“
Hmm, then you might just enjoy where I
’
m about to take you,
”
he says, seeming a little relieved.
It
’
s clear we
’
re still in the downtown area. Aged buildings and skyscrapers are surrounding us, covering us under a blanket of shadow. Kyle pays the five-dollar parking fee to the attendant, and we head to the only building that
’
s covered in large glass windowpanes. It looks out of place but still has some history to it.
“
What is this place?
”
I ask.
He directs me to the front door, putting his hand on the small of my back and allowing me to enter first.
“
This is Rochester
’
s gallery. It shows only local artists. Today, they
’
re showing Tessa McLean. Her work is amazing. She went to school for marine biology but ended up following her passion, which is photography,
”
he explains.
We begin to look around. The photos are breathtaking. I feel as though I
’
m right there in the water. The way she captured the beauty of these large powerful fish is incredible. The colors are brilliant and magnificent. I can
’
t seem to tear my eyes away from them.
“
She ended up combining the two, and this is the outcome of that,
”
he adds.
We continue to walk around, looking from photo to photo, spending many minutes gazing and studying each and every one. I
’
m a little shocked. I wouldn
’
t have expected this from him, something intellectual and mature. I thought we might end up at a jump house place or at the mall. But this, this is just awesome.
“
She has some
amazing
talent. I
’
ve never seen anything quite like it. Do you know her?
”
I ask, still looking at the pieces.
He stands directly behind me, so close that I can feel his breath on my neck. The energy between us is increasing by the minute, engulfing me from head to toe. I stay completely still, not wanting to move an inch in fear I might melt at his feet. It
’
s like he has some sort of hold over my body, and I
’
m losing all control.
“
Kyle?
”
a small voice asks from behind, ripping us out of this vortex we seem to be falling in.
We both turn around. I see his face light up with recognition as he walks to embrace this girl. She giggles. She
’
s beautiful and young. I taste a bit of bitterness in my mouth, a sliver of jealousy over her innocent youthfulness. It
’
s clear they were close at one time or another, but how close is what I want to know.
After they release each other, she looks to me and then back at him.
“
Tessa, this is Max. Max this is Tessa.
”
I now understand. She kindly shakes my hand.
“
It
’
s so nice to meet you. Your work is out of this world,
”
I compliment her.
She smiles shyly.
“
Thank you. I
’
m so glad you like it.
”
I simmer my jealousy down to an ember.
“
Like it? I
love
it! How much do your pieces run?
”
I ask.
Her eyes grow wide. She looks at Kyle and then back at me.
“
Um, which one are you interested in?
”
I know the exact photo. The moment I set eyes on it, it clicked. I bring her over to the piece.
“
This one. I don
’
t want to part ways with it.
”
“
Ah, yes. This one is my favorite as well. I was off the coast of Belize in Central America. They have the second largest reef in the world. There
’
s this amazing spot called Shark Alley where this baby whale shark crossed my path. He was about fifteen feet long and was unbelievably magnificent! I
’
d never seen anything like it. I was lucky enough to get him on film
—
that
’
s where this shot came from.
”
“
Belize is actually on my bucket list of places to visit. Kyle said you travel all around the world for these shots?
”
“
Yes, I
’
m fortunate enough to have a great team behind me. We
’
ve traveled to some very remote places to capture the beauty that not many have experienced,
”
she explains.
Despite my jealousy, I like her. Her charisma is pure and good. She hasn
’
t been tainted by life or altered by lies. I can see this just by one meeting and a deep down feeling I get. She pours all this positive energy into her work by simply bringing out the beauty through a lens.
“
By looking at the photos, I can only imagine.
”
Kyle has been kind enough to hang in the background, letting us converse with no interruptions.
“
This photo I have priced at $7,500, but since you
’
re a friend of Kyle
’
s, I can give it to you for $5,000.
”
“
Can you have it shipped? I actually am just here on business
—”
Before I can finish my sentence, Kyle jumps in.
“
How about I keep it at my place until you make your decision about moving here. If you decide not to stay, I can ship it myself,
”
he offers.
I stare at him for a moment, speechless. I
’
m not too sure if this is a set-up or just a kind gesture. Tessa waits quietly for my answer.
“
Um, yes, I think that should be fine,
”
I respond, still unsure.
“
Okay, great! I will have Stan wrap it up for you, or I could deliver it personally to your place, Kyle?
”
she offers. I see the lust in her eyes.
Oh hell no! Just because I like her does not mean I am going to play wingman to a hookup.
“
No, that
’
s quite alright. You can wrap it up now,
”
I answer.
She smiles.
“
It was great meeting you,
”
she says to me. She turns to give Kyle a lingering kiss on the cheek. I pretend not to notice and walk over to the cashier to pay.
Once the photo is wrapped, Kyle carries it to his car. I follow. He
’
s a gentleman
—
something you don
’
t see often these days.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kyle
It was nice seeing Tessa. It
’
s been a long time. We were friends back in high school
—
almost had a romance before leaving for college but never actually got the chance. Life kept getting in the way. I knew I would get that reaction from her, but what I wasn
’
t expecting was Max
’
s reaction. I did hope for that, though.
My answer was confirmed once Tessa offered to stop by my house. Max went on claiming-stakes mode. I laugh to myself because I
’
m not quite sure she even realized she did it.
I drive us back to my apartment to unload the artwork. It
’
s an expensive piece, and I would hate for anything to happen to it. I run through my checklist in my head. Bed made? Check. Dishes done? Check. Kitchen clean? Check. Bathroom picked up and plugin inserted? Check. Phew! I think that about covers it. I just never know when I might bring somebody back to my pad, so it
’
s always been important for me to keep up with the housecleaning.
“
Here we are. Do you want to come up?
”
I ask. I
’
m expecting a no, but to my surprise she says yes.
I carry the art to the elevator and give her the keys to open my apartment door. I hear her gasp quietly. Not the response I was looking for.
“
Is something wrong?
”
She continues to look around.
“
No. I guess I was expecting something completely different.
”
“
Different how?
”
“
I don
’
t know. More like a bachelor pad: beer cans and pizza boxes strewn about. Maybe a messy bed and some dirty laundry on the floor.
”
She walks around and examines things, picking up knickknacks and putting them back.
“
I guess I
’
m not the average bachelor now, am I?
”
I place the artwork against the wall in the living room.
She laughs.
“
No, I guess not.
”
“
Do you want a beer? And yes, I do have beer in the refrigerator, but it
’
s in a bottle, not a can,
”
I say, teasing her. She laughs.
“
Sure. I could go for an afternoon drink.
”
I pop the top and walk over to the window she is looking out of to hand her the beer. The view from my loft is sort of amazing. I
’
m on the top floor, which towers over most of the buildings in the area. In the mornings, the sun hits my window just so, and the whole place lights up. I had to buy the thickest drapes I could find to keep it out.
The evening sunsets are why I rented out this place. How could I pass up a view like that? The ladies love that sort of stuff. Plus, this building was just newly renovated. They stripped it and rebuilt it from scratch. It was calling my name.
We both take a nice long swig of beer.
“
This view is definitely one-of-a-kind. I bet the girls love it, huh?
”
she teases again with an adorable, wicked smile.
I love it. I love when she lets her hair down. She
’
s spunky and can take my bullshit. A match made in heaven.
“
Well, you seem to.
”
She laughs.
“
Yes, yes I do. So, what else do you have in store for me today? I think we got side-tracked with the photo I bought.
”
I look back at the wrapped artwork against the wall.
“
That was a pretty big purchase.
”
“
What can I say
—
when I like something, I get it. Plain and simple,
”
she states, taking another swig. And what a statement it is. It
’
s heavy and loaded with innuendo. Sounds like something I
’
d say.
“
I
’
m sorry. That sounded pretty bad, didn
’
t it?
”
She blushes.
“
No, it sounds like you know what you want in life. That
’
s not a bad thing. Look at you; you
’
re your own boss. Not many people can say they started up their own business and became highly successful at it.
”
Man, the way she licks those lips when she
’
s looking at me is driving me insane. And those baby-blue eyes are such a magnetic force; I can
’
t look away. She looks so sexy with her loose curls and tight jeans. It
’
s nice to see her in something other than suits. I mean, the skirts are nice and the high pumps are even nicer, don
’
t get me wrong. Now, if I could just get her to stay long enough to get to know her. This is a big step coming from someone like me.
“
I know I sound like I have it all together, but believe me, there are things I need to work on. So tell me, why your parents
’
agency and not some hot-shot agency in NYC?
”
She walks over and takes a seat on my brown leather sofa and motions for me to sit as well.
I take a seat at the other end and place my beer on the glass-top coffee table.
“
Honestly, I
’
d been away from my family for some years, only coming back on holidays. I graduated early because I packed my summer with classes.
”
I see her studying me, watching my every move.
“
I figured it would be good to get some experience under my belt rather than starting from the bottom at another agency,
”
I say.