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“You look amazing, Jen. I’m serious. You look like a bombshell.”
Kelly stood up and walked over to Jenna for a closer look, making her blush lightly. She could not think of a time she’d ever been described as a bombshell; for all the confidence she had, that word was not exactly what came to mind when considering her very thick and voluptuous figure. She always thought that word was reserved for the thin and leggy ladies of the world that walked the runways or at least looked like they should. Kelly continued to fawn over her as she went into overdrive, suggesting how to do her hair and what jewelry to wear before rushing off to get ready and head to the venue.
Hours later, Jenna tried her best not to suddenly feel self-conscious just moments before she was to walk on the stage to be auctioned off. Thankfully, Kelly was able to meet her for a moment before it started.
“Show that confidence I know you have,” Kelly mumbled. “You look drop-dead.”
Jenna took a deep breath and shut her eyes, recalling her reflection in the mirror once she’d put on the dress and gotten all done up. She had to admit she certainly did look great– she just needed to keep that confidence for the duration of the night.
“Oh! Before we start let’s take a peek to see if the Michael you met is Michael Black!”
Jenna sighed. She knew there was no point in arguing with Kelly so she just nodded and allowed herself to be dragged off to the corner from which they could sneak a peek. Jenna scanned the room carefully, noting how full the crowd was. Then she spotted Michael. She groaned and turned to look at Kelly unhappily.
“Oh my gosh! It’s him, isn’t it?” Kelly was practically glowing.
Jenna groaned again and nodded in his direction as she said, “That’s the jerk.”
“Shhh! You have to be careful what you say here.” Kelly paused and tapped her lip, obviously debating whether or not to tell Jenna what was on her mind. “I know you don’t like him much but you’ve barely met him and, well, he is a pretty big deal. He’s quite successful, well know, and would you believe he’s actually a bi-”
“Ladies, come! Come! Jenna please take your place back in line and Kelly please announce the start of the auction!”
With that, Jenna’s stomach twisted in nerves and she completely pushed aside any thought on what Kelly had just told her. She did not even stop to ponder what Kelly had been on the verge of letting her know before they were interrupted. As she got closer and closer to joining Kelly up on the stage she wondered who would bid for her, for how much, and what kind of person he would be. It was not until she felt like she was thrust in the bright spotlight and her eyes finally made Michael out that it dawned on her he could potentially be a bidder.
And then it happened in such a flurry she couldn’t even keep up. She could much less make any sense of it. She didn’t know how she wound up backstage with Kelly patting her on the back, both sympathetically and excitedly, saying, “Michael Black!”
Before she knew it, she was escorted by Kelly herself to sit at Michael’s table. The only sense of comfort, aside from the fact her best friend was able to sit beside her, was that Harrison was at the table as well.
“Hey, there, Jenna!” He placed his arm around Tara and said, “This is my girlfriend, Tara. Our little Fay is with a babysitter for the night.”
“It’s lovely to meet you,” Jenna said politely.
“You must be our new friend!” Tara grinned widely, showing she was every bit as chipper and friendly as Harrison.
“That’s awfully nice of you,” she said shyly. She never minded making new friends but she hardly thought she’d interacted enough with Harrison to be considered one.
“Maybe we can actually plan something one of these days,” Harrison proposed with a laugh, Tara nodding enthusiastically in agreement. Jenna smiled somewhat nervously but she nodded as well. She glanced nervously at Michael, who had been pretty much staring at her the entire time without saying a word.
“Excuse me, but I think I was the winning bidder at this table,” he announced.
Everyone at the table laughed, except Jenna. She turned away from him and willed herself not to show signs of annoyance or embarrassment. She could feel Kelly carefully studying her and practically reading her mind. She could almost hear Kelly telling her to be open minded and actually give the guy a chance. But that was when Michael suddenly leaned in so close she froze, eyes wide.
“Listen,” he muttered in her ear so only she could hear. “How about I propose something? Let’s talk tonight, here, with everyone present and if you find you don’t want to go on that winner’s day out with me, then I’ll drop it. Simple as that.”
Jenna turned to look at him incredulously. Of course she didn’t think he was doing it to be nice or considerate; she saw this as him being full of himself in at least two ways. To begin, he was just showing how easily he could give away money all under the guise of being a man who cared about a worthy cause. Another thing was he probably thought so highly of himself he had no doubt she would want to see him again. Jenna was determined not to give him that satisfaction but she nodded anyway and told him it was a deal.
“Well, well,” he said with a smirk. It was the same smirk he’d worn at the restaurant, the very one that had immediately made her detest him. Jenna swallowed but did not reply; she’d agreed to talk to him for the night and she decided to try her best to channel Kelly’s energy. “Looks like we are having a treat tonight after all.”
Jenna snapped to look at him, taken aback by the statement. What, exactly, was he insinuating? Whatever it was, he’d just reaffirmed everything she’d already been thinking as a result of his proposal. He subtly cocked his head as he appraised her, gaze lingering on her chest. Jenna scoffed. There was a limit to how much of a chance she’d give him but she saw no reason to have to put up with his crass insinuations or lingering gazes.
“So you’ve met little Fay,” he said, catching her off guard. Jenna nodded slowly. “She’s darling, isn’t she? She calls me ‘Mr. Black’ even though I never asked her to. I think she just likes calling me that for some reason.”
Jenna thought she should have found it charming for him to talk about Fay but she could only think it was a play he usually ran on women and, moreover, she could not help but think he was still doing an awful lot of talking about himself. Still, she decided to run with it. A deal was a deal, after all, and she’d struck one up with both him and her best friend.
“I’ve only met her briefly but, yes, she is darling.”
“I’ve actually told little Fay we are on first name basis but she always just giggles.” Michael laughed, catching Harrison’s eye and making him chuckle. It started a brief but spirited conversation about Fay, one that Jenna actually found entertaining.
“She always protests saying she doesn’t know what I mean,” Michael said, going back to the way Fay called him ‘Mr. Black’ even though he’d told her they were on a first name basis.
