“Ugh, not again.”

Nicole pushed her black-rimmed glasses up onto her forehead as she reached for another jar of varnish. She had been working on the conservation of a particularly tricky work or art, and this would be the third jar of varnish she had gone through in a week. The painting was just over five feet tall, and she had to alternate between standing, sitting, and lying on the floor to ensure that every element was properly repaired.

Dipping her brush into the jar, she set her glasses back on her petite nose and continued the meticulous process of bringing antique art back to life.

Nicole Hawthorn was in love.

The problem was, most of the people she was in love with tended to exist in the form of lead paint. She had always been a lover of all forms of art, but paint on canvas was her absolute favorite. She had taken several art classes as a child, and while she was talented, she wasn’t anything exceptional. It was with this realization that she had decided to major in art conservation and preservation in college, with the hope that she could land one of the few full-time jobs available in that field.

After several intense interviews, she had been lucky enough to have two firms competing for her after graduation. She had ultimately chosen to work at ZbK Acquisitions because of the amazing collections they had access to, not to mention the higher salary on offer.

And of course, the gallery owner wasn’t bad to look at either.

Nicole remembered the moment she had sat in the plush leather seat across from the wide, mahogany desk in his office. She’d hoped her nervousness didn’t show.

Sheikh Kadeen had laced his fingers as he stared at her from across the divide. “Why are you here, Nicole?” he’d asked.

“To interview for this position, sir,” she’d replied, and the Sheikh had sat back in his seat and chuckled.

He was young, and distractingly handsome. Nicole would find out later that he was only two years her senior, and yet he had already accomplished so much. His hair was thick and black, with one stubborn lock curling over his forehead. Nicole had to fight to think about anything other than running her fingers along it.

His eyes were equally as dark, and though they held an intensity within them, Nicole could see kindness behind it. She’d had to remind herself that she was in an interview, and crushing on the man who would be her boss was not the smartest idea.

“Yes, I’m aware that is why you are physically here. What I want to know is why you would choose this firm over another. Your credentials are impeccable. Your portfolio is outstanding. You have a lot of promise and a lot of skill. Why aren’t you sitting opposite a museum curator, looking to preserve historical masterpieces?”

Nicole had shrugged, adapting to his honesty. “I’ve researched you, sir,” she’d started, but the Sheikh had put up a hand.

“Please, call me Kadeen. There’s no need for such formalities here.”

“Of course,” she’d agreed. “I’ve looked at your collections. I’ve seen the kind of art you’re able to procure, and it’s far more rare and beautiful than many things that go into museums. Also, working in the public eye doesn’t interest me. I’d like to explore the private realm of art dealership. I think there are more interesting works behind these walls, and I want to be able to say that I saw them.”

Kadeen’s lip had twitched, and Nicole had fought not to stare at his mouth, which was perfectly crafted for kissing.

“As opposed to say, the Mona Lisa, or The Last Supper, which are trifling in your eyes?”

“Not at all. What I mean is, everyone knows those pieces. I want to work with art that people don’t see, the kind that is rare and beautiful.”

“Rare and beautiful are two glorious traits,” the Sheikh had agreed, though he was watching her with a strange expression. After a moment, he’d cleared his throat. “Fair enough, you’ve answered my question. I’ve got a few more written down,” he’d said, before running through a list of the usual interview questions.

Nicole had answered every one honestly, until Kadeen had set his paper down and looked at her. She’d tried not to shiver under that penetrating stare.

“Very good. I think you’re a perfect fit for our organization. Now, I know this is the part where I tell you we’re interviewing several candidates and will be in touch in a few weeks, but I don’t have that kind of time. I would like you to join our team as soon as possible. Here is the salary I’m offering.”

He’d written down a figure and slid it across the desk to her. Nicole had lifted it and glanced at the number, her breath catching in her throat. Never in a million years had she expected to be making that much money at her first job out of college.

Maintaining her poker face, she’d glanced back up at Kadeen. “This will do fine. I’d be happy to join your staff.”

The Sheikh had nodded, pleased. “Great. When can you start?”

“Is tomorrow too soon?”

“Yes,” Kadeen had said, and Nicole had tilted her head, waiting for him to explain. “We work with very exclusive, very expensive works of art, Nicole. I would be foolish not to at least subject you to a background check before allowing you to come on board. It will take about a week, and once that’s cleared we’ll get you started immediately.”

Kadeen had stood, then, and Nicole had followed suit. He’d stepped out from behind his desk and held out his hand for her to shake, which she did. It had been impossible for her not to notice how warm and strong his hand was, and she’d nearly hesitated before letting go.

“Thank you for this opportunity, Sheikh Kadeen. I won’t let you down.”

“See that you don’t. Any mistake you make will cost the company millions, and we don’t want that now, do we?”

Nicole had gulped, thinking about the potential consequences of one tiny error. Still, she knew what she was doing, and was confident in her ability to get the job done well.

“Absolutely not. It won’t happen on my watch.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

The Sheikh had escorted her from the office before seeing her out the door. As promised, the background check had gone through within the week, and she had been able to start the following Monday.

On Nicole’s first day at ZbK Acquisitions, Kadeen had led her to a studio complete with everything she needed to get her work done well. He had been going over the details of her first project when a blonde woman in black heels and a matching dress clicked into the room.

Upon seeing the Sheikh, the woman’s ice-cold expression had instantly lifted into a warm and engaging smile.

“Kadeen, what are you doing in here? You don’t need to show the newbie around. That’s my job.”

Nicole had bristled at being referred to like that, but Kadeen had appeared unfazed.

“Nicole, this is Imogen Stone, our head appraiser. You will be working closely with her, as she’ll be doing the legwork to procure the pieces and determine the extent of the damage before purchase.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Nicole had said, holding out her hand.

Imogen’s hesitation had been minute, but more than noticeable to Nicole. Kadeen had continued to look unaware of the woman’s two-sided nature as the two women shook hands; Imogen’s had been as cool and limp as a dead fish.

“Well, I’ll let you two get acquainted. Imogen, will you please come to my office when you’re done? I have some new items I’d like to discuss.”

Imogen had batted her eyes at Kadeen, and Nicole had felt a little like throwing up.

“Of course. We won’t be long. I’m sure Nicole here is just dying to get to work.”

“Great. Well, welcome aboard, Nicole. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Thanks,” she’d said, watching closely as he made his way out of the room.

Did she have to notice just how broad his shoulders were?

Imogen had cleared her throat loudly, interrupting her thoughts, and Nicole had turned her attention back to the woman, who towered over her in her heels.

“I wouldn’t think about it if I were you,” Imogen had said.

“Think about what?”

Imogen had tilted her chin back in the direction Kadeen had just gone. “Trying anything with him. The Sheikh’s a total playboy. Goes through women like tissues. The last thing I’d want is for our new preservation expert to go getting romantic ideas in her head, when nothing will ever come of that.”

“I wasn’t…” Nicole had begun, but Imogen had cut her off.

“Of course, it would have been nice if I’d had a say in the hiring process, but evidently Kadeen felt he was up to the task. No matter. Sooner or later, we’ll see if you can prove yourself.”

Nicole had stared at Imogen, unsure in that moment if she had made the right choice by accepting Kadeen’s offer. True, she was looking forward to the money, and the art, but she felt an instant dislike for this deceptive, beautiful woman, and wondered what it would be like to work with her for possibly years to come.

“I’m ready to get started, if it’s all the same to you,” Nicole had said.

“Well aren’t you sassy? Lucky for you, it is the same to me, so turn around and take a look at your first project.”

As insincere as Imogen was as a person, Nicole soon had to admit that she knew her stuff. She was clearly very knowledgeable about the art world. It was her one redeeming quality.

In the six months since her first day, Nicole had shown herself to be capable of making any piece of art that came across her desk shine. As she continued to delicately repair the paint on her current subject—a willowy, dark-haired man playing a flute—Imogen strode into the preservation studio, her expression smug.

“How is it coming along, Nicole? We really need that piece done by next week. I have a buyer lined up and they are getting wildly impatient, you know.”

Nicole clenched her teeth to bite back any possible retort. It had been made clear to her that Imogen was perfectly willing to throw her under the bus if she crossed her, and so Nicole had had to play the nice game in order to keep her job.

Removing her glasses, she set them on her stool and stretched her back, pressing her palms behind her hips and leaning backward for a moment.

“I expect this last coat will be done today, then it will just need a day or two for drying before we can prep it for shipment.”

“You’re the best, as always,” Imogen said, her words laced with disdain.

Nicole had found herself wondering from time to time if Imogen was that catty to all women, or just her, but she’d realized a long time ago that there was no point in pondering such things. Imogen was someone to be dealt with and not thought about outside of work, and Nicole tried not to bring that aspect of her job home with her.

“Since you haven’t asked, I’ll tell you that I’ve got a meeting with Kadeen this morning regarding our imminent trip to the Middle East.”

“How would I know to ask that?” Nicole said.

Imogen shrugged, clearly uncaring about anything other than whatever she had come in to gloat about. She was wearing a cherry red dress with matching heels and lipstick, and she looked like a supermodel. Nicole was dressed in paint-splattered jeans, a gray T-shirt, and a smock. The two women could not have looked any more different.

“Doesn’t matter,” Imogen said. “The point is, you’re going to be without supervision for a few days, and I wanted to make sure you have enough to work on while we’re enjoying the warm air of Al Qazar.”

“Where is Al Qazar?”

“Are you serious?” Imogen asked with a lift of one haughty brow. “It’s only Kadeen’s home country. I’m surprised at you, Nicole. Usually you’re so thorough. Never mind that, though. The point is that we’ll be traveling soon, so now you know.”

“Thanks for the heads-up,” Nicole mumbled.

“Of course. I’m always here to help.”

With that, Imogen nearly danced out of the room, riding on her cloud of victory. In the months she had been at ZbK Acquisitions, Nicole had sensed that, for some reason, Imogen believed she had some kind of ownership of Kadeen, and she was safer staying out of the way.

Still, she felt a little prickle of jealously in her belly at the thought of Imogen and Kadeen traveling together to some exotic, beautiful country. She wished in that moment that she could try her hand at curating a little, if only to get to see her handsome boss a little more often than she did at present. Since her first day, she had met with him only a handful of times, always briefly, before he departed on business.

Nicole took a look at the flutist in her painting and tilted her head. When he had arrived, he had looked rather sickly and gray. Now, he was in the best of health once again, his pale skin radiant under the glow of the painted sun.

“At least I get to spend some time with you, right Raphael?”

As usual, the painting had nothing to say in return. Sighing lightly, Nicole lifted her brush, and finished the job she had been paid to do.