Some thirty minutes later, the phone rang on the small wooden desk in the corner of the studio. Nicole jumped, not used to interruptions, but by the second ring she had gathered her wits and set down her brush and jar of varnish, quickly crossing the room to answer the phone.

“Hello?” she said.

“Nicole. It’s Kadeen. Can you come into my office, please?”

“Of course,” she breathed.

“Thanks,” he said, hanging up the phone.

Kadeen was one of those people who was impossible to read. Nicole tried not to imagine worse-case scenarios as she removed her smock and took a quick look in a side mirror to straighten her brown hair into a more serviceable ponytail. It was a far cry from Imogen’s sleek chignon, but she worked as a preserver, and that meant that she could be as messy as she liked so long as the art was beautiful in the end.

She exited her studio and headed down the carpeted hallway to Kadeen’s office, knocking gently on the door.

“Come in,” he said, his voice muffled behind the thick wood of the door.

Nicole entered. It was the first time she’d been in her boss’ office since her interview, though the space looked exactly the same. Everything was perfectly organized and tastefully placed. It had been clear from the beginning that Kadeen had exceptional taste, and he could obviously afford a high standard.

“Thank you for coming so quickly, Nicole. Please, take a seat.”

Nicole perched on the edge of the plush chair, wondering what Kadeen could possibly want with her. Had she botched a painting? Was someone unsatisfied with her work? Did he have to smell so good? What cologne was he wearing?

“What can I do for you, Kadeen?” she asked, working to distract herself from her silly attraction.

Kadeen al Zafar bin Khalaf was a womanizing billionaire. Imogen had been right about that, at least. It hadn’t taken long for Nicole to become aware of the plethora of broken-hearted women trying to reach him at their office. She had tried to remind herself of that every time she felt her attraction to him rising.

“You might have heard that I have a trip to my home country planned, in an effort to obtain a unique piece of art.”

“The news has reached me, yes,” Nicole said, fighting to keep a straight face; news, bragging, whatever you want to call it, it had certainly reached her.

“I’ve brought you in because I would like you to come with me.”

Nicole’s stomach erupted in butterflies.

“You want me to come to the Middle East with you?”

“Tomorrow, if possible. I’d like to get going as soon as we can, but I know you’re almost done with your current piece, so I’d like to let you finish that up first.”

Nicole took a moment to process that statement.

“You want me to come with you and Imogen?” she asked.

Kadeen shook his head. “Imogen won’t be joining us, no. I’ll need someone here to keep an eye on things while we’re gone.”

The butterflies in Nicole’s belly simmered down slightly at that piece of information. While the thought of traveling alone with Kadeen was exciting, the thought of Imogen’s wrath was enough to make Nicole feel squeamish about the whole affair.

As though summoned by Nicole’s thoughts, Imogen burst through the door, her blue eyes filled with indignation.

“Kadeen! I just read your email. What do you mean I’m not traveling with you tomorrow?”

“Imogen. Did you forget how to knock?”

Chastised, Imogen had the good sense to look remorseful as she continued her way into the room. It was then that she noticed Nicole, and her eyes narrowed.

Great.

“So, Nicole will be going instead of me? She has no curation experience, Kadeen! No offense, Nicole,” she said, casting a sideways glance at her before turning back to the Sheikh, “but she is simply not up to the job.”

“The job requirements have changed,” Kadeen said, his tone cool and collected. “While there is a piece I wanted to evaluate back home, another one of much greater value has been brought to my attention, and I have changed gears so as to obtain that one as soon as I can.”

“But how will you negotiate the price without me there?”

“In this instance, price doesn’t matter. I’ll pay whatever it takes to secure this piece for my collection.”

“That’s preposterous! I can get you the art for what it’s worth, not what some hack thinks he can steal from you. Kadeen, you must see reason!”

“Are you questioning my judgement, Imogen?” Kadeen asked, his voice deadly quiet.

Nicole had been watching the exchange like a tennis match, her gaze shifting from one to the other. She watched in wonder at the audacity Imogen had to address Kadeen in such a manner. His warning clearly had her thinking otherwise, because she changed her tone instantly.

“Of course not, Kadeen. I know how capable you are, but Nicole is still new. We can’t be sure she’s ready for something like this.”

“Yes, we can,” the Sheikh said, his eyes darkly serious. When they landed on Nicole, she shivered. He looked back up at Imogen, whose expression faltered. “And we will, because this is my decision, and it is final. Now, please come to terms with that fact, and leave us to work out the parameters of our next acquisition.”

There was a heavy pause, the tension weighing on Nicole as she tried not to look at either person in the room. Finally, Imogen relented.

“I understand, of course. I’m sure, whatever the project is, Nicole will be more than up to the task.”

“I agree. Now can you please send me the numbers for the Cardigan piece? I want to take another look before we make an offer.”

“Yes, of course,” Imogen said, and she cast one more meaningful glance at Nicole before clicking out of the room as fast as her heels could carry her.

Nicole looked back up at Kadeen, who looked entirely unaffected by Imogen’s display.

“So, you will be accompanying me. Can you finish your current project in time?”

Nicole blinked before coming back to the present.

“Yes. It’s nearly finished now, I just have a few finishing touches to make. It will be ready to ship in a few days.”

Kadeen nodded approvingly. “Fantastic. You are nothing if not reliable, Nicole. So we’ll be set to leave tomorrow morning, then?”

“I suppose so,” Nicole hedged, and Kadeen looked at her with a quizzical expression.

“That’s not a full affirmative, Nicole. Can you be packed and ready for my car to pick you up first thing or not?”

“Yes, I can,” she said with more conviction.

“You have a passport, I assume?”

“I do,” she replied.

“Great. Until tomorrow morning, then,” he said, his tone becoming dismissive.

Nicole had learned when it was time to get up and go, and she did so, making a quick exit and half-running back to her studio. She couldn’t tell if she was more excited or panicked. Having grown up in upstate New York, moving to the city was the biggest thing she’d ever done. She’d even gone to college just a few miles from her parents’ house. While she had spent a semester abroad in Italy studying art, that was the most experience she had with travel, and she had taken some time to plan ahead.

On the other hand, she was about to be whisked away to a foreign land in search of priceless art. How exciting! She reminded herself to be grateful for such opportunities. Heaven knew her friends had experienced nothing like it since graduating college.

Then Imogen entered the studio, and all excitement exited the room.

Nicole grabbed her glasses and replaced them on her nose once more for her close-up work. She really was almost finished, and now with a shorter timeline, she really needed to focus. Also, ignoring Imogen was paramount, because the woman was glaring at her openly.

“Don’t think your little stunt means anything,” Imogen hissed as Nicole set to work.

“What stunt? I got called into the boss’ office for an assignment that I have to complete. There is no ulterior motive there.”

“I’ve seen the way you look at him. You can’t tell me that there’s nothing there, at least on your end.”

“You’re living in a fantasy world, Imogen. All I care about here is the art, nothing else.”

“I certainly hope so, for your sake,” she said darkly.

Nicole continued to focus on her painting, listening as Imogen made her exit. When the door closed, she let out a breath.

If nothing else, it would be wonderful to get a chance to be away from that woman for a while.