by Eva Luxe
I had it bad. I knew it. I just wasn’t ready for Blake to know it yet.
I’m sure that he had a pretty good idea, though.
When the time came for us to head into the city for the showcase, he didn’t even ask if I wanted him to join me or not. He just knew that I wanted him to be with me and made plans for both of us to attend.
We flew into the city early on the morning of the showing. Blake had gotten us a suite in the same hotel that we had stayed in before. Only this time, it was the honeymoon suite. It was beautiful and romantic. We had a wonderful breakfast brought up to us and we ate until we could barely move. We climbed in bed to sleep off our meal and just hold each other.
We woke up around lunch time, but neither one of us was hungry. I mostly just felt nerves starting to creep up into my belly fluttering around like butterflies. Blake, noticing that I was jumpier than usual, held my hand.
“Just breathe,” he told me sweetly. “This is the day that you have been waiting for and I’m sure that it’s going to be magical.”
The way that he held my hand and held my gaze calmed me down just a little.
Blake suggested that we head over to the showing so that we could get everything set up for opening night. There was going to be a party to kick off the first night of the showing, so the plan was to get everything set up and then focus on getting ourselves dressed for the party.
Once we got to Linda’s gallery, I was surprised to find her already there working hard to get everything in place. She was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a plain white t-shirt. She looked like she could have been anybody, a worker just there to do their small, menial task, not the person who was in charge of putting the whole showcase together. I was very impressed with how hands on she was.
“Talia, hi!” she greeted me brightly as we walked in. “I’m so glad that you’re here! I have been blabbing my mouth all around town telling people about the new, amazing artist who would be debuting a lot of her art. Have you come to get set up?”
“Yes,” I said brightly. Her positive energy helped me to get more excited and helped to get rid of the butterflies that were fluttering around in my belly, threatening to make me upchuck the contents of my breakfast.
“And who is this hunk of deliciousness?” she said, turning to extend a hand in Blake’s direction.
“I’m Blake,” he said, smiling and shaking her hand firmly.
“He’s my boyfriend,” I said before thinking. Blake turned and blinked at me a few times, showing his surprise at the new title that I had just given him. It wasn’t something that we had discussed, but I felt like, at the very least, that’s the closest thing to what he was. I certainly wasn’t about to tell her that he was a guy who had bought me in exchange for sex. I had already endured that embarrassment from Harvey and wasn’t ready to open that discussion back up with Linda, someone who had a very high opinion of me. I just hoped that I could live up to her opinion of me.
“Yes, I am the boyfriend, here in whatever capacity I am needed,” said Blake, looking at me, the most gentle look in his eyes. We shared a silent moment of understanding.
“Well, good! I did get the pieces that were dropped off this morning, but I didn’t have a chance to take them out of the crate or do much of anything with them. I am actually dealing with a minor emergency with another artist who had a run-in with an ex-boyfriend who decided that he was going to get back at her by throwing paint on the pieces that she had pegged to show tonight. Whatever you do, make sure that you and this guy don’t have any mishaps that might ruin your chances at a good showing.”
She winked and laughed weakly. I had a chance to really look at her and noticed that she looked worn, emotionally tired from dealing with things going haywire.
“Your pieces are still in the crate over there,” she said, pointing to a corner of the gallery. “You can get your pieces set up anywhere that you’d like. If I can help do anything or answer any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. And if you think I’m ignoring you, I promise that I’m not. I just get to run around like a headless chicken for the next few hours. If I don’t see you before you take off, I’ll see you tonight for the party. It starts at 7 pm.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding at her. “We should be able to manage. Thank you so much, Linda, for this incredible opportunity. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Oh no, Talia! Thank YOU for agreeing to be a part of this. You have already shown yourself to be gifted and professional. I really see you going places. But, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to…”
Her voice trailed off as she darted off in the other direction. She was moving so fast, she almost looked like a cartoon character. I covered my mouth in hopes of stifling the laughter at her funny she looked. Blake, on the other hand, didn’t even try to hide the roaring laughter that poured from his mouth. He laughed so hard that tiny drops of tears were pooling in the corner of his eyes.
“There is never a dull moment with you, is there, Talia?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close to him. The scent of his cologne was mesmerizing. I hugged him back and didn’t want to let him go.
“I guess not,” I said shrugging.
“Alright, let’s get to work,” he said, reluctantly loosening his hold on me.
We worked quickly, removing each piece from the case and looking it over carefully before deciding on the perfect place to put it. There were twelve pieces in total. Once they were all put up, I felt my chest swelling with pride. I had had dreams like this, where my art work was put on display. So, this felt like a dream come true quite literally.
After we had finished setting up, Blake and I stood side-by-side, his arm resting around my waist.
“Wow. You are really talented. How did I get so lucky to even know you? I feel like I need to get your autograph now,” he said.
I laughed. I knew that he was joking, but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless.
We walked around the gallery trying to find Linda to let her know that we had finished, but someone said that she had left to go run an errand. I decided that we would just see her later on at the party that night.
“Time to go shopping,” said Blake. I hadn’t even thought about what I would wear. Hearing him make the suggestion about shopping made me realize that I probably needed to find a nice gown. I wanted to make a great first impression for my first professional showing.
We walked through the heart of the city where there were a bunch of shops. Blake was fitted for a simple black suit and gave the address of the hotel where we would be staying. When it was my turn, he walked into a very upscale store that had a small selection of dresses.
The lady at the cash register looked like a bird, tall and skinny with a large pointy nose that resembled a beak.
“Can I help you?” she asked in a nasally voice, walking from behind the register in our direction, her arms folded disapprovingly.
“Yes, you can, actually,” said Blake coolly, his hands in his pockets, smiling that dazzling smile of his. “My girlfriend needs a stunning dress for her art show debut tonight and I was thinking that this might be the perfect place to find one for her.”
The lady looked me over from head to toe, a look of obvious disdain on her face.
“I’m not sure that we have anything here that might suit her, but I’ll see what we can do,” she said, spinning on her heels and marching off toward a rack that had a few dresses on them. She picked out a couple of them, draped them across her arms, and walked back over to where Blake and I stood near the front door.
“You can follow me,” she said, snapping her fingers in my direction.
Everything about her irritated me, but I needed to find a pretty dress that would make me look classy and professional, so I tried to ignore it. She was right in saying that they probably didn’t have anything that was my style. I would never be caught dead in one of these dresses if it weren’t for the fact that I wanted to look really nice.
The
first dress that she found me was royal blue and had a slit in the back and down each side.
“Where’s the rest of the dress?” I asked, jokingly. She was not amused. She snatched the dress from my hand and shoved another in my face. That one was burgundy with gold trim. It looked too old fashioned for my taste. I said as much.
“Well, I don’t think that this is the store for you,” huffed the lady, grabbing the pile of dresses and stomping off. I didn’t understand why she was taking it so personally, but I couldn’t wait to get out of the store.
“What about this one?” said Blake, holding up a satin red dress with a sheer overlay. It was perfect. I smiled, raising an eyebrow.
“I’l try it on,” I said, taking the dress from him and slipping into the dressing room. I put on the dress and it fit perfectly. It was almost as if the dress was made just for me.
I walked out of the dressing room to show Blake. His eyes got really wide and his mouth fell open a little.
“Wow! You look stunning,” he said. His breath began to quicken in the way that told me that he was starting to get turned on. He looked around and saw that the cashier was busy helping another lady. He quickly pushed me into the dressing room before I could say anything. He wordlessly slipped the dress off of me, letting it fall into a heap on the floor. He leaned me over, unzipped his pants, and pushed his hard dick inside of me. I had to bite my lip so that I wouldn’t make any noise. It was so exciting. He fucked me hard and fast, holding onto my hips so that I wouldn’t fall. I held myself up against the wall, pushing my hips back against him to match his thrusts. After a few minutes, he came, his fingers digging into my waist as he tried to contain himself. I put my clothes back on, scooped up the dress, and we walked out of the dressing room, making sure that no one saw us.
We walked over o the cash register and put the dress up on the counter. Blake paid for it and we left, getting another disapproving look from the cashier, who didn’t even bother to say much to us.
“Thank you so much for your help,” I said in a loud, sarcastic tone. She rolled her eyes and walked away.
Blake and I laughed heartily as we walked out of the store.
“You know, I never understand why people walk around so grumpy all of the time,” he said, shaking his head.
“I know. Life is so short. You’d think that people would find more reason to be happy.”
We stood there on the sidewalk in front of the store, holding hands and smiling at each other gratefully. I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with happiness at having found Blake. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but I was too scared of how he might react. Things were going great and I wanted them to keep going great. So, I put the thought out of my mind and started focusing on the party that we were going to be at in just a few short hours.
We walked on a few blocks before we stopped in front of a hair salon.
“Why are we stopping here? The hotel is still a few more blocks away,” I said, confused.
“Because you have a hair appointment here,” he said. “I’ve already set everything up for you. I’ll send a car around for you in a couple of hours once you’ve finished. Just call me and let me know when you’re done.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I told Blake. “I don’t think that I’ve ever had my hair done professionally. I was just going to blow dry it and that would be fine.”
“Nonsense,” said Blake, putting up his hand in protest. “It’s already arranged. If you don’t like it, you can always do what you were going to do, anyway. Just call me when you’re done.”
He walked off before I could say anything. I stood there, my mouth opening and closing as I searched for the words to say. But, I wasn’t going to make a scene by yelling after him down the street, so I just turned and opened the door of the salon.
“Hey, there,” came a voice from the corner. It was a lady with big, curly hair with more hairspray than I have ever seen anyone wearing. She was beautiful.
“Hi,” I said, my voice seeming to leave me. “I have an appointment?”
“Oh, you must be Talia,” she said, leaning the broom she was holding against the wall. “Come on in and make yourself comfortable. I don’t have any other appointments for a few hours, so I’ll be able to get you right in and out. Did you have an idea of what you wanted, hun?”
My mind went completely blank. I shook my head, slightly ashamed.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, walking over the a sink near the back and washing her hands. “We’ll find you a nice updo. From what I understood from your boyfriend, you have a fancy art show that you’re going to tonight? Is that right?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “It’s my very first show and I am being featured as a new artist, so I want to make sure that I have everything together like I need to. I want people to respect me as a professional.”
“Gotcha,” she said, winking. “I’m Pat, by the way. I’ve been doing hair and makeup since before I could walk. So, you’re in good hands.”
“Good,” I said. “I have never had my hair done professionally and I don’t wear makeup, so you definitely have your work cut out for you.”
She laughed.
“Honey, I understand. But, don’t you worry. We’re going to have you looking like the belle of the ball tonight.”
She motioned for me to sit in her chair and she went to work. She washed my hair, dried it, conditioned it, blow dried it, and curled it. She pinned it up so that most of the curls were in a high bun on top of my head with a few stray curls cascading down my neck and along my hairline.
“Do you mind if I do a little makeup on you?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said, shrugging. She pulled out a pallet of makeup and started applying it to my face. I watched her carefully and I saw a familiar look on her face, one that I had seen many times before. It was the look of an artist creating a masterpiece. Her eyes were so alive, so full of light and life. After about fifteen minutes, she put her hand under my chin and turned my face in different directions.
“There,” she said, putting a mirror up to my face so that I could see myself. My heart almost stopped as I stared at my reflection. I almost didn’t even recognize myself.
“Wow! You are really good!” I said in amazement.
“Well, it helps when you have someone who’s beautiful already. What I did was just icing on an already beautiful cake.”
Her compliment warmed my heart.
“Thank you,” I said. I pulled out my wallet to pay her and she waved me away.
“Your boyfriend has already taken care of me,” she said. “Go buy yourself something pretty.”
Her smile was so inviting. It made me feel like I wanted to stay and hang out with her longer. But, I looked at the time. 6 o’clock.
“Wow, time has really flown by! I’ve got to go!”
I thanked Pat again and ran outside of the salon. I didn’t bother calling Blake since the hotel was only a few blocks away. I all but ran to the hotel. Once I got there, I was out of breath. I tried to catch my breath as I made my way to our suite.
When I got there, Blake was already dressed and had my dressed layed out along with a beautiful pair of diamond earrings and red heels that perfectly matched my dressed.
“You thought of everything,” I told him, impressed.
“I try to,” he said, looking me over in amazement. “I didn’t think that you could look any prettier than you already did. I guess Pat proved me wrong.”
He kissed my cheek, careful not to mess up my makeup.
“I’ve got to get dressed,” I said, hurrying in the direction of the bathroom so that I could take a shower. The water felt warm and refreshing on my skin. I made sure not to make the water too hot so that my curls wouldn’t fall. I stepped out of the shower gingerly and dried off.
“Hello, beautiful,” said Blake, leaning against the frame of the door, staring at me, his eyes dreamy and playful.
I just laughed, wrapping the towel arou
nd me tighter self-consciously. He slowly walked over to where I stood in the bathroom and pulled me close to him.
“Don’t start anything you can’t finish,” I told him, jokingly.
“Who said I can’t finish?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. I shook my head and pulled away from him, walking out of the bathroom.
I started getting dressed. After pulling on my nylons and feeling the slippery feel of the satin against my skin, I realized why I didn’t really dress up that often. I was already starting to feel stuffy and uncomfortable and wasn’t looking forward to a whole night of feeling this way.
“You look so beautiful, I think I might cry,” said Blake, pulling a hankerchief out of his pocket and pretending to wipe the corner of his eyes.
“Oh, stop it,” I said, swatting at him playfully. “I hope I look better than I feel. I am so uncomfortable in this.”
I shifted from one foot to the other, hoping that my panties would stop riding up my butt the way that they were. I put on the heels and almost fell over. I hadn’t had much practice wearing heels. So, I knew that most of my energy was going to go into not falling on my face.
Blake’s phone rang and he answered it. He hung up the phone quickly and extended his arm in my direction.
“Shall we?” he asked, opening the door. “Our car is out in front.”
I took his arm graciously, the butterflies starting up again in my belly.
The ride to the gallery was a blur. My thoughts were racing. What if they didn’t like my work? I would hate to have come this far only to be disappointed again.
“You’ll do fine. You’re talented and you created some beautiful peaces,” said Blake, as if he were reading my mind. I nodded and thanked him, trying to calm my nerves.
When we first showed up to the gallery, there was a handful of people all around. Linda spotted us soon after we walked in. She was busy talking with someone and quickly excused herself, walking up to me excitedly.