The Gallery (Contemporary Reverse Harem 4)

“I’m not. I’ve been thinking hard about this.”

I didn’t tell him Blu had told me the same thing—not to be hasty, and that he thought I’d be an idiot for letting any of the guys slip through my fingers.

But I had to figure out what my new life was going to look like. And it might not include the gallery, sex parties, or the four men who’d worked their way into my heart.

And it certainly wasn’t going to include my ex-husband, or the bitches with Hermès bags who I’d thought had been my friends.

That night, after dinner, the guys all went their separate ways. I needed time to myself, and I think they wanted to process both what I’d said and face what had happened to their friend Smith.

They’d talked about him over dinner.

“Did anyone see him leave the party?” Sumner asked.

We all shook our heads.

Except for Chase. “You know, I’d stepped outside to call Ruby’s nanny and check in. I thought I saw him walking up the street, but when I shouted after him, he didn’t turn around. I just assumed it wasn’t him and went back to my call,” he said.

“Was it like him to not say goodbye?” I asked.

Sumner pursed his lips. “Hard to say. He was a pretty independent guy. Always had been, having grown up an only child.”

“Well,” Ash said, “I’d like to know more. I wonder if we could find anyone at the party who spoke to him. Or saw him.”

“I’m not sure how we would do that. I mean, we’re pretty careful about respecting peoples’ privacy. We can’t really ask people who they have and have not spoken to,” Sumner said.

“Yeah, but we can ask a few of the guests we know well. If that turns up no info, then we’ll drop it,” Ash said.

I felt for them. I knew all too well how it hurt to lose someone close. But the worst part was, I was scared to death I was about to hurt them more.

“Darling,” Blu said, floating into the gallery with a bunch of new Barneys bags on his arms.

I hope he didn’t plan on telling me what he’d done to get his latest discount. Although I was the happy beneficiary of…well, whatever he did with Juan.

We did the air kiss thing. “Make yourself at home. I need to say goodbye to my clients.”

He craned his neck, always nosy. “Hey, I know those dykes,” Blu said with a big smile.

Ugh.

“Would you be quiet? Act like you have some manners, please.” He’d always had a big mouth on him, and he was so cute he could usually get away with it, but not when I was working.

I took down the two paintings my clients were purchasing and made arrangements to deliver them later in the week. The two women were, by any measure, the lesbian power couple of Manhattan and were amassing an art collection for their Hamptons home.

And I was lucky enough to know them and sell them art.

I found Blu in my office, picking through his shopping bags. “Look what I found you!” he shrieked.

I had to say, the guy had great taste. He held up a pair of wide-legged palazzo pants in a silver-grey silk charmeuse and a black silk blouse with gathers around the neck. It was stunning.

But not something I needed if I were getting rid of the gallery and my role in the Kink Lab parties.

“I like them,” I said, kicking off my shoes and rubbing my sore feet. For some reason, the gallery had been unusually busy. ‘Course it had been hard to run the place since my assistant Dagney had split with my husband. But what was the point of bringing in another assistant if I was closing?

“What do you mean you like them? You would love them if you had any brains. You know how much this stuff cost? And what a discount I got thanks to Juan and our—”

“STOP,” I said. No need for details…

“Well,” he huffed, folding everything neatly and put it back in the bags. “It’s all returnable,” he said with a sniff.