Sinners & Starlight: Chapter Seven
Keep your friends close, and the people you're definitely not wanting a serious relationship with even closer.
Be cool.
Just…be cool.
Do not. In any way. Freak out.
Silently chanting this in her head was easier; it became a mantra that kept her calm enough to graciously accept the water offered by the office receptionist and take a seat on the luxurious couch by the window.
Which was basically the entire wall of this gigantic lounge.
Of course Cade Devoy attended meetings—or held them, whichever this may be—in skyscrapers filled with opulence and dripping with wealth. Even the velour of the couch felt like money and prestige, too posh for Elena’s broke ass to perch upon.
But perch she did, because it helped her hide from the receptionist’s questioning gaze.
It came at absolutely no surprise when every woman who laid eyes on Cade quickly did a double-take, flashed sweet smiles, batted flirtatious lashes, and practically purred their offers of assistance if he so happened to glance in their direction. Shoot, even the male guard down at the main lobby seemed interested in him, what with the winking and the grinning.
Again, everyone from the guard to the lady behind the marble desk Elena tried not to stare at exuded prestige. Status. The ability to afford apartments with actual bedrooms.
One day…
Elena scoffed at herself. Not even “one day”. The life of a successful artist, the life she aspired for, would be filled with splattered paint and reinvestments of sold pieces into more paint, more supplies, renting a larger studio…while probably still keeping her old one for some place to sleep and not smell turpentine.
She glanced out the glass wall to admire the crystal-clear view of the city.
Okay.
Maybe she’d swing for a studio with a much better view than Mrs. Garbinson’s back alley dumpsters.
Elena picked up her phone to check her student account for the fiftieth time since Cade told her to wait here. And, for the fiftieth time, the same PAID IN FULL notification in bold green font sat next to her zeroed-out account balance.
How was this possible? Didn’t it say she still owed money last week?
That wasn’t including the tips from last night, which she’d quickly and discreetly counted in a reception restroom stall after Cade greeted his hosts and left with them.
$3,500.
How?!
So between that, the weird scholarship Cade somehow managed to wrangle for her at the drop of a hat, and being surrounded by nothing but luxuries of the upper echelon?
Yeah. Elena needed a mantra to not start hyperventilating into a paper bag.
Especially with the strange dreams from the night before that still tugged at the corners of her memory. Nothing she could truly put her finger on, but there was something that echoed and flashed and made every other little thing feel more intense than it probably would have if she wasn’t losing her mind.
Deep laughter rumbled down the hall from an opening door. An older man in a linen suit stepped out, followed by Cade and another man she also didn’t recognize. Between the three, Cade appeared the most casual in a classic linen suit fitted for the pier as much as the office—and yet, somehow, he still managed to evoke an air of power superseding the other two. Maybe it was how he towered by a good few inches over them. Maybe it was how he didn’t join their laughter, just simply nodded and quirked a small smile for effort.
When his silver eyes locked on hers, Elena felt her face instantly heat and she returned to the solitaire app on her phone.
“Well, it’s like I said, Devoy.” The first man walked sideways so he could continue talking to Cade while leading them to the reception lounge. “We have three other interested buyers and we’re going to need a lot more collateral to even begin considering your offer.”
“Which is so strange, considering how everything was set to sign a week ago. On cash.” Cade’s smile remained calm and cool, but the warning in his gaze shifted silver to steel. “It’s like these buyers popped out of nowhere.”
“One we had already spoken with about a year ago, but they rescinded their offer until they were able to regain some capital. The other, well…” The man shrugged and chuckled again. “What can I say? The market can be a real bitch sometimes.”
Cade’s brow lifted ever so slightly. “Yes. Yes, it can.” He turned to Elena and held out his hand, which she took as a cue to play along. “Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Elena Martín, my new artist-in-residence.”
The second man scoffed. “For a second there, I thought you were going to say she’s your new girlfriend!”
“And if she is?”
Elena subtly cleared her throat so she didn’t choke on her own spit. What.
“Artist, huh?” The first man winked at her, then nodded at a large oil painting hanging on the wall next to them. “You must be familiar with Vermeer.”
She smiled and decided indulging his good intentions would be the best option. Pretend like you belong here. “Yes, he’s a classic. It’s a great replica.”
The man’s smile tilted. “Oh, no,” he scoffed, “this is an original. Curated from Sotheby’s and acquired for over thirty million.”
Now Elena did openly choke on her spit, right before she covered her mouth and feigned a cough. “Wow. What a…” She glanced up at Cade, who’d slipped his arm around her waist and now signaled with a press of his fingers that this was their cue to leave. “What a steal!” She finished with a bright laugh. “Lovely to meet you.”
They nodded, muttered their agreements and obligatory farewells, and watched her leave with Cade Devoy, who did not pause to speak with anyone else regardless if they tried.
Whether he figured this would be the short meeting he expected, or he texted his driver to start the car by the time they reached the front doors, Elena was still surprised—and impressed—to see said car waiting for them right on time. The driver slid out, opened the back door for them, and Cade ushered her inside before joining her.
Only once the door closed and the driver pulled them away did he start talking. “Are you sure? It’s a fake?”
“Yeah.” Elena shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “They didn’t get the signature right. It’s missing the ‘I’.”
He blinked at her. Then snorted a laugh while shaking his head. “I can’t wait to lord this over him. Varriday’s been an insufferable asshole ever since he bought that thing.”
“Varriday?”
“Robert Varriday, CEO of Varridian Enterprises and the current thorn in my side.” He pulled out his phone and began tapping a message. “I’d love nothing more than to knock him down a few pegs. Or down the whole fucking ladder.”
“Then why meet with him?”
“Because he has something I want.”
Elena waited for him to expand further, but Cade was too engrossed in texting whoever-it-was to explain. When it became clear he didn’t plan on filling in that blank, she sighed and watched the city life float by. “So…what did you mean by saying I’m your new ‘artist-in-residence’?”
“That.” Cade hit SEND and tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket. “You’re new. You’re an artist. And you’re living in my residence.”
That made her snort as well. “No, I am not.”
“Yes, actually, you are.”
