Is He Or Isn't He? (22 page)

“Hey!” Paolo cried, tearing his eyes away from his computer screen. “You just made me lose what I was working on!”

“How stupid are you?” Anthony raged. “Do you know how long it's taken me to build up Paige's confidence? To get her to look like that? She looks beautiful! Any guy in his right mind would be drooling over her. But not you! No, not you! What do
you
do when you see her? Do you compliment her? Do you tell her how great she looks? No! You tear her down! You take away her confidence. You make her feel ugly.”

“I didn't mean—”

Anthony cut him off. “That's my best friend out there and
nobody
hurts her. Nobody! Not even you!”

“Ants, I was only kidding around with her.”

“Well it wasn't very funny. And if you care for Paige the way I think you do…”

Anthony watched as his brother swallowed nervously.

“That's right, Pow, I'm on to you.”

“On to what?”

“Don't try to deny it. I know what's going on. I've noticed the way you get jealous whenever Max's name is mentioned. You're interested in Paige. I don't know if she'd be interested in you—after all, you drive her
crazy
—but if you don't want Max to have her then you better do something about it.

“Now I'm going back out there and I'm going to tell Paige that you've agreed to take her to that awards dinner. When I get back in here, you'd better be showered and shaved and dressed like you could be shot for the cover of
GQ
. Otherwise I'm going to buy an ice pick and puncture every soccer ball, tennis ball, basketball and football in this penthouse!”

With those final words, Anthony left Paolo's bedroom and returned to Paige with a huge smile on his face.

“Guess what? Paolo made a mistake about his tickets. The game's tomorrow night so he can take you to the dinner.”

“He can?” Paige asked suspiciously.

“Yep.”

“Are you sure?”

“He's getting ready right this instant.”

“What did you have to do to get him to agree to go?”

“Nothing. I swear. So here's the plan. You and Paolo are going to the dinner; I'm going to the auction. You don't have to stay for the whole dinner, do you?”

“No, just for Camille's award. I'm sure we can leave after I accept it.”

“Once that happens, call me. I'll let you know what's going on at my end. Then we'll join up and lay our cards down on the table with Max. Just think, by the end of tonight, we're going to know if he's gay or straight.”

“Are you ready to go, Paige?”

Paige turned around to see Paolo wearing an L & F tuxedo. His hair was slicked back and he had a trace of five o'clock shadow. Devilishly handsome was what sprang into her mind.

“You clean up pretty nice,” she said. “Are you sure you want to come? I can go by myself. It's no big deal.”

“Are you kidding? You look sensational. I should have told you that when I first came in, but you caught me by surprise. It's just that usually you don't dress up so much. I like it.”

“That tuxedo fits you like a glove,” Anthony raved. “Maybe you should skip Paige's dinner and come with me to Peppington Prep. I could make a bundle auctioning you off.”

Paige threw herself across Paolo's chest, holding on tight. “Back off! He's mine!”

Hmmm. She'd never noticed it before, but Paolo had a nice chest. Firm. Muscular. And his biceps weren't too bad
either. For a last-minute date, she hadn't done too badly.

Paolo held his arm out to Paige and gave her a smile. “Shall we?”

Paige hooked her arm through his. “Let's.”

A
nthony was in seventh heaven. Five guys had already been auctioned and each one was hunkier than the next. So far, the highest bid had been five hundred dollars for Jared Banderas. Brazilian boys were hot, and in Anthony's opinion, Jared had been worth every cent he'd gotten. Anthony glanced at the flyer in his hand. Two more bachelors were going to be auctioned off and then it was Max's turn.

Anthony began fidgeting in his chair as he gazed around the crowded auditorium. Both parents and students were here, all dressed in their very best. He recognized a handful of faces, but most of the room was filled with strangers. He was starting to get nervous and the palms of his hands were sweating. What was Max going to think when he heard one of his bids come from a guy? And what was everyone else going to think? He was out to his friends, but he wasn't out
to everyone at Peppington Prep. Would they be shocked to see a guy bidding on another guy? Even though Anthony didn't want to, he knew he'd have to explain that he was bidding for a female friend. Otherwise his bidding on Max might stir things up and the auction could come to an end.

“What are you doing here? Didn't you get the memo saying this was a
straight
auction?”

Anthony looked up from his flyer. “Hello Felix.”

“Where's your sidekick?”

“Paige couldn't make it tonight, so I'm going to bid for her.”

“You're bidding for
Paige
? Yeah, right,” Felix sneered. “Who do you think you're fooling? You're going to bid on Max for yourself. You've wanted him since the night I brought him to your party and now you think you've got the perfect way of landing him.”

What
was the deal with Felix? He was all over him at his birthday party and now he'd reverted back to his nasty self. Was he jealous that Anthony was interested in Max? “Believe what you want, Felix. You always do.”

“I wouldn't be too confident of winning, Anthony. Anything can happen at an auction.”

With those words, Felix disappeared and Anthony forgot all about him as the next two bachelors went for two hundred and three hundred dollars. Then Max was standing on stage, wearing a tuxedo and looking ultra handsome.

Suddenly, Anthony felt a pang in his heart. It wasn't a painful pang, but more of a wistful, longing pang. A pang of regret. Of sadness. Of hope. He really did have deep feelings for Max and even though he'd tried not to let those feelings
grow, they had. Day after day, week after week, his feelings had gotten stronger and stronger until they were a part of him. He hadn't realized that until just now, staring at him up on the stage.

Until tonight, there was nothing he could do with those feelings. But in just a couple of hours, he was going to tell Max how he felt. And either his news was going to be joyfully received or he was going to have his heart broken.

Ms. de la Vega was the auctioneer and she opened the bidding for Max at one hundred dollars. A female voice called out one hundred, followed by another voice that offered two hundred.

Anthony raised his hand and offered five hundred dollars. “Before everyone gasps,” he quickly explained, “I'm bidding for a friend. Paige Crane. She couldn't be here tonight, but she sent me in her place. She's had her eye on this bachelor for quite a while and hopes to win him tonight.”

There. After hearing those words, there was no way Max could not know that Paige had feelings for him. If he didn't, he was pretty dumb.

“Five hundred dollars,” Ms. de la Vega announced. “Do I hear six hundred? No? Then the bid is at five hundred dollars. Going once. Going twice…”

Yes! Max was going to be his! The plan had worked. This had gone so much easier than he thought he would. And cost less than what he'd expected.

“One thousand dollars!” a voice called out.

Anthony spun around in shock, his head whirling to where Bianca Torres, wearing a floral print evening gown in black and pink silk, was sitting, a smug smile on her face.

What?!

“Two thousand dollars.”

Anthony's head whipped in the opposite direction, where Rachel Torres, looking fabulous in a shimmering silver lamé gown with a beaded neckline, had just topped her sister's bid, a determined look on her face as she glared at her twin.

“Three thousand dollars,” Bianca called out.

“Four thousand dollars,” Rachel said.

No, no, no! This wasn't supposed to be happening. Max was supposed to be his. The bidding was supposed to be over. What was going on?

Colleen, who was wearing an antique ivory silk gown, slid into the empty seat next to Anthony and he grabbed her arm. “Why are they bidding on Max?”

“Felix.”

He should have known! “What about him?”

“I overheard him at the punch table. He's pitted the twins against each other.”

“How?”

“He told Bianca that the only reason she hasn't made it as a star is because Rachel is holding her back. And he told Rachel that the only reason she hasn't made it as a star is because Bianca is holding her back.”

“And they believed him?”

“You've always known they don't have much in the brains department.”

“I always thought Rachel was a smidge smarter than Bianca.”

“Felix told each one separately that she's the more talented
twin, but that everyone thinks they're a package deal, so Bianca needs to step out of Rachel's shadow and Rachel needs to step out of Bianca's shadow…and what better way to do that than by dating Max since his father is
the
current hot celebrity chef in America and it's only a matter of time before Max starts getting his own coverage and TV show. That's why they're bidding on him.”

“They're going to ruin everything!” Anthony wailed.

“How much money do you have?”

“Paige will kill me if I bid five thousand dollars and we win him. Originally we'd planned on only going to a thousand.”

“Last time I was over at Casa Torres, Papa Torres told the twins that they had to cut back on their spending. There's no way they can offer more than five thousand dollars. Offer six thousand.”

“But I don't have six thousand dollars!”

“I'll get my mom to give me a check. She needs a couple more tax write-offs this year.”

Anthony gave Colleen a hug. “You're an angel!”

“You can thank me with an outfit from the L & F spring couture line.”

“Done.” Anthony jumped out of his seat. “Six thousand dollars.”

“Six thousand dollars,” Ms. de la Vega shouted out as the auditorium gasped and Max's mouth dropped open in shock. “Going once, going twice…sold to the gentleman in the fifth row!”

Anthony collapsed in his seat while the auditorium burst out in applause and the twins stormed out of their seats. Up
on stage, Max tipped the side of his head with his hand and bowed in Anthony's direction.

Anthony smiled back at Max while at the same time wondering,
Now that I've won him, what do I do with him?

P
aige felt like a princess.

From the moment she placed her arm through Paolo's, her evening became magical.

It was like being in a fairy tale.

She assumed they would take a taxi to the Waldorf Astoria, but when they left the penthouse and arrived downstairs, there was a horse and carriage waiting for them.

“I thought this might be more fun,” Paolo said, helping her step into the carriage, where she found a bouquet of pink roses waiting.

“How did you arrange all of this on such short notice?” she asked in amazement, holding the flowers close to her nose as their carriage headed in the direction of Central Park.

“You'd be amazed at what you can get done when you call
someone and tell them you're Lorenzo and Francesca DeMarco's son.”

“You're saying I should be thanking your parents?”

“Hey!” Paolo laughed. “Give me a little credit. It was my idea.”

Paige was touched by his thoughtfulness. He must have called for the carriage and arranged for the flowers when he was in his bedroom.

The magic continued when they arrived at the Waldorf Astoria and walked down the red carpet. Paige, who wasn't used to the spotlight, found it a bit intimidating as cameras were thrust in their faces and flashbulbs snapped madly. Microphones were held out and questions shouted:

“Who are you?”

“What are you wearing?”

“What soap are you on?”

“Who's your date?”

Paige could hardly see, but Paolo kept a steady arm around her waist, leading her inside.

“They actually think I'm somebody,” she whispered into Paolo's ear, “but I'm nobody.”

“Don't say that.”

“But it's true.”

“No, it's not. To me and Anthony, you're someone special.”

Paige was shocked. Could Paolo be any sweeter? Why was he doing this?

When they got into the hotel, they were whisked to the dining room and brought to their table, which was at the front of the room. As they sat down, Paige caught sight of
the waiting awards and panicked.

“I haven't even prepared a speech! What am I going to say?”

“Keep it short and sweet.”

“Short and sweet don't apply to Camille. The last time she accepted one of these things, she went on for twenty minutes.”

“Ouch! What caused that punishment?”

Paige laughed and instantly felt better.

“You're not your mother. You're you. Say whatever pops into your head, accept the award and leave the stage. Simple enough?” Paolo handed Paige a fluted glass. “Since we're not legal and can't indulge in a glass of champagne, I got us the next best thing.”

Paige stared at the golden liquid. “Ginger ale?”

“How'd you guess?”

“It was a no-brainer.”

Paolo clinked his glass against Paige's. “To the next diva of daytime.”

Paige laughed while taking a sip from her glass. “Yeah, right.”

“You've never thought of becoming an actress? You seem like a natural.”

“I hate looking at pictures of myself, so I can't even imagine seeing myself on a TV screen.”

“How come?”

Paige shrugged. “I don't know. I just do.”

“I've seen you in some of Anthony's short films. You're really good.”

“Those were just for fun. Acting silly and goofing around.”

“You're underestimating your talent.”

Paige laughed. “Are you thinking of becoming a director? Is that what this is all about? I thought Anthony was the one in the family with the Hollywood ambition.”

“Me? A director? Nah. I haven't even declared a major yet. Anthony's lucky that he knows what he wants to do with his life. I'm still trying to figure it out.”

“You will. One day it'll pop into your head and you'll know.”

“We'll see. In the meantime, you shouldn't be so quick to say no to being an actress. Like I said, you have talent. And you're certainly beautiful enough.”

Paige almost choked on the ginger ale she was sipping and started coughing.

“Are you okay?” Paolo asked, patting her on the back.

Paige nodded while trying to catch her breath.

He thought she was beautiful?

If Paige had to compare herself to the other girls in the room, she'd say they were prettier. Sexier. Bolder. They knew what they wanted and how to go after it. Case in point: Paolo. He had definitely caught their attention and a number of them were walking by the table, slowing down to get a closer look at him and trying to gain his attention.

But Paolo was unaware of them.

His eyes remained focused solely on her.

It was nice having one of the handsomest dates in the room. Paige turned around in her seat, pretending to look around at the room full of soap stars when what she was really doing was taking another peek at Paolo. When had he
turned into such a hunk? For years, he'd been Anthony's older brother, the jock, who was always dripping sweat and guzzling out of a bottle of Gatorade. But when you took him out of his sweats and popped him into a tuxedo, he cleaned up nicely.
Very
nicely.

His table manners were impeccable—he knew which fork and which spoon had to be used for each course, unlike some of the other guests at their table. And when one of the female guests left to the use the ladies' room, he always rose from his seat and when she returned, he was always ready to pull out her chair.

Where had this Paolo been hiding himself? When she and Anthony hung out with him, he usually had manners like Homer Simpson!

And she had to admit, she did like arguing with him. She usually didn't agree with what he had to say, but he made her think. There was never a dull moment when the two of them were together. If he was mad, he let her know it. He didn't sulk like a spoiled brat the way Max did.

Now where had
that
thought come from?!

Paige watched Paolo check his watch. Was he trying to figure out how long they'd have to stay here? He was probably bored out of his mind.

“What time does this thing start?” he asked.

“Five.”

“And the bachelor auction started an hour ago. How long do you think this is going to go on for? Two hours? Three?

“At least three.”

“We should be able to get to Peppington Prep just as
things are winding down. Sooner if we cut out after you accept Camille's award.”

He wasn't looking to leave! He just wanted her to make part of the auction!!

“How come you decided to ditch the auction?” he asked.

“My mother needed me. I couldn't say no to her.”

“But what about Max?”

Paige shrugged. “What about him?”

“I thought tonight was
the
night.”

“It was. It
is
. But I had to make a choice and I chose my mother. She means a lot to me.”

“It's nice that you could help her out. I've heard you complain to Anthony about her.”

“Do you actually watch TV when you're on that couch or are you constantly eavesdropping on our lives?”

“I think that it's cool that you made a sacrifice for your mom.”

“This dinner was only happening once. I've got the rest of the school year to make my move on Max.” Paige crossed her fingers. “I hope Anthony makes the winning bid for him.”

“If I know my baby brother, he will. You know, it's going to be tough turning you over to Max.”

If she didn't know any better, Paige would think Paolo was jealous. Could Anthony be right? Did Paolo have feelings for her? Nah, it couldn't be. He'd been a perfect gentleman the entire evening. He hadn't acted like most of her dates usually did, with grabby hands and suggestive comments.

“I'm all yours until then,” she teased.

“Good!” Paolo whispered in her ear. “That's just how I want it.”

Before Paige could say anything, the lights in the room dimmed and the awards show began, which was a relief because she was definitely blushing.