The Art of Love [Hedon Falls 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

Hedon Falls 2

The Art of Love

Melanie Hynes owns the brand-new art gallery in Hedon Falls. When she decides to make erotic art the theme of her opening exhibition, she goes in search of artwork.

Justin Gauthier creates a unique blend of painting and photography. Melanie finds his youth and vigor intoxicating. David Hannah can sculpt provocative pieces from ordinary materials. And Melanie discovers that he is very good with his hands. Garrett Anderson’s paintings of BDSM are shocking and arousing. When Melanie asks about the lifestyle, he teaches her.

Three men, each with their own distinct talents, and she falls hard and fast for all of them.

When David finds out she is seeing other men, he is hurt and angry. Confused by her attraction to three men, she doesn’t know who to choose. Justin and Garrett show her the joys of sharing, and she thinks that may be the key to her dilemma. Can she convince David to consider a ménage?

Genre:
BDSM, Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre

Length:
48,314 words
 

Hedon Falls 2

Michelle Graham

MENAGE AMOUR

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

THE ART OF LOVE

E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-598-3

First E-book Publication: March 2013

Cover design by Harris Channing

All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Dear Readers,

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The Art of Love
by Michelle Graham from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

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www.SirenPublishing.com

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This book is dedicated to the fabulous authors at Siren, who were there for me through some very difficult times while I wrote
The Art of Love
. Your words of wisdom and unwavering support meant the world to me.

And for Deb: the best friend I’ve never met!

Mary, merci de m’avoir aidé avec le français!

THE ART OF LOVE

Hedon Falls 2

MICHELLE GRAHAM

Copyright © 2013

“What do you mean there’s another problem?” Melanie rubbed her temples. Ten in the morning and her head was already pounding. It was not a good omen.

“There are all kinds of roots in the clay pipes,” Andy said. “We need to dig it all out and replace the pipes right out to the sewer lines with PVC pipes.”

“And how much will that cost?” she asked.

“A lot,” he replied.

“I don’t suppose you can be any more specific than that?”

“I haven’t done an estimate yet,” he said. “But I’ll let you know soon.”

“Okay, thanks, Andy,” Melanie said before hanging up. She muttered to herself as she pulled up her budget spreadsheet. “Sure, Melanie, buy an old building and renovate it. Easy as pie. Riiiight.”

Looking at the spreadsheet, she winced. Even though renovations were already ten percent over budget, she had no choice but to finish them. Her gallery was scheduled to open on December 1 and it absolutely had to open on time. She just hoped her contingency fund could handle this latest setback. Perhaps she could find another area to save costs. She could go with the cheaper paint and do it over again in a year or so. And she would probably have to find a way to cut some corners for the grand opening celebration. Then there was the small matter of actually acquiring artwork. She could display artwork that was for sale, but she hoped to have a few permanent pieces as well.

The doorbell ringing interrupted her thoughts. She stood and stretched before moving through the little cottage to the door. She smiled when she saw her friend Serena standing there.

“Ready to walk?” Serena asked her.

“Just let me grab my coat,” Melanie replied. “It’s cool today.” She pulled her coat from the closet, grabbed a water bottle, and they left.

When Melanie had moved to Hedon Falls, Ontario a few months earlier, she had been looking for an apartment to rent until her suite at the gallery was finished. She found an ad in the paper for a cottage on a large property at the edge of town. It was perfect. With one bedroom and bathroom, a small den, a sitting room, and an eat-in kitchen, it was exactly what she needed. Plus, it was all located on a beautifully wooded estate. The property belonged to Serena Dalton and her husbands, Liam and Lance Dalton. They lived in the large house on the lot beside Melanie’s with their children, Sam, who was ten, and seventeen-month-old twins, Logan and Savannah.

Melanie had been a little shocked when she first learned of their ménage relationship. She had thought maybe they were just swingers, but as she got to know them, she realized how deeply they loved each other. It had been obvious that Liam and Lance were devoted to Serena. They couldn’t both legally marry her, of course, but they had had a commitment ceremony, which had caused quite a stir in the town. Though Melanie would never admit it, she was a little jealous. She imagined that with two men very few of her needs would go unmet.

After moving in, Melanie had quickly become friends with Serena, and it was a daily routine for them to go for a walk through the woods in the morning. Melanie was glad to have a friend. She hadn’t known anyone when she arrived in the area. Serena told her it was nice to have a break from all the chaos in the house and get some time to herself, especially as she was six months pregnant with another set of twins.

“So what’s the latest with the renos?” Serena asked.

“They’ve just discovered roots growing in the clay pipes,” Melanie told her. “I’m waiting for an estimate, but it probably won’t be good.”

“That sucks.”

“Tell me about it.”

“You know we’re willing to invest if you need money,” Serena told her. Liam and Lance owned an aquarium store in town which had been in their family for over thirty years. Their parents had been well-off to begin with, and wise investments along the way meant they were not lacking for money or anything else. Serena had offered to help Melanie out, but she was determined to do it on her own. She had her inheritance from when her parents had passed away two years earlier. It had been substantial enough for her to purchase the old mill building in Hedon Falls, mortgage free, and begin to realize her dream of owning her own art gallery.

“I promise I’ll come to you if I absolutely have to,” Melanie told Serena. “But I haven’t reached that point yet. Besides, with you giving me such a great rate on the marketing, you’ve given me more than enough already.” Serena had worked as a marketing coordinator for a number of years before she got married and had the twins. Now she had her own consulting business and worked from home. She had offered to help Melanie out with the marketing for the gallery.

“Okay,” Serena said. “What about the artwork though?”

“I’ve been looking at a ton of stuff,” Melanie said enthusiastically. Art always excited her. “I can’t believe how much talent is right here in the Hedon Falls area! Deciding which works to choose will be very difficult.”

“Any standouts?”

“There are a few,” Melanie said. “One of the artists has a neat series that he calls Body Canvas.”

“Body Canvas?”

“It’s a style created by a Belgian artist a few years ago. The artist paints a person and then takes a picture of it,” Melanie said.

“Why can’t he just hang the painting?” Serena asked.

“He paints the person,” Melanie said. “Like with a paintbrush on their naked body.”

“Oh! That’s neat.”

“It is,” Melanie agreed. “In some of them, you can’t even tell where the person is unless you’re really looking.”

“Who is the artist?”

“His name is Justin Gauthier. And he’s really young. I think he’s only twenty-three.”

Serena laughed. “This from the twenty-nine year old!”

“For an artist, it’s young,” Melanie said. “And I’m going to be thirty in a few months! Then I’ll be an old fart like you.” Melanie enjoyed teasing her friend, even though Serena was only five years older than her.

“Very funny,” Serena said. “Can I see the art? It might give me some ideas for the marketing.”

“Sure. I’ll show you when we get back to the cottage.”

They continued their trek through the woods, Melanie telling Serena about some of the other artists she liked, and Serena telling her stories of her kids. When they got back to the cottage, Melanie made coffee and opened her files on the artists she was considering.