Heather felt very sexy as she walked onto the stage. She knew how the swimsuit flattered her small figure. The black maillot with its thin straps highlighted her svelte figure. She looked good. She knew she looked good, and the smiling faces of the audience validated her feeling. Men and women found her attractive. She took her position by the auctioneer and smiled.
"Heather is wearing a black, Lycra maillot," the auctioneer said. "You can see how it fits a fine figure. Who will start the bidding?"
When Marsha asked Heather to be part of the charity swimsuit auction, Heather had been reluctant. She wasn't a professional model, and although she kept in shape she wasn't sure of herself. She didn't think she had the confidence to pull off the auction. When she saw the room filled with women and a few men, her heart beat fast. What if they didn't like her? What if they didn't like her figure? What if she tripped or something? Could she make herself smile and parade like a real model? If Marsha hadn't bolstered Heather's ego just before she took the stage, Heather might have walked out.
Instead, she stood by the auctioneer, and she felt good about herself. No, she wasn't the most gorgeous woman in the auction, but she was far from the least attractive. Her petite figure and long, dark hair made a nice picture for the bidders.
"Fifty dollars," a woman said.
Heather smiled.
"Sixty," another voice cried.
"Seventy."
"Eighty."
Heather beamed. When she took the stage, she thought $50 would be more than adequate, and here they were at $90 and climbing. She couldn't believe a swimsuit auction could make her feel so desirable.
He stood up. He was tall with dark hair and dark eyes, and a smile pranced across his handsome face. Nice shoulders, slim hips, he presented a nice package. He smiled at Heather and nodded.
"One thousand dollars," the man said.
The room noise died. Everyone turned and stared. The auctioneer gaped. The man smiled at Heather, locking eyes with her, and she knew something about him sang to her. What? What connection was there? She could feel something, a sort of tug at her soul, a bond. What?! He looked neither left nor right but only at her. Heather's heart seemed to flutter. Why was he looking at her that way? She felt a little weak, as if some energy had been siphoned off by his stare. God, what kind of man was he?
"One t...thousand once," the auctioneer said. "One thousand twice....sold!" The gavel smacked the podium.
For a moment, Heather couldn't move. She was mesmerized by his face, his eyes, his power. She could almost feel his will lock onto her, his purpose inundate her like some huge psychic wave. WHAT?! A voice seemed to whisper inside her brain, but she couldn't make out the words. She could almost hear them...soft, breathy words, words of need and yearning. If she could listen...
"Thank you, Heather," the auctioneer said.
Heather broke eye contact with the strange bidder, and the whispers faded. With a last glance at him, she skipped off the stage.
Heather had changed into jeans and sweater and was sipping a Coke when she tried to examine what had happened on stage. What had happened? She remembered a warm glow deep inside and the whispers in her brain, and a feeling of desire and fear snaking through her body. It was the eeriest feeling she had ever experienced, and yet it was completely pleasurable. She liked that feeling. She liked how her smile brightened and her mind sought to meld with that feeling. What was it? She couldn't say. It was as if some probe had found a special region of her brain and stimulated her best and deepest feelings, feelings she wasn't even aware she possessed. How? Heather wondered and at the same time missed those feelings. She felt she had discovered some wonderful secret place and now couldn't remember how to find it. How?
"You were the hit of the auction." Marsha broke Heather's reverie.
"Not me, him," Heather answered.
"Someone you know?"
"Not that lucky," Heather said.
"I'd like to know him." Marsha rolled her eyes. "One thousand for a swimsuit? and he looks that good? Yeah, I'd really like to know him."
"Maybe you can."
Heather turned with Marsha. The man who bought Heather's suit smiled at them.
"I'm Dirk," he said confidently. "I bought your suit."
"I remember," Heather said.
"I'm Marsha." She stuck out her hand which Dirk shook. "I planned the auction."
"You did a marvelous job," Dirk said. "Congratulations. And your greatest triumph was recruiting this woman." He smiled at Heather.
Heather felt a blush rise up her neck, but she didn't feel embarrassed, just warm.
"Heather was our star."
"The brightest star in the firmament," Dirk said.
"Y...yes," Marsha said. "It was nice meeting you." Marsha winked at Heather before she turned and left.
Heather looked at Dirk whose liquid brown eyes seemed as deep as the night sky. Heather felt at home in those eyes, safe. She nothing but goodness there, nothing but consideration and kindness. Why did she feel she had known him a long time?
"I hope I didn't embarrass you," Dirk began. "I wanted everyone to know what I thought of you."
"I think you succeeded." She laughed.
"I find you incredibly attractive."
Heather was at a loss for words which was unlike her. She averted her eyes. Why did he make her feel so warm?
"It seems obvious," he continued, "that I can't wear this."
Heather looked up and found him holding out the suit.
"I want you to have it. You look so good in it."
"Thank you, but don't you have someone to give it to?"
"No one who can do it justice."
Heather accepted the swimsuit, and as she looked into his eyes she felt that unsettling inner glow. "I feel at a loss," she said. "I don't have anything to give you."
"You can give me something." He smiled sheepishly.
"What?"