Page 22 of Painted in Love

Hugo Lewis was an ass, and she’d never forgive him for what he’d done. But she was a better artist for having struggled through the madness he’d brought into her life.

Then, Adrian being Adrian, she got down to business once more. “Okay. You slept with him. Had amazing sex. How do you want to deal with this situation now?”

Saskia pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes a moment before she looked up. “You know who Clay Harrington is. And what he does. I don’t agree with his new artists’ platform. There’s got to be something off about it. I totally shouldn’t see him again.”

Adrian set her lips in a prim line. “After you blew me off yesterday so you could have amazing sex multiplied by a thousand with an incredible hottie, I did a deep dive into what the man is actually doing in our artistic community. Honestly, it might be not only aboveboard, but also a really good thing for budding artists.”

Saskia snorted. “Come on. He cherry-picks who he wants on his platform. And he won’t allow anybody to criticize? There’s just something wrong with that.”

But Adrian shook her head. “I didn’t find a single artist who said he or she was used by him. In fact, I saw only praise.”

Saskia narrowed her eyes. “There are companies that scrape the internet and remove anything negative. It costs money, but he has a lot of that.”

“You didn’t hear him yesterday talking about your art.”

“You mean San Holo’s art,” Saskia said for her.

Adrian tossed that away with a flick of her wrist. “That’s because you want to remain anonymous. I’m telling you, he truly appreciates the art. You should give him a chance.”

Saskia was adamant. “We’ll just have to agree to disagree for the time being.”

But she had to consider what Adrian said and compare it to her time with Clay. If he was the kind of man who screwed over his artists, would he have been so unselfish with her in bed? The night truly had been all about her. And hadn’t she liked everything he said while they talked over drinks? About wanting to go on a reading retreat? Hugo had never even cracked a book.

Having stared Adrian down for a couple of seconds, Saskia finally said, “It sounds like it’s time for me to do some research myself. Rather than just making the blanket assumptions I have so far.” Because she hadn’t researched the man. She’d read a few articles, watched some YouTube videos, and listened to a couple of podcasts. But there seemed to be so much more out there.

Adrian raised her imperious eyebrow again, and Saskia said, “I know that look. I’m not interested in him. It was a one-night thing. But I would like to learn more about what he does, since you’ve become an insta-fan.”

Adrian smiled wide enough to crinkle her eyes. “It’s more accurate to say that you became the insta-fan. In his bed.”

Saskia had to laugh. That was how they were with each other. Lighthearted teasing. Yet there were some serious feelings beneath it for Saskia. Sure, there’d been pleasure so great that her body still vibrated with glorious aftershocks. But also fear and curiosity. If he learned who San Holo was, he could blow up her entire world.

In a way, hadn’t he blown it up last night? Because what they’d done was just too good for one night only.

The truth was, though she wanted to learn more about his platform and whether it was damaging to artists, she was dying to see him again.

Not as San Holo, but as the mysterious Saskia in his bed.

Adrian swiveled her chair back and forth with her foot. “There’s a foster kid involved in all this too.”

Saskia leaned in, almost without thinking. “How so?”

Adrian sweetened the pot. “He’s why Clay wants to know who you are. The kid is your biggest fan, and he wants to meet you. In fact, it was the kid’s social media post that brought your latest mural to light.”

Saskia closed her eyes. A foster kid who loved her art. And wanted to meet her. That changed things up.

“His name is Dylan. Clay thinks he’s a brilliant street artist. He’s almost eighteen and close to aging out of the system. He needs guidance. The way I understand it from Clay, he and his friend Gideon Jones are providing that guidance.”

Saskia bent forward, setting her elbows on her knees and clasping her hands between them. She hadn’t grown up in foster care, but her parents had kicked her out at the age of sixteen. They’d hated her art. When she wouldn’t stop, they’d cut the cord. She’d found a place to live with some of her street artist friends. Even if it had been a dingy, overcrowded garret, at least she had a roof over her head. But that didn’t mean things had been easy.

She’d bet things hadn’t been easy for Dylan either.

Saskia pointed an accusing finger at Adrian. “You knew this kid’s situation would resonate with what happened to me.”

Adrian gave her a wicked grin. “Yeah. But don’t tell me the only thing resonating is the foster kid. Admit you want to see Clay again too.”

But Saskia was already shaking her head. “This has nothing to do with last night. I’m thinking about the kid. I can pose as San Holo’s assistant with Clay, the way I do with everyone else. That would give me a chance to help the kid too.”

Adrian only looked at her with that all-knowing gaze until Saskia had to admit the truth. “Okay. Maybe there’s a part of me that wants to see Clay again. If only to find out whether the sparks blowing up like crazy last night are still there in the light of day.”

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