Enjoy!

Book Sixteen: The Auction

Mercedes's jaw dropped as she looked over to her best friend. "Wait what?"

Santana grabbed her drink and sighed. "You said you would do anything and this is the very last thing. It's a sure way to make the money you need and then some."

"No. I can't do that…that's crazy."

"No, it's reality, you are in a tough spot and I really wish I could help babe but I don't have it. This is how you get what you need, it will set you up for life. I can almost guarantee it."

Mercedes chewed her bottom lip, closing her eyes, of all the suggestions that crossed her mind, this didn't even register in her mind as an option. "San, I dunno, isn't this illegal?"

"Nope, totally legit, it's yours, you own it, and you write up a contract that works for you. This is a place that is safe, and allows you to get paid. Its what you need. It's either this or your brother is screwed." Santana said, reaching for her hand.

Mercedes looked over to her. "It seems like no matter what, either my brother gets screwed or I do."

Santana shrugged. "I mean…if you wanna do this, I can set you up with a meeting and we can get you going by the weekend."

"This weekend? That's kinda fast."

"You need fast. You need this done and over fast so that you can pay your brothers bills and be done with all of this. I know it's not what you expected or how you thought you would get the money, but, it's all we got."

"How do you even know a place like this exists!?"

Santana smirked. "How do you think I paid for college? And this duplex? Shit it was my home away from home for a while. It's how I know you can do this, and no one will ever know."

Mercedes ran her hands through her hair. "Okay, how exactly will this work?"

Santana smiled. "You are gonna go in, let her know what you want, what you don't want. Then you pick a fake name, and that is what you will go by. The only one who will know your real one is the owner. She is who will get the contract signed and pay you. It's very straightforward and easy."

"There is nothing easy about this…but I have no other choice. It's my job to protect my brother and I will do whatever I have to do to get him this surgery."

Santana moved and hugged Mercedes. "It's gonna be okay, I promise. Let me call now, and see if we can head over there. If we work fast, then you can have all the money you need by Monday at the lastest."

Mercedes nodded, hugging her back. "Okay. Lets do it."

Santana nodded, walking out of the room to make the call as Mercedes' phone rang. She immediately frowned seeing it was Shane calling. She hit ignore but he called right back.

"What Shane? I'm off shift."

"Is that anyway to talk to your boss? I would take care how you speak to me, when I am doing you a favor."

"Doing me a favor? Shane you are my boss, I get paid to work for you, so no you are not doing me a favor. You are annoying me at the moment."

"Ah okay, so then me keeping your brother here, even though your insurance just lapsed and unless you make a payment so Carter can have his surgery, there is no reason to keep him here."

"Shane, I am getting the money, if he leaves, they will call off his surgery next week. Do you know how long we have waited just to get him on schedule?"

Shane sighed. "I do know, so lets make a deal."

"A deal? What kind of deal?" She asked, regretting it.

"Oh I don't ask for much, beautiful, just you. Come to my place, do a little over time and he can stay as long as he needs to."

"Are you serious right now? You are trying to trade sexual favors for my brother's room?"

Shane laughed. "Now, I didn't say that, you did. You shouldn't put words in my mouth."

"Yeah? Well I have some words for you." She spat over the phone.

"Mercedes, instead of wasting your time talking you could just come over, there are plenty other ways we could be using that mouth of yours."

"You are a fuckin' pig. You can't blackmail me."

"Hmm such disrespect. Mercedes, if you are unable to fulfill your duties, which include working overtime when we are short staffed, I am going to have to let you go. And that means, your brother is going to have to leave as well. The choice is yours."

"Shane, you know this is wrong."

Santana walked into the room seeing Mercedes frown and raised an eyebrow. Mercedes mouthed Shane and Santana pulled out her phone.

"Put his ass on speaker." She whispered as she hit record on her phone.

"Wrong? Trust me Mercedes it's not wrong, it will actually feel quite right. I am not asking for much, you come to my place, and relieve my tension, as in your job description for out patients, and your brother has a bed for however long he needs it."

"And if I don't? If I tell you exactly where you can send your blackmailing offer?"

She heard Shane sigh. "Well, then you will be terminated. And your brother will need to leave. And before you do that wrongful termination, I should warn you. I have marked on several occasions just how difficult you have been to work with. And oh the patient complaints. If it was up to the board, you would be gone, it's out of the kindness of my heart you still have a job."

"That's not true! I have never gotten a bad review. My patients love me, and they will say that!"

"Mercedes, I run this shit, it's my word against yours. All I have to do is show the board this file and you will be out on that sexy ass of yours. And that poor brother of yours, he will be off the transplant list."

"Shane, you can't take him off the list! This is going too far!"

"No, this is me putting you in check mate. I have you right where I want you, and that is on your knees. Well to start anyways. I expect you here within the hour, or these files go to the board. Can you say unemployment? I'll see you soon, and oh, wear something sexy, I like something to look at while you are on your knees."

With that Shane hung up the phone. Santana hit stop and Mercedes let out a scream. "I can't believe that bastard!

The Latina smirked. "I can always call my friend Matt… you know he helps with those types of situations."

Mercedes shook her head. "No. You gotta stop hanging out with those people! If anything happens to him, Carter will be taken out of the program… he literally has me by the balls as you say."

"Well… you better suit up then because the only way to get him off your back and your brother the treatment he needs is my way."

Mercedes nodded. "Fine, let's do it. If I don't show up, he will seek me out before he actually fires me so as long as I can get the money by Monday, it won't matter what he does."

Santana nodded. "Okay good, then let's go shopping, because for this, we gotta get you something sexy."

Sam rubbed his temples, he hated dealing with people like Will Schuester, the man was a cocky son of a bitch who felt like the world owed him everything. And Sam wished he didn't have to go through him to get the project off the ground. But Will owned the building and would only sell to Sam if he partook in Will's favorite pastime. Sam didn't know much about it, but from the little he did know, he was certain it wasn't his thing.

"So the Auction is this weekend and I expect you to bid." Will smirked.

Sam looked at Mike then back at Will. "That wasn't the deal. You wanted me to show up, I agreed to that but I am not a collector type of guy. I like art as much as the next guy but not to buy."

Will laughed. "Trust me Evans, this particular Art will be well worth whatever you spend. Besides, if you want my property you have to play by my rules. They include coming to the Auction as my special guests and bidding on whatever peaks your interest."

Mike leaned over and pulled Sam closer to him. "Sam, this is our only option. There are already two other offers on the table and I can all but guarantee that they will be at the auction as well. You said this was the perfect venue for the community center."

"It is! It's right in the heart of town, and it's huge, we already own the surrounding land for the affordable apartments."

"Then this is what we have to do. Trust me, I heard one of the guys wants to turn it into a strip club, that will diminish our value in the buildings we do own."

"But this feels wrong Mike, and I am pretty sure, the auction is not what we think it is."

Mike sighed. "Whatever you decide I will back you Sam. If you wanna do this the right way and get out bid we will make it work, but if you wanna have the contract signed this weekend and we stay on schedule, then we have to play ball."

"What will it be? I don't have all day?" Will said annoyed.

"Fine! Fine, we will go and I will bid on an item. And then you will sign the contract. Deal?"

Will sighed with a nod. "Yes I will sign the building over to you if you show up and bid."

Will extended his hand and Sam took it, annoyed and ready to leave. He grabbed his things and walked out of Will's office.

"Mike, I need to know what we are walking into, get me as much information on the Auction as you can, if I am going to this thing this weekend, then I want to be prepared."

Mike nodded. "Okay I will, where are you headed now?"

Sam shook his head. "I want to get something for Stacey, a gift or something to show her how proud I am of her."

"Oh well I was headed to the mall, gotta find something fitting to wear, you should come, if we are gonna be forced to play this game, we need to look like we mean business, we can kill two birds with one stone."

Sam nodded as he and Mike stepped into his truck, and he headed to the mall. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for, the jewelers had a beautiful charm bracelet which would allow Sam to add charms to it for her as the years went on, in his eyes it was the gift that kept on giving. He left instructions for the engravement, paying extra for it to be done within the hour.

Next he and Mike walked towards the men's clothing store. Mike was definitely right, this event was a black tie event, and considering he hadn't gone to something like that in a year, he needed to find something fitting.

As they walked through the store, cutting through the women's department to get to the mens, Sam stopped in his tracks. There standing before him, in all of her sexy, goddess glory was a woman with curves that would make the pope question his vows. Her smooth skin looked flawless against the red lace babydoll dress. His eyes traveled up her perfect thighs, making his mouth water, then to her breast which were begging for release from the constraints she was wearing, and lastly to her face. Her perfectly bow shaped lips to those intoxicating eyes, he was rooted in that spot, unable to do anything but look. And then as if she was nothing more than a dream she was gone.

"Damn, tell me you saw that woman and I wasn't hallucinating?"

Mike laughed, clapping Sam on the back. "Oh I saw her, and she is out of your league."

"And why do you say that?"

"Sam, you are my friend, so I can be honest with you. Not once in the time I have known you have you ever dated anyone who didn't look like you. That woman had an ass that is the reason ass men exist. She was thick, gorgeous and picking out Lingerie. Sorry to say it Evans but you don't stand a chance."

Sam raked his hand through his hair. "Guess not." He conceded. "Come on, let's grab these suits so we can get back to work, we need to make sure that the contract with Schuester is air tight." He looked back over to where the woman was and watched her come out wearing a pair of hip hugging jeans and off the shoulder top.

"Yeah, she'd chew me up and spit me out." He mumbled as he followed Mike towards the men's section.

It's about to go dowwwn