For the lovely chapter cover she made me on the side & just for being awesome in general!
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18. A Hickey’s Worth
Krislynn’s jaw dropped, but before she had a chance to even slap him, Michelle grabbed her clutch purse and smacked him in the back of the head with it. “Why don’t you take a piss on her as well?” She shouted as her eyes went wide with deliria. “God Chase! Where was your head during the last evolution? I’m almost impressed that you could think of something so primitive.”
“Okay! So maybe it wasn’t my brightest idea,” he admitted, rocking back on his chair so that it stood on its rear legs. “But I don’t see why you guys are freaking out! I mean, most girls would die to get a hickey from me.” His eyes glittered as he turned his attention back to Krislynn. “Wear that proud baby!”
Shaking her head back and forth in disbelief, Krislynn was just too stunned to speak. She had barely known him for a week, but already she felt like she had endured a lifetime of torture from him.
Was there one moment earlier in the evening where she had – for even a split fraction of a second – thought he was remotely close to being attractive? Well, good Lord! Scratch that!
Distracted by the sudden loud commotion on the other side of the table, Seth turned to see what all the uproar was about and immediately spotted the Godzilla sized hickey on Krislynn’s neck. He hollered a loud ‘whoa’ right away before bursting into laughter. “Holy cow,” he exclaimed. “Did you just give her that man? Damn bro! That thing is massive!”
At his comment Krislynn ruptured into heavy dry sobs. She couldn’t even imagine how ugly the hickey must be. She had always thought they were vile looking things and never understood how some girls purposely flaunted them around. So you made out with someone. Big deal! It’s still ugly!
“Gosh Seth! How could you be so insensitive?!”
He could only stare at Michelle idiotically as he forced a shrug. “Well what do you expect me to say?” He muttered dryly. “That it matches her purse?”
Scurrying to Krislynn’s side, Michelle threw the boys a glare before helping her out of her chair. “Come on sweetie. Let’s get you into a washroom. I’ll fix that thing in a jiffy so don’t you even pout over it.”
The girls hurriedly dashed to the restrooms and Michelle tried her best to conceal Chase’s love bite, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t completely disappear. “Sorry,” she mumbled after a while. “I think that’s the best I can do, but hey! At least it’s not that noticeable!”
Krislynn studied the oddly colored patch of skin on her neck and inwardly groaned. “It’s alright,” she said before diverging into a mass scale hate speech especially dedicated to Chase. “I can’t believe the nerve he has! Where in his right mind does he think he can just... claim me like that?!”
“You liked it,” Michelle teased as she swatted Krislynn’s arm playfully. “It’s all over your face.”
Her voice was a high-pitched squeak when she replied. “What?!”
Laughing, Michelle pushed her out of the washroom and dropped the topic like it had never even popped up. Krislynn was absolutely baffled by this. Her? Like it? Why in the world would she like it? What was there to like about Chase Evans – not mentioning an ugly over-sized hickey by Chase Evans?
When they finally returned to the reception hall, it was like a completely different place. The once brightly lit room was now dim and the stage was occupied by a multiple of people. Quickly taking her seat back at the table, she turned her head to Corbin’s wife on her right. “What’s going on?”
“Oh it’s time for the auction,” she explained and Krislynn quickly found out that this was indeed the charity part of the gala. Both individuals and businesses would donate items to the auction and all the proceeds earned during the event would be sent to charities around the world to help children that are in need.
Krislynn was dying to help the cause. She turned her head back to the stage when Violet finished her explanation and stared up in awe as the host and his assistants brought out the first item to be bid on.
Chase stared at her attentively when she came back. “You could have just asked me to explain it,” he muttered quietly to her when she turned around, but she hardly spared him a glance. He was half expecting her to freak out and hit him since it was obvious that no amount of makeup would ever cover up the love bite he gave her, but instead, he was treated once again to her silent treatment which was slowly becoming infamous.
Ignoring him, her neck extended and peeked over him, and ever so softly she hissed to get Michelle and Seth’s attention. “Are you guys getting anything?”
Michelle shook her head while Seth nodded eagerly and held out a small pamphlet in his hands. “There’s this license plate I want,” he said excitedly. “It’s got the same name as the new boat I got and it’s going to be so ballin’ when I put it on.”
“There’s nothing I want either,” Chase added, but again, she treated him like the whistle of the wind on a cool autumn’s day.
“Is there something you want?” Michelle asked as she handed her another copy of the same pamphlet that could be found in Seth’s hands. “All the auction items and their starting price are on there. Have a look if you want.”
Krislynn laughed at how silly she found Michelle’s question, but accepted the booklet out of curiosity nonetheless. “There’s no way I could afford anything on here,” she mumbled with a weak smile. “And I don’t want anything either, but I do really badly want to help the cause! I mean, I feel so selfish sometimes because here I am, with food and shelter every night, and some kids aren’t even getting 10% of that.”
Michelle and Krislynn talked for a bit more before their attention diverted into different things. While Michelle was occupied with who was bidding the highest price on Madonna’s favourite pair of shoes, Krislynn’s attention was stuck on page 20 of the pamphlet.
Careful not to disturb her, Chase leaned over and glanced at the Cartier diamond necklace with the starting price of 85,000 dollars. It was simple and nothing extravagant yet Krislynn couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of it. Every time she tried to flip the page, she would eventually flip back so she could stare at the necklace all over again.
“Is there something you want?” Chase asked casually, not wanting to embarrass her by exposing her odd behaviour. She kept her lips sealed and quickly closed the booklet shut. “Oh come on. You’re still mad about the hickey? Don’t be so uptight. It’s been over twenty minutes and you only stayed mad at me for, like, ten when I kissed you last night.”
The memory must have made her snap, because she suddenly spun to face him, her nose flaring wildly like a bull’s. “Do you know what the difference is?” she barked. “The difference is that last night, that kiss lasted five seconds of my life. This hickey – it’s going to be here for weeks!”
Her voice softened into a low hiss as she neared the end of her argument, but the next part of what she said was what really irritated him the most. “What if,” she whimpered, “Jace sees this?”
Chase had to exercise all his self-control not to get up and smash his chair in a childish tantrum. Jace? Was she fucking kidding? Where the hell did that even come from? Why was she even thinking about him?
“Good,” he growled, clenching his fists tightly to his side. “I hope he fucking sees it!”
The both of them were quiet for the next little while before Chase finally calmed down. “I don’t see why you have to be so hard to get along with,” he groaned. “You know, I was going to buy you anything you want from the auction as an apology for giving you that hickey, but now–”
“Like hell I want something like that,” she retorted before he finished what he was saying. “What are you – just going to bribe me with presents every time you piss me off? I’m not like that Chase. It’s not going to work.”
“So you won’t forgive me – even if I buy you that necklace you’ve been eyeing for the last eternity?” Krislynn hesitated, but only for a second before shaking her head. Chase was dumbfounded with what to do next. He needed her to forgive him, though he wasn’t really sure why this was so important to him.
Slowly but surely, the necklace Krislynn had been obsessing over came into bidding. The price skyrocketed to 225,000 dollars minutes after and then seemed to be it. “Is there any bidders out there for more than two twenty-five?”
Chase took that moment to ask her again. “Do you want it? All you have to do Krislynn, is say yes.”
“Going once...”
“I don’t want it Chase,” she said stubbornly. “You can’t buy me.”
“Going twice...”
“Are you sure?” He asked nervously and watched her nod one more time in finality. His shoulders slumped as he turned his attention back to the stage and when he saw the auctioneer bringing his gavel down, it was like someone else completely took over his body. Jumping up from his seat, he quickly raised his bidding number before screaming, “one million dollars!”