“Told you.” Lawson raises his brows at Frankie, who shakes his head.
I exchange an amused look with Lawson. Frankie’s first assumption is always that a woman is making demands. Possibly due to the messy divorce he’s currently wrapped up in with his second wife.
“How’s the gallery?” I ask.
Lawson adjusts his bowtie, tipping his head to one side. “It’s good. But it would be even better if I could tie down another big name for a show. It’s been months since we’ve generated enough buzz to get front page ofNew York Magazine. My contributors are getting impatient.”
I slide one hand into my pant pocket. “How about Ashton Conti?”
“Keep talking.” Lawson’s lips curl into a smile.
“Sullivan helped him with his engagement ring. And Sinclair’s friends with his fiancée.”
“The mystery muse?” Lawson’s smile transforms into a delighted laugh. “That was quite the story on the art circuit a couple of months back.”
“I recall,” I hum in amusement.
Maybe that’s what prompted my daughter to contact Hallie. She saw her friend fall for an artist who fell in love with her without ever seeing her face. Sinclair probably thought it was a perfect example of the universe weaving its magic for love. She must have wondered what else it could do. Whether it could bring some light into her father’s tormented existence.
“I’ll swing by and see you at the club tomorrow. We can talk.”
I nod. “You’re buying lunch.”
Frankie whistles.
“Is that the woman Sinclair hired for you? The matchmaker?”
My spine stiffens as I follow his beady eyes to Hallie, who’s standing with Lavinia and chatting animatedly to a group of people.
“Halliday Burton,” I confirm. “And she’s a divine power facilitator.”
“Divine… you can say that again,” Frankie says.
He licks his lips, his eyes roaming over Hallie in her long silk dress that hugs her every curve. The back of it dips low. Far enough that I’m confident she isn’t wearing a bra. But I’ve refrained from allowing my gaze to dip low enough over her front to check. My willpower can keep me from looking. But there’s no telling how fast it could desert me if I were to glimpse her perfect tight nipples teasing beneath the silk of her dress.
I clear my throat. “She’s not a damn steak, Frankie. Get your tongue back in your mouth.”
“I’d rather get it in hers.” He runs a hand around his jaw, eye-fucking Hallie without restraint.
My blood heats, rushing in my ears. “She’s thirty,” I snap.
Frankie chuckles, the sound making me want to rip his voice box out.
“Sounds like heaven. What I wouldn’t give to have a younger woman bouncing on my balls. Bet she’s got some energy.”
He drinks her in until I adjust my position, blocking her from his eyeline. He leans to see around me, and I step to one side casually like I’m stretching my legs.
The glass in my hand threatens to shatter into pieces as I picture squeezing his neck.
“Isn’t that what got you kicked out?” Lawson smirks.
“Thanks for the reminder,” Frankie grunts, abandoning his attempts to watch Hallie. “Take it from me, gentlemen, if you’re going to snort coke off a hooker’s asshole and then fuck her there, don’t record it for your personal use afterward. Wives find that shit like sniffer hounds.”
Lawson snorts into his drink, and I muster every ounce of strength inside me not to drag Frankie outside right now and throw him under a cab.
“I’m going to go and introduce myself to the lovely Halliday,” he purrs with a leery wink.
He takes a step, and I move forward so I’m toe to toe with him.
