Page 16 of Midnight Secrets

He smiled at Lucrezia, but didn’t touch her since my hand was gripping her arm. “Good to meet you. Follow me and you can tell me what you’re looking for.”

Twenty minutes later, Lucrezia had laid out her rough designs and we were surrounded by a fortune in precious stones. Her taste was impeccable, and her knowledge deep and honest.

“Do you have a market for these?” Seth asked.

“There are a few jewellery stores I had my other pieces in. They said they’d be interested in a more upmarket collection.”

“And when do you need them for?”

“Immediately,” I replied. “Lucrezia has a slot in the International Jewellery Show in a few months and we need some of the pieces ready for then.”

Her mouth dropped open and I deliberately didn’t look at her because I definitely had something I could put between those lips.

Seth whistled lowly. “Lucky girl. Spots in the IJS are like hen’s teeth. You must be seriously talented to have received an invitation.”

Lucrezia’s cheeks burned and her head dipped to allow her long black hair to cascade over her face to cover her embarrassment. I sat and flicked through emails on my phone while the other two debated over settings and stone size until diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds were set out in a rough pattern for her designs. I felt the heat of her stare on me and glanced up.

“Problem?”

“I’m not sure how many pieces I need for the show.”

I sent a text to my contact and my phone pinged a few seconds later. This favour was going to cost me and he was loving the fact that he held a little power over me. “He says to start with ten signature pieces and then have some secondary pieces as well to show to private collectors and trades people.”

The girls had substantial trust funds, but the value sitting on the table was phenomenal. This was my world and I’d dragged Lucrezia into it. I knew exactly what was bothering Lucrezia since everything so far had been low key.

“Seth, can you organise me an account for these and I’ll sort everything out?” I asked. He knew my money was good and it was how we’d always done business.

“Ash!” Lucrezia’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline.

Seth smirked and walked away, shaking his head. He probably thought she was my mistress and I was getting my dick sucked for this.

“What? You want to be taken seriously, then aim big. This gets you seen. Jordan has organised the tech wizard he uses to have your website up and running by this afternoon. He needs the images of some of your past work to put on there.”

She stared at me for several moments before she slowly began to shake her head. “This all feels surreal,” she confessed. “I never imagined my work at the IJS. Were you serious?”

“As a heart attack. I know one of the people who organise it. He traded a favour for getting your stuff on display.” I finally gave her my full attention. “This is how the business world works.”

“I thought I could get noticed by putting my jewellery into some exclusive stores,” she confessed in a low tone.

This was where Lucas had fallen down. He kept his daughters locked away from the world for their own protection. If they’d been boys, they would have been taught the way of business and how to navigate it. No one would have considered trying to rip her off the way Nigel had with the diamonds.

Protection was noble until it actually hurt the person and left them vulnerable.

I took the seat beside Lucrezia. “The business world spins from a central point, and everyone within a certain field is connected to it. The more successful people are closer to that point and that means that they have access to all the resources readily. Those on the outside have to work harder with less results.”

She chewed the side of her lip. “Does talent count for nothing?”

“Sure it does, but it won’t be what got you noticed. You could design a hundred diamond necklaces that a hundred women wear on nights out, but the exposure is limited. Those hundred necklaces marketed right will get millions of eyes on them and people willing to pay to get their greedy little hands on them. The IJS does that.”

“Are you going to tell Papa?”

A dark grin tipped my lips up. “This can be our dirty little secret.”

The flush that appeared on her cheeks when I winked at her made my dick twitch in my boxers. Lucrezia Black was fast becoming my ultimate fantasy.

***

Chapter Seven

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