Chapter 8

Bette walked out of a two hour meeting feeling ecstatic. The artist had been her choice, but she hadn’t bargained on him having his manager and agent with him. She had foreseen disaster but was pleasantly surprised to discover that both the manager and the agent were also artists. They rotated by managing and being agents for each other when one was being commissioned.  She didn’t take artists with agents and the like seriously, but this trio was a force to be reckoned with.

After bidding them farewell, she headed towards her office and asked James to follow her in.

“I see the smile.” James observed.

“It means you just might get yourself that raise we have been talking about,” Bette winked at James who was following her. She settled into her chair and leaned her elbows on her table with her hands clasped together.

She gestured for James to take a seat. “Sit James, this is going to be long.”

He took a seat on one of the loungers opposite Bette’s desk. “You remember Cassy?” she asked him with a piercing look.

“I wish I didn’t, but unfortunately, I do.” James answered with apprehension and discomfort at what this line of questioning implied.

“Well she’s here.” Bette stated

“Why?” James asked confused. As far as he knew, Bette didn’t want to ever see her again and sadly he was the only person who knew this. Cassy had played Bette in the worse way possible. “I take it she still doesn’t know.” he stated rhetorically.

Bette just shoot her head and held it in her hands. She had never believed in mixing business with pleasure, but being the irresistible Porter, the pleasure was always thrown at her. During her whirlwind break up days, she had succumbed to Cassy’s flirting and obvious lust for Bette. It all started with a one-night stand and ended three months later with a disappeared Cassy and half her gallery paintings with her. Lucky for Bette she was insured and Cassy shipped them back months later without a word. It was when Bette sobered up from her self-pity and took charge of her life. Shane and Kit secretly thanked Cassy even though she knocked Bette in her softest spot,  which was the Gallery since Tina had gone. Now here she was calling like she left 3 days ago on a work conference and was returning home. Bette suddenly stood up.