Ethan climbed out of the limo before helping Kaylee out behind him. Just like last time, Ethan had helped choose the venue for the event. This time, it was in a run-down building with peeling paint and weeds choking the walkway. Being that Scottsdale was a nicer part of Arizona, there hadn’t been a ton of options, so they’d gone for the worst building on the block scenario. While it was certainly a step up from the broken glass and jacked-up sidewalks of the first warehouse, they’d given it the same vibe, decorating with plants and flowers, and billowing cloth along the exterior walls.

“Looking good so far,” Madison murmured.

Ethan, Janie, and Dave were the only ones who’d seen the place done up, with placeholders for the paintings. Janie and Dave had flown out again to see the dry run. Creepy Rich Guy had covered everything, and was now skulking around inside somewhere, seeing all the art for the first time.

“I hate that he gets a nude painting of me,” Ethan muttered.

“I hear that, bro,” Dave said. “It sucks.”

“Thanks, Ethan,” Janie said in a tiny voice. “This is only possible because of you.”

“How’s that taste, Dave?” Noah asked with a smirk. “All of this because of Ethan’s cock.”

“We gotta get you in those heels,” Dave said darkly.

A line of people already waited at the door, and the event was only an hour in. Dave and the crew had done some social media promotion, but their reach hadn’t gone as far in this city. So Dave had spread the word to the galleries, and Creepy Rich Guy had done some marketing of his own.

The news had caught on like a wildfire. All they’d had to do was get it going. Anticipation had taken over from there.

They’d entertained the idea of giving special guests and VIPs an exclusive preview, but it was the only request Creepy Rich Guy had denied. He wanted the stuffy critics and gallery owners to wait in line like everyone else. Since he was footing the bill, there wasn’t much they could do about it.

“You look great,” Madison told Janie, fixing her friend’s hair. Janie had gotten ready during the short flight, sighing and fretting the whole time.

“Almost there,” Janie said with her hand on her stomach. “I’m going to get torn down.”

“Anything popular gets torn down,” Noah said, rubbing Janie’s back. “That’s how you know it’s a sensation. If there aren’t any naysayers, then you know you didn’t hit hard enough.”

“Great.” Janie wiped her brow.

They neared the door and a greeter/bouncer clicked a counter in his hand. He nodded and waved them in, obviously clueless that he’d greeted the artist. Janie relaxed only marginally.

Just like last time, they turned a corner and the world opened up. Kaylee, who hadn’t seen the setup before, now or for the last event, sucked in a breath and grabbed Ethan’s hand. Moveable cube walls covered in silk directed people in one of two ways—to the right, which seemed more masculine based on the dark, primary colors, or the left, which seemed more feminine based on the lighter, sometimes pastel colors. One side for Ethan’s journey, and one for Kaylee’s.

“Which way?” Ethan asked Kaylee. Everyone turned to look at her.

She pointed right.

Lights twinkled overhead and the fabric shifted and moved as people lightly touched it or rustled it in passing. It made the whole place come alive in an intriguing way.

“Janie,” they heard as they reached the first paintings. Kaylee was the only one who didn’t look around. Instead, she stared at the abstract, entranced.

“I don’t remember seeing this one,” she said.

“You might not have,” Ethan said. “She added a few at the last minute, I think.”

Kaylee jerked and her face went red, but she didn’t say anything.

Before he could ask her about it, the man who’d called out to Janie worked his way toward them through a mass of people. “Oh, Ethan, hello!”

It was Mick Jenkins, the art critic Ethan had called in a favor with to review Janie’s work at the first event. Ethan had dropped him a line to say there’d be another, and Mick’s response had been ecstatic.

“Nice of you to make it,” Ethan said, shaking his hand and trying not to get distracted by the slicked-back black hair, obviously dyed. It was a weird look on an older man.

“Janie, it’s great to see you again. I am…” A smile stretched across his face. “I admit, I thought we’d see another nude, like at the first show.”

“There is one.” She vaguely pointed down the way.

“Right, right, yes. But I thought you’d make it the focal point, like in the first show. Many artists fall into the rut of what worked last time. That you didn’t is…intriguing. Truly. You chose the perfect piece to show off. Powerful. Rich. Nuanced. Once again, you have your finger on the pulse. Perfect. I didn’t think you could outdo yourself, but I stand corrected. It is like it’s my first time experiencing your work. Great work, really. You’ve done me proud.”

“Thanks,” Janie said with a flaming face.

Mick nodded and took a step back. “Great. Well. I’m going to make my way around again from the other direction.”

“Enjoy the show,” Dave said, shaking Mick’s hand.

“See?” Noah nudged Kaylee. “He was into it. Beast Lady works for you.”

“Thanks, Noah,” Kaylee said dryly.

“So where is my horrible surprise?” Ethan asked as they continued on. Each painting jumped out at him, making him remember a certain feeling or phase of courtship with Kaylee. It was a trip.

“Not long now,” she mumbled as they passed his nude portrait, surrounded by a crowd. Kaylee stopped for a moment and stared, her eyes roaming. She kept going back to his eyes, even though that was by far the least noticeable thing about the painting. Which everyone else seemed to agree with her on, if their points and gasps were any indication.

“She painted you perfectly,” Kaylee whispered, taking a step closer. “So handsome. Beguiling. I’m…” Her hand drifted to her chest. “I love you, and I’m turned on by you, and I want to screw you right now.”

“So, performance art, then? I can see that working.”

“She’s exceptional,” Kaylee said, pausing again at another piece. “Fantastic.”

When they finally made it to the back of the building, their path through the moveable cube walls widened. A last painting of Ethan was stationed on their right, standing tall but giving the vibe of utter relaxation. A smile spread across his face as he beheld it.

“Nailed it,” Colton said, clapping Ethan on the back. “Your posture is weird.”

“He’s weird.” Madison laughed.

“And now, the lady of the hour.” Dave motioned them on to the focal point Mick had been talking about. The painting of Kaylee.

Beauty.

Unlike Dave’s portrait at the last show, there wasn’t fabric draping this one. The space was completely undecorated—just a cube wall covered in plain gray fabric, adorned with the image of his perfect hot mess.

A crowd of people stood around, chatting quietly. Some pointed, their fingers moving through the air as they studied various aspects of the painting. Others tapped their chins or chests, staring. One shook her head and rolled her eyes before moving on.

A flash of rage moved through Ethan, and he noticed Dave, Colton, and Noah had all gone taut as well. He laughed at the situation. “No one disrespects our ladies.”

Dave glanced over, realized what Ethan had seen, and relaxed, a smile stretching across his face. “Haters.”

“You got that right,” Noah said, patting Janie on the arm before doing the same to Kaylee. “Idiots. C’mon, let’s look at the other side. But uh oh, don’t look now. Two people just put in bids.”

“See?” Ethan looped his arm around Kaylee’s shoulders. “Can’t be all that bad. They want to buy you.”

“Ethan knows exactly how that feels,” Janie said, heaving a shuddering breath.

As they continued down the path, taking in the other side of the show, the others often had to drag Ethan away from the various portraits of his love. Halfway through, he noticed the others hurrying along. Kaylee tensed.

“What’s happening?” Ethan asked, lowering his voice. “Is it Creepy Rich Guy? He stresses me out.”

“Surprise,” Kaylee said with a heavy voice.

Confused, he looked around. It wasn’t until Colton got out of the way, quickly walking past a small knot of people, his eyes on the ground, that Ethan saw it.

Kaylee.

Not in beast form. Not this time. No makeup, smeared or otherwise, detracted from or enhanced her face. Her hair fell around her face, straight and shiny. She stared out at the crowd with a sultry expression and beguiling eyes. Her body was arched, as if in ecstasy, and her mouth was slightly open—the way it looked before she let out a moan. A see-through pink nightie draped around her body, just barely showing off her puckered pink nipples, and hinting at her trimmed pubic area.

His stomach flipped and his cock hardened. It was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen, showing off the most beautiful woman Ethan had ever known.

“I was going to go totally nude, but Janie got a better reading or whatever from the nightie, so we went that route.” Kaylee tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes tracked a man who scribbled something onto a piece of paper and bent to put it into the bidding box attached to the movable wall. A woman stuffed a piece of paper in next.

“Why did you do this?” Ethan asked, his stomach doing somersaults and his cock throbbing.

She shrugged. “Because you did. Because Janie wanted to paint me when I felt sexually empowered. I tried to think of how you make me feel. How beautiful I always feel with you. Safe, trusting, and able to completely let go. Alive. With you, I feel the most sexually empowered I ever have, because you allow me to be me. So then”—she shrugged again—“she painted that.”

He pulled her to him and kissed her, opening her mouth with his and delving his tongue in. “It’s perfect. Sensual, sexy, and all you. I love it. I have to buy it.”

“We anticipated that. She did two of them. This one, and the better of the two, which is hidden in the closet at her house.”

“Joe and Tim better not have seen it…”

Her smile was teasing and languid. She stepped away. “I brought the nightie in my suitcase, if you want to reenact it later.”

“Oh my God, that’s him. Oh my God, that’s her!” A young woman yanked her friend’s arm and pointed between Ethan and Kaylee. “It’s them!” Her gaze swung right. “Wait. Isn’t that the guy from the last one?”

“It’s them! They know the artist. They have to.” The friend squealed, and Janie turned and hid her face.

“No way! Is that the artist?” the first one screeched.

Everyone stopped to look. Fingers came out, pointing.

“Time to go,” Ethan said, hurrying forward.

“It’s the one who turned around!” someone yelled. “I bet you anything.”

“Get her picture!”

“Is that her?”

“It’s a her?”

“Who?”

Phones came out. Janie pulled her wrap over her face as Dave swung her up into his arms. Colton and Noah stepped in on either side of them, cutting people off and pushing them out of the way. Ethan hurried Kaylee through the crowd, knocking people out of his way as he did so.

“Side door,” Dave yelled as a few people followed behind them, their phones held high.

They continued to jog through the startled crowd. Dave kicked open the door and took Janie through. Colton and Noah ushered Madison and then Ethan and Kaylee out of the building before leaving themselves. They closed the door and took off to the left, heading for the limo.

“This is exciting,” Ethan said as he picked Kaylee up and jogged after Dave.

“I could definitely outrun her in those heels. Proof,” Dave yelled, looking over his shoulder.

“Will you drop that and focus on where we’re going?” Janie said. “Good lord, that was embarrassing.”

They made it to the limo and filed in. A few people had come out of the building, looking around. They spotted the limo and hurried toward it.

“Go, go, go!” Colton said with a smile. Noah dove in and Ethan reached for the door.

“Go!” Ethan shouted as he yanked it shut.

The people knocked on the limo like it was a concert and they had the rock star. The limo started forward, easily losing them.

In the silence that followed, everyone breathed heavily. Chuckles bubbled up out of Ethan. Then Madison. Then Colton. Soon, they were all laughing, even Janie.

“Well, it seems we have a celebrity in our midst,” Colton said.

“That was nuts. I’ll have to forgo these things in the future.” Janie pushed the hair out of her face.

“Nah. We’ll just hide you in a costume.” Dave winked at her.

Janie’s gaze sought out Kaylee, then Ethan. “How’d you like the nude of Kaylee, Ethan? You pissed?”

He frowned at her. “Why would I be pissed?”

“Do you girls not know him at all?” Noah’s brow furrowed.

“I can see how he’d be pissed. His woman, naked, is going to the highest bidder.” Madison nodded.

“And a picture of my hard cock is being shown to the world before it heads home with Creepy Rich Dude. I thought you girls were the ones worried about double standards?” Ethan looped his arm around Kaylee’s shoulders.

“This is true,” Madison said.

“I mean, hello?” Noah gave each girl an exasperated look.

“But I do want that other painting.” Ethan squeezed Kaylee. “And you. Will you marry me?”

She laughed, a delighted sound.

“Turn him down again,” Colton said with a laugh. “An even dozen.”

“I’d turn him down, too, with a proposal like that.” Madison crossed her arms.

“You’d turn down any proposal,” Janie said.

“True,” Madison conceded.

“Poor Colton.” Dave slapped Colton on the back.

“But someday,” Kaylee said to Ethan quietly. “Someday I will.”

He kissed her softly. “I’ll hold you to that.”

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