I Opia (3 page)

“All I can say, is finally!” she exclaimed as she jumped up and pumped her fist, “Finally, my boy Vince is growing up.” And then she began to giggle. Vince wanted to be mad, but she was right. He turned and started to giggle too. He was happy. For the first time in a long time, he was truly happy. At 28 he had lost his virginity and felt totally like he could be himself.

What he didn’t know was that this was just the beginning. Everything in his life was going to change. Personally. Professionally. Financially.

It was almost
two years to the day that Blaine had taken over ownership of the Wynne Gallery when Julian Chow made his appearance. Perhaps making an appearance is a strong term, but that was how it felt to Blaine. It was like he appeared out of nowhere. Regardless of how or why, the day Julian Chow stepped into the gallery was the day that Blaine’s life would change forever.

She had been in the back office working to try and make the books balance. Business had been slower than usual and between paying Elizabeth and the overhead of keeping the Gallery open, there wasn’t much left. Blaine had hired a graduate student to help her part-time. She was worried that she might be forced to let him go. Matthew Michaels was a great kid, a social media whiz and good at spotting trends that she hoped to capitalize on in her business. It amazed her how open and public the rich were about their expensive art acquisitions. Matthew was constantly showing her feeds on Twitter, and Facebook about expensive purchases and collections. This made it easy to track where and how art was flowing in the world.

Blaine was frustrated with the figures that she couldn’t make work, so she decided to stretch her legs and walk out to the front to see if there were any customers. The gallery was quiet.
Damn! Not a soul!
Matthew was cataloging inventory. “Hey boss,” he cheerfully greeted her.

“Hey, Matthew. Anything new?” she tried to sound just as cheerful.

Before he could answer, the door of the gallery opened. Blaine and Matthew both stopped talking to turn and greet the visitor. Blaine was stunned to see a beautiful Asian man enter. He was flanked by a young Asian woman and a beefy looking Caucasian guy. The man was impeccably dressed from head to toe. Elizabeth had taught Blaine to size up a client’s worth by what they wore and how they looked. It was easy to see that this man had money . . . lots of money! From his custom-made suit, designer shirt, tie, and cufflinks to his Prada shoes. He was beautifully groomed with beautiful hair and manicured hands.
Holy crap
, thought Blaine as she drew in a breath,
Who is this?
As she walked up to the group, the beefy guy stepped up and stood protectively next to the beautiful man.

She put on her best smile and extended her hand, “Welcome to the Wynne Gallery. I am Blaine Anderson. This is my gallery. Please let me know how I may be of assistance.” He extended his hand in return, and she could swear she felt an electrical current flow through her body as he took her hand. He didn’t shake her hand, but rather held it while looking her in the eyes.

“Miss Anderson, I am most pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Julian Chow.”

Blaine realized that he was even more beautiful than she originally thought. “This is my assistant, Lia and this is Joe.”
Yes, Joe needs no explanation
. Lia smiled and shook Blaine’s hand. Joe made no such gesture.

“Well, Mr. Chow, please let me know what you are looking for and how I can help,” Blaine said cheerfully.
I hope you’re looking for a soon-to-be-30 brunette woman like me!

Mr. Chow motioned to Lia who took out a small portfolio folder and handed it to Blaine. Blaine opened it and quickly looked it over. “Mr. Chow, let’s have a seat,” Blaine said and motioned toward the client sitting area. Mr. Chow, Blaine, and Lia took a seat. Joe remained standing. Blaine couldn’t help but find Joe amusing. Matthew was now curious and moved closer. He stood behind Blaine and looked over her shoulder. Blaine suddenly realized she had not introduced him, “Mr. Chow, Lia, I apologize. This is my assistant, Matthew Michaels.”

Blaine exaggerated the assistant part in hopes that it would make the Wynne Gallery seem bigger than it was. For some reason Blaine wanted to impress Julian Chow, even more so than she usually would for a potential client. Matthew quickly caught onto his new role and title and greeted the entourage.

“Miss Anderson, would any of you care for something to drink?” he asked. Blaine loved him in that moment.

She looked quizzically first at Chow who shook his head, “No thank you.” And then to Lia, who responded in the same manner.

“Well, let me know if you change your minds or if you need anything,” said Matthew as he walked back to his desk.

Blaine resumed perusing the contents of the portfolio. She looked up at Chow a bit puzzled. “Mr. Chow, certainly the Wynne Gallery can help you secure some of these items, but I am sure you are aware that there are a couple of these items that are extremely rare and not on the open market.”

“I understand, Miss Anderson. We can certainly discuss the terms.” He responded.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Chow. Perhaps I wasn’t clear. There are two of these items that are not for sale. Anywhere. They are not on the open market.”

“Miss Anderson. I do understand. You are being perfectly clear. Perhaps it is I who am not being clear. I want to secure your services to procure these items. You may name the terms.” Mr. Chow responded, his face expressionless.

Blaine could not read him to see if he was being serious.
Is this some kind of joke?

Sensing her hesitation, Mr. Chow continued, “Perhaps this conversation would be better continued over dinner. Would you be my guest tonight? We can discuss this transaction in further detail.”

Blaine was caught off guard once again,
Dinner? Transaction? What the hell? Two of these things are not for sale!
But then she realized a beautiful man was asking her to dinner.
How could there possibly be anything wrong with that?
She smiled and nodded, “Mr. Chow, it would be my pleasure to be your guest tonight for dinner.”

“Splendid, Miss Anderson. Splendid. My driver will pick you up at 8. Where shall I have him meet you? Your home or here at the Gallery?”

Blaine did not hesitate to respond. She certainly did not want Chow or any other client seeing the tiny, rundown townhouse that she and Vince shared. “I will be here at 8, Mr. Chow. Thank you for the invitation.”

“8 o’clock it is, Miss Anderson. I look forward to continuing our conversation.” And with that he bowed and took his leave. As the entourage exited, Blaine just stood there looking after them.

“Boss, what was that all about?” Matthew asked.

“Matthew, I am as perplexed as you. But something tells me it is worth pursuing.”

Matthew looked at Blaine, “Okay, but just be careful. That guy seemed a bit off to me.”

Blaine looked at Matthew surprised, “A bit off?”

“Yea, different, I can’t explain it. I am going to do some research on him for you.”

“Now, THAT is a great idea. Get me all the information you can on Julian Chow.” Blaine said as she walked back to her office. She really needed to think about this one a bit. It had been a long time since she had been this out of sorts.

Vince walked into their
shared space and found Blaine in a meltdown. “What the hell, Blaine?” he said as he stared at an even higher than usual pile of clothes. She was standing barefoot, hair in a mess and in an unzipped cocktail dress that was now hanging off one shoulder. He had never seen her this unnerved.

She looked at him in sheer panic and began to talk to him at what seemed 100 mph, “Vinny, I can’t find anything to wear—I simply can’t—I have an important dinner with an important potential client who by the way is the most gorgeous man I have ever seen and I don’t want to look foolish but think I look foolish plus he wants some items that I don’t think is possible to get but I still want to impress him at dinner.”

Vince started laughing, “Blaine, for God’s sake, slow down and give me some transition sentences. I haven’t understood a word you’ve said, much less what is wrong with you. Let me pour you a glass of wine and you take a deep breath and tell me what the hell you are talking about.”

Blaine took a deep breath and followed him into the kitchen. Barefoot and disheveled with her dress still unzipped and hanging loosely, she accepted the glass of wine and told Vince the story of Julian Chow’s visit to the Gallery.

“Okay, I got it now. Sorta. Definitely a strange situation. We gotta get you dressed. What I don’t understand is what are you supposed to do about the items that aren’t on the market?” Vince asked as he turned her around and pushed her back to the bedroom.

“That’s just it. I have no idea. None. Did I mention that he was gorgeous and rich?”

“Yes. You mentioned that just about every other word,” Vince said as he started sorting through her clothes to find a dress he liked.

Through Matthew’s research
, Blaine had learned that Julian Chow was an international entrepreneur. Born in China to wealthy parents, he branched out on his own and started an international trading company when he was only 25. The company was extremely successful and Julian Chow expanded his enterprises to include other export businesses. Now, at the age of 50 he was married with two sons who were enrolled in ivy-league colleges in the United States. His listed primary residence was still China where his wife lived.

Matthew discovered that Julian Chow, while an importer/exporter of many high-end pieces of artwork and antiques, was also an avid collector in his own right. There were many articles that featured his different homes and his various collections. Not only did the information about Chow impress Blaine, it intimidated her. She just might be in over her head with this one.

Vince found a dress he liked—it was cobalt blue and simple. Just enough to show off Blaine’s cleavage and her eyes without being too overt. He handed it to her and as she changed into it he gave her a little lecture. There was just something about this story that he didn’t like. He wasn’t sure what it was—maybe just the fact that this guy showed up out of nowhere and wanted pieces that were not available.

“Blaine, look, you need to keep your wits about you. Don’t let your pussy do the thinking here. I can tell you have the hots for this guy, but listen, what he is asking of you is not reasonable. YOU need to be reasonable. I know that the Gallery is struggling right now, but don’t let that force you into a bad decision. And for God’s sake, Blaine, try not to sleep with this man. Even Elizabeth would tell you to be cautious with this one.”

Blaine, who was now dressed, was putting up her hair while listening to Vince. She knew he was right. But something about this man was different in an exciting way. Hell, she and Vince would be celebrating their 30
th
birthdays in just a few months. She thought they would be more successful and financially secure by now. That they wouldn’t still be pinching pennies to make ends meet.

“Look, Vinny, you’re right. I need to be reasonable. Let me just see what he has to say. After all, he was successful at 25, so surely he has something he can teach me.” Blaine said. She put on the finishing touches of her makeup and stood for Vince to inspect.

“You look Mah-velous, dahling,” he said in his best English accent that always made her laugh, “Now go meet this Mr. Chow and wow him. Learn what you can, but be careful.”

Blaine kissed him on the cheek. “Love you Vinny. Thanks for helping.” And with that, he watched her disappear out the front door.

The driver arrived
in a limo at 8 p.m. sharp. Blaine expected nothing less than punctuality from anyone associated with Julian Chow. The drive back to the Gallery had given her the chance to settle her nerves. She was anxious to see Chow again. Eager would be more like it. She stepped out, locked the Gallery, and the driver greeted her as he opened the limo door, “Miss Anderson, please make yourself comfortable.” Blaine kept herself from giggling as she slid into the back of the limo.
Comfortable? Hell, I could live in here.

Blaine had only been in a limo once before, and that was for prom when she and Vince pitched in with a group of friends to rent one. They had packed in the back like sardines. Now, here she was with a limo all to herself. She smiled,
I could definitely get used to this
!

The driver pulled up in front of The Canyon Restaurant. It suddenly occurred to Blaine that in all the excitement, she hadn’t even given a thought to where they were having dinner. She was excited to see that Chow had chosen The Canyon. It was the most sophisticated and expensive restaurant in Austin and very hard to get a reservation.

Well, well, Chow, you certainly have great taste. This should be interesting.
The driver opened the door, extended his hand and helped her step out of the car. She stood and straightened her shoulders. “Thank you,” she said to the driver. “Of course, Miss Anderson. I will be here to take you home when you are ready.”

Home? I guess I didn’t think that far ahead
. The doorman opened the door. She took pleasure in the fact that he looked her up and down in approval. “You look very nice tonight, Miss.”

“Thank you. A girl does what she can.” Blaine said playfully.

The
maître d' greeted Blaine, “Miss Anderson, Mr. Chow is expecting you. Please follow me.” He said as they made their way through the restaurant.

Holy crap
, Blaine thought,
He already knows who I am!
She couldn’t help but admire her surroundings as they made their way to a private table in the corner of the restaurant. She was so busy looking around that she didn’t notice they had arrived at the table. For just a moment, she was flustered when she saw him.