Page 36 of It Hurts Me
“Then we’ll have a drink together.” When the waiter brought a chair, Axel positioned it so his wife could sit down first. Then he took the other seat the waiter brought, closest to Theo.
Theo stared at him.
Axel stared back, a full grin on his face. “So…how do you know each other?”
“Axel.” Scarlett moved her hand to his thigh. “Give it a rest.”
“Listen to your wife,” Theo said coldly.
“I only listen to my wife when she tells me how to fuck her.” Axel gestured to the waiter to get his attention. “I’ll have a scotch. My wife will have a Bordeaux.” He looked at me next. “You’re a scotch drinker too.”
“On occasion,” I said. “Not like Theo.”
“Sounds like you know Theo pretty well, then.” He looked at Theo and gave him a knowing look.
“It’s been a long time since I hit you,” Theo said. “I’d rather not break that streak.”
Axel seemed undeterred because he grinned. “It’ll be worth it.”
I looked at Theo. “I didn’t realize you had another brother.”
Axel looked at Theo again, his eyes narrowing like he’d discovered something else.
“Yes,” Theo said. “But not for long…”
“You don’t look alike.” Theo had dark hair and dark eyes, whereas Axel was a dirty-blond with blue eyes. They were both tall and muscular men, men who could have any woman they wanted. I could see why Axel wanted his wife Scarlett because she really was a fine piece of ass, but me…not so much.
“Adopted brothers,” Axel said. “Known each other a long time.”
“Astrid,” Scarlett said. “What do you do for a living?” It seemed like she was trying to get the heat off Theo.
“I work at an art gallery. I acquire pieces from clients who have estate sales, old paintings that come back on the market to find a new home. I work with modern artists as well, local ones in Tuscany. And then I have clients who hire me to fill certain spaces of their home with artwork.”
The waiter brought their drinks, and Axel took a drink as he continued to watch me.
“That’s fascinating,” Scarlett said.
“And she’s also an artist herself,” Theo said, looking at me.
“Oh really?” Scarlett said. “What kind of art do you make?”
“Theo is being generous,” I said quickly, feeling flustered by the attention. “I’ve always wanted to be an artist, but I haven’t made it there yet. I paint my paintings and then never let them see the light of day.”
“Why?” Axel asked.
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t think they’re good enough. I stare art in the face all day, every day, and mine don’t really match what I see.”
“The artwork I chose didn’t match anything else in your gallery,” Theo said. “And I think they’re perfect. Perhaps yours are perfect too, waiting to sit over someone else’s mantel for ten years. At some point, you have to grow a spine, sweetheart.”
Axel turned to look at Theo again, covering his grin by taking a drink.
“So that’s how you know each other?” Scarlett asked. “You visited her gallery?” She asked the question as she looked at Theo.
“I needed something for the study, and George arranged it,” Theo said.
“But you physically went down there and looked at art?” Axel asked incredulously. “You?”
Theo gave him that cold look again.