Page 42 of A Legal Affair
Daniela feigned a wounded expression. “You don’t approve of the way I dress, Professor Adler?”
Shara pointedly ignored the sarcasm. “When I attended law school,” she said haughtily, “we were more mindful of what wewore to class. But then, most of us weren’t there to seduce our professors in order to earn an easy A.”
Daniela’s face flushed. Before she could muster a comeback, Shara gave the dagger in her chest another vicious twist. “As I was saying, dear, it’s a shame you don’t have any special plans this evening. Caleb is taking me to dinner and then to the symphony for a late performance. After that,” she said coyly, “who knows where we’ll end up?”
Daniela had a pretty good idea just whereshewanted Shara to end up. Gritting her teeth, she pasted on a saccharine smile. “Thanks for sharing your evening plans with me, Professor Adler. As much as I’d love to hear more, I really think we should save it for our next bonding session, say, when hell freezes over.”
With a curt nod, she sidestepped the scowling woman and walked over to where April was explaining the creative inspiration for her photography to Caleb.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Daniela said, directing her apology to April. “I’m going to head down to the main gallery to check out some of the other exhibits. I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Okay. Oh, hey, guess what, Daniela? Professor Thorne really liked the same two photos you bought. You both have the same taste. Isn’t that funny?”
“Hilarious,” Daniela murmured, meeting Caleb’s dark gaze for the first time that evening. At the memory of their earlier encounter, forbidden heat curled through her blood. As if he, too, remembered, his ebony lashes flickered, his eyes touching her mouth like a whispered caress. It was so subtle she could have imagined it.
“In fact,” April continued merrily, “he wants to buy the Majestic from you. He lives in those cool high-rise apartments above the Majestic, and he was telling me how his parents used to take him to shows at the theater back in its heyday.”
“Is that right?” Daniela drawled.
Caleb nodded, a trace of wry humor in his expression as he gazed down at her. “How much?”
“That depends. How much is it worth to you?”
“How much is it worth toyou?” he countered in a low, enigmatic voice that made Daniela wonder if they were still talking about the photograph.
She swallowed, her heart thumping hard. “It’s not for sale. But I’m sure if you go easy on April in class, she’d be more than happy to take another photo of the Majestic just for you.”
April laughed, dividing a wary look between the two. “Hey, don’t put me in the middle of this. I willnotbe an accessory to bribing a professor.”
“Suit yourselves.” Daniela started backing out of the room, ignoring Shara’s smirking sneer. “See you in a little bit, April.”
Once outside, she took a moment to draw deep, cleansing breaths of the cool night air. When she felt steadier, she began making her way toward the main gallery in a connecting building. It wasn’t so much that she was dying to check out the other exhibits, though the works of some of San Antonio’s finest would be on display. She’d simply needed to get away—quickly.
Seeing Caleb again had seriously rattled her cage. Seeing him on a date with Shara Adler made her want to draw blood. An image of the couple gazing at each other across a romantic candlelit table, or holding hands at the symphony, brought a sick feeling to Daniela’s stomach. Knowing she had no right to be jealous didn’t stop her from being jealous, anyway.
She reached the main gallery and smiled absently at the attractive light-skinned man who held the door open for her on his way out. As she stepped into the high-ceilinged room with pristine white walls, gleaming hardwood floors and recessed lighting, she sent up a silent prayer of thanks that this building, at least, was air-conditioned. Not that heat generated by a large crowd would be a problem tonight. Less than a dozen art-goersmilled about, and half were people she’d seen in the other gallery.
The works on display featured an eclectic blend of traditional, contemporary and experimental art. As Daniela wandered from one exhibit to the next, she wasn’t surprised when the courteous stranger—who’d apparently changed his mind about leaving—doubled back and began following her around the room. He maintained a discreet distance at first, casting surreptitious glances at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.
When she paused long enough to admire a sepia-toned photograph of a seventeenth-century Mexican cathedral, he made his move.
“Powerful, isn’t it?” he remarked, materializing beside her as if by pure accident. The heavy spice of an expensive cologne tickled her nostrils. “Makes you feel reverent in the face of all that holy splendor.”
Holy splendor?
Daniela murmured noncommittally and moved on to the next display. She hid a knowing smile as the stranger pretended to linger over the photo, studying it with his head tipped thoughtfully to one side, before following her.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before,” he said. “Is this your first time at First Friday?”
“I’ve been here a few times,” she answered vaguely. In truth, she’d been coming to the event since she was a little girl, accompanied by her mother and brothers. Pamela had been a staunch advocate of exposing her children to the arts, arranging her schedule at the hospital so that she was off the first Friday of every month. Although Kenneth and Noah had to be dragged to the event, and spent the entire time yawning and complaining of boredom, Daniela had always looked forward to each excursion.Some of her favorite childhood memories included trips to the Blue Star, and feasting on hot Frito Pies from Sonic afterward.
“I think it’s a wonderful way to showcase the talents of our local artists,” the stranger was saying. “A lot of people don’t realize just how much San Antonio has to offer. We’re so much more than the River Walk and a championship basketball team.”
“Well said,” drawled an amused voice behind them.
Daniela and her companion turned to find Caleb standing there, a lazy smile on his handsome face. Daniela’s pulse spiked automatically.
The stranger looked startled, his pale green eyes widening in surprise. “Th-Thorne,” he stammered. “What’re you doing here?”
