Chapter 7

But there, beneath those rings, beneath the talisman and gems and precious stones like blue eyes (lovers' keepsakes) there still remains the silent crypt of sex, filled to its vaulted roof with flower petals.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Piper Linwood was speechless.

The Thorne Auction House was nothing short of stunning. It was an old townhouse dating from the eighteen hundreds located on Curzon Street, and it had been converted into a boutique auction house and reception hall. The owner, Mr. Wesley Thorne, was an old English teddy bear who, as it so happened, looked a bit like Teddy Roosevelt, with ruddy cheeks, a bushy moustache, and rounded spectacles perched on his nose.

Piper and Jodie had come to the auction house earlier that evening and had been escorted to rooms upstairs where they could change into their evening gowns. He'd even offered to let them stay the night in case they had to work late. The reception was a black-tie affair, so she and Jodie had bought evening gowns at Harrods.

"Can you believe this place?" Jodie hopped onto the canopy bed, kicking her legs with a squeal of delight. "It's like something out of a Jane Austen novel."

Piper had to agree. She'd grown up in a small town outside of Boston and wasn't used to the elegance and splendor of many of the places she'd seen in London since she'd first arrived. Mr. Thorne had told them that this townhouse had been in his family a long time, and he had been living here until recently. Thorne's grandson was American and lived on the Gold Coast of Long Island, but he owned properties all over the world. Mr. Thorne was moving to America soon to spend more time with his grandson and his fianc¨¦e. It was so sweet.

She got to see a picture of the grandson and his fianc¨¦e, holding each other close on the porch of a beautiful ranch house in Colorado, snow glittering on the ground. They looked so in love and so happy. Piper felt a little ache in her chest. She'd never had a relationship like that, not even close. She'd dated a few guys, but there had never been a spark. And she wanted that spark. She'd gotten tired of looking and had given upuntil today.

One look at Mikhail Barinov at the museum and she'd felt it, the spark, and when he'd lifted her hand to his lips, an actual electric spark had jumped between her hand and his lips. The thought that a spark like that could be more than metaphorical had so shocked her that she'd just stared at him as he'd left the exhibit.

And he's coming here tonight. Her stomach gave a fluttering flip for the hundredth time at the thought of running into Mikhail again.

It was a silly girlish thing to be obsessing over a man she'd known for less than five minutes, but damn Any other woman would've been just as smitten with a hunk who had such bewitching eyes and a mouth that made her think of wicked things. And his gorgeous eyes had promised her that hint of edginess she desperately needed. She shivered.

"So" Jodie's voice cut through Piper's thoughts. "We got you that knockout dress. Tell me you're going to make the most of it when that Russian hottie shows up." She sat on the bed, pointing one delicate foot like a ballerina. Piper wished she was more like Jodie, all elegance and effortless beauty. A man like Mikhail would want a woman who looked like Jodie, not her. She was just so normal.

"Piper, don't you dare think like that," Jodie suddenly snapped.

"Hmmm?"

"You're squishing your face again. I know what you're thinking, but it isn't true. There are plenty of men who think you're attractive."

Piper snorted. "Of course, like the creepy archivist at the museum"

"No. I mean yes, but I mean that other men like you too. Ask me how I know that." Jodie climbed off the bed and approached one of her gown boxes.

"Okay. I'll bite. How do you know?"

"Because." Her friend paused as she lifted the lid of her box and stroked the silk of her new black dress. "I bumped into Mikhail when he came into the exhibit. On purpose. He barely glanced at me. I gave up and circled around to the back of the exhibit, and that's when I saw him talking to you."

Piper waved a hand. "He was only talking to me because I talked to him about the jewels."

Jodie removed her dress from the box and whirled it around so the skirt swayed. "Then you didn't see the way he was looking at you. There was just as much interest in you as those pearls. Trust me on this. If there's one thing I understand, it's men."

Jodie was right about that. She understood men, and they flocked to her like birds to a cartoon princess. If she hadn't been so nice when they met two years ago, Piper would not have wanted to get to know Jodie. Jealousy would have gotten in the way. Luckily, work had pushed them together, and they'd become fast friends.

Piper still couldn't quite believe it. It wouldn't be the first time she'd really liked a guy and misread the situation. "So if he's interested in me"

"Then talk to him. Flirt. Do something that will encourage him." Jodie set her dress on the bed and started stripping out of her clothes. Piper fetched her own dress box and set it on the bed before undressing as well. Jodie had talked her into a dress she never would've picked normally, but since the company was paying her expenses, well, why not?

She was down to her black bra and panties by the time Jodie was dressed and ready.

"Hurry up." Jodie slipped on her black stilettos and checked the time on her slender wristwatch. "We've got half an hour before people start arriving, and I wanted to have a drink with Mr. Thorne. He's such a dear."

"I still need to put on some makeup. I'll meet you downstairs," Piper replied.

"Okay." Jodie smiled at her, then paused by the door. "He's going to come tonight, and you're going to look amazing. Trust me, Piper. I have a good feeling about this."

"I hope you're right."

Piper carefully removed her dress from the box. It was made of dark reddish-purple silk, the color of burgundy in firelight. The skirt was full from the waist down, and the hem was trimmed with black lace. It was nothing like what she'd normally wear to a party. A simple black cocktail dress usually worked, but she had taken one look at this in the store window at Harrods and swooned. It was sexy but not slinky, more like something Grace Kelly would have worn than Audrey Hepburn.

Piper stepped into the gown and shimmied it up her hips. Then she slipped her arms into the short sleeves and zipped it up to her lower back. Normally she felt awkward in fancy clothes, but tonight felt different. The dress was perfectly tailored, and she couldn't resist peeping at her reflection in the mirror. The dark cherrywood-framed mirror in the corner of the room reflected a cool, brown-haired seductress. She bit her lip and smiled before putting on her makeup. It felt so different from the way she usually looked. Her dress was alluring, miles away from a boring black business suit.