“No.” She told herself firmly. “This is a business trip. I need to dress like a professional.” Annette threw a few undergarments into her bag, and slipped into a cobalt blue pantsuit she knew travelled well.
Then her phone rang. It was a message from Clifford. “Am here” it read.
A glance at the clock told her he was ten minutes earlier than Madison had indicated. She rushed into the bathroom and hurriedly applied minimal makeup, sweeping everything on her countertop into a travel bag.
Then she shoved on a pair of shoes, grabbed her bag, tablet and phone and headed downstairs.
“Good morning!” Clifford greeted her. He was standing outside of his car, waiting on the sidewalk. “I see you’re feeling rushed.”
“Rushed? No, I’m not rushed,” Annette said. She wanted Clifford to see her as having everything totally under control, able to respond to the last minute news she was going on an international trip with absolute aplomb. “It’s all good.”
“Ah, I see,” Clifford said. His smile was perilously close to being a full-fledged grin. “So the decision to go with one blue shoe and one black one was deliberate?”
Annette looked down at her feet. “Shit!” she said, upon discovering her shoes, while quite similar in style, didn’t actually match each other. “Hold on, I’ll just run back up…”
“No time,” Clifford said, ushering her into the car. “What size shoes do you wear?”
“Six and a half,” she replied.
Clifford picked up his phone, after giving his driver direction to go to the airport. “Madison, have someone meet us at St. Hubert with a couple of pairs of women’s shoes. Size six and a half, please.”
He paused. “She does have shoes on. They’re fine shoes. I just don’t care for them.”
Madison apparently had plenty to say. Clifford listened for a long moment and then turned to Annette. “She wants to be sure it’s okay with you that I’m buying you shoes.”
Annette laughed. “I’m not going to tell you no.”
Clifford raised an eyebrow.
“Well, about this, anyway.”
6
When they arrived at the Montreal airport, there was a package waiting for Annette. Inside were three pairs of shoes and a note from Madison.
“Not sure what you packed, so enclosed dress in case you needed something to match. Hope size is right – M.”
The dress in question was an exceptionally beautiful floral print, with red roses that perfectly matched the red Italian leather pumps Madison had sent along. The entire outfit easily ran four figures; the silk was thin enough that Annette could almost see her fingers through it.
“A dress that nice deserves an evening to match,” Clifford declared. They’d settled into the hotel; the luxury suite Madison booked had adjoining rooms for each of them, with a meeting room attached. “Let’s go enjoy ourselves.”
“Really?” Annette held the dress up in front of herself. “I can’t wait to see how this looks on.”
“Me too,” Clifford said.
When Annette emerged from her room, dressed with the new red shoes on, Clifford whistled. “I was thinking about taking you out on the town, but now I just want to make love to you right this minute,” he said.
“You know what?” Annette said, surprising them both. “I think that would be all right.” She stepped forward and kissed Clifford. “In this beautiful dress, in this beautiful room…I think that would be all right.”
Clifford kissed her back. “All right.” His fingers slid into her curly hair, pulling her closer. “I’m not going to tell you no.”
She smiled to hear her words from earlier repeated to her. “Well, about this, anyway.”
There were massive leather armchairs in the room; Clifford sank back in one, pulling Annette on top of him. They spent a long moment kissing before he slid his hands up under her skirt.
“You have the most amazing legs,” he said. “Sometimes I spend hours just thinking about your legs. How they’re going to feel wrapped around me.”
Annette blushed. “Now you don’t have to imagine.”
“No,” Clifford growled. “I don’t.” He started to stand up. “Hold on,” he said, lifting Annette body with him as he rose. It took only a few paces to cross the room to the soft bed.
Annette smiled up at him. “Be gentle, Clifford.”
He was already about to slide into her. “I’ll be as gentle as I can. But I have wanted you so much, for so long.” It took half a stroke to fill her completely; a little bit more to push her out of her mind with pleasure. “I don’t know how gentle I can be.”
Annette raised her legs and wrapped them around Clifford’s waist. “Give it to me,” she said. “Give it to me now.”
Clifford started moving faster and faster. All pretense of gentleness was abandoned as he neared climax; Annette’s nails were digging into his back. “Yes!” he shouted.
“Yes!” Annette echoed. It all felt wonderful, but at that same moment, a thought she couldn’t ignore rushed into her brain: has she just wrecked her career?
7
Annette looked out of the hotel’s window. Montreal was spread out before her, with old brick buildings nestled side by side with modern glass skyscrapers. It was a beautiful scene, but she couldn’t see it clearly. Tears were clouding her vision.
“Man. I am so stupid. So incredibly stupid.” She jammed her fist into her mouth, biting on her finger hard. “What was I thinking?” Making love to Clifford had been wonderful, but now, in the harsh morning light, she knew it was absolutely unacceptable behavior.
“What’s wrong?” Clifford was still sitting in the bed, with the blue sheets tangled around his waist.
“You know what’s wrong,” Annette replied. “This is wrong. I knew it, you knew it, and we went ahead and did it anyway.” She sank into the chair positioned next to the window. It was unbelievably comfortable. “I’m going to have to resign my position.”
“No, you’re not,” Clifford said. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“It’s ethics 101,” Annette snapped. “Don’t get involved with your clients.” She cocked her head and smiled, softening her words in response to Clifford’s wounded expression. “Even if they’re wonderful lovers.”
Clifford smiled. “You’re in luck. Technically, I’m not your client. Moshe is.”
Annette winced. “Well, I’m definitely not in danger of going to bed with him.”
“I love your idealism,” Clifford said. “It gives you such fire. It makes you who you are. But do you really think the art world’s full of chaste people who deny their feelings for a set of abstract ethics?” He shook his head. “Art requires passion. And passionate people…they live their lives to the fullest. They pursue what they want. And when the opportunity arises, they make love. Just like we did.” Clifford threw the bedclothes to the side and patted the mattress. “Come here.”
Annette stood up and padded across the deep carpet, feeling the way the silky fibers caressed her feet. The sheets were smooth and cold.
“Do you really think you’ve done anything wrong?” Clifford asked. He kissed Annette’s forehead. “In the greater scale of things, does the fact we have this kind of relationship really impact your ability your ability to advise me?”
Annette shook her head. “No.”
“You still know more about the Surrealists than anyone I know,” Clifford said. “And I know a lot of people.”
Annette smiled. “It’s nice of you to say that.”
“It’s not nice, it’s accurate.” Clifford cocked his head. “I don’t really spend a lot of energy worrying about whether or not I’m nice. I don’t know if you’ve noticed that at all…”
“Once or twice,” Annette joked.
“But what I do worry about is whether or not I’m accurate. I want people to be able to count on my word. So if I say something, I’m confident that what I say is correct. You know your stuff, Annette. The commentary you’ve made on
my collection has been spot on and insightful. I trust that you’re going to bring that amazing mind of yours to our meeting with Rene.”
“Well, I can hardly leave it here.” Clifford was starting to make her feel better.
“Exactly.” Clifford kissed her again. “Stop feeling bad when you don’t need to.”
“What about Madison?” Annette asked.
“What about Madison?”
“What’s the deal with you and her?” Annette didn’t want to ask that question, but felt she had to. “Because if you guys are a thing; we can’t be a thing. Even though we’ve already been a thing. Because I am sure she is not going to appreciate this situation.”
Clifford sighed. “Madison and I have been working together for over a decade. I have a great deal of respect for her, and I imagine she’s got at least a little bit for me. But as a couple? A romantic couple? You don’t have to worry about that.”
“You’re sure about that?” Annette said. “Because she seems to think the sun rises and sets on your shoulders.”
“You mean it doesn’t?” Clifford joked.
“I didn’t say that,” Annette replied. Clifford had his hand on her thigh now; the pressure of his fingers was doing interesting things to her psyche.
“Madison’s in a relationship,” Clifford said. “She’s very private about it, and I don’t pry. But don’t worry about her love life. She’s got that handled without me being involved at all.” He laughed. “Besides, she’s twelve years older than me, and meaner than a box of snakes.”
Annette let out a deep breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“Feel better?”
“If you keep doing that,” Annette replied, leaning back against the soft mountain of pillows, “I’m going to feel a lot better.”
“Your wish is my command!” Clifford replied.
8
“I’m so glad you could come,” Rene said. He was a tall man, older, with a deeply tanned complexion and salt and pepper hair. His glasses had burgundy frames almost exactly the color of the wine Clifford and Annette had shared the night before.
“Of course we came,” Clifford said. “Any time Max Ernst’s name is involved in a collection, you know I’m going to want to see it.” He sounded bright and chipper; Annette looked at him wonderingly. After the night they’d had and the emotional roller coast of a conversation they’d had that morning, where did he find the energy to be so upbeat?
“That is what I hoped you would say. Now, the ephemera – there were some notes, an appointment book – I have already promised to Sylvester Romerio. You know him.”
Clifford nodded. “He loves his paper.” He shrugged his shoulders. “We’ve talked about this many times. I don’t care about the little doodles, the grocery list, that sort of thing. But for him? It’s like gold.” He laughed. “Give me the paintings, him the etcetera and everybody’s happy.”
“Well, if I were to give them to you, I’m not sure I would be happy,” Rene joked.
“I’d be happy enough for both of us,” Clifford replied.
“We’ll have to give that a try,” Rene said, with mock-solemnity, “next time.”
Annette was looking around the small office. It was a typical art dealer’s lair, with piles of books and exhibition catalogs stacked high against the wall; Rene’s desk was covered with papers. There was a large abstract sculpture standing in one corner; from one angle, it could be seen as a woman with an umbrella; from another, it looked like an explosion of triangles.
“Where are the paintings?” she asked.
Rene’s eyebrow went up. “No coffee first?”
Clifford chuckled. “Annette is my martinet,” he said, slapping the palm of one hand with the back of another. “Madison hired her to keep me on schedule.”
“Smart,” Rene said, tapping the side of his temple. “In your world, time is money.” He smiled and looked Annette up and down slowly, taking in her figure. “But all work and no play makes us dull men.”
Annette fought back the urge to shudder. She was grossed out by Rene’s attentions but it wouldn’t do to show it. “Well,” she replied, “we’re just going to have to take that chance. You said you had a Carrington?”
Rene glanced at Clifford. Clifford gave a slight nod, and Rene began to speak. “It’s an early one, a study really. You’ll be able to see what she was thinking about the later portrait in it.”
“The portrait of Max?”
Rene nodded, warming to his subject. “The collection is a mix of things Ernst did, as well as works he inspired. It’s a nice mix.” He stood up and started to lead the way out of his office. “Of course, the kids now don’t value these things. They want to get the place cleaned out as quickly as possible. Turn it into condos.” He shook his head. “Montreal’s always been an expensive city, but these speculators…they are making it ten times worse.”
Clifford nodded. “It is the price you pay for being so fashionable.”
Rene laughed. “I will dress in overalls and a straw hat,” he said, “if it will keep the prices down.” He had his keys in his hand. “Shall we take my car, or yours?”
“You know where we’re going, so why don’t you drive?” Clifford said. He asked Annette, “Have you ever driven in Montreal before?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s my first time here.”
“You take your life in your hands,” he said. “If you’re not a native, forget it.”
“Ah, I know all the short cuts,” Rene said. “I will keep us away from the traffic, and you will be perfectly safe.”
They rode from Rene’s office into Old Montreal, a portion of the city filled with impressive stone houses built during the city’s earliest days.
“These hills are crazy!” Annette said. She reached out to hold onto the door handle as Rene angled the car up a steep slope.
“You should come here in the wintertime,” Rene replied. “Especially going down the hills – it can be quite exciting.”
“Maybe we will do that,” Clifford said, looking at Annette with a smile. “It’s a beautiful city to spend the holiday.”
Annette smiled prettily. Inside her mind was racing. It was very strange to hear Clifford speaking about the two of them as ‘we’; obviously Rene thought of them as a client and his assistant, but that wasn’t how Annette took it at all- in her ears, Clifford was speaking as if they were an official couple.
She closed her eyes and shook her head a little bit. It was important that she was clear headed and focused on the job at hand – assessing the paintings Clifford was potentially interested in buying. He was counting on her to stop him from making any bad purchases. She could worry about her love life later.
The building they stopped in front of looked like a castle. It had an octagonal tower built in one corner and tall windows that were covered with ornate iron bars.
“They’re going to turn this into condos?” Clifford said. “What a waste.”
“I know,” Rene said. He shrugged his shoulders. “But you cannot find the families who want a big home like this anymore. Too much upkeep. Too much expense.” He parked carefully in front of the home. “I am sure if you make an offer, you can save it from being desecrated.”
“Madison would kill me,” Clifford replied. “It’s bad enough I collect the beautiful paintings. If I start buying every beautiful building I see…” He shook his head. “I don’t even want to think about what I’d hear.”
“Women,” Rene said with a laugh. “They don’t understand what it is to have a good time.” He led the way up the narrow walk, through a pair of heavy double doors. “Most of what we’re going to want to look at is right here on the first floor.”
It was obvious that they weren’t the first buyers to come into this property. Annette could see spaces where furniture clearly had been; carpets were rolled up and tagged, awaiting pickup.
They went through one large room and then another, stepping up through an archway into a long, dark ha
llway. “There are three pieces here that perhaps will be of interest,” Rene suggested.
“The lighting’s terrible,” Clifford said. “I don’t know that we’ll be able to see anything.”
“Hold on,” Rene replied. “There’s a switch.” He strode down the hallway, leaving Annette and Clifford alone together.
“I want to kiss you right now,” Clifford said. “So very much.”
“We can’t do that!” Annette replied, scandalized. Rene could see both of them easily, even if he couldn’t hear every word they were saying.
“Why not?” Clifford reached his hand out, letting his fingertips brush against Annette’s forearm, just above her wrist. “What’s going to happen?”
Annette blushed.
“Don’t you want me to kiss you?” Clifford asked.
“I do,” she replied, letting her eyes flicker up to meet his own. “And if we were alone…”
“I would do more than kiss you,” Clifford proclaimed.
Rene found the switch. The hallway brightened, revealing three nearly identical prints. They were very colorful, with bright green and blue shapes intersected by swooping khaki colored lines.
“Oh, these are nice,” Annette said, stepping forward to take a closer look. She wanted to see the signatures, of course, but she also needed to put some space between herself and Clifford. The longer she stood close to him, feeling his nearness, smelling the scent of his cologne in her nose, the harder it became to maintain her focus.
Clifford raised an eyebrow. “Tell me about them.”
Rene had rejoined them. “They are Stanley Hayter,” he said.
“Hayter was part of Atelier 17,” Annette added. “Miró worked there for a time as well, as did Ernst.” She examined the prints for a long moment. “These are good examples of his work, but not really what we’re looking for.”
Rene’s eyes flashed, but he kept smiling. “Of course. Come this way. You mention Miró; I think you might like this.” He led them into the next room. There was a giant canvas on the wall. It was painted bright blue, with four black dots angled across it and a bright red slash of paint. The signature was unmistakable.
Romance: The Art Of Love: A Billionaire Romance Page 3
