The Bachelor Auction by Rachel van Dyken

Author:Rachel van Dyken [Dyken, Rachel van]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2016-10-03T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Brock paced back and forth in the barn, keeping a wary eye on the cock, who was circling him and flapping his wings.

Finally, he dialed his grandfather’s number.

“Brock?” Grandfather answered on the fourth ring. “How’s my favorite grandson?”

“Brant was your favorite last time I checked. Don’t tell me you’re switching sides now?”

Grandfather coughed loudly then sniffed. “Well, I think it best to always keep you guys guessing. I find it keeps the twins in line.”

Brock snorted.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“So, what can I do you for? I have a meeting in a few minutes, and before you start asking what it’s about, it’s just to tie up minor details for the ball. I’ve ordered your tux. You’ll be in all black, of course. A matching set, you and I.”

“And the twins?” Brock tried to keep the irritation out of his voice.

“They can wear whatever they want as long as they aren’t naked.”

And there it was. Brock, of course, needed to match his grandfather because he was a carbon copy. But the twins? They could do whatever the hell they wanted! Granted, a part of him knew his wasn’t a fair assessment; his grandfather just didn’t want to deal with the twins.

“Is something wrong? You’re more quiet than usual,” Grandfather asked with another sniff.

Brock sighed. “Nothing, I just…I was thinking. The auction is a great idea, for charity, but you were kidding about me actually marrying one of those women…right? I mean I know that the press took that idea and ran with it but…” Please laugh, please laugh.

Grandfather laughed.

Brock exhaled loudly.

“I thought you understood how this was going to work,” Grandfather said quickly.

The sense of dread was back. “I assumed from the notes last week that the auction is going to take place halfway through the dinner at the ball. You’ll pick from one of the five women who bids the most. I go out on a date with them, take pictures, and…” He gulped. “We get good publicity. The shareholders get to see us as a united front, the press goes wild, and everyone wins. I didn’t think, I mean…marriage…”

“Of course you won’t have to marry right away! But you never know. You may fall for one of the girls. The media is having a field day about where you’ve gotten off to, so everything is working according to plan.” Grandfather lowered his voice. “Brock, I’m not trying to upset you, but things could get bad…”

Brock gulped and closed his eyes. “How bad?”

“If I die—”

Brock inhaled sharply. “Are you sick?”

“Not now.” Grandfather sighed heavily. “But if I die and you and your brothers aren’t cemented within the company, the shareholders will push you out. Right now the only thing keeping them satisfied is the publicity the auction is bringing in and the idea that Wellington Incorporated and Titus Enterprises could one day merge.”

Brock wasn’t so sure how he felt about any potential merger with a company that up until now had always been a complete pain in the ass. Grandfather kept on talking.

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