Page 18 of One Night with the CEO

“This place is beautiful. How did you find it?”

“A client introduced me to it. He spent the whole night hitting on me. I only told him after he’d signed the contract that I’m gay.”

Mia snorted. “I bet he wasn’t impressed.”

“No, not particularly. He got over it once he started seeing results from our partnership, though. If there’s one thing men like more than sex, it’s money.”

“You have that right.”

One of the waiters took them inside. Mia felt self-conscious in her fancy dress and couldn’t help eyeing the other customers, comparing herself to them and wondering if she was dressed right.

Genevieve seemed to read her mind. “You look beautiful—like you belong here.”

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Know what I’m thinking.”

Genevieve shrugged. “Maybe I’m psychic and using my witchly powers on you.”

“Oh yeah? I’d like to see what else those witchly powers can do. Do they extend past public spaces?”

Genevieve smirked. “I guess you’ll find out soon enough.”

They ordered and chatted as they waited for the food to arrive. Mia had been worried that things would be awkward—first date and all—but she and Genevieve connected easily and never struggled for things to talk about.

“Have you given any more thought to the series you’ll be working on?”

“I was actually working on the proposal today. I should have it ready for you by tomorrow.”

“Care to give me an advanced peek?”

“Well, the idea I have isn’t my usual work. If you’d like something more according to my typical style, I can always modify, but… well, I was thinking about doing a series of women. I’ll sketch out some of my ideas, but it’ll be things like a naked woman lying over rocks near a waterfall or in a field of flowers. I can always cover anything important if the nudity is going to be an issue.”

“You do whatever you think will be best for your brand, and I’ll promote it. I’m all for body positivity, and nudity isn’t going to be an issue for me.”

Yeah, Mia was definitely going to like working with Genevieve.

“There’s one other thing. A request, one you’re welcome to say no to.”

“Well now I’m intrigued.”

“I’d like you to model for me,” Mia blurted out.

“Model? As in, for your paintings?”

“Obviously I wouldn’t make them look exactly like you, but you inspire me. I know some places we could go where we wouldn’t be disturbed, or where we could book out the venue. I mean, lying naked on the ground or on rocks certainly isn’t for everyone, and I could always hire a model… but you’re the one who inspired this idea in the first place. I’d love it if it could be you.”

“I inspired you?”

“You have to know what you look like, Genevieve. I love the curves of your body, the lovely smoothness of your skin. I love the effortless grace that you exude whenever you move. You embody beauty.”

Genevieve blushed and Mia enjoyed that she had caught her off guard for once. “If you think it’ll help with your work, I’ll gladly model for you.”

“Perfect. Shall we make that our next date?” Mia was already running through options in her head. She knew of a sunflower farm nearby. Or would it look better in a field of lavender? She concluded that Genevieve—especially a naked Genevieve—would look good anywhere, but the sunflowers might go better with her skin tone.

“That sounds great. Where do you want to go?”

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