Romantic Suspense
Date Published: 10/25/2013
Riley Saunders has her dream job. As an art director at a leading advertising agency, she works every day with her two best friends, Stella and Birdie. All three have been assigned to ensure that the Grand Opening of the Peterson Art Museum is nothing short of a success.
When a girl’s night out at a hot new Italian restaurant ends with a spilled bottle of wine, it sets in motion a series of events that leaves Stella and Birdie caught up in whirlwind romances, and Riley fearing for her life at the hands of a deranged stalker. But, when the handsome museum curator, Trent Peterson, learns of her situation, he vows to keep her safe.
In a quick-paced tale of fine art, wine forgery, and the Russian Mafia, Riley and her friends soon discover their pursuit of love will require them to expose a crime, thwart a murder, and trust the one thing that has never failed them…their friendship.
EXCERPT
the pages of a men's fashion magazine. She
invited him inside to show him her
meager collection of art that she’d acquired
over the past ten years. He looked
closely at the paintings and grinned when he
saw the one painted by his mother.
“You have one of my mother's very first
original paintings. I'm not sure if you
realize how much this has appreciated in
value.” His hand swept over the painting.
“The museum would pay you to allow us to use
this at our opening. We’ve devoted
one room to display her artwork. Most of her
early paintings were sold at a modest
price.” He shrugged. “We haven't had much luck
locating them.”
“I’d be happy to lend it to you without
payment.”
“Thank you, but I want you to think of this as
a business arrangement. I’d
rather pay you than a lot of other people I
deal with, and remember, an amount is
budgeted for this by the museum trustees.”
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’m proud
of it. It will be nice to see my
small contribution hanging in your museum.”
“Your other paintings are good too.” He walked
over to examine one hanging
above her couch. “Your choices say a lot about
you.” He smiled down at her.
“Such as?” A quizzical grin played around her
mouth.
“Well for one, you chose vibrant colors, which
suggests a zest for life. You
chose pictures that did not give away
everything at first glance, suggesting an in
depth character with an inquisitive mind.
Lastly, this rug and couch pillow
suggests you love the color red.” He laughed
at her expression.
“You must be psychic.” She smacked his arm.
“Can we take this painting along
tonight so I can see where it will hang?”
“If you wish. Do you have a soft blanket to
wrap it in?”
“Yes, just a moment.”
Riley brought a velour blanket from her
closet. Trent
carefully and carried it to his car, a
luxurious black Jaguar. He opened the
passenger door for her before carefully
stowing the painting.
The museum was not far. Within minutes, he
drove into an underground garage
to a parking spot reserved specifically for
his private entrance. He unlocked the
door, retrieved the painting from the car and
followed Riley inside. The door
opened into a dimly lit foyer. She noted a few
offices off to one side. A curved
hallway on the other side led into the main
part of the museum.
A security guard shined a flashlight beam on
them before acknowledging
“Good evening, Mr. Peterson, I knew you were
coming in tonight, but I had to
check anyway.” He lowered the flashlight.
“As I would have expected you to. You’re doing
a good job, Kenny. Thank
you. We’ll be in several of the rooms tonight.
Ms. Saunders is going to look
around while I do some work in the Victorian
Room.”
“Okay, Mr. Peterson, I'll bring up the lights
for you.” Kenny nodded as he
walked away.
Riley could not contain her excitement. She
loved the smells associated with
museums. This one, being new, emitted all
sorts of aromas, oil paint, wall paint,
varnish, wood. That she could enjoy the
artwork without moving through crowds
of people made it even more special.
“Come along, I’ll show you my mother's display
room.” Trent juggled the
picture under his arm and took her hand just
as the lights came on.
They followed the wide hallway until it curved
leading into a three-sided open
room. It had been designed for easy viewing.
Trent removed the cover from her
painting and hung it with care on a wall that
had been allotted for his mother’s
earlier paintings. Riley looked around in fascination.
Trent smiled at the rapt expression on her
face. “I'm going to leave you for a
short time while I work. If you need me, just
call my cell. The other guard knows
we’re here also. Don't hesitate to ask them
for help or directions to specific
rooms.”
“Okay, Trent
just call my cell.” She laughed.
“I shouldn't be more than an hour.” He started
back in the direction from which
they’d come.
To Riley, the hour passed in a blink. She was
so engrossed at what was spread
out before her eyes, she wasn’t even aware
that Trent
fingers brushed hers. Then, she became very
aware of him. With his arm touching
hers and the scent of his cologne, he radiated
an aura of masculinity that engulfed
her.
“What do think of our museum,” he asked
softly.
“It’s magnificent, Trent
gone an hour?”
“Actually, I've been gone an hour and a half.
I guess you didn't miss me at all.”
He feigned indignation. “Let’s walk through
the rooms so you can get a quick
look. I know you’re a working girl. I don't
want to keep you out too late, and as
you saw, time can get away from you.”
He took her hand and they spent the next two
hours moving quickly through
galleries and different exhibitions. She got
an idea of where she would like to
spend more time when she returned for another
visit.
It was midnight when he pulled up in front of her apartment. He walked
with
her, and waited while she unlocked the door.
She turned to say goodnight, but her
words stuck in her throat as she looked at
him. She knew he was going to kiss her;
she knew she wanted him to. She lifted her
face and his lips found hers. The Earth
spun faster and faster until her whole body
felt weak. She pulled her lips away and
clung to him until her knees held her again.
They both stood silently for a moment,
lost in the wonder of what had just
transpired. Finally, he said very softly.
“Goodnight, Riley, I'll call you tomorrow.”
Leona Pence started reading romance novels as a teen. She graduated from Nancy Drew stories to Harlequin Romance, and then to her favorite author, Barbara Cartland and her vast Regency romance collection. Happy endings were a must.
Leona began writing late in life after the death of her husband of forty-four years. They married on her 19th birthday after a three month courtship – and yes – love at first sight really did happen.
She enjoys reading, writing, online pool, and especially being a Mentor in F2K, a free online writing course.
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1 Comments
Thank you, Bailey, for hosting me. I appreciate it.
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