13. Luke
13
Luke
T he gallery is…wow! It’s full of light and quiet like a library, or the inside of an empty church. Immediately , I feel intimidated.
“ Hey !” Evan says, slapping the back of his hand on my chest.
I snap my head back around to him and the woman at the information desk.
“ Who is the person you need to see?” Evan asks.
“ The curator?”
“ Yeah , that guy. Luke needs to see the curator,” Evan tells her.
“ Certainly , do you have an appointment?”
“ No .” How stupid am I ? After my failed attempts earlier this week, I know a curator for a large gallery in Chicago doesn’t have time to see me without an appointment. I’ve already learned that lesson when the employee at one of the galleries told me exactly that. Truthfully , I meant to call and schedule a meeting, but I’ve been distracted.
Her face frowns. “ Oh ! The curator is currently working on an art installation. Perhaps you can make an appointment for next week.”
“ He won’t be here next week.” Evan leans close to her and gives her that dimpled smile. “ Betsy , beautiful Betsy .” She smiles, and I internally roll my eyes. “ I’m Evan Logan and this is Luke Garrett . I know you are doing your job, and you’re doing it flawlessly by the way. Any chance you can ask the guy if he’ll see us, just take a look at his portfolio.”
She visibly retracts. “ But Ms . Duncan doesn’t like to make exceptions.”
“ Look , Luke is my best friend, and he takes amazing photographs. He is visiting me, and I insisted he come with me and show his work. I used to come to this gallery all the time with my sister. I love it here, and it would mean so much to me if you would show him why this gallery is so much better than the others in Chicago .”
Yep ! She fucking melts like ice cream, batting her lashes fluttering over pink cheeks. “ I will ask, but Ms . Duncan probably won’t see you.”
“ I’m sure you can convince her. Here !” He grabs the iPad from my hand. It holds copies of all of my photographs, as well as a link to my website, all set up to be presented. He flips it open and shows her what I assume is my website portfolio. “ Show her these. She will meet with us.”
The woman looks to me as if asking permission. I nod, indulging Evan , but this is not going to go well. Nothing could be more unprofessional than convincing one of the employees to show my work unbidden. Evan winks at her as she takes the iPad and walks away.
“ This isn’t going to work,” I tell him as we step to the side, away from the entrance.
“ Sure it will! Do you doubt my persuasive abilities?”
I smile despite myself. “ How could I ? Always works on me.” But it doesn’t assuage the sick feeling in my stomach. If this causes a scene, I’ll never be able to show my face in a Chicago gallery again.
Evan looks so pleased with himself that it eases my nerves. He winks at me, and my dick hardens like a damn teenage boy. “ Stop that!” I warn under my breath.
He chuckles and takes my hand, rubbing my knuckles with his thumb.
We wait. We stand there watching people come and go. I wish I had suggested we walk around the gallery while we wait. The art is calling to me, and it would have been a welcome distraction. From here I can see there is more than just photographs. There are paintings and even some sculptures.
“ Ember must have loved visiting here.”
Evan smiles. “ She did. That girl is such an art freak.”
“ Heard she is in an art school in Virginia .”
“ Yeah . I’m proud of that. Mom and Dad were not sold on it, but I practically begged them to let her go, to let her have a few years of being immersed in the thing she loves most.”
“ What did you have to do for them in return?” I ask.
Evan thrusts his hands in his pockets and sighs. “ Watch out for her, which I would have done anyway.” He groans before admitting, “ I have to convince her to move back home when she graduates.”
Shit ! “ Are you really going to do that?”
His expression is sad, but he shakes his head. “ How could I do that to her? She needed to leave more than I did. I’ll stand by her, and fight for her freedom, the same as I took mine.”
I grasp his shoulder and squeeze. “ You better. She needs you.”
He hangs his head but smiles sadly.
“ Come with me.” Betsy’s voice startles me.
We are led through the gallery to a closed-off area where we enter through a door in a partition. There are crates, and paintings propped against the walls, while some are already hung. A woman in a beige pencil dress swivels around on her nude pumps with red soles and leather laces that crisscross around her ankle. She taps an ink pen against her dark red lips. She is holding my iPad in the cradle of her arm.
“ Ma’am , this is Evan Logan , and the photographer, Luke Garrett .”
“ Thank you, Betsy .”
Betsy is dismissed, leaving us alone. Ms . Duncan swipes her finger quickly across the tablet’s screen several times. I can just barely see the images as she flips through them. I rub my hand over my chin in an attempt to hold my tongue.
“ Zut alors !” A voice comes from behind another partition.
She keeps swiping, while I grind my teeth.
“ If I may show you some particular images.” I reach for the tablet, but she just raises a manicured eyebrow at me.
“ Perhaps you are better suited to sell your images to a magazine, or publisher. They’re beautiful photographs, Mr . Garrett , but they are not art.”
“ Not art?” Evan blurts.
She glances at him but ignores his comment.
“ Madame Duncan !” the voice calls in an accent I’m unfamiliar with— French , maybe.
“ I’ll be there in a minute, Hugo ,” she answers with an even tone.
She slides close to me so I can see the iPad. I’m a little horrified that she is not looking at my online portfolio, but has opened one of the image folders, the folder that has all of my photos in it, even the personal ones. When her finger pauses on the photo of Evan on horseback, taken when we were camping, my heart lodges in my throat.
She glances at Evan . “ This is you?”
Evan furrows his brow and leans over the tablet. His breath catches as his hand moves along my spine.
“ These are personal photographs, ma’am.”
She swipes again, landing on Olivia hugging Spirit whose nose is almost touching the ground as she leans her head down for Olivia to embrace in her little arms.
“ That’s my sister!”
She smiles at me like she just found nude photos of me. “ Those are art.”
“ They’re private,” I insist.
She folds her arms. “ They are raw, and they show your emotions. That is what people will connect with, not wildlife photos that, while they are beautiful, do not speak to who you are.”
“ They’re not supposed to be about me.”
“ Oh Mon Dieu , Cassidy !” He pronounces her name as if there are a string of e’s at the end. When the owner of the voice rounds the corner, he is not what I was expecting. He is younger, thirties maybe, with dark tousled hair, slightly tinted round glasses, and a scraggly beard with the ends of his mustache twisted and curled. “ I swear I need a cigarette!” Not to mention he is pretentious as hell.
“ You know you cannot smoke in the gallery, or any gallery for that matter,” Ms . Duncan comments while still flipping through my photos.
“ There is too much white wall around the Tunnel Lovers . The starkness is drowning my beautiful painting!”
He suddenly stops in his tracks when he regards Evan and me.
“ What have we here? Studs to hammer nails to the studs for my paintings?” He laughs at himself, but I’m more distracted by Evan’s touch disappearing from my back like I’m made of poison. The man clicks his tongue. “ No , no, no! Do not hide your affections!”
“ This one could be the focus piece of a collection. Do you have more of these?” she asks.
I grab the iPad away and close it before Evan sees the picture of himself asleep in the sunshine at Shadow Thorne —naked.
“ You take pictures of me when I’m asleep?”
“ Who are these lovely boys,” the man purrs.
I take two steps back, completely overwhelmed by everyone talking.
“ Yes ,” I answer Evan out the side of my mouth.
“ This is Hugo Marquis ,” Ms . Duncan introduces him, but not us. She nods in my direction. “ He brought his portfolio for me to see.”
“ Luke Garrett ,” I offer. “ This is Evan Logan .”
“ Get them tickets for tomorrow’s opening,” he says quickly as if it is suddenly urgent.
“ You want them to come?” she asks.
“ Yes !” he declares.
I don’t like the way he is looking at Evan , as if he is imagining something perverted.
“ Don’t you want to see his work first?” Ms . Duncan asks Hugo .
He flits his hand at her. “ Pfft ! Only if you are referring to the works of art hidden beneath their pesky clothing.” Hugo turns to her and raises his chin. “ Because they are beautiful, darling, and beautiful things should surround me tomorrow.” His eyes find their way to me as they slowly graze the length of my body. “ Yes ! I wouldlike to have you as escorts.”
“ Respectfully , no.” I reach for Evan’s hand. “ We should leave.”
“ Honestly , Hugo , you are absurd! I will give them passes, but they will not be your own little entourage.”
“ It’s fine. I am sorry I wasted your time.” I lead Evan away by the hand.
“ It wasn’t a waste of time,” she says.
Evan tugs my hand. “ Stop , Luke !” He slides next to me to whisper, “ We should come to the opening so you can network.”
“ I don’t know the first thing about networking!”
“ Won’t you even consider trying?”
I glare at him. “ I don’t like the way that guy is looking at you,” I say through gritted teeth.
I expect Evan to give the pervert a steely glare, but instead, he grins like he’s auditioning for a toothpaste ad. When he winks at me, I know I’ll have no choice but to drag myself to this thing tomorrow.
“ Perhaps Hugo can share some wisdom about his own art,” She says.
I turn around but stay in place, while Evan approaches them. She walks toward me with a smirk on her perfect face. “ You’re the greenest artist or photographer, I have ever met, but it doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to express your voice.”
“ I thought I was.”
“ Trust me, those private photos express so much more than the ones in your portfolio.”
“ But those are… important people. That is my heart in the image.”
“ Bingo , Mr . Garrett . You come back to me with more photos of your heart on the images, and I’ll discuss displaying some of them in my gallery.”
“ Evan let’s go.” This time he moves toward the exit.
“ I’ll message Betsy to have passes ready for you for Hugo’s opening tomorrow night.”
I can’t walk away quick enough, and this time, Evan is right on my heels.
“ Formal attire, gentlemen!” The Frenchman purrs.
“ I don’t own a fucking tux!” I spit out so only Evan can hear as I throw open the gallery door. I’ve never been happier to leave a place. “ Do you believe that…” I look behind me, but Evan isn’t with me.
When I turn, I see him at the information desk. Fuck ! He’s going to make me do this, isn’t he? What is happening right now? Evan exits with a smile on his face, waving two tickets in his hands.
“ We are not coming to this opening!”
“ Yes , we are!” Evan cooly walks away without me. I have a good mind to stand here and let him leave me, but he doesn’t make it to the crosswalk before I’m running to catch up.
“ I don’t own any formal attire!”
He smiles at me and hurries across the street. “ We have all day tomorrow to get you fitted for a formal suit. And don’t act like you don’t have money.”
“ Evan , this is insane!”
He stops so we are toe to toe. “ I know you feel overexposed after what happened in there, but you have photos that interest her. You can’t let this opportunity go, Luke . All we have to do is dress up and play the part. The possibilities are endless!”
I growl in frustration as he starts walking again. I don’t want to play a part. What I want is for someone to see my photos, and see what I feel when I take them; the wonder and awe of nature.
So help me, I’m going to slap that cocky smile off of his face. “ You want your naked ass hanging on a wall in that gallery?” I ask.
“ If my naked ass helps your career, thenyes.”
“ Who are you right now?”
“ What do you mean?”
“ You’ve gone from PDA with your best friend, to wanting to be a naked portrait in a gallery!”
“ Lover .”
“ What ?” I ask. Does he not see how crazy this is?
“ Lover . PDA with your lover. We are more than best friends.”
My heart drops to the sidewalk as my feet come to a standstill. All the anger leaves my system.
Evan turns with a sly smile. “ Well , aren't I ?”
“ Y …yeah.” I stutter. “ But … I don’t know how to do this. I don’t fit in with the formal wearing, art opening, gala-type people. I’m just a cowboy.”
“ That is why you have me! I am both a cowboy and a social butterfly!” He bats his eyelashes with a goofy look on his face. “ I’ll be with you the entire evening. It will be fine. Trust me.”
I don’t argue the rest of the way back to his place. He holds my hand, and I give that my attention. Whenever I squeeze his hand, he returns the action. There is no part of me that wants to go to the opening, especially not with that French twit looking at Evan , at my lover! A smile slips over my lips as I let what he said sink in. It is so much more than I ever thought I would have with him.
EVAN
“ Would you hurry up already?”
Luke has been in the bathroom far too long. I’m ready to leave, so I’m just waiting for him.
All day he has been the biggest grump. I don’t know what his problem is. Sure , he isn’t used to events like this, but he can grow up and get over it.
“ You know you will have to do more things like this if you drawinterest in your photography.”
Suddenly the door whips open. “ I know! Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” he says as he smooths his hands down the dark red vest with a subtle vertical brocade stripe silhouetting his ribs. “ Ugh ! I feel like a circus monkey.”
I blink my eyes trying to figure out if what I am seeing is real because Luke looks unbelievable.
“ Why is your mouth open? Do I look that bad?” he asks with panic.
I flick my gaze to his pained expression and slowly come to my feet. “ I think… I just came a little.”
He scowls at me. “ What ?”
I take my time to look him over from head to toe. His crisp white shirt clings snugly to his broad shoulders and cut arms. The slim, black silk tie is tied in what the tailor called a trinity knot. It is woven tightly together and tucked into that fucking vest that is wrapped around his torso like a glove. The slim fit, coal-black suit pants make him look even taller as if I won’t be able to touch him, even if I’m standing near him. Urging him to buy those laced black dress boots was the right move. They create a seamless extension of black from his waist to his toes.
I adjust my cock, which is standing at full attention. His eyes drop down to the action. “ Do I look alright?”
With a few large strides forward, I stand toe to toe and lock eyes with him. “ Fuckable .”
“ Fuckable ? As in, I look so good you want to fuck me?”
I look between us, taking in the way the fabric fits his form. “ My dick is going to be unbearably hard by the end of the night.”
He smiles, but then frowns again. “ Seriously though?”
“ Fucking hell, Luke ! I just told you I want to fuck you. What more do you need? Everyone is going to have their eyes on you, and that French dude is going to lose his shit!”
“ I’m nervous,” he admits.
I’ve never seen his blond hair so perfectly styled. I smile at the loose curl on his forehead. His eyes glitter like gold, and it makes me doubt that it’s safe to take him out in public like this.
“ I know,” I reply. “ I’ve never been to anything like this either.”
He fidgets with one of his cufflinks. “ But you already had a dress suit.”
I take his sleeve in hand and fix the cufflink. “ I had to have it for a wedding. Nothing close to an art opening.”
“ Can you hand me my jacket?”
I step backward toward the bed because I don’t want to take my eyes off of him. By the time I have his jacket, he is in front of me.
I whistle as he slips into his jacket. “ Damn , you clean up nice!” I slide my fingertips over the thin line of the matching red silk square bordering the edge of his pocket.
I’m distracted when his hand slips along my jaw. “ And you look like such a gentleman, that I feel way out of your league.”
“ I think you have that the wrong way around.”
“ So , you’re saying there's achance I can come home with you tonight?”
Slipping my fingers inside his waistband, I tug him closer and slide my lips along his. “ You are absolutely coming home with me, and only me.”
He lets out a breath that sends a thrill down my spine. Our kiss is gentle, loving but no less heated.
We can’t get too handsy, since we are all dressed up. I don’t want to wrinkle his suit. Instead , I button up his jacket.
“ Red is your color, Luke .”
“ Think so?”
An unbidden growl rumbles in my chest.
“ I’ll have to remember that,” he says with a smirk.
“ You better,” I say as I step away and point to him in warning. “ Let’s get the fuck out of here and get this over with.”
He follows me to the door.
“ No argument from me on that one.”
When I join him to wait for the elevator, I clear my throat. “ Not because I’m dreading the opening, but because I want to fuck you as soon as possible.”
He shrugs as we both face the elevator. “ Elevator might be empty,” he mentions nonchalantly.
As if on cue, the doors slide apart, revealing an empty car. “ No way in hell am I getting cum on that fine-ass bespoke suit.” I press the lobby button. “ Going to need to see you in that more than once, my friend.”
He chuckles, but I’m serious as a heart attack.
To make things easier, I paid for a car to pick us up, and deliver us home. When we arrive, the lights from the gallery illuminate the sidewalk, and inside, there are more people than I expected. I don’t know what I expected, but it’s packed with men in suits and women in slinky dresses. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t affected by some of the women. I dismiss the thought that I need to attend more high-class events. I’m finally in a relationship with Luke , a real relationship. Still doesn’t mean I’m blind to the sexy women everywhere I look.
My eyes lock on Luke as we immerse ourselves in the crowd. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres are being served, which is most likely why there are so many people at the front of the gallery. In the distance, there is a room that people are slowly filtering into, drinks in hand.
As I look around us, I see it. Men and women, especially the women, are watching Luke like a Greek god just descended from the heavens.
“ There are a lot of people at this thing,” he mumbles under his breath.
He seems oblivious to the attention he is drawing. As we follow the flow of people, the ambiance in the room turns from casual, to an elevated sense of primal need.
“ Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” I say.
“ No shit!”
A waiter brushes past us, and Luke grabs two flutes of champagne. He hands one to me but downs the other with one swallow. I do the same because I hate the stuff, but the buzz will help me deal with…all of this.
Luke bows his head. “ Fuck that tastes like shit!”
I laugh. “ Yeah , it does. I take it you’ve never had champagne?”
“ No , and I never will again.”
I take our glasses and set them on the tray of the next waiter that comes by. He also has a tray of hors d’oeuvres. When I reach for some, the waiter stops and offers them to Luke .
“ No thanks.”
“ You should eat something, especially after downing that champagne.”
“ I’ll take my chances. I don’t eat food I don’t recognize.”
“ Since when?” I laugh before popping the crab puff in my mouth.
“ Since now.”
His cheeks are flushed, and I wonder if it is nerves or the effects of the alcohol.
“ Alright then, let’s go see this guy’s work, and do what we came here to do.”
With my hand on the small of his back, I guide him further into the gallery. Several women smile at us, but Luke is too distracted to notice, which makes me feel more at ease. When he suddenly grabs my hand, I fear the French guy has spotted us.
But then I see it.
Massive canvases splattered with swaths of bright-colored paint. Up close they look like something a three-year-old could make, but from a distance…
“ Do you see what I’m seeing?”
The semi in my pants fucking sees it, that’s for sure! “ Yeah , man. I see it… all of it !”
The strokes of paint form naked bodies in various acts of sexual activities. It’s compelling because none of it looks realistic. The faces are not discernible, but I can’t help searching for nipples, vaginas, and cocks. My brain finds them like a twisted game of Where’s Waldo . I angle my head, discovering a sexual position I didn’t even know was possible.
Luke takes a step back, leaning into me. “ It’s the fucking Kama Sutra in the Impressionistic style.”
I have no idea what that means, but he is on point with the Kama Sutra . “ Dude , I don’t think some of this is even in the Kama Sutra .”
Luke turns to stand directly in front of me. “ I can’t look at this stuff!”
I lean to look over his shoulder. “ Why not? It’s kind of hot!” When I see what looks like a man encased in and suspended from the ceiling by rope that is also wrapped around his junk, I wince. “ Well , maybe not that!”
Grabbing my jaw, he forces my gaze back on him. His eyes are as wide as saucers. “ Because it’s too personal. Way too personal. It’s like I just walked in on strangers having sex!”
Glancing down, I lightly tap his cheek a few times with my hand. “ What’s wrong, baby? Are you attempting to hide your erection?” He closes his eyes and grinds his teeth. I’m pissing him off. “ Look , I know this is not what you’re used to, but no one cares. Look around you. Half these people are looking at you, not the paintings.”
“ Looking at you, you mean. You look like sex in a suit.” His comment takes me by surprise. Are people really looking at me too? “ And yes, to answer your question. How am I not supposed to be affected by this?”
“ There you are!” The familiar, heavily accented voice calls from a few feet away. “ Bonjour , Luke and Evan !” he croons as he enters our personal space, placing his hands on each of our shoulders. “ Oh , mon Dieu ! Look at you.”
That is exactly what he does, slowly, very slowly… trailing his eyes over us.
“ Mr . Marquis ,” Luke says as he grabs another glass of champagne and downs it. He is not acclimating well to any of this.
“ I insist you call me Hugo ”
I swear I thought a Ugo was a crappy car. Hugo slips his arms around our waists and turns our bodies toward a long wall of his paintings. “ What do you think of my beautiful babies?”
Luke audibly gulps. “ We’ve never seen anything like it!” I tell him.
“ Ain’t that the truth,” Luke mumbles.
“ I can see you are physically affected, Luke .” Luke closes his eyes and folds his hands in front of him. “ This is what Ms . Duncan was trying to explain to you. Art should move people, grab their emotions, and stimulate a physical reaction.”
“ I’m not sure I want to do that.”
Hugo faces him. “ Oh cher , are you truly so innocent?” He looks over his shoulder at me. “ Has he had too much to drink?”
“ I keep telling him not to down the entire glass at once.” That answer is much better than the truth. Luke is aroused, and embarrassed. Add in the three-piece suit, and he is way out of his comfort zone—like miles away.
“ Have some hors d’oeuvres, but no more alcohol, only water. Then after the opening, we shall talk. I want to see your photos.”
“ I don’t think we will be staying that long,” Luke tells him.
“ Don’t be ridiculous. You are my beautiful American stallions, adding fuel to the arousal in the room!”
Luke’s eyebrows shoot up. Hugo shamelessly pats our asses and glides away.
“ Stallions ?” Luke asks in disbelief.
I laugh. “ How absurd is he?”
“ Get me the fuck out of here, Evan !”
I slip my hands around Luke’s waist and lightly kiss his lips. “ We’re staying.”
He scowls at me. “ Why in the world do you want to stay?”
“ Because you need to be here. You need to experience this, and as much as I hate to say it, you should let Hugo see your photographs.” I take his hand in mine and squeeze. He squeezes back. “ That champagne should be taking effect, so let it calm your nerves. We’re going to walk around and figure out the right people to introduce you to.”
Luke squeezes his eyes shut. “ I hate you.”
Letting his hand go, I covertly pinch his ass. “ I love you too.”