A Chance at L.O.V.E. Read online

  Ashlynn has always been the more optimistic one of the two of us. We both grew up in the Bronx, our families closer than most and hiding more secrets than one could imagine. Whereas Ashlynn is outgoing and strong-willed, I tend to be more introverted and easily persuaded. When we graduated from high school, I picked a college as far away from home as possible, not wanting to be anywhere near my family. It wasn’t that I didn’t love them. No, I cherish them. I just wanted out of the inner circle that came with being the daughter of a mob boss. It wasn’t until my Nonno and Nonna became ill that I moved closer to home. I’d never move back to the city, but being in Virginia gives me easy access if I need to go home but is still far enough away to have my own life. I’m pulled from my reverie by the sound of the master of ceremonies speaking. “Can I get everyone to take their seats, please? The auction will begin in ten minutes.”

  “Come on.” Ashlynn grabs my hand and pulls me in the direction of the seating. “We want to be in the front row.” That causes me to stop in my tracks, causing Ashlynn to stumble backward. “What, don’t you want to sit in the front, so you can see all the goods these guys have to offer?”

  “No, I’m perfectly fine sitting in the middle. You can sit up front if you want. I don’t need to see ‘the goods.’” I make air quotes as I say the last two words.

  “Oh, stop being a stick in the mud. Let’s compromise and sit in the third row.”

  I shake my head knowing that I’m fighting a losing battle with her. “Fine, third row, but nothing closer.”

  Chapter Five

  LINCOLN

  It doesn’t take me long to find the rest of the guys who are partaking in tonight's festivities. I know a few of them from doing business with them. That, or I’ve gone to school with a couple. The majority of them are as well off as me, but a few of them are just regular joe schmos off the street. Yes, they’re good looking and in great shape, but they can’t offer dates like McKenna Low and I can. I’m sure his rock star ass has something amazing planned. He’ll sing to her until her panties are soaked and then… You get the picture, right? Rock stars always get the girl. I wasn’t surprised to hear he was partaking in tonight’s festivities; I knew he was in town because his mom had taken a tumble, and news travels fast when a rock star makes an appearance. The last time McKenna had been home was six years ago when the town was rocked by Kevin Garcia’s death. McKenna, Kevin, and Jacoby were all very tight. Kevin was a well-decorated soldier who took his life after suffering from PTSD. Just another reason why this auction has huge hometown support.

  A dressing area has been set up for changing purposes, so I quickly find a vacant area and change into my hand-tailored tux. Quickly, I tuck at the lapels, ensuring everything is pristine, and reach into the black silk bag to extract my mask. Unlike some of the bachelors this evening, I’ve chosen to keep mine simple and elegant. Black leather surrounds my eyes and nose, stopping just above my mouth. The top of the mask is scalloped and embroidered with black beads around the edges. Black jewel accents are strategically placed around the opening for the eyes, bringing out more of the blue than gray of my eyes. I stand for a moment in front of the full-length mirror, taking in my appearance. When I’m satisfied with how I look, I push back the curtains and step out to join the rest of the men.

  “Don’t you look amazingly dashing this evening, Lincoln?” Nadine’s eyes lower from my head to my feet as she speaks.

  I am startled to have her recognize me. “How did you know it was me?”

  Nadine laughs loudly. “Oh, my young man, I’ve known you long enough to say that everything about you stands out above the rest. Some of those women out there may not know it, but you can't fool me. That is no ordinary tux, Lincoln. It’s plain to see it has been custom made to fit you like a glove, and though you’ve tried to stay simple and understated with your mask, young man, there is nothing simple about it. I’m sure that mask cost you more than what some of these bachelors are being sold for tonight.”

  Nadine pats me on the shoulder and laughs once again as she walks away. My strides are quick and determined as I step closer to the curtains that line the stage. Slowly, I push one aside slightly to peek through, letting my eyes scan the crowd before stopping on the two women in the third row. Lillian and her friend sit whispering to each other as the crowd begins bidding on the next bachelor up for bid. To my horror, and I’m sure his, he sells for only seven hundred dollars. The room becomes quiet as the next bachelor takes the stage.

  When McKenna walks onto the stage, the bidding quickly escalates with one bidder determined to win his ass for the night. I see the fear in his eyes as he looks into the crowd, pleading rolling off his body, hoping that someone other than the woman holding her paddle and screaming out numbers will be the winner. When the bid hits seventeen hundred, and the auctioneer begins spewing, “Going once, going twice…” one last bid rings out. “Two thousand dollars,” a woman in red calls out, and the auctioneer slams his gavel down, calling out, “SOLD.” A look of lust fills McKenna’s eyes when he realizes who the winning bidder is.

  It is my turn to step out onto the stage. Confidently, I make my way center stage as the auctioneer begins to read off his cue cards.

  “Ladies, tonight you’ll be bidding on this handsome bachelor and his amazing date package. This package entails multiple gifts to make a woman feel like a princess. Not only are spa treatments and a shopping spree involved, but you’ll enjoy an evening dinner cruise with this mystery man.”

  The auctioneer swings his right arm to the side pointing at me. Placing one arm around my waist and the other behind my back, I take a bow, causing the crowd to roar in laughter. But as I take my bow, my eyes land on the one woman I can’t help but wish will bid on me. Lillian.

  As the auctioneer starts out calling for an opening bid of five hundred dollars, Lillian stands, placing her paddle on her chair and excusing herself. I watch as she walks to the back of the room and exits. Disappointment washes over me as I hear the auctioneer ask for a bid of one thousand dollars, and a paddle is raised in the back. I have no idea who placed the bid, and frankly, I couldn’t care less. I just watch the empty chair hoping that it will once again be filled.

  As the dollars quickly rise, I watch in awe as the woman who Lillian accompanied places her paddle in Lillian's chair and raises the paddle numbered twenty-four high as she says, “Fifteen hundred.” What is the looney tune doing? She is using Lillian's paddle to place her bids. “Seventeen hundred,” she calls out next, and once again a bid comes from the back of the room.

  “One thousand nine hundred, and I swear if anyone bids against me, I’m going to go postal.” The sheer determination comes from the voice of the woman sitting next to the empty chair I am completely enthralled with.

  The auctioneer calls out, “Do I hear two thousand?” The room is quiet. “Nineteen hundred going once.” No answer comes. “Going twice.” Again, no answer comes. “SOLD to number twenty-four.”

  The room fills with clapping as I watch Lillian excuse her way through the row to sit next to her friend again. Her eyes are in complete shock as her friend hands her the number twenty-four paddle with a smile. My lip-reading skills aren’t the best, but from what I can see, Lillian just asked her friend what the fuck she has done.

  “Ladies,” the auctioneer calls out, “are we ready to see who the lucky winner just won?” The room once again comes to life. “Bachelor, please reveal yourself.”

  My eyes lock with Lillian’s as I reach behind my head to untie the strings holding my mask in place. With one hand, I slowly pull the mask away and watch as the realization of who I am crosses her face. I smile brightly at her, knowing that my revealing has taken her breath away. Taking one last bow, I wink at Lillian and then step off the stage to join the other men who have already been auctioned off.

  The chatter between the post-auctioned men is loud. Obviously, some had too much to drink and are bragging about the winning ladies while others are not so happy. As usu
al, I sit off by myself with a glass of scotch in my hand. When the final bachelor enters the room, I stand and walk toward the curtains hiding the stage and peer out. Nadine thanks everyone for coming out and encourages them to continue to mix and mingle amongst themselves as the accounts are being settled, and then she will make a final announcement of how much has been raised for Healing Heroes.

  “Number twenty-four, Lillian Vicci, please raise your paddle,” a portly man in a black suit calls out amongst the remaining crowd.

  I continue to watch as Lillian's friend snags the paddle from Lillian's hand and raises it. “I’ll be settling this account for Ms. Vicci,” she calls out.

  Shock still firmly in place on Lillian's face, she watches her friend and the man in the suit leave the room. I inwardly laugh once more at the audacity of Lillian's friend all the while wanting to high-five her for doing what she did. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, so I reach in and grab it to see that I have a call from Bethany.

  “Yes, Bethany,” I answer, less than eager to hear what she has to say. I know it could be anything from Peanut being rushed to the hospital to her just being nosy. Unfortunately, knowing that Peanut is going to have surgery on Monday, I’m not willing to risk the chance that it’s the first and not the latter.

  “Sooo, how did it go? Did you raise a lot of money? Who won you?”

  Bethany keeps firing the questions off, one right after the other, leaving me unable to answer them until she finally runs out of words.

  “It went fine, Bethany; I raised nineteen hundred just on my own.”

  “So, who bought you? Anyone we know?”

  A smile breaks across my face. “It just so happens that Dr. Vicci was the winning bidder,” I says, my voice a bit smugger than I meant for it to be.

  “No, just no. Love, please tell me you're kidding me. This is so bad.” Angst and fear lace Bethany’s voice.

  “Bethany, why is this bad? I would think you would be happy that someone like Dr. Vicci was the winner instead of that horrid shrew of a friend of yours, Renee. I saw her in the crowd bidding, you know.”

  Don’t get me wrong; I’d have gritted my teeth and bared the evening if someone like Renee had been the winning bidder. I might have requested that the captain make the boat ride a little shorter so that I didn’t have to spend so much time with her, but what would she have to complain about? She would have already gotten a morning at the spa and thousands of dollars of clothing out of it. No, the fact that Lillian won only makes me want to make this date much more special. As a matter of fact, I think a few modifications are needed.

  “Oh, Love, you know you are the best brother around. But let's face it, you said it yourself. All your dates end in sex. Do you honestly think that having sex with the doctor who is going to perform open-heart surgery on your nephew on Monday is such a great idea?” Exasperation that sounds almost like anger rings through my phone.

  “Easy, killer. Have a little faith in me, will you? I’m not going to have sex with the good doctor. I’ll keep it strictly platonic, I promise.” And I will if that is what the good doctor wants, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be fishing around after Peanut’s surgery for a second date. “I’ve got to go, Bethany. Nadine has just walked back into the room.” My phone disconnects before an argument can ensue between my sister and me.

  Nadine calls out to all of us, handing each of us a golden envelope containing a red card with the information of the winning bidder and her cell number. I trace my finger over the name written in a golden sharpie. Dr. Lillian Vicci, 757-979-4826. Everything inside me wants to call her right then and there, but that isn’t how this date was planned. No, my assistant, David, will be handling everything up to the point of dinner. Only it is time to change a few of the plans, the first being to reach out to David with the information of the winning bidder. The second change is that I will be traveling to New York with the lovely Dr. Vicci instead of meeting her there. I’ve officially decided I’ll now be shopping with her instead of meeting her on my boat.

  Chapter Six

  LILLIAN

  “How could you?” I scream at Ashlynn. “What on God’s green earth made you think it’s alright to use my paddle to bid on, oh my God, on Lincoln Eastwick, of all people?”

  Ashlynn stands there looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. I pace back and forth across my living room like a panther preparing for a hunt. “Of all the insane things you’ve done, Ashlynn, this one takes the cake. I have to operate on his nephew in three days. I can’t go out on a date with him.”

  I stop and face Ashlynn, waiting for her reply. She raises her hands into the air as a huge sigh leaves her mouth. “How was I supposed to know he was the person offering the package of a lifetime? Really, Lil, all I saw was a day of relaxation that you so dreadfully need.”

  Ashlynn crosses to the sofa and sits down. “When was the last time you went to the spa? Hell, when was the last time you did anything for yourself? Answer me that.”

  It kills me to admit that she is right. I haven’t done anything for myself in a very long time. I’ve been so focused on work and proving to the world—no, strike that, my father—that I’m the best at what I do that I never take time for myself. When people hear the last name Vicci, the first thing they think of is the crime family. My family. And let's face it, my family isn't known for saving lives. No, they are known for taking them, which is why I didn’t want to practice medicine anywhere in the state of New York. If my dad had had his way, I’d be the family doctor. Not a family doctor, no, the doctor who patches up all his goons when they get shot or stabbed. I want no part of that lifestyle.

  “You’re right. I haven’t taken time to do anything for myself in a while, but that doesn’t give you the right to buy me a date with a stranger.”

  Ashlynn smiles at me. “A very handsome stranger, with a lot of money and a smoking-hot body. Did you see the way that tux clung to every hard inch of his body? I almost came fantasizing about what he looked like under there.”

  “Was that before or after you raised my paddle in the air?” I say, my voice laced with sarcasm.

  “During,” Ashlynn replies. “Each time, I envisioned him removing a piece of his clothing. Hell, I wanted to bid against myself there toward the end, so I could get him completely naked in my mind.” A sheepish grin sits on her face as she stares out into space.

  “Ashlynn, earth to Ashlynn,” I call out loudly to get her attention. “You’ve got to fix this. I can’t go out with him, and I can’t go to New York, of all places.”

  Before she can reply, my cell phone starts to ring, displaying an unknown number. “Dr. Vicci,” I say as I answer the phone.

  “Good evening, Doctor Vicci.” the voice on the other end speaks. “I’m sorry to bother you this late in the evening, but my name is David Lawrence. I’m Mr. Eastwick’s assistant.”

  I interrupt Mr. Lawrence before he can say anything further. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lawrence, and please pass on my apologies to your boss, but I can’t make the date.”

  “Ms. Vicci, I’ve been instructed to inform you that everything has been prearranged. Mr. Eastwick mentioned that you may have second thoughts and that I should instruct you that it is in poor taste to leave someone who donated his time and a great deal of thought to this date hanging.”

  The other end of the line goes quiet once Mr. Lawrence finishes saying what he has to say. I think for a moment about what he said, and I can’t believe the audacity of Lincoln Eastwick calling me a coward. Though that isn’t the words used, it was surely implied.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Lawrence, are you still there?”

  “Yes, Ms. Vicci, I am.”

  “Just tell me what you called to tell me.” I don’t care that I sound like a spoiled snob. I just want to get off the phone as soon as possible. Mr. Lawrence proceeds to confirm the details of the date. A car will pick me up at seven thirty and drive me to my eight o’clock spa appointment. The spa has been instructed to notify the driver thirty
minutes before my treatments’ ending, and it will be waiting for me at noon. Further instructions will follow once I am done at the spa.

  “Thank you, Mr. Lawrence. Please tell your boss thank you and that I look forward to seeing him tomorrow evening.” I don’t wait for confirmation from Mr. Lawrence. I just hang up the phone and shake my head back and forth in defeat.

  “Ashlynn, I’ll never forgive you for this one.”

  “Oh, Lil, just shut up and enjoy yourself, and for Pete’s sakes, stop calling me Ashlynn. You only do that when you’re acting like my mom. You know you don’t hate me that much to keep calling me by my given name, so get over yourself.”

  I reach over and take my friend's hand in mine. “You’re right, Ash. I’m sorry. I’m not angry, just unhappy with you right now. I know you meant well, but you’ve put me in a predicament that I am very uncomfortable with. But I do still love you. Now, go and let me get some sleep. I have a car coming for me very early in the morning.”

  I walk my best friend to the door, giving her a hug before she leaves. Once I’m in bed, sleep evades me all night long. Lincoln Eastwick fills every thought I have. Sometimes they are pleasant, and sometimes they are thoughts that make me angry and disgusted with myself. I toss and turn until my alarm rings out.

  Chapter Seven

  LILLIAN

  As I look in the bathroom mirror, dark circles lie under my eyes from lack of sleep. I’m not even sure a good hot shower will help me look any better. Regardless, I begrudgingly strip off my nightshirt and step into the shower. The water soothes me as I stand here and let it cascade over my body. What I really want to do is go back to bed and not have to think about how this day is going to go. This is going to be a disaster of epic portions; I can feel it in my bones. Luckily, if I remember reading the pamphlet correctly, I won’t have to see Lincoln until dinner this evening. That should help me get through the majority of the day without too much anxiety.