Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Saskia had to smile too. The Clay she’d slept with last night would never let it go at that. “After I get an idea of what he wants, I’ll give him the usual spiel, that San will keep in mind his general theme, but then the artist’s imagination and creativity will take over. What comes out is what Mr. Clay Harrington gets.”
Saskia had always vetted clients this way. Adrian was a good judge of character. Saskia was, too, especially with the way she’d grown up. Okay, Hugo had been the exception. Major screw-up there. But when she met clients, just as they judged her work, she was judging them. If she got a bad vibe, she didn’t take the commission. It hadn’t happened often, especially after the client had gone through Adrian first, but there’d been a few.
Honestly, she’d already vetted Clay last night. Now she just had to see exactly what he wanted San Holo to do. And make sure he understood that meeting San in person wouldn’t happen.
She slapped her hands on her thighs. “All right. Let’s do it. Set up a meeting.”
Before Saskia could even stand, Adrian picked up the phone and punched in numbers. “Let’s strike while the iron’s hot.” She chuckled. “No pun intended.”
Saskia would have laughed, but her stomach sank. Whether it was a good sinking or bad, she couldn’t be sure. She hadn’t thought to see him again, especially not so soon. Especially not in her assistant’s disguise. How would this go down?
She keyed in to Adrian’s half of the conversation. “I’m glad I reached you, Mr. Harrington… Yes, San has agreed to consider the commission. I’d like to set up a meeting… Sure, today would be great… That time sounds good. At your warehouse in the Mission.” After another pause, she added, “But you won’t be meeting with San Holo himself. He’ll send his assistant, Miss Oliver, as usual.” She shook her head at whatever she heard. “No. Absolutely not. The first meeting is always with Miss Oliver. I will remind you, San has not agreed to reveal his identity.” She paused again, then said, “Yes, that’s how we work. You tell Miss Oliver what you’re looking for, she’ll relay that information to San Holo, then he’ll decide whether or not to take on the project. Do you still want to go ahead with the meeting?” Adrian’s blue eyes sparkled brighter than the sun glittering on the bay. “Take it or leave it, Mr. Harrington. It’s your choice.” She winked at Saskia. “Good. You can expect Miss Oliver at two o’clock. Goodbye.”
Barely a moment later, Adrian jumped from her chair and did a happy dance around the room, punching the air. “Clay Harrington. Do you know what this means?”
Saskia couldn’t get out of the chair. She knew exactly what it meant. She would see him again. She would breathe in his spicy, seductive scent that made her crazy. She would remember every kiss, every touch, every lick, every taste.
Would he be angry when he saw her and throw her out?
Or would he want to do it all over again?
Because if he did, there was absolutely no way she could resist.
Adrian watched her best friend leave as if she had a fast-moving zombie on her heels. Were there any fast-moving zombies? Whatever. Saskia had raced out of Adrian’s office, probably wanting to dress up before she met Clay for the second time.
But wait, this was Saskia. Dressing up wasn’t in her vocabulary.
Adrian strode to the sideboard and pulled out a glass and a bottle, pouring a finger of whiskey. Best day ever. It deserved a celebratory drink. Crossing to the bank of windows, she gazed out at the bay, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate, and sipped. Moments later, she saw Saskia bounce out onto the sidewalk below.
Adrian had never seen her friend glow like that, as if she were lit from the inside. Even though this affair could end in utter disaster, Adrian had seen that spark. Not just a spark, but a blaze. It was time for Saskia to get over everything that had happened with her ass of a boyfriend. Hugo Lewis wasn’t worth it. Saskia needed to come out of isolation. Maybe she didn’t have to come out to her adoring fans as San Holo, but she needed to get out, to stop working only in the middle of the night like a vampire. As San Holo, she was always wrapped in that anonymity. It was time to move on.
Maybe it was time for them both to move on. Because Adrian hadn’t been doing much in the outgoing department either, unless it was work-related. Growing up, she’d had it far better than Saskia, with loving parents who supported her life choices, her Oxford education, her desire to get her law degree, even her move to the United States.