It’s been a while, but here it is! Hope you enjoy and Happy New Year! This is my gift to those of you that have been waiting and emailed me for part 2! 😀
Haven’t read part 1 yet? Read it HERE first!
PART 2
The way he kept looking at her was breathtaking to say the least. She always felt like she was up on a chopping block and he was the predator, dissecting her with his stare. It was a welcoming stare, filled with unspoken thoughts. He was very subtle about it; but Jessica knew Blake long enough to know a look of desire as opposed to a look of professional concentration on any piece of art he was working on.
And you know what? She loved it. She always loved the way he looked at her, ever since the first day they met at that small café. Blake spilled his drink on her, but he was courteous enough to buy another. Jessica fell in love with his charm that same day and eventually over time, she fell in love with the rest of him, as a person, as an artist, as – Blake. She guessed that was why she kept coming back.
He always wore a fedora hat, dress shirt and pants. He never changed his style when working, only the colors. It was his ‘uniform’ so to speak and Jessica adored the way it looked on him. She knew she was always the subject, but just once, she wished they could switch places. She always craved to be the artist, painting a masterpiece and Blake would be her inspiration, posing for her. She dreamt about it – about him and what his toned abs and lean physic would feel like against hers…skin-to-skin, essence-to-essence, absorbing each other’s energy. She wished and prayed he would on one occasion, toss all his ethics and morals out the window and take her, right here in his studio, releasing all his pent up tension and stress. She would’ve gladly been willing to help release that stress she knew he was constantly under. It weighed him down immensely sometimes. She could always tell when he was weary with a painstakingly tired expression on his face.
But, she never asked him how he felt, or how his day was, or if he needed her help in any way, shape or form. They didn’t cross those boundaries. It had been years and even though they knew each other, they were still discovering new sides about the other with silent observation. Jessica enjoyed spending time with Blake in his studio. Even for the few hours she came once a week, she held it close to her heart and cherished every moment with him.
His studio was very sacred to him and he kept it private on his estate. He was very old school and loved originality in his pieces as well as his privacy. So, every week, once a week, around sunset hours, Jessica took a thirty to forty-five minute drive to his estate where he lived.
Blake liked to paint at night. She wasn’t sure why, but she never complained before.
He said it was when the world was more centered and at peace – at night and early mornings just before sunrise. She never questioned his intelligence or philosophical ways. Instead, she relished in them, absorbing any and everything he had to offer.
All in all, she loved this job. And as much as she knew they crossed the line of professionalism with their feelings towards each other, they still managed to keep it under wraps, as it was supposed to be.
Coming back to reality, Jessica thought about her current pose, lying on the bed prop with the red silk sheets flowing against her body, holding an artificial bright red rose, for what she assumed would be another painting masterpiece. Blake loved to paint intimate scenes. He said they exhibited the very raw emotion of a person in their most vulnerable state. She was not sure how he was going to spin this one, but she knew one thing always accentuated his pieces…bright red. In any piece he painted, once it was not black and white, there was a hint of bright red lurking in the background or focused as one of the main features in his paintings. Tonight, it was going to be focused on her, or more her lips and the rose she was holding. She was wearing a bright cherry red lipstick as her only form of ‘coating’ on her naked frame. It was his specific request from their last session, so she knew he was pleased that she remembered.
As she gazed into his piercing blues, she noticed how he concentrated on her pose with his eyes as he prepared his paintbrush and dipped it into his first paint color. There was a light frown of concentration on his face as she watched ‘the artist’ slowly kick in, overpowering his entire being.
Looking at him for direction, he made a signal with his hand for her to move forward. Doing as directed, she shifted on her elbows, propping her body up on the side that was facing him, with one of her legs crossed over the other. Smiling at her movements, he raised his hand for her to stop.
Quickly darting her eyes around the room, she noticed that the lighting was dimmer than usual, and a smell of lavender was in the air. It was different. She couldn’t quite place it, but it was different. She liked it.
Now paying attention to the back of his canvas, Jessica began to wonder what was going through Blake’s mind at that exact moment in time. She never saw his finished work until it was up in a museum or art gallery and she didn’t mind. Every time he took that first swipe with his brush, she knew he was lost in another world, collecting all these tiny details that were usually overlooked by your average, everyday person.
Resting comfortably against the red silk covers and soft pillows, she continued to admire his passion for what he loved, drowning in the rhythmic patterns of his hand motions against his canvas with his paintbrush. She always viewed it to be extremely seductive and sensual. She felt her body tingling with excitement and confusion as her hormones began to rage like they always did. She simply loved his eyes on her…studying her body, taking in all that made her woman. Sometimes it felt like he was making love to her with his unwavering gaze. Other times, she honestly believed that he was. She truly believed that he wanted her, needed her and craved her just as much as she lusted for him. It was a desire that trapped her for a long time, penetrating her very core with its intensity.
When Jessica licked her bright red lips slowly and seductively, Blake cut his eyes at her, halting his actions for a split second before he picked up his pace again, painting away skillfully and with ease. She thought she saw a hint of uncertainty, shock and longing flicker in his pretty sea-blue orbs by that simple action.
She kept looking on in awe as his chest moved in and out slowly with each breath he took, while the muscles in his arms continued to flex and relax with each brush stroke.
Again, she couldn’t help but wonder what his strong masculine hands would be like against her bare skin. She guessed he would take his time with her, using his hands as a tool to explore and discover every curve and definition of her body. She always felt that making love to an artist would be something different – a whole new experience, because artists like Blake viewed lovemaking as an art in itself. But one can only dream.
If Blake was the well-respected professional she knew him to be, he would never compromise this beautiful, supposedly platonic relationship they shared, no matter how much it ate at him or pained him. He was a very strong-willed person. He never gave in to his weaknesses without a fight.
~*~
He had been painting her for hours now; enjoying every minute of the beautiful agony he was experiencing. With each flick of his brush, his heart skipped a beat, because he knew she was a second closer to leaving and walking out of his life again. But, he persevered nonetheless. He was going to get the job done and over with. There was always a next time and that’s what kept him going, holding strong and not giving in to temptation.
Dipping his brush in the water bowl sitting right next to him on the table, Blake lifted his head to look at Jes and her body language while scratching lightly at his stubble. She had a lazy, attractive smile on her face as she continued to eye him interestingly. Her body may have been stiff for his painting needs, but her eyes spoke volumes to him. He knew, without a second thought, that she had feelings for him that went past their professional relationship. And he was sure that he made his feelings known to her in the subtlest way possible. But it didn’t change anything. This thing…this, attraction they had towards each other couldn’t go any further. He would never be able to paint her with an objective view again if it did. He would only see and paint the woman he was in love with.
Love. It was a dangerous four-letter word and for now, he was not going to contemplate on its meaning or relation to his feelings for Jes. He was grudging the session now. He wished it could continue forever but it was coming to an end. He was slowly but surely painting his finishing touches. It was almost over…again. He wasn’t sure how much more of it he could take with a straight face. It hurt; it actually hurt to see her walk out of that studio door every time. This time wasn’t any different.
Swiping his brush over his almost finished masterpiece, Blake gazed unto Jessica’s smooth caramel brown face, taking in her reflective glow from the light of the full moon that was seeping through the glass window, next to the bed. It was an aid to him that accentuated her beauty in a new light. He used it creatively in his piece and was hoping that when he was done, she would like it.
Lining out the curves of her round breasts, chocolate nipples, arms, hips and thighs with his brush, his mind began to drift. It drifted to a place where he could almost imagine his canvas as her actual body, and his brush as his hands, outlining and tracing over every inch of her nakedness with his touch and kisses. It was a sick obsession, one he had no intension of dropping any time soon.
He gave her a bashful yet thoughtful smile, causing her to wink at him in acknowledgement and he chuckled lightly to himself. She really was an amazing woman, in more ways than one.
With a few strokes of his brush, Blake finished off his creation with his signature at the bottom right corner of the portrait.
Pushing back in his stool to admire his work of art, he grinned immensely as a sense of satisfaction and pleasure washed over him. He didn’t usually show his pieces beforehand but this time was different. This time, he did this for her…to show how much he appreciated the person she was inside and out. If anything, He was hoping his gesture and gift would shed some light and ease the tension between them.
“All done. You can get dressed now Jes” Blake voiced in a low whisper, still admiring his finished product.
“I thought so.” She cooed, slowly pushing herself off the silk sheets and into a sitting position. She soon grabbed the discarded robe and stood to wrap herself in the cotton material, much to his displeasure.
Jes threw on her clothes in record time as Blake kept stealing glances at her while he placed the finished painting in a wooden frame. Giving it one last scan, he sighed heavily when a sudden rush of nervousness took over his body. He’d never gotten nervous before. This was the first time he needed her opinion about his work to be positive. Willingly showing Jes his work and her seeing it in an art gallery or museum were two very different things. It was quite nerve wrecking, but it had to be done.
Gracefully walking over to him, Jes flipped back her dark hair waiting for him to hand over her time schedule with her bag clutched tightly at her side. Quickly grabbing a pen, Blake clocked in the hours they worked together so she could take it back to her agency where they would calculate how much he owed, based on the time spent with her today. Handing her the paper, she gave him a downhearted stare and a meek smile before turning on her heels to head for the door. Usually, he let her go without saying a word. Nothing had to be said because they knew that they would be doing this again the following week, but this time was different.
“Jes, wait.” Blake called out to her retreating form and she abruptly stopped at the door with her hands on the knob.
Walking up to her, he placed his hand on her shoulder, something he never did before and flipped her around to face him. She cautiously gazed up at him with her blazing brown eyes, giving him a questionable glare. Swallowing harshly, he felt the heat radiating between them and he was having a hard time concentrating, let alone forming coherent thoughts. This was killing him inside, but he took it like a man.
“Blake? What is it?” She whispered weakly, shutting her eyes instinctively when his palms grazed across her cheek delicately.
Without a second thought, he leaned down and slowly connected their lips together in a lustful kiss. He missed the feeling of her warm, sweet lips against his. Breathing heavily, she relaxed against his hold as they continued to kiss for a brief moment before Blake pulled away. He had to pull away. He had crossed the line again. But, this time, there was no turning back.
He had made his decision.
Still placing light strokes along her face with his fingers, she leaned into his touch. Kissing the palm of his hand, she opened her eyes to look at him, instantly connecting to his blues. That kiss opened up a whole new world for them. They were chattering on unmarked territory but, with the way he felt so strongly and passionately towards her, he was willing to take the risk.
Bringing the portrait up to his chest with his free hand, he lowered his eyes at her before a shy yet sly smile twitched into the corners of his mouth. Flipping the portrait around for her viewing pleasure, he created some distance between them before he handed her the item. He thought he captured her beauty perfectly in this session.
Taking it from him with shock and perplexity written all over her face, Jes gazed down at his creation and then back up at him with unshed tears glistening in her eyes. He named it ‘Red Dreams’ – his masterpiece. Red was the color of passion and love and Jes, she was his ultimate dream, the one that would make his life complete along with his flourishing career.
He knew how she felt. He felt the same way too. This unspoken desire they had for each other was taking its toll on them. But, he thought they were strong enough to withstand it and all its obstacles. Maybe one day, he hoped, wished and prayed – they would be together the way they wanted to be. This was the starting point for them.
“It’s so beautiful and I love it but…but why Blake?” She choked up, clutching the portrait to her chest protectively.
Shrugging, Blake stuffed one of his hands in his pocket as he opened the door for her to leave with the other.
“It’s your gift from me to you.” He simply stated while pointing to a date on the calendar above her head.
Looking at the day’s date, Jessica furrowed her brows at him. Pointing to it again, Blake nudged her towards the exit while releasing a light chortle when she didn’t catch on. She was not one to remember these types of events in her life, strangely enough.
Now standing in the doorway, he leaned over her shoulder, placing his lips to her ear as he thoroughly inhaled her familiar vanilla sent.
“Happy birthday Jes.” He whispered in a raspy voice. Pulling away, he noted her look of astonishment followed by realization.
Sill looking at him teary-eyed she nodded with appreciation, taking one last look at the painting before pulling him into a tight hug. It was her way of thanking him and he was more than enjoying their physical contact. Moving away just as quickly, she wiped at her eyes before she turned to leave his estate grounds.
Blake watched in dismay as she slowly began to disappear into the darkness, down the walkway and out of his life yet again. He was always tempted to ask her to stay, but decided that taking things slowly between them was the best option.
Before she was completely out of sight, Jes whipped around to face him one last time with an elated smile on her cute face.
“I’ll see you next week Blake…same time, same place.” She stated the obvious.
Grinning at her, he moved away from the door, getting ready to shut it, excluding himself from the outside world, but, not before he gave her the response he know they both desired…
“I’ll be here…waiting.”
* The End *
