“Ah… did Mr. Martinez put you up to this?” Jodi teased. “Is he scared that my blatant attempts at seducing you just might work?”

“It’s Mr. O’Brien. Martinez is my maiden name,” Lucia corrected. “And no, he didn’t put me up to it. I just have a good feeling about you two. So… are you interested?”

Lucia had always come across as serious and straightforward, which were the main reasons why the artist liked to tease her so much. To have a woman like her make a suggestion like this was nothing short of surprising.  And Jodi had to admit that she was intrigued. “What’s the plan?”

Already knowing she had won, Lucia just leaned back on her chair and explained what she wanted to do. “I figured you weren’t a fan of dates. So I thought I might invite her to the opening, introduce you two… and then leave the rest in your capable hands.”

Jodi knew she really didn’t have anything to lose, but if she played her cards right, she would at least win a night with a beautiful companion. She couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate her first big opening. “It’s a deal,” the artist said with a nod. Her stomach chose that moment to distract her with its grumbling. “Can we go to lunch? I’m starving!”

Lucia shook her head matter-of-factly, “We still got to go over the press releases. I need you to approve two out of the final ten.”

“Ugh…” the redhead complained, “can I at least smoke? Please!”

The Latina propped her elbows on the desk and leaned her chin on her hands, reminding Jodi of the picture that met her whenever she was called into the principal’s office for bad behavior. “First, stop being such a crybaby. I promise all this hard work is worth it. It’s going to be a perfect evening! Second, if you light up a stinking cigarette in my office, I’m going to make you swallow it. Got it?”

Jodi couldn’t help but grin, knowing full well the curator meant every word she said. “That counts as foreplay in my book.”

Giving up at making any headway with the artist, Lucia turned her attention to Tom. “Is she always such a royal pain in the ass?”