Page 38 of Painted in Love

The man beamed. “Also excellent. I’ll be back with your drinks.”

“They’re very attentive here.” Adrian turned to Saskia when he was gone. “You probably thought I’d forget about what you just said.” She leaned forward, mirroring Saskia’s elbows on the table. “You’ve never had a problem playing the assistant before. What makes Clay different?”

Saskia heaved out a breath. “Because I’m sleeping with him.”

Adrian gave a jerky shake of her head. “You slept with him on Wednesday night and had no compunction about pretending to be San Holo’s assistant on Thursday. What’s changed?”

“He’s just…” She didn’t know how to describe Clay or her feelings about him. “He just seems like a nice guy.”

Adrian looked her over with a penetrating gaze. “You’ve avoided men like him for years. Even though he seems to be a nice guy—” She added finger quotes. “—he’s still a billionaire. I don’t imagine you get to that place without a few black marks on your soul.”

“That’s just it,” Saskia said with an urgent hiss. “I don’t think he has any black marks.”

Adrian stared at her. Finally, as if she were getting over her shock, she said, “Everyone has black marks on their soul.”

Saskia snorted a humorless laugh. “I thought that was only billionaires.”

Adrian growled. She was pretty when she growled like that. Men must love it. “I can’t believe what’s gotten into you. First, you sleep with a man for the first time in five years. Which I think is absolutely marvelous. But then, instead of shutting down this commission immediately, you want to investigate. And now you feel guilty about keeping secrets from the client? You have me worried, girlfriend.”

Saskia said in her own defense, “I’ve never had a problem keeping my secret before because I wasn’t sleeping with the client. This is completely different.”

The waiter brought their drinks at just that moment. How much had he overheard? Then again, who cared? Smiling, he set the glasses on the table. “Enjoy, ladies.” And whisked away.

Adrian picked up her glass, tilting it toward Saskia’s, and they clinked. The peach mimosa was delicious, sliding down Saskia’s throat, the bubbles making her giddy. But maybe that was Clay and last night. All the nights.

The interruption had given Adrian time to think. “He’s gotten to you in a way no one else has.” She stared Saskia down.

In little more than a whisper, Saskia said, “Yeah. He has.”

Adrian enjoyed another sip. “Which brings me to the real reason I asked you out to lunch. I gave you two days to think about the commission. I didn’t even call. Aren’t you proud of me?”

Saskia said dryly, “You already said you waited because I slept with the client.”

Adrian held up a silencing finger. “But I’m still proud of you.” She just had to push. “Have you made up your mind?”

Saskia needed another gulp of mimosa. “I want to do it. It’s a huge challenge. I can’t turn that down. It’s not just the money.” Finally, she sighed. “I just don’t know how I’ll keep my secret from him the entire time. He actually lives at the warehouse. He’s got his own apartment above all the artists’ studios.” Which was a major complication.

That didn’t seem to faze Adrian, who said softly, “Maybe you don’t need to keep it from him.”

Saskia thought about that. If she asked Clay not to tell anyone, he wouldn’t. But he would be so disappointed if she didn’t tell Dylan. Though Dylan was a great kid, she feared that in his excitement, the secret would get out. Even if he never meant to give it away.

“I just don’t know.” Then she added, “But I’m going to take the commission anyway.”

Adrian didn’t jump with glee, though Saskia suspected she wanted to. “I’ll get to work on the contract, then.”

“Wait until I tell him first, okay?”

The waiter arrived with their sand dabs and Shrimp Louis. When he was gone, Adrian heaved a great sigh. “I hate to do this, but I’ve got some rather unpleasant news.” She let the word hang while Saskia’s stomach dropped. “I heard from one of my other clients that Hugo is in town.”

Saskia’s heart jumped into her throat, strangling her.

Adrian gave her a moment to digest the bad news without having to answer. “She even had the gall to say I should snap him up if he’s looking for a new agent.”

Saskia let out a disgusted, “Oh my God.”

But Adrian said smugly, as if she were buffing her nails against her stylish jacket, “I told her I’d rather handle a rattlesnake than Hugo Lewis.”

“You don’t think he’s looking for me?” Saskia actually trembled.

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