Disclaimer: Hi everyone and hope you had a great summer. BIGGEST APOLOGIES for not updating until now. I could give you a lot of reasons but really all I can do is say I'm really sorry and that it won't happen again. Thanks to all those who've waited and are going to give me a second chance. As always only the original characters and plot lines belong to moi.

A Sexy Sculpture

If he'd still been wearing his tie he would have tugged on it. He'd been to this particular art gallery plenty of times but he couldn't say as he knew many of the people in it. Most of the people weren't even really properly dressed for an art showing. Then again he'd never been to an art showing that feature so many suggestive and nude works of art before. Not only that but Asia had deserted him, Quatre thought with a faint scowl, stuffing his hands into his pockets since Asia had made him leave his jacket and tie in the car. Back in ten minutes she says, Quatre mentally muttered. Well it had been at least twice that and he hadn't so much as caught a glimpse of her. Knowing her she was doing it on purpose too.

"Quatre?" Came a hesitant voice and turning Quatre barely contained a groan. It was the owner of the gallery and a friend.

"Hello, Katrina. How are you?" Quatre said with his most charming smile. "Quite the turn out you've got here. You must be pleased."

"I am. The question is what are you doing here?" Katrina replied with a teasing elbow jab. "This isn't exactly an art form you're interested in. You aren't much for sculptures, much less of this sort of subject matter. Asia's influence now that she's leading you over to the darkside?" She teased affectionately. She of course knew Asia as well and was delighted with the pairing if admittedly surprised.

"Actually she knows the artist so...and some of his artwork is...interesting." Quatre said, for lack of a better word. Plus his breeding and kind heart forbid him from giving a negative opinion on something the artist had likely worked very hard on. Not to mention the fact that said artist was Asia's friend.

"Actually...there is one of his pieces you might be interested in." Katrina said hesitantly, not wanting to offend one of her best clients. It was true, she thought, that Quatre the man would appreciate the piece but on the other hand Quatre the senator and gentleman might have a problem with it.

"Oh?" Quatre inquired, more to be polite then actual interest. He hadn't seen anything that had overly caught his eye. The wooden sculptures were beautiful in their forms and attention to detail but that didn't change the fact that the themes of the pieces weren't his art style.

"Yes, and before you figure I'm just trying to make a sale I am but I also think you'll at least be impressed. It may be along the theme of these other works but its got something special to it. I'd bid on it myself if it weren't for the fact that Charles would kill me." Katrina said with a faint smirk on her lips. Her husband was even stuffier then Quatre but she loved him anyway. "Come and see?"

"Sure, why not." Quatre said with a shrug.

Leading the way through the crowds Katrina kept a firm grip on Quatre's arm as she lead him out of the room and into another where the more expensive sculptures were on display. Stopping only for quick hellos and comments she finally got them to the back of the room where the sculpture in question sat waiting on its pedestal. "Ta da." She announced with a grand gesture, an expecting look on her face as she waited for a reaction.

Since Katrina had obviously taken a shine to the piece Quatre had expected it to be the gem of the collection. Then again the collection as a whole hadn't interested him terribly so he hadn't expected something like this. Not saying a word he walked over, his eyes taking in every detail as he lifted a hand to touch, to absorb as he studied and appreciated. Mine, was the thought that went through his mind. This was going to be his. "I'll pay whatever is being asked for it."

Blinking in surprise, since she'd really only expected him to at most appreciate it Katrina was tongue tied for a minute. "Uhm..well...we've had several offers on it already..."

"I'll match whatever the highest bid ends up being. But it's mine, Katrina." Quatre said as he briefly looked over his shoulder before turning his attention back to his sculpture. It was about two feet tall and as was the common theme in this artist's work it depicted lovers in the act of showing themselves to be lovers. The difference was that this one didn't scream sex in bold letters as the others did. This cried out love. While the other sculptures he'd looked at had been about the baser needs being satisfied this was about giving and taking, about expressing the love one felt for the other physically. Only a fool could look at it and not crave to know and experience the feelings reflecting in the bodies of the two figures. The way they held each other close, the woman's head tipped back in pleasure while the man's face buried in her neck spoke volumes. Unlike the others this wasn't a big display of either the male or the female body either. In fact that sculpture only showed their upper bodies and they were so close that they shielded the other from view, forming a barrier so that it was only them, in their own little world. As it should be.

"Okay, this showing continues on till tomorrow afternoon. Whatever is the highest bid at the end of that is what you owe me." Katrina said with a nod, thinking her friend looked very much bestowed with the piece of art. Who would have thought it. Technically she shouldn't be letting him get it so easily, especially given how his bidding would drive up the price but he was her friend as well as a customer who dropped a great deal of money her way. It was always best to keep a client like Quatre happy. Plus once word got out that Senator Winner had bought a piece of art by this artist then interest would mount. Quatre's good taste in the arts was well known in the upper circles.

"All right. I'll add another ten percent to whatever the final bid is." Quatre added absently, looking at her with a knowing smile. "I would have missed this..I got the feeling you were hesitant to bring me over to see it in the first place."

"Lets just say that if I can't have it I'm glad you will." Katrina said with a smile, that ten percent making her smile like a cat. Once she mentioned Senator Winner's interest the price of that sculpture was going to go up very, very nicely. "And since you've secured your prize shouldn't you go find Asia?"

"Oh yeah." Quatre had completely forgotten about her up until now. Come to think of it he had absolutely no idea where she was period. Damn it. "Lets go find her." Taking Katrina's arm the two headed out once again, this time to find Asia which they succeeded in doing five minutes later, having a drink with the artist himself.

"Hey! There you are." Asia beamed, hurrying over to take Quatre's other arm as she hustled him over to meet her friend. She'd been getting a little worried once she'd lost track of him but someone had said Katrina had wanted to show him something. Given how big the gallery was she'd figured that explained her not being able to even catch a glimpse of him in the crowd. "Quatre, this is Tim. Tim, this is Quatre."

"Senator. It's an honor to meet you. Thanks for coming. Asia's told me so much about you." The artist named Tim said rapidly with a weak smile, obviously nervous as he took the hand Quatre offered. It wasn't every day that you shook hands with a senator after all. Especially one worth billions of dollars who owned liked how many companies and businesses.

"Pleasure, I'm glad Asia dragged me here." Quatre said with his usual charming smile. "I've arranged to purchase one of your pieces, it's going to be one of the gems of my collection."

"You have?" Asia wanted to know, very surprised and struggling to hide it. This sort of stuff was definitely not her boss's cup of tea. Had he bought something just because Tim was her friend?

"Really, I'm flattered." Tim said, wondering the same thing as Asia. On the one hand it was good for business but on the other..it was the principle of the point. "I was under the impression from Katrina that you were more into paintings and older period art."

"Normally yes. Your work in the main gallery didn't have any pieces that caught my eye overly but Katrina took me to see the ones in the other room. That was a different story." Quatre said with an understanding look. He knew what it was to be given things solely because of his name and birth. He'd hated being treated differently, not for his own actions but for the family shadow he walked in.

"He took one look at "One" and I think his mind blanked out everything else in the room." Katrina said with a reassuring smile in Tim's direction. "I don't think he could even tell you what the other sculptures in the room looked like."

"There were other sculptures?" Quatre asked with an innocent look though in a way it was true. He'd only vaguely noticed that there were other pieces in the room. He'd had eyes for only one.

"You bought "One"?" Tim said in surprise then with a slow look of curiosity. He'd been wondering about Asia dating her boss, whether it was just some sort of fling on both sides. But if this was a man who could be that captured by that particular piece..well maybe this was Asia's match after all.

"I will be once the final offered price from other customers comes in. It's only fair that way." Quatre explained with a faint shrug. "But I'll get it either way."

"What other room? Which piece? Have I seen it?" Asia wanted to know, not knowing what to think. Just what sort of piece was this?

"I don't think you've been in there yet. What's in the main room is my old work while the small room that connects to it hides the stuff I've been making since I met Lola." Tim said, his eyes going all dreamy at the mere saying of her name. "Katrina said they should be separate since they're two different styles."

"Oh. So the ones in this other room aren't like your regular sculptures." Asia said with a smile, understanding now. Obviously the ones in the small room weren't Tim's usual graphic nudes and were something along the lines of the tasteful stuff Quatre liked. She'd never known Tim to do anything that fit under Quatre's definition of real art but hey, there was a first time for everything, right?

"Well it is and it isn't." Tim said with a chuckle. He could practically see the gears turning in Asia's head. Obviously she was worried about just what her boss had purchased. "According to Katrina the newer ones just have an edge the old ones don't."

"An edge?" Asia repeated, not entirely liking the sound of that. She had heard people talking about how Tim's latest work was the best he'd ever done but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. "I think we should go see this sculpture. Now."

While Katrina was leading the small group to view Tim's latest work a lone figure slipped in and out of the darken streets. The weather was clear for the moment but the weathermen were speculating about rain tonight. He really didn't want to get caught in the rain. He would have driven but the less noise he made the better this would go. After all no one knew exactly what sort of security Senator Winner had because he didn't use a security company. No, whatever little surprises there were had been put in curtesy of the brilliant minds working at Preventers. Any other time he'd have been tempted to give it a go just for the hell of it. But he couldn't risk it, especially since he hadn't been given time to properly case the joint and get an idea of the layout. No, he'd been reduced to delivery boy today though he'd be playing a more active role in a couple of days once he got the go ahead. Hopefully. After all if this broad was paying him this much money to do a simply delivery..well then how much would she pay for something a little more worthy of a man of his skills?

Arriving at the proper driveway he stood looking at the eight foot high rail doors. He had the feeling they were stronger then they looked. Pulling the manila envelope from his backpack the man in black carefully threaded it into the rails to keep it there and then added the rose he'd been told to place with the package. That done he once again shouldered his bag and disappeared into the darkness of which he'd come.

Driving home Asia still didn't know what to say. "I can't believe you want to buy that sculpture. It's a nude for Christ sakes!"

"I have other nudes in my collection." Quatre pointed out, completely clueless as to what had her all riled up. "And why does the idea of me purchasing something from your artist friend bother you so much? You'd think it would make you happy."

"Yeah but your nudes are tasteful ones that no one but a leach would leer at." Asia argued, gesturing with her hands. "You do know what those figures in the sculpture are doing right? She's not scratching his back for him ya know! She's digging her nails in for an entirely other reason."

"I'd have to be pretty stupid not to know." Quatre said with a raised eyebrow in her direction. She was really perplexing him here. "Do you really think I'm that naive?"

"Well not exactly but...well where the hell are you going to put it?" Asia wanted to know in exasperation. "It's not like it's the sort of art you can display in your living room."

"I don't know, it would make an interesting conversational piece, don't you think?" Quatre teased then had to laugh at the shocked look on her face. "Oh you should see your face." Quatre laughed, the car filling with the rich baritone of it. "This so gets you back for all the things you've done to me these last few weeks. You look like I just told you I was going to do to work in my birthday suit tomorrow."

"Well you have taken an interest in nudes recently." Asia shot back, sticking her tongue out at him. "But seriously, where are you putting it?"

"I have no idea." Quatre said with a shrug, that being the truth. After all when his nieces and nephews visited they pretty much had free rein around the house. Not that any of them were really old enough to get the point but still. "I don't want to put it with the rest of my collection but you're right in saying it's not a piece that can go just anywhere."

"Your bedroom? Then it would be an appropriate conversational piece." Asia suggested with a smirk, just imaging what one of Quatre's sisters would think walking into his bedroom and seeing that. Then again they'd likely just blame it on her, Asia thought with a chuckle. His sisters tended to have a very black and white view of their brother and rarely saw the grays.

"That could work." Quatre replied thoughtfully, taking the suggestion seriously as he turned a corner with ease. "Not quite sure where in the room but that would make the most sense. I'd have to move some things around though."

"Well when it comes I'll help you." Asia offered with a shake of her head. Then again, when you really thought about it maybe the bedroom was the most logically place to put it. No one ever went in there but Quatre and his servants. Come to that..she doubted many women, if any that weren't related to or hired by Quatre had ever gone in there. Well she had but that was only to talk to him about something. It wasn't like she'd ever gone in there for anything but the most pure of reasons. It was Quatre after all. The idea of them, together in a bedroom for reasons other then just communicating was laughable. Completely, 100 unlikely to happen. Wasn't it? After all she would have said that there was no chance in hell he would ever buy something of Tim's too. The fact that suddenly that percent didn't seem right had Asia looking over at Quatre with a puzzled and searching look on her face. Where had that come from. One minute she'd been thinking there was no way and the next her mind had slyly asked her wasn't it? When had she started to think it was possible?

"What's with the look on your face?" Quatre wanted to know as he reached out a hand to pat her thigh. "You look like you've just been in a car driven by Duo." He added with a wink.

"Uhm..." Asia said as she looked at that hand like it was some foreign matter, a flush coming to her cheeks. "It's..nothing. Nevermind."

"You aren't still mad about me buying that sculpture for you, are you? You obviously really liked it and Katrina gave me a discount on it since I was already buying "One"." Quatre asked, taking a shot in the dark. Thanks to his sisters he'd long ago learned that when women said nevermind odds were they wanted to talk about something but were determined to make you work for it first.

"No, it's not that. Though I still say you shouldn't have bought it for me. It was seven hundred dollars!"

"You were drooling over it and besides, if you were my girlfriend I would have bought it for you. For that matter I'd have bought it for you anyway." Quatre said with a smile, looking at her with affection in his eyes. "Money doesn't matter to me the way it does to most people I guess. It can't buy me the things I want most but it can buy things to make others happy. If having that sculpture makes you happy then the money I paid doesn't matter to me in the least."