Criminal Love

36. Fighting for Dessert

Friday afternoon at the office

The day has gone by excruciatingly slow despite the ton of work Yue and Dylan had at the gallery and the office. They had to buy more paintings for an upcoming special exhibition that is being organized. Yue was the one who came up with the theme – Blue Wonders. She started dwelling on the idea since the day when Dylan complained about not being satisfied with how the waves of the sea turn out in his paintings.

"Jacques Cousteau said, 'the sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever,' isn't that a good theme for a special event at the Wang Gallery, to display paintings about the sea that inspires the uttermost wonder? We are in Florida after all!" Yue animatedly suggested Dylan a few weeks ago. Certainly, Dylan agreed it was a fantastic idea. Most local artists often paint the Atlantic Ocean, and people love landscapes of the sea because they are relaxing and decorative.

Moreover, Dylan has been given permission to show and sell some of his work after Yue convinced Agent Michaels that it would be odd if none of Dylan's pieces are ever exhibited at his own gallery. So, this weekend Yue will help him choose a couple of his creations for the upcoming Blue Wonders Exhibit.

Aside from the gallery giving them an awful workload, the investigation of the stolen Picassos has been making progress. Another one of the artist's not-so-famous paintings was stolen in California, and the investigation collided with theirs. Apparently, the name of the Orlando hotel owner that Yue and Dylan met at a party has something to do with the California theft as well as the Las Vegas one.

"Guys, you will need to spend a few days in Orlando soon. Let's find an excuse for you to go. That man, James Gordon, is tangled up with the Russian and the robberies. His name pops up on our database every single time a Picasso is stolen. In the California case, the theft occurred at the residence of a man who had been to Orlando a month before," Caesar expounds.

"Maybe Gordon is the one who reveals where to find the paintings to the thieves," Darren suggests.

"I'm chatting with Chris, he's going to Orlando in 2 weeks because there's an art event at Gordon's hotel," Dylan adds.

"We should go too. Do we need tickets or an invitation?" Yue asks.

"Um, I'm asking..." Dylan writes on his phone and they all stare at him, waiting for the answer. "He says we can get the tickets online at the hotel web page."

Yue immediately starts typing on her keyboard. "Found it! It's an art dinner and auction. $500 per person for a 5-course meal," she says with an 'ouch' tone and showing her teeth, grimacing. "It's $1000 for the both of us."

"It's within budget. No worries," Caesar calmly responds with a nod. "Buy them. We cannot miss this window. We might not get another excuse in the near future."

About an hour later, at around 5 pm, Dylan becomes restless, he shifts in his chair and cannot concentrate on work. From her desk, Yue glances at him constantly, elongating her neck furtively above the screen. At some point, Dylan catches her eyes and smirks arrogantly. Yue retreats like a jittery armadillo behind the computer.

"Psst... Psst..."

Yue ignores him and continues to hide.

"I know what you're doing!" he exclaims in a whisper. Then he chuckles and decides to leave her alone.

Yue is flushed. Her face is mottled, and her ears are warm. Yet, her hands are cold. Why is she so anxious about this weekend? She spent 3 days locked in that penthouse with Dylan during a hurricane being naughty, she should be comfortable around him already.

Yue curses herself for being so nervous. She is playing all sorts of scenarios in her head, and at the same time wondering about what Dylan might have bought for her and what he is expecting will happen in the next 2 days. Her heart pounds so hard in her chest that she hears it in her ears and feels it in her throat. Geez, I need to calm down or I'll have a heart attack before we even get there tonight!