Later came a little too soon for me because there was this nagging little buzzing piece of 'I can't leave it alone' mentality that I have unfortunately been cursed with that just wouldn't let me drop the subject. Or leave well enough alone for that matter. Slamming through the studio, I finally found Tommy reclining in the 'I go there when I am depressed' alleyway leaning against a wall with a pair of headphones resting on his ears. Walking over to him meaningfully, I pulled one of the headphones away from his face before letting it go so that it snapped against his ear. He jumped as he grabbed at the equipment before giving me a sour look.
"What the hell, Harrison?" He asked as he rubbed at the spot on his ear unconsciously. I just shrugged before positioning myself opposite him in the dark cement corridor.
"Why, Tom?" I asked with a shrug as I tapped Tommy lightly against the chest with my finger. He just gave me an "I don't know what you're talking about' look as I lifted my eyebrows sardonically.
"Don't even try that with me, Quincy. Just tell me why you did it." I said in a low tone as Tommy sighed and flipped off his CD player before throwing it into a duffel bag at his feet.
"Why do you always have to analyze things, Jude? Just take it for what it is. You have heard that saying 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth,' haven't you?" Tommy asked as he turned toward the studio door. I just grabbed him by the shoulder as he tried to push by me.
"I might over analyze things, Tom, but I've discovered that you've become really good at avoiding things—running away when the heat is on. Tell me, is that some sort of twisted defense mechanism?" I asked crudely as Tom opened his mouth up to retaliate, barely managing to even get his lips parted before the door banged open beside us causing me to jump backward in alarm. Tom sighed as Darius's head appeared around the corner, narrowing his eyes as he looked from me over to Tom and then back to me again. Finally he shrugged.
"Well, at least you two can't break anything out here. Now get in here. We have a board meeting in five minutes and you both have to be present." He said matter-of-factly as I lifted my brow in amusement before shrugging and following Darius into the building. It wasn't as if I hadn't gotten as much information as I could out of Tommy anyway because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that his stubborn lips would remain indomitably and impossibly sealed. But you can't blame a girl for trying, right?
I could feel Tommy's presence as he walked behind me toward the boardroom, and I almost shivered at the incredible need I fought to keep myself from turning around to glance at him. Darius stepped through a doorway and we followed at a leisurely pace only to freeze in surprise at the faces of those present in the room beyond. What the hell was going on here?
Darius grinned at my shocked expression before motioning toward two of the empty chairs still left at the crowded table, and Tommy and I gave each other an uneasy glance before taking our seats. Why would Darius invite the entire studio to one meeting if he didn't have some lascivious scheme up his sleeve? Ugghhhhhh, the quandary of anticipation! I tapped my fingers rhythmically on the surface of the wood in font of me, completely unaware of my actions until Tommy's hand suddenly settled over my knuckles, stilling my movements before transporting my hand from the gleaming tabletop to a casual position in my lap.
"Stop that." He mouthed to me with a small grin as I rolled my eyes, giving him a moment to settle back into his chair before lifting my hand and tapping the same spot over again. I smiled to myself as I felt him glaring at my back, literally enjoying annoying him until Darius called the meeting to order. Watching him at the dais positioned at the front of the room, my amusement immediately piqued even more as Darius revealed his next publicity idea.
"Okay guys, the Denim for Life event we had a few weeks ago went remarkably well with the proceeds from the sales going to raise education awareness. Because of the huge amount of money that people were willing to spend for a jacket worn by a celebrity, particularly the guys, a local charity sponsoring cancer and terminal illnesses, such as aids, got together with me and discussed the possibility of doing another such similar event. Due to the excellent publicity we received from the last event, and because we have had the need to already do some damage control for the studio, it didn't take much for me to agree to their request, and after much deliberation with some of their sponsors and with our own board, I think we have come up with quite a creative way to raise the bar on the amount of money this studio can bring in. Anyone care to take a guess what we decided to do?" Darius asked mischievously as we all leaned back in our chairs and shook our heads uneasily. Darius just shrugged.
"No takers?" He asked once more before grinning widely. "Well, then boys. This would probably be a good time to practice your suave, flirtatious charm because every guy in this room is going to be auctioned off for an exclusive date funded by G-Majors Studios with all proceeds from the bids going to charity." Darius finished with a smug grin as I glanced humorously at SME, Jamie, Liam, Kwest, Mason, and Tommy as their jaws literally hit the linoleum floor beneath our feet. I couldn't help it, I laughed. Oh, this was just too much fun. Looking at Darius, I grinned foolishly.
"They have to bring roses right?" I asked with a giggle as I looked around the room again. "No, wait! How about some kinky strip teasing, D? I've always had this strange and remarkable desire to see the irresistible Jamie Andrews in a g-string." I said with a laugh and a suggestive wag of my eyebrows as Jamie glared at me and Tommy kicked me 'hard' underneath the table. Ow! Rubbing at my now throbbing shin, I righted myself rather stoically before kicking Tommy back as I hard as I could. Hearing him grunt, I turned my attention back in satisfaction to Darius as he looked at the end of the table with a calculating gleam in his eyes.
"Don't knock it, Jude. All of you girls here at G Majors have just as much right to bid as the public. Something tells me it should be an interesting evening." He said with a small laugh as I felt more than one pair of male eyes burning into my visage. Lowering myself self-consciously down into my chair, I silently agreed with Darius's 'interesting' description. Something told me that my bidding was a very very bad idea. Maybe I should feign sick that night. Hmmmm…not a bad idea. But glancing up at Darius's intent expression, I had a feeling it would take more than a fake upset stomach to get me out of attending. Ahhhhh, the joys of indecision.
Author's Footnote: Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews. I loved the fact that you guys like where I am going with the story. I'm always afraid that I'll post something that won't go over well so when I get replies from you guys, it makes me incredibly excited. So, I couldn't help it, I came up with this part of the story because, come on, who doesn't like the idea of being able to bid on Tom Quincy for a date. Let me tell ya, the N really should auction Tim Rozon off for a night. oh 'sigh' okay done with that. Let me know what you think guys. Lots of smiles. Please Please Please R&R.