Mia pulled on the strapless red cocktail dress and spent several moments struggling with the zipper before finally managing to get it zipped. There were times when it was a real pain in the ass not having a man around. She surveyed her reflection in the mirror and knew that even though her mother would hate the short, mid-thigh length, she absolutely loved it. The dress had a pleated bodice and the narrow skirt contained side pockets. She settled on a large pair of gold hoop earrings and a matching cuff bracelet. Impossibly high-heeled strappy sandals completed the look.

She had to wonder if she was putting just a little extra care into her appearance because she knew Seth would be there. He intrigued her. He seemed so reserved at first, but she had caught him checking her out more than once. She didn’t think she was imagining the chemistry between them. She had always been a sucker for a man with blue eyes. The cologne that he wore also made her want to rip the clothes off his tall, rangy body and answer one of her burning questions: boxers or briefs? He definitely looked like a boxers kind of guy, and she found those so damn sexy. Briefs were too revealing, too fast. Boxers were like unwrapping a present. You never knew what was under them. If the outline at the front of his trousers was to be believed, she wouldn’t be disappointed in Seth’s . . . package. Okay, so she had been checking him out today as well. Nothing could happen between them while she was working there, but after the job was completed . . . all bets were off.

She had been too busy with work and travel the last few years to maintain any type of relationship. She had never been shy about going after something she wanted and right now, that was Seth Jackson. She didn’t want to marry the man, but she damn sure wanted to sleep with him. If things went well, she could see things going longer than just one night. Of course, this all depended on Seth being a willing participant and from the vibes she was getting earlier, she felt that he was. Thanks to the wonder of Google, she knew that he was single and appeared to be unattached. She was also surprised to find that he and his family owned the chain of Oceanix Resorts. He wasn’t just an employee there as she first thought. That didn’t really mean anything to her, but it explained why her parents knew him well enough for casual conversation. She would have preferred someone outside of their social circle, but at least they didn’t appear to be golf buddies or anything close. It was doable and so was he.

The cab that she had called was waiting at the entrance to her condominium. She usually preferred to have her own car, but she wanted to be able to enjoy a drink if she felt like it so she opted for safety. When she arrived, the ballroom was already packed. Her parents were standing at the door greeting the new arrivals. Her mother shot a quick look at her short dress before giving her a fake, public smile. “Mia, darling, don’t you look . . . cute tonight.” Her father was deep in conversation with another couple and gave her a perfunctory kiss on the cheek before turning away again.

“Hi, Mom, it looks like you’ve done it again. It’s standing room only in here.”

Her mother beamed, pleased by her remark. “I think some of the credit goes to Seth for donating the venue. Everyone loves the Oceanix Resort and couldn’t resist an evening here. You two seemed quite comfortable today.”

Oh, yuck, is my mother trying to match-make again? I have to give her credit; her taste has improved a lot since the last disaster. Mia tried to seem uninterested. She didn’t need her mother getting involved and scaring the man away.

“He’s just a client, Mom, nothing more.” She was grateful that a group of people behind her provided just enough distraction for her to make a quick escape. She loved her parents, but they didn’t have much in common. Plus, it could be draining when you were the center of their focus. It was much easier just being the usual afterthought. She took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and scanned the room. She was disappointed that Seth was nowhere to be found. Maybe he had decided against being auctioned off tonight.

When a hand landed on her shoulder, she turned to find Margie, Seth’s assistant, behind her. “Well, hey there, girl, don’t you look hot.” Margie was wearing a form-fitting black dress, which displayed a body that most would envy, including her.

“Wow, so do you. I love that dress and those shoes are amazing!” She had instantly bonded with Margie that morning and she was happy to see a friendly face in the crowd.

“Ah, thank you, dear. They are killing my feet already, but it’s the price you have to pay, right? I hear your parents are throwing this shindig. I didn’t peg you for one of those Gentrys.”

Mia winced. “Yeah, well, someone had to be their token child and my number was called so here I am.”

Margie laughed, throwing an arm around her. “I like you. It’s about time we had someone interesting around here. So, are you buying yourself a man tonight? I know you probably think I’m saying this because he pays me, but you can’t go wrong with Seth. The boy cleans up real well and the way the women around the hotel chase him, he must be pretty good at his game, if you get my drift.”

She smiled, more than getting her drift. “I hate to disappoint you, but the auction is out of my price range. Is Seth still planning to do it? I haven’t seen him around.”

“He had to take a late conference call. He should be down in time for his moment on the stage. I tried to get him to wear something sexy, but he insisted on sticking with his suit.”

“That’s too bad,” Mia murmured before she could stop herself.

Margie gave her a wicked grin, saying, “Use your imagination, honey. Mine sure keeps me entertained. Now, do you think you can score us some good seats to the action?”

Linking their arms, Mia said, “I’ve got this covered, follow me.”

Seth cursed under his breath when he looked at his watch. The conference call had run later than he had anticipated and he had missed the start of the auction. If he didn’t hurry, he would miss the whole damn thing and Madeline Gentry would have his head. He wondered again why he had agreed to this in the first place. He had no desire to take some stranger out to dinner and make polite conversation. Worse yet, if Mia was correct, he might be fending off some older lady with roving hands. Maybe he should just stay in his office and pretend that he couldn’t get away. If you do, you’ll miss seeing Mia again.

Shit, why did he care about that? He would see her tomorrow. But, you’ll miss seeing how she’s dressed tonight. What if she’s showing more skin? That was a thought he couldn’t resist. He had to see her. If that meant embarrassing himself in front of a roomful of people, then so be it. How bad could it be?

The spotlights were glaring down on him, causing a fine sheen of sweat on his neckline, and the women in the room had turned into a bunch of horny piranhas. Mia, who was dressed in a fire-engine red dress that was indecently short, was seated in the front row next to Margie. Both of them were openly laughing as the room went crazy. Bids were being screamed from everywhere—and the amounts were in the thousands now. These women had more money than sense. Who would pay that much to go out with a stranger? They did know that this didn’t include sex, right?

There was one bidder sitting quietly at the end of the front row who kept discreetly raising her hand to outbid the last bid. Whereas the other women seem to have lost their composure and were now acting more like a bridal party at a male strip club, this woman was calm and collected. She appeared to be in her thirties with long, blonde hair and a blue cocktail dress. He admired her calm approach to the auction, but strangely enough, worried about what an evening with her would be like. She seemed too businesslike to be bidding on a date. She barely even looked at him. She seemed to be listening to each bid and automatically raising her hand. The other women might try to grab his crotch during the date, but this one just might try to emasculate him. Was he actually hoping that someone else would win? Why in the hell hadn’t he instructed Margie to buy him? He could have given her the money. The thought had never crossed his mind.