“And if he doesn’t?”
She shrugs. “Then you’re off the hook. I want it to be easy for you to get him to come around, and bidding the highest at a date auction is pretty much the most simple way to get a girl on a date. If he doesn’t try and succeed to do just that with you, then there’s no point in you making it awkward and throwing yourself at him. But, if he dragged his tongue up your stomach, I seriously doubt he’ll let you go on a date with anyone else.” She smiles, trying to get me to laugh, but I’m not having it.
This sucks.
Then it hits me – this is a game I can rig, a game I can easily win – if I play my cards right.
I keep my face straight and pretend like I’m still upset, sighing. “Fine, but if he doesn’t make the highest bid then I’m off the hook and you’re on your own to reel in your fish.”
She holds out her hand to shake mine. “Absolutely, no questions asked.” We shake on it and Erin clasps her hands together, her smile fully back in place as she turns toward the girls. “This is going to be fun!”
Ashlei and Erin start chatting excitedly, but Jess and Cassie’s eyes are trained on mine. They know as well as I do that this isn’t going to be fun, but I’ve got an Ace up my sleeve. Before they can ask if I’m okay, I duck out of the room, leaving my shoes behind. My room is just a few numbers down the hall and I push through the door, grabbing the first pair of leggings and tank top I see and throwing them on, followed by a pair of socks and my sneakers. Jess knocks just as I open the door again, reaching for my iPod and squeezing past her.
“Are you okay?” she asks, but I keep walking.
“Going for a run. I’ll see you for dinner tonight.”
I shove the earbuds in before she has the chance to reply and jog down the stairs and out the front door, falling into rhythm with the pop song blaring through the tiny speakers. As my breathing gets heavier and my chest tightens, I realize my poker face may be a little better than I thought. Because the entire time I was in that room, I didn’t once give off that I might like Kip, that maybe I don’t want to play this stupid game because I’m into him and I don’t want to deliver him on a silver platter to my Big.
Which is exactly why I can’t let him win me at the date auction.
If he’s Erin’s now, then I need to get rid of him. I need to get out of this while I still can, rip off the Band-Aid. And if that means cheating? Well, I’m not above getting my hands a little dirty.
Clinton’s Little, Josh, has had a crush on me since we met at freshmen orientation. He’s tried to get me to go on a date with him multiple times, but he’s far from my type – huge, muscles too big for his body, cheesy smile that screams “I’m a douchebag!” and orange skin from using too much bronzer. I’d sooner go on a date with Clinton than Josh, and he’s like a brother to me.
Which is why I can’t believe I’m shoving a thousand dollars from my savings account into his palm and telling him I want him to buy me at the auction tonight. As sad as it may be, he’s my Ace in the hole – and I need him.
“You can’t tell a single soul,” I remind him again. “Not even Bear. This is against the rules – big time. Just make it look casual and go up as high as you need to, but don’t jump out the gate with all one thousand. Hold back and see what the crowd does, only bet as much as you need to.”
“Whatever you say, baby.” He grins, throwing his arm around me. “I knew it was only a matter of time before you’d give in. Turning me down all this time and now look at you – paying me to save you from other guys so you can spend a whole night with me.”
I groan, pushing him off. “Don’t make me change my mind. I’m serious, Josh, this stays between the two of us.”
He runs his fingers up my arm and hooks his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me closer. “I look forward to a lot of things being kept between the two of us.”
Gag.
I pull away and check my phone for the time. “I have to go get ready. See you tonight. And Josh?”
His green eyes meet mine, waiting.
“Please don’t screw this up.”
He laughs and I let myself out of the Omega Chi Beta house, turning toward KKB. I only have a few short hours before the auction and I need to get prepped for the tournament tonight. The auction should only last until ten, but the tournament starts at ten thirty. That’s barely enough time to drive there, let alone buy in and get in my zone. It’ll be tight, but I have to make it work.
Ashlei and Jess help me get ready while my Little studies flash cards. I have no idea how she’s already studying when classes have been in session all of five days, but that’s her. I watch her look at a flash card, close her eyes and mouth the answer, then open them and flip the card over to check if she was right. She repeats this over and over and each time I smile a little more. As much as I admire Erin, I think I admire Cassie, too. She’s so bright, and so unafraid to be exactly who she is. I’m not sure I could ever be that confident.
Jess and Ashlei are like two peas in a pod. They’re both majoring in event planning, they both love country music, they’re both born and raised in South Florida, and they’re both blonde and beautiful. Pretty much the only difference is that Ashlei came from old money and Jess’s family came into their fortune from a lawsuit. She hasn’t ever really gone into detail with us, but it doesn’t matter – we don’t need to know.
After trying on several outfits that were deemed not good enough for a date auction, we settle on a tight, ruched pink dress with a sweetheart neckline. It accents my long legs and slender frame and we pair it with nude heels and a chunky gold and beige necklace. They use a curling wand to give my hair some volume and I do my makeup – simple and light, as usual.
“Damn, Big,” Cassie says, tucking her cards away. “You look hot.”
I check myself in the mirror, turning sideways. I’m really not a fan of dresses, but I do feel pretty sexy in this one. I’m not concerned about the auction as much as I am the tournament. This outfit will definitely put me in the naïve girl category. They’ll never see me coming, which is exactly the way I like it.
Ralph’s is packed when we arrive, which isn’t out of the ordinary for a Friday night. It’s one of the most popular college bars in the area, and we hold the date auction here the first Saturday of spring semester every year. It’s tradition – and usually I’m excited to watch my sisters get bid on and raise money for our philanthropy. But tonight, I’d rather be in a den full of hungry tigers with a steak wrapped around my neck.
We go in through the back door to skip the line outside and run straight into Erin. She’s got a clipboard in her hand and she’s shouting orders into her headset. “Oh!” she says when she sees us. “You guys are just in time. Little, go line up over there with the other dates. J-Love, Lei, I need you to start handing out bidding paddles. G-Little, can you find Chelsea? We need to raffle off the first door prize.” I smile at the nickname for Cassie. Her being my Little makes her Erin’s “Grand Little” – kind of like a grandchild. Thus, G-Little.
The girls all nod and scurry off to their destinations and as much as I hate my Big right now, I can’t help but stare at her in awe. She’s doing that thing again – kicking ass and taking names, making me want to be like her. She commands attention, and I envy her for it.
As if she senses my thoughts, she turns back to me. “I love you, Little. I’ve been thinking.” She stops to shout another order into her headpiece before continuing. “If you really don’t want to do this, you don’t have to. Whether he’s the highest bidder or not, you don’t have to do my dirty work.”
I shake my head. “We shook on it, Big. It’s a deal. We just have to see what happens now.” It’s easy to say now that I know I can’t lose.
She smiles and leans in to hug me. “You’re seriously the best Little in the world.”