Tempting the Artist (19 page)

Luke pulled Christina closer, forcing
Valerie to drop her hand. Christina had already told him about her
overzealous agent, and how she was trying to get Christina to
reveal herself as Sasha Knight.

“
I agree Valerie. She is
stunning. But I think we should respect her decision. Her talent
alone is enough to sell out at every show.”

“
Ugh, you two,” Valerie
said exasperated. She had to be the most dramatic person Christina
had ever met. Instead of being an art agent, she should really
consider a career in acting. Surely Christina wasn’t the only
artist who preferred to hide behind a pseudonym. “Fine. We’ll keep
doing it your way.” Spotting someone she knew, her agent waltzed
across the room in her usual exuberant fashion.

“
Damn she’s a piece of
work.”

“
You have no idea.”
Christina stepped out of his arms and smoothed down the front of
her blouse as she glanced around the space. The beautiful gallery
had a bronze color fabric draping a portion of the ceiling
dramatically, with the ends falling midway down some of the exposed
brick walls. There were twice as many people in attendance than
when they first arrived. “Valerie is really starting to get on my
nerves with her persistence,” Christina said when she noticed her
agent fluttering around a small group of people standing near one
of Christina’s paintings. “I’m not sure what the big deal is, but
she’s been calling me every couple of weeks trying to get me to
change my mind.”

“
Yeah, she does come across
as having another motive besides selling more paintings. Do you
still need her? Are you able to set up showings on your own
now?”

“
I probably could, but it’s
not something I want to take on. Between working during the day and
painting at night and on the weekends, there’s not much time for
anything else.”

Luke continued watching Valerie. When
he first met her, he had made a comment about her being a bit
shady. He didn’t like that she couldn’t look him in the eye and she
talked a mile a minute, seeming to glaze over important
information. Christina assumed she was just a little high strung.
Okay maybe very high strung, but harmless.

For the next thirty minutes, they
roamed around the gallery’s second level and Christina felt truly
blessed. In the big scheme of things, she considered herself a
newbie, especially compared to some of the other artists whose work
was on display. Yet, some of her pieces had already sold and there
was still one more day left.

Feeling the hairs on the back of her
neck rise, Christina stopped and glanced around. Luke had stepped
outside again to take a call and from the moment he walked away,
she felt as if she were being watched.

She stood next to a wrought-iron
railing, her gaze taking in her surroundings. Maybe she was
overreacting. No one stood out.

Shaking her head at her skittish
behavior, she headed back downstairs hoping to run into
Luke.

Okay, something is
definitely off.
And that’s when she spotted
him. A man dressed in all black openly stared at her. Unease crept
up her spine and a shiver shot through her body.

Looking away, Christina rubbed her
hands up and down her bare arms to eliminate the goose bumps. She
had noticed him earlier, and didn’t think much of it, but now
…

She turned and headed toward the front
entrance. Hopefully, Luke wouldn’t be on his call too much
longer.

Finding a spot off to the side of the
main door, she turned back and glanced in the direction she had
just come from. Sure enough, the man’s steely gaze was still locked
on her. He nodded, but Christina diverted her gaze, not wanting to
encourage any interaction.

She startled when someone placed a
hand on her shoulder and jerked around barely holding back a
scream. “Luke, oh my God, you scared me to death. I didn’t see you
come back in.”

*

Luke’s eyes narrowed at Christina’s
reaction, her eyes round with fear. His protective instinct
immediately kicked in.

“
What’s going on?” He
placed a hand at the back of her neck and gently pulled her close.
“You okay?” His lips gently touched hers as he caressed her cheeks.
Christina wasn’t the jumpy type. Something had spooked
her.

“
I’m fine, but there’s this
guy over my left shoulder who keeps staring at me, the man with a
camera hanging around his neck.”

Luke discreetly glanced over her
shoulder and sure enough, there was an older man looking directly
at them. Average height with a café au lait complexion, he wore a
black beret and wire rim glasses. He didn’t look
familiar.

Keeping his gaze on the man and hoping
to calm Christina, Luke said, “You’re a very beautiful woman. Of
course, he would stare. Are you sure you don’t know
him?”

“
Positive.”

Luke didn’t know who the guy was, but
he had every intention of finding out.

When the man in question headed in
their direction, Luke stepped in front of Christina, partially
blocking her.

“
Excuse me, can I get a
picture?” he directed the question to Christina.

“
No, you can’t get a
picture. Who are you?” Luke kept his voice low, but couldn’t keep
the venom from his tone. Who walked up to people at an art gallery
asking to get a picture of a perfect stranger?

“
I’m with The Artist in Us
magazine. I heard that your companion is Sasha Knight.

Shit.

“
And where did you hear
that?”

“
From a reliable source.”
The man fidgeted under Luke’s scrutiny, sending off signals that he
was lying.

Christina stiffened next to Luke and
before either of them could respond, the man snapped several
pictures.

“
What the hell!” Luke
growled. He reached out and placed his hand over the long lens,
yanking the camera out of the man’s grip.

“
Hey!” The guy attempted to
grab the camera, but Luke shot him a scathing look, daring him to
come any closer. “Give that back to me!”

“
Not until I erase the
photos.” Luke pushed a few buttons until he found the right one
that would delete the pictures of Christina. He shoved the man’s
camera back at him. “If we see any photos of her anywhere or if you
ever approach her again, you
and
that magazine better find a damn good
lawyer.”

With his cell phone, Luke snapped a
few pictures of the man and then grabbed Christina by the hand.
“Let’s go.”

Weeks later and Christina was still
thinking about her show in Chicago. Despite the night ending with
the pushy photographer who had invaded her space, all of her
paintings had sold. Sasha Knight would soon be a household name
when it came to art. Some days she couldn’t believe her success.
Everything seemed to happen so fast when in reality this is what
she had been working toward since high school.

She wasn’t the only one who
was excited about her success. Her agent, Valerie, was beside
herself, eager for Christina to create more
masterpieces
. She had called earlier
to let Christina know that the Chicago gallery was interested in
hosting another show for her in six months. Christina couldn’t ask
for better news, but she hadn’t been painting as much, which meant
she didn’t have many pieces. And the man with the camera that night
in Chicago made her realize just how much she hated being in the
public’s eye.

Christina pulled the tossed salad she
had made earlier out of the refrigerator and set it on the counter
next to the bottle of wine. Friday nights, when Luke wasn’t working
late, had become their movie night as well as her favorite night of
the week.

A soft knock
sounded.
Ahh, think about him and he shall
appear.

Christina opened the door smiling.
“Hey there.”

“
Hey, yourself.” Luke
walked in and set the pizza box and movies on the counter. He
gathered her in his arms and lifted her in the air.

“
Oh my God! What are you
doing?” She squealed, giggling uncontrollably when he spun her
around. “Put me down. What’s gotten into you?”

“
You, baby.” He set her on
her feet and kissed her. This, all of it, was what Christina looked
forward to at the end of a busy workweek. Him, a night at home, and
pizza – even if it was a vegetable pizza.

With a hand at the back of his head,
Christina held him close, desiring to put everything she had into
the kiss. He tasted like peppermint with just a hint of nicotine.
She loved him dearly, but she had to convince him, once and for
all, to give up the smokes.

With one last peck on his lips, she
leaned her head back to look at him.

“
You have to quit smoking.
And before you try to deny anything, I can taste the
evidence.”

“
What if I can’t quit?” He
rested his forehead against hers.

“
Then we can’t
kiss.”

He dropped his arms from around her
waist and stepped back. “So, are you saying that if I don’t quit
we’re through?”

Christina recognized the defensiveness
in his tone, but it didn’t scare her. Instead, it showed her just
how accustomed he was to losing people and she knew he was afraid
of losing her … again.

“
I’m
never
walking away from you,” she
said with conviction watching him closely. “You’re stuck with me
whether you quit smoking or not.”

His grin was slow in coming, but his
eyes brimmed with love. “Really?” He reached for her again and
lowered his mouth over hers, but she placed a finger against his
lips, stopping him within an inch of meeting her mouth.

“
I said you would never
lose me. I never said anything about you being able to kiss me
again.”

He hesitated, but then laughed. “There
is no way I can be near you and not kiss you.”

“
Well?”

“
Well, I guess the
cigarettes have to go.”

Christina narrowed her eyes and folded
her arms. “Don’t say you’re going to do something until you know
you can do it.”

“
Baby, if it means having
free access to that luscious mouth of yours, the last cigarette I
had will be the last one I have.” He pecked her on the lips. “Now,
let’s eat and get this movie started before you fall
asleep.”

“
Me? You’re the one who
can’t seem to stay awake past the first five minutes of a movie
unless you’re eating.”

“
That’s because the last
three or four movies you picked were girly and I don’t do chick
flicks.”

“
You don’t even give them a
chance.”

“
Well, you don’t have to
worry about me falling asleep on the ones we’re watching tonight.
Between Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, I’ll probably be
able to pull an all-nighter.”

Christina rolled her eyes. “Yeah we’ll
see. If you grab the pizza and the wine, I can carry everything
else.”

Christina had turned her third bedroom
into a small den with a pullout couch, walnut coffee tables, and
colorful floor pillows strategically placed around the room. The
fifty-inch flat screen television was a gift from Luke. Apparently,
thirty-six inches wasn’t big enough for optimal basketball
watching.

Once they were settled, Luke picked up
the remote for the DVD player.

“
Before you start the
movie, I made a decision today,” Christina said.

Luke turned toward her, his arm behind
her on the back of the sofa. “And what’s that?”

“
This Sunday I’m going to
tell my parents and grandparents about Sasha Knight. It’s way past
time, especially with that guy in Chicago taking pictures. I know
you deleted them from his camera, but who knows if he has others. I
don’t want my family to find out like that.”

Luke nodded. “I think you’re doing the
right thing and I have no doubt they’re going to support you. And
even if there are some doubters in the bunch, I’ll always be here
rallying behind you in whatever you decide to do.”

Christina couldn’t stop the smile from
spreading across her face. Considering a large part of Luke’s life
was spent with him looking out and supporting himself, he had a
great handle on what it meant to be there for someone else. What it
meant to be a family.

“
So does your decision mean
that you’re going to officially let the world know who you are?” He
massaged the back of her neck, his touch sending tingles through
her body. If he kept it up, there might be another reason why they
wouldn’t make it through the movies.

“
No. I’m still going to
paint as Sasha Knight, but I want to continue to maintain a low
profile. After that conversation that you and I had on our way back
from Chicago, about my work becoming more popular, I don’t think
I’m cut out to do shows. I’m uncomfortable watching people peruse
my artwork and I definitely don’t like the idea of people taking
pictures of me. More than that, I don’t want my face in newspapers
or magazines. I like things just the way they are.”