"One twenty-five!"
And we were on. The bidding quickly escalated. We reached two hundred dollars in a matter of seconds. My palms started to sweat, so I rubbed one against the hip of my jeans. More than half the crowd of ladies dropped out at three hundred. But some kept going, hot and heavy. By the time we reached four-fifty, a bead of sweat anxiously leaked down the side of my temple because I was certain the tall redhead below me, who was one of the big bidders, would choose me. But when the price went up to five seventy-five, that woman dropped out. It came down to two ladies I'd never seen before.
"Do I hear six hundred?" I asked, pointing at the woman whose turn it was to raise the price.
She bit her lip, looking undecided and called, "five-eighty," right before her contender immediately said, "seven hundred."
No one wanted to top that. I kept the bidding open a few seconds longer, pointing out past women who'd thrown out a price before, but no one would go over seven hundred dollars. Not that I blamed them. Seven hundred was a lot of fucking money. I glanced at the blonde who was about to win the auction and tried to figure out which bartender she preferred. But I couldn't read her at all.
Unable to help myself, I checked on Eva again. She chewed on her bottom lip, studying the blonde winner as well.
I drew in a breath. "Well, it looks like we have a winner, weighing in at seven hundred big ones. Give me your hand, sweetheart, and climb on up here with us."
The blonde reached up for me, and I helped her step onto a stool and then the bar top so she was standing between me and Ten. "What's your name, precious?" I asked before lowering the microphone to her mouth.
She was an attractive thing, tall and slim with big breasts. Ten would have a field day with her if she chose him.
Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, she leaned forward to announce, "Cora."
"Well, congratulations are in order to you, Miss Cora. You won yourself your very own bartender for this evening. So, who's the lucky guy going to be?"
I held all the air in my lungs as she leaned past me, turning away from Ten. Shit. She was going to pick Lowe. Already trying to figure how to let her down easily, I was shocked senseless when she gestured at Quinn instead.
"Him," she said. "I want him."
I lifted my eyebrows and took in Quinn's reaction. His mouth fell open, and I swear the poor virgin fell into lust that very second. Instantly changing his tune, he stepped past Lowe and grinned shyly at Cora, his face bright red with embarrassment but also glowing with wonder.
"Uh . . . okay," he said.
Still standing between them and holding the mic in my hand, I announced. "Well, okay then. I hereby announce Cora and the Virgin, bartender and wife. May you two live happily ever after . . . or at least 'til the end of this shift. You may now serve her whatever alcohol she prefers."
Motioning Quinn to move past me, I nudged him and the blonde together as I told everyone else the auction was hereby closed, and thanked them for participating.
"Just for the record, you suck as an emcee," Ten growled into my ear after we were all on the floor again and ready to return to our regular duties. "That chick with the purple hair totally wanted to throw down some major cash for me."
"Hey, she had a chance to give her bid. I'm as pissed as you are, bud. I totally could've used an extra three hundred and fifty bucks tonight."
"Yeah, well, you still suck."
I rolled my eyes, and we parted ways. Lowe stayed behind the bar. I had a feeling he was never going to go out on the floor when it was ladies' night.
Fine by me. The tips out here rocked.
"I second Ten," he told me as I slipped my own damp shirt back on and tossed him his dry, borrowed one back. "You totally suck. Almost a daddy? What the hell was that about?"
"Hey, the winner didn't pick you, did she?" When he merely scowled, I nodded my head. "I rest my case."
Then I got my ass to work, because all that time we'd taken for the auction had shorted me out of that much tip money I could've been making.
Twenty minutes passed, things returned to normal, and Eva stayed seated on her stool at the end of the bar, sucking down water and orange juice. Mason wandered her way every once in a while to check on her, but mostly she was left to her own devices. I gnashed my teeth, wondering where the hell her cousin was and why she hadn't shown up to get my girl home yet. No one had picked on her, but the longer she stayed the higher the likelihood rose that she would be targeted.
I was busy as fuck, with only Ten and me working the floor and a flustered Lowe taking care of all the drinks. There was no time at all to stop by for more than a, "how're you doing?"
Eva simply smiled and shook her head as if amused by my concern. "Same as the last time you came by," she kept answering.