Chapter 2 TWO

It didn't help that Gia looked so damn sexy when she was enraged. Something about the way her eyes narrowed into hot little slits, her full, ripe lips pursed as if she were holding back every curse word in the book.

It was fantastic.

"Gia," Joven said, completely oblivious to the mounting tension. "I'd like to introduce you to my good friend Joey Garcia."

Gia looked stunning, to say the least. She'd always been stunning, with her electric blue eyes and killer body, but something about her that night, the way she looked in that emerald-green gown and high-heeled pumps, made me feel like I needed to use every ounce of willpower I had to keep from thinking about how much I wanted her.

And oh, how I desired her. As she stepped over to me, an image of her underneath me in bed, her legs wrapped around my waist, and her stunning face in pure pleasure as I made her come over and over again flashed through my mind.

It didn't take much imagination to conjure up the image. I'd seen it before, after all.

There was something else about her appearance as well. She'd always been more of a tomboy, with her hair short and choppy and her style jeans and T-shirts. But she was dressed to the nines in a stunning gown that hugged her curves and made it clear she was all woman. My cock shifted in my trousers, as if my body wanted me to know how it felt about her.

A conflicted expression flashed across her face, as if she was debating whether or not to tell Joven that there was no need for introductions – we already knew each other pretty well.

"Nice to meet you, Joey," she said, but she didn't extend her hand for me to shake.

"Joven says you want me to participate in the auction," I teased, smiling at her.

"Actually," she replied quickly, "we're pretty full." I'm not sure there's room for another. And, besides..."Her gaze moved up and down my attire. "You're not dressed quite right for the part."

"Huh? " Joven inquired, perplexed. "What exactly do you mean?" "

She shifted her gaze to him. "It's a theme auction – for example, the sexiest bachelors doing the sexiest jobs." We have a fireman, a cop, a musician, and so on."

"Well, I could just march out there in my underwear." It's not doctor's scrubs, but it'll get some attention."

Gia's short, annoyed expression told me she didn't find my little joke amusing.

"You know," Joven added. "Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I have some extra scrubs in my car." And you're roughly my size, so..."

"That could work," I suggested. "Assuming I meet Ms. Perez's standards for the auction," I said, turning to face her. "What do you think?" Is it true that I'm attractive enough to sit with Metro Manila's most eligible bachelors? "

I knew I wasn't doing myself any favors in terms of Gia's regard for me, but I couldn't pass up the chance to rile her up.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, folding her arms beneath her breasts. "Perhaps I should take some time to think about it," she said before reaching into her purse and pulling out her phone. She hissed under her breath, "Shit." "It's time to begin letting people in." Can you assist your friend in preparing for the auction, Joven? We've arranged for all of the bachelors to be seated at the long table near the stage so that everyone can get a good look at them."

"Will do," Joven replied. "Joey, hurry up."

Gia gave me one last hard look before turning around and hurrying away. And, of course, my gaze remained fixed on her flawless a$$ as she walked away.

"Do you remember the old adage, 'take a picture, I'll last longer'?" Joven inquired, a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," he says.

Joven put his hand on my shoulder and led me through the backstage area, taking it off as we approached the exit doors.

"I wonder what was up with her," he remarked as he opened and held open the exit door for me, "she seemed really...I don't know, annoyed when we were talking to her."

This would have been a good time to tell him about my history with Gia, but I didn't want to do so right now.

"She's the event planner," I explained as I took a step outside. "She's probably thinking about a million things."

"That's a good point."

The sky was a dark, solid gray in the early evening, with the Rockies looming and dark in the distance. As we walked, we were drawn to the view.

"It feels like a thunderstorm," Joven remarked. "With weather like this, I'm glad I have a family to stay inside with."

"Is that correct? I'm glad I'll have time to focus on work with this weather."

"You say that now," he smirked as we approached the parking lot. "However, just wait until you meet someone special."

"Are you serious? Love isn't for doctors who are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

We got close to Joven's car, a sleek black Monterosport. He activated the fob, opened the back doors, and began rummaging through the contents.

"See, that's what I thought," he said as he took a small plastic bag from his pocket. "Then you meet that special someone, and everything changes." You discover what is truly important."

It was a topic I'd discussed with Joven a few times before. I had no desire to have it again. Being a husband and father may have worked for him, but I simply didn't have the time. Besides, I enjoyed my solitude.

"Here you go," he said, handing me a small bag containing some clothes. "There are even some sneakers in there for you to use." It's never a bad idea to have backup scrubs, you know? "

I took the bag and opened it to find a neatly folded outfit and what had to be the ugliest sneakers I'd ever seen. "Are you kidding me with these? " I inquired, pulling out one of my sneakers and holding it up.

"What" he inquired, shrugging one shoulder. "They're as cozy as hell."

"Perhaps, but I doubt they'll arouse much lust in the ladies bidding on me."

"You never know." Maybe you'll meet that special someone tonight, a woman who appreciates sensible footwear."

As we turned to return to the event hall, I laughed. The muffled strains of a live jazz band setting up could be heard as we approached.

"Music means it's about to begin," Joven explained. "Better get in there so we can see how much worse you look than I do in those."

As we stepped inside, I responded with a laugh and a smile, "Prick." We said our goodbyes and agreed to meet up later.

It was great to see Joven again. After one marriage and two children, the man was not easy to make plans with. But whenever we did, I couldn't help but notice how happy he seemed, as if there was a new light inside him that he couldn't stop letting shine. The family-man life appeared to be working well for him.

I entered the restroom, and as soon as I was alone in the stall, my thoughts returned to Gia. It was impossible for me to believe it was her. I wasn't particularly surprised to see her. After all, when Joven mentioned Alma's friend Gia was in charge of the evening's event planning, it wasn't a surprise to learn it was the same Gia.

But I wasn't expecting to be so blown away by her. Part of me wanted to take care of business in the stall, wearing nothing but skin-tight boxer-briefs, just so I wasn't distracted by her. My cock was already half-hard, so I'd be able to finish it.

I needed to get my mind in the game. I put on the shirt, stepped into the pants, and put on the godawful running shoes Joven had given me. I understood the concept of comfort, but damn.

I gathered my tux and left once I was dressed. After a quick dash outside to drop off my tux at my car, I dashed backstage just in time to hear Joven take the stage. He gave a heartfelt speech about his autism charity, and how, despite the fun, it was really about helping children that the night was all about. The man was a nice guy, and I was proud to call him a friend.

As I approached the exit back to the main event hall, he went into the auction topic, handing the mic to Alma.

"...and don't forget about the evening's main event," she added. "It's the charity auction!" "

Applause and cheers rang out.

"Tonight, for your bidding pleasure, we have a hand-picked selection of Metro Manila's most handsome and charming bachelors." We've got the Philippines' hottest band, Ben&Ben, and a great lineup from our local fire department. We've got a few Metro Manila PD officers here, and-"

Hell on earth. There's no point in waiting. I emerged from the backstage area. It was a crowded place. Almost all of the guests had arrived in the last hour, with every table seated with men and women dressed in fancy tuxes and glamorous gowns. And every pair of eyes belonged to me.

"And one very handsome and sexy doctor!"

As I strode toward the table, I pulled the stethoscope from my front pocket, wrapping it around my neck and waggling my brows. I was aware that I looked good.

And as I made my way to the table with the other guys, I caught sight of her. Gia stood at the back of the room, her arms crossed beneath her full breasts. She looked at me with skepticism, as if I was going to ruin the night.

I noticed a table full of dudes dressed in sexier versions of their work attire. The rockers were shirtless and wore ripped jeans, with one holding a guitar and the other twirling a pair of drumsticks. The firemen wore their big yellow pants but no tops, while the cops wore their shirts unbuttoned all the way to the waist. And they were all attractive, right down to the last one.

In fact, I appeared downright modest in front of them. I slid into a seat and waved to Alma, who returned my wave with a smile.

"What are the auction's stakes? Aside from ensuring yourself an evening out on the town courtesy of Bermas Medical, the top bidder of the evening will be taking an all-expenses-paid trip to fabulous Boracay with the lucky bachelor! "

I looked around for Joven, stunned. I hadn't heard anything about it. I was expecting a dinner or something, but a trip to Bora? There were worse places to go, to be sure, but I was a busy man. Taking a few days off to play the tables was not on my agenda.

"Appetizers are being passed around," Alma announced. "Give yourself some time to settle in. When the main course is served, the auction will begin. Thank you so much for coming and having a good time! "

Applause erupted as Alma waved goodbye from the stage. As the music resumed and the guests rose to mingle, I took a look around at the rest of the table.

"I'm telling you," one of the band members said. "Perhaps this is the break we've been looking for."

"What do you mean?"

" asked the drummer, another handsome guy with wild hair.

"Think about it," the guitar-wielding stud continued. "Do you know how many wealthy women are here?" All we have to do is ensure that one of us receives the highest bid. Then we whisk her away for a weekend in Bora, sweep her off her feet, and presto! We have a sugar mama! "

"Ohhh," said the drummer as he realized what was going on.

One of the cops and I exchanged glances, both of us saying, "Can you believe this shit?" expression When one of the waitresses passed by, I turned to grab a meatball from her tray. And it was then that I noticed the last woman I wanted to see.

Crystal Montecillo herself was sashaying toward me, her hips swaying back and forth so violently that she threatened to check whatever poor schlub happened to be nearby. Crystal Montecillo, my ex-wife. She was dressed to impress, wearing a sparkling, champagne-colored gown that revealed her surprisingly large boobs. Her blonde hair was voluminous and curly, and she had so much makeup on her face that it appeared she'd raided the nearest Sephora before arriving.

Her large, green eyes were fixed on me.

Hell on earth. Crystal was without a doubt one of the most heartless, downright evil women I'd ever met – a fact I didn't discover until after she'd blackmailed me into marrying her for what would turn out to be six of the worst weeks of my life.

"Hello there, handsome," she said as she slid into the open seat next to mine.

The other guys at the table were staring at Crystal like a bunch of horny high schoolers. She was a lovely lady, but I was well aware that her beauty was only skin deep. She was as hideous on the inside as she was on the outside.

"Seat is taken," I announced. "The bare-chested, uh, zoologist went to the restroom."

Her big lips spread across her face as she smiled. "As always, funny," she said. "Nice to see you, Joey," she said, lifting her hand to the thick curl that hung in front of her face, gently sweeping it back and tucking it behind her ear. In the process, she flaunted her massive – and I mean massive – diamond ring.

"Very subtle," I smirked, my gaze drawn to her ring as she lowered her hand and rested it on her leg. "Are we on marriage number eight now?" Is it nine or ten? It's difficult to keep track, you know. But, hey, I heard if you get to ten rings, you can enter a drawing for a prize."

A few of the guys at the table chuckled, which made Crystal very unhappy. She preferred one reaction from attractive men: fawning over her to the point of embarrassing themselves.

"Four, jackass," she retorted. "Did you happen to notice these? A little wedding present," she jutted her chest out toward me.

"How could I have missed those?" I inquired. "Did the plastic surgery clinic run a 'buy two cups, get one free' promotion?"

More laughter from the guys, a hard glare from Crystal. She could be vicious when she felt like it, but that didn't mean I couldn't run circles around her when I felt like it.

"Well, you can laugh all you want, but my husband Gerald is very happy with them." Believe me when I say that his enthusiasm knows no bounds."

She turned and gave Joey a finger-wagging wave over her shoulder at a man across the room who could only be described as elderly. He had a baby-smooth head and a flared-out moustache, and he appeared to be in his eighties. He carried himself with the dignity of a man from old-as-hell money.

"Anyway," she said, returning her gaze to mine, "when I saw you at the auction table, I had to come over and say hello. After all..." She took a deep breath and reached into her purse, pulling out an auction paddle. "I'm planning on taking one of these handsome boys to Bora with me."

"Won't Captain Krunch object to that?"

"We have an...arrangement in place for such matters." I can do whatever I want as long as I save my best for him. And Joey, I intend to do as I please." She rose from her seat, turned dramatically, and sashayed back to her seat.

Fucking hell. Who knew presenting myself as a piece of man-meat would be so difficult?