“Six thousand!” a short guy near the bar shouted from a barstool. The men were jumping at the chance for a date with her. I saw a few pull out their phones to check their account balances.
That was one thing I never had to worry about. Linc balanced my funds almost daily. I knew exactly how much money I had to work with.
“Sixty-five hundred,” another man bellowed.
The numbers kept rising. Lexi stood smiling and walking back and forth across the stage. It was amazing how someone coated in virtue could generate a bidding war between men. The pissing contest was heating up. The bids were up to twenty thousand dollars. Fuck.
Lexi looked at me, batting her long eyelashes. She was baiting me. Trying to lure me in. She wanted my bid. Part of me wondered if she had orchestrated this entire sham of a donation for my benefit. I didn’t give a shit if it was manipulation or innocence. This was a contest. This was a game, and I was going to win her.
“Twenty-one thousand.” I raised my hand from the corner.
There was a man on the other side of the room wearing an expensive tuxedo. He called to the mayor, “Twenty-two.”
I gritted my teeth. “Twenty-three.”
I saw him take a sip of champagne before calling out his bid for twenty-four thousand dollars.
There was a hush over the crowd. Their heads swiveled toward me. I could cut my losses now. She had my number. This wasn’t the only way I could see her. But as I stared at the man in his crisp tux and looked at that girl on the stage I felt the swell of competition in my chest. I wasn’t going to lose to him. I wasn’t going to lose in front of everyone.
“Twenty-five thousand,” I announced over the crowd’s head.
There was an audible gasp as the spotlight swung back to me. I tried not to squint this time. I wanted them to see the confidence in my eyes. The look of a winner.
The mayor clutched the microphone. “Twenty-five thousand? Do I have any higher bids?” There was a grumbling from the men around me. Most had spent their money on trips and overpriced jewelry for their wives. I puffed my chest forward. “Going once. Going twice…”
I couldn’t tell if she was hoping the high-dollar suit would swoop in and save Lexi from my clutches. She drew out the count.
“Last chance for a private Lexi Wilde concert.” She scanned the audience. “The winner is Mr. Luke Canton of the Austin Warriors.” She put her hands together and the donors followed her lead. “I’d say this is a night of surprises.”
I was used to attention on the field, but this was ridiculous. I put my hands up to quiet the applause. I nodded at them. I heard a few cat calls as Lexi walked across the stage.
“Let’s tell our star quarterback how much we appreciate him,” Lexi shouted into the mic, egging on the crowd.
She was making it worse. “All right. All right.” I tried to step away from the beam of light. I’d rather do a dance in the end zone than have this kind of attention.
Eventually the band started to play and Lexi waved to everyone one last time before she exited the back of the stage in a swirl of smoke. The lights came on and the patrons moved to the front doors and waited for the valets to retrieve their cars.
I hung back, waiting for the singer behind the stage.
She ducked her head around the corner. “Hey, there.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Quite a show you put on.”
She ran her teeth over her bottom lip. “Quite a generous donation you made.”
“Is that what you call it?” I stepped closer.
“For someone who just won a private concert by Lexi Wilde you don’t sound very excited,” she teased.
“Oh, believe me. I’m excited.” The crew bustled around us, breaking down the set and packing up the band’s instruments.
“Lex!” Her manager appeared. “What the hell—” He stopped when he saw me.
“Can you believe how much money we raised, Jake?” she asked. “And so generous of Luke, don’t you think?”
He looked me over. I knew what he thought. He didn’t want me near her. She was his country princess. His star to mold and manage. I got it. But like everything else, I didn’t give a shit what this guy thought. He stood between me and what I wanted.
“Extremely generous.” His lips pressed together. “I think we’re going to have to coordinate with Mr. Canton’s people and schedule the concert for later in the year. I’ll have our people call your people and we’ll set it up.”
“That’s okay.” I slapped him on the back, knocking him from where he was standing. “I think Lexi and I can work out the details.”
“That’s not how it works,” he snorted. “She’s booked solid through the holidays.”