The Arrogant Artist : A Billionaire Boss Romance (International Bad Boys Set Book 2)

met your new boss.” He gives me a wink, ushering me into the luxurious home.
He keeps warning me.
And I keep wondering what the hell I have gotten myself into.
I really hope my new boss isn’t a complete dick because that’s going to make the summer suck.
“Here is your room.” Daniel opens the wooden door to my bedroom.
“Oh my…” I rush over to the balcony doors and open them, and there, right in front of me, is the gleaming azure pool, and just behind that, the rolling green hills. Purple streaks of lavender fill the horizon. I can hear birds chirping, the buzzing of the bees hovering around the pink roses that are climbing up the rock wall of the home, and the sweet perfume teases my nose.
This is paradise.
Daniel’s standing behind me. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” His warm breath touches my shoulders sending goosebumps over my skin.
“It truly is.” I try to remain calm, but honestly, I wouldn’t mind if Daniel spun me around and pinned me to one of the stone walls, showing me what real paradise is.
Oh my God, I need to stop it.
It’s been two weeks since I broke up with Toby. It’s way too early to be thinking about sleeping with someone else.
That didn’t stop Toby, the little devil on my shoulder whispers to me.
“In the study downstairs, I’ll set up a laptop and a cell phone for you.” His professionalism pulls me from my dirty thoughts. He’s just doing his job. Daniel’s not here to fuck you against the brick wall. Concentrate, Emily.
“I’ll be emailing you the schedule. You need to make sure the artist keeps to it. We don’t have long until this exhibition in New York, and there’s a lot riding on it.”
I can’t believe I’ll be going to New York.
Suck it, Toby, I didn’t need you to get there after all.
I can work out a plan, organize, and schedule tasks. Who doesn’t like a good schedule that runs to plan?
“You’ll also need to look after the social media accounts. The last person who looked after it left abruptly, and it hasn’t been maintained well in the last four months. We need to get this artist back out there again. The artist has no clue about social media, so I’ll be looking to you to take the lead on this.”
I nod. I know I can take awesome selfies, loving my filters and hashtags. I’m all over that.
“Also, the artist has disappeared from the social scene, too, and I really need visibility again. Start building the buzz for the New York exhibition, remind everyone who the artist is, and that he’s still number one.”
This mystery talk is driving me crazy. I have no idea if the artist is male or female.
“So, say yes to any and all invitations, and if you’re really unsure, just give me a call.”
I nod in agreement. So far, the job sounds great apart from the cranky artist, but now I can cope with that.
“Any questions? I know I’ve just laid it all on you at once.” He smiles.
“Just one. Who is it?”
“Follow me, the artwork downstairs will give it away.”
Oh, now I’m intrigued.
“You’re dying to know, aren’t you?” The deep chuckle that leaves his throat gives me chills.
We make our way downstairs past the foyer, then walk into the living and dining areas here I stop to stare at the walls.
“No.” I cover my mouth. He can’t be serious? I’m not Louis Marchant’s new assistant.
“You see why I didn’t want to tell you.”
I walk up to one of the paintings and just stare at the bold colors beaming back at me. “Is that?” My hand wants to touch the mark going across the entire painting.
“Yes, he sliced the canvas. I repaired it for him.”
I heard the story about what had happened when his wife ran away with his protégé.
“Is he okay?”
Daniel shakes his head. “Honestly, no. Come… let me show you.” Following him past the kitchen down a corridor and then out a glass door, there’s what appears to be a storage shed. Daniel unlocks the door and flicks on the light. It’s filled with paintings, but these are all black, white, gray, and red. The strokes look angry and violent.
“This is where we are now.” He points to the paintings. “He’s lost, and I don’t know how to help him anymore.” I can see the strain on his face as he talks about his client.
“They are still beautiful, though.” I run my fingers over the thick, dried paint.
“But Marchant’s fans don’t want brooding, they want love and light.”
“Sometimes life doesn’t happen that way. These paintings, they show you what happens when someone rips your heart out. They show a person’s pain, and sometimes pain can be beautiful.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
“Yeah, I am.”
His eyes narrow in on me. “Is that the reason for you having to move out of your home?”
I simply nod. “I thought my partner was proposing to me, but instead, he was breaking up with me to move to New York because he fell in love with someone else.” Daniel’s eyes widen, and his eyebrow raises slightly. I didn’t mean to unleash my dirty laundry onto him, but somehow it all just blurted out. “I guess at this moment, Marchant’s paintings resonate with me.” I scan the walls of the dark images that hang before my eyes.
“That man will regret leaving you.”
“I think it’s for the best, he wasn’t the man for me.”
“Well, I think you’re exactly what Louis needs,” Daniel tells me.
Daniel left hours ago. It’s a beautiful early summer’s night, the sun is slowly setting, the breeze is warm, so I rode the bike into town to grab some items for dinner. Great idea in theory, I realized pretty quickly that I hadn’t ridden a bike for years, and it was a long way. Thankfully, the road was flat because that was my only saving grace.
Finally, my heartbeat has returned to normal as I set myself up by the glistening