Wild Violet (The Vi Trilogy of The Gilded Flower Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

me now.”
    “Tell me,” she says, kissing him, “What did you major in? Sex?”
    He sets her down and watches as she goes into the shower. As much as she can have him all the time, Vi appreciates that he gives her space without needing to be told.
    “Art History.”
    “Where did you receive your illustrious degree?”
    “Columbia,” he replies matter-of-factly.
    Vi wipes the steam off the shower door so she can see him clearly. “You graduated from Columbia, and yet you date women for a living?”
    Andrés laughs. “Come to think of it, yeah. Imagine what my peers would think, those douchebags.”
    “I think you need to explain this one.”
    “Very simple. When I was in school, I interned a few summers at Christie’s. After graduating, I got a job through a contact I made there at a cool, up-and-coming gallery in the Meatpacking. I’d always wanted to own my own gallery one day.”
    “Really? So you joined the ranks of the art snobs in the City?”
    “For a time. Eventually my plan would take me back to Madrid. The art scene in Spain is way more interesting than in New York.”
    “That’s a respectable goal. You’re ahead of me.”
    “Well, the pay was shit. I could barely cover my rent, and I was living in a shitty studio with two other guys in Hell’s Kitchen. It was tough, especially when other kids I went to college with were pulling high five and six figure salaries.”
    “I’m sure they were miserable slaves to the financial world.”
    “Still, when you’re eating canned tuna and waiting for the next gallery opening so you can drink and eat real food, it can be depressing.”
    “Is that what made you do what you do?” Vi turns off the water and opens the door. Andrés wraps her in a thick towel sheet.
    “Sort of. I was determined to stick it out, but the art world took a huge hit in the wake of the recession. Sales at the gallery were decent, but they couldn’t afford to keep me. Long story short, there were more curators than curator jobs in the city.”
    “You couldn’t find work after that?”
    “None that paid. Plenty of internships, which were really glorified positions for spoiled trust fund kids who didn’t have to worry about paying their rent. No offense.”
    Vi smiles and hangs her towel on the rack. “None taken.”
    “Then, the gallery owner hooked me up with a client who had met me one day and expressed a sort of interest.” The emphasis he put on that last word makes Vi frown.
    “You mean she pimped you out?”
    Andrés shakes his head. “Not really. She didn’t take a cut. She felt bad about having to fire me and figured this woman and I had a mutual need. I was almost twenty-four and beyond broke. Someone tells you that you can take a woman out and maybe have sex with her and she’ll pay you for it. What other answer would I give?”
    “That’s fair. So one thing led to another . . . .” Vi’s voice trails off as she heads to her closet.
    “Something like that. Turns out this woman has a lot of friends, so business has been steady for three years now.”
    Vi sits on the ottoman in the middle of her closet to slip on a pair of sandals. “How much longer do you think you’ll continue to do this?”
    Andrés leans against the doorframe of the closet. “A couple more years, maybe. Starting up a gallery requires a lot of cash, building out a good space is key as well as making connections and fostering talented artists. It’s such a volatile market that I’ll need enough money to ride out downturns.”
    “How much is that?”
    “Four million, give or take.”
    Vi gasps. “You plan to make that much from what you do?”
    He laughs. “I’ve been on the receiving end of some very generous gifts. I’m about halfway there now.”
    Now it’s Vi’s turn to laugh. “You’ve made that much!”
    “What? Am I not worth it?”
    She stands and walks over to him and kisses him gently. “More than worth it.”
    Andrés puts his arms around her and squeezes her