Page 23 of Paid With Innocence

“Orson…what have you done?”

Megan’s finished paintings adorn the walls. She stares at them, then rubs her eyes in disbelief.

“Only what you deserve.”

“But, I—”

“There you are!” Julie emerges from her office, both arms raised as she goes to Megan for a big hug. “It is so nice to finally meet you! I always love meeting talented artists.”

Megan clears her throat and glances at me, then back to Julie.

“You…you think I’m talented?”

Julie laughs. “Well, you don’t think I just hang up whatever Orson tells me, do you? I run this gallery. Not him.”

The look on Megan’s face is priceless. Way better than the look she gave me when I revealed her new studio. And I savor every second of it.

“As a matter of fact, I’d love to do a show for you next month,” Julie continues. “Invite all my members, serve drinks. You could come and answer questions, maybe sign autographs. What do you think?”

Megan’s eyes go wide as globes. “Sign autographs…?”

I pull her in for a hug and nod to Julie. “That would be great. E-mail my assistant with the details, and we’ll set it up.”

“Wonderful! For now, I’ll let you two look around.”

Julie goes back to her office, and Megan starts to panic. “Orson, are you kidding me? I can’t do a gallery show! I’ve never even shown my work to anyone but Trish! I’m not ready for something like this.”

Tenderly, I run my hand through her hair. It’s so easy to get lost in her beauty. She’s so goddamn sexy. I want to lock the doors, lift up the hem of her dress, and take her on one of the benches beneath her paintings.

“You are ready,” I assure her. “Didn’t you hear Julie? She wouldn’t host you if she didn’t love your work.”

“Come on, you pulled some strings!”

“I know her,” I admit. “But all I did was ask. If she didn’t like your work, she would have said so.”

Megan swallows hard, then glances back at her work hanging on the walls. I stroke her hair and watch. After a moment, she takes a deep breath and looks back at me.

“You really believe in me, don’t you?” she asks.

I nod firmly, taking her hand in mine. “I have absolutely no doubt.”

Her expression softens. She stares into my eyes, then slowly nods. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

7

MEGAN

Paint, paint, paint, paint! That’s what I’ve been telling myself all morning ever since Orson dropped that bomb on me yesterday.

A gallery show for Julie Spencer? I still can’t believe it.

Then again, I can’t believe anything that’s happened to me over the last few days.

This incredible man blew into my life like a tornado, swept me off my feet, and changed everything forever. My heart sparks whenever I look at him. My body heats up whenever he’s near me. I want to scream into the ether about just how wonderful he is. I want to tell everyone! But Trish hasn’t been answering her phone all morning.

I look at the mix of paints on my wooden palette beside me. That’s how I feel inside. All mixed up.

I go back to my landscape, dabbing a bit of my nice, new, expensive paint on my amazing brush…