by Ali Parker
"Hey, Joan. It's Matt. Is Erica in her office?" I picked up my toast and took a big bite.
"She sure is. Let me get her for you."
I smiled as she answered the phone. Much better.
"This is Erica."
"Hey, baby. I just wanted to call and tell you that I hope your day goes great." I licked my lips and leaned against the counter.
"Matt." The way she said my name made the world seem right. "You doing okay? Did the painting get picked up?"
"Sure did, and yeah, I think I'm all right. I'm nervous as shit, but I guess that's normal, right?"
"Completely. You're going to be brilliant today and I'll be right there beside you. I'm going to pick up Damon and Kent for you around two today. You just relax, get your outfit together and be ready to just be you tonight, okay?"
"I'll get my brother and my father. I don't want you doing all of that. You and Lanie just meet us there around six."
"You sure? I just wanted to take as much off of you as possible." God I loved this woman.
"No, I'm good. What are you wearing tonight?"
"What do you want me to wear?" Her voice grew sexier, as if that was possible.
"I love that cream-colored dress that hugs in at your waist."
"Then expect to see me in it."
"Your hair down so I can run my fingers through it, and dark red lipstick."
"Are you planning on fucking me at the event?" She chuckled, but it was a really good question. A better idea.
"I wish. That'll definitely be in my thoughts, but then again, it always is when you're around."
"Now it's you who needs the spanking." She chuckled.
"I'll see you tonight. Enjoy your day, okay?"
"It would be better if you were here, but I'll try. Call if you need anything."
"Bye, baby." I hung up the phone and took a minute to catch my breath. It was happening. Like, it was really happening. Erica and I were becoming the type of couple that others would be jealous of, that most people would kill to be a part of. She was mine. I just needed to seal the deal.
*
"You look good. Happy." Damon patted me on the chest as we walked into the showing an hour before the crowd was supposed to arrive. My father had gone up to the office to make an appearance and check in with everyone. He'd show up at six with the guests for the evening, which was fine by me.
"I am happy." I reached up and fixed his tie as we stood in the foyer. "You know that picture I did of you the day you found out about mom's cheating is in here, right?"
"Yeah." He rolled his eyes. "It's fine. I know it shows a depth of human emotion and you need that. I would imagine that most people aren't going to be able to tell it's me anyway. I was just a kid then."
"Most people don't realize that you're just a kid now." I checked my watch and swallowed hard. Why did the evening feel like a make-it-or-break-it time in my life? It was just a showing. Worst case scenario, the attendees hated my work and left without buying anything. I still had my job at M&B, and most importantly... I had Erica.
"I wish Beth could have come with me. You know how much she loves supporting you."
"And dressing up." I chuckled.
"That too." He brushed something off my chest. "Since joining the firm again, she's taken on a leadership role, and Dad promoted her to senior early. I thought everyone was going to have a fucking cow about it, but she's got a way about her with the staff up there."
"Now that Delilah's gone." I rolled my eyes. For some reason, my father thought it was a good move to hire Damon's ex-girlfriend's twin sister to come work as a senior manager at the firm. Not only was the bitch conniving, but she'd almost forced Bethany to leave the firm for good.
Stupid moves on everyone’s part.
"Matthew. There you are." Jonathan walked out and reached to shake my hand. "You look awesome. Is this your brother?"
"Yes. This is Damon and my father, Kent, will be here a little later tonight." I glanced over at Damon as he shook Jonathan's hand. My brother wasn't at all comfortable around artistic types. If nothing else, the night was damned to be interesting.
*
The hour of preparing went by far too quickly for my liking, and the clock above the main entrance chimed six o'clock. Damon moved up to greet people on my behalf as I walked into the back room to get a beer or something to help me chill out. Erica wasn't there yet, and as silly as it was, I was worried about her.
She had ten minutes and I was going to blow up her phone with texts or calls.
"You're up." Jonathan walked in and stopped in front of me as I turned to face him. "Hey. You all right? You look like you're about ready to hurl."
"Just nervous. Is Erica out there? I haven't seen her yet." I glanced around him, as if I could see out into the showroom without walking through the curtain. I couldn't.
"No, but I'm sure she's almost here. Let's have you start moving around the room, greeting people. We'll unveil the main attraction in thirty minutes, and the room will just be wild. It's incredible, Matt. One of the most beautiful portraits I've ever seen. You should make sure to put a ring on that woman's finger soon if that's really how you see her."
"It is." I pursed my lips and breathed in deeply. I hated mingling, but the thought of doing it with Erica on my arm made it all better. Now that she was missing in action, I was ill all over again.
"All right. Let's do this. If she comes in the front door, I'll tell your brother to send her right over to you. Good?"
"Yes." I walked past him and moved into the showroom, stopping beside an older couple who were talking excitedly about the picture I'd done of Bethany.
"Such incredible detail. Beautiful lines." The woman glanced up at me and smiled. "Do you work here? Do you know the story behind this picture?"
I took a shallow breath and shook my head. "I don't work here, but-"
"Oh, I'm so sorry." She smiled and shook her head, her long dangly earrings moving about. "I should tell Jonathan that he needs to have uniforms for his staff. Then I would stop embarrassing myself."
The older man beside her leaned around her. "I highly doubt that." He snickered and I smiled.
Erica's voice on the other side of me caused something beyond relief to flood through me. "Matthew doesn't work here, but he's the artist whose painting you’re enjoying. He can tell you the story behind the girl’s haunted expression."
I wrapped my arm around her and leaned in to hug her. Pressing my lips to her ear, I closed my eyes. "I was terrified that something happened to you."
She pulled back and smiled. "Don't be. Talk to these people tonight and sell your art. It's our future, right?"
"Absolutely." I kissed her softly and turned back to the couple as the woman's cheeks colored pink. "The painting is of my stepsister. Her mother and her were in complete poverty for most of her life. She hides it well now and works harder than any woman I know, besides my woman." I pulled Erica closer and smiled.
"I was in poverty at one point in my life too." The older woman's eyes filled with tears. "I remember praying that I didn't look like I felt."
"And how did you feel?" Erica's voice was soft, sweet.
"Like this." She pointed to it and sniffled. Her husband wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and my heart grew warm. This was what art was all about. Connecting people across generations and from places far and wide who shared one thing. The human experience.
"How much for this piece? I must have it." The woman turned toward us.
I had no clue how much to charge and figured the best thing to do was to find Jonathan. Erica spoke up before I could utter a word, saving me.
"It's four hundred thousand. Matthew is taking off a hundred thousand on this one tonight." She glanced up at me as if I were the most generous man in the world.
Four hundred thousand dollars? That was ins-
"I'll take it, and don't discount it. It's worth every bit of five hundred thousand. Have Jonathan wrap it up for Liz Mantrell. It's st
unning. Great job, young man." She nodded and slipped her hand into her husband’s, walking off and wiping at her eyes.
I turned to Erica, my heart racing, my knees weak. "Are you freaking kidding me?"
She laughed and bounced on her feet. "That was fucking awesome!"
"You were fucking awesome." I gripped her shoulders and leaned down, kissing her with every ounce of passion I had inside of me. "I'm so glad you're mine."
"Am I yours?" She smiled up at me, making the world disappear.
"Without a doubt."
Chapter 20
Erica
Butterflies danced in my stomach over the way he looked at me. It wasn't a passing thought or a hopeful wish for the future, but our reality. He wanted exactly what I did... us, together forever.
"Matthew. Erica. Let's get ready for the big reveal." Jonathan clapped his hands together and turned, walking toward a large canvas covered in velvety black cloth. "Everyone. If I could kindly have your attention please. Now comes the time in the evening when we're proud to share Matthew Bryant's centerpiece. The bidding will start at five hundred thousand dollars and go up from there.”
I glanced around to find Lanie talking to a handsome, older guy near the bar that Jonathan had set up in the corner. His suit fit him well, and she seemed lost to him. Interesting. I'd have to get the scoop later.
Matthew and I moved up to stand beside Kent and Damon as I realized what the painting was of. Me. Naked.
"Hey, guys." I glanced over at the two of them as embarrassment swirled in my belly, dousing my insides and leaving it hard as hell to breathe. "The centerpiece is me, so no giving me shit about it, all right?"
"Absolutely not." Kent tilted his head to the side. "Why in the world would-"
"And here you have it. Appropriately named, Passion of the Heart." Jonathan had the cloth dropped and several gasps rang out around the room.
"Oh. Wow." Damon pressed his hand to his lips and smiled. "That's beautiful."
"Intriguing." Kent took a step toward it. "I can't believe how talented you are, Matthew."
Matt pulled me against his side and smiled like a tomcat. "It's easy when you have the perfect model to use for our passion piece."
"That's stunning, bro. I'd love to have that in my house, but Beth would have a fucking conniption."
"As she should." I popped Damon in the chest.
"I'll bid a million dollars." A deep voice resounded from the back, one that was far too familiar.
"Mitch?" Kent turned and laughed. "I didn't know you were coming, you old dog."
"Yes. I got an invitation in the mail a few weeks back. I figured if the artist had the same last name as my boss, I'd better be here." Mitch walked up and shook Damon's hand before leaning forward and shaking mine and Matt's. "Matt it's beautiful. Who is she?"
"She's a figment of my imagination," Matt bit out. He was upset without a doubt.
"It's Erica. Come on, Mitch. You can't see it?" Damon lifted his hand as my stomach grew sick. "The blond hair, sexy smile, perfect lips."
"Thank you. That will do." I pushed my shoulder against Damon's and tried to figure out how the hell I was going to get us out of the possibility of Mitch ending up with my picture. The portrait showed a part of my breast, all of my back, my ass and my legs. It was insanely intimate.
"One point one million dollars." Matt lifted his hand.
"You can't bid on your own painting," I whispered to him, but the look on his handsome face told me to 'lock it up'.
Fuck. This was going to get ugly fast.
"Two million dollars." Mitch shrugged and lifted his hand.
Jonathan seemed pleased, but he had no clue what was going on. Matthew was going to spend every last penny he earned that night trying to buy back a painting that already belonged to him.
"Four million." A young guy in the back lifted his hand and smiled at us. "It's beautiful. I have to have it."
"Five." Mitch took the bid higher.
"I'm going to be sick." I fanned myself and pulled out of Matt's arms, needing a little bit of air. Nothing was going to change or be made better with me standing there and possibly hurling all over the fancy shoes around me.
I pushed the door open to the gallery and sucked in. The air was chilly, but felt good against my bare shoulders and back. The portrait was worthy of millions of dollars for sure. I wasn't, but that was the battle that was being fought. Matt and Mitch were squaring up across the ring from each other, and Matt didn't have the proper equipment to fight. Mitch was wealthy, no doubt, and Matt was too, but it wasn't his money.
It would break him in half to have to borrow that from his father, and he would have to borrow some of it. Jonathan got a cut of the final price of the pieces sold that night.
"Goddammit," I growled and turned to face the studio. What was Mitch doing? Why was he messing up the one thing Matt had going for him? This night meant everything to him.
Everything.
I pulled out my phone and texted Mitch, grateful that we exchanged numbers the week before.
Me: What the fuck are you doing? You're messing up this night.
Mitch: So ask me to stop. Offer me a reason to.
Me: Stop. Please. You don't want this painting.
Mitch: Yes, I do. I want it, and I want you. I hadn't wanted anyone since Carolyn died in my arms, but I want you something horrible. Offer me something and I'll retract my offers and the bidding will resume. He just doesn't want me to have the picture.
Me: You’re driving the price up.
Mitch: Damn straight I am. You need to see what I see, and yet you're not willing to. Why? Because he makes your heart flutter? Your body wet?
Me: Stop it. Leave him be. I'm serious.
Mitch: No. You'll thank me later.
I growled in anger and glanced up at the sky. "What do you want from me? How do I stop this? He's going to ruin the evening and steal Matt's dreams and what little bit of progress he's made. What the hell?
The phone buzzed and I pulled it out and almost swallowed my tongue.
Mitch: One night. Dinner. Wine. Sex. Nothing more if that's what you decide. No one has to know. Not ever.
Me: I can't. I love him.
Mitch: Do you? His pride is about to steal everything from him but you, which is sweet, but you're not a girl, Erica. You're a woman. What wouldn't you be willing to do for the man you love?
Me: Dinner and Wine. Nothing else.
Mitch: You have my offer. Take it and I'll walk out of here and never bother him again. Deny me and this will only be the beginning.
Tears burned my eyes as I glanced down at our string of messages. I couldn't cheat on Matt, but I couldn't let him walk into this shit without doing something to save him. If I were willing to jump in front of a gun for him, why wasn't I willing to let someone use me for a night?
Mitch turned and faced me, his handsome face filled with question. He mouthed, “Yes or No."
I swallowed hard and glanced over at Matt, who was practically shaking with fury. I couldn't see him fail. I just couldn't. I turned my attention back toward Mitch and gave him my answer, though it broke me to do it. What choice did I have?
"Yes."
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Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary romance writer who is looking to flood the market this year with lots of great, quick reads. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. Hanging out is for those little creepy elves at Christmas. No tight green stockings for her.
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