Beefcake for Charity Ch 8- Let the Bidding Begin
A/N: OK, so my muse has been inspired lately and I know you will all be shocked to have another chapter so soon. This has been a fun ride. Thank you everyone for all the wonderful reviews, ideas, and "bids." Please keep 'em coming. :) It seems our man Hal has a large fan club ;) Woody seems to be coming in a close second...we'll see which Merry Man ends up with bragging rights soon...
The usual disclaimer applies, Characters are JE's and the plot and mistakes are mine ;).
To everyone who dealt with that funky format problem thanks for your patience I don't know where that glitch came from but I hope it corrected now.
STEPHANIE POV
The energy in the room was electric. You could feel the nerves of the guys and the eagerness of the ladies to get bidding.
"Ladies," I said, "Order some drinks and get comfortable while the gentlemen put on the last minute touches to make this a night you won't soon forget."
I stepped off the stage for a moment and walked into Ranger's arms. His lips found mine in a warm welcoming kiss. He felt and smelled so good! I'm pretty sure I moaned a little and probably said that out loud because his chest shook against my face in laughter. "I didn't know you were going to be emcee of this event," he said finally.
"I didn't either," I said relishing his embrace and snuggled in closer, "It just kind of happened."
"It always does with you, Babe," he smiled and kissed the top of my head.
"Mrs. Stevenson lost her voice and they asked me to fill in."
"Make it your own Babe, you'll be great."
Too soon it was time for me to let go of Ranger and get this party started. The music started and the ladies screamed in anticipation as the lights flickered all along the stage; the spotlights giving a final sweep of the runway as I turned my mic back on.
"This is it, ladies, the moment you have all been waiting for!" I exclaimed. From my place at the podium, I could see the guys behind the curtain and I saw Hal grab a glass of champagne and down it in one swallow as he neared the stage entrance.
"First up, we have..." I glanced at Hal again and he looked nervous. "Excuse me one second ladies our first bachelor is a little shy." I stepped behind the curtain, gave him a hug and whispered in his ear that he is an amazing guy and to go out there and have fun. This is for charity and not to worry. He nodded and kissed my cheek. I stepped over to the auctioneer and whispered in his ear to start the bidding at $500 hoping that the opening bid would give him the confidence he needed.
"Bachelor number one is a gentle giant. He is strong, sweet, considerate, and unassuming...a man that I am proud to call my brother. Ladies let's hear it for Hal." I nodded for him to come out.
The first few notes of music came out of the speakers and I recognized the tune guessing this was Santos' doing. Hal made his first few steps into the light. His face flushing immediately when he realized what song had been chosen for him.
Hal moved awkwardly forward as the Pointer Sisters sang,
"When I first saw him standin' there
I wanted to speak but did not dare.
Something inside whispered to me.
You'd better move in carefully."
I don't know what came over me but I danced my way out on stage to him and took his hand and drew him into a dance with me. I circled into his arms and caught his eyes and lead him into a dance we had done together just having fun in the gym. I knew he could dance so if he could relax with me and do it now he'd be fine.
"He's so shy
That sweet little boy
Who caught my eye
He's so shy
He's so shy
And he's much to good to let get by"
Hal loosened up some concentrating on leading me out across the narrow floor to the end of the stage to the wide circular section. He spun me around and drew me back to him. "You got this" I mouthed. He nodded and lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it before leading me back to my podium.
He looked up at the ladies who by now were going crazy with bids. He blushed and took off his jacket, hooked it over a finger, flung it over his shoulder and he walked a bit more confidently up the catwalk again. He paused at the end turned, paused and turned again. He must have seen that on TV is all I could think of since that was so unlike Hal. Meanwhile the bids kept climbing. I was so in shock of how "all male model" my Halasaurus looked out there that the auctioneer might as well have been saying 'wha wha wha wha wha.' The song ended and bids kept coming.
He stepped off the stage and walked into the audience. The women went stark raving mad- many reaching out to touch him as he passed by like a rock star. One lady stood up from her seat, grabbed his shirt as he started past her and ripped it open exposing his muscular chest and washboard abs. He paused. I'm not sure he knew what to do.
"Ladies," I scolded taking my mic with me to retrieve Hal. "No touching! Do not make me have security remove you! These men are more than beautiful bodies. Please try to remember that this is a charity auction not a Magic Mike show! Keep your hands to yourself!"
"Ah come on, show us some skin, what is the use of having bodies like that if you aren't gonna show it off?" one of the ladies shouted.
Hal shrugged out of what was left of his shirt and tossed it aside. A young woman quickly scampered up and grabbed it hugging it to her chest.
When the bidding finally came to a conclusion Hal was stunned by the total and of course blushed and turned to go backstage until the auction was done.
The guys were congratulating him and patting him on the back.
The next few bachelors were local professionals, a doctor, a dentist, a veterinarian and a chef. It was harder to introduce them and the blurbs that were provided seemed so generic and dry but it was all I had to go on. While they raised a fair amount of dough for this charity they just didn't have the flair and sheer animal magnetism of my Merry Men.
"OK Ladies, I know I saw a number of you drooling over our next bachelor. He is one fine, southern gentleman, let's hear it for Woody!"
The crowd started hooping and hollering, I even heard a few Yee Haws!
Woody stepped up on the stage, got halfway down the catwalk and the first few notes of Lester's song for him rang through the speakers. My hand slammed over my mouth as I tried not to laugh and Woody gave the audience a mischievous grin. I could tell this was a surprise to him but he went with it and seconds later Woody strutted up the catwalk. He swiveled his hips and acted like he was on horseback and swirled his arm over his head like he had a lasso, as Big & Rich sang,
"and the girls say
Save a horse, ride a cowboy, everybody says
Save a horse, ride a cowboy"
At this point the place was near pandemonium; everyone singing along even the most prim looking ladies were chair dancing and keep a very watchful eye on ole's Woody's movements. By the end of the song he had a very respectable winning bid. He stepped off the stage, removed his hat and placed it on the winning bidder's head. "I'll see you later darlin'" he drawled and headed back stage.
I looked back at Ranger who was shaking his head but had an amused expression on his face.
I felt a little bad for the next two bachelors, they were nice looking guys but you can't compete with a Rangeman or Lester's theatrics.
Soon it was Bobby's turn. To say I was shocked when I first saw him behind the curtain would be an understatement. He was clearly out to compete. He no longer had on the suit I saw him in earlier, he was now dressed in tight scrub pants that clung to his round buns and had on an open white lab coat with no shirt; showing lots of milk chocolate skin and just a stethoscope around his neck. I had no idea what I was going to say in my introduction. This is a Bobby I hadn't seen before.
The music began and Bobby shook his head with a grin and flipped Les off backstage. I could hear Lester laugh.
"Our next bachelor is Bobby, a man with a quick mind, a warm heart and is good with his hands, not to mention easy on the eyes ladies. Who will start the bidding on this sexy medic?"
Bobby sashayed his way on stage and sang along with the song Lester had chosen for him; the Four Top's- Reach Out I'll Be There. He reached the end of the stage and sang to the ladies at the closest tables. I didn't know he had such a good voice. One lady kept bidding and she was determined so Bobby stepped off the stage and danced his way over to her. He took her hand and sang just to her.
"I'll be there, I'll always see you through
I'll be there to give you all the love you need
I'll be there, you can always depend on me"
The crowd had another surge of crazy and the bids skyrocketed! Bobby took his stethoscope and brought it to his ears and placed the other end to this woman's chest. The look on her face was priceless and the rest of the tables looked on clearly jealous. The woman took the opportunity to run her hand over his sculpted chest. He got a mischievous grin, winked at her and moved on to finish the song. The ladies at her table started throwing cash at her to help her win the bid. Bobby got to the edge of the stage and looked out over the crowd as the auctioneer announced the winning bid. Bobby grinned again and blew a kiss to the table he had just visited and then disappeared backstage.
I wondered why these women thought it was okay to fondle the guys when if the tables were turned they would be the first to complain that they had been groped. It is not like my Merry Men were strippers and being groped is part of the job. They didn't seem to be bothered by it though either unless of course it had been Grandma Mazur. Speaking of which, was that her coming in the door? Oh no, I promised the guys she wouldn't bid, who could I send to intercept her? Crap. I didn't have a chance to do anything it was time to introduce Cal and all eyes were on me.
"Babe?" Ranger said from so close behind me I could feel his breath blow my hair around. I covered the microphone and whispered to him about Grandma Mazur. I saw it in his eyes when he zeroed in on her. "I'm on it," he said and gave my temple a quick kiss and disappeared into the crowd. How does he do that?
When I glanced back behind the curtain I saw Cal was waiting to take his place on stage.
A/N: The auction is split into two sections we still have AT LEAST 3 Merry Men to go, we need to see what Ranger is up to, get the results of the bids and find out who bid on our favorite bad-asses with hearts of gold and playful natures. I am writing away so it shouldn't be too long before the rest of the auction is posted. Thanks for the wonderful responses! Please let me know what you think so far. :)