“If he didn’t he would have canceled the meeting,” Rome said, sounding kind of snappy. She gave him a somber expression.
“Rome. You promised,” she said to him.
Rome walked closer, took her hand, and pulled her into his arms. “I want you with me safe and sound at all times. I don’t need some rich jeweler getting to talk paintings and gallery events with you and touching your hair or whispering into your ear while you look at papers and shit.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked with her palms against his chest.
He placed his hand over her ass.
“You’re gorgeous and sexy. He’s a man and he dressed you in fucking lingerie before we did.”
She chuckled and cupped his cheeks.
“You can dress me in lingerie all you want and anything you like.”
He widened his eyes.
“Anything I like?” he asked and she blushed.
“We need to get moving or she won’t make it to the meeting,” Slade said and Mercury cleared his throat.
“You all set?” he asked. She nodded and then kissed Rome, then Rylan and Remo before taking Slade’s hand and walking out with him, Falco, and Mercury.
* * * *
“You’re very lucky to have such a beautiful, talented artist like Rose for your girlfriend. Although it probably wasn’t necessary to accompany her here. I’m not offering any signed contract. I’m just asking for a verbal agreement that she give me a percentage of her sales. After all, I am a businessman, Mercury,” Mulgoff said to him as they all gathered around his living room sipping cognac.
“What exactly is the percentage you’re asking for?” she asked before Mercury could.
Mulgoff smiled at her and reached out and patted her knee, which did not go unnoticed by her men.
“Twenty, thirty percent?” he asked and waved his hand in the air as if either would be fine.
“I think you should get more,” Rose said to him.
“Rose,” Mercury said her name.
“Well, think about it, Mercury. Mulgoff is spending his money to host the event, have refreshments and food and staff to assist. He needs to make that up and also gain a profit. If the paintings sold for half as much as the others we would both still do very well, wouldn’t we?” she asked Mulgoff and then looked at Mercury.
Mulgoff smiled. “I don’t think you needed your boyfriends here to negotiate terms at all. It seems you have a natural knack for it. I will accept whatever percentage of sales you would find suitable considering I am providing the venue, the guests, the food and drinks and servers. It will all be covered.”
She looked at Mercury, Slade and Falco. “You’re running the show,” Falco said and she smirked.
She looked at Mulgoff. “Mulgoff, meeting you that night at the party has changed my life. It made me money I needed, got my artwork out there and now the ability to do this gallery event, but most importantly it got me to meet the James brothers and fall in love. How does a fifty/fifty deal sound to you?” she asked.
Mulgoff smiled. “Sounds very generous, and like a woman in love. Deal.” He reached his hand out for her to shake as he stood and she stood up too, shook his hand and he leaned close and kissed each cheek.
“To being business partners and making a lot of money. This is only the beginning,” he said and winked.
She turned to look at her men, who seemed stunned.
“Shall we take a look at the paintings and come up with a theme for the event?” he asked and she nodded then walked with him and her men followed. He had the paintings displayed in a room on easels. He walked through and talked to her about which ones to present where and then asked if she had more paintings she was working on.
“I have one that’s nearly complete, and a bunch more in their warehouse,” she told him.
“Well, I’d like to see more of them and then pick about forty to show.”
“Forty?” I thought you said a small event with about a dozen paintings,” she asked.
“That was before the fifty/ fifty deal, darling. We’re going to make a lot of money. You’ll be able to open your own gallery if you want,” he said and winked and she couldn’t help but be excited.