My Secret Master (A Dark Billionaire Romance) Read Free Page A

strolled around, drinking wine and chattering about what they saw. I was too nervous to listen in, so I hovered by a corner. Someone—maybe Veronica—must have told someone I was the artist on display, though.
    Before long, I was smothered in a wave of questions from pure strangers.
    “How long did this take you?”
    “Have you painted for a long time?”
    “What school do you go to?”
    “Do you plan to have another showing in the future?”
    “What was your inspiration?”
    By the end of the first hour, I was dizzy. I swam through the crowd, looking for Veronica. The tall woman was caught in her own sea of people, juggling paper sheets and answering questions.
    Ducking my head, I wormed towards a far wall, trying to become invisible. Glancing around, I noticed the little cards on some of my canvases had been filled out with bids. My heart throbbed with the excitement of knowing people were buying my work.
    My brain tingled, the memory of the night before tugging at me.
    I wonder if that guy, Seth, will come by and purchase the big piece he liked.
    I was tempted to go look, to see if it had any bids. Oddly, the sheer chance that it didn't kept me from looking.
    The chance that he hadn't...
    Stop, don't be weird. You don't even know the guy. Rubbing my neck, feeling the dampness from the heat of such a crammed space, I sighed. This was no time to ponder if I'd see that handsome stranger again. Already, people were swarming me once more, demanding my attention, making me feel claustrophobic.
    And then, just like that, it was all over.
    Waving farewell to the last stragglers leaving the gallery, I marveled that I had made it through in one piece. “Bye! Have a good night!” I called out. Locking the door, I promptly sat on the floor. “Oh my goodness. That was insane.”
    “Right?” Veronica laughed, flopping across the long table. Her eyes twinkled on me. “But it was fun, wasn't it? How did you like it, be honest.”
    I covered my eyes with an arm as the lights above blinded me. “It was amazing.” Sitting up, I gripped the edge of the table. My nose was close to Veronica's, the willowy woman smirking at the clear anticipation on my face. “Please tell me I sold some stuff.”
    “Actually,” Veronica started, her expression twitching. It was strange, seeing such delight morph to concern. “There was one person who was a buyer tonight.”
    “Oh.” My belly clenched with dread. “Just one?”
    After everything, to sell so little...
    Veronica frowned, her fingers gliding over a stack of papers. “I don't know how to say this. Um, you might have an obsessed fan, or something.”
    Knotting my brow, I settled onto my knees. “Me, a fan? Besides you? ”
    “I like your work, don't get me wrong, but this is... different. Here, just look.” With an expression that bordered on dubiousness, Veronica slid a piece of paper across the table.
    Grabbing it, I lifted it close and read the form. “I don't understand. This is just a sheet listing all of my artwork.”
    “No, Naomi. It's a list of all your work that sold tonight.”
    We stared at each other, the clarity sinking in like a heavy stone. “You're telling me one person bought everything? One person, they bought it all? ”
    Veronica didn't give an answer, but she didn't need to. This was strange, we both knew it, and it marred what should have been amazing news.
    Tentatively, I rolled my eyes down that paper, terrified to read the signature at the bottom. But I had to know, I needed to see the name of the person who would have the money, the desire, to purchase my entire collection.
    The name was scrawled beautifully, the practiced penmanship of someone who knew their signature would be read over and over.
    It was a name that made my skin prickle.
    Seth Hart.

- Chapter Three -
    Naomi
    ––––––––
    I stared into my glass of wine, sitting on the floor of the gallery with a bottle between me and Veronica. She had insisted we celebrate, and I had