A Match Made in Heaven

Chapter 5

“Wow,” Reece said as he gazed at Janelle.

Right away, she felt embarrassed. She hadn’t worn clothes like that in a long time, she felt good. It was still kind of odd to be the center of attention though. It was one thing when they were just hanging around her house or lounging at coffee houses, but this was different.

“You look amazing,” Reece said as he glanced at her. He shook his head as if trying to think straight. He held out his arm towards her. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” she said. She stepped out of the apartment before locking it behind her. “I suppose I’m ready,” she said as she took his arm.

“Don’t be nervous,” he said with a chuckle, just pretend it’s like every other time that we’ve been around each other.”

Janelle nodded. She’d been so nervous that she hadn’t gotten a good peek at Reece until now. He wore a tailored black suit, red tie and expensive looking black shoes. He’d recently shaved and the smell of his cologne was intoxicating.

Reece helped her slip into the car before he closed her door for her. She folded her hands in her lap as he sat behind the wheel. The car they were in now was different than the one she’d become accustomed to. It was sleek, black and expensive.

“All of this is so…different,” she mumbled as they pulled off.

Reece nodded understandingly. “I get it. You knew me as one way for weeks, now I seem completely different. It’s hard to get your head around.”

Janelle smiled. He was always able to read her so easily. She chuckled, the tension melting away.

“You’re right. I mean, we’re still the same people.”

“Of course. You’ll still snore when you sleep and I’ll still be an amazing cook.”

Janelle rolled her eyes. “Why does mine have to be negative?”

“Shh, I didn’t make the rules.”

She couldn’t stifle her laughter anymore. The woman shook her head as they drove, the conversation becoming easy between the two of them. She glanced at the passing street signs, eager to know where he was taking her.

“Where are we going?” She asked, unable to contain her excitement.

“You’ll see when we get there,” he said with a big grin.

“So smug,” she mumbled, but the smile didn’t leave her lips.

They parked on a street before Reece hopped out and opened her door. She took his hand gently as he helped her out of the car. They started heading towards a white building. There were small lights in the bushes and strung around the black railing. She slipped her arm in Reece’s as they walked up to the building.

“An art gallery? I thought that wasn’t you,” she said with a raised brow.

Reece laughed. “No, I don’t own this one. I actually made an investment here for a friend, but she owns it. I just thought you’d like to see that not all of what I told you before was a lie. I really do have a passion for art.”

When they stepped inside of the door, Reece reached inside of his jacket before he handed a ticket to a man standing behind a podium. Janelle was too busy gazing around the room. The walls were stark white with paintings spaced every few inches. The lighting was soft and warm. Janelle could even make out the faint smell of what she thought was magnolia blossoms.

If the building was impressive, the people were even more so. Women in long dresses, men in tailored suits. They chatted easily with long stemmed champagne glasses in their hands. Servers walked around the room with silver trays of food.

“What do you think?” Reece whispered in her ear, making her jump.

“I think it’s…different,” she said, laughing nervously, “but it’s very nice too.”

“Here,” he said, passing her a champagne glass, “let’s look at some art.”

Janelle nodded. Once again, she took his arm. They walked around slowly, Reece pointing out his favorite pieces. He seemed to like the paintings that captured lighter tones, happier moments, while Janelle found herself drawn to the moody, sensual paintings.

One contained a woman, blindfolded. Her arms stretched above her head. Janelle could almost see the woman’s back arching up off of the blue, satin sheet beneath her. Her bre*sts pointed up to the sky, her mouth fell open in an unheard gasp. Janelle felt her thighs clench together a little tighter.

“You like that one, huh?” Reece whispered close to her ear.

Janelle nodded. “It’s beautiful. I’ve always wanted to do something like that, but I’ve never been comfortable enough with anyone to try it.”

Reece nodded. “We’ll add it to the list.”

She shook her head. “And who said I was comfortable enough with you?”

“You aren’t?”

The look in his eyes was enough to make her want to quiver all over. He rested a hand on her lower back as he steered her on to the next picture. When they had almost reached the end of the gallery, Janelle was on her third glass of champagne, a woman walked up to them with a broad smile.

“Reece! I’m so happy you could make it,” she said hugging him. When she pulled back, she smiled at Janelle, extending a delicate, but slightly paint stained, hand. “You must be Janelle. I’m a big fan of your show.”

Janelle blushed. “Thank you.”

“I’m Carrie,” the woman said, gesturing behind her, “and these are my babies. Come on, I’ll show you two the new pieces that I won’t be putting out until next week.”

Reece and Janelle followed behind her into the woman’s studio. She was upbeat and friendly, with blonde hair that spilled over her shoulders, big blue eyes and a wide grin. The dress she wore was a dark blue and hugged her tiny waist snugly.

“These are wonderful,” Reece was saying to Carrie as he gazed at the new paintings, “I need to buy a few from you again, soon.”

“No problem. If you want, I can paint you anything, something new. I could even paint you,” she said to a wide eyed Janelle. “What do you say? You have an amazing figure. I’d love to have you model for me sometime.”

Janelle was flustered. “I-I don’t know what to say,” she said with a laugh.

The woman took her hands. “Say yes! I’m so happy that Reece has such a sweet woman on his arm now. It would really be a lot of fun to paint you.”

Janelle nodded. “Okay,” she said with a smile.

“Great!” Carrie clapped her hands together. “That’s wonderful news. Reece can give you my number. Oh, Dyanara is looking for me, I have to go. We’ll set something up,” she called to Janelle as she walked over quickly to a black haired woman with a serious face.