At His Bidding

By Faye Avalon

If she's going to clean for him, he'll make sure that things get really dirty first…

 

Petra never wanted a man like her father. A charmer with light fingers and an eye for the main chance. But Zack Cunningham, former bad boy turned successful entrepreneur, has always been her weakness.

 

When she organizes a silent auction, Zack shocks her by bidding an extortionate sum for her offer to provide domestic duties for one day. She knows he'll try and take advantage of the situation, but how can she refuse his bid when there's so much at stake? Besides, it's only for one day. Surely she can resist him for one day.

 

Zack has fought hard to bury his bad-boy past, but Petra Brooks, a woman he's wanted for years, has refused to give him the time of day. Faced with an opportunity to not only do some good for his community but also to convince Petra he's a reformed character, he makes her an offer she can't refuse.

 

He'll show her just how dynamic things could be between them if she'll just give him a chance, but Petra seems determined to stick strictly to the terms of their arrangement. Which means he'll need to step up his game.

 

If she's determined just to clean for him, he'll make sure that things get really dirty first.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Faye Avalon
• Release date: May 24, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227616326

Faye Avalon

Faye Avalon lives in the UK with her super-ace husband and one beloved, ridiculously spoiled Golden Retriever. She worked as cabin crew, detoured into property development, public relations, court reporting, and education before finally finding her passion: writing steamy romance. Between writing, practicing yoga, and keeping the keyboard free of dog hair, Faye can be found checking out Pinterest for hero inspiration. Visit her at www.fayeavalon.com

Book preview

Chapter One

Oh, my God! This is a joke. It has to be a joke.

At her friend’s incredulous tone, Petra Brooks snatched the bid slip from Lizzie’s trembling hand and stared down at the figure scribbled next to the details of the auctioned lot. Petra wanted to add her own shocked exclamation, but her stomach was free-falling with a mix of annoyance and incredulity.

The bastard thinks he’s clever, Petra mumbled. Well, I’ll show him how bloody clever he is.

She was about to rip the bid slip in two, when Lizzie snatched it away. But what if it’s for real?

Somehow Petra doubted that, but considering what was at stake, could she take the chance?

Zack Cunningham is an idiot, Petra said, selecting the next bid slip from the auction box. These last few years he’s amassed more damn money than you and I could earn in a lifetime. He thinks that gives him the right to play stupid power games.

That’s not really fair, Lizzie said, still eyeing the slip of paper. He’s already been incredibly generous. Donating a week, all expenses paid, at one of his posh hotels, with a full program of treatments in the spa? That’s worth a small fortune. It’s probably the best donation we’ve had, and that’s saying something when you think how kind other local businesses have been.

They had. Donations of fishing trips, gourmet meals in five-star restaurants, hospitality tickets for big-name bands and sports events, designer handbags...the list went on. Petra never loved her fellow man quite as much as when they came together to help fund a small boy’s trip overseas for life-changing surgery.

But Zack Cunningham was a different kettle of proverbial fish. She couldn’t imagine him doing anything unless there was something in it for him. And one look at the figure on that bid slip put her under no illusion as to what that something would be in this particular case.

What did a man who had everything, including a prestigious penthouse apartment with spectacular views of London, need of her services as housekeeper for a day? He likely had a whole team of them catering to his every desire already.

No. He was playing games. With her. Trying to exert his authority, showing her that no matter how many times she refused to have anything to do with him, he would exploit any and every chance to wield power over her.

Well, he could go to hell.

Let’s put that aside for a moment and check out all the other bids, Petra decided. See what we’ve got.

The silent auction had been her idea, just one of many they had come up with in an effort to raise funds to send Lizzie’s little boy—Petra’s godson—to New York for treatment to help him walk again. So far, they had raised enough for the family’s airfare, but so much more was needed to cover the treatment and accommodations while they were Stateside, not to mention numerous peripherals they hadn’t even considered yet.

I can’t believe how much we’ve raised, Lizzie said an hour later after all the evening’s bids had been counted and tallied. People are so amazing.

As tears welled in her friend’s eyes, Petra put an arm around her shoulders. Because they care about you, and they care about little Danny. Now, turn off the waterworks and help me make a list to read out after the raffle. People will want to know who won the bids and how much we raised.

What shall we do about this? Lizzie picked up the now-infamous slip which Petra had been doing her best to ignore. But it sat on the side drawing her attention until she felt like ripping it into a million pieces and flushing it down the nearest toilet.

We can tell him thank you, but he’s already done enough. Then we can accept the next highest bid, and that’ll be it.

The next highest bid is good, but it doesn’t come near a hundred thousand pounds. Lizzie slapped a hand to her throat. When you actually say it out loud like that, it gives me goose bumps.

Petra had a few goose bumps of her own happening right then. Thinking about Zack Cunningham usually did that