MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

While Crystal was in the shower, Nathan picked up his cell phone and sent Vic a text message. "Has the bracelet been finished yet?" he asked.

"It is done," Vic replied. "I haven't picked it up yet, though. Do you want me to pick it up now?"

Nathan replied that he did, and as he put his phone away, he began to laugh. Crystal had escaped him before, but with what he had in mind, that would never happen again...

****

The next day, Crystal was rudely awoken by a hard tug at her wrist. Her eyes popped open, and when Nathan saw the startled look in her eyes, he burst into gales of laughter.

"What's this?" Crystal growled.

"It's time to get up," he replied. "Don't be such a slacker."

Crystal sat up in bed, swung her legs over the edge, and kicked him in the shins.

"Ouch!" Nathan yelped. His pupils dilated, and he cursed her out.

"That's what you get." Crystal chuckled as she got out of bed. She went over to her wardrobe to pick out an outfit, and as she lifted her hand, she saw that there was a strange bracelet on her wrist. She frowned and turned to Nathan. "What's this?" she asked.

"It's a GPS Locator," Nathan replied. "It is a permanent fixture, so you might as well get used to it. The only way to get it off is by cutting off your hand."

"What the f**k?" Crystal's face turned red from rage. "You've gone too far! Why did you put this on me? You knew I wouldn't approve!" 

Nathan smiled. "This is my way of ensuring that what is mine remains mine."

"I'm not yours!" Crystal hissed. She glared at him, and she wanted to kick him again, but she knew that it would not help. More likely than not, it would just turn him on.

"I've got another gift for you." On cue, a servant appeared in a white dress. "Try it on," Nathan prompted.

"I will not!" Crystal stomped her foot and said, "Take off my bracelet first. Then I will try the dress on."

Nathan frowned. "So," he said. "You don't want to save Noah?"

Crystal glowered at him angrily. Finally, her voice softened. "Am I going to some party?" she asked.

"No. It's not a party."

"Where are we going?"

"We are celebrating a very important occasion," he replied. "No more lollygagging. Do you hear me? Clean up and get dressed." 

Crystal's cheeks turned red from embarrassment. She did not like it when he treated her like a child. "Where are we going?" she shouted. "I won't go unless you tell me where we are going!"

"Fine!" Nathan smirked. "Be that way." And when she still did not move, he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her into the bathroom. Once inside, he cleaned her himself, washing her face, brushing her teeth, and braiding her hair. Finally, when she was all ready to go, he said, "We're going to an auction."

"Why are we going to an auction?" Crystal asked. "And why couldn't you have just said that from the start?!?!"

"It was more fun this way," Nathan replied. "And the reason that I want to go is that there is a rare treasure that I want to bid on,"

****

After breakfast, Nathan and Crystal drove to a small airfield where a helicopter waited to take them to the auction house. Crystal did not understand why Nathan had insisted that she go or even why he wanted to go. In the past, if Nathan took a fancy to something, he would ask Vic to buy it. When she asked him about it, though, he just shook his head and said, "You'll see when we get there."

The trip wasn't long, and when they arrived, Nathan handed her a fox mask.

He had a wolf mask for himself. Crystal thought that they were gaudy, but she kept her opinion to herself.

Near the entrance, there was an army of journalists, bodyguards, and security guards. Crystal was full of questions, but there was no one to ask. All that she could do was link her arm with Nathan's and go where he led her. Vic and six bodyguards followed them.

When they entered the auction hall, Crystal noticed that almost all of the guests were lovers. That's weird - she thought as the receptionist led them to balcony seats on the second floor.

Beautiful models walked around and posed on the auction stage to display an assortment of gems and necklaces.

"Did you notice that there are a lot of couples here today?" Crystal asked.

Nathan nodded and said, "You must know why. It's Valentine's day!" 

Crystal's face turned white. "How could I have forgotten?" she gasped.

****

Several strong men carried items to the stage one at a time, and the Auction Master explained what each one was and what the starting bids would be. There were antiques, paintings, and jewelry, but nothing caught Crystal's eyes - That is until a lunch box was opened to reveal pieces of what looked like a paste. They were black and white, black as ink and white as congealed fat, and they appeared edible.

"Cupid's Arrow," the Auction Master called them. "They were refined from ancient birds. This kind of bird mates for life, and if its partner dies, it never remarried. If one bird is caught, the other will follow it. They would rather die than live on their own.

Crystal had never seen anything like it. She turned to Nathan and asked, "Would this save Noah?"

Nathan frowned. "Why are you always thinking about other men?"

"Isn't this medicine?" Crystal began to cry. "If it isn't medicine, then what is it?"

"Just watch!" Nathan hissed.

On the stage, a glass cabinet protruded from the ground floor, and in the center of it, there was a wooden box carved with a pair of birds, and there were two balls of black and white Cupid's Arrow. It was very lifelike, and when the reporters saw it, they began to take pictures excitedly.

"Every person wants to be their partner one and only," the Auction Master continued. "But how many relationships actually last? Typically, love fades, but that needn't be so. Ancient Egyptians created Cupid's Arrow for use by Pharaoh on his beloved concubines. The interesting thing about Cupid's Arrow is that it has a built-in fail-safe.. If, after taking it, you betray the person that you have committed yourself to, your heart will seize, and you will die."