Christmas With The Marine. Candace Havens

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      They both grinned. It was bravado, nothing more.

      There was one more to go before it would be Jake’s turn. And then Ben was last. Ainsley had told him it was a prime spot, but man, he was feeling the pressure. Each bachelor was pulling in more than the next. The last guy had made two thousand for the charity.

      The noise went up a couple of decibels and he and Jake peeked around the curtain. They were in a large hotel ballroom that had been set up for the event, with lots of tables and chairs, and a stage, or rather...a runway. It was a fancy affair with crystal chandeliers, gilt centerpieces and lots of pink and white flowers. Everyone was dressed up. None of the women were as beautiful as Ainsley, who wore a white gown that fit her curves. Her hair was up and she looked like a royal princess or an A-list movie star.

      Damn, he couldn’t’ stop looking at her. She wasn’t even paying attention to the guys, but was glancing down at her phone. And then, as if she sensed him, she met his eyes and gave him a little smile. And she winked. He loved it when she did that. Like they were in on their own little secret.

      “So out of your league,” Jake said when he figured out where Ben had been watching. Ainsley was sitting at a table, dead center.

      “Yep,” Ben said. The music volume went up a bit more, as did the screams. The noise was getting to him. This happened sometimes. He backed away from the curtain and bent over to put his hands on his thighs, drawing in deep breaths. He concentrated on his breathing like his therapist had taught him.

      “Hey.” Jake patted his shoulder. “It’s just a bunch of crazy tipsy women. I was kidding. It’s going to be okay. It really isn’t much different than the country bar we were at a few weeks ago. Remember all those women when we joined their line dance? At least, maybe these women won’t puke beer on your shoes.”

      There was that. He’d had to toss out his favorite pair of cowboy boots because there was no coming back from that.

      Ben hated this weakness. Nothing had ever bothered him until that last tour. They’d spent twenty-four hours holed up in a camp where they were hit with mortar after mortar. He’d been working maintenance on a downed Black Hawk. And they were only getting out when the chopper was fixed. Problem was, he didn’t have the parts he needed. It took every mechanical brain cell he had to figure out how to create something makeshift to get them to safety.

      And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t done that sort of thing hundreds of times. They were always in some hot zone. Always under pressure. But that one hit him. It was the noise. The constant boom boom boom of the electronic music.

      “Oh, no,” Jake said.

      “What?” Ben glanced up to find his friend loosening up and cracking his neck like he was getting ready to go into the ring with a prizefighter.

      “You’re on,” Megan said to Jake. Ainsley’s sister was the reason they were there. She’d needed help, and Ainsley had turned to him. And with that smile.

      “Good luck, dude,” Ben said as he straightened and then high-fived his friend. “You got this.”

      The noise level rose even louder. Ben pushed it away, focused on his breathing. He wouldn’t disappoint Ainsley or her sister. All he had to do was walk to the end of the stage, stand there and wait for someone to say “sold,” and he was done.

      “Five thousand!” he heard a woman shout.

      What the...? A date with Jake brought in five thousand dollars?

      Ben had been hoping for maybe five hundred for himself. He’d even offered to give Ainsley two hundred and fifty if the bids didn’t go up for him. She’d kept telling him that he had nothing to worry about, but there was no way he would bring in that kind of big money.

      Ben popped his jaw. This was nuts. He was a confident guy. He’d never had problems with being appealing to women, and this was for charity. He was going to have fun.

      Sure. Keep telling yourself that, buddy.

      “Okay, ladies, we’ve got another treat for you,” the announcer said. “Ben is a Marine, working on the base here in our lovely hometown. We hear he’s great with his hands, and that his abs—well, are to d-i-e for. Ladies, let’s welcome Ben.”

      The women cheered.

      Ben laughed. Yep. He could do this. Raise the most money for those kids. He wouldn’t be outdone by Jake. He didn’t care if he had to strip to do it.

      In fact... He quickly undid his shirt buttons and held his tie in his hand. When the curtain opened he tossed the bow tie out to the audience.

      The screeching reached an all-time high, but he forced a smile and walked to the end of the stage. His eyes found Ainsley, and his smile widened.

      More screeching, but he wasn’t really listening anymore. She was smiling back, and then she winked at him and mouthed something. He had no idea what she’d said, but he nodded as if he did.

      Then she made a motion to pull his shirt open a little and to turn around in a circle. She was doing a twirly thing with her fingers.

      It’s for charity. He kept repeating the mantra to himself.

      “Oh, my, we did not disappoint. Look at those abs, ladies. Those are scrumptious! And that tattoo. Does anyone have a fan? Now, can I get—” The announcer was interrupted.

      “Two thousand,” a woman shouted. Ben ripped his eyes away from Ainsley and gave the woman a little wave.

      Whew. At least he wouldn’t be some loser who didn’t bring in any cash.

      “Thirty-five hundred,” another woman said.

      All right, then. Things were looking up. Ben shook his head and laughed, then gave that lady an even bigger wave.

      And so it went on. A few seconds later they were up to six thousand.

      “Everyone wants to take home a Marine. We hear they never let a woman down.”

      “Ten thousand dollars,” a woman at Ainsley’s table shouted, as she stood up and waved her paddle. She was probably in her late thirties.

      There was a huge gasp. Then clapping.

      Ben wasn’t sure he heard her right.

      “That’s ten thousand going once, twice and sold! That’s table one, paddle thirty-five. And that’s it, ladies. The table monitors will be by to take your checks and credit cards. Please don’t forget to visit our silent auction next door. If you didn’t get some time with your favorite bachelor, bid on that trip to Fiji. A tropical vacation will get your mind off your troubles. And those raffle tickets for the Audi are still available. That thing is definitely going home with one of you tonight.”

      Ben exited to the left, where the rest of the bachelors had gone.

      “You put us all to shame,” one of them said. He was a doctor or something like that, and had been one of the first guys to be bid on.

      “Nah,” Ben told him. “They’d just had more to drink by the time they came to me.”

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