Venus in Love Read online

  Alex opened the door, and Lilly sauntered in. Alex rolled her eyes and announced the arrival of Lilly anyway.

  “Game on…” Lee said to herself as she rose from behind her desk and took the venomous hand in hers. “Lilly, aren’t you looking exquisite this morning.”

  “Well, Ainsley darling, you’re welcome to notice. I must say you’re looking rather handsome yourself.” Lilly slid her hand up Lee’s arm to her neck and pulled her in for a slow, cold kiss on her cheek. The contact made Lee shiver. “I think about you when I’m alone, and sometimes when I’m not,” Lilly hissed into her ear.

  “That sounds…interesting.” Lee wanted to use another word, but this would only work if she fed into it. She led Lilly to a seat. If they were sitting, she could concentrate on the mission and avoid Lilly’s ice-cold hands snaking over her body.

  They sat in the guest chairs, but somehow Lilly managed to angle herself and cross her legs so that her foot touched Lee’s leg. “There was no agenda for this little prelude meeting, so I’m hoping it’s more personal than professional.”

  “Well, in a way. I’d been thinking that I’d not seen you in some time and thought it would be nice if we, I don’t know, caught up.” Lee blatantly lied and just the thought sent chills down her spine. Lilly was the last woman she would think about or want to spend any time “catching up” with.

  Lilly rubbed her stiletto pump up and down Lee’s calf. “Really? Someone is having a change of heart I see. So, how would you like to get caught up?” Lilly winked.

  Lee’s stomach turned at the thought, and her plan unraveled itself. She was encouraging Lilly’s atrocious and unprofessional behavior and she couldn’t go through with it. “You know what, this is a terrible idea.” Lee stood up and moved away from Lilly.

  Lilly’s brown eyes grew dark as night. “But it sounded like a perfect one to me.”

  A knock at the door sent Lee’s heart racing, She straightened her shirt, and said, “Come in.”

  Alex opened the door and showed Morgan in. Morgan glowed with her ever-present smile, and Lee couldn’t resist smiling in return. “Hello, Ms. Blake.”

  Lilly also stood. She interrupted and introduced herself. “We meet again, Ms. Blake.”

  *

  When Morgan entered Lee’s office, she was surprised to see her standing with such a strange and uncomfortable expression on her face. Regardless, Morgan couldn’t help but smile when she saw her.

  When a woman stood up, Morgan looked toward her. “We meet again, Ms. Blake.” At first, Morgan didn’t know why she would say that. She didn’t think they had met before. But then she recalled her as the woman she met the morning she arrived for her interview. “The Church, right? I remember that now. I couldn’t figure out why your name was so familiar to me when Lee mentioned it. It is nice to see you again.” Morgan held out her hand.

  Lilly slipped her cold, slender hand into Morgan’s. “Likewise.” Lilly held on to Morgan’s hand longer than reasonable until Lee interrupted.

  “Great. Just great. Let’s have a seat, shall we?” Lee moved around to her desk and sat down slowly, never taking her eyes off Lilly.

  “So, Ms. Blake, it’s lovely to see such a young and attractive woman holding such a powerful position at the Dencourt. Nice choice, Lee.” Lilly winked in Lee’s direction but did not try to hide it from Morgan.

  Morgan was shocked by Lilly’s outright and offensive statement straight out of the gate. “Um. Thank you?” Morgan looked at Lee with a look that said, “Are you serious?” A pink hue developed quickly over Lee’s face.

  “Lilly. I’m sure Ms. Blake is flattered. But let me remind you that her age and her…her attractiveness have nothing whatsoever to do with her appointment. She is an Ivy League-educated curator with an exceptional reference list and qualifications.”

  Only part of that was true, but Morgan was appreciative of Lee’s attempt to put Lilly in her place. “I graduated at the top of my class from Yale and completed an intense eighteen-month internship at the Musée du Louvre. My looks are hardly what got me there, or here,” Morgan added in her own defense. She had no doubt that her face burned the same shade of red as Lee’s now was.

  “And feisty too.” Lilly was clearly not affected by Lee’s or Morgan’s attempts to correct her behavior.

  “Ms. Kent!” Lee blurted out.

  Morgan was appalled, and she had no desire to entertain any further conversation with Lilly. She stood and addressed Lee. “If you will excuse me, I have some…any other place to be.” As she turned to leave, she looked down at Lilly who rested her chin on her hand and eyed Morgan predatorily. Morgan rolled her eyes in disgust, “Ms. Kent.”

  “Until next time, Morgan Blake.”

  Morgan left the office and shut the door loudly behind her. The sound caused Alex to look up in surprise. “Morgan? What’s wrong?”

  “I have never…never in all my life been so disgusted by someone, especially not a woman. And an attorney no less.” Morgan was rambling.

  “Wow! And you were only in there for three minutes. She must’ve pulled out all the stops.” Alex smiled.

  “Stops? That woman obviously has no stopper of any kind. How the hell does Lee keep her on staff? Is she like that to everyone?”

  “Mostly just to Lee. They used to…I guess you could call it, date. But thankfully, it didn’t last very long.”

  Morgan’s stomach twisted into a knot when she thought about the two of them being romantically involved. What the hell would Lee see in such a garish and insulting woman, besides her aggressively good looks? It had to be the only reason that Lee would keep employing such a liability. “If you need me, I’ll be downstairs. Avoiding any further inappropriate comments from Lilly Kent.”

  *

  “Lilly. That’s enough. No more disgusting sexist comments or perverse sexual innuendos, to me or any other member of this gallery. Do you understand?” Lee stood and pressed her hands firmly onto her desk.

  “Aww. You know you don’t mean that, handsome.” Lilly stood and matched Lee’s posture. Her face was only inches away from Lee’s. “Have I ever told you how turned on I get when you get so…mmm…bossy?” Lilly ran her finger up Lee’s arm.

  Lee jerked her hand away and stood up straight. “Enough, Lilly. I mean it. One more time and I will fire you.”

  Lilly stood slowly. “Really?”

  “Yes, really. Now do you understand?” Lee wanted to make sure that Lilly knew she was serious.

  “I understand, Ms. Dencourt.” Lilly glared at Lee before she excused herself and left the office.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lee followed Morgan down the cobblestone street. Since they’d left the restaurant, Lee had resisted every urge to stop and pull Morgan into her arms. They talked and laughed over dinner and enjoyed flirting unabashedly over cocktails. Their friends and companions whispered and gossiped about the obvious pairing in the making. Fueled by the drinks and atmosphere, they did little to hide their quickly heating attraction. When the party decided to move to the next destination, Lee and Morgan agreed but purposely lagged behind. When they reached the last block before the next establishment, Lee could no longer resist. She grabbed Morgan by the arm and pulled her into a dark, narrow alley. “I’ve been dying to do this all night.” Lee cupped Morgan’s face in her hands and swiftly claimed Morgan’s mouth with hers.

  Morgan responded wantonly and parted her lips to allow Lee’s tongue to tease hers. Morgan ran hers hands up Lee’s back, pulling her so close Lee could feel Morgan’s heart pound in her own chest. Lee tangled her fingers in Morgan’s hair and pulled back her head to expose the sensitive flesh of her neck. Lee dipped her head and ran her tongue along her pulsing vein, inhaling her delicate perfume. She kissed her collarbone and heard Morgan moan with need. Morgan cupped Lee’s face in her hands and brought her up to look into her eyes. “Take me home, Lee. I need to be with you. Please. Feel how badly I want you.” Morgan begged and pushed Lee’s hand down to her�
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  Lee’s alarm clock rang out, and her eyes flew open. “For the love of God!” Lee flung her hand and knocked the offending clock off the nightstand.

  Lee was really getting tired of these unfinished dreams. She was spending her waking hours avoiding them only to be unsatisfactorily consumed by them at night. She was quickly becoming desperate for release, and self-satisfaction was not getting her by anymore.

  *

  Morgan was excited for the day. The floors were nearly complete in the Venus exhibit, and Morgan wanted to run and slide across the beautiful glass finish. Instead she decided to pop into the preservation department and check on the cleaning schedule of the in-house pieces she had selected for the exhibition. On her way down, she ran into Lee in the stairwell. “Hey.”

  “Hi.” Lee’s smile was intoxicating.

  Morgan looked around. “What are you doing lurking in here?”

  “Nothing. I was on my way to the gallery to see…to check things out.”

  “Oh. Well, I was on my way down to check on the Venus works if you wanted to tag along.” It was about the time for Lee to come down and accidentally run into her.

  “I’d love to.” Lee took a step down and Morgan grabbed her wrist. Lee looked at Morgan’s hand but didn’t pull away. Morgan could feel Lee’s pulse quicken beneath her fingertips.

  Morgan quickly let go. “Wait. I wanted to talk to you about Lilly and how I stormed out of your office yesterday.”

  “Morgan, it’s okay. I would have done the same thing. I’m so sorry about that.” Lee reached back out for Morgan’s hand. Her stomach fluttered at the renewed contact between them. Morgan’s breath caught in her chest when Lee stepped back up and pulled her close.

  “It’s not your fault. You warned me about her, but I guess I was still caught off guard. I’ve never actually heard anyone say such things, to my face at least.”

  “It was inappropriate, and I told her just that after you left.” Lee looked into Morgan’s eyes with sincere apology.

  It was the first time they had been alone in weeks, and the closeness of Lee’s body to hers was overwhelming. She could feel the heat as it burned between them. “I…maybe I overreacted. I can do that sometimes,” Morgan’s words trailed off as she lost herself in Lee’s kind eyes.

  “Listen.” Lee stroked Morgan’s hand in comfort. “You didn’t overreact. And if it happens again I will take care of it. I promise.”

  The space around them faded, and all Morgan could see was Lee. A door slammed on the landing overhead, and Morgan jerked her hand away as she stepped back from Lee. “Um. Thank you.” Lee and Morgan looked up and watched Lilly saunter confidently down the steps toward them. “Well, I have to get downstairs to check on the paintings. I’ll…I’ll see you later, Ms. Dencourt.” Morgan ran down the steps away from Lee and Lilly.

  *

  Lee was irritated by Lilly’s unexpected disruption. She showed her into her office and closed the door between them.

  “What is she doing here today?” Lee did little to curb her disgust. “Is she even on my schedule?” she asked Alex.

  “No, ma’am, she isn’t. She came in about ten minutes ago. I told her to wait, but she went to look for you on her own,” Alex answered.

  “Please tell me I have a meeting that I can’t miss then.” Lee looked over at Alex’s desk calendar.

  “No. There isn’t anything. You always go downstairs to see…the galleries during this time. I tried to keep her up here away from Morgan because I know how uncomfortable she is with her. I’m sorry.”

  “Alex, it’s not your fault. There aren’t many people that are comfortable around her, including me.”

  “And me.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s inappropriate, and I hopefully put a stop to it,” Lee said before entering her office and shutting the door a little too forcefully.

  Lilly sat confidently in Lee’s chair behind her desk. “I like this view. It’s powerful.”

  “Lilly, don’t sit in that chair.” It was her father’s chair, and Lee was appalled that Lilly would sit in it.

  Lilly stood and came from behind the desk as she ran her hand over the surface. “So, are you fucking her?”

  “Excuse me!” Lee shouted as her head nearly exploded. “You are out of line, Lilly.”

  “Is that a yes?” Lilly asked as she crossed her arms.

  “How dare you?” Lee’s heart pounded in her ears. The rage filled her throat and burned her face. “Get out, Lilly. You are fired!” Lee picked up the phone. “Alex, call security, now.”

  Lilly’s voice was smooth and unwavering. “You’re kidding, right? All this for some piece of ass?”

  “I’m not kidding, Lilly. And if I were you I would stop talking.” Two guards burst through the door into Lee’s office followed by a panicked Alex. Lee was thankful for their arrival because she was two seconds from forcibly removing Lilly herself. “Lilly Kent is no longer employed at the Dencourt. Please confiscate her badges and remove her from the premises, immediately.”

  The guards led Lilly from Lee’s office as Alex watched silently from the corner of the room. Lilly turned back and winked, “I hope she’s worth destroying your father’s legacy.”

  “What the hell just happened, Lee?” Alex asked from her safe zone.

  Lee sat at her desk, in her father’s chair. “I got rid of a problem. Do me a favor and let me know when she’s gone.”

  “My pleasure,” Alex said before she left Lee’s office with a smile and closed the door.

  Lee sighed deeply and put her head in her hands.

  *

  Morgan spent much of the day with the marketing department. She really wanted to play up the press and publications for the acquisition of the rare and expensive Veronese. It was going to bring a significant increase of visitors, and undoubtedly an even more significant increase in donations and sponsorships to the gallery. The success of this exhibition had the potential of reimaging the Dencourt and reaffirming its place in the upper echelon of national art institutions. After their encounter in the stairwell, Morgan waited all day to see Lee again. Morgan even spent her free time wandering aimlessly through the different galleries hoping Lee would make her way down as always. Unfortunately, it was near closing time, and Lee had yet to come down.

  When Morgan got back to her office, Alex looked exhausted.

  “Hey you. Is everything all right?”

  “Morgan…” Alex started.

  “Yes?” Morgan had never seen Alex with such a strange look on her face. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “Well, this has been the craziest day ever. I…need to tell you something,” Alex whispered.

  “What’s going on?” Morgan went around to Alex’s side of the desk.

  “Lee fired Lilly Kent today.”

  “What?” Morgan was stunned.

  “Yes. There was shouting and security and Lee hasn’t come out of her office since.” Morgan was shocked, but Alex was obviously overwhelmed.

  “What happened?”

  “I have no idea. Lee went downstairs to find you like she does every day, but then she returned with Lilly. They went into her office, I heard Lee yelling something, and then Lee called for security.”

  Morgan looked up at Lee’s closed door. “Is she still in there?”

  “Yes. But the door is locked and she isn’t taking calls or appointments.”

  “Oh. I see.” Morgan wanted to see Lee and make sure she was okay. “Maybe I could—”

  “No. She said no one. She’s okay though. I’ve talked to her a few times.”

  She would have to be content with Alex’s instruction. After all, she knew her better than Morgan did. “Okay. I’ve got to get my things, but I’ll walk with you if you’re ready to go.”

  “Sure. I’ll wait for you.”

  Morgan listened closely for any movement as she passed Lee’s side door. She heard nothing. Disappointed, she retrieved her bag from her office and walked with Alex to the
garage.

  *

  The next morning Morgan spent almost entirely in her office working on provenance research and writing a status brief for the board of directors. It was nearly one o’clock before Alex knocked on her door. “Hey, Alex. What’s up?”

  “Can I talk to you about something?” Alex said reluctantly.

  ”Of course.” Alex hadn’t seemed to lose the discomfited look from the day before. But now there was an added sense of distress. “Come in. Close the door.”

  Alex did as she was told and stood behind the chair in front of Morgan’s desk. “So, something has been bothering me all day, and I wasn’t sure if or how I should tell you, but I think you should know.”

  “Alex, sit please. What is going on?”

  Alex sat on the edge of the chair with her hands in her lap. “It’s nothing really. But I don’t think that this is the right place to talk about it. Just gossip really.”

  Morgan was certain that Alex was lying about it being “nothing,” but if it truly wasn’t something that should be discussed at work, she preferred that it wasn’t. There was enough workplace drama without the boss adding to it. “Okay. Do you want to tell me later then?”

  “Yes. It can wait. You’re very busy. I can call you after work.” Alex twisted her hand nervously.

  “Alex. Are you sick or in trouble?” Morgan was busy, and she could wait for the rest of the story as long as she was sure that Alex wasn’t dying or anything.

  “No. Nothing like that.”

  “Okay. Well, why don’t we go get a couple drinks after work and you can tell me all about this ‘nothing’ that has you all worked up. Yes?”

  “Okay. I can do that. I should get back to my desk now.” Alex left the room as awkwardly as she had entered.