The Date Auction Read Free

of the couch. From William's vantage point, it looked like Harry was encompassing Jamie in his arm, but Jamie was too engrossed in his game to care. “She's such a lovely girl, isn't she? You see, that's the thing I don't understand about American women.”
    William was curious. “ What don't you understand about American women?”
    “The average British girl is pretty in a plain sort of way,” Harry replied. “But American women? They're all over the place. They're either incredibly gorgeous, or not at all.”
    “I think the same could be said for American men,” Jamie chimed in. “We're all adults here, right? I think we can all agree that I'm unbelievably gorgeous.” If his chuckle was any indication, he wasn't taking himself too seriously.
    “Mm. Yeah,” his brother sarcastically agreed. “And you're not vain in the slightest.”
    “So... Jamie...” There was caution in Harry's voice as he addressed his friend. “Do you mind if I crash in your flat tonight? I think I might be too tired to make it back to my place, and I know you've got a spare room...”
    “Of course.” The match ended, so Jamie turned off the game system and abandoned his controller. “You're more than welcome to stay in my apartment .”
    “And I can help myself to some snacks?” Harry asked. “Some crisps, perhaps?”
    “Sure. You can have some potato chips .”
    “Can I borrow your mobile? I need to give someone a ring.”
    “My cell phone ?” Jamie was grinning. They enjoyed bantering back and forth: American English versus British English. “Yeah, why not?”
    Harry rose from the couch and turned in the direction of the spare bedroom, where he had slept more times than he could count. He stayed with Jamie so often, he was surprised his friend hadn't asked for rent money.
    Before Harry could go, William spoke, up. “I should remind you... the date auction is tomorrow.”
    Harry and Jamie erupted with a chorus of groans.. “How, oh how, did I let you talk me into that?” Harry griped. “It's going to be torturous!”
    “It's for charity! It's for a good cause! The more you complain about it, the more you sound like a dick.”
    “I don't mean to complain. In fact, I'm more than happy to give my time to a worthy cause.” Harry closed his eyes and tried to imagine himself on stage, auctioning himself off. He had been on stage so many times, but never as himself. When he was assuming the role of a character, being on stage was simple. But tomorrow? Tomorrow was going to be difficult, to say the least. “But I must admit, I prefer to be in control of who I date.”
    “In my case, I'm happy to date anyone ,” William said. “Getting a girl to like me is half the battle. Whoever wins the date with me, I'll already know she likes me well enough to buy some time with me. So it's an advantage.”
    “Actually, it's like a blind date,” Harry said, inching toward the door as he spoke. “But in this case, your blind date might be your stalker.”
    Over his shoulder, Jamie asked, “Do you have a stalker?”
    “As far as I know... no.” As he slipped into the spare bedroom, Harry added, “But you never know who might turn up.”

Chapter Two

    “Get a load of this douchebag.” William directed his friends' attention to the man who was currently trying to sell himself on stage. He was shaking his butt for the screaming crowd, which seemed to be growing more ravenous by the second. Without a doubt, the ladies in the audience were enjoying the parade of man meat.
    “Who is he?” Harry asked. “I don't know him. Is he famous?” He was supposed to be. Every man at the auction was either a model, an actor, or a television personality.
    “I think he's an actor,” William muttered a reluctant answer. “I think he starred in some television show.”
    Harry wrinkled his nose at William's insubstantial response. “Your knowledge enlightens me, Will,” he teased him. “Thank you for sharing that information. I couldn't have