EMMA DAMIAN 4

--Damian--

Okay, so maybe the kiss wasn't such a good idea.

I'd wanted it to be a courteous gesture, something along the lines of "thanks a million, you're the best." But it was evident as soon as my lips touched her cheek that there was something more. And I had the proof in the form of a half stiffed c*ck. As I went back to my seat, cursing the scrubs for being too tight, I walked in a strange, sliding-step type of fashion that allowed me to pull the waistband up and hide my excitement from those around me.

But that kiss, man. I'd had to use every ounce of self-control I could muster not to make the kiss more, not to put my hands on those luscious, round hips and drag her in for something more passionate, a kiss that would lead to something else.

After all these years, how did she still manage to make me feel that way? Sure, she was beautiful, sultry, and enticing, but there was more.

Something more substantial.

I moved into an open seat at the auction table and listened to the other guys chit-chat and sip drinks. The baseball coach was conversing with one of the servers, his shirt open and a whistle dangling from his muscular pecs.

Marian had moved closer to me and was now seated a few tables away, flashing me a bright smile and wriggling her fingers at me. As someone who has been told he has a high opinion of himself, I was able to spot confidence when I saw it. Marian had the expression of a lady who was certain she was going to receive exactly what she wanted.

But, I hoped, I had a secret weapon.

A few women at the gathering walked slowly past the table, inspecting the goods. A handful of them were lovely, refined ladies with whom I would have happily spent a weekend in Bora in more regular circumstances. They appeared genuinely curious about me. I'd been around the block enough to know how ladies reacted to my blue eyes and sculpted body.

None of them, however, mattered. To be courteous, I returned the smile, but all I could think of was one woman. And she was the one woman who didn't want anything to do with me, to the point where I couldn't even persuade her to put a fictitious bid on me to save my arse from a weekend with one of the coldest-blooded ladies who'd ever stalked the world.

I couldn't say I blamed her. Not after everything that had happened between us.

As Carlos took the stage, the band's music began to ramp up, playing a vibrant piece. In a tux, he looked fantastic. And he'd had a particularly trying few years. Aquino Medical Group was quickly becoming a household name in professional medical services, and he was married with a lovely child and another on the way. The man had amassed a vast fortune.

More importantly, he had a family he adored and would go to any length for.

"Good evening, everyone," he began as he removed the mic off the stand, slipping one hand into his pants pocket. "First and foremost, thank you for visiting. I honestly cannot express how pleased I am to see so many of Metro Manila's most prominent figures attend this event. Thank you so much, everyone, and please give yourselves a standing ovation."

The crowd erupted in cheers as he'd requested, only to be stopped as Carlos raised his palm.

"And before we get started, I'd like to give a shout-out to my beautiful, bright, and fantastic wife Zea." You're all here tonight because of her. Aquino Medical Group has grown to become one of the largest medical philanthropic organizations in the country as a result of her passion for children who need our care. I'll be a happy man if you all leave tonight knowing just a little bit more about how incredible she is than you did before. Let's hear it for Zea, please."

As Zea waved to the crowd with a bashful but delighted look on her face, more applause erupted. Carlos motioned for her to enter the stage. He kissed her on the cheek, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and motioned toward her, as if to say to the throng, "Can you believe I got this lucky?" " They kissed one more time before Zea walked away.

I was overjoyed for those two. Love appeared to be one of those things that only a select few could find. And I was most definitely not one of them. But it's not like I was looking for love. My previous experiences with the subject had taught me that I disliked dealing with love.

Marian, her eyebrows popping up as she swung the auction paddle at me, as if the cosmos wanted to make a point for me. With a shake of my head, I returned my gaze to the stage. Carlos went on to provide a touching little explanation of the significance of charity, how money wasn't everything, and how success only mattered if it allowed you to give back.

It's heartfelt stuff, and it's surprising to hear it from a man who, at one point, just seemed to care about being the best in his industry. He now possessed not just that, but also a great deal more.

"Now," Carlos exclaimed, joyfully clapping his fists. "Let's get this party started — it's time to start bidding!" ”

As he dug into his pocket and pulled out a little stack of notecards, applause erupted.

He switched to auctioneer mode and responded, "All right. Jason Cassimiro, the legendary boxer Michael Antonio's coach, is the first beefcake on the block!" ”

Jason stood up and waved while performing his boxing skills in the air, including a straight punch and upper cut, as well as all of the footwork. Carlos motioned for him to enter the stage, and he walked slowly up the stage stairs.

"Let's begin bidding at… five thousand pesos! Who wants to be the first to start looking for this real catch of a man? " His pun became so popular that the audience's good-natured groan-laughs

"Five thousand pesos!" yelled a woman from the audience.

After that, it was all downhill from there. The bidding was frantic, with the numbers rising steadily from five thousand pesos to fifteen thousand to thirty thousand pesos. Jason's bidding concluded at fifty seven thousand, which was a good start.

"Next, we have Christophe Reyes, a local volunteer firefighter and, if you're not cautious, ladies, the man who's going to..." He grinned. "Do you want to know something? I won't even go into the firefighter puns, except to say that he might just cause a four-alarm fire in your heart! ”

More groan-laughs ensued, and I couldn't help but notice Carlos' natural talent at emceeing.

Christophe jumped onto the platform, his hands on his hips, and flaunted his firefighter figure. I took a quick sweep of the audience to make sure no women were passing out in their soup due to the severity of what they were witnessing. I chuckled as I continued my check over the room, as women were fanning themselves and throwing a hand on their heads as if fainting. Marian's own gaze narrowed as I looked, as if she couldn't wait to make me hers the only way she knew how — by underhanded crap.

I instantly averted my gaze and noticed Emma. She was well back in the corner, leaning against the wall, her face conflicted. I had no idea what she was planning. But I was hoping against hope that she would assist me. Marian was probably disliked by her even less than I was.

“Twenty thousand pesos!" Hannah exclaimed as she raised her paddle to place a bid on Christophe. Emma's eyes gleamed as she cast an irritated glare Hannah's way. Hannah merely giggled and shrugged as she waved her paddle around gleefully.

For a short time, her bid was the best. The fireman's run was put to an end when a wealthy woman gave a thousand pesos. Hannah stuffed her paddle into her handbag, her firefighter ambitions snuffed out. Christophe went triumphantly off the stage, followed by one of the musicians.

"Ladies, I hope you're ready to be rocked!" Carlos said, smiling at himself. "Because we've got Adam San Juan, the Wild Boys' lead singer! And there's a rumor that he's already working on his next song, which will be dedicated to the woman who wins his bid tonight! ”

With the assurance of a man who'd done it a million times before, Adam jumped onto the stage. He drew the microphone from Carlos' hands after sticking his tongue out and making the devil horns sign with both hands.

"How are things in Metro Manilaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! " He screamed the words as if he were going to perform one of his hits.

His antics drew a round of applause from the audience, while some of the elder members of the audience seemed perplexed. Carlos returned the microphone with elegance.

"Don't you think that enthusiasm is contagious?" As Carlos spoke, Adam kept posing and hamming it up. "As a reminder, the highest bidder for the night wins a weekend in Boracay, including airfare, hotel, and dinners, with the rest paid for by Aquino Medical Group. Will Adam be the one to break the record bidder's record? Let's see what we can find out! We'll begin with this nice gentleman at twenty thousand pesos! ”

It was a frantic bidding war. It seems that what they said about no lady being able to resist a rock star was correct. Adam jumped on his boots, his palms outstretched and his fingers raised to the roof in a "higher, higher" bid.

"Going once? Going twice? Sold for fifty five thousand pesos to the charming Miss Sy! ”

Adam smirked and nodded in the direction of the winner.

Fifty-five thousand pesos. Is it possible for me to perform better?

"Up next, we have a late arrival and a very special visitor, the amazing Dr. Damian Aquino!"

I came onstage, waving and winking as I got up and gave Carlos a strong smack on the back.

"Thanks again, bud," he whispered softly as the cheers resonated in his ears. "What can I possibly say about Dr. Aquino?" he asked, returning his focus to the crowd. "I could tell you he's a Stanford Medical School graduate from the United States. Isn't that impressive? What if I told you that this man is so brilliant that he completed college in two years and went on to be the top student in his medical school class? Isn't it even more impressive now? ”

I'd never been one to gloat about my accomplishments, no matter how pleased I was of them. Even though Carlos was doing everything for a worthy cause, being the center of attention was weird.

"The man runs a highly successful orthopedic surgery clinic in which he treats athletes from all across the country. Dr. Aquino's career is already in the stratosphere at the age of 35. And if you knew the man like I did, you'd know he's just getting started. So, biases aside, I think he's worth thirty thousand pesos to begin with? ”

"Thirty thousand pesos here"

Marian's voice was the first bidder, and I recognized her. She raised her paddle in the air, a smile on her face, as if she knew the bid was hers to take.

My stomach was in knots as I waited to see what Emma would do.