“But I thought she went a different direction?” Kaylee asked as Dave slowly exited the hallway.

“She did, but Creepy Rich Guy still wants his nude dude. That’s me.” Ethan took his arm from around her shoulders and looked over the various paintings, trying to see the direction she had chosen for her theme. He still wasn’t sure how it would connect for an audience. “Is this in some kind of order?”

Janie followed Dave into the room, looking wary. “Kaylee, I didn’t realize you’d hate that painting,” she said quickly. She paused when Kaylee swung a crazy-eyed stare her way. “Wow. You are intimidating. And tall. With much better reach than I have. So that’ll make a fight go poorly for me.”

“I’ll protect you, lady love. Not to worry.” Dave sauntered past them.

“From the kitchen?” Janie rolled her eyes. “But anyway, Kaylee, you’re the only one who thinks you look shitty in the portrait. You don’t, trust me.”

“You don’t,” Dave agreed, opening the fridge. “Your makeup is whack, but it’s a painting. And artists are crazy. So that has nothing to do with you as a person.”

“You sleep with crazy,” Janie said to him, still looking warily at Kaylee. “Remember that.”

“I do. Every night I say a prayer just in case I am snuffed in my sleep.” Dave brought out a hunk of cheese. “Does anyone else want a snack?”

“We need drinks,” Janie said. “Lots of drinks. Look, Kaylee, I understand if you don’t want to let me show those paintings. I can paint another face on them, but I’d rather not. I am very attached to the way they came out. I have a really good feeling about them. Especially the one you super hate. I want it to be the focal point of my show. Dave, show her the picture from our last show. Yours.”

“Hmm.” Dave threw her a thumbs-up. “I love that one.”

“That’s because you’re the star of it, egomaniac.”

“Yes indeedy. I’ll tell you what, Kaylee.” Dave walked around the island and then crossed through the sea of paintings. “After you get over your weird reaction, you’ll feel like a god. It is awesome walking in and seeing people gathered around your picture.” He turned the corner.

“It won’t be as awesome when they’re snickering and ridiculing me.” Kaylee shook her head and glanced back at the portrait. Fear sparked in her eyes. Ethan draped his arm over her shoulders.

“Look at this.” Dave reappeared with a laptop. He opened it up, messed around with it for a moment, and opened a picture taken at the art show. His painting was right in the middle, framed by drapery and flowers, with people gathered all around it. He set the laptop on the table and waved Kaylee closer. “Now you’re going to tell me that a naked guy with a hard cock isn’t a crazy thing to have as a focal point? Wouldn’t you think that idiot homophobes would get pissed, or uncomfortable, or laugh at me? Or that the girls would mock me, or turn up their noses at such an aggressively phallic piece? Even the art critic was shocked. But you know what? It worked. I didn’t have to punch out one person.”

“True. There were no chokeholds applied all weekend,” Ethan said.

“I wanted to put a few girls in chokeholds,” Janie muttered.

“She was easily the most uncomfortable person at that art show, hands down.” Dave nodded at Janie. Then paused. “Why aren’t you making drinks?”

“Because I’m getting dagger eyes from Ethan’s new love,” Janie retorted.

“You’re making things awkward, hon,” Dave said, going back to his computer and flipping through pictures.

“I’m making things awkward? You just showed everyone a picture of your cock.” Janie headed to the kitchen.

“You painted it, so I’m pretty sure that’s your fault.” Dave straightened and looked around the room. “Okay, then. On a scale of one to ten, Kaylee, how likely are you to get over having your face in the paintings?”

She blinked a couple times, her gaze going back to the piece on the table. Her face colored. “I don’t know. I don’t want to be laughed at.”

“This show will be in Arizona, number one.” Dave held up a finger before bending to move a painting so he could sit on a stool pulled up to the island. “Do you know anyone there?”

“No…but…”

“It won’t have your name anywhere near it, number two.” He held up another finger. Then a third finger. “I can’t think of anything else.”

“It is a statement of girl power,” Janie said, sagging a little as she started to make drinks. She hated talking about the emotion behind her art. “When I painted that, I had in my mind how fierce you looked. Balls to the wall. You didn’t give a damn about anything but seeing the man you loved. Or liked. Or wanted to bone—whatever. Then I caught traces of your insecurity and vulnerability. Which totally made sense, given the situation. You looked like a hot mess while showing up at a hooker’s friend’s house. I mean, hello, courage, am I right? You went for it. Stood up straight, all pumped from your workout, and marched right up to him—”

“She romanticizes things.” Dave winked at Kaylee.

“—and went for it. That was cool. Then his face when he saw you… It was like lightning struck him out of the clear blue sky. He was digging it hard. It was a rare and awesome situation I felt privileged to be a witness.”

“You’re starting to sound like Ethan,” Dave said dryly.

“And you might not wake up tomorrow,” Janie replied nonchalantly, straightening up.

“Don’t I know it.” Dave winked again.

Janie looked at the ceiling while shaking her head.

Kaylee burst out laughing and put her hands on her hips. “I feel like I’m trapped in a circus.”

“And that’s without the clowns next door tramping around.” Dave wandered the room, looking at the art. “How many more do you think you’ll do in this set, darling?”

A crooked smile worked up Kaylee’s face at Dave’s term of endearment. Janie always said it sounded special when he said it. Judging by Kaylee’s look, she was on the same page as the rest of them, who thought it odd and old-fashioned.

Ethan laughed and surveyed the paintings. “Is this a journey like the last one, or just a hodgepodge of whatever you want?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t know.” Janie tapped the top of the shaker for Dave and exited the kitchen. It had been decided that shaking drinks was the men’s job so the ladies could ogle. “I’m just going with the flow. This is the loose structure I see in showing it, if Kaylee lets me use her.” She bit her lip and her eyes clouded. “I don’t think this is as good as the last show. God, I hope I don’t disappoint everyone.”

Kaylee’s face fell as she looked at Janie. This was the first real glimpse she’d had of his fierce friend’s underbelly.

“You can’t see how excellent it is because you aren’t as attached this time. You’re painting what you’re seeing and feeling.” Ethan rubbed Janie’s back. “It is every bit as good. Every bit. And I’m not just saying that.”

“I keep telling her that, but it’s like talking to a brick wall,” Dave said. Ice cubes and liquid sloshed around the shaker.

“Anyway, you guys are giving me more inspiration just by being in my presence,” Janie said, walking along the row of paintings. “So I’ll see where that leads me, then just…stop, I guess. I don’t really know.”

Kaylee joined her—a peace offering. “Aside from the Beast Lady that keeps staring at me, these are really awesome, Janie.” She stopped next to one of Ethan. “I can’t believe I’m in the home of the artist that did that huge show, looking at paintings that haven’t been released to the public yet. This might be even more awesome than eating from an unreleased menu at the best restaurant in town.”

“Oh, did you get in to sample Owen’s new menu?” Dave asked as he poured drinks.

“Yeah. The timing was great on that.” Ethan found his way to the couch and took a seat. He didn’t want to overanalyze the pieces yet, not until they were all finished. This time, he wanted to experience the full effect of the big reveal. “We got the special room and everything.”

“That spot is sweet. I always feel like royalty when we go in there.” Dave set the shaker aside. He took two glasses and walked around the island, heading straight for Ethan. “Do you need both of these? Or a shot?”

“Nah.” Ethan took a drink and motioned for Dave to give the other to Kaylee. “I’m good. She already saw me naked.”

“Yes, but…I’m here.” Dave touched his chest. “I fully expect to be drunk for this.”

“Then you better hurry. I want to get going. I have a Beast Lady waiting on me.”

Kaylee’s face turned bright red and she glanced at the painting of her again.

“Beauty is a beast, hon,” Dave said as though that were an epiphany. “That’s a good title, huh?”

“You do you, let me do me,” Janie replied, squinting down at one of the paintings. She shook herself out of whatever thoughts she’d been snarled up in and looked at Ethan. “Okay. Let’s do this. Dave, I need a drink. This is going to be weird.”

“Where do you want me?” Ethan asked as he threw an arm over the back of the couch.

“I hate how comfortable you are with this.” Janie skulked off to her art room without answering him.

“So…” Kaylee said to Ethan as she joined Dave by the island. “On our first date, your plan was dinner, followed by…this?”

“Happy birthday,” he said with a grin.

The confusion on her face warred with a smile. “Who are you?”

“The biggest mistake of your life. Good luck with that.” Dave tapped the side of her glass. “You should plan on being drunk for the rest of your life so that his weird antics make sense. That, or perma-high.”

“All I’d need to do is visit your neighbors.” Kaylee laughed.

Dave rolled his eyes and shook his head. He paused, looking like he was going to say something, then shook his head again.

“Okay. Get naked, Ethan. Let’s get this over with.” Janie lugged out the smaller of canvases that she’d shown him the other day. He didn’t ask about the size, but she explained anyway. “I want Hot Mess Kaylee to be the focal point of the show. I want to play with the various aspects of being a strong woman. I think that’ll be interesting. Then there is the man who has the confidence to roll with said woman. A man that doesn’t need to make her smaller to feel like a man. That’s where you come in.”

“Alpha lap dog,” Ethan said.

Janie froze for a moment. “Funny. Ha! I could see you working that title. Letting down your guard is a big thing with intimacy. Letting someone in. Not being afraid to show weaknesses. And it can be even harder for two strong people. I want to portray both sides…” Her voice trailed away and her eyes started to do the Art Stare. She was thinking through her arc for her show, Ethan would bet anything. “Then they intersect. The push and the pull. The shifting…”

Dave finished his drink and started in on Janie’s, watching her with patience. She probably did this all the time while working out new ideas.

“I have it. I have my direction. Great.” Janie’s gaze swung to Kaylee. “Hopefully.” Back to Ethan. “Okay, let’s knock this out. Strip.”