They spoke extensively about art. He admitted to being a minor collector having eclectic taste but a well-rounded knowledge of the classics and some of the modern works. Melvin had the advantage as he’d read Maxine’s bio in the auction catalog which revealed that she was 29 years old, of Irish descent, single, and a Yale graduate with a Master’s in Fine Arts. It was obvious that she was gifted as an artist but she was also an astute business woman, well respected in the art world and very successful in her trade.

After 45 minutes, they had pretty much exhausted the art talk but neither wanted to end the conversation, so Maxine asked Melvin about himself. He’d just started talking about being a Harvard Law School alumnus, the founding partner of the law firm sponsoring the event, and his political ambitions when an attractive African American woman walked up and interrupted to ask Melvin if he was ready to sit down to dinner.

Melvin’s annoyance at the intrusion was barely perceptible but Maxine caught it. He recovered quickly putting on his public face, and introduced his wife to the artist. The conversation then turned to the painting Melvin had taken a fancy to. Shirley Porter agreed that the painting was beautiful and could see why he was attracted to it, making a point to look directly at Maxine when she said it.

Shirley was keenly aware of when her husband was making a play for another woman. She wasn’t beyond marking her territory and throwing jealous fits but that was in the early days of their marriage when she still gave a damn. After 12 years, she’d put up with so many ‘please forgive me, she didn’t mean anything, you’re the one I love’ confessions from Melvin that it was pathetic. She only stayed in the marriage out of convenience, to keep up appearances and for the sake of their ten-year-old daughter Katherine.

***

The live auction was the last event of the evening. Everyone was seated in the ball-room where the auction items were displayed on a big screen. The bidding was off to a lucrative start as the first few items were sold within minutes. Finally, Maxine’s paintings were up. The one that Melvin wanted was listed at a $5,000 minimum opening bid. The auctioneer acknowledged the distinguished gentleman discreetly raising his paddle.