Mine: A Dark Billionaire Romance Read online

  CHAPTER THREE

  "Next up is Miss Laina Albertson," the emcee said.

  That was my cue! I'd spent the entire day stressing about this moment, and now it was go time. I nervously smoothed out my red dress before I stepped out of the wings. Despite our rehearsal just hours before, my mind went completely blank the second the stage lights hit my eyes. I panicked, trying to remember what I was supposed to do next. The emcee had gone silent, and it felt like the seconds were stretching on into eternity. Calm down, I thought and took a deep breath. Everything came back to me after a second, thankfully, and I did my best supermodel impression as I strode across the stage. Cameras immediately started flashing from the audience, threatening to send me back into a spiral of stage fright, but I ignored them. After what felt like eons, I reached the podium. I turned and smiled as I headed down the long, red-carpeted runway ahead of me.

  "Laina is a pre-med student studying Biology at New York University," the emcee said as I walked. "She's just starting her junior year and is excited to start preparing for medical school, eventually wishing to focus on pediatric medicine. In her spare time, she works for the medical college library and enjoys reading poetry."

  It sounded like a hokey dating profile, but I guess that's what they were trying to accomplish at this auction. I did my best to keep a large grin plastered on my face as I glanced around at the audience. There were a couple hundred attendees, mostly members of Victor's club and the charity they were supporting. Only ten men were allowed to bid, and they were all sitting in a row near the end of the runway. The floor before me seemed to stretch on forever, and I did my best to concentrate on not falling flat on my face. As I approached the bidders, I tried to focus on putting a little extra strut into my walk. I wasn't being paid all that much for this, but I still wanted to do my best for Victor's sake at least. I found him in the crowd and he gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled back at him and refocused my attention on staying upright.

  As I passed the men, I noticed that they were all young looking and very sharply dressed. Some even looked like they were still in college, which made me wonder why they were here. Victor had told me the men had paid a substantial sum just for the opportunity to bid, so all of these men were pretty well off. Or maybe their families were. I passed suit after suit, and honestly, they all started to blur together. Then my eyes landed on the man sitting at the end of the row, and everything changed.

  He was wearing a dark brown corduroy blazer over fitted red flannel button up that seemed to hug every inch of his lean torso. Combined with his dark jeans, neatly trimmed beard, and leather oxford shoes, he looked like a polished version of the hipsters I saw every morning in my favorite coffee shop. He definitely stood out among his more traditional colleagues, but the confidence and charm that seemed radiate off of him made it seem like the other men were just trying too hard.

  My eyes made their way up to his face and my breath stopped when I saw how truly gorgeous this man was. Sharp cheekbones jutted out from his facial hair and his blonde hair was cut short on the sides, but long and wavy on top. I was already swooning when his piercing blue eyes met mine and sent a bolt of electricity through me. It was like time completely stopped as we gazed at each other. There was a frightening, animal hunger in his eyes and a sly smirk on his full lips that left me breathless. I felt a strange mix of fear, excitement, and desire. I was so startled by his intense gaze that I almost tripped right there on the runway. Thankfully, I managed to recover with only a wobble and broke eye contact as I turned to walk back to the podium.

  My heart was racing the whole time and I tried desperately to figure out what had just happened. Who was that man who had inspired such a delirious mixture of feelings just by looking at me? I tried to focus on the auction that was about to start, but all I could think about was him. If his gaze was enough to make me melt, what could he do with a gentle touch?

  "We will now start the bidding on Miss Albertson," the emcee said. "I'll start us off with fifty dollars."

  The room fell quiet and the seconds seemed to tick on forever. My worst fears were starting to come true and a hot blush started to creep up my neck.

  "Come on, gentlemen, surely there is someone who would like to spend an evening with the lovely Laina. It is all for charity, after all."

  "I'll bid fifty," a familiar voice called from the back.

  A murmur went through the audience. I craned my neck to try and see who it was. Whoever had just spoken wasn't one of the ten official bidders, and I wondered how the event organizers were going to handle this. Victor then stepped through the crowd and stood confidently by the man in flannel.

  "Well, uh," the emcee stuttered. "This certainly is a surprise. Ladies and gentlemen, a moment please."

  He leaned away from the microphone toward an older woman dressed in a silver evening gown who had just arrived by his side. Judging from their hushed conversation, I assumed she was in charge of the event. After some intense whispering, the woman shrugged and stepped back.

  "Although this is technically a breach of the official rules, Mr. Nassar is a member of the club hosting the event. For this reason, we shall let his bid stand."

  There came a couple of indignant shouts from the other bidding men before the woman stepped up to the microphone.

  "Calm down, gentlemen," she said calmly. "If Mr. Nassar is the winning bidder, we will require him to pay the entry fee."

  After the crowd had settled, the emcee continued, "Will anyone see seventy-five?"

  The man in flannel raised his hand silently and my heart started to race.

  "Mr. Rutherford, thank you," the emcee said. "Current bid is seventy-five…"

  "One hundred," Victor called, shooting a defiant glance at his competitor.

  "I hear one hundred! Anyone for…"

  "One thousand," Mr. Rutherford called with a smirk. He was pointedly staring straight ahead, despite Victor's annoyed grunts. Mr. Rutherford looked less like a man right now and more like a predator toying around with his prey.

  "I hear one thousand..."

  "Five thousand!" Victor called. I gasped. I knew Victor's family was pretty well off, but could he really afford to drop that much money on me?

  "I have five thousand," the emcee said, glancing at Mr. Rutherford, who remained silent. "Going once, going twice…"

  "Thirty thousand," Mr. Rutherford called in a calm voice.

  The room plunged into silence for a scant couple of seconds before voices started to buzz. The emcee seemed to be at a loss for words, and I felt the same way. Thirty thousand was almost triple what all the girls before me had earned combined.

  "A very generous thirty thousand from Mr. Rutherford," the emcee said shakily. "Going once, going twice, sold!"

  The room erupted in applause, but the mysterious Mr. Rutherford stayed seated and unmoving. Our eyes met again and I felt the air crackling between us. He gave me a small wink before I turned to walk backstage. I looked back just before I crossed behind the stage curtains, hoping for another chance to examine my date for the evening, but his seat was now empty. As I made my way back to the dressing rooms, I could hardly contain my excitement. Judging by the reaction I received when I pushed the door open, neither could anyone else.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  I was greeted by a wall of squealing women as I entered the dressing room, all of them pushing each other out of the way as they vied for my attention.

  "Oh my God!" one of the women yelled. I'd only just met her that evening, and I racked my brain before I remembered her name was Diane. "Seriously? You got Garrett Rutherford, you lucky bitch!"

  "I'm sorry, who is he?" I asked, wondering what made him any different than the others, other than his obviously different fashion taste.

  "Who is he? He's, like, the richest man out there," Diane replied. "He's only twenty-six, but he's a legit billionaire and the CEO of some big finance company."

  "Some big finance company?" another girl called. She was April, and I had
actually met her before in an accounting course my degree required me to take. "Rutherford and Company is one of the biggest independent investment banks in the country!"

  My head started to spin. I'd expected maybe a well-dressed but boring stock broker looking to burn his trust fund, not a full-out billionaire. I knew I needed to keep cool and remember that this was just a one-night thing, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep my emotions in check.

  "It also doesn't hurt that the man's practically a freaking model," a girl named Claire yelled out. "Seriously, I'm super jealous, Laina. I'll need to get your number later so you can tell me how it goes."

  This caused the rest of the women to cluster tighter around me and it wasn't long before we'd all exchanged numbers with the promise of reporting how each of our dates went.

  The room calmed slightly after that and we all went about the business of tidying up our makeup and smoothing out our hair. The last girl was out there for bidding, and it wouldn't be long before our dates would come to whisk us away for the evening. I was still nervous, but my excitement was also starting to grow as I touched up my eyeliner. I thought about where we might go, but my heart sank a little when I remembered that we would have a chaperone with us for the evening. At first, I'd been relieved to know that I wasn't about to get dragged out into the city by a random man, but now I couldn't help but feel disappointed that I wouldn't have Garrett all to myself.

  The last girl had just returned and all the girls gasped to see Victor close at her heels. The dressing room erupted in a chorus of yelling at seeing a random man in the room, but he didn't seem fazed. Victor then roughly grabbed my arm and I yelped as he dragged me out into the hallway.

  "What the hell, Victor!" I said once the dressing room door closed. He didn't respond at first, only pacing back and forth. He was visibly upset, and his face had a dark look that made me fear for his next action.

  "You can't go on that date," he growled, still pacing.

  "I have to," I replied indignantly. "It's how the charity works. You're the one who dragged me into this, remember?"

  "That doesn't mean you have to go through with it. When he comes back here, you'll tell him you're feeling sick and want to go home."

  "Like hell, I will," I said, my voice rising. "If I don't go, your charity doesn't get the money. As I was walking back here, I overheard the woman in charge saying that my bid was the biggest single take in this event's history!"

  "I don't care, you're not going," Victor said. "What does it matter to you, anyway, you'll still get your money?"

  "I'm going on this date, Victor," I said. "Why are you so worked up about it anyway? It's just dinner. He'll forget I exist as soon as he drops me off at my apartment."

  By this point he had stopped pacing and was now standing in front of me, his dark eyes boring into mine. I struggled to read his expression, but I could clearly see he was sore about losing to Garrett. Was Victor actually jealous? Thoughts started to tumble around my brain, and I realized that tonight might have been some half cooked romantic plan on Victor's part to win me over. I felt a little sorry for him as I realized this, but I ultimately decided that it didn't matter. It was Garrett that I wanted to go on a date with, not Victor.

  We stood there, staring at each other in silence before his expression started to soften.

  "Look, Laina," he said quietly. "You do whatever you want. I'm definitely in no place to dictate your life. Just… be careful around Garrett Rutherford."

  Victor then turned suddenly and started walking away from me. I watched his retreating back, now more confused than ever. Had I misread his concern as jealousy? What had I gotten myself into when I decided to do this auction?

  My thoughts were interrupted by a small click behind me. Diane opened the dressing room door and stuck her head out.

  "Is he gone?" she asked. I nodded and she gestured for me to come back in.

  As soon as I re-entered the room, I realized that all the girls had been clustered around the door and eavesdropping on my and Victor's conversation. I was initially irritated, but I couldn't blame them. I’d probably have done the same. I sat down at my makeup station and the girls clustered around me.

  "Don't listen to him," Claire said. "He's just jealous."

  "Yeah," Diane chimed in. "Enjoy your night with Garrett. It's not every night you get to have dinner with a handsome, young, billionaire! You definitely deserve it."

  "The only thing you need to worry about," said a third girl whose name I couldn't place, "is getting his number at the end of the night!"

  The rest of the girls made various comforting noises while we all continued to prepare for our dates. It wasn't long before a crew member poked her head in to call us to the ballroom. It was time for us to meet our dates, and we'd have a couple of minutes of mingling and cocktails before we'd head off into the night. We all stood and filed out of the dressing room, and I gave my brown hair one more pat before I followed the group. I took a deep, steadying breath when we reached the entrance to the ballroom. As the door opened, I plastered a wide smile on my face before stepping out toward what I already knew would be a life-changing evening.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I looked around the ballroom and noted that all the girls, except myself and Claire, had been claimed. Most of them were happily chatting with their dates and finishing glasses of champagne before heading out on the town. Claire and I were standing near the center of the room, hoping that our position would make us easier to spot as we chatted to pass the time. I knew it was illogical, but I had a sinking feeling that I was about to get stood up. Why would I, though? Garrett had paid an exorbitant amount of money for me. A shrewd businessman like him wouldn't throw away an investment like that, right?

  "Oh! I think I see him," Claire said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  "Who? Your date?" I asked. I craned my head upward, trying to see above the crowd.

  "No, silly, yours!"

  She pointed to my left and I saw Garrett Rutherford striding over to us, accompanied by a young college student who I presumed would be our chaperone for the evening. I felt blood rushing to my face as I let my eyes wander up and down Garrett's body. I could see now that he wasn't seated that he taller than average, with a build that proclaimed that he wasn't necessarily a gym rat, but he was still fit. Somehow, he was even more attractive now than he had been during the auction and I was now worried about my ability to even say hello to him, let alone spend a whole night with him.

  "Here she is!" the student said. His voice had a forced joviality that didn't quite match up with the nervous look on his face. "This is Garrett Rutherford. Mr. Rutherford, this is Laina Albertson, your date for the evening. My name is Logan, and I'll be tagging along to make sure everything goes smoothly. Don't worry, I'll try not to be too much of a third wheel. I'll make sure to stick to the sidelines!"

  "Hi, Mr. Rutherford, nice to meet you," I said and was immediately surprised at how even my voice was.

  I held out my hand but Garrett didn't take it, so I awkwardly let my arm fall back to my side. He just stood with his hands in his pockets while Logan looked from me to Garrett in confusion. I could practically feel Garrett's gray eyes boring into me as he silently scrutinized me. I let my eyes make contact with his and another hot blush exploded onto my face. He seemed to look directly into my soul, finding every hidden secret and bottled up desire. I suddenly felt very naked, and I subconsciously pulled my shawl tighter around my shoulders.

  Time stretched on until, thankfully, Logan broke the silence. "So, uh, Mr. Rutherford. Shall we get going? We're already running late as…"

  "Come, Laina," Garrett interrupted, acting as if he hadn't heard Logan. "My driver is waiting for us outside."

  "Ok, Mr. Rutherford," I said as I turned and handed my glass to Claire, "I'll see you later Claire! Let me know how…"

  "Now, Laina," Garrett said, his voice as cold as ice.

  I jumped slightly and Claire gave me a concerned look
before turning away and disappearing into the crowd. I felt cool beads of sweat forming at the base of my neck. What had I gotten myself into?

  I turned around to find Garrett already walking away from me with Logan trotting at his heels, glancing back at me desperately. Part of me wanted to stay right where I was. I, along with the rest of the auctioned girls, had gotten a small briefing before the event started. While we were certainly being 'sold' to the men at the event, no one could actually force us to go on these dates. All I had to do was go to the event host and tell them I was uncomfortable, and I could go home without another word. Sure, the charity would lose the money but they continually stressed that nothing was worth putting ourselves in a dangerous situation. I watched Garrett stride further away from me as I tried to decide what to do. He then stopped so suddenly that Logan almost plowed into him. Garrett turned back and gave me a steely look and raised his eyebrow.