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Her passion ignited mine. “Then don’t let him win,” I whispered.
She smiled.
“$100,000!” Laura shouted.
Well, that should do it.
The crowd gasped and Laura’s eyes rounded. “Shit, I think that was too much, wasn’t it?”
I looked over at the man, waiting to see what he would do next. He shook his head at the MC.
“Sold, to the lady in red, for $100,000,” said the emcee, and Laura shrieked.
“Oh my god, we won. You got the painting.” She threw her arms over my neck and hugged me. She pulled back and stared at the other bidder with a cocky grin.
Turning to Laura, I said, “Yes, I definitely won, but you got the painting, not me.”
Her face shone under the lights. Her lipstick had worn off from all the lip-biting earlier, but it didn’t take away from her beauty.
“I did, didn’t I? I didn’t back down.”
“No, you didn’t.” I laughed at the way she puffed out her chest. She reminded me of Luke after he’d hit a home run at one of his baseball games.
“Come with me,” I said, wanting to move away from the curious eyes on us. I knew someone would ask me about the painting and I didn’t want to speak to anyone else. I wanted time alone with Laura.
I laced my fingers with hers and led her outside of the auction room. People were milling around the bar and others walking down the hallway, remarking on the art pieces on the wall.
We passed them until another hallway caught my eye. This hallway was darker and Laura’s arm stiffened. “Where are you taking me?”
“I’m just looking for a quiet place for us to talk. There’s a room just to the left here with a painting I’d like to show you. I’d like your opinion on it.”
She agreed, but I could tell from the tension in her fingers that she was hesitant. I appreciated a woman being wary of a man leading her down a darkened hallway.
I stopped to face her. “We’ll only be a moment, and we’re not that far away from the party. I promise to be a complete gentleman.”
She searched my eyes and I hoped she could see the honesty behind them. When she nodded, I exhaled in relief.
Entering the room, I was pleasantly surprised by the new installments. A carpet, resembling faux grass, lay in the center of the room with a wall of faux shrubbery behind it. Someone had erected a swing on the grass with a vine of flowers snaking around both chains of the swing.
“This is a pretty scene,” she said, walking up to the swing. Her fingers traced one of the pink flowers. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”
“No. This was a pleasant surprise. I wanted to show you this.” Placing my hand on the small of her back, I turned her toward the back of the room. Under a single spotlight, the portrait glanced back at us. The artist used simple black strokes to outline the naked torso of a woman. She sat on a red bedspread, her bare back to us, but her face turned to the side, accentuating her profile. Her long brown hair fell down her back in loose waves.
“This painting always called to me, but tonight, being here with you, I couldn’t help but wonder if the girl in the painting was you.”
She smiled. “I see the similarity, but no, that’s not me. I don’t know any artists and I certainly wouldn’t pose in the nude for one.”
My fingers brushed underneath her jaw. “Would you pose for me?”
She shook her head. “No.” Then wet her lips. “Especially, not you.”
Her words should have stung, but the look in her eyes intrigued me instead. Her brown eyes warmed but her lips stayed firm.
“Why not me?” I asked.
She looked down and her hair fell over my arm, a wave wrapping itself around my sleeve. We both stared at it for a moment, then she stepped away.
She walked back to the swing, then sat down. I wouldn’t let her off the hook so easily. “Tell me,” I said, standing over her, gripping both chains on either side of the swing.
