24. Keke

Chapter 24

Keke

I thought I’d have enough courage to tell Luke before the auction but I couldn’t do it.

There’s no way I could tell him like that. Not right before getting on stage in front of a bunch of horny women. Telling him then would have been terrible for the bids. The animals need as much money as we can raise, so I’m glad I didn’t tell him beforehand.

Okay, the truth is, I chickened out.

But how do you tell someone something like that right before an event like this? I couldn’t even get the words out. I’m a coward. How in the hell can I be a mom if I can’t even find the courage to tell the father he’s going to be a father?

The question drums against my skull with every hoot and holler that comes from the audience. My head throbs as the night wears on. It gets worse when I realize that Luke is up after Lucas. Shit. I still can’t believe he did this just because Lucas goaded him into it. The male ego never ceases to amaze me.

I clear my throat, trying not to scream, cry, or throw up. “Next up, we have Atlanta’s Golden Boy, our very own Luke Smith!” I freeze, feeling the floor tip beneath my feet. Just saying his name is enough to send me reeling and I have to grip the podium for balance.

He throws the curtain back, looking gorgeous and confident. But I know him well enough now to know that he hates when people watch him. It reminds him of his family’s life in Hollywood yet for the stupidest of reasons he signed up for this.

I hate the way the women are looking at him, like he’s nothing more than a spectacle, something to be devoured. It’s all fun and games when it comes to the others, but jealousy slithers it’s ugly head through me, and I want to scratch their eyes out.

The room is packed with lustful women, eyes brimming with excitement. I saw the way they reacted to the others, and their paddles wave in anticipation, Luke being their next big thrill. He’s merely entertainment to them. Or, in this case, a piece of meat for them to sink their teeth and claws into.

I set my jaw, square my shoulders, and take a deep breath to clear my mind. If I say anything that puts the audience off, his bids will plummet.

This is for the shelter, for the animals who trusted Luke when the rest of the world didn’t. For my career, to make management see that Luke is not only a team player, but that he has good ideas for the community. Even if it means facing the horny eyes of a hundred and fifty women, my judgment, or Lucas’s gloating later, he’s going out there and giving it his all. He’s brave, I have to give him that.

The audience erupts into cheers as he dances down the catwalk, and for a moment, I’m no longer mad. I don’t even feel that scared about being pregnant anymore. Seeing him cut up out there… I’m in awe of him. This is his moment, and despite his stage fright, he’s killing it.

These women are here because of me and Luke. We put this together, and it is still our time to shine. I try to play it cool, my grin broadening as I embrace the moment.

“Ooh, I like this one,” a lady calls from the crowd. “He’s so hot!”

I can’t help but laugh, feeling a bit of pride as my confidence swells a little more. They like my boyfriend. If he’s still that by the end of the night.

The noise swirls around me like a wild current as the music turns raunchy, making me wonder if Luke had picked it or if this song is just a coincidence. Women are standing, waving their paddles like flags, as he does his level best to earn their attention.

Lucas raised their excitement, and Luke is using that to his advantage.

As he makes his way down the catwalk, he dances to the music like he does at Smokey’s, shaking his ass to draw attention. He spots me at the podium off to the side, doing a little shimmy at me before continuing down the catwalk. The women eat it up, and I can’t help but laugh.

Is this what it’s like to have a partner in crime? Someone who will do anything to see you smile, even if that means embarrassing himself or doing something that terrifies him? Someone who cares enough to put themselves out there for your benefit?

Could he be a real partner instead of just a fake boyfriend?

He reaches the end of the catwalk, striking a pose for the audience, which sends them into another frenzy. The cheers are deafening, but I can still hear the nagging doubt in the back of my mind. He flashes me a grin, trying to reassure me, but I still don’t know what to think about any of this.

Slowly, he loosens his bowtie and dangles it over the audience. The women reach up for it, and he takes the oldest one’s hand, kisses the back of it, and presses the tie into her palm. She giggles and fans herself with her bidding paddle, as the women nearby wave their own paddles frantically at me.

Time to do this.

“Okay, ladies!” I say into the microphone, my voice steady despite the tension in my chest. “You all know the rules. Luke here is up for grabs for one unforgettable evening. Who’s ready to bid?”

The paddles were already swinging in the air before I said that, but now, they’re waving wildly, women shouting numbers over the din. A woman in the front row shouts at him, “I’ll give you five hundred, if you lose the top button!”

Laughter ripples through the crowd, and my cheeks heat up as my jaw clenches. This could end up getting crazy but if it boosts the numbers, I have to go with it. My job is more than likely already toast, if I’m being realistic with myself, so I need to at least save Luke’s career. And if turning him into a human trophy does that, I have to roll with it.

I point at his top button and tease, “Those are thousand-dollar buttons, ladies.”

He gawks at me but she laughs. “Consider it done!”

He helplessly holds his hands up and grins as he unbuttons the top button. Partner in crime, indeed. The enthusiasm in the room is infectious, and it’s hard to resist joining in. Soon, others get in on the action, each offering a thousand dollars for the next button on his shirt.

Within minutes he’s shirtless, and his bids are up to nine-thousand dollars.

“Ten grand for the pants button!” a woman calls out.

I laughed, realizing that this is a whole new kind of distraction from my problems. But when the crowd starts chanting, “Pants! Pants! Pants!” I begin to worry this could become a frenzy I might soon lose control of.

I have to put my foot down somewhere. “Alright, ladies, we’re letting him keep his pants?—”

“Boo!” they shout.

Maybe if I give them an alternative. “Ten grand, and he’ll take you out for ice cream on your date!”

“Pants! Pants! Pants!”

I sigh loudly on the mic. This is getting out of hand. “Ladies, a little decorum?—”

“Pants!”

Screw it. He put himself out here, he can deal with the consequences. I don’t want a mob on my hands, but I have to make a compromise somewhere. “Okay, you get his pants if we get up to twenty thousand.”

Luke’s attention jerks my way, shock all over his face. The crowd shouts gibberish, none of which I can make out at first. I can see Lucas lurking in the shadows at the edge of the catwalk, his smirk visible even from where I stand. That damn kid is the cause of all of this.

“Twenty thousand!” two voices shout from somewhere in the back, and the crowd erupts into cheers. I can’t quite see the women at first, but they wave their paddles with such fervor that I’m afraid someone might lose an eye.

I look at Luke, who’s still shocked all to hell at this turn of events. I hope he isn’t mad but then again, I kind of want him to be mad. It will make things easier when he dumps me.

Just then, the cold, hard reality of it all slams into me. There’s to be no happy ending here. No family, nothing real. Just two people who keep falling into bed together because they’re good at it. Surely he’ll dump me the minute he finds out I’m pregnant. After all, love is just something people talk about to get laid. It isn’t real.

However, this auction is real, and it can really do the shelter and his career some good, so I force myself back to the moment. The pair of bidders have come to the front and I ask, “There’s two of you on this bid?”

I have to admit, they are attractive. Mid-forties, refined, smiling at me with all the confidence in the world. They take turns eye-fucking him as they lick their lips. The brunette teases, “We’ll take him to go.”

I laugh, but there’s a tension there that I’m unable to hide. “You want a joint date or two separate ones?”

“We’re a package deal,” the blonde says. “But before we agree to the twenty grand, the pants come off for everyone to see what we won.”

Luke shrugs playfully. “I’m just glad I showered today!”

The crowd roars with laughter. I force myself to remember that this is all for a good cause, and if the pants came down, the money goes up. This is about to make every one of his squats, cable crunches, and bench presses worth it.

To my surprise, he turns to look at me for permission as he unbuttons. “Ms. Graham, is this kosher?”

Not just no, but hell no . That’s what I want to say. But this isn’t about me so I suck it up and tell him, “Give the people what they want, Mr. Smith.”

I catch sight of Lucas pacing backstage, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression dark as Luke slowly loses his trousers. Lucas had a decent body but he had nothing on Luke. The years have allowed him to build one hell of a physique, and seeing the other women marvel over him only makes me appreciate what I have even more.

The potential loss of him hits me right then and there, and my knees wobble.

I swallow it down, trying to focus on the auction, but I’m losing my will to stand, much less to speak. I feel the tension in the air, the anticipation building as I face the crowd, the moments hanging like a tightrope between us, teetering on the brink of something I can’t quite define yet. I know I have to give it my all—not just for me, but for everything that rides on the success of this event.

He’s full of charisma and confidence as he wiggles free from his trousers, peeling them off slowly. Thank God he’s wearing boxer briefs instead of nothing at all like usual. I feel a sharp pang every time the audience erupts in cheers. I’m struggling to maintain my polished and professional demeanor. I need to get my head on straight.

“Okay, focus, Keke,” I mutter to myself, gripping my clipboard tightly as if it could anchor me to reality. I’ve been doing so well, keeping my feelings at bay, but seeing him out there reminds me of everything we’ve shared.

With every playful dance move he makes, my heart flutters, and I watch him bask in the crowd's adoration. Stage fright, my ass. He’s enjoying this.

Just then, Whitney joins me by the podium, scanning the crowd with a look of concern. She covers the mic with her hand and whispers, “Keke, you good? You’re pale.”

“I’m fine,” I reply too quickly, forcing a smile that feels more like a grimace. “Just a little nervous about how this is all going to go.”

She nods, her gaze flicking over to Luke. “It’s a wild crowd tonight, that’s for sure. You know they’re here for a show, this isn’t a personal attack on your relationship.”

I swallow hard, knowing exactly what she means. “I just didn’t expect it to get this out of hand.” Whitney’s expression softens, and I appreciate her concern. Before she can say anything else, I blurt, “I’m fine, really.”

What if this turns into something more than I can handle?

The thought knots my stomach, and I force myself to breathe through the unease. Every cheer from the crowd feels like a reminder of what I’m risking. I’m playing a dangerous game, allowing myself to feel something for him while pretending it’s nothing more than business. Maybe I should have told them only one bidder could win him. But that would have squashed the enthusiasm of the crowd, and I couldn’t do that.

More laughter, shouts, and cheering from the audience as Luke dances with his winning bidders. I laugh too, caught up in the absurdity of it all. The scene is ridiculous, and yet, there is something intoxicating about his confidence. He’s definitely magnetic, and I feel my resolve weakening again.

He tore down my protective walls, and now I’m raw and open to being hurt. My boyfriend is dancing in his underwear with two women who are getting more flirtatious by the second, and I don’t have any authority to make them stop. Technically, he’s not even my boyfriend, though the only person that knows that is Whitney. The women grind on him without a care in the world. He’s just another player for them to ogle, and I mean nothing to them.

I desperately try to remain professional, but my mind drifts to Luke’s bright smile, his playful demeanor, and the way he makes me feel like I’m the only one in the room when we’re together. I can’t ignore the fact that this has become more than just a job for me now. I let him in, and now I’ll pay the price.

Me and my baby.

I need to announce the winners. I got so lost in my thoughts that I nearly forgot. “Going once! Going twice!”

Just then, the weight of everything crashes down on me. I’d been keeping my feelings in check, trying to hold it all together, but standing in front of everyone, watching him bask in the limelight…

“I’m pregnant!”

The room falls silent, save for the music. The laughter fades, the cheers halt, and a stunned stillness sweeps through the room.

I freeze.

Oh my God, what have I done? My heart races as all eyes turn toward me.

Confusion floods Luke’s features. His brow furrows in concern as his eyes drill questions into me. The women he’d been dancing with leave the stage.

Finally, he mouths, “What?”

I run off the stage.