The alpha stroked his mate’s body and kissed his shoulder. "I love you too."
* * *
Wes satat his desk scrolling through the numerous emails that had collected in his inbox. More requests for the museum. He smiled, happy to go through the work and help Carla out. In fact, everything he did was perfectly okay. He couldn't remember ever being so happy and content.
He glanced down at his phone when it rang. Marcellus. Wes was about to pick it up when Carla knocked on the door to his office and let herself inside.
"Busy?" she asked.
Wes shook his head and closed his desk drawer that held his phone. "No, uh, no. I was just going through the emails and trying to see if there were any good leads for new art pieces." He closed out the emails and smiled at Carla. "What can I help you with?"
"I need you to go to my office." She waved a hand. "Come on."
Wes raised a brow. He wanted to ask more questions, but Carla was out of her seat and walking away before he could do that. He sighed. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen. Even if he didn't have reason to suspect that he'd done anything wrong, it was still nerve-wracking to be called into the boss' office.
Wes sat down in a chair in front of her desk and waited. Carla took her time before she settled into her seat and typed on her computer. She finally swivelled her monitor around and smiled at him.
"Congratulations."
"For?" Wes leaned forward and peered at the screen before his eyes widened. "Wait..."
Carla's lips curled. "That's right! Katherine loved your art in her exhibition so much that she wants you to become a featured artist. Your work will have a designated space, and it will be there twenty-four seven. What do you think?"
"I-I don't know what to say." Wes stared at the email in awe. "So I'll have to stay here all the time then? If I'm a featured artist, I suspect I'll have to be over there more often, right?"
Carla nodded. "That's right. And she wants new pieces from you. Most of the ones from your show have sold, and the demand for more is high. We have to keep the momentum going so you get name recognition."
Wes couldn't believe his ears. Not only had his guest exhibition gone right, but it was more than that. Katherine wanted more of his art. She wanted him to sell his pieces there. It was the perfect start on the path to getting a gallery of his own. That had always been Wes' dream. He could already imagine a quaint little gallery in the city, one nearby to a house of his own in the future instead of his poky apartment.
"Happy?" Carla raised a brow.
"Are you kidding me?" Wes jumped up from his seat and bounced up and down. "Fucking hell, I can't believe this is actually happening. Someone wants my art!"
"I told you that it was amazing. You just didn't listen." Carla leaned back in her chair. "Congrats, Wes. I'm so proud of you and all of the work that you've done."
Wes beamed. "Thank you." He checked his phone. "It's time for me to clock out. Do you mind?"
"Not at all. I do expect a celebratory drink as a thank you though." She grinned. "I like champagne the most."
"Yes, Carla." Wes laughed as he strolled out of her office. "Thank you!"
He couldn't wait to tell Marcellus the good news. Pretty soon, he would have a gallery of his own and then he would be on the level he was supposed to be. Or at least the level he strived to be on. It had been years since he had started drawing and then painting. Finally, it was paying off.
Wes drove back to his place and stepped inside. Music pumped through the apartment, and he smiled. Marcellus must have gotten tied up with his work or he would have picked him up. The omega walked into the living room and caught his mate sitting on the couch, nodding his head and typing away on his laptop.
"Hey," Wes grinned and walked over to him.
Marcellus abandoned his laptop right away and tugged Wes toward him. "Hey, love. How was work?" He glanced around. "Shit, I was supposed to cook. clean, and grab you from work."
Wes laughed and waved a hand. "Fuck all of that now. I have something awesome to tell you!"
Marcellus picked up the array of files and books he had sprawled out on the couch. He pushed them away and pulled Wes into his lap. He squirmed at the warmth and comfort that surrounded him.
"Carla's friend from the gallery made an inquiry before she emailed me." Wes opened his email and showed it to Marcellus. "She loves my work!" He blurted out before Marcellus could even read the email entirely. "I'm going to become a featured artist!"
"Congratulations!" Marcellus kissed Wes all over in a fit of happiness. "Then how are you going to send the work back?" Marc tilted his head. "How is she going to set up details for a long-distance art partnership?"
Wes blinked. "What do you mean long-distance, babe? I'll be right here working on new pieces for her that I'm sure she'll love."
