A Private Affair Read online

  “I know, isn’t it great? Let’s look at your package.”

  “Package?”

  Sara frowned. “Wait…that sounded wrong, right?” She playfully slapped Carissa on the shoulder. “Thank God you’re not a man or that would have been really awkward. I meant your membership kit. It’s on the table over there. I’ll join you with the biscuits in a second.”

  Carissa walked over to the box sitting on her side table. I must have lost my mind filling out that application. What am I going to do now? She sat on her couch wondering what to do next.

  “Open it,” Sara said setting the plate of biscuits down on the coffee table then taking a seat beside her.

  Carissa opened the box and found a membership card. “Put this in your purse right away. Better yet.” She snatched it and ran over to grab Carissa’s handbag. “I’ll do it for you.”

  “I really don’t think—”

  She flopped back down beside her. “What else is in there?”

  Carissa looked inside the box and saw a paper titled ‘Instructions’, three pairs of stockings and a red garter belt.

  Carissa held up the garter belt and stared at it. “I don’t think I’m a ready for this.”

  Sara grabbed the garter belt and swung it around her finger. “You’re going to be ready a lot sooner than you think. Not many ladies get the garter belt set.”

  Carissa picked up a pair of stockings. “I’m not sure I want to know what that means.”

  “Consider it an honor,” Sara said putting the garter belt away. “Not everyone gets a garter or someone like me to help them.”

  “Why me?”

  “Some special cases need more ‘hands on’ services.”

  Carissa set the stockings down and gaped at her. “I’m a special case? Why am I a special case?”

  Sara just grinned. “You ask a lot of questions. They’ll get answered, just not yet. We don’t have a lot of time, which is the real reason I’m here. We have to get you ready for the auction.”

  “Auction?” Carissa said not sure she’d heard right.

  “Yes, the bachelorette auction you signed up for. You’re a participant.”

  Panic suddenly gripped her. “I didn’t sign up to be part of a bachelorette auction.”

  Sara smiled. “Yes, you did.”

  Carissa shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

  Sara’s smile grew. “Yes. You did.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Just try it on,” Sara said holding up a red, low cut dress. She’d convinced Carissa to go shopping after telling her there was nothing in her closet that would suit and having her repeat the Society oath twice.

  “This is ridiculous,” Carissa said taking the dress and studying it. “What if nobody bids?”

  “Why wouldn’t they bid? You should see your profile.”

  Carissa widened her eyes. “You already posted a profile?”

  “Of course. We had to pull a lot of strings to make this happen on such short notice. How else would you have been a participant? I’m sure you’re going to make a lot of money.”

  “I shouldn’t have let you talk me into this. I shouldn’t have filled out that stupid application to join the society. I shouldn’t have—”

  “You’re not going to regret this. You wanted to shake up your routine, remember? This is your chance. You could meet your match. Now go try this on.” Sara pushed her into one of dressing rooms.

  “I doubt it,” Carissa mumbled disappearing inside.

  “Plus, you’re raising money for a good cause.”

  Carissa rolled her eyes and put on the dress. Minutes later she emerged and held out her arms. “Slutty enough for you?”

  Sara frowned. “Showing a little skin doesn’t make you a slut, but if you don’t feel comfortable that defeats the purpose. You’ve been a little too bottled up. You’ve got a great figure.”

  Carissa sniffed. That was a first. “I’ve got figure enough for two women.”

  Sara snapped her fingers and pointed at her. “Exactly.”

  “You’re missing the sarcasm.”

  “You’ve got some nice curves you can show off.” She handed her another dress—black with silver accents. “How about this?”

  Carissa took the dress and tried it on. She liked the fabric. “Well?” she asked coming out of the dressing room again.

  Sara started to reply when a squeal interrupted her.

  “Carissa!” Ashley said rushing up to her. “You look amazing! I’m so glad you finally dropped Morris! He’d never approve of a dress like that,” Ashley said making a circle around her. “You’ve got a date? Who is he?”

  Carissa sent Sara a glance not knowing what to say, she certainly wasn’t going to tell her she was part of an auction. When Sara just continued to grin, she knew she was on her own. “Blind date. We’ll see if it goes anywhere.”

  “I still have—”

  “I’m not ready for that yet. One step at a time.”

  “You have to get that dress or maybe this one,” she said grabbing another dress from a nearby rack.

  Sara held out her hand when Ashley handed Carissa her selection. “I’m Sara by the way.”

  “Ashley.”

  “We tried that one before, but I thought it didn’t show off her legs enough,” Sara said.

  “True, but in this one her cleavage disappears—”

  “Yes, she’s got a great set of—”

  Carissa held up her hand. “Excuse me.” She pointed to herself. “I’m still here.”

  “We know.”

  A woman approached Sara and held out a blouse. “Could you find this is an eight for me?”

  “Sorry,” Sara said with a polite smile. “I don’t work here.”

  The woman looked at her surprised as if she couldn’t understand why an Asian American woman would be so chummy with two black women if she weren’t trying to make a sale.

  “And you should be getting a size twelve,” Ashley called after her.

  Carissa nudged her. “Be quiet.”

  “Who does she think she’s trying to fool? An eight? In her dreams.”

  Carissa looked at Ashley’s size four figure and decided to say nothing since she was wearing a dress that was a solid size sixteen.

  With Ashley and Sara’s help, Carissa finally selected a dark blue, just above the knee silk dress with gold spaghetti straps, that whispered against her skin and made her feel like a million dollars.

  Ashley rested her hands on her hips and looked at Carissa with satisfaction. “Perfect.” She turned to Sara. “What’s next?”

  Sara didn’t say anything, but they shared a look then said in unison. “Hair and makeup!” before giving each other a high five.

  Carissa sighed. “You two are enjoying this entirely too much.”

  “You’ll enjoy it too, if you’d let yourself,” Sara said.

  Moments later, Carissa sat in her bedroom while Sara made up her face. “You’re a natural beauty,” Sara said.

  “I don’t like wearing a lot of makeup,” she insisted looking at the array of items Sara had pulled out of her makeup bag.

  “I know, and you don’t need much, but for this event, a little addition will help bring out your best features.” And she was right. Growing up, Carissa had learned, from looking at stylish high-class magazines, how to ‘look’ the part, and knew how to get a sophisticated look. With Sara’s help, she showed her how to make her eyes look more sultry, and how to bring out the color of her lips. When Carissa finally saw her reflection, she looked nothing short of stunnin

  ***

  “I need a favor.”

  Kenric switched his phone to his other ear. He’d just gotten off work and looked forward to a quiet evening. He should have known better than to accept a call from his younger brother, Joshua. “You’re about to give me a reason to hang up this phone, aren’t you?”

  “Just hear me out.”

  Kenric sat on the couch and turned on the TV. “Go on.”

&
nbsp; “I promised a friend that I’d go to some charity event, but I overbooked.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “I didn’t say it was a woman.”

  Kenric grinned. “I know you, it’s always a woman.”

  “Fine. You’re right. Her name’s…” He paused then swore.

  “You forgot her name?”

  “She has one of those foreign names with lots of consonants.”

  “Well, you’d better remember it fast if you want to see her again.”

  His brother laughed. “I don’t worry. I call them ‘honey’ or ‘baby’ until I remember or get a hint.”

  “You’re going to get caught one day.”

  “So will you help me?”

  Kenric picked up the remote and flipped through the channels. “What do I have to do?”

  “Just show up and bid on 563.”

  “Fine. What’s your limit?”

  “Couple thousand. I’ll send you the logistics. Thanks.”

  Kenric hung up the phone then had a strange feeling his brother wasn’t telling him something. He found out later what that was when he got the address and full information about the event—it was a bachelorette auction! He should have known his brother would ditch one woman to woo another. He called him right back. “No.”

  “Kenric, it’s just for a couple hours.”

  “I’m not doing it.”

  “You promised.”

  “I didn’t promise anything.”

  “I promised her. I convinced her to try it. I just need you to get the ball rolling. Make a bid so she doesn’t feel bad. You don’t have to go out with her.”

  “What does she look like?”

  “I don’t know. It’s the organizer I’m trying to impress.”

  Kenric turned off the TV and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re going to give me a headache.”

  “Aren’t you bored? It’s only for one night and you get to see pretty ladies.”

  Although his brother lived in the suburbs, just outside Washington, D.C., like him, he was willing to travel to different states like Virginia to woo his various women. That’s where he differed.

  “I don’t care how pretty they are.”

  “It’s for a charity.”

  “So what?”

  “It’s to raise funds for a local facility that helps addicts get their lives back on track.”

  Kenric swore, his brother had hit on one of his biggest weaknesses. He had a soft spot for people overcoming addictions and admired those who tried to help them. “You bastard.”

  Joshua laughed, knowing he’d won. “Have fun.”

  He wasn’t going to have fun, Kenric thought that Friday evening as he took his chair at the charity event. Large chandeliers hung above, while the scent of roses floated through the mauve and gold-carpeted ballroom. He flipped through the catalog then stopped at a name he recognized: Carissa York. He blinked. No, it couldn’t be his Carissa York. She wouldn’t sign up for something like this, would she? There was no picture just a description, but it was enough to identify her. She offered four homemade meals over the weekend: Two lunches and two dinners. One meal was a hot and spicy buffalo chicken salad with a cheese stuffed mushroom appetizer. He licked his lips, feeling his mouth water. He slammed the catalog closed. No, he couldn’t bid on Carissa. His brother wanted him to bid on 563. He took a deep breath then carefully re-opened the catalog and read 563’s profile. It was nice, but his mind kept going back to the promise of a weekend of four hot, home cooked meals. He read the rules.

  Damn he could only bid on one. He set the catalog aside and leaned back in his chair. The decision had been made. He wasn’t here for himself, besides it would make things awkward between them. He wasn’t going to bid on 462. He’d just enjoy the show then leave as he’d planned to. He listened to the announcer and watched with interest until he heard, “And now we have Bachelorette Package 462. Carissa York who…”

  But the words fell away and he could only hear the pounding of his heart. The woman who stepped on the stage was not the woman he knew. The woman who’d challenged him at the office, who’d laughed at him in the restaurant. This beautiful vision, with her hair styled on top of her head with a gold ribbon threaded through the twists, looked amazing.

  Kenric couldn’t take his eyes off her watching her every move, as she walked across the stage wearing stylish three-inch gold heels and a pair of shimmering black stockings. She looked like nothing he’d ever seen before. A deep shout broke him out of his trance as someone made a bid.

  He could only bid on one woman.

  Another man bid.

  Kenric drummed his fingers. 563 hadn’t come out yet. He was supposed to wait for her.

  A third bid.

  He rubbed his lip. If he kept stalling, he’d lose his chance. If he wanted an opportunity for her to see a different side of him this was it. This wasn’t personal, this was business. This could improve their working relationship.

  A fourth bid.

  Kenric leaned forward in his chair, gripping his hands together. No, this wasn’t about work. He couldn’t fool himself. He wanted her.

  “And 462 going once…”

  He may regret it.

  “Going twice…”

  But he didn’t care. He lifted up his card and made an offer.

  Chapter Ten

  People gasped at the large number, but Carissa nearly cried out. It wasn’t the amount that stunned her, but the man. What was he doing there? No one was supposed to know about this. The event was being held in another county. Why was he bidding on her? Didn’t he realize she felt humiliated enough already? Even though she was glad that several men had actually made an offer, compared to the bids for the other five women who had gone ahead of her, their bids were considerably lower. It seemed that four meals with a full figured woman wasn’t all the rage no matter how ‘smoking hot’—as Ashley liked to say—she looked. The auctioneer was ready to accept the final bid when Kenric’s voice rang clear through the room offering more than any man had for the first five women combined.

  The announcer repeated the number in awe then said, “Okay that will be 462 going once…”

  Another voice cut through with a higher offer.

  Carissa looked towards the back of the room and saw Morris! What was he doing there? Did someone tell him about the event? Was this some sort of cruel joke? Was she dreaming? She didn’t know what would be worse to be bought by her ex or her boss. She pinched herself then winced. She wasn’t dreaming. This nightmare was really happening.

  “Well gentleman, this is getting exciting,” the announcer said. She looked at Riverton. “Do you have a counter offer?”

  Carissa held her breath expecting him to lean back and shake his head, but instead he increased his amount.

  Rumblings whispered through the room.

  She looked at him, that implacable mask in place. She wanted to mouth ‘what are you doing?’ but instead kept her smile in place. She hoped another man would come in and outbid them both.

  Morris countered.

  Riverton didn’t even look at him, coolly offering yet a higher amount.

  Carissa could feel herself sweating, if Riverton really wanted to win he could, he could outbid Morris. But why would he want to? She offered up a silent prayer. Morris had to win. She couldn’t imagine having to cook for her new boss. At least she knew Morris and two days with him would be awful but tolerable. Riverton, on the other hand, was a complete unknown.

  “That is 462 going once….”

  Come on Morris say something.

  “Going twice…”

  You bastard, don’t you have any balls?

  “Sold to the gentleman over there!”

  No, no she couldn’t be bought by Riverton. She couldn’t be his prize. It had to be a mistake. Carissa stumbled off the stage. Other women swarmed around her.

  “You’ve made the most money for the entire evening!” one said.

  “Did you hire
them?” another asked.

  A third chimed in, “Wow, this event really pulled in a large check this time.”

  But Carissa blocked out their words, remembering only the burst of applause that had followed Riverton’s success. She was not going to let him get away with this.

  ***

  “What are you doing?” she demanded when she found Riverton handing a check to the organizer after the event had ended.

  “I’m not sure yet,” he said sounding in a daze.

  Morris marched up to them. “I was willing to give you a second chance. I actually believed you and this is how you repay my trust?”

  “What are you even doing here?” Carissa asked.

  “My firm is hosting this event. When I saw your name listed, I thought you did it for me.” He reached for her hand.

  Riverton casually slapped it away. “Look, but don’t touch.”

  “What?”

  Riverton sent him a pointed look. “She’s mine for the next two days and I like what belongs to me handled with care.”

  “Yours?” Morris said, his eyebrows shooting up. “She used to be my girlfriend and—”

  “‘Used to’ being the operative word. If you don’t know the meaning look it up.” He turned.

  Morris shoved his hands in his pockets. “I can’t believe you tried to convince me that he’s your boss.”

  “But he is—”

  Riverton spun her to him, pressed his mouth to hers—making her senses reel—then sent Morris a look that was both a challenge and a threat. “The new man in her life.” He looped Carissa’s arm through his and led her out of the room. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  She nearly had to run to maintain his pace, her lips still hot from the touch of his. Once they were in the hall, he released her. “Sorry about that,” he said, his voice deeper than she remembered, his tone making her skin tingle.

  She stared at him baffled by both his action and her response to him. “Which part?”

  “The kiss. I had to do it, I couldn’t have you telling him I was your boss. The fewer people know about this the better.”

  “Agreed, but—”

  “Good.”

  Carissa grabbed his sleeve before he could turn. “Why did you do this? What were you thinking?”