Page 32 of Unspoken Obsession

"Make sure that you do."

At least by asking him under the guise of her being a cheat, he won't question why I am so curious about the girl.

I head out of the office to my car. I am meeting Frankie at a local art gallery. There is a new artist in the gallery, and she wanted to see her pieces - so, I arranged a private tour.

I am experiencing some contradicting emotions towards Frankie. Because on one hand, I want to sweep her off her feet and treat her like a princess. My other instincts are telling me to be careful, that she is hiding something important from me.

I can't imagine what it would be - but I am sure that once Lorenzo digs into who she is - it will make more sense. I can find out who her family is and what history she has in this area - or where she is from. It's not a flower shop in Canada, not with her card skills.

I drive through the city thinking about her.

When I get to the art gallery, she is standing at the top step, waiting for me. A gorgeous smile lights her face when she sees me and, I smile too.

My heart gets soft at the sight of her - and I caution myself to keep my guard up until I can find out more about her. This could be a trap, a gold-digger trying to get my money.

"Frankie, you look gorgeous." I climb the last step and wrap my arms around her, holding her close to me for a moment. She is wearing a wide flowing, high-waisted gray pants, and a white cropped cotton shirt. It is casual and simple. She makes the simplest clothes look exquisite.

"Thanks. I'm thrilled you like art too. It's nice to have someone to do this kind of thing with." She smiles.

"I guess being new to town can get a little lonely."

"Well, I do know my way around here. It's not my first time in Vegas." She answers.

I turn towards the entrance of the gallery without letting her go. We walk into the massive foyer, and she looks up and down the long corridors to the left and right of us.

"Wow, I didn't expect it to be so quiet today - I wonder where everyone is? This is for a really famous artist, I just expected there to be a lot more people."

On cue, the gallery manager comes around a corner, claps his hands together, and greets us. "Welcome, welcome my friend." He says, not using my full name I asked him to just call me Dan instead of Mr. Russo. "So good to see you."

I've made several large donations to the gallery, supporting local and upcoming artists - and the manager knows me well - which is why it was easy to get a private tour this afternoon.

"Hi, Michael. How are you?" I shake his hand.

"Good - yes - is this your friend who likes our new artist?"

"This is Frankie. Frankie this is Michael - the gallery manager."

"Hello." She smiles and shakes his hand. "Why is it so quiet today? Are you open - can we walk around?"

The manager laughs. It echoes all the way down the left and right passages on either side of us.

"The whole gallery is yours for an hour. Didn't Dan tell you?"

Frankie glances at me with her eyes narrowed. "No. He didn't." She smiles.

"I arranged for a private viewing. I thought it would be nicer."

"Well, you two enjoy the gallery - it's all yours - if you need me just give me a shout and I'll come find you." Michael walks away, waving his hand over his shoulder to say goodbye.

Frankie shakes her head and laughs. "I can't believe you did this. It's amazing. They're expecting his show to sell out."

We roam around the gallery, taking in the street art styled paintings on display. The guy is good. I hadn't heard of him before today, but I might even purchase one of these for my home.

After enjoying the solo, peaceful viewing at the gallery we go across the street to a coffee shop for something to eat.

Frankie insists they've got the best ciabattas she's tasted.

Sitting at the table, I stretch my legs out until my feet touch Frankie's. She grins but doesn't look up from the menu.

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