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‘I’m not one of your VIPs, though,’ she said.
‘Aren’t you? Miss Olivia Campbell, isn’t it?’
Olivia’s eyebrows rose in surprise. ‘Yes.’
‘Then, as Mr Lavaud’s representative, you certainlyare important to me. Aaron Hunter-Williams, curator.’ He held out his hand for her, and she took it, shocked by how smooth his hands were – and neat, his nails trim and cuticles tidy.
‘Nice to meet you. So you represent this artist?’
‘I have done for the past year. If it were up to me, Yennin would be a household name. But it takes the right buyer to recognize genius and appreciate it. Do you think Mr Lavaud would be interested?’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Well, how about you?’
She bit her lip, then stepped closer again, trying to evaluate the painting through an investor’s eyes. But she couldn’t do it. It wasn’t about the quality of the art – though, of course, it was exquisite. For her, it was what her mother had talked about: the feeling the painting evoked inside her. She thought the initial, almost overpowering sense of awe she’d felt when she first stepped into the room would fade as she stood in front of the piece – instead, it only seemed to increase, her eyes widening as she took in all the details. If she could bottle it up and sell what she was feeling, she would be a millionaire.
‘If I could afford it, I would snap this piece up in an instant,’ she admitted.
Aaron smiled. ‘Then you have most excellent taste. Please inform Mr Lavaud that this one has attracted a lot of interest. A Bollywood actress has her eyes on it. She married a Saudi billionaire recently and they’re thinking about it as a wedding present …’ He touched the side of his nose, as if it was their little secret. ‘It’s good, though, that we can enjoy it while it lasts. This painting is lucky.It gets to breathe. It gets to be seen, as artwork is intended.’
‘I guess whoever buys it will hang it in their home. You know, to be seen by their billionaire actor friends or whoever. Maybe their housekeeper.’ She smiled – look at her, attempting a joke – but he didn’t smile back. In fact, he seemed on the verge of tears.
‘We can hope. Sadly I expect whoever buys this piece won’t display it anywhere. It will sit in a storage vault somewhere, waiting.’
She shook her head. ‘What do you mean? If they don’t want it in their home, then it should tour the world’s galleries. Or be donated to a museum. Do some sort of good with it. This needs to be seen.’
He nodded. ‘I agree. But this is the art market nowadays. The hope is, it will gain more value if it disappears for a while.’
‘What a shame.’ She had the urge to grabnemigaand run away with it.
‘I thought you would have understood the importance of growing an investment, given your job.’
‘I do. I am very sorry, though. And if he loves the painting, that’s one thing. But as a pure investment, it’s not really something I would advise him to pursue. Not very safe.’
‘Safe isn’t always the most profitable, though, is it?’
‘No, it rarely is. And if this was Mr Lavaud’s personal wealth at stake, he could take a hit. But as part of the strategy for LUJO’s pension scheme? Trust me, his employees would care if their hard-earned money was invested in something so volatile.’
He stepped towards her. ‘Great taste in art and financialprowess – I feel out of my depth around you, Olivia. I had been on tenterhooks waiting to meet his mysterious person that Mr Lavaud had sent along to the exhibition, but I can see now why he chose you to represent him. How about I take you to dinner later this week? I can explain to you more why I think Yennin is the artist of the future, show you my plans for building his presence in the art world …’
She coughed, thrown off balance by his question. Was it a business dinner? Or did she sense something more between them? Dating was normally the last thing on her mind. She didn’t know whether it was the painting, the music or Aaron’s intense gaze, but she found herself leaning towards him.
‘Liv! There you are, I’ve been looking for you.’ Tricia appeared on the other side of the rope, holding two glasses of champagne high in the air.
‘Looks like we’re not alone any more,’ Aaron whispered. He placed his hand gently on her lower back, guiding her over towards the rope.
Tricia almost dropped the glasses when she took in who Olivia was with. She gave Olivia a sly grin. ‘Sorry I interrupted …’
Aaron bowed his head, ever so slightly. ‘I have to be showing this piece to some of my other guests, but it was lovely meeting you, Olivia.’ He leaned over and kissed her, his lips lightly brushing the edge of her cheekbone, his hand warm against her shoulder.
And from that moment she’d been hooked.
So maybe it wasn’t too soon for them to get engaged. After all, their relationship had been a whirlwind fromthe start, unconventional, electric and a mixture of business and pleasure. They made a great team; the showcase would prove that.
The lift doors swung open, and she clutched his jacket to her chest. She was grateful Aaron was still sleeping when she re-entered the room. She carefully hung up his jacket in the closet, running her fingers down the fine Italian wool sleeve. Next to it was her dress for the evening. There was so much riding on the cruise going well, and it was all going to start that night. She needed to get ready.
She stepped into the shower, allowing the searing-hot water to run over her body and calming the uncomfortable flipping sensation in her stomach. She was being ridiculous. Maybe it had been so long since something good had happened in her life, she’d forgotten what it felt like.