Page 17 of Various Intentions
Now we simply had to sellthemon the idea.
“A gallery exhibit? In my honor?” Juno said, their hand going to their heart. They were wearing the most avant-garde bespoke suit that somehow managed to be formal and flirty at the same time, with a crisp white blouse underneath the blue brocade vest.
“Well, that was the idea. Matteo came up with it, really.”
Juno turned to my partners and smiled, a gleam in their intelligent eyes. “I see. And will Matteo and Vincent be part of the demo portion of this event?”
Vincent blushed, and Matteo smiled.
Juno clapped their hands together. “Excellent. I think it’s a capital idea.” They turned to Charles, who looked much recovered from the last time I’d seen him. “What do you think, darling?”
“It sounds wonderful,” Charles admitted. He’d worn a pair of slim, burgundy jeans with a black button-down and gray vest. No jacket. “Do you think Juno will sell some of their work?”
“I’m counting on it,” I said. “We’re going to let people know that the pieces won’t be available anywhere else. And we’d like to sell them at a slight discount.”
“A discount?” Juno gasped. “You mean…onsale?”
Charles sent a worried glance Juno’s way, then turned to me in desperation.
I came in with some damage control.
“Look, Juno. You need to sell some work. In most circumstances, when people need to sell stock in a hurry, it’s marked down.”
Juno went very pale and clutched the arm of my chair for support. “Marked…down? Like at somebargain basementsupply store?”
Matteo, bless his heart, intervened. “No, of course not. Call itan exclusive offerto the participants of this…very prestigiousevent.”
Juno took a breath. “That sounds—better…marginally.” They sent another glare my way.
Charles seemed relieved. “Juno, you know you have so many pieces. And all they’re doing right now is sitting in the apartment, where nobody can see them.”
“True. Very true,” Juno said, reaching out to take Charles’ hand.
“It might be nice to show them off to people who can appreciate your incredible talent,” Vincent added.
Juno smiled, and I felt grateful to Vincent for kowtowing to the temperamental and sensitive artist. “Vincent, you have a silver tongue in that gorgeous mouth of yours,” they said.
They looked at Charles, then back at Vincent.
“I have often fantasized about putting Vincent and Charles together in some sort of scene. Perhaps a shibari suspension or some such thing. Maybe we could discuss that, Nic, for this event?”
I would be lying if I said that the thought of suspending Vincent and Charles together from the ceiling, naked and wrapped in brightly colored ropes, didn’t thrill me, but I held my enthusiasm in check for the time being. I wasn’t sure that a display of such grandiosity was going to be possible.
“We can discuss it with Vincent and Charles, I suppose,” I said. “But only if you agree to participate in this event, Juno, and to offer some of your pieces for display and sale.”
Juno contemplated for a moment, then gave a long-suffering sigh. “I suppose I can do that, since you all have your hearts set on this.”
“Excellent. Now let’s go eat the spaghetti Matteo has made and, afterward, we can retire to the living room for some expensive brandy.”
“A wonderful idea, Nic,” Juno said. “I could use a drink.”
“Fair enough.”
Now that Juno had accepted the idea of the exhibit, Charles smiled and said, “It sounds like so much fun. I think it’s a great idea!”
Juno regarded their young boyfriend with benign amusement. “Oh, Charles. My mind is already spinning with ideas for how to display you.”
Charles’ face flushed and his lips parted.
