Alex nodded his agreement, grinning. 'Yep, full of sass and smart-ass comebacks.'
'And don't either of you forget it,' she said and left the office before she was late for her meeting with Amy.
MIA was lucky enough to find a parking spot on the street two spaces away from the storefront of the Brennan Gallery. She turned off the engine, closed her eyes, and inhaled a deep calming breath to still her jittery nerves.
She wanted to be sure she arrived early to make a good first impression, so she pushed aside her anxiety and gave herself a quick, bolstering pep talk. Then she grabbed the leather-bound portfolio holding a few of her designs and a photo album of the others she'd left behind and made her way inside the gallery.
She was greeted by a nice-looking young man with short spiked hair and black framed glasses that were very retro in design. He was wearing black slacks and a black silk shirt he'd left untucked, and as he approached her, she noticed a slight sway to his hips that was more feminine than masculine.
She smiled at him. 'Hi, I'm here-to see Amy.'
He looked her up and down and seemingly approved of what he saw. 'You must be Mia Wilde.'
His soft, slightly lilting voice matched the way he walked, and Mia had the fleeting thought that if things worked out, and this guy was single, she could hook him up with Will. 'Yes, I have an appointment at eleven to meet with her. I'm a few minutes early.'
'I'll let her know you're here.' He went behind the counter, picked up the phone, and spoke in low tones Mia couldn't hear. Then he hung up and said, 'She'll be out shortly.'
'Thanks.'
Actually, Mia was grateful for the extra time alone, which gave her a chance to check the place out and see if it was something that appealed to her. The main area of the gallery was open and spacious, with partitions that gave way to different types of art. The collections included everything from paintings, to sculptures, to collages, and photography. There was jewelry, antiques, and varying degrees of woodwork, all of which spanned pop art, deco, contemporary, eccentric, retro, and everything in between.
There was definitely something for everyone's tastes, but what she didn't find was stained-glass art, which definitely worked to her favor.
'Hi, Mia, I'm Amy Brennan,' A female voice said from behind her.
Mia turned around and found herself looking at a tall, slender woman with honey-blond hair styled in a blunt cut that framed her beautiful face. She was wearing a very chic yellow pantsuit, which made Mia infinitely glad she'd chosen her own outfit so carefully.
Switching her portfolio to her left hand, she extended her right hand toward Amy. 'It's a pleasure to meet you.'
'Likewise.' Amy's handshake was firm, like a no-nonsense business woman. 'Claudia was pretty insistent that I'd love your work, and I'm not one to pass up the possibility of discovering the next great thing everyone just has to have.'
Mia did her best not to feel intimidated or pressured by her comment. She didn't think she had 'the next great thing,' but hopefully her artwork was original enough for Amy to consider displaying pieces in her gallery.
Amy led her into a private room, expensively decorated and accented with equally expensive-looking art. They sat next to each other on a comfortable black leather couch, and Mia set her portfolio on the glass table in front of them.
'Okay, let's see what you've got,' Amy said.
Tamping down the nervous flutters in her belly, Mia withdrew one of her favorite and most challenging pieces-a mermaid perched on a large rock surrounded by the deep blue sea. The mermaid had long flowing hair that covered her lush breasts, and her long, elegant tail fin was designed in rich shades of gold, greens, and blues.
Tilting the panel upward for Amy to view, Mia waited for her response.
Amy studied the design critically. 'Hmmm, that is a very beautiful design.'
It wasn't the enthusiastic reaction Mia had hoped for. But then again, Amy was only seeing one dimension of the design and not the full scope of what this picture entailed.
'There's more to this piece than just the mermaid,' Mia told her.
The other woman tipped her head curiously. 'How do you mean?'
Mia glanced around and found a tall marble column braced up against a wall with nothing on the base. There was a spotlight shining down in it, as if someone had recently bought whatever had been displayed there. It was a perfect place to prop up her design and present the more intimate aspects of her stained-glass art to Amy.
'Can I use that marble column over there?' Mia asked.
'Sure, go right ahead.'
Standing, Mia crossed the room and set the large panel up on the base and then took a few steps back. The spotlight from above made the colorful shards of glass sparkle and come alive, just as she'd hoped. The mermaid's hair, intertwined with ribbons of seaweed, shimmered in beige tones, and her tail fin became a kaleidoscope of dazzling hues that sparkled like jewels.
'Oh, wow,' Amy breathed in awe. She stood and came to Mia's side. 'The light on that stained glass makes the picture look absolutely amazing.'
'There's something else in this picture I'd like you to see,' Mia said, excited by Amy's more positive response. 'It's here, in the mermaid's hair.'
Just as she'd had to do with Cameron, Mia encouraged Amy to look deeper, to see beyond the original design to the underlying erotic shapes within the original picture. It didn't take Amy long to find the man and woman locked in a sensual, erotic embrace.
Amy gasped and glanced at Mia, her eyes wide in surprise. 'How in the hell did you do that?'
Mia laughed. 'I incorporate the lovers into the original design as I sketch it, before I do any actual stained-glass work.'
Moving up to the marble column, Amy examined the mermaid closer. 'Mia, that's incredible. And gorgeous. And so unique.' Her voice rose with energy and exhilaration. 'I can't believe you haven't done anything with these designs until now!'
Mia shrugged. 'I guess the timing wasn't right until now.' And it helped to have the right connections, she thought, thinking again of how Cameron had made this possible for her.
Amy casually crossed her arms over her chest, her brow arching in amusement. 'You know, Claudia didn't tell me your designs had naked people in them.'
'That's because she didn't know,' Mia admitted. 'Her brother, Cameron, gave her one of my regular designs for her birthday, and I didn't mention the more provocative pieces because I wasn't sure if that was her thing or not.'
'Claudia might look and dress like Mrs. Cleaver,' Amy drawled with affection, 'But she'd appreciate having naked people in her stained-glass design.'
'I'll have to remember that for next time,' Mia said with a grin.
'So how many of these erotic pieces do you have?' Amy asked, back to business.
'About a dozen, ranging in different sizes and designs. I brought three of them with me to show you, and I have a photo book of all the others I have in the collection, along with just my regular stained-glass designs.'
'Perfect,' Amy said with a satisfied nod of her head. 'Let's go talk numbers.'
Mia followed her back to the leather couch, where she showed Amy the other designs she'd brought and they looked through the photo album together and discussed her other work.
Once they were done viewing all the photographs, Amy made her decision. 'I want to keep all three of the erotic designs you brought today, and I'll even take a few of your regular pieces, because let's face it, there are some people who might find the provocative ones a bit too shocking,' she said with a laugh.
It thrilled Mia that she'd be able to display all of her art. 'Sure. I'll drop them by the gallery tomorrow.'
'Great.' Amy opened a file folder on the table and pulled out a contract to review with Mia. 'I work on consignment, a seventy-thirty split, so when the sale is made I automatically take my thirty percent, and at the end of the month I'll cut you a check for your seventy percent.'
'Fair enough,' Mia said with a nod.
'How would you like to price these designs?' Amy asked, indicating the pieces of art Mia was going to leave
