Billionaire Daddy's Little Artist

*Lily*The din of the chatter in the room escalated, and the string quartet diminished. I thought Eva had said this was her father. I smiled at Eva, who prattled away at our first meeting in the dorms.I laughed, then looked for his response. His stare was transfixed like he was trying to place how we knew each other.“Have we met?”“No, Daddy. You’ve never met Lily. When I moved into Shetfield, that ungodly, tiny dormitory, you were out of town,” she said. She looked at me. “I was hardly ever there, was I?”“No, you were never there.” I laughed. From the soles of my feet to the top of my head, an electric current seemed to buzz straight from this man to me.“How do you do, Lily?” He leaned to hug and air kiss me as Eva had, which seemed to be the custom with the extremely wealthy sector. Another charged jolt coursed through my body when he touched my arm and drew me to him. I felt the heat from his core and breath against my face. The effect made me swoon, and for a mom

*Lily*Hyped up on adrenaline, I rounded the corner after Eva’s taxi drove away, then before my legs failed me, I bustled up Amsterdam to Eighty-First Street. Breathless from nerves, I tried to calm myself before entering the large revolving glass doors of William Shaw’s building. Once inside the cool office space, I instantly felt relief from the extreme heat. It felt more like a mid-summer day than early spring.Depending on how my meeting with William went, I decided I’d hit the MET, just up the block, before returning home. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was one of my favorite places to visit when I first arrived in the city.Afraid of how William might react to my unannounced pop-in, I strategized as to what I would say. I planned to tell him I had met Eva for lunch, and she told me where he worked, and I just wanted to thank him. I had a legitimate reason for showing up. In the best-case scenario, he’d accept my gratitude and explain where he planned to exhibit my paintings

*Lily*It was late afternoon, and I still hadn’t a clue what to wear on my date with William. I had spent the afternoon languishing over the MET’s Surrealist collaboration. The artists’ narrative regarding the challenges of social and political unrest captivated me. I jotted down several ideas, inspired to get back to work on a new series.Tony had texted, inviting me to come by the studio for one last look at my paintings before they shipped to William Shaw and company. I told him it might be painful to see them one last time and to proceed with the shipment. In the back of my mind, I felt hopeful I might see them again if a relationship with William was in my future. This was all crazy speculation on my part, as one dinner does not constitute a predestined relationship; however, in the back of my mind, I felt it was destiny. Our meeting, the mutual attraction—it all seemed fated. Never before had I ever felt so drawn to a person, my heart expanding in such a way I might burst

*Lily*The following morning was Saturday. I stretched my arms and legs, hoping to languish under the covers for a few an hour or two longer, but the smell of coffee forced me to stand. I stumbled to the kitchen for a cup of joe, feeling slightly hungover. The boys were up and dressed, watching the news. The door to our small balcony was open, and a light breeze ruffled the magazines on the table. I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and sat on the sofa across from them with the biggest smile. They weren’t home when I’d arrived last night, and I knew they wanted details about my night with William. “Look how happy she is. Spill it,” said Adam. “Start from the moment you walked out the door.”I filled them in on the highlights–the restaurant, the champagne, and the marvelous food and dessert. I left out the bit about meeting William’s ex-wife’s friend. They seemed floored that William took me on a private museum tour to see the planetarium’s exclusive screening.“We star

*Lily*The moment I returned to the table in the cafe, Tony shut his cell phone off. “Good news,” he said with a sly smile“You have an apartment for me?” I asked with a laugh as I put my napkin on my lap.“No.” He bit into his club sandwich and chewed fast. “The Times wants to run a piece on the gallery and the show’s success the other night. They’re going to highlight you and Hannah."“Wow, that’s great. Listen, Tony, I need to discuss something with you.” I frowned, rubbing my temple. “That was William Shaw’s assistant on the phone. Willam Shaw offered me a job and a rent-free apartment. He asked me to commission a new collection for his office space. It’s weird timing with me needing a place to live, right?” I paused. “I haven’t decided, but I feel like I have to take it, don’t I? I didn’t give his assistant, Grace, an answer yet. I wanted to talk to you first.”“Yeah, yeah, I mean wow, Lily. William Shaw? I don’t think you can say no to a guy like that,” he shrugged.I