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“It was a treasured possession, handed down from generation to generation. But when the Japanese Army invaded Northern China, they ransacked and pillaged many families. And they took more than artifacts, jewelry and natural resources.”
When he doesn’t say anything, I prompt, “Such as?”
“Have you ever heard of the Rape of Nanking?”
I shake my head.
“Over a six-week period in 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army committed mass rape and murder in the Chinese capital city. Over two hundred thousand Chinese residents were killed.”
“I had no idea, but then my high school world history class wasn’t the most thorough. Was your family from Nanking?”
“It’s now known as Nanjing, but, yes, they were.”
He doesn’t say anything else. I’m curious to learn more, but I think it might be a painful past. He walks on and we stop in front of a silk painting. I let out a small gasp when I realize the artwork depicts a threesome with a woman sandwiched between two men.
“The artist is unknown,” Rafe says, “but likely from the eighteenth century.”
Next to the painting, on a table beneath a glass case, are two ivory carvings: one of a naked woman seductively posed with a hand between her thighs, and the other of a nude couple with their limbs entwined.
“These are from the late Ming period,” Rafe says, “except for the fan, which is from the nineteenth century.”
Noticing the silk fan spread behind the carvings, I take a closer look. Painted on the fan are six couples, each in a different sexual position, from doggie to reverse cowgirl.
My body feels warm, but not so much from the erotic art as the way Rafe looks at me when I turn and meet his gaze.
CHAPTER EIGHT
He’s gauging my reaction, but there’s something else in his eyes, even though his expression is stoic. I swallow with difficulty. Once again, those eyes mesmerize and unsettle me at the same time.
“I need to take care of some business,” he says abruptly. “There’s a gallery of modern art down the hall. You’re free to tour it.”
“Am I allowed outside?” I ask.
“Yes, and there are security cameras outside, too.”
“I was just going to check out the gardens,” I half lie. It’s true I planned to go into the garden, but mainly I wanted to scout if there were any possible escape routes. “Why do you need so many security cameras all over the place, anyway?”
