, things like this can be planned in less than a month. I would stay on the safe side and assume it’ll probably be maybe two months?”
“Perfect.” I folded my hands together, thinking of all the ways I could make Darcy regret trying to fuck with me. I’d never felt, or probably looked, more like a cartoon villain. “That’s more than enough time for me to make some public appearances with the woman on my arm, and it will be evident by then that I’m not a bachelor.”
“You know Mom and Dad are going to lose their shit when they find out you’re dating the daughter of?—”
“They can lose their shit all they want. According to your call with Dad, they were willing to pimp me out to make money off my being single again. Actually, I hope this pisses them off more than when you and Mark went against their wishes.”
“Ha. Now we’ve finally pulled your handsome ass over to the dark side. Welcome to the black sheep club.”
“I don’t give a shit what happens. I will not tolerate games, and Darcy Burke has crossed a line.”
“I wish I could be a fly on the wall when she finds out she’s forced to date you,” he chuckled, “because she seemed overly elated with the idea of you being auctioned off.”
“I’m quite sure she was. Now, I need to go. I have some digging to do if I want to leverage her into this.”
My brother and I hung up, and I immediately went to work to uncover who the hell Darcy was.
It was open season. Everything was fair game now, and I wouldn’t back down. I didn’t care how relentless I had to be; I would find a way to make her eat her words.
Chapter Eleven
Darcy
Icouldn’t be happier that I’d decided to join Avery and Ashley on this yacht party cruise. I’d met a ton of incredible people and was given a priceless opportunity, which had presented itself two nights ago after James Mitchell walked by a group of us ladies as we stood in lively conversation.
He kissed Avery sweetly on her cheek and greeted the rest of us. After the usual general pleasantries, Jim asked me how things were going at the winery, most likely because he already knew all the dirty details about what Sebastian had found wrong witheverything.
Jim seemed concerned by how much money was needed to be invested just to reopenand relaunch the business, and I used it as my opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. I couldn’t blame Mr. Mitchell for being apprehensive that his investment was costing him more money than he’d imagined, but what did he expect when the man overseeing the project insisted upon purchasing a twelve-thousand-dollar espresso machine?
It seemed Jim frowned upon Sebastian’s ridiculous spending patterns, so I felt there was no better time than the present to come up with an idea to put Sebastian’s antics to an end. If my plan stuck, I would walk away with pride.
This party was a perfect opportunity for me to share my ideas and simultaneously give Sebastian a taste of the discomfort he’d been spreading around the winery. So, with everyone on the yacht sharing a healthy and happy buzz, Jim pressed everyone for ideas for a quick fundraising event. He wanted something to get the word out about Burke Wines and help bring in money for the monumental costs Sebastian was incurring for the remodeling.
The thing about savvy people in business, James Mitchell in particular, was that they never spent their own money on their developments. Instead, they were creative in finding ways to have money funded for them, whether through charities, donations, or people in their circles needing tax write-offs. Whatever the case, they found ways to market themselves so that peoplewantedto invest in them for reasons that would help everyone involved.
I was half drunk when I threw out my idea of the Billionaire Bachelor Benefit, auctioning off eligible bachelors to women in their circle of wealth who would pay anything to date them. I didn’t expect the outcome to be what it was—an idea that Jim and his VP, Spencer, loved, which kept contagious, excited smiles on their faces for the rest of the evening.
The only reaction that made me a bit nervous when he learned about the plan was that of Dr. John Aster, Sebastian’s younger brother, who fatefully happened to attend this party. I couldn’t tell if he was amused or disturbed that his brother would be the face of this auction, knowing there was no one on the market that a woman of their status would pay more for, but he had a certain glimmer in his eye every time it was mentioned.
“You’re going to get burned if you lay out by this pool for another second. Here’s some sunblock,” Avery said in her scratchy and playful voice, rousing me from my thoughts about how much Sebastian Aster would hate me when I returned home tomorrow.
“I just put some on,” I said, lifting my head from where I lay on a lounge chair face down, allowing the sun to tan my back. “I haven’t been out in the sun like this for a while, and trust me, I’m not a fan of nursing second-degree burns.”
“No shit,” Avery said, opening the umbrella for shade as she prepared to join me on a lounge chair to my right. “Are you ready to return and face Sebastian’s new reason to stress?” She chuckled and sprayed on sunblock even though she was perfectly shaded.
“If I’m lucky, he’ll be consumed by work and have nothing to say to me for the rest of his time there,” I grinned.
Avery arched an eyebrow at me, “Oh, babe. That man willnotkeep quiet about that, especially when he finds out you had everything to do with it.”
I rolled my eyes, “Hopefully, you’re wrong about that.”
