Lot 62: Special Edition (From Nothing)

The moment the auctioneer's gavel strikes for Lot 62, Celeste knows two things: she needs that piece more than she needs her next breath, and the infuriating man raising his paddle across the room has no intention of letting her have it.

Celeste Moran built her reputation — and her gallery — from nothing. Every acquisition is a battle she's fought on her own terms, against impossible odds and emptier bank accounts. She doesn't lose. She *can't* afford to.

Neither can Dominic Saar.

He's everything she despises — privileged, ruthless, and devastatingly certain that his money can claim anything worth having. Their rivalry spans auction houses from Paris to New York, a years-long war of outbid offers and cutting remarks delivered with smiles sharp enough to draw blood.

But when a single contested acquisition forces them into an uneasy alliance, the sparring takes on a dangerous new edge. Every argument feels less like combat and more like foreplay. Every stolen glance lingers a breath too long.

Celeste knows better. Dominic *should* know better.

The problem with spending years cataloguing someone's worst qualities is that eventually you memorize every one of their best ones, too.

*Lot 62* is a slow-