“Love?”
“Love.” Paul laughed. “And no that’s not why I agreed to show your work. I couldn’t put anything on my walls I didn’t believe in, not even for a friend like Trick. I put it on my walls because I love Pelez. I love his Bread and Grimaces Triptych, and you were influenced by it for sure. But yours have less world weariness and more hope, and I’m a sucker for the hopeful, especially when it has a healthy dose of honesty. From a lot of artists your age, you see sarcasm. Sarcasm is abundant, but hope? Not so much.”
He was right of course. Lou had loved the Pelez triptych the first time she saw it. She had never seen it in real life, just in books. It showed a weary circus family, the husband the only one who still seemed to have a spark.
It was after she had seen the Triptych that she started to see the pictures in her head. A seedy, rundown circus. But her girl, in her worn tights, had a smile on her face as she waited her turn to swing from the trapeze. A handful of bored looking faces made up the audience. The girl’s look seemed to say, “I’m still in the circus dammit.”
Lou looked at him. His words sounded like the truth, and she had heard nothing but great things about the Weller Gallery. Artists she adored had hung on these same walls.
“Alright, then,” Lou said. “Let’s sell it.”
She got another big hug and then he led her back to Trick, introducing her to people along the way.
It was impossible to stay mad at Trick. Love? Was it possible he loved her? He just met her. And, God, she had never felt like this about anyone. Did she love Trick?
For the next few hours, Paul and Trick introduced her to people, and she tried to steal glances at people looking at her work. The looks on their faces made her night.
Paul introduced her, and Trick stayed in the background. He only stepped forward if she seemed at a loss for conversation or when he sensed she needed a break from all the new faces. Then he was there pulling her into a dark corner.
“We can come back when the gallery is closed and you can take a proper look around and see if you want to make any changes.”
“Thank you,” she said. She was actually stunned that she didn’t want to change anything, but she would love to walk through the gallery alone and have time to really absorb it. Her work hanging in a gallery. It wasn’t perfect, but when you looked at these walls, you felt something. She could see it on people’s faces. When they looked at her work they were moved.
After they had made the rounds of the gallery, Trick walked her back to the corner that held Audra and Max.
“Well, should we walk over to the restaurant, now? I think a lot of the guests are over there already,”
“Yes, please,” Audra said. “I’m starving. Why don’t you gentleman round up Paul as well. I want to visit the oh so necessary. Come with me, Lulu.”
Lou followed her best friend to the ladies’ room. There were only two bathrooms and a line. When it was finally Audra’s turn, she pulled Lou inside with her.
“Audra, it’s alright. I can wait.”
“You thought I wanted to pee,” Audra said. “Well, I do but I really wanted to talk. In private. So you really love it? Really? I was a little worried. I didn’t want to be responsible for fucking up the first solo show of my best friend.”
“You didn’t fuck anything up, Audra. Paul got it right. I never imagined my first show like this, but it’s perfect. Every detail. The fortune teller was a genius idea.”
“That was Trick’s idea baby. Trick got it right,” Audra said, grinning. “And when Paul told him about your influences, Trick really did his homework. It was his idea to hang the lithographs of Bread and Grimaces to show your inspiration. He cancelled all his clients since you left. He’s done nothing put plan this.”
“That’s. . . .” Lou faltered. She really had no idea how to feel.
“I know. He can be an overwhelming motherfucker. He’s pushy, he can be way too blunt, and he’s more than a little obsessive. But, underneath all that, he’s a standup guy who takes care of his friends. He has this weird ability to see what other people need and he helps them get it.”
“But he has this fucked-up idea that he can’t have a real relationship with a woman. That he’s broken. He’s screwed everything up with you, but I think he’s crazy about you.”
“You’re the second person to tell me that tonight, but it’s crazy. We barely know each other. I shouldn’t feel like this. . .”
“I knew it! You love him!”
“Oh, God, Audra. I think maybe I do.” Once the words were out of Lou’s mouth, she realized they were true. She loved him. It didn’t make any sense. It was too soon, but she loved him. The thought made her a little queasy. There were so many ways to get hurt when you loved someone. Breakups were hard enough with guys she had barely liked.
“Don’t over think this,” Audra said as she pulled down her skirt and walked over to the sink to wash her hands. “Love is scary as fuck, I get it, but don’t let fear rule your life. That’s not you, baby. That’s not how you live. You are not me. You do the things that scare you."
“We probably should get back out there, Audra.” Lou’s voice felt thick as she said the words.
Audra didn’t say anything else, just washed her hands and followed her friend out of the bathroom.
It was unnerving to be the center of attention, to have to meet so many new faces. Yet it gave her a strange euphoria to hear so many people say they liked what she made. Not to mention the thought that made Lou’s heart hop up and down in her chest. Trick loves me. Trick loves me.
It was a wonderful night that soon turned into morning. When they wandered out of the restaurant, the sun was already coming up.
“Get some rest and call me in a day or two, Lou, and we’ll sit down and do the paperwork and I’ll give you a check.” Paul gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then pulled a helmet out of the back of a sleek looking motorcycle and drove away.
“There is nothing like a man on a motorcycle,” Audra murmured. Max pinched her backside and laughed.
“I’ve always wanted to ride on a motorcycle,” Lou confided to her.
“Good, you can ride on mine,” Trick said as he pulled her up against him.
Audra started to laugh.
“Jealous, Trick? You don’t get jealous.” She dissolved into a great big snorting laugh, and Trick gave her a dark look, but then he pulled her into a hug anyway.
“This wouldn’t have happened without you, Audra. Thank you.”
“Treat her right, or they will never find your body,” Audra said with a smile.
Lou waited for his smart ass response.
“You’re a good friend,” was all he said.
“Come on.” Trick turned to Lou. “Let’s get you home as well; you must be exhausted.”
“No, giddy, actually,” she said, but she let him steer her into the backseat of the waiting car.
“I’ve never stayed up all night,” she confessed. “I like it. I feel like I got away with something.”
Trick slid into the seat beside her.
I think I love you. Lou wanted to shout the words, but her vocal chords intervened. “This was the best night of my life,” she said, instead. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome,” he said formally.
“You must be tired.”
“I think I’m more used to late nights than you are,” he answered.
Her stomach did a weird, jealous flip at that idea. He probably had night after late night with beautiful, accomplished, and sexually adventurous women.
But he’s here with you, Lou reminded herself. He did all of this for you. It had to mean something.
“I work late nights, too,” she reminded him. “And I wasn’t the one who had to meticulously plan a kidnapping. You should lie down.”
Before he could protest, Lou pulled him down and settled his head in her lap. She had never had the luxury of touching him like this before. She liked it. No, she loved it.
He settled into her lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. She sifted her fingers through his hair and then let her fingers trace his face, learning his angles and planes. Laying here like this, when the sun was still coming up, he looked more like a boy than a man. His eyes were closed, and a soft smile was on his face.
He looked defenseless. Earnest.
He can still break you, her fraidy cat heart cried. You don’t stand a chance.
She tried to reason things out as she stroked the hair of the man she couldn’t possibly love. It was too soon. Love didn’t happen overnight. This was just lust. Powerful, overwhelming lust that felt like love, but lust all the same.
But looking down at him, all she could feel was the certainty that it was this man or no man.
God, was this love? This wanting so large it was like an ache? She didn’t just want the sex; now she wanted all the little things, too.
She wanted to watch him drink his coffee at a kitchen table. She wanted to walk the streets of Manhattan with him, get caught in the rain with him. Buy him silly little presents and hide them around his house. Get stuck on the subway with him. Get lost with him. Wind up in a dive bar with him. Meet his family. Go to the movies. She wanted to bake banana bread for him, cook dinner for him. Find out his favorite foods and stock the cupboards with them. Take care of him when he had a cold, and oh fuck, fuck no, was this love?
Most of all she wanted to prove to him that he wasn’t broken. Families were made in all sorts of ways. She knew this was true, she just didn’t know how to make him believe it.
Lou looked down and realized Trick had fallen asleep. She watched his chest rise and fall.
Minutes later, the car pulled to the curb and she tried to wake him with kisses. He made a little moan but didn’t open his eyes.
“Come on, baby, wake up. We’re home,” she said in a low voice. She had to give him a good shake before he finally opened his eyes.
That’s when she realized what she had said. We’re home. And it felt right.
She steered them into the elevator and up to his apartment.
She helped a still groggy Trick out of his suit and tucked him carefully into bed.
When Lou came out of the bathroom, he was snoring soundly. Lou crawled in and tucked her body next to his.
Chapter 17
Lou woke up feeling boneless and warm. Trick's body was thrown over hers and his hand was between her legs, stroking her.
“You’ve ruined it, darling. I was trying to see if I could make you come in your sleep, and now we’ll never know.”
His fingers continued to make their tiny circles. Lou’s body hovered on the edge. So, so good. The rational part of her brain screamed, brush your teeth, brush your teeth.
Screw that, Lou thought. I’m not leaving this bed, even if it’s on fire.
She leaned into his touch.
He bit her earlobe. It felt so good she groaned.
“I suppose we’ll just have to try again tomorrow,” he said.
His fingers stilled.
“Trick?”
“What, Louisa?”
“Don’t stop. Why would you stop?” she moaned as she arched her hips up and pressed them into his hand.
“It’s even better if you wait for it,” he murmured. “If I bring you to the edge again, and again, when you finally topple over it, you’ll see stars. Delayed gratification, darling.”
He planted another kiss on her neck, right on the sacred spot that seemed to connect straight to her clit.
“No more waiting, Trick.”
Lou launched herself at him. She pushed him down into the covers and straddled him. Then she went to work kissing his neck in the same spot that made her dizzy.
“Lou, you’re killing me,” he said, as she kissed a trail down his body.
“Good,” she said as she paid special attention to each of his ribs, “Because I am done waiting. I want to know how you feel inside me.”
Chapter 18
***Trick***
His virgin was going to kill him. He had a carefully thought out a plan for her pleasure. Instead, she tackled him and started to kiss and lick her way down his body. Now his self-control was slipping and he was trying very hard not to cum in his underwear like a teenage boy.
“Trick? Trick? Are you listening to me?”
Listen? He was supposed to listen to her as she was tugging his underwear off? He needed to slow this down before he gave into the urge to fuck her senseless.
She had a grin on her face and she was holding his underwear in her hands like it was some sort of trophy as she slowly rocked her hips against his.
Where did his shy girl go?
“Louisa,” he said in his stern voice. “I thought we would take this slow.”
“Trick,” she said in a ridiculous imitation of his voice. “I trust you. I want you. I wanna know what happens next. Please?”
I trust you. The words made his dick even harder.
She was still rocking. Her tits had the loveliest sway. They were capped with the most delicious nipples he had ever seen. Her skin was so pale you would never guess the nipple would be plum-colored perfection.
He leaned up and took one in his mouth. His tongue flicked the nipple.
She started to make needy noises, low in her throat. Her tiny hands were on his dick now, stroking him slowly from root to tip.
“Your skin is so soft,” she said. “I didn’t know it would feel so soft. How do you taste?"
He gave her nipple a hard suck and reluctantly let it go.
“Don’t even think it about, Lou. We’re going to have to save that for later. If you take me in your mouth, I’m gonna go off. You have no idea what you do to me.”
The evil woman on his bed actually laughed. Then she bent down, disregarded orders, and put her mouth on his dick.
So good. So fucking good. Pleasure washed over his whole body. Her mouth was so warm. His entire body was actually shaking.
He had to close his eyes. The sight of her pink lips as she swallowed his dick was just too much.
He let her have a moment to explore. She slid him in and out of her mouth in a slow shaky rhythm. Trick fought to keep it together. Then her tongue darted out and did a twisty thing over his tip that was so fucking incredible he almost spilled.
“Fuck, Lou. Fuck. Stop.”
She let go with a noisy pop. She sat back on her heels and looked at him. Her face was flushed. Her lips were juicy and swollen and the look on her face spelled victory.
“Bad girl, what am I going to do with you?”
He sat up slowly, propping himself on his elbows. For a moment, he just took her in: this beautiful creature in his bed. Then he pounced.
He tackled her easily and pinned her underneath him.
“In this bed, disobedient girls get punished, Louisa.”
He roughly pushed her legs apart. He slicked a finger through her folds. She was soaking wet. Her back arched up to meet his hand. He dipped his finger inside. She was so tight, but she made a hiss of pleasure.
He pumped his finger inside of her.
“Are you ready Lou? In this bed, disobedient girls get fucked. Hard.”
Fuck, it was like the words made her even wetter. His little virgin liked the dirty talk.
He started to rub gentle circles on her clit while his finger fucked her slowly. He rested his forehead against hers and whispered in her ear. “Listen to me, you dirty girl. You didn’t follow directions and now you’re going to get fucked. I’m going to add another finger now, and you’re gonna take it. When I’m done fucking you with my fingers, I’m going to make you come around my cock.”
“Trick.”
He slid another finger into her. He watched her face for signs of discomfort, but all he got was a groan of pleasure. Then her already tight passage contracted and spasmed around his fingers as she came.
“Trick!” she cried out.
“Mhmphhh!”
Her eyelids flutter
ed closed as she tried to catch her breath.
“I like you speechless like this, Louisa. I think I might keep you this way.”
She couldn’t even open her eyes for his smartass comment.
He kept his fingers inside her letting her body adjust to them.
“So good. So good,” she finally managed to mutter.
After her breath finally evened out, he started gently pumping his fingers in and out. Then he started to add a third.
This made her eyes pop open.
“That hurts, Trick. What are you doing?”
“Lou, you can take it, baby. Just breathe. I’ll make it better.”
His fingers started to rub her clit again.
“You can take me, baby,” he crooned.
Finally, he managed the third finger.
Tears leaked out of her eyes and it killed him.
“I don’t wanna stop,” she said stubbornly. “I want this. Promise we won’t stop.”
“Lou, we are not going to stop. Your beautiful body just needs a moment to adjust. That’s all.”
“Look at you taking my fingers,” he said as he stroked her clit in a gentle rhythm. He leaned down and kissed the tears off her face.
“Cum for me, love. You’ll feel better when you come.”
He increased his speed. When he could see she was close, he leaned down and kissed her clit.
This time, she screamed as she flew apart. Her eyes shut tight, and her tiny cunt convulsed around his fingers. Nothing had ever felt so good.
He slid his fingers out and quickly rolled on a condom. Before her aftershocks were over, he pushed inside. Once inside, he stayed as still as possible. He carefully kissed a trail up and down her neck. Then he kissed her temples and her eyelids and her brow bone.
Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at him.
“Louisa, I’m going to start to move. If it doesn’t feel good, you have to tell me.”
He slid out slowly and pushed in again as carefully as he could.
In Too Deep Page 9