A Bid for Love Read Free

windows and doors.
    At last she arrived near the auction corridor. Down the hall, she could see that the door was closed and well protected by two solemn-faced security guards. Cassi quickly located what she had come for. In front of her, where the main corridor intersected with the auction corridor, was a display of pamphlets detailing the auction offerings. Most of these Cassi had already studied carefully. What she had really come for was the simple white flyer on the side of the display which announced the hours for the previewing and the auction time for each item. Three items had been added to the schedule since she’d last seen it, but only one looked promising. As she had expected, the previewing would begin at ten, leaving her six hours to study the offerings and to converse with her fellow buyers.
    She looked up from the paper and scanned the pamphlets again until she found the one she was looking for. It was near the bottom, and she bent to retrieve it.
    A hideous-looking Buddha stared out at her from the pamphlet cover. “Boy, are you ugly,” Cassi whispered. “Why on earth would anyone want you?” She traced the lines of the Buddha as she remembered her conversation with Linden only the day before.
    “I want you to bid for the Buddha,” he said. “It’s a very interesting piece from the late Kushan period. It is believed to have been made at Mathura, and is a well-preserved piece for the price. If you win the bid, call me and I’ll come down with Justin and Gary to transport it.” Justin and Gary were the guards who worked for the gallery, and they always picked up the most important items. Other purchases she usually sent through a security company.
    “Don’t go over three hundred thousand for it, though,” Linden had added.
    “And if I don’t get it for that?” asked Cassi.
    Linden frowned and shook his gray head. “Then find out who does get it. This is very important, Cassi. I don’t want you to contact the person. Just find out who it is and call me. Okay?”
    “Sure.” But Cassi was puzzled. Linden had never asked her to find out who scooped an item from them, though Cassi’s curiosity usually made her seek the identity of the person and what gallery he represented, if she didn’t already recognize him. Besides being a matter of professional pride, it helped her to know who to look out for in the next bidding war.
    “Why would someone want you?” Cassi repeated to the silent Buddha. While she recognized that some people were more intent on design than beauty, she still found it hard to overlook the Buddha’s sharp, repulsive features. It certainly wasn’t something she would display in her own home. She brought the paper closer to study the image, searching for signs of the Kushan period. Could it really have come out of Mathura? Located in central India, a distinct Greco-Buddhist art had evolved in Mathura, so it was very possible. Of course, the poor photograph couldn’t reveal much, even to eyes as practiced as Cassi’s.
    “You like him?” A male voice asked casually from behind her.
    Cassi’s head jerked around, hoping it wasn’t someone she knew. To her relief, she saw a man who didn’t seem familiar. He was tall and handsome, with medium blond hair and well-molded facial features. His chin was slightly prominent, giving him an air of confidence. Unlike Cassi, he was dressed for the occasion. He wore an expensive-looking suit, and his short hair was combed meticulously into place. His startling blue eyes stared intently at her.
    “Intellectually, yes. Physically, no,” she replied hurriedly, feeling horribly self-conscious. This man was obviously a buyer, and Cassi hoped he wouldn’t remember her later. “Excuse me.” She turned abruptly and retreated down the hall, forcing herself to maintain a sedate walk until she was out of his sight.
    “Darn it,” she mumbled. “Why did I stay? I almost got away without being noticed by anyone.”
    She grumbled all the way