Page 31 of Return of the Outback Billionaire

‘May I help you, sir?’

‘I want to buy the two panoramas over there.’

‘Certainly.’ Moments later, they too had red dots underneath them.

‘How do I pay?’

‘Ms Starr’s instructions are that you don’t pay. Whatever you want from the collection is yours.’

That wouldn’t do at all. ‘Do you know who I am?’

‘Of course, Mr Blake, sir.’ The man was unflappable. Judah swung between being righteously annoyed and reluctantly impressed by the man’s intransigence. ‘Whatever pieces you want here tonight are yours. Ms Starr’s orders and already cleared with management.’

How generous. He didn’t want any part of it. ‘In that case, I believe you misunderstood my intentions. I’m buying the panoramas on behalf of Sirius Corp, not in a personal capacity, therefore Ms Starr’s offer cannot apply.’ Sirius Corp was the name of the company he’d formed with Reid and Bridie to build the eco retreats. ‘If there’s a third panorama on offer, I want that too.’

The man beamed with bright enthusiasm. ‘There is one other, and of course your purchase on behalf of another entity is a different matter altogether. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll see to the paperwork.’

Money. His family had always had it. Never before had he wielded it with such cynical understanding that success could be bought. Or at the very least, the impression of success could be bought.

He helped himself to a canapé—some kind of smoked salmon, cheese and chives in pastry option—and headed towards the wide doorway that would lead him deeper into the gallery.

He didn’t see the photo at first. Not until he walked past the floating wall in the middle of the next room, but there was no avoiding it after that.

The picture took up at least half of the wall and he could all but feel the storm bearing down on him. True to her word, you couldn’t see his face, but every line in his body screamed with a primal summons for nature to have a go at him: bring it on and don’t make the mistake of thinking that taking him down was ever going to be easy.

Was this how he looked whenever a prison fight had been in the offing?

‘Powerful, isn’t it?’ said a voice from beside him, and it was the gallery owner, whose name he now couldn’t recall. ‘But then, you’re a very powerful man these days.’

‘Is she going to let me have it?’

‘Buy it? No. As I mentioned on the phone, it’s not for sale. But it’s yours for the taking, nonetheless. No one else gets to have it. Have you seen the other one?’

‘What other one?’

‘Turn around.’

He turned and this time he felt the impact of the picture like a punch to the gut.

All his fierce warrior majesty had morphed into boyish delight as he and Bridie danced in the soaking rain. Hand in hand, joyous and free—he looked so happy he couldn’t stand to look at it for fear of that feeling being ripped from him.

He hated it.

He couldn’t stop looking at it.

At Bridie, incandescently beautiful and tuned so finely towards the storm and to him, sharing her joy with him. Two seconds later she’d been sharing her body with him, swapping kisses, greedy hands on rain-slicked skin, tasting and taking. The memory played out while he stood there and stared. No thought for his current surroundings or the image he might be presenting when faced with his unshielded self.

He hated it.

He wanted it gone. ‘Take it down.’

‘But, Mr Blake... May I call you Judah?’

‘No.’

‘Mr Blake, I have no intention of bringing ladders and staff out and taking that picture down now. Let’s talk again tomorrow.’

‘Talk about what?’

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