Bring Me Fire by Emily Stone Read Free Book Online Page B

room," Sky said. She gestured to the paintings. "I studied her work in college. I remember looking at some of these very paintings in one of my textbooks. It’s just so cool that I actually get to see them up close like this."
    " I see it’s something you feel very strongly about."
    " Oh, yes." Sky grinned. "This really is one of the most impressive art collections I’ve ever seen! Not that I’m that worldly or anything, the farthest out of the country I’ve ever been was to go to Montreal to visit my aunt and uncle, but I know there are a ton of people out there who would just about die for even a quarter of what you have." She stopped talking when she realized he was giving her a funny look. "What?" she asked, wondering if she had something on her face or had spilled something down the front of her shirt without realizing it. She looked down; everything seemed fine. It almost felt like he was laughing at her, except he wasn’t smiling.
    " Nothing," he said after a minute. "You’re just very excitable over this, I guess."
    Now it was her turn to give him a funny look. "But you must get excited about it, too," she said. "Otherwise, why would you have all of it? Why would you hire someone to photograph it and catalog it and then arrange it? You must feel strongly about it. Be passionate about it. Isn’t it...isn’t it why you left acting?"
"That’s not something I need to disclose to you," he snapped. Sky flinched, surprised at the hard note that had crept into his voice.
    " I’m sorry." She looked down. "I didn’t mean to bring it up. I know it’s not something you want to talk about."
    " My leaving acting had nothing to do with art," he said, his tone softening a bit. "But it is something that I enjoy very much, and that I always have. I like to do what I can to support the people who create it. They have a gift, and that is a special thing. But I don’t feel the need to go on and on about it, nor do I get so caught up in it that I am completely oblivious to the rest of my surroundings. Do you realize..." He paused and ran his hand over the lower part of his face. "Do you realize that had I not cleared my throat to get your attention, I could still be standing here, watching you, and you would have no idea?"
    " Um," Sky shifted, unsure of what to say. What, exactly, was he trying to tell her? "I didn’t realize you’d been watching me."
    He rolled his eyes. "I wasn’t. But I could have been. And you would’ve been off in lala land, thinking about Miriam Deschamps. I guess I’m just trying to give you a little advice."
    " What, sleep with one eye open?" Sky asked jokingly.
    " I’m not talking about sleeping," he replied, not even a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
    You’re kind of a jerk, she thought, realizing, all of a sudden, that her boss most likely fell into the category of exceedingly good-looking but ultimately a gigantic asshole.
    " So let me get this straight," she said. "You’re telling me that even if there’s something I find very interesting, something that I get excited about, I should not let myself get too excited because some guy might come into the room without me realizing and start watching me?"
    " If you want to take what I’m saying to you in the absolute most literal sense, then, yes. But what I’m really trying to tell you is that you should try to be aware, regardless of how excited , as you put it, about something you might get. Self-control and self-awareness are two things you should never underestimate."
    " Okay, great," Sky said. "Thanks for the advice." She picked the camera back up. "I should probably get back to work. But not before I tell you that I’m very aware of you standing there. Better?"
Now a slightly amused smile did touch the corners of his mouth. Stop being so damn good-looking! She wanted to scream at him. Instead, she turned away.
    " You’re sassy, you know. And you’re also young. I’m just trying to offer you a little advice, is all. Things