“This isn’t the fifties, dear husband.”
“I’m yanking your chain, kitty cat.” I wink. “All that to say, I made an executive decision about you.”
She cocks an eyebrow. “What kind of executive decision?”
I reach to the seat across from me and grab my Louis Vuitton briefcase. I rummage through it and pull out a stack of business cards.
I hand them to her.
Her gaze bounces from the cards she’s holding to my eyes.
“Michaela König, Art Director and Principal Art Buyer, König Imperial Holding.” She reads out loud.
She blinks at me.
“Congratulations on your new appointment,” I say. “I hear your new boss is a pleasure to work for.”
She narrows her gaze. “Let me guess.You’remy new boss?”
My lips break into a triumphant grin. “In the flesh.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“You said you’re not one to sit idle. You worked for one of New York’s top art buyers in your attempt to distance yourself from Thana––”
“I was his assistant. You promoted me to director. That’s a huge leap.”
“You can handle it,” I say. “It’s the same thing you were doing in New York, but now you represent one client and you call all the shots. You’ll even have an executive assistant.”
“I hope I’m not taking someone else’s position?”
“Actually, you are.”
Her face drops.
“Please, tell me you didn’t demote or fire someone on my account. I couldn’t live with myself if you did that.”
I love her altruistic nature.
I reach out for her cheek and caress it. “I’m not that kind of asshole boss, kitty cat.”
“Thank God. I couldn’t stay married to you if you were.”
“The woman who held the position before you was expecting another child. She left a little over a month ago. She now has four boys under the age of eleven, and she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom to raise her family. We were supposed to fill the position before her departure to ensure a smooth transition, but with Dad’s heart attack and recovery, Roman’s surfing accident, and my extra responsibilities, it slipped to the bottom of the list of priorities. Additionally, after meeting with your dad for the first time a month ago, I told the director who was responsible for finding a replacement to put the hiring on ice. From your profile, I knew you’d be the perfect candidate.”
She shakes her head. “Anything is possible in your world.”
“Pretty much,” I say. “If you accept the position, you can get started when we land in Paris?—”
“What?”
“While I’m in meetings, you can visit the galleries for inspiration, that way you can hit the ground running when we get back to LA. We’re in the middle of a renovation of a new Pompadour luxury residency-slash-hotel in Santa Monica that will require a lot of new art—paintings, sculptures, pricey vases, you name it. You can work with the decorator to make it happen.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.” I nod. “Take it or leave it, Mrs. König?”
She considers me for a beat.
