An Heir For Her Enemy (Bossy Bachelors #3)

6. Delaney

CHAPTER 6

DELANEY

D elaney was out on a run.

It was late — past ten o’clock at night — but her neighborhood was relatively safe and she was in desperate need of exercise to clear her head. It had been a long day. One of her clients, Carmen, had called her up at the last minute to look into a piece of street art in Brooklyn. Then she’d spent nearly an hour on the phone with Carmen going back and forth about whether to make an offer on the art. By the time Carmen had decided not to make an offer after all, Delaney was tired and frustrated.

The worst part was that, like all her other clients, Carmen cared only about how much the piece would be worth. She didn’t care that it made a statement on the rights of elderly people and the difficult process of aging in today’s society. It didn’t matter to her that the artist had spent a lifetime traveling and adventuring and that he’d made this piece out of his pain that he couldn’t do that anymore as he got older. Carmen only cared about the bottom line.

Of course, she wasn’t unique in that way. Even Logan, who Delaney had thought might be different, had only wanted to collect art so that he could hide it away in a penthouse somewhere for his wealthy friends to admire. For him, art would always be about prestige — and apparently, a beautiful evening would only be about sleeping together.

Delaney may also have been a little annoyed about that whole situation.

She pushed herself to speed up a little as she crested the top of a small hill and ran down towards a park. The streetlights cast her path in bright yellow light and Delaney still had to dodge people here and there, but at least she was running. She felt her lungs expand and her legs begin to burn. It was nice to focus on something other than how frustrating her clients could be and how much she wanted her own gallery.

Just as she was picking up speed on an empty stretch of sidewalk, her phone dinged. Delaney always left her phone on ring mode in case a client needed to contact her with something urgent. Annoyance flaring again, she slowed to a walk and fished the phone out of the pocket of her jogging pants.

The email icon on her phone showed that she had one new message. She clicked on it, and her eyes went wide.

Dear Delaney,

We met at a gallery opening several weeks ago and I was impressed by your work. I would like to offer you a short-term job authenticating a specific piece of art. This job will require travel to Rome for three days next week, departing on Tuesday October 4 th .

Delaney’s mouth dropped open as she read the first paragraph. Was this new client really offering to fly her to Rome? Delaney had always wanted to travel to Italy. She loved the painters, the food, the language — everything. This was a dream come true. Plus, a new client was always an opportunity to find someone a little more real than the shallow people she usually worked with.

Delaney gave a little dance of happiness. Even without knowing much about the job, she was very excited.

She lifted her phone again to read the rest of the email. After another quick skim of the first paragraph, she continued to the next. The second paragraph included information about compensation, and Delaney’s mouth fell open again. This client was offering an enormous sum for only four days of work. It was enough that she would be able to open her gallery now, instead of working for several more years with wealthy clients. Who was this person? Delaney tried to remember if she’d made such an impression on anyone during the last few gallery openings she’d attended, but she didn’t think so.

Finally, she looked at the last paragraph.

I hope you will be open to working together and I look forward to your answer.

Sincerely,

Logan Banks

No. No, no, no. Delaney closed the email. How could this be happening? The offer was amazing, but there was no way she could work with Logan. He was a complete jerk. No amount of money would be enough for her to agree to an international trip with a guy who had walked out on her the morning after they had slept together without a backwards glance.

Delaney wasn’t even going to answer. She put her phone back in her pocket and continued her run, fuming. The nerve of this man. After he’d walked out on her, he was contacting her as though they were strangers to try to hire her. She could hardly believe that anyone would be this bold. Did he really think she would agree to work for him after they’d slept together and ended things on a bad note? Or, worse, did he somehow not remember her?

Delaney jogged for longer than she’d planned before heading home for a long shower and bed. After turning off the lights, though, she lay awake for a long time. Logan’s offer replayed in her head. She was very upset by how he’d reached out. Yet some tiny part of her couldn’t let go of the money he was offering. With that kind of money, she’d be set up to achieve her dreams without waiting.

By the time the morning sun spilled through her window, Delaney felt like she hadn’t slept at all. She dragged herself out of bed with a yawn; she couldn’t just go back to sleep. She had her weekly brunch with one of her best friends, Cora, who also worked for herself and had time to hang out in the middle of the week. Maybe Cora would have an answer to what Delaney should do about this strange offer.

Delaney got dressed in a pair of jeans and a warm sweater. The late September air was chilly, and Delaney already missed summer. When she and Logan had walked together, she’d worn only a light jacket and her formal dress. Now, she was already starting to bundle up.

Delaney walked to the restaurant, where Cora was waiting at their usual table. The women hugged, and Delaney took a seat.

“What’s new with you?” Cora asked, handing Delaney a menu.

“Not much.” Delaney hesitated. “That’s not true. I got such a weird job offer today.”

“A weird job offer.” Cora raised her eyebrows over the menu. “I’m intrigued, especially since you didn’t say you were looking for more work.”

“I wasn’t.” Delaney set her menu flat on the table and leaned forward. “This work found me.”

“Juicy. And lucky.” Cora was a photographer and, although clients did reach out to her on a fairly regular basis, she knew the struggle of finding work in New York City.

“I know. But the really juicy part is who was offering the job.” Delaney paused for effect, and, at that exact moment, a waitress appeared by their table.

“Good morning. Can I get you started with some drinks?”

“We’ll both have coffee,” Cora said. This wasn’t their first time at this particular restaurant. “And I think we’re ready to order.”

“Sure. What can I get you?”

“I’ll take the eggs Benedict,” Delaney requested.

“And chocolate-chip pancakes for me. Thank you!” Cora grinned and handed her menu back to the waitress. She departed, and Cora turned back to Delaney, eyes gleaming. “Okay, spill.”

“Do you remember how I met a guy at a gallery opening a few weeks back?”

“Logan Jerk-Face Banks?” Cora asked. “I’m vaguely familiar.”

Delaney grinned at her friend’s comment. She’d told Cora about meeting Logan, how he’d seemed different from the other rich guys, and how they’d spent the night together. She’d also told her about how Logan had ditched her the next morning. Cora was furious on Delaney’s behalf, which felt good.

“Well, he sent me an email last night.”

“Begging your forgiveness?”

“Not exactly. He’s the one that offered me a job. Apparently, he has his eye on some rare painting that’s surfaced in Rome and he needs an art consultant to authenticate it. He wants to go next week.”

“The nerve!”

“That’s what I thought! But the wild part is that I’m actually considering it. He’s offering an enormous amount for a few days’ work, enough that I could open my gallery now instead of working and saving for a few more years.”

“How much?” Cora asked with interest. Delaney showed her friend the number on her phone and Cora whistled. “Wow. He is loaded.”

“I know. That money would do me so much good. But I can’t stand the thought of spending another hour with Logan Banks, much less a whole international trip. What do you think I should do?”

Cora paused thoughtfully and chewed the inside of her lip. The waitress reappeared with two steaming mugs of coffee, providing a helpful pause in the conversation. Both women sipped, then Cora reached for creamer and sugar.

“I think you should go.” She tapped a sugar packet against the side of her mug, then tore it open and poured it into her coffee.

“Really?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m still staunchly anti-Logan. He was very disrespectful to you. But the money is too good to pass up. You were born to own a gallery and I know you’ll be amazing at it. Plus, you’ll get a free trip to Italy, which is somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit. If you can stand being around such a jerk for a few days, I think it’s worth it.”

“You make some good points.” Delaney sighed, then took another sip of her black coffee. She didn’t much like the taste, but she’d need the energy. After this brunch, she had a long meeting with another client planned. Another client who cared about art only for its value and prestige. Maybe it would be worth it to get the money and say goodbye to private art consulting forever…

“But it’s up to you, of course. If you don’t think you can survive four days with Logan, you should turn it down.”

“I know I can survive it. I’m just worried that if I work for Logan, he’ll think what he did was okay. And it wasn’t.”

“Just because you’d be working for him doesn’t mean you’d need to be nice,” Cora pointed out. “He’d be paying you to authenticate the painting — that’s it.”

Delaney nodded slowly. “Okay. You’re right. I think I’m going to do it.”

“And then you can lie about the painting and sabotage his whole collection!” Cora continued enthusiastically.

Delaney laughed and patted the air with her palms in a “calm-down” gesture. “That’s going a little too far.”

“I know, I know. You’d never compromise your artistic morals and your professional dignity and all that. Just an idea.” Cora winked and Delaney laughed again. She felt lighter now that she’d talked to her friend. It always helped to have her perspective. And Cora was right. It was worth a few days of putting up with someone she didn’t like so that she could make her dreams come true.

“Anyway, enough about me,” Delaney said as the waitress returned again with steaming plates of food. “Tell me about you . How’s work? How’s Andrew?”

“Oh, it’s Kyle now.” Cora waved a hand. “Andrew didn’t work out. Kyle, on the other hand…”

Cora launched into a story about her latest fling. It was both funny and distracting enough that Delaney was able to put the job offer and Logan out of her mind for the time being. The rest of lunch passed in a blur of food and laughter and, too soon, it was time to go. Delaney had her meeting with the client, and Cora needed to go for a photoshoot in Coney Island.

“It was so nice to see you.” Delaney gave her friend a tight hug. “And thank you for your advice on Logan.”

“Anytime. One more thing, though.” Cora pulled back from the hug, took Delaney’s shoulders in her hands, and stared at her with bright blue eyes. “If you do go on this trip, promise me you won’t get caught up in Logan’s act again. You know now that he’s a complete jerk. Don’t let him win you over.”

Delaney snorted. “There’s absolutely no chance of that happening. I’ve learned my lesson. No more Logan, no matter what he says.”

“Good.” Cora squeezed her shoulders again, then stepped back. “Let me know how everything goes. See you later!” She waved, then disappeared into the flow of pedestrian traffic moving towards the subway station. Delaney’s meeting was in the opposite direction, but she had plenty of time and the fall day was pleasant enough. She could walk at least part of the way.

As Delaney made her way briskly up the street, she took her phone out of her pocket and opened Logan’s email again. At the bottom was a phone number and, after a moment’s hesitation, she pressed call. Delaney still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what she was going to say, but Logan should at least have to hear her voice instead of hiding behind an email.

“Logan Banks’s office,” a pleasant female voice intoned. “How may I help you?”

Delaney should have expected an assistant. “I’d like to speak to Mr. Banks, please.”

“And whom may I tell him is calling?”

“Delaney Cohen.”

“One moment, please.” There was a long pause and Delaney began to wonder if Logan wasn’t going to speak to her at all. But then the line clicked and Logan’s deep voice rang out from the other end of the line.

“Delaney?” He sounded almost… hopeful?

“Mr. Banks.” She kept her voice crisp and formal. “I’ve received your job offer.”

“What did you think?”

Delaney hesitated, Cora’s words and her own worries spinning in her head. “I think…” Delaney braced herself. “I’ll take it.”

“That’s wonderful news. I’ll have my secretary send over the documentation. We’ll leave Tuesday evening.”

“I suppose I’ll see you then.”

“I suppose so. I’m looking forward to us working together.”

Delaney couldn’t exactly say that she was looking forward to them working together too, so she didn’t. “I’ll see you on Tuesday.”

The call disconnected and Delaney shoved her phone back into her pocket. Apparently, she’d just agreed to work for the enemy. Promise me you won’t get caught up in Logan’s act again. Cora’s words echoed in Delaney’s mind and she squeezed her hands into fists. She wouldn’t. She was just going to put her head down, do her job, and get this whole trip over with as soon as possible.