Authors: Rachel Kenley
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” He didn’t see the friend she arrived with and
wondered if she planned to meet someone. “Are you alone?”
Please say yes,
please say yes
.
The voice in his head once again sounded
suspiciously like it did when he was fifteen.
“My friend, Michelle, was with me, but she saw someone she
wanted to get better acquainted with.”
“Then it would be my honor to escort you around the
exhibit.” He gave a mock bow. She smiled. What he wouldn’t do to keep that
smile on her face, he thought. A waiter came by with a tray of red and orange
drinks. He took her empty glass, grabbed drinks for them both, and handed her
one.
“I don’t know if I should have a second. I haven’t eaten
much this evening.”
“Then we’ll look for one of the servers with food as we
wander.”
He put his hand on her back to guide her, and thought it a
good sign when she didn’t move away from his touch. The next picture was one of
his favorites,
Passion by Moonlight
. In shades of blue and silver he
tried to create the intensity of two lovers coming together for the first time,
giving in to all their desires, preparing to feast on each other.
“Oh yes,” she sighed, sounding dazed.
Something in her voice sent a shiver through him that went
straight to his groin. He wanted to hear her say that when she was naked
beneath him. Being next to her was sweet torture. “You like it,” he said.
“Absolutely. The artist has given us so much to see.
Intensity, need. It’s amazing the oils don’t melt off the canvas with the heat
these two are generating. Look at her eyes.” She pointed to the picture. He
kept his gaze on her. “Can you see the longing and recognition? It’s as if he’s
the one person in the world who understands what she wants. The only one who
can give it to her, and she is thrilled to have found him.”
He didn’t know what stirred more, his cock or his heart. She
saw and expressed his vision in a way no one else had. It was interesting to
him she saw hunger in the woman when his own longing went into creating the
man. He worked for hours to make the man strong, yet open, to convey both his
availability and yearning for this precious woman. This piece required more
work than any other in the exhibit. He poured everything he could into the two
lovers, hoping and striving to create visually what he longed for, but never
expressed or experienced with another person.
“What do you think?” she asked, looking directly at him and
breaking him out of his reverie.
He was lost in the cocoa brown of her eyes, then answered
without glancing at the picture. “I think it is a gift for two people to find
and desire each other the way these two do.” He leaned in as he continued. “And
I hope for them the feelings of the night never end.”
He assumed she liked his answer when she smiled slightly and
sipped her drink as a blush stole up her cheeks. He had an urge to move closer
to her and lick the moisture from her lips, but before he could act a familiar
voice called out loudly, “Daniel, darling, there you are.” He grimaced
internally and hoped it didn’t show on his face. He knew this could be the end
of their time alone for the rest of the evening because his agent, Alice, was
heading straight for them.
“Lena, how good are you at improvising?” he asked, speaking
directly into her ear.
She responded as if whispering a secret, “I think pretty
fast on my feet. I spend almost half of my work time convincing clients to take
risks for improving their corporate image and spend money in advance of knowing
the success of a campaign. Why?”
“That should do. I need to talk to the woman and the people
coming toward us. I would be grateful if you would play along with whatever I
say so I can end the conversation gracefully and we can continue with our tour.
Will you help me?”
“What’s my reward if I help you succeed?”
His blood heated at the thought of the ways he wanted to
reward her. “Lady’s choice.”
“Deal,” she said with a huge smile.
Alice was upon them a moment later. “Daniel, you must meet
Mr. and Mrs. Davis. Jim, Barbara, this is the outrageously talented man behind
these fantastic paintings, Daniel Royer.”
He didn’t need to look to feel Lena’s head turn to stare at
him.
Chapter Two
The pictures were
his
, Lena thought. He created all
the glorious art around them, and she had no idea. Did he think her foolish for
not recognizing him? No, from his smile he clearly didn’t mind. Still, she was
surprised and flattered he would want to show her his work and spend time with
her.
“Lena, this is my agent, Alice Hamilton. Alice, Mr. and Mrs.
Davis, this is Lena Crane.”
“A pleasure to meet you.” Lena shook all the extended hands.
Alice, a woman of dark beauty, a pixie haircut she made look
sexy, and infectious energy, led the conversation with ease, and as Lena
admired her skill she did her best to follow the discussion. Being at the
fringes of the conversation had its advantages. It gave her a chance to study
Daniel undisturbed.
He was tall, although not as tall as the men in her family,
with brown hair so wavy and unruly it would probably always appear as if he
just got out of bed. His nose looked as though it may have been broken once,
and he had a great smile leading into a strong jaw. He had a thin beard and
mustache and something about the soft hairs made her want to reach out and
stroke them. His light-gray eyes were his best feature and because of the navy
shirt he was wearing, had blue undertones. They would be challenging, but fun,
to paint and difficult to capture. Each time he spoke of his work she could see
the excitement in his face.
As she continued to look at him, something in his expression
seemed familiar. She ran through her memory, trying to place where she thought
she’d seen him before, but nothing came to her. However, something else struck
her. Daniel said her last name. She didn’t remember telling him that earlier in
the evening.
Rejoining the small talk, she sipped her drink, and, looking
at the liquid, decided the alcohol was playing with her memory. She must have
said it when she introduced herself and it slipped her mind. Clearly she had
enough of the powerful little drinks. She needed to be careful if she was going
to let him seduce her.
She blinked, startled. A blush warmed her cheeks, which she
hoped no one would notice, since it didn’t match the current conversation topic
of creating and selling art in difficult economic times. When did she decide to
go to bed with him? She smiled secretly. It didn’t matter. She was going to
take Michelle’s advice—along with the condoms her friend sneaked into her purse
as they were leaving the office—and if he was interested, she planned to have a
night of pleasure with the man behind these vibrant pictures. For once she
wasn’t going to think out every aspect of a situation. She was going be carried
away because, as her friend pointed out, she deserved it.
However, she was going to slow down on the drinks and find
something to eat. Drunk sex was never good sex, and she wanted to enjoy
whatever Daniel chose to do to her and all she found herself hungry to do to
him. If his passion in bed was anything close to what he created artistically,
he would be amazing.
She ached to be naked with him and melt into his arms like
the woman in the last picture they viewed. To be ravaged as she cried out. To
give in to hunger. To taste and be tasted.
“And what do you do?” Alice asked Lena, changing the focus
of the conversation.
Startled out of the erotic pictures fluttering through her
mind, she needed a moment before answering. “I’m a principal at Crane and
Fulton. We do corporate image, marketing and advertising.”
“So you’re a kind of artist too.”
Kind of, Lena thought. “My work is more creative than
artistic,” she said and hoped for a quick topic change for the second time that
day.
“Well, most of my clients don’t understand the importance of
marketing. Maybe I should give you a call and see what you could come up with
to help some talented artists become less starving.”
Lena had the impression this woman was always working. “It
depends on what you’re looking for, but we’d love to have the opportunity to
help.”
“Sounds terrific. Here, let me give you my card and I’ll
grab yours so we can keep in touch. After the efforts from this opening calm
down, along with the paperwork from the sales, I’ll give you a call and we can
arrange a meeting.” Lena exchanged cards with Alice before she knew what she
was doing.
When the first couple moved on, Alice brought in more
admirers to talk to Daniel, and Lena snagged a few hors d’oeuvres as she
continued to listen to him discuss his work. She might have considered moving
on, but in addition to her attraction to him, his hand remained almost
constantly on her back, telling her wordlessly he wanted her to stay. He
occasionally stroked his fingers along her spine, hinting at his interest.
Alice was like a traffic cop, directing people either to Daniel or to the
exhibit. When Daniel’s finger began to tap on her back, Lena took it as a cue.
“Daniel,” she said, breaking into conversation when it was
only the three of them. From the way Alice was scanning the crowd she knew it
wasn’t going to last long. “There are many of your pieces I haven’t seen yet.”
“It’s true. We’d only started when we were interrupted.”
Lena sensed a double meaning in his words. “Alice, I’d like to show Lena more
of the show. It will help her get a better idea of my work if you want her to
come up with some marketing ideas. Give me a few minutes, then I’ll find you
and let you introduce me around more.”
Alice looked at Lena as if trying to decide whether Lena
posed a threat to the business she hoped to do this evening. Two could play at
that, Lena thought, and she gave the woman her most charming hook-the-client
smile. “I’m always scouting for new looks and inspiration,” she said. “Perhaps
Daniel has pieces which will work for our fashion industry projects. Fantasy is
the name of the game with them, after all.” She didn’t see the need to mention
C&F didn’t have any clients in fashion.
It worked. “Okay,” Alice agreed, “but don’t make me come
after you.”
“Of course not,” Daniel said. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Alice
clicked away on her stilettos and Daniel turned to Lena. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Being gracious while Alice was here with potential buyers
as well as being the excuse I used to get rid of her.”
“I think she’ll be back.”
”I know she will, but I have a reprieve for now.”
“Why didn’t you tell me these were your paintings?”
He looked a touch embarrassed, which she thought sweet. Most
of the men she met either socially or professionally had an arrogance she found
off-putting. “I’m not sure. I was going to, but I couldn’t find a way to slip
it into our conversation without sounding egotistical or as though I were
fishing for a compliment. Besides, I enjoyed seeing your responses and hearing
your thoughts without knowing who I was. Receiving honest feedback is
refreshing and encouraging—and rare. It means a lot to me. I hope you don’t
mind.”
“I don’t, but you were taking a risk. What if I didn’t like
your work?”
“It seemed like a worthwhile gamble. Besides, I’ve learned
sometimes you have to take a chance to have what you really want.”
Lena said nothing, simply let the words sink in. They were a
match for her earlier thoughts of indulging her desires. He smiled warmly and
she responded, she hoped, with a flirty look of her own. She was completely out
of practice. Michelle was right again. Fortunately, Daniel didn’t notice.
“So, my kind accomplice, you definitely earned your reward,”
he said. “What would you like?”
“You make it sound very tempting.”
“Good, that was my intention.”
“And it’s my choice?”
“Completely.”
Lena couldn’t take her eyes off his mouth. He had great
lips, full and inviting. She sipped her drink and decided for once she was
going to ask for what she desired. “I want you to kiss me breathless.”
Daniel lost the ability to speak when she voiced her
request. They were the words of his most vivid fantasies and for a second he
wondered if he imagined them. Once he was certain he heard her right, he didn’t
give her a chance to think. As he leaned forward to tell her where they could
go, she placed a hand on his chest as if to stop him. “You’re not going to kiss
me here, are you?”
“No, this is an exhibit, not an exhibition. Come with me,
and I will do my best to give you exactly what you asked for.”
Not caring that the event was for him and his art, he took
her by the hand and tried not to make eye contact with anyone as they moved
smoothly through the crowd. The sooner he could get her alone, the sooner he
could capture the lips he’d dreamed of tasting for years. He ushered her
through a door marked “Staff Only” and into the darkened foyer of a suite of
offices. “Just so I’m clear, would you mind saying that again?”
In the glow of the light coming in through the door’s
frosted windows he could see her beautiful smile and the excitement in her
eyes. “Kiss me.”
“With great pleasure.”
Pressing her against the wall, he leaned forward and gently
covered her mouth with his. She was warm and receptive, which he was expecting
since it was her request, but when her hands came up his chest and moved behind
his head, deepening the embrace, he was fairly certain he was the one
breathless first. He cupped her face, caressing her cheeks and stroking her
neck with his pinky. When she moaned, he opened her mouth with his tongue.
She tasted of the sweet drink she’d been sipping and a heat
more tempting than anything he imagined. He’d kissed enough women to know when
it was wrong—and when it was right. This was definitely right. Her mouth fit
against his perfectly, and he loved how she molded herself to him. Their
tongues flirted and explored, each learning the other while trying to show what
felt good. She gave a sigh when his fingers trailed down below her collar and
he longed to taste the skin there.