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After opening it and finding a small framed painting of her and her husband, she gasps and covers her mouth with both hands. “Oh my goodness! This is beautiful. Thank you so much, Liam.”
“My pleasure, Mrs. Banks. Just a little way of showing my appreciation for your continued patronage. Just the other day I saw one of my works in the mayor’s office on tv. I knew that you had your hand in it.”
I receive another laugh from her and I can’t help but smile back at her. The wrinkles on her face and her white hair are almost hidden under a layer of makeup but her bright blue eyes still shine through.
“You’re quite the charmer, Mr. Denver. I didn’t do much. Your art sells itself. The mayor’s wife paid me a visit. She loved it and I asked her to keep it.”
Mrs. Banks is one of the reasons my fame and wealth grew like wild grass in springtime. Aside from paying well over the odds for my art, her special liking for my work means that every time there is an event where she’ll be attending, I’m sure there will be many more of my paintings hanging from downtown city hall to the private estates in Southampton, and hence more exposure.
“Regardless. It wouldn’t have made it this far without your generosity.”
She smiles once more. “It was very nice meeting you Liam. I’ll have someone come pick up my new purchases and write a check for them as soon as I’m settled. Thank you again,” she says as she stands. I get up and shake her hand.
“No need to thank me, Mrs. Banks. You’re welcome anytime.”
“If there is anything you require, don’t hesitate to ask, Liam. I’ll do whatever I can to assist you,” she reassures me.
The door to my office flies open behind her, and I turn around to find an all too familiar face staring back at me. My lips pull up into a crooked grin and my gaze drifts back toward my visitor. Mrs. Banks turns around as well to see who has interrupted our conversation and smiles upon seeing who it is. “I better get going. Seems you’ve got other more important issues to settle.”
“I’m sorry sir, I tried to stop her but she wouldn’t listen,” Brielle, the receptionist, appears behind her, breathing heavily.
“It’s alright. You can leave.” I tell her, shaking my head.
“It’s not what you think ma’am,” I try to tell Mrs. Banks, but she just waves her hand in dismissal.
After another wave goodbye, she leaves and closes the door behind her but not before giving Lily, the intruder, a once over. Lily returns the look coolly, and I swear there are sparks flying from their stare off. They continue looking at each other until Mrs. Banks disappears from sight down the hallway. Once she’s gone, the tension is broken and Lily’s posture relaxes.
She walks over to my desk and plops herself down into the seat opposite mine, crossing her legs beneath her skirt. I raise my eyebrows questioningly at her. I’ve got to hand it to her. She’s got guts. Barging into my office, interrupting my time with a top client and then engaging her in a stare off?
Lily meets my gaze with a smirk and shakes her head. “Your mistress? I never knew you were into older women.” she says and then motions toward the closed door behind me.
I cock a brow. “That was Mrs. Banks. Wife of Isaac Banks. Deputy Mayor of the city?”
“Yeah yeah. Whatever.” Lily dismisses with a wave of her hand.
“What brings you here? Last time you were here you made it crystal clear you don’t want to work for me.”
“With you.”
The words make my eyebrows climb higher and Lily chuckles humorlessly. Guts and an enormous ego to match. I’ll admit I am impressed by her audacity. Offended slightly but on the whole, impressed.
“For me. But that’s not the point. Why are you here, Lily?”
She stands abruptly, helping herself to a drink out of my mini-fridge, a glass of orange juice, then leans against the corner of my desk. I watch her closely as she takes a sip of her drink. Normally, I would be hot under the collar by her actions but for some reason, I’m not. Instead, I feel strangely calm about all of this.
“I changed my mind. Maybe lending you some of my expertise wouldn’t be so bad after all.”
A snort escapes me and I can’t believe what I just heard. “Are you serious?” I ask incredulously. “What expertise do you have to offer that I don’t already have?”
I watch Lily’s jaw tighten as she clenches her teeth to prevent an answer from leaving her mouth. After taking another sip of her drink, she sets it down, crosses her legs, and looks me directly in the eyes. “A lot. And if you agree to take me back, I could show you. Trust me, agreeing to work with me is the best decision you can make right now.”
I shake my head at her antics. “Hiring you, you mean?”
“R-ight,” she drawls. “Call it what you like. So what do you say?”
I lean back into my chair and take a deep breath. “I can’t help but wonder why you changed your mind so suddenly though. You seemed appalled by the notion the last time.”
She shrugs indifferently and takes another sip. “Does it really matter?”
