The Date Auction (11 page)

But the conversation continued without her.

“Are you living in New York now?” Harry asked.

“No. Just visiting. At the moment, I still live in L.A.”

“Me too. Well... I split my time between New York and L.A. I go wherever I need to go.”

“How's your mother?” Natasha asked.

“Great. She's brilliant.”

“That's good. The last time we talked, she was in hospital.”

“No, she's much better now. And your father? Does he still detest me?”

“I think he's forgotten all about you,” Natasha answered with a smirk.

“Good. It's probably better that way.”

Cora could feel her fists clenching. She could feel her dream coming to an end, and it was slowly becoming a nightmare. Harry had forgotten all about her. As soon as Natasha arrived, it was as if she no longer existed.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Natasha asked.

Cora held her breath. It seemed like a perfect moment for Harry to turn to her and, at the very least, introduce her as a friend.

But no.

“No. I'm absolutely single,” Harry told her. “And you?”

“I have a boyfriend.” Natasha held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. There was a large, diamond ring on one of them. “We're engaged, actually.”

“Ah. Well. Cheers.”

“We should get together sometime, Harry. Do some catching up?”

“Absolutely. I'd love that.”

Cora tried to clear her throat. That, if nothing else, would make him remember she was standing right next to him.

He ignored her completely.

“What are you doing this Saturday?” Natasha asked. “I'm still in New York for a little while longer, but if you want to get together, it'll have to be next week.”

“Saturday is great. I should get in touch with you when I'm back in LA. I should...”

Cora had heard enough. One by one, her warm and fuzzy feelings for Harry Shaw were floating up to the ceiling and popping, like bubbles. She didn't like to be ignored, to be treated like a stranger. True, she wasn't anyone to Harry, but he didn't have to act like she wasn't even there. Cora's heart was broken. Crushed. The more time she spent with Harry, the more she realized she was deluded. She was in love with the actor, his talent, and his beautiful face.

The real Harry Shaw left something to be desired. She wasn't in love with him. She was
infatuated
with the
idea
of him. Her sudden realization was liberating, as if a weight had been lifted from her chest.

Cora walked away, leaving Starbucks and Harry Shaw behind.

“
Cora
!” She could hear him calling to her, but she kept walking. “
Cora, wait! Where are you going? Come back
!”

She didn't stop. Not only did she need to liberate herself, she needed to liberate Harry as well. She should have known he didn't want to go out for coffee with her. Why was she so stupid?

“Cora, wait!” Harry finally caught up to her and seized her arm. “Why did you leave?!”

Her answer was as simple as it needed to be. “Because you were ignoring me.”

“I wasn't ignoring you!”

“Yes. You were,” Cora insisted. “As soon as you saw Natasha, you forgot I was there. I don't blame you, though. You were probably embarrassed of me?”

“Embarrassed? No! Why would I be embarrassed?”

“Look.” She gently pulled her arm away from him. “You don't have to feel obligated to spend time with me. I'm letting you off the hook.”

“I don't feel obligated to spend time with you!” Harry exclaimed. Even as he said it, he wondered if it was a lie. It wasn't as if he had been anticipating her company, but now that she was giving him the cold shoulder, he felt rattled.

“Before I go, I want to tell you something,” Cora began. “I think you're a beautiful man and a really good actor... a wonderful actor, actually. It's rare to find good looks and talent rolled into one. And... and I'll never regret spending that money on a date with you. This might seem silly, but it really was the most amazing moment of my life.”

“That's not silly. That's flattering.”

She continued, “Anyway, I won't be bugging you again. I'm sorry if you felt like you had to come today. It was probably stupid of me to call you.”

“Cora...” When he saw her walking away from him again, Harry was strangely disappointed. “Cora!”

Cora was blinking back tears as she headed in the direction of her apartment. She could feel her fantasy coming to an end, and reality was seeping in. It was time for her to grow up—grow up, and move on.

“First thing's first,” Cora whispered to herself. “I'll have to un-like him on Facebook.”

Chapter Twelve

When it came to football, Alaina and Harry wouldn't have been William's preferred companions. In fact, it was so awkward sitting between them, he was cursing his brother in his mind. His girlfriend knew nothing about football, and Harry seemed to hate it.

It was Alaina who presented him with the tickets. They were supposed to be for him and “his two friends.” He assumed she meant Harry and Jaime, since they were the only two friends he mentioned on a regular basis. His brother was supposed to be there, but he couldn't make it, so Alaina ended up going in his place. Apparently, Jaime had a date, and though he wouldn't tell William who he was dating, William had his suspicions.

He whispered to Harry, “I think my brother is dating the woman from the date auction.”

One of Harry's perfect black eyebrows shot to his forehead. “Really? The older woman?”

“Yeah.” In the corner of his eye, he could see Alaina twirling a lock of her hair around a finger.

“What makes you think that?”

“He's been going out a lot, but he's been secretive about it,” William explained. “That's the only thing that makes sense.”

“Jaime could have any woman he wants. I doubt he would be interested in... well...” Harry didn't know how to describe the situation. Referring to Jaime's date as “
an old woman
” felt wrong.

“He doesn't have to hide it. Besides, she was an attractive older woman. Who cares if she's old enough to be our mother?”

Halftime ended, which meant William's attention was invested in the game once again. Harry, on the other hand, was dozing off, and Alaina was shifting in her seat.

“Pookie Dookie?”

When he heard Alaina address him by one of his many pet names, William cringed a bit. “What, baby?”

“I want a hotdog. Do you want a hotdog?”

“No thanks.”

“What I really want is
your
wiener.” She said it loud enough to Harry to hear, as well as half of the people surrounding them. “I like your special sauce.”

“Okay.” William gave her a gentle pat on the leg, as if to say,
that's enough
. He certainly wasn't a prude, but he wasn't too keen on the idea of sharing details of their sex life with strangers.

“I love you, Pooh Pooh Bear.”

“I love you too, Baby Doll.” Alaina seemed to like it when he called her
Baby Doll
, because her smile broadened and her eyes lit up. As a reward, she nuzzled her cheek against William's shoulder and smothered his neck in kisses.

Harry tried to ignore the fact that his friend's girlfriend was devouring his neck, but it was a bit hard to miss.
He
wanted a girlfriend to devour his neck. Preferably in private. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but envy the affection his friend was receiving, even if it did make him feel like an awkward third wheel.

When Alaina finished suckling his neck, William leaned toward Harry and asked, “What do you think of Alaina?”

Harry slid a glance in the direction of the woman in question. She was beautiful, of course. And it was impossible to miss her amazing body, especially when she was wearing a pair of skin tight, super-short jean shorts. However, if his friend was wondering what he thought about Alaina's personality, he wasn't sure how to respond. The girl was obnoxious to say the least, but if she made William happy...

“She seems like a nice girl.” That was the safe answer.

“A nice girl? That's all?”

“A really nice girl.”

“You don't think she's absolutely gorgeous?”

“Of course she is.” When Harry chuckled, his laughter was accompanied by a snort. “But I'm not about to admit that to her boyfriend.”

Alaina's hand snaked along William's inner thigh, not too far from his-- “Ding Dong,” Alaina said aloud. “I miss your Ding Dong.”

“And my Ding Dong misses you,” he echoed her sentiment. They were talking about sex during a football game. Could his life get any better?

“This is kind of boring, baby. I'm trying to enjoy it for you, but I just can't get into it.”

“I thought you were going to get yourself a hotdog.”

“No.” Alaina stuck out her lower lip and tried to bring it as close to her nose as she possibly could. It wasn't the most adorable facial expression in the world. Fortunately, her boyfriend was too engrossed in the game to see it. “I'm too lazy to get up and get one.”

“Do you want me to get one for you?”

“No. I'd miss you too much if you went away.”

“Harry could keep you company.”

“I don't know Harry.” She peered over her boyfriend's head, trying to sneak a peak at the man sitting on the other side of him. “No offense, Harry.”
“None taken.” She couldn't possibly know much more about William, seeing as they had been dating for less than a week. Harry was tempted to comment on the quick progression of their relationship, but he had never seen William look happier. Alaina Torres must have been doing something right.

“
Take me out to the baaaallgaaame
,” Alaina was singing now. “
Take me out with the crooowd
.”

“Honey...
honey
.” They were attracting stares from nearby spectators, so William laid a silencing finger over her lips. “That's the wrong song for the wrong game.”

Her lips moved behind his finger, which really wasn't silencing her at all. “What do you mean?”

“That's a song for baseball. A baseball song,” he tried to explain. “Think about the last line...
it's one, two, three strikes you're out
...”

“Oh yeah. I guess it kind of sounds like baseball.” Alaina's hands were back in her hair, twirling the flyaway strand. “I guess I like baseball better.”

“And I prefer cricket,” Harry interjected. “Cricket, and rugby.”

William shook his head with disbelief. It was becoming apparent that his enjoyment of the game was limited by his present company.

“Baby?”

The Giants were seconds away from scoring a touchdown when Alaina was trying to get his attention. “What, honey?”

“Have you ever tasted earwax before? It's awful.” Her expression was sour, which made him think she had just tasted it. “I just stuck my finger in my ear because it was itching, but then I forgot I put it in there, and I started chewing on my nail a little while later. It still tasted like earwax, and it was so gross.”

“That's all the more reason why you should get that hotdog. You can wash away the taste.”

“It's going away now,” Alaina said. “I can't taste it anymore.”

“That's good.” William wondered how long she could go without talking. In his head, he counted the seconds.
One... two... three... four... five... six...

Six seconds later, she blurted a question. “When's your birthday? It just occurred to me that we've been having sex for several days now, and I don't even know when your birthday is.”

William ran an aggravated hand down the length of his face. Apparently, his girlfriend had no problem announcing their bedroom activities to anyone who might be listening. “It isn't until March.”

“Aww. But it's only September! That's a long time to wait!” Her body was deflated by an exaggerated sigh.

“You sound disappointed.”

“Well yeah! I love birthdays. I wanted to get you a gift and throw you a party. Do you think we'll still be together in March?”

William couldn't possibly predict the future, but he knew there could only be one acceptable answer for a question like that. “Of course.”

“Good. I'm glad. Anyway, my birthday is next month. You know what that means?” Alaina waited for a response, but she didn't get one. “An entire decade has passed since my quinceanera.” She paused again, but she didn't get the reaction she wanted. “I'm just kidding. I didn't have a quinceanera. What about you, Harry?”

Harry chuckled.“I didn't have a quinceanera,”

“No, silly! That's not what I meant!” Alaina wagged a finger at him from across the way. “I was just wondering when your birthday date was!”

“December 18
^th
.”

“Oh my god, that's so sad.” Alaina pouted on his behalf. “I always thought it would be sad to have a December birthday because it butts up against Christmas. Then you know everyone's just going to take one of your gifts out from under the tree and give it to you early. Unless you're Jewish... then you don't have a tree, but I'm sure it sucks just as much. Are you Jewish?”

Harry chuckled again, mostly because he could see the misery in William's eyes. His new girlfriend was a bit long-winded, to say the least. He wondered how long they would last as a couple. “No. Not Jewish.”

“I didn't think you were.”

William closed his eyes and shook his head. His enjoyment of the game had been completely destroyed by his loquacious companions. Harry was just as intolerable. As soon as Alaina stopped talking, Harry turned to William and whispered, “I need some advice.”

“Okay. About what?”

“It's about Cora, the girl from the date auction,” Harry began. “She called me and invited me out for coffee, and I agreed to meet with her and--”

“I thought you didn't like her,” William interrupted.

“I don't. Not really. I mean... she's not terrible or anything...” Harry was scratching his chin as he attempted to explain his situation. “I like her well enough, but I'm afraid she doesn't like me anymore.”

William was only half-listening, so he followed up with an obligatory and disinterested, “Why not?”

“When we were at Starbucks, I saw one of my ex-girlfriends. I hadn't seen this particular woman in a very long time, so we got to chatting. Apparently. Cora wasn't too happy about that. I'm not sure if she was jealous, or--”