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  PROTECTING THE HEART

  Copyright © 2016 by Marie Higgins Cover Design by Sheri McGathy Edition License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you have obtained the copy illegally. Please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  For more information about author: www.mariehiggins.com

  Other published stories from Marie Higgins “Stealing the Duchess” – Regency Romance Suspense “Secrets and Lies” – Victorian Romance Suspense “Haunting Secrets” – Victorian Paranormal Romance “Amazon Sunset” – Victorian Romance Action / Suspense “Love Lost in Time” – Victorian Time-Travel / Suspense “Waiting for You” – Paranormal / Time-travel Romance “Becoming a Lady” – Regency Romance

  “In the Arms of Danger” – Romantic Suspense “Crazy For You” – Romantic Comedy

  “My Heart’s Treasure” – Victorian Romantic Suspense

  Your Every Day Hero Series (Romantic Suspense / Romantic Comedy)

  “Prince Charming is a Liar” – Romantic Comedy / Suspense

  “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Altar” – Romantic Suspense / Romantic Comedy “You Are My Everything” - Romance

  Where Dreams Come True Series (fairy tales)

  “The Witch Hunt” – Young Adult Fantasy

  “Champion” – Robin Hood / time travel

  “Her Very Own Godmother” – Modern-day Cinderella, romantic comedy “Keep on Believing” – Historical Cinderella

  “Once Enchanted” – Rapunzel romance

  Christian Historical Series “A Walk in Heaven” – book 1 “Touching Heaven” – book 2 “Reach for Heaven” – book 3

  Regency Romance Series – Sons of Worthington “The Sweetest Kiss” – book 1

  “The Sweetest Touch” – book 2

  “The Sweetest Love” – book 3

  “The Sweetest Secret” – book 4

  Regency Romance Suspense Series – Heroic Rogues “Pretending You’re Mine” – book 1

  “After the Loving” – book 2

  “Wonderland by Night” – book 3

  “Worth Fighting For” – book 4

  Victorian Romance Series

  “Love Me Always” – book 1 “Charmed by Knight” – book 2 “True Love’s Deception” – book 3 “Belong To Me” – book 4

  “Love Comes Blindly” – book 5

  She needs money for her bar. He seeks incriminating evidence to close her. Will the auction be the key, or will her kisses melt his heart? Cassidy Hilarion needs money to save her bar. She hopes that auctioning off her waitresses and herself for a night out on the town might do the trick. How can she protect her heart when a gorgeous hottie bids on her and all she wants to do is kiss him endlessly?

  Mark Carrington is on a mission—to find some incriminating evidence to help his father close down the bar. For years, the Carringtons have tried to get this land from the Hilarions, and Mark is determined to win. But when he gets to know the sexy co-owner he wants more than the bar. He wants her heart.

  ONE Cassidy Brown locked her legs in military stance and folded her arms across her breast. She scowled at her cousin Joan, the manager of the family bar, The Hideaway, as they stood in the back hallway. “I’d rather be thrown in piranha-infested waters than go out with a man.”

  Clinking of glasses rang faint from inside the bar, mixed with loud chatter as the patronage continued to grow. Cassidy had never seen this many men in Coral Gables, Florida, in one place all at the same time. She tried not to think of the reason the bar filled so quickly, and concentrated on her cousin. Lifting her chin a notch, Cassidy hoped to prove her stubbornness.

  Her cousin rubbed her temple, her fingers digging into her forehead as if she were trying to get rid of something deep in her skull. “Cass, you have to go out with someone, especially tonight.” Heaving a deep sigh, she leaned around the corner and peeked into the bar. “Do you see how full we are? The bar needs this auction to stimulate business. Look at all those men.”

  Cassidy glanced into the crowded room, her heart weighed with indecision, her mind arguing along with it.

  Joan shook her head. “Most of those men are even dressed in business suits.” She looked back at Cassidy. “Suits mean business with more moolah than the usual Joe Schmo. Can you imagine how much money we’ll make tonight?”

  Cassidy gritted her teeth. The sinking sensation of defeat pulled at her conscience, but she would hold firm to her decision. She had to. Her feelings rarely led her astray. “Yes, I can imagine how much money we’ll make. We’ll just do it with one less girl.”

  Joan huffed and grasped Cassidy’s shoulders, looking her directly in the eyes. “Not if they plan on bidding on ten girls and we only have nine.”

  “We’ll just explain that Linda—”

  “No, Cass. We can’t. Our advertisement said ten women, which means we’ve got to give them that many.”

  “But if I’m one of the girls to be bid on, who’ll wait tables?”

  “My brothers will. They’re here to help for tonight’s auction, anyway.”

  Cassidy’s stomach twisted, her palms moistened. Joan was right. The bar needed tonight’s entertainment to pick up business. If this function didn’t bring in money, The Hideaway would have to close. Joan and Cassidy’s fathers had operated the bar for twenty years, and she couldn’t let it go under now. But her father would turn over in his grave if he knew what they’d planned to bring back their patrons.

  Joan swiped a wayward curl behind Cassidy’s ear and gave her a sheepish smile. “I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t think it was important. I understand Lyle ruined the way you look at other men, but tonight is different.” She shrugged. “Just think of it as a business venture that will help you grow.”

  Demeaning myself is more like it. “But Joan, I feel like something bad is going to happen tonight.”

  Joan lifted her brows. “Nothing bad will happen. I promise.”

  Cassidy laughed. “I’m afraid the guy who buys me for the night will demand his money back.” If she hadn’t been good enough for Lyle . . .

  Joan cupped Cassidy’s chin and grinned. “Just be the adorable and fun-loving woman we all know you are. Remember, tonight’s date is nothing personal. It’s just one night out on the town. That’s all.”

  From inside the bar, the men’s chants, whistling and cheering grew stronger. The auction would start any moment, and Cassidy couldn’t do anything to get out of it. Being the Assistant Manager, she had no other choice, and although she didn’t have to like it, she’d do it for The Hideaway. This was the one thing her father wanted her to do—to continue making the bar a place for everyone to come and enjoy themselves. She couldn’t lose it now.

  She gritted her teeth. “Fine.”

  Joan beamed and clapped her hands. “Hurry and change into Linda’s dress.”

  Cassidy grimaced. “Do I have to?”

  “Yes, you have to look like the other girls.”

  Pivoting on her heel, Cassidy spun around, her hair whipping over her shoulder. With her hands in fists, she marched toward the back room where the other women being auctioned had gathered to change. It was Joan’s idea to do the auction, and Cassidy’s younger sister, Katie’s idea to wear the sexy dresses. Cass would like to slap Katie for being so thin and shapely.

  Of course, Cass remembered what she’d been like at age twenty-two, which is how she got tangled up with Lyle. Worst mistake of her li
fe. Now, at twenty-five, she wondered if tonight she’d make another mistake.

  The other nine giggling girls were applying finishing touches to their hair and face, all looking like Barbie dolls. Cassidy rolled her eyes. Mattel could market such a doll—night on the town Barbie, for hire.

  She pasted on a smile as she passed the girls on their way out front. “Good luck.”

  “You’d better hurry, Cass.” Katie shoved Linda’s dress into her arms. “You only have ten minutes.”

  “Oh yeah, ten minutes to make myself into some man’s dream date. I can’t wait.”

  Katie grinned, showing her pearly whites, the kind made by the dentist. “You’re gonna knock ‘em dead, Sis.” She spun on her three-inch heels and glided out the door like a model going down a runway.

  Cassidy held the dress out in front of her and groaned. No way was her size six body going to fit into Linda’s size four dress. But she had no other choice. She hung the dress over the end of a chair and stripped off her jeans and T-shirt. As she struggled into the black spandex dress, she groaned. So this is what a hippo would feel like wearing a girdle.

  Yanking the straps over her shoulders, she tugged it down her legs, but it wouldn’t go any further than her thighs. She growled and tried again, but the stretchy material bounced back. Throwing her hands in the air, she turned toward the full-length mirror. “Seriously?”

  Grabbing the sides of the bodice’s deep opening, she pulled it together, and just as before, the stretchy material shrunk back to its original spot. Now she looked like a hippo wearing a girdle whose watermelons wouldn’t fit into cup-size holders. She scowled at her reflection.

  Slowly, she surveyed her body again, twisting in front of the mirror to get the full effect. She hated looking like she wore a painted on dress. It wasn’t wise to give the men in the bar tonight the wrong idea, but how else could she let them know that the only thing they’d be getting out of her tonight was a dinner—and definitely not an expensive one—and maybe a movie. That was all!

  Fluffing her long hair around her shoulders, she took deep breaths, trying to gain her courage and calm her nerves. It wasn’t working. In fact, she just might pass out. At least that would give her a good excuse to back out.

  From down the hall, Joan’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker, starting the auction. Unfortunately, it was time to go, so on shaky legs, she made her way toward the bar.

  The closer Cassidy came to the room full of men, the harder her heartbeat slammed against her ribs. She blamed all of this on Carrington Enterprises. If they hadn’t been bullying her endlessly about selling the bar so they could build an office sky-rise, she wouldn’t be wobbling toward the stage looking like a hooker. She and Joan only had a week to think up a way to raise the bar’s patronage, and since women ran the bar, this was the solution that came to mind.

  When she stepped into the smoky, dimly-lit bar, she gasped and pressed her back against the wall. Men filled the room, sitting or standing, elbow to elbow. Some wore faded jeans and cotton T-shirts, and others were in three-piece suits. Their ages appeared to range from barely legal up to sixty-year-olds. By the way they waved their cash and their cat-calls, a passerby would think this was a strip club. She frowned. That would definitely make the bar popular, but in the wrong way.

  She kept her gaze glued to the wall. Her heart hammered as she watched the proceedings. The girls on stage actually played up their parts, blowing kisses to the men, and even shaking their booty! Cassidy rolled her eyes. How pathetic—and how embarrassing! But it drove the men wild.

  She swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. Hopefully, they wouldn’t expect that from her.

  The men continued to bid. Her sister, Katie, went for six hundred and fifty dollars. Cassidy grinned. Knowing her sister, she’d give them their money’s worth. Katie was an exciting girl and always knew the coolest places that were entertaining. The other girls didn’t bring in quite as much, but still a fair amount.

  Finally, the moment she dreaded came. Joan called her name, motioning with her hand for her to go up on stage. All eyes turned on Cassidy and fear stilled her limbs. She wanted to turn and run, but her legs wouldn’t agree to move.

  She scanned the crowd of onlookers, her gaze falling to a gorgeous man at a nearby table. He sipped his coffee cup, watching her over the rim. His penetrating stare sent ripples up her spine. When he lowered his drink, his gaze moved over her exposed cleavage, down her stomach and then to her legs. Heat pierced through her. Not good! The corner of his mouth lifted in a knowing grin.

  He was different from the rest of the men in a way. Wearing a blue, button-down shirt and black Wranglers, he looked more like cowboy than anything. He wasn’t as rugged, though. She’d classify him as casual, yet stylish.

  Still, he was one good-looking man. His heated gaze let her know what he wanted, especially the lazy way his lips curved upward. His dark eyebrows slowly lifted up and down, suggestively. Obviously, he thought this was a sex-for-hire bar, too. Boy, was he wrong!

  She groaned under her breath. Men like him probably thought women were only good for one thing. Gads, she hated men like that. She’d like to teach him a lesson, but didn’t want to get that close.

  Her name echoing in the room drew her attention back to the stage. Joan scowled at her. Cassidy shrugged. Time to put on a show.

  Finding strength she didn’t know she possessed, she straightened her spine and walked onto the stage on three-inch heels. She scooted past the local band squished in the back like sardines in a tin can, and moved closer to Joan.

  When the roar of applause heightened, fear leapt in her chest. Her lips quivered as she smiled, and her knees knocked. She clasped her shaky hands together against her stomach. How can I look sexy when I feel like heaving my guts out?

  “Gentlemen,” Joan yelled above the cheers. “Here is our last prize of the evening. Come on men, we’re trying to rescue our bar. Dig in your wallets and let’s begin. Who will bid on Cassidy Hilarion for tonight’s date?”

  Cassidy jerked her head to Joan and narrowed her eyes. Why did Joan use her maiden name? And would she live up to the Hilarion name as her sister had? Could she act like a loose woman?

  TWO All at once, men shouted out dollar figures, making Cassidy’s head swim. The bar had collected more money tonight than the entire last month. Shoot, probably two months. It shocked her to think they’d bid even one hundred dollars on her. She wasn’t as young as the other women, and certainly not as beautiful, or as skinny. So what was the gag? Why were the men acting like hound dogs during mating season? It was definitely the alcohol.

  “I bid two hundred,” one man shouted.

  Another raised his hand. “Two hundred and fifty.”

  The higher the amount bid, the more her smile stretched. Although she dreaded the date

  part, having men bid on her gave her a powerful feeling she’d been without for too long. It’d been a while since she felt attractive. She needed this after she’d had her heart trampled on. But soon the bidding stopped on one amount. Four hundred dollars. Although it was still a lot of money, she knew the bar needed more. She also knew what she’d have to do to get it.

  Taking a deep courageous breath, she relaxed her hands, hooking them on her hips as she tried her best to strut across the length of the stage as she’d witness the other girls doing. Hollers from the audience grew, and with it, her nerve climbed higher. Behind her, the drums picked up a lively beat that met the rhythm of her walk. She swung her hips, and the drums’ volume heightened. So did the whistles in the room.

  The bidding lifted to five hundred. Then stopped. Cassidy stretched her arms above her head, lifting the bulk of hair off her shoulders. Tilting her head back, she let the waves fall provocatively through her fingers. The bidding continued to climb to five hundred and seventyfive dollars. Then stopped again.

  Several men stood close to the stage, waving their cash, with drunken expressions on their faces. She shrugged. Might as well have f
un while she can.

  She slinked to one cowboy, bent to his level and let her fingers twist in his hair. His grin grew wider. He jumped on the stage and grabbed her around the waist. She gasped, but followed his lead. Thankfully, he only wanted to dance. She moved with him, keeping in the slow-dance rhythm. If he weren’t such a stinking drunk, this might be exciting. By the enthusiastic cheers from the crowd, they loved it.

  The bidding continued, but stopped at six hundred. She’d never be able to top her sister’s bid at six hundred and fifty dollars, but frankly, she didn’t want to. She pushed the drunken cowboy away, and he stumbled down the stairs. She blew him a kiss before sashaying to stand beside Joan so she could finish the bidding.

  “Do I hear six hundred and fifty?” Joan called out. No more bids were voiced, just the cat-calls and whistles from the horde of anxious men.

  “Okay, six hundred and fifty going once. Going twice . . .”

  “One thousand dollars.”

  The voices in the room silenced. Gasps and clinking glasses were the only sounds. Cassidy pressed her hand to her chest. All heads turned to the voice on the other side of the room.

  Joan waved her hand. “I’m sorry, Sir, but I can’t see you. Would you mind standing and repeating that bid?”

  The man rose and the scraping of the chair’s wooden legs echoed through the suddenly silent bar. Cassidy recognized the wannabe cowboy who’d ogled her so openly when she’d first entered. She couldn’t understand why would a man so gorgeous want to bid that high on her.

  Even from across the room, she could spot a drunk, and this particular hunk was not one of them. So why did he bid that amount? His blank expression didn’t tell her anything about what he expected. Yet, by the heated gleam in his earlier gaze, she figured she already knew.

  “I said, I bid one thousand dollars.”

  Joan laughed. “Sold, to the gentlemen in the corner.”

  She motioned her hand. “You can come and collect your prize.”

  Cassidy swallowed a lump of fear, yet anticipation rose in her chest. Suddenly, an image popped into her mind and she envisioned herself locked in a lover’s embrace with this man while his mouth moved passionately.