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Cameron scowls at my dog, the smile dripping off his face like melted wax.
“Listen, I’m sorry.” Georgia’s spine straightens, and she glances over her shoulder to scowl at me. “What happened? Is there anything I can do to make up for this, Cameron?”
Another trickle of blood falls from his split lip. He wipes it with a knuckle, then arches a brow. “You can get rid of that guy, for one.” He jerks his chin at me.
I growl—a purely animal sound. Bella imitates me, wiggling to be let free.
Georgia stiffens. I’m so tightly wound up that I don’t know if she’s reacting to him or me.
Simone appears from the office carrying a can of Diet Coke. “Here. It was the only cold thing I could find.” She thrusts the can into the artist’s hands followed by a wad of toilet paper.
“Thank you,” he says, mopping his face before putting the can to his lips. He turns to Georgia. “So?”
“Cameron, what happened here won’t happen again.”
He frowns. “You’re not going to kick him out?”
“He’s my contractor,” she says. “There’s still work to finish. I can’t fire him so close to the gallery opening.”
Cameron splutters. “Seriously?” When she doesn’t reply, he jerks his head in my direction. “Is that really the type of guy you want around? How many other clients is he going to assault?”
“Just you, dickhead,” I mutter.
Simone widens her eyes at me and slices a hand across her neck.Be quiet, she mouths.
Georgia ignores me completely. She lifts her chin and faces the painter. “I apologize on behalf of Sebastian for what happened,” she starts.
“I don’t fucking apologize,” I cut in.
“But,” she says, a little louder, “I hope we can resolve this peacefully.”
Cameron snorts. “Screw that. You’re choosing him over me.”
“Choosing—” Georgia rears her head back, then meets Simone’s wide eyes. “Excuse me?”
“You’re not going to get my paintings either.” He looks at the blood splatter on the floor where he first landed and meets Georgia’s gaze. “This isn’t the kind of establishment I want to be associated with.” He sneers at me, then walks out of the gallery.
As soon as the door closes behind him, Georgia whirls on me, but Simone is the first to speak.
“What. An.Ass.” She makes a noise of pure outrage, thrusting an arm at the door. “He was trying to blackmail you! I can’t believe that!”
“He got punched, Simone,” Georgia answers. “Twice. And a dog peed on his face. Or did you forget?”
“Still.” Simone plants her hands on her hips. “I bet if you’d asked Sebastian to leave, he’d have asked you out on a date.When do I get to paint you,” she says in an oddly deep voice, right before snorting.
“Like hell he would.” My voice is dark. “Did that asshole want to paint you?”
Simone rolls her eyes. “Will you be quiet? Honestly.” She huffs. “Men.” The last word sounds like an insult.
Georgia covers her face with her hands, and I take a step toward her. Simone’s palm appears on my chest, and she shakes her head.
“What am I going to do?” Georgia says quietly. “His work was going to be the entire first exhibit. Once he agreed to let me display his paintings, all the other artists in town came on board. Cameron Fuller was the catalyst. He gave me all of my credibility. What will happen when they hear he refuses to work with me now? Even if I get some of them to agree, it won’t be a cohesive exhibit. Now I’m going to look like an amateur. Like a fraud.” Her voice trembles, and she bats her hands on her cheeks to wipe the tears. “I knew it was too good to be true. I knew it was too easy.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Simone says gently.
Georgia whirls to face me. “This is your fault.”
“He insulted you,” I answer through gritted teeth. “This wasn’t about having his work in your gallery. The only reason he agreed to work with you was so he could fuck you.”
