Chapter 22
Zach
The sun was just peeking in through the windows, but I had been awake for a while, just laying here watching Madison sleep comfortably in my bed. She was so gorgeous with her hair strewn out in front of her and arms wrapped around the pillows. Last night had been amazing and not just because I had some of the best sex of my life, but also because of how she handled Lee’s art show. I was so proud of her for going through the motions, for smiling when it was difficult, and doing it all while wondering why she didn’t have a show of her own.
Her talent was raw and beautiful, and though I knew she had warned me several times about artists crashing another artist’s show, I couldn’t help but pull her work out for the world to see. She deserved to be noticed. She deserved to have someone take her to new heights in her career. And above all else, she deserved to work somewhere where the owner didn’t treat her like a slave. All of these things melded together, and I saw her in a different light.
I couldn’t believe that I had asked her to stay, but it came out without thought or worry. I knew that it was genuine and real. I had gotten to a place where I hated not being near her, where I hated every second that we were apart. Most of the time, it was not something I could help since I had a company to run, and she had her own life before me, so when I found the chance to keep her close, I took it without thought. The look on her face had been priceless.
I slowly pushed myself out of the bed and tiptoed across to the closet, pulling on some clothes and making my way to the kitchen. I wanted to do something special for Madison, so I searched the fridge and cupboards and landed on pancakes and omelets. There was nothing better than a surprise breakfast first thing after waking up from a night of lust and passion.
I carefully and quietly grabbed the pans and utensils and went to work creating a culinary masterpiece. Well, to the best of my ability. I filled the omelets with cheese, mushrooms, and peppers, meticulously turning them to get them the exact consistency I wanted. I had never put this much time into breakfast for a woman. In fact, the only other time I had a woman here at breakfast was when we were too drunk to move. The next morning, I would toss an English muffin and coffee and wait impatiently to take her to her car. Suffice it to say, she never called after that, and I was more than ecstatic at that fact. I flipped on the coffee maker and brewed a pot of the good coffee my aunt had sent last Christmas. The aroma filled the apartment, and I hurried to get the food on the table after hearing Madison stirring in the other room.
As I placed the last sprig of parsley on her plate next to the omelet, she rounded the corner dressed in nothing but my dress shirt from the night before. She looked so sexy with her messy hair, half buttoned men’s shirt, and bare feet that I instantly imagined taking her on top of the pancakes. She looked around at the breakfast on the table, and her lips curled up into an excited smile.
“You made all of this?”
“Yep.” I chuckled. “It’s hard to find take-out breakfast in this city.”
“Wow,” she said, impressed. “It looks delicious.”
“Well, I don’t promise taste, just aesthetics,” I joked, filling her cup with coffee and setting some cream and sugar on the table. I didn’t know how she took her coffee, but I knew I wanted to know. She smiled and picked up the cup, sipping it black as she sat down at her plate and laid the cloth napkin in her lap. I grabbed the butter and syrup from the counter and brought it over, sitting down at my seat and handing her the pancakes.
“Thank you,” she chirped, putting a pancake on her plate.
She dug into her omelet, rolling her eyes in pleasure as she chewed. I smiled, feeling accomplished, and dug into the pancakes, something I hadn’t had in a very long time. Until I had the first bite in my mouth, I didn’t realize how hungry I was. We sat quietly, laughing with each other as we ate our food like we were starving. Finally, tapping out, Madison dropped her fork on the plate and took in a deep breath, leaning back in her chair.
“I haven’t eaten that much in a really long time.” She laughed, wiping her mouth.
“Me neither,” I said with a mouth full of pancakes.
We both burst into laughter, looking over at Madison’s phone as it began to ring. She looked at the number on the screen and furrowed her eyebrows. She clicked the button and held it to her ear, saying hello and concentrating on the voice. She looked surprised at whoever was on the other end, and she looked up at me, silently mouthing, “I’ll be right back.”
I watched her walk into the other room and then began cleaning up from breakfast. She was on the phone for quite a while, and as I put the last dish into the dishwasher, I heard her walking out of the back room. I turned around and smiled at her as she blinked, looking down at the counter. Instantly, fear ran through me, thinking something was wrong, but as her face filled with excitement, I let out a deep breath and stood next to her. She looked up at me and smiled, clapping her hands together and starting to laugh.
“Okay,” I said, chuckling. “What is going on?”
“I can’t believe it,” she said, pulling out the stool at the counter and sitting down.
“What?” I was excited, and I didn’t know why. “Who was that?”
“It was someone from the art show last night,” she said in a daze. “Her name is Sarah Dailey. Apparently, she was looking at Lee’s art and saw my pictures from Liberty Island stashed behind the curtains.”
“And,” I said impatiently as she walked in a haze over to the table.
“And she said it was the best art at the show. In fact, it was the best art work she had seen in a really long time.” She looked up at me in amazement. “Sarah is a big-time scouter from a gallery in Manhattan, and she wants me to come sit down with her and talk about having a show there.”
I ran over and wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her tightly. I knew what I did would be worth it. This was exactly what Madison needed and deserved as an artist. Her work needed to be seen by everyone, and not just a few elites at some Brooklyn gallery that only brought in clients because they lowered their fees to draw in more famous artists. Lee was a scoundrel, and maybe this was a way for Madison to finally get out of his clutches.
I wouldn’t ever tell her what I did, but I knew that I had made the right choice. I didn’t need to sell her work to anyone. I knew if it just got out there and the right eyes fell on it, it would speak for itself. And it had happened. This amazing studio recognized the talent I had already seen in Madison from the beginning. I was more than excited for her, but even more, I was extremely proud of the woman I was holding in my arms. She was absolutely amazing in every way, and I knew that her dreams were going to come true.
I turned and walked back into the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets and the fridge. I pulled out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. I grabbed the towel from the side of the stove and twisted it around the cork, leaning down and popping it out. The sound echoed off the wood floors, and Madison turned around, coming out of her daze and watching me. I looked up at her beautiful self, standing on my floor, getting some of the best news of her life, and immediately, I was so glad that I was able to be the first person she shared it with. I couldn’t wait to hear about what kinds of pieces she would be creating for this show, and I would make sure to tell all of my colleagues and friends from Manhattan that they needed to be there, and they better get that art before it's too hot for them to even make a bid on.
“It’s not too early for champagne?” She laughed as I filled the glasses with bubbly.
“Here,” I said, reaching for the orange juice and pouring some in each glass. “Now it’s a breakfast drink.”
We both laughed loudly as we sipped our champagne and started to talk about what a gallery show in Manhattan could possibly mean for her career. Neither one of us were dreamers, having been let down so many times in the past, but there was nothing wrong with celebrating and opening up a little to let the excitement of the moment really sink in.
We spent the rest of the day talking, laughing, and drinking enough champagne for an event. It was an extremely relaxed and enjoyable day at the apartment. She was more than excited, talking about her plans for the show, and I was more than content to sit there and soak in every word she was saying. It reminded me of the times where the business was just getting off the ground, and we had gotten our first big client. We didn’t even realize at the time how impressive it was to land an order over a million dollars in the first three months of opening, and the excitement just flooded us. Hudson and I had ended up at a bar, drinking and singing all night. It was pretty much the only night I could remember that Hudson was more interested in the reason for celebrating than in picking up women.
By the end of the day, we were both liquored up, and I asked her to stay with me one more night, promising to have the car drive her home in the morning. She was more than happy to agree, and we bundled up in bed, watching movies on the big screen in my room. I pulled her close to me, feeling her warmth against my skin and relief at having her there. This girl had turned my world upside down and all in the blink of an eye. I felt like I had known her forever, but at the same time, I had that flutter of excitement in my chest every time I was around her. Whatever agreement I had made with myself before the first date was out the window, and I knew, as we snuggled close on the bed, this girl needed to be in my life for a very long time.
I looked down as she yawned big, her eyes drooping, and her head on my chest. As much as I loved seeing her face in ecstasy, I loved the look of comfort and contentment even more. I leaned down and kissed her forehead, covering her hand on my chest with my own. She looked up and smiled at me, sleep trying to take over. I leaned back against the headboard and stroked Madison’s hair as she fell soundly to sleep in my lap. Everything had turned out exactly like I hoped it would, and I knew then, it would take a lot more than fear to drive me away from Madison.