by Ace Gray
“It’s a restaurant that features artists,” I answered watching her, rather than look around.
“Cole, what’s up man?” My friend Connor came over and reached out his hand, shaking it once before pulling me into a hug.
“Shit.” My side burned where he clapped me.
“What’s going on?” He pulled back as he questioned me.
“Hi.” Elle interrupted with her sweet voice and held out her little bird bones for Connor. “I’m…”
“Elle Laroux. I know. Wow. What are you doing here?” His voice was a mix of interest and awe, I wasn’t sure I liked it.
“I’m on a date,” Elle answered seamlessly as she reached out for me.
I wove my fingers into hers and she smiled her sunflower smile again.
“I’ve wanted to meet you for the past year. Your pieces are amazing.” At least Connor had the decency to only glance down at her tits once.
“How would you know anything about my pieces?” Elle’s voice sounded shy but when I looked her over she met Connor’s gaze just like she did everyone else: bright and unwavering.
“We have two. They’re some of our favorites.”
“I had no idea.” Elle’s excitement danced in her voice.
“Me neither.” I wasn’t quite as pleased. For some irrational reason, this bothered me more than Connor staring at her tits. This felt like he was peeking at her soul. “Why didn’t you tell me, Elle?”
“I sell most of my stuff through dealers. I don’t always know where it goes or who it ends up with.” She started to look around, her attention now split between Connor, me and the room.
That didn’t sit real well either.
“Here come this way.”
Connor led the way through the bar and back into the dining room. I kept looking around, sure I’d know Elle’s piece when I saw it, delicate and free just like her. Connor turned abruptly again and we were suddenly in a private dining room. The walls were dark and the furniture bright white. The slightest hint of wood in both the white furniture and dark siding on the walls gave it a warmth I didn’t expect from such bright light next to all consuming dark.
But it wasn’t the furniture or small art pieces that caught my eye. It was the giant sacred heart etched into the sheet of black metal that hung behind the table. It had been carved out tiny detail by tiny detail, intricacies obvious from far away that were likely amplified up close. The flames looked alive where they erupted from the misshapen heart.
I couldn’t help but step closer. The details were entrancing. The smallest drops of blood dripped down the sides and pooled to form a landscape below. The heart itself wore a crown of dollars folded neatly into origami cranes before being lit on fire. Even in the black of the metal, they looked real enough to spend. The hint of white flecks danced everywhere the metal had been gouged. The piece was alive and it drew me to it.
Then I noticed something. A tiny E with scribbles behind it then an L with the same jerky scribbles.
“This is yours?”
She nodded then stepped up next to me and let her hands run down the piece like an old lover. She was distant but tender, tentative but familiar. It was bewitching.
“On Death and Destruction,” she murmured.
“You named a beautiful heart On Death and Destruction?” I finally pulled my attention from the metal etching and looked over at her.
She met my gaze directly, wide blue eyes speaking volumes.
“It’s about your mom?” I asked already knowing the answer.
“I haven’t done an etched piece like this in ages.” She turned back to the etching and I knew it was a silent yes.
“You said you were an artist, a sculptor…” I blew out a deep breath. “But I never imagined this.”
Elle smiled, shrugged then slipped back to my side.
“Connor, what do I have to do to eat in here?” I asked as my arms wound around her.
“I’ll fix it. Make yourself comfortable.” He turned on his heel and left us alone in the shadow of Elle’s bleeding heart.
“You don’t just work in metal, you own it,” I said, my lips so close to her ear, it rustled her hair.
“I don’t own it.” She laughed lightly. “I just understand being hard and soft and difficult to uncover all at once.”
I held her as I pulled out the bench seat for her. The space across from her was wide open but I couldn’t be that far. I sunk into the bench right next to her, even going so far as to pull her knee up and over mine.
“Tell me all about it. The piece, the carving, your art.” I sighed like a lovesick puppy. There was nothing she could say I didn’t want to hear. “Tell me everything, Ladyface. Let me see your soul.”
We talked for hours. Elle got chatty when she started drinking. Her cheeks flushed beautifully as she told me every single thought she’d ever had. Sometimes about the piece and then about herself.
She graduated with a BFA in print making. She’d sold her first piece at nineteen. Since she’d emancipated herself at sixteen, the money she pulled in had been a welcome success. It had driven her to do more, to learn more, and art had consumed her.
Conrad had come in to play early on too, seamlessly falling into the gaping hole her family’s vacancy left. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about him. He was loud in the ways Elle was quiet, he was sharp in the ways she was soft. But he loved her and I couldn’t be upset that she had someone to protect her in this crazy fucked up world before me.
Because that’s what each word did to me. They fanned the flame burning within me to protect, to love. With small simple words, she was filling me up and taking over. With small simple words, she was lighting my soul on fire, my insides now a reflection of her sculpture, as she left me to live or breathe or die or God knows what.
Well, God knew what. He knew damn well what was up with me.
I was falling in love.
27.
Elle
Cole had proven he could date almost as well as he fucked three weeks ago when he’d taken me to dinner. By some miracle, we sat underneath a piece of my artwork but he’d become the masterpiece that night. He’d been equal parts dark and light with his words but I saw through it and understood the brushstrokes of his canvas. If he were a sculpture he’d be made of pure casted gold.
Every moment I’d spent with him since was a moment that had my insides crumbling into perfect, Cole shaped dust. He owned all of me.
“One more client then the evening is ours.” Cole wrapped around where I perched on my stool and grabbed my neck.
He squeezed as he brought my body back to his. The telltale buzz in my veins and thumping in my ears overtook my senses as his grip tightened. He was finally back to full strength and my body was being showered with the effects.
I surrendered to his grasp, letting my arms go limp at my sides then brush against his calves with my fingertips. He yanked me to the side and my hair fell away from where my shirt slid down my shoulder. Cole started kissing then nipping along my bare skin. He lifted me a little and I had to stand to keep from losing my breath. My fingertips slid up along his legs and dug in.
His lips came to my shoulder and he bit down. I moaned loudly, burying the sound of the shop bell tinkling.
“Am I interrupting?” The voice was vaguely familiar.
“Yes.” Cole laughed against my skin then set me back down on my stool. “But you’re on time, so I really can’t bitch.” Cole let his fingertips drag across my skin as he walked over. I turned to watch him go and recognized Connor from the restaurant lingering in the doorway.
“Come on in, take a look at the sketch. If you like it, we’ll get going,” Cole’s voice was assertive when he dealt with other people but never cruel. It was one of the things that made my heart pitter-patter. How his voice changed completely when he spoke to me was another.
“Hi Elle, it’s good to see you again.” Connor watched me closely, almost too closely.
I just nodded at him and bent b
ack over the table I’d adopted and slipped on my headphones. Beats started to play as easily as my hand flowed over the paper in front of me. I’d taken to drawing interpretations of the tattoos Cole was working on. I’d peek at his sketches each morning if we didn’t lay tangled in bed while he showed me, sunbeams splitting through the tracing paper.
I’d attempted to capture the magic of those moments, limbs this way and that, covers in a weaving ribbon rather than flattened. Cole’s heavily inked hand held a small anchor sketch as I burrowed into his body. My graphite drawing was pretty but it wasn’t good enough. It didn’t capture how my insides caught on fire in the morning sun. I gave up drawing him after that, none of the million sketches were perfect. I folded most of them into origami cranes.
But the abstract Celtic knot Connor was getting was easy enough to work with. It had shading but sharp edges. It played more with negative space than positive. It almost reminded me of my etchings.
When the buzz kicked on from Cole’s gun, it was a sound that added to the soothing afternoon. This was home.
For the first time, I understood that home wasn’t a place, it was a someone. A someone who let you burrow deep inside and rest in their heart. Despite Cole having to disappear to Mickey’s at all hours, and doing God knows what there, I’d found a warm place to snuggle. The next time he told me he was an icy-hearted monster, I’d tell him it wasn’t true. I’d taken up residence and knew firsthand it roared with the most bewitching fire.
I was lost to my design when hands came around my hips and shoved me up onto the drafting desk in front of me. My chest flattened onto my designs from my day and pencils dug into my ribs.
Cole didn’t bother pulling off my headphones, leaving sultry bass beats to thump in my ears while his finger crept into the wide-open legs of my short jean shorts. He rubbed the slickness and I rolled my head to the side so I could see my gorgeous man. Whether he meant to or not, he was moving in time with the slow burn playing in my headphones.
He leaned down and kissed the curve of my ass where it peeked out from under my shorts. Kiss after kiss peppered down my thigh as his finger explored inside of me. I closed my eyes when he nuzzled fully between my legs. He shoved the small scrap of denim to the side and started tonguing me.
I was so close to orgasm that all I needed to shatter around him was for him to change his tempo or switch one of his fingers clinging to my hips to my clit. Instead, a third hand lifted the big speaker from my ear and I jumped. Cole disappeared between my thighs only to capture me as I catapulted off the drafting table.
“So not fair when you guys do this without me.” Horse smiled inches from my nose then leaned in to kiss me, soft and strong with his big lips devouring mine. He pulled my headphones down gently to rest around my neck and kissed my jaw. “We’re all lucky Conrad stayed in the car.” He winked as he pulled away.
“He’s back?” I couldn’t help but smile. Cole’s grip curled into my midsection and pulled.
“Just got him from the airport.” His eyes shifted to Cole behind me. “Let’s all go out.”
I felt the tension in Cole’s body at the suggestion. My fingers automatically went to his forearms and skated back and forth.
“I don’t know…Ladyface?” Cole burrowed into my hair.
“You know I’d love to, but it’s your call.” I twisted and kissed his cheek where I could reach.
“Come on, Cole, she never gets out.” Horse leaned back against the table I’d been draped across.
“She’s right here and she can speak for herself.” I arched my eyebrow. “What if we do something shamelessly touristy? Conrad will eat it up and that doesn’t seem like the type of place that…”
“Smart.” Cole smiled against the back of my head. “Cheesy, but smart.”
“We’ll go flick The Bean and walk Navy Pier.” Horse smiled and reached for me.
“I got this.” Cole kept hold of me as he pushed Horse’s hand aside.
“Possessive are we?” Horse cocked his head to the side.
“Yup.” Cole rolled me into the crook of his shoulder and kissed my forehead.
“Bullshit.” Horse threw up his arms.
“You do realize you have a date sitting in the car?” Cole started pulling me toward the door. “I sure hope you cracked the windows.”
Horse didn’t answer as he shoved out of the shop. Cole only broke away for a moment to lock the door then his hands came back to me and slid into my front pockets. He walked, wrapped around me, laughing as we went.
“Hey Belles,” Conrad interrupted from where he leaned casually against the passenger door of Horse’s Hemi-Cuda.
“Hi Conrad.” I tried to break free to hug him but Cole shoved me up against the car and rested against me. He dug in my pockets to flick on my sensitive clit as he kissed along my neck. I rested my cheek against the metal and sighed.
“Well isn’t this just the welcome wagon?” Conrad asked, sarcasm thick in his voice.
“You’re just bitter that no one’s deep inside your wagon,” I smarted back, my body still pinned to the car.
“We’ll see how the evening goes.” He looked over toward where Horse had slid into the driver’s seat.
“Are you two fucking finished?” Horse’s irritation was thorough.
“More like finished fucking.” Conrad arched his eyebrow.
“I’ll never be done with this body.” Cole’s hands slid from my pockets up my front and grabbed my chest.
“Gross.” Conrad opened the car door as he watched me get fondled.
I slid into the backseat while Cole stepped up, chest to chest to Conrad.
“You’re just jealous.” He reached up and patted Conrad on the cheek.
For a split second, I thought Conrad was going to take Cole. His fist flexed at his side and his chest started heaving. I was going to reach out and grab him when Horse beat me to it. His hand closed around Conrad’s then rubbed up his arm.
“Get in the car. He’s easier to ignore when he’s out of sight.”
Conrad did and I thought I caught Horse squeeze his thigh a little harder as he fired up the engine. We turned and snaked through the city streets, across a few bridges and darting in and out of traffic. The signs started to appear for Millennium Park and a champagne-like excitement bubbled up inside me.
We found street parking near the park, and when I got out of the car, Conrad reached his arm around me.
“Not even, Short Stack.” Cole snuggled against my side, effectively dislodging Conrad.
“This is bullshit,” Conrad exclaimed.
Horse seamlessly pressed his hand against Conrad’s and wove his fingers into his. “We’re on a double date. For tonight, you’re mine.” Horse pressed his body against Conrad’s thick tattooed arm as he snarled in Conrad’s ear.
My best friend shuddered. His bright blue eyes raked over Horse, and his mouth cracked open as he sucked in a deep breath. Horse’s other hand moved to rest over Conrad’s heart. I may have been mistaken but Conrad trembled beneath his hand.
“I’m nobody’s,” he finally managed.
“Liar,” Horse challenged. “Surrender to it. To me. At least for tonight.”
Conrad couldn’t even answer. And I didn’t blame him. I would have folded to Horse if he’d insisted like that. Eventually he nodded and Horse seamlessly pulled him toward the sculpture garden.
Cole and I followed suit but at a much slower pace. He kept a hold of me by keeping one hand in one of my pockets the entire time. He guided me to this statue or that, we studied the LED displays and the bronze figures. He humored me every time I needed to touch one. I think he even smiled.
And when we made it to The Bean, Conrad and Horse were already there, taking pictures at every angle, of both reflections and selfies.
“Let’s take one.” I bit my lip as I folded into him.
“Can’t, Ladyface. If they ever found one of us together…” He massaged his fingers along the nape of my neck. “But come here.
”
He pulled me underneath the statue to the warped underside. Just like he’d been doing all afternoon, he clung to me. But then he pointed up into the mirrored surface.
“What faces would you make if we were snapping selfies?”
I crinkled up my face and looked at him rather than up at our reflection. He was sticking out his tongue full and flat, making rocker horns with his free hand. I couldn’t help but laugh. I kept watching him instead of our reflection and he folded his tongue into the insane clover he could make. I twisted to see the shape fully where he stared up at the mirrored statue. As soon as I was watching his face changed and he spun to kiss my cheek. My giggles were shaking me quite thoroughly against his lips.
“It’s not a picture…” he leaned back to whisper in my ear. “But I’ll remember this until the day I die.”
It wasn’t even a conscious choice to turn and snake my arms around him. I pulled Cole to my lips and he didn’t try to resist. Instead he grabbed at my thighs and pulled me up around his hips. He lifted me high enough that I had to arc down to kiss him. Green eyes blazed into me when I finally opened my eyes and rested my forehead against his.
“Maybe he’s not the worst thing to ever happen to you.” Conrad had walked up with Horse in tow, still attached firmly to his hand.
“Just maybe.” I smiled at Conrad then down at Cole, hoping that every ounce of feeling I had was somehow pouring out of my heart and into his hands. I needed him to feel it every bit as much as he felt my ass resting in his hands.
We circled back to the car and drove to the Navy Pier, I couldn’t help but look up at the massive skyscrapers as we went. Cole’s hand played at the frayed edges of my shorts then between my thighs and back again where we were hidden in the backseat.
On the pier, we rode the swings and for a moment I felt young and wild and free. My hair whipped behind me as Cole and I tried to keep hold of each other’s hands. When we slipped apart, I shot further out to the side and laughed just as loudly as I had earlier. Cole’s smile broke across his face like a wave upon the shore, washing every heavy weight and worry he’d ever had away.