Work of Art ~ the Collection

BOOK: Work of Art ~ the Collection
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Work of Art Book I ~ The Inspiration

Work of Art Book II ~ The Unveiling

Work of Art Book III ~ The Masterpiece

Work of Art Book IV ~ The Extras & Liz’s Boys

 

Work of Art ~ The Collection

Copyright © 2015 by Ruth Clampett All Rights Reserved.

 

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

 

ISBN: 978-0-9966857-3-3

 

Cover Design: Jada d'Lee

Cover Photograph: David Johnston Photography

Cover Model for the Collection: Casey Carbone

Hand Model: Christopher Raub

 

Cover Model for books I ~ III Michael Senich

Cover Model for book III Patricia Ashley

 

Editors: Angela Borda, Janine Savage of Write Divas and Janell Parque

Interior formatting: Books I ~ III Robert Reid of 52 Novels

The Collection ~ Christine Borgford of Perfectly Publishable

Table of Contents

Work of Art ~ The Collection

Dedication

 

The Inspiration

Chapter One / The Artist Emerges

Chapter Two / Paint by Numbers

Chapter Three / Fascination Street

Chapter Four / Reluctant Savior

Chapter Five / Teetering between Euphoria and Terror

Chapter Six / Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Chapter Seven / Well, How Did I Get Here?

Chapter Eight / Move Along

Chapter Nine / On Gossamer Wings

Chapter Ten / Down Dog

Chapter Eleven / Free fall

Chapter Twelve / Stolen Memories

Chapter Thirteen / Get a Clue

Chapter Fourteen / Strike!

Chapter Fifteen / Hello Kitty

Chapter Sixteen / Check Please

Chapter Seventeen / My Shiny Penny

Chapter Eighteen / Ancient Pasts, Uncertain Futures

Chapter Nineteen / Fireworks and Earthquakes

Chapter Twenty / Ain’t No Prince Charming

Chapter Twenty-One / Taking Flight

Chapter Twenty-Two / All that Matters

Chapter Twenty-Three / Missing

 

The Unveiling

Chapter One / Thank God for Girlfriends

Chapter Two / The Squeaky Wheel

Chapter Three / Fallen Soldier

Chapter Four / The Bright Light

Chapter Five / On the Road to Ojai

Chapter Six / Starting Over

Chapter Seven / It Must Be Magic

Chapter Eight / The Other Woman

Chapter Nine / The Aftermath

Chapter Ten / Ragged Edges

Chapter Eleven / Dodging the Speeding Train

Chapter Twelve / The Masterpiece

Chapter Thirteen / My Brilliant Mess

Chapter Fourteen / With Georgia’s Blessings

Chapter Fifteen / My Fucking Faux Pas

Chapter Sixteen / The Enchanted Land

Chapter Seventeen / I am His Queen

Chapter Eighteen / The Writing on the Wall

Chapter Nineteen / Delete Contact?

Chapter Twenty / Grand Master M

Chapter Twenty-One / This is the Hunger

 

The Masterpiece

Chapter One / Spread Your Wings

Chapter Two / The Challenge

Chapter Three / The Luckiest Girl in the World

Chapter Four / El Hombre de mis Sueños

Chapter Five / Beautiful Barcelona

Chapter Six / Friends and Lovers

Chapter Seven / Defy Gravity

Chapter Eight / The Minefield

Chapter Nine / The Deal Breaker

Chapter Ten / The Push and Pull

Chapter Eleven / We are Stars

Chapter Twelve / Going for the Gold

Chapter Thirteen / More

Chapter Fourteen / Captain Fantastic

Chapter Fifteen / The Flickering Light

Chapter Sixteen/ On My Way

Chapter Seventeen / Le Baiser

Chapter Eighteen / Our Undeniable Destiny

Epilogue

 

The Extras & Liz's Boys

Work of Art Book I ~ The Angel Ascends

Work of Art Book I ~ Passion in the Print Studio

Work of Art Book II ~ My Kind of Forever

Work of Art Book III ~ Eight Miles and a Flight of Stairs

A Valentine for Ava from Max

Work of Art ~ Liz's Boys

 

Also by Ruth Clampett

Acknowledgements

About the Author

 

To the artists . . .

 

Thank you for for bravely

Showing us what you see

When you close your eyes

 

I see the world differently

Because of you

Chapter One / The Artist Emerges

We are living in a storm where a hundred contradictory elements collide; debris from the past, scraps from the present, scenes of the future: swirling, combining, separating, under the imperious wind of destiny.

~Adolphe Retté, La Plume 1898

“G
et the hell away from me, Dylan. I’m not going to kiss that faux-art collector’s ass!”

I look up just in time to see the blur of a man charge into our exhibit pavilion. In his fury, he slams the wall I’m facing with his fist, and I jump up as the row of paintings quiver and settle askew.

The second man, who I assume to be Dylan, is right on his heels, and he glances at me, rolling his eyes as he follows the raging artist into our private viewing room.

Not wanting to miss the drama, I jump up and position myself at the edge of the entrance, just as my boss, Adam, slowly stands and addresses the two men.

Adam has a regal air accentuated by his black turtleneck and tailored wool slacks. His silver shock of hair contrasts with his tan rugged face. Something in the way he carries himself makes him a formidable presence.

He steeples his fingers and turns to his left to study the large abstract painting of wide black slashes across a crimson field. A sudden hush falls over the room.

“Max, Dylan, the show’s just begun and you’re already at war.” He pauses and then smiles at Dylan. “I warned you not to have him at the show. Maxfield doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and there are plenty of fools here who think they know art.”

Dylan’s dark eyes narrow in frustration as he grumbles, “We can’t exhibit at the most important art show of the year and
not
have our star artist here. Collectors want to meet the artists before they invest.”

“Invest! Fuck, I hate that word!” the artist curses as he throws his head back. “This is about someone buying a work of art to make it part of their life. There should be passion about a relationship with their art. Investing is for buying goddamn real estate or government bonds!”

Although I still haven’t seen the artist’s face clearly, I notice the muscles ripple across his back as he crosses his arms across his chest. He’s tall, over six feet, with strong broad shoulders and a tangle of hair so dark it’s almost black.

He turns back to Adam. “So Dylan serves me up on a platter to this tiny, irritating woman with her face pulled so tight it’s about to snap. She kept scraping her fake fingernails up and down my arms and going on about how she loves my work, while I’m trying to keep my breakfast down.

“As if that isn’t brain-numbing enough, her flaming yippy designer whips open a leather bag and starts pulling out fabric swatches.”

BOOK: Work of Art ~ the Collection
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