4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Mister Moon
RAFA
Sal looked invigorated on stage while she spoke. He hadn’t seen this side of her before, and it made him even more enamored with her. She finished her speech cleanly, and riotous applause sounded as she walked off the platform.
“How did I look up there?” she asked, appearing slightly flushed.
“Beautiful and prepared,” he responded
Sal took off her burgundy blazer to reveal a black fitted dress that had a little sparkle.
He knew little about women’s gowns, but this one was long enough to hug her curves until just above her ankles, and as if that wasn’t teasing him enough, the dress also had a slit that reached to the middle of her right thigh.
Rafa felt his insides burn a little when she flipped her hair over her shoulder.
Was there anything this woman could do that wouldn’t turn him on?
He offered his arm, and she handed him her jacket and clasped his hand.
Just then, two familiar faces emerged from the crowd. “Sal!” one of them called. It was Auden and Willow.
Rafa frequently met with Willow, but he had rarely seen Auden since she had left to study at the Curtis Institute of Music.
As she approached, he noticed she had completely shaved off her hair, and her face had slimmed down, showcasing her high cheekbones.
Auden’s look presented a more mature air compared to the younger version in his mind.
“Oh my God, Sal! That was an inspiring speech!” Auden practically yelled with a mega-watt smile as she hugged his fiancée.
“It’s been so long, Auden,” Sal said affectionately as she returned her hug. “How’s everything at Curtis?” she asked.
“Everything’s great, but not as cool as what you guys have here.” She turned and held her arms open. “You guys really killed it!”
Willow butted in playfully, “It was my idea to hang the paintings from the ceiling.”
“It was genius,” Sal exclaimed. “And of course, the presentation was also chef’s kiss. Rafa helped me think of it too.”
“The execution, though, was all Sal.” Rafa winked and watched her beam at the compliment.
“I have high hopes we’ll sell out,” Willow said as she helped herself to a glass of white wine from a passing server.
“We will! How could we not?” Rafa chimed in.
“Wait a minute.” Auden pulled Sal closer, and since Sal was holding Rafa’s hand, she ended up reeling him closer as well. “I didn’t know you invited him.” Auden tilted her head as she spoke in a tone that sounded like reverence.
“Invited who?” Sal responded.
Auden lifted her chin, pointing it toward a man in a three-piece chocolate-brown suit. “Him,” she said, narrowing her gaze. “Don’t you know who he is?”
Rafa hadn’t noticed him at first, but when he saw him, he knew he wasn’t from St. Stephenshire. “Can’t say we do,” he responded.
“That’s Harmon Moon,” Auden said, eyes slightly widened, and with what sounded like a gasp, or maybe a groan?
“He’s one of the most decorated art curators in the world.
He trained in Korea and then took a highly coveted master’s degree in the UK and did a lot of training under the best mentors in the US.
His specialty is Asian Contemporary Art and…
” Auden paused and looked at Sal, who was struggling to follow Auden’s monologue.
It was hard to take it all in at once. “Anyway,” Auden said, “in short, he’s just that good.
Now spill, how did you get him to accept an invitation? ”
“I-I didn’t invite him,” Sal stuttered. “He just showed up.”
“That’s weird,” Willow said. “He dresses like a big shot, that’s for sure.” She peered over the crowd with a raised brow. “He visited the café a few days ago, said he was here for the art show.”
“Guys, guys…!” Auden said, sounding excited and breathless.
Rafa noticed a long shadow falling over Sal’s small face. Her cheeks became flushed, and the rising and falling of her chest drew attention to her décolletage.
“Ms. Poe,” said a velvety smooth baritone.
Rafa turned his head toward the voice. The man named Harmon Moon stood in front of his fiancée like a vulture that had swooped in out of nowhere, locking eyes on its prey.
And the prey seemed to be Sal. Intuitively, Rafa’s chest tightened and his arms flexed.
Up close, the man was impeccably dressed and wore a deadpan expression.
He looked like a CIA operative or some deadly hitman for hire.
“That was an impressive speech.” The man put out his hand and shook Sal’s.
Rafa frowned and his stomach churned at the sight of Harmon’s large hand holding Sal’s.
Her heavy breathing slowed when he touched her, but her cheeks remained flushed.
Without warning, Rafa felt the inner foundation that he had built with Sal over all these years suddenly form a crack.
SAL
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Harmon Moon.” She now had a name for the mysterious man. He locked eyes with her. It was as though time had stopped when they shook hands—the electricity between them palpable with his touch.
Rafa coughed loudly, and Sal released her hand from Harmon’s as though it were a hot poker.
Her fiancé then shook Harmon’s hand in turn.
His arm flexed as he did so. “Pleasure meeting you. I’m Rafael Tovar.
This is my fiancée, Dr. Salome Poe.” Rafa placed a hand on the small of her back and pulled her closer to him with a steady, possessive force.
“This is Miss Willow Nolan. She’s a local business owner.
” He nodded to Willow, who awkwardly smiled at Harmon; “And this is Auden Campbell. She attends university at Curtis.”
Auden let out a nervous smile. “Mr. Moon, I’m a huge fan of your work.
I major in music theory and composition.
It’s an honor to meet you.” She was practically gushing; with his icy and dark good looks, Sal couldn’t blame her.
“I first saw you as a guest lecturer at Curtis, and I think your line of work is amazing. Does anything in this art show catch your attention?” Auden asked.
The entire time Auden spoke, Harmon remained transfixed on Sal. “I found Ms. Poe’s collection intriguing,” he said.
“It’s Dr. Poe,” Rafa interjected curtly.
Harmon’s gaze broke from Sal and shifted to Rafa. He clicked his tongue and let out a neutral grin, his eyes not reciprocating his smile. “Yes. Forgive me—Dr. Poe. I wanted to see The Art Cards from Nowhere for myself.” He eyed Sal and asked, “What was the inspiration for them?”
“Um, well…” she faltered, feeling her cheeks burn. Get it together, she thought, willing herself to speak normally. She cleared her throat and looked him straight in the eye. “The late artist was my friend, Claire Liang. She started the project, and I completed it posthumously—”
“I’m also curious about Ms. Liang,” he snapped, as though he was itching to ask just then. But strangely, he recoiled, as if he had caught himself saying something he shouldn’t have.
Sal blinked at him in confusion.
Harmon immediately recovered, and said, “My secretary will be in touch.” He looked at Rafa and gave a subtle bow.
“Of course,” Sal said. “I hope you enjoy the show.”
With a restrained smile, Harmon disappeared into the crowd.
Sal exhaled quietly. “Does he always have that effect on people?” she asked Auden.
“He’s intense, right?” Auden responded. “But it’s normal when you reach that level of celebrity in your field, I guess?”
“He’s hot, but weird,” Willow added. “Ten out of ten would not date, though.”
“Really? I would just for the connections. Just being around Harmon Moon would help you network faster than any wannabe socialite in the art scene.” Auden swooned softly.
“My God, Auden. Didn’t you just turn twenty-years old this year? You’re practically still a fetus in my book.” Willow elbowed her.
“Twenty-one,” Auden corrected her proudly
Willow rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Okay, twenty-one. He must be at least fifteen years older than you,” she said playfully.
“So sue me if I want a handsome, rich, and mysterious older boyfriend. Besides, he’s not that old, Willow! He’s like thirty-seven or thirty-eight, almost your age. I know a lot of guys my age who’d date you.”
“No man your age would dare date me,” Willow quipped with a sarcastic chuckle.
“You’d be surprised,” Auden replied.
Willow then peered at Sal intently; she was trying to read her, like she always did when something seemed amiss. “Sal, maybe you should mingle around with the guests. If there are any buyers, I’ll let you know.”
For the rest of the evening, Sal and Rafa did so, but as she moved through the crowd, Sal couldn’t shake the feeling of Harmon’s brooding dark eyes following her long after she’d looked away.