Page 75 of Flirting with Forever

“I don’t think you do know the story.”

“Don’t I?”

“I would assert there are pieces of which you are not aware, pieces which might persuade you to abandon your project.”

“Such as?”

“There are people who will be hurt.”

“Really?” She gave him a look.

“I can’t deny that I’ll be affected, but that’s not why I’m asking you to stop.”

“Then why are you? Tell me the pieces.”

He faltered. She could see the enormous pride in his eyes. “Can you not trust me?”

“Trust? Are you serious? No, I can’t trust you. You nearly destroyed my career.”

Their eyes met, and he squared his shoulders. It was eerie the way he projected his position, even in the building engineer’s castoffs.

She thought of that night at his studio and all the things she had hoped for. She wondered if he had done any of those things he had done that night without an ulterior motive. She wondered if he had done any of those things because he cared for her.

“Then I will tell you. I should like you to do this for Ursula.”

“Ursula? The woman of the street raised to pampered society mistress by way of your bed?”

Peter looked as if he had been punched. “How…?”

“We are not entirely without means where I come from.” The flip answer did not satisfy her anger as she’d expected, and she found her tongue loosening further. “I’ve seen your models. I’ve seen your portraits of her. And I’ve experienced your methods.” The past five weeks had given her more than enough time to satisfy her curiosity regarding the life of Peter Lely, though it had satisfied little else.

“Might I guess which had the most impact on your decision?”

Cam inhaled. “Fuck you.”

“I see you and your artist share a deep esteem for poetics.”

“What my artist and I share is a deep esteem for the truth.”

An odd stiffness came over Peter. He opened his mouth to speak, thought better of his decision, and made a deep bow. “I wish you both great joy.”

But she didn’t want his wishes, and she certainly didn’t want his reserve. She wanted his emotion.

“Much happiness has been visited upon you,” he said. “Can you not find it in your heart to leave Ursula out of the story?”

How dare he manipulate her to protect a woman who hadn’t even bothered to be true to him? “Ursula is the story. Rescued from the streets, she abandons her rescuer. It’s a classic ‘whore with a heart of stone’ story.”

“It’s a lie,” he said.

“‘All art is fiction, mine more than most.’”

“You’re making a mistake. And I hope you see that before it’s too late.”

“Is that a threat?”

The door swung open slowly and Jeanne’s head appeared. “Hey, kids. How’s it going?”

“Great,” Cam said. “Party in a box. Peter was just going.”