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Chapter 5 – Know Your Work


Standing in front of the mansion a few days later, Buffy took a deep breath, uneasy with the situation.

This would be the first night that she would be with Spike without the shadowing company of hundreds of other people within reach.

Now they would be alone.

Ringing the doorbell, Buffy smoothed the black pants she was wearing, fidgeting with the silky cream-colored top while she waited. Narrowly refraining from biting her lip when the door opened, she tried to smile at the man on the other side.

“You’re here for Mr. Reed, I presume,” he said in an upper class British accent.

“Yes,” she said softly.

“Come in,” he said, opening the door wider for her to enter.

“Thank you,” she murmured, walking into the house and actually getting a chance to look at the impressive foyer, the marble floors, and the beautiful chandelier now that the area was empty.

“I shall tell Mr. Reed you’ve arrived.”

“Thank you,” Buffy repeated, wandering around the foyer. Seeing the crystal vases, expensive modern art, and numerous antiques that decorated the area, she took a deep breath, feeling truly out of her element. “The man does have good taste,” she muttered to herself.

“Why thank you.”

Spinning around at the sound of the smug voice, Buffy flushed nervously when she realized that Spike was right behind her. Opening and closing her mouth a few times, she gave a nervous laugh, caught off-guard at the sight of him in black jeans and a black shirt that seemed to be molded to his muscular chest.

“Wasn’t too hard to find again when you were driving, was it?” he asked, gesturing to the house.

“No,” Buffy said, shaking her head and wringing her hands together to have something to do. “Not hard at all. Unhard as a matter of fact,” she said with another slight laugh, seeing Spike smile at her.

“Do you want anything to drink?” he asked, effortlessly slipping into the role of host as he led her through the house and into the formal dining room, walking toward the bar.

“Um…martini, if you’ve got it.”

‘Good job, Summers, start drinking on the job,’ she said to herself before nearly rolling her eyes. ‘The man expects you to drink- it’s…in character,’ she thought, nearly nodding her head in satisfaction.

“Dinner won’t be ready for a few minutes,” he said a moment later, walking toward her and handing her the drink of her choice. “Would you like me to show you around?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but she realized it would be in her best interest to learn the layout of the house since she didn’t see much of it the night of the party. “Sounds great,” she said with a smile, blushing slightly when he took her hand in his and began leading her through the spacious hallways.

After seeing nearly every room that was downstairs, Buffy was guided into a room near the back of the house with a spectacular view of the pool. Looking at the deep cherry wood and burgundy leather couches and chairs, she had to smile. “Is it really wise to have an office that overlooks the pool? I wouldn’t think you’d get much work done,” she teased.

Smiling in response, Spike shrugged. “It motivates me to finish whatever I’m working on,” he said, walking up behind her, his hand gently resting on her hip. “Care for a swim later?”

“I didn’t bring my suit,” she said softly, turning toward him.

“I won’t complain,” he replied with a smirk, causing her to raise an eyebrow in response.

“Maybe some other time,” she said with a smile, looking at him over her shoulder to see his reaction. Her smile slowly faded when she saw the painting that was hanging on the opposite wall.

“Monet,” she breathed, staring at the beautiful piece of art, turning around to get a better look at it.

“You know it?” Spike asked, tilting his head to study her reaction.

“Not as well known as his haystacks or water lilies,” she said softly.

“The Water Lilies are in the other wing,” he said, looking up at the painting as Buffy turned to face him.

“Excuse me?” she asked with a raised eyebrow that brought a smile to Spike’s face. He didn’t even have to look at her to hear the unasked questions.

“The Clouds,” he clarified. “I believe Water Lilies is currently showcased at the Art Institute of Chicago. Water Lilies-The Clouds is a part of a private collection…mine.”

Blinking rapidly as she turned back to the painting and tried to take in all of the information, her mind was trying to figure out if there had been a Monet stolen in the past few years. Realizing that she didn’t remember seeing it in his file, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, walking a few steps closer, admiring the brush strokes and use of color.

“So tell me about this one,” she said with a flirty smile, turning toward him once again.

“I think you probably know more than I do, love.”

“Humor me,” she said, looking up at him with wide eyes before turning back to the painting.

“Alright,” he said with a slight chuckle. “The Artist's Garden at Vetheuil, quite possibly one of the flattest landscapes ever painted, many things are not individually distinguishable. It raises a number of questions- are the building in the background side-by-side or is one meant to be in front? There are no clouds, no shadows, and the sunflowers have raised numerous questions. The flowers themselves don’t get smaller, as would be normal for a painting, leaving many to believe that it was a wall of flowers at the base of the staircase.”

By the end of his speech, Buffy had looked away from the painting, turning to look at Spike instead.

Feeling her eyes on him, he slowly turned to look at her with a smile. “What do you think?”

“About the painting or the theories?” she asked.

“Either,” he said with a slight shrug as Buffy turned to look at the artwork, letting out a deep breath as her brows furrowed and she bit her lower lip, lost in deep thought.

“Not one of my favorites,” she said after a moment, causing Spike to raise an eyebrow in amusement.

“And why’s that?”

“It shows how talented he was, but it’s just so unlike some of his other work that I think he would have been better off adding some more depth to it.” Seeing the slight smile on his face, Buffy rolled her eyes. “What? What’s that face for?”

“I suppose you’re more of a fan of the haystacks, then?”

Walking away from the painting, she smiled as she shook her head. “The Artist's Garden at Giverny,” she said, looking at him to judge his reaction, seeing the smile pulling at his lips. “Nineteen years after he painted this one…I guess his work just had to mature some more,” she said with a grin.

“Why that one, love?”

“Because it was a water garden- it gave everything such depth and richness. The way he painted them from overhead, intensifying the surroundings.”

“Ever seen it?” Spike asked, following Buffy around the room.

“At the Musée d'Orsay in Paris?” she replied with a smile. “Not exactly in my budget.”

“An independent art dealer?” he asked, looking at her with a curious expression. “I would think you would have to go overseas.”

Realizing her mistake a moment too late, Buffy’s eyes widened a fraction before she pasted a smile on her face. “‘Independent’ being the key word. It’s not like I have a boss paying to fly me all over the world.”

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Spike slowly nodded. “Maybe you’ll see it someday.”

“I’m not holding my breath,” she said with a smile, walking across the Persian rugs to the painting on the other end of the office. “Renoir?” she said with interest.

“You don’t seem too impressed.”

“It takes a lot to impress me, Mr. Reed,” she said, her voice taking on a serious tone as she turned toward him.

“I’ll remember that,” he said in a raspy whisper. “And in case you’ve forgotten- it’s Spike.” Leading Buffy out of the room, he let his hand trail along the small of her back as they walked. “So, who decorates your home, Miss Summers?” he asked in a teasing tone.

“Oh, you know how it is,” she said with a playful smile. “A few by Rembrandt, Bazille, a couple of the other Impressionists.”

“S’that right?” he said, smiling in amusement as he led her toward the dining room. “You’ll have to show me sometime.”

Biting her lip and giving him a flirtatious glance, she raised an eyebrow for a more seductive look. “Play your cards right.”



Thanks so much to: Tahmoe, Franchesca, lacey, Shippy, Kimber, Cordykitten, Bint, Elanor, Caitie, gypsy_jin, Celia, dev, Kelly, li, willowmouse, Alison, Crystal Pegasus, VJ SNA, Raven, BuffyandSpikeForever, & baby spikes for reviewing!





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