and smiles even bigger when he spots Lauren.
Hmm, maybe he remembers us.
“I’m going to go pay.” I head over to the table, but Lauren stays where she’s at, ordering another drink.
“Hey, can I have the number for my date?” Cristian approaches another lady working at the table as I’m paying.
“She’s right here,” the woman says to him and points to me.
I finish tearing off my check and hand it to the other lady. “Actually, it’s her.” I point over to Vanessa who’s wandered off away from the table.
His face pales when he sees her and then he turns to me, doing a double take. “Maddie?” he squints like he did earlier on stage.
I nod. The fact that he recognizes me does nothing to boost my ego. I may have a metal free mouth, contacts, and lost forty pounds, but apparently, I’m still ‘Fatty Maddie’ at heart.
He wraps me in his strong arms, pulling me to him. When he backs up he has the first real smile I’ve seen on his face the entire night.
“Oh man, we have to catch up. I don’t think I’ve seen you since high school,” he says.
I chat with Cristian for a while and he volunteers to buy me a drink, but he should really be trying to win over Vanessa.
“So, I don’t get it, if you bought me…”
“We switched paddles and bid for each other.”
He nods like, he now gets it. “Are you trying to get me fired?” he whispers.
My eyes linger on Vanessa who’s now talking with her dad and the blonde she chatted up in line who ended up winning the date with him. The woman’s arm slides through her dad’s and much to Vanessa’s delight I’m sure, they already look cozy.
“Why would you say that?” I ask, looking back over to him.
“Her dad is my Commander,” he bites out. “I can’t go on a date with her. I’ll end up working traffic patrol.”
When I’d made the bid, I hadn’t known. “I’m sorry. I’m sure John won’t get mad at you taking her out for one date when it’s such a great cause.”
“Have you met the man?” he says with sarcasm and an arched brow.
Vanessa leaves her father and approaches us. Her self-confidence is like something I’ve never seen before. “Cristian,” she says his name coldly. “I’m sure you don’t want to go out with me as much as I don’t want to go out with you. I’ve already informed Maddie that she wasted her money, so let’s shake on the fact we’ll call it even.” She holds out her hand for him to shake.
Cristian’s lips tick up for a second and he crosses his arms in front of him. Just like Mauro, he’s grown into quite the man.
“Sorry, but I’m not really into letting my friend waste her money. I’m sure you have some hang up on a man in blue because of your daddy, but we are going to go out.”
Interesting. A complete one eighty from what he had just said to me. I guess there’s no faster way to have a man interested in you than to make it clear that you’re not interested in him.
Confrontation makes me itchy and I can tell from Vanessa’s eyes that a storm is brewing.
“I’ll leave you two to discuss,” I say and slink off.
Luca and Lauren are standing together now at the bar and he’s laughing while Lauren stares blankly at him. I could venture back into the ballroom or maybe be a wallflower until they’re ready to leave. I’m not unaccustomed to watching from the sidelines when we all go out together.
A callused hand lands softly on my forearm. “Excuse me,” a deep voice says.
I stop and circle around. My entire body shuts down for a second as Mauro Bianco stands front and center only a couple of feet away from me.
“I heard you were the winning bid for me. Well, not for me, but a date. Which I guess is technically still me.” He shakes his head, chuckling to himself.
I giggle.
He holds his hand out. “Let’s start over.” His smile is infectious. His eyes, alluring. His muscles, worth salivating over. I’m back to being that sophomore girl again. “I’m Mauro Bianco. Thanks for coming out to support such a good cause.”
“Hi. I’m… Madison Kelly.”
His smile grows and my gut twists, my palms sweaty, my heart pounding against my chest as I wait with baited breath.
“Nice to meet you,” he says.
The knife twists in my gut and then slices my heart for