Aaron’s grip on his glass grew a little tighter. “Nothing you should worry about.”

I watched him for a long moment, my curiosity doubling. Then, I turned to Angela, who was smiling with something that looked a lot like mischief.

“Oh, but I’m not worried.” A smile tugged at my lips, one I was going to bet was very similar to Angela’s. “I’m always here for a good, entertaining story.”

I heard Aaron’s resigned sigh from my side.

Angela’s grin widened. “I think I’m going to leave the honors to do that to Aaron.” Then, she leaned and added in a hushed voice, “I’m sure his side of the story is all the more captivating. Especially the part nobody got to see.”

Oh?

Before I could press for the details I was dying to hear, Angela’s attention was caught by something—someone—behind us. “Oh, there’s Michael. If you’ll please excuse me, I must go say hi.”

“Of course.” Aaron nodded, body still all stiff, although he was probably glad Angela was moving on to someone else. “It was nice seeing you, Angela.”

“Yes,” I gave her a polite smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Angela.”

“The pleasure was all mine, Catalina.” She leaned in and air-kissed my cheek. “Don’t let him off the hook too easily.” She winked and then walked away in the direction of the section of the rooftop where most people were gathered. A space filled with high tables that looked straight out of a design catalog and lines of wicker floor lamps that served as the only source of illumination.

I turned to look at Aaron, finding that pair of blue eyes already on me.

Pushing down the slight blush climbing up my neck, I cleared my throat. “I’m all ears, Blackford.” I brought my glass to my lips and finally finished the sparkling wine I had been nursing for the last hour. “I think it’s time you fill me in.”

Aaron seemed to think about his words for a moment. “As I’m sure you have already deducted, tonight’s main event is a bachelor auction.”

“A bachelor auction,” I repeated slowly. “Just your run-of-the-mill Saturday night activity, I assume.”

Aaron sighed.

I rolled my index finger in the air. “Keep going. I want to hear the rest.”

“I don’t think there’s much else to say.” He balanced his glass in his hand.

“Well, forgive me, Blackford, but I think there must be plenty. Plus, I want to make sure I understand the concept of tonight’s main event correctly.”

He shot me a glance.

I suppressed my smile. “Right. So, during this auction of yours then … bachelors are acquired, you say.”

“Correct.”

“By, I assume, single women and men?”

He nodded.

“For an amount of money,” I pointed out. “All in the name of charity, of course.”

Another nod.

I tapped my finger on my chin. “I just wonder … no, never mind. It’s stupid.”

Aaron shot me a tired glance. “Out with it, Catalina.”

“If people are bidding—buying—all these bachelors”—I watched his eyes narrow, exasperation written all over his face—“what happens next? When the bachelor is acquired, what is he acquired for?”

Aaron’s lips pressed in a flat line.

I continued, “I mean, this is not like bidding for a boat or a Porsche. I guess you cannot take the bachelor for a ride.” Okay, that sounded … wrong. One could technically take someone for a ride. A certain sort of ride. “Not that kind of ride,” I rushed out, watching Aaron’s expression change. A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Not like a ride in a yeehaw kind of way. I said that because one takes cars for a ride. Like, for a spin. But not men, not in that way. At least, I have never taken a man for a spin.” I shook my head. I was making it worse, and the more I talked, the more Aaron’s lips paled. “You know what I mean.”

“No,” Aaron answered simply, bringing the glass to his lips and taking a sip. “More often than not, I don’t know what you mean, Catalina.” He brought his hand to his right temple. “Whoever offers the highest bid, which will be donated to the cause, gets to go on a date with the man in question. That’s what the bachelor is acquired for.”

Hold up, what?

“A date?”

His brows knit. “Yes, a date.”

“Like a date, date?”

“A date, date. Yes. You know, normally, two people who engage in a social appointment that often involves eating. Sometimes, other kinds of activities.” He leveled me with a look. “Like going for rides and spins.”

My lips parted. No, my mouth hung open.

Was he … had he just …

“Ha, hilarious.” My cheeks heated. But I didn’t have time to be embarrassed. Because that meant … “So, do we have to … you know, do it?”

“What exactly?”

“The date thing,” I explained, lowering my voice so nobody could hear us. “I know I’m only your fake bidder. So, do we have to do it anyway? Like, fake do it? Because you said I’m here to fake bid on you, so I just … you know.”

Judging by Aaron’s expression, there was something from all the things I had just said that he found particularly unpleasant. His throat worked slowly, looking as if he were swallowing something sour.

“Never mind. We’ll figure it out later. I guess it’s not important.” What was important now was climbing out of this hole I had just dug for myself. “So, do you take part in the auction every year?”

His eyes looked away for a heartbeat and then settled back on me. “Ever since I moved to New York. This is my third time.”

“And you … take all these bidders on dates?” Okay, that wasn’t exactly changing the topic of conversation, but a part of me wanted to know. Kind of.

“Of course. It’s part of the deal.”

His earlier words came to mind.

“And you don’t go back on your word.”

“Exactly.”

That confirmation, that part of the deal bit, felt like a punch to the stomach. Back in my apartment, I had thought he’d sounded sincere when he told me that he wouldn’t pull out of our deal. And I had felt … skeptical in a way, yes, but a part of me had also felt special. For lack of a better word. Like he was doing that for me and I could count on him. Perhaps because he knew how important it was for me, how much I needed him. But now, it seemed I had been wrong. This was the way Aaron was wired.

It didn’t have anything to do with me.

And that made sense. The dumb thing to do had been thinking otherwise.

“And what do you do on these dates?” I asked without thinking much of it, just so he wouldn’t get a chance to see anything on my face. “Where do you take them?”

“Nothing special,” he admitted with a sigh. “The bachelor usually picks the activity and puts everything together. So, the two times I have participated, I have organized something at one of the animal shelters in the city. Spending some time there, volunteering and helping out or even taking a few dogs for a walk.”

That was … sweet. Generous and kind and way more than I would have ever expected from him, if my heart skipping a teeny-tiny beat and catching me by surprise was any indication.

I looked down, realizing my fingers were playing with the cuff around my wrist again. “That’s where you took last year’s bidder then?”

“Yes.” I could feel him silently asking me not to go there. Not to ask what Angela had mentioned earlier.

“Oh,” I said distractedly. “Speaking of last year”—I had to ask—“what happened during the auction?”

Aaron’s shoulders tensed, his face falling with resignation. “Not much.”

“Oh yeah?” I feigned surprise. “So, this fierce competition that Angela was talking about, the one I should not be scared of, doesn’t ring any bell?”

I watched his lips twitch and then bend in a pout.

A pout. On Aaron’s lips.

“Like no bells whatsoever?” I pressed, getting acquainted with that expression of his for the first time ever. “Really none?”