His Needs:Billionaire(14)

"Thanks for coming with me. I'm tense as shit." Matt leaned forward and smiled.

"Liquor. It will help." Damon winked at his brother and turned to watch  the lights move across the window. "That or fucking Erica."

"Damon." Beth popped him in the chest as Matt groaned.

"What? Just trying to offer a bit of advice."

"Don't," Beth and Matt muttered in tandem.

He shrugged and let his thoughts fade into some of the issues they were  dealing with at work. It would be nice to spend the evening with Matt,  Beth and Erica, but tomorrow, he was back to being on point with his  time and attention. There was very little room for pleasure in his life,  and what he did get, he didn't want to waste on frivolous adventures.

Matt was so different from him... at least in certain ways.



*



"He's late." Matt turned toward Damon as Bethany walked through the small gallery without them.

"It's fine. He'll be here shortly. He set this thing up with you, and  was really impressed by your talent. Stop worrying so much." Damon  reached out and pulled at the large portfolio pad that rested under his  brother's arm. "Let me see this."

"Yeah, sure." Matt handed it to him and moved to a large glass table in  the middle of the room. "Bring it over here and you can look through  each one, just be careful. Some of the textured ones will chip off if  you mess with them too much."

Damon nodded and laid the portfolio pad down before moving slowly  through the various scenery paintings, each done with incredible  precision. His brother was talented, no doubt.

"You sure you want what this guy is offering?" Damon glanced over his  shoulder as Matt began to pace the floor. He looked so much like their  mother it was painful. Blond hair and blue eyes, a California tan and a  great smile. No one would ever guess that under his sweet disposition  was an aggressive asshole at times. He kept himself hidden away, mostly  from himself. It was odd, and had to be exhausting.

"I don't know what I want to be honest." He shrugged. "I don't want to  rule the world with you and dad. I hate numbers and will act like a  fucking idiot until I'm old and unable to walk if it means you don't try  and strap a monkey suit on me again and stick me in a cream-colored  office. Death would be better."

"All right, drama-king." Damon chuckled and flipped to the next one. The  woman looked a lot like Bethany, but it couldn't be her. It was dated  at the bottom from three years before. "Wow. She's beautiful. What's her  story?"

Her cheeks were sunken in a little, and dark circles sat under her eyes.

"That's Beth. It's showing the truth of her struggles." He shrugged and glanced around.

"How can it be Beth? This was done three years ago." Damon brushed his  fingers over the date and couldn't seem to tear his eyes off the echo of  pain painted so beautifully into the painting.

"I just put that date so she wouldn't ask questions. There are some  subtle differences between her and the girl in the painting, but it's  her." He moved closer and pressed his hands to his hips, studying it  beside Damon.

"And what is the truth of her struggles?" Damon glanced over toward his  brother. Beth had shared a little bit, but not nearly enough.

Have I asked about her past? Shame worked its way up his chest, but he  discarded it. Everyone had a fucked up past to some extent. What didn't  kill people left them more capable of dealing with the next shit storm.  One of the reasons Beth was going to be his woman for the long haul was  her willingness to persevere no matter what.         

     



 

"Her father left them when she was twelve, I think. He was a drug dealer  and walked out one day, taking all of their money and warning them that  the dealers he owed money to might show up, but it was on them. She's  been so fucking poor since." Matt turned and let out a sigh. "Ask her  about her past, Damon. Don't be a prick."

"Fuck you," Damon mumbled under his breath and turned to the next picture, one of himself.

"Jonathan's here. Help me sell this. I want this bad." Matt patted his  back and walked off, giving the art dealer a warm welcome.

"What the hell?" Damon whispered as memories rushed across his mind.  Sickness swelled in his stomach and chill bumps broke out across his  skin. He pressed his fingers to his lips, remembering the day the  picture was taken. It was the day after he caught his mother fucking  around on his dad. The worst moments of his life were captured in the  pain Matt had painted so perfectly in his eyes.

"Hey. You okay?" Beth rubbed her hand down his back and pressed her cheek to his shoulder as she stood beside him.

"Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He snorted and flipped the page.  "I'm wondering why Matt felt the need to paint a picture of a photograph  from my teenage years. It's a waste of his time and talent."

"He doesn't think so." Bethany turned, tugging at Damon to do the same. "Hi. You must be Jonathan."

"I am." The tall gangly fellow with a disturbing comb-over and a bright red pinstripe suit extended his hand.

Damon forced himself not to react as he extended his hand. "I'm Damon  Bryant. This is my fiancé, Bethany. I'm Matthew's brother."

"Lovely! I do believe one of the pieces Matt sent in originally was of  you." Jonathan glanced over at Matt, who almost looked ill. "Is that  right?"

"Sure is. Let me show you the rest of them." Matt moved up toward the  table and Damon took Beth's hand and moved back as the door opened and  Erica walked in. Her long blond hair was pulled into a messy bun, and  her bright blue dress reminded Damon from something out of the fifties  or sixties. It was ruffled at the bottom and far more feminine than  Damon had ever seen her. She was stunning, but nothing compared to the  pretty girl holding his hand.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late." She gave Beth a quick hug and smiled at  Damon before moving toward Matt and introducing herself to Jonathan.

"Come on. Let's walk around." Damon nodded toward the back of the small  studio. "Twenty bucks if you can tell me what the fuck this painting is  supposed to be."

She laughed. "Do I look like I need twenty bucks?"

He glanced down at her and smirked. "You look like you need a spanking,  but I'm thinking that would only lead to me playing around in places  that would have us in trouble. You moan too loud to get away with  anything in here."

She smacked his chest as her laughter filled the room around him. He  pulled her back to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, leaning  down and kissing her ear.

"What do you see when you look at it?" He glanced up, not seeing much of  anything other than someone getting trigger happy with a paint gun. Art  made no fucking sense at all. The price tag showed that the piece was  valued at over ten grand, which was completely ridiculous.

"I see the division of heaven and hell. Angels in a battle for the end  of times." She shrugged. "See the river there in the back?"

"River? Angels? Where did you get a glass of bourbon? I want one." He  released her as she moved forward and lifted her hand, explaining what  she saw, but never touching the painting.

"Don't touch anything!" Jonathan's voice was sharp.

"Watch how you talk to my girl. She's not touching your shit, but I'm  about to." Damon turned and took a step toward the guy, not caring who  was trying to do what... no one was going to raise their voice at Beth,  no matter the reason for it.

"It's okay." She moved up beside him and wrapped him in a side hug. "I didn't touch it. I wouldn't do that."

"Oh, sorry." Jonathon's cheeks turned pink as he spun on his heel and walked back toward a very stunned looking Erica and Matt.

"Fuck no. There was no need to-"

"It's okay, baby. Seriously." She lifted to her toes and pulled him down  for a quick kiss. It was okay to her, but that didn't mean he was good  with it.

He was the only one allowed to get testy with her, and he even felt like whooping his own ass from time to time. Lust or love?

Sure felt like love.





Chapter 12

Bethany



"Well, that went well." Matt glanced up as Bethany downed her second  glass of wine. They had wrapped things up with Jonathan an hour later  and headed out to dinner, just the four of them. Bethany was almost glad  that the eclectic art dealer had turned them down for the meal.  Spending time with Damon, Matt and Erica sounded relaxing, or it might  have been if Matt wasn't sitting on pins and needles around the blond  bombshell that Bethany wanted to get closer to.         

     



 

It would be nice to have a friend, and since there weren't many girls  her age to choose from and Krista was facing trial for murder, Erica  would have to do.

"It did. I think Jonathan really liked your work." Erica smiled  seductively and pressed her elbows to the table as her wine glass  dangled from her fingers. "It was a great portfolio. I'm glad you  decided to show him the full breadth of your talent and not just have  the scenery pieces in there."