by BWWM Club
“I just don’t want to have to explain our relationship,” she said biting her lip.
“You know what? I have to get to the studio. I’ll see you later,” Finn said heading to the door.
“Are you serious right now?” Courtney asked.
“Yeah, Court. I have to go work on my hobby,” Finn said before he shut the door behind him.
“Fine go!” Courtney yelled behind him.
But he was already gone. She wasn’t sure he heard her. It was only much later then she realized as she shook her head at her foolishness. She had forgotten to ask him with the great news was. Courtney sighed. She had never meant to make him feel insignificant, or that she didn't believe in his work, that she didn't support his dreams. She tried calling him to apologize but it went straight to his voicemail. She didn’t leave a message. Unsure of what she should even say. She thought about going to his studio but she didn't even know where his studio was. He had invited her to come along several times but as usual she was always too busy. He was right, of course. It was always about her and her schedule and he had been so supportive of her. Even making a celebratory dinner when she was named co-project manager. And the one time that he needed her, she had let him down.
Courtney did not see Finn for the entire weekend. She texted him to find out if they were okay. He called her back and said that he was just busy but that everything was fine between them. He apologized for the argument and Courtney took accountability for her part. When they hung up, he assured her that things would work themselves out. Somehow she didn't believe him.
On Monday, when she got to work, there was a crisis. The client did not like what Jeanie and Courtney had presented. They felt that it was way too modern for an office building. It was to be expected, Jeanie said, coming from an old boys club. So it was back to the drawing board. Thankfully, Barbie was there to help them reach their deadline. Since the initial conflict between Jeanie and Courtney, and the subsequent reconciliation, the three women had become really good friends. They also found that they worked really well together and made a great team. Courtney asked that all of her calls be held while they had their power session. So when Finn called to find out if she wanted to have dinner, he was told that she would give him a call as soon as possible. By the time she got the message, it was already nearing six p.m. When she called Finn back he was already out with friends. Things were starting to feel different, but Courtney disregarded it. She asked him to please have dinner with her the following evening and he said of course. She filled Jeanie in on her trouble with Finn and asked her if she could leave early the next day.
The next evening at four, Courtney got home early and started prepping for their dinner. She fed Prada and set to work on the blue cheese and mushroom topping for steaks. Then she grilled some asparagus and made smashed garlic potatoes. She had stopped and gotten Finns favorite artisan beer. While she got ready, Courtney picked out some good music and set the lighting. When Finn arrived she looks stunning, she wore her curls loose like Finn liked and she wore a short white sundress. He took one look at her and she took his breath away. He pulled her into an embrace.
“I'm sorry Court,” he said. “I don't like when we fight.”
“Me either,” she said reaching up to kiss him deeply.
They had great conversation while they enjoyed dinner. Apparently Prada had missed Finn as well and spent the night curled up near his feet. After dinner they sat on the couch listening to music and enjoying one another’s company. Courtney in Finn's arm while he stroked her hair. After a while Courtney asked Finn what he wanted to tell her.
“It wasn't important,” he said.
“No, tell me,” she insisted.
“We’re having such a great evening. It’s been a long time since we had one of these. I don't want to cause an argument and ruin the moment. Later okay?”
“It’s not going to cause an argument,” Courtney countered. “We should be able to talk about anything.”
“Ok,” Finn said taking a deep breath. “What I wanted to tell you was that I will be moving out at the end of the month, I can't afford the rent on this place and the studio. And the studio makes more sense. There is tons of space, enough for living quarters and an art studio.
“I see,” Courtney said wrinkling her nose.
“I wanted to get your opinion on it before I made any decisions but…that was before last week. I already found someone to sublease the apartment.”
“Already? Wait, what?” Courtney asked. “When are you leaving?”
“I'll be out by the end of the month,” Finn answered softly.
“So where does that leave us?” Courtney asked with a heavy heart.
“Court. I promise nothing will change. We just have to make more of an effort to see one another,” he said pulling her closer.
Courtney was quiet while she absorbed the information. Somehow she always thought he would be right upstairs, which was silly because she would be leaving once Jason and Alex came back next year. Finn could sense her sadness.
“We can make this work Court. I'm not that far.”
“I know,” she said. “It’s just, with both of our schedules being so busy we barely see each other as it is.”
“Well, I guess we have to really want it then,” Finn replied softly.
“I do want it,” Courtney said turning to look him in the eye.
“We'll make it work,” he said kissing her on her forehead.
Courtney needed him and let him know. She ran her hand against his belly, reaching up to kiss him. She placed his hand on her breast and straddled him. Finn didn’t need any more encouragement. They spent the rest of the night making love. Soft and sweet and urgent and animalistic. Courtney couldn’t get enough of him and explored every inch of his impressive body with her mouth.
Later, as Finn lay sleeping, Court couldn’t sleep. Her heart was heavy and she said a silent prayer that things really would be okay.
They really did try to make it work and made an effort to see each other as much as they possibly could but Courtney’s job kept her busy and she found herself canceling plans more often. Darren had joined the team, determined to make sure they kept the client happy and most nights Courtney didn’t get off until almost nine. That left her little to no time to spend with Finn. Meanwhile, Finn was also rather busy. He had earned a commission for seven paintings, his biggest yet, for an upscale women’s boutique. Then before they knew it the month had passed and Finn was moving out of the apartment and into the studio. On his final Saturday, Courtney helped him gather the remainder of his belonging and helped clean the apartment for the new tenant. He had rented a moving van and Courtney road along, noting how far he really was with a sinking feeling. When they arrived at his new place she had to admit, it was pretty amazing. Finn had the entire 7th floor. One entire side was bordered by floor to ceiling windows that let in a lot of light. It was the perfect spot for an artist like Finn. But besides the large work area there was tons of space. Although it was an open floor plan, Finn had separated the living quarters and separated those areas with several hand painted silk screens. The living area had minimalist furniture, a large black couch, a flat screen TV and a small table for dining. He had divided the bedroom area with opaque gray, white and black which he had suspended from several rings bolted into the ceiling. The bedroom was sparsely decorated, a large king size platform bed along with two antique looking dressers. The bathroom and kitchen were the only areas that had dedicated walls. The majority of the kitchen was taken up by a wraparound marble counter that doubled as an eating area with stainless steel appliances and a gas range.
“Wow,” Courtney exclaimed. “This is amazing.”
“I told you. There was no way I could turn it down. It’s perfect for me,” Finn said.
Courtney smiled. It would be perfect if it was still upstairs from her. She liked the comfort of having him close by. Now they definitely would have to work even harder to make their relationship work.
“Court,” Finn said suddenly. “I have something for you,” he said holding out a tiny box.
“What is it?” she asked removing the bow.
Inside was a key.
“I just wanted you to know that you are always welcome here,” he said shyly.
Courtney reached up and kissed him sweetly at first and then with more urgency.
He slowly removed her t-shirt and then her jeans, his eyes hungrily roving over her body. She had not put on a bra and he gently cupped her full breasts. Her body betrayed her as she showed her desire by arching closer to him, her nipples hardening beneath his touch. He carried her to the bed and sat her on his lap. He kissed her again, until she was out of breath.
How could one of Finn’s kisses make her lose herself so completely? His mouth found its way to her neck and he left a trail of kisses from her neck to her shoulders. One hand still in her hair, he grabbed her waist with the other and moved her closer still. She could feel him stiffen beneath her and suddenly her need was greater than even his. Slowly, with her tongue she traced the hollow of his throat back to his sultry lips. Finn lay back and rolled Courtney beneath him.
With his hands and his mouth, he explored every inch of her body. With his tongue, he traced the form of her legs from her knees to her thighs. When his tongue brushed against her pussy, Courtney felt an explosion burst forth inside her. His tongue expertly flicked back and forth against her clitoris until she felt as though she would die from pleasure. Courtney called out his name, and Finn nestled in between her legs, continuing his assault on her pussy with his tongue.
After she reached orgasm, his lips found hers once more and she deepened the kiss. Finn hovered over her and she spread her legs allowing him access. He cupped her ass but teased her by rubbing his cock along her slit, she became moist with anticipation. As he entered her, Courtney cried out his name once again. As he thrust into her, Courtney began rocking her hips to match his every thrust. As he went deeper into her, Courtney wrapped her legs around his waist and wrapped her hands in his hair. Finn increased the speed, breathing heavily while drops of sweat rolled off his body. Courtney was close again and bit into his shoulder enjoying the salty taste of sweat and sex. And then suddenly, Court felt as if she was flying as they both reached their climax. Finn collapsed on top of her, not removing his throbbing cock from deep inside of her, Courtney held on to him, not ready to let him go.
Chapter 6
Although they had good intentions to make things work and to see each other as much as possible, after that first night at Finn's place life got in the way and they barely saw each other. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to but Darren had Courtney working almost every night since, sometimes until ten pm. Finn wasn’t sitting idly by waiting for Courtney either. After his first commission and positive feedback, word had spread about his talent and he had gotten more jobs. They did make a promise that they would make it a point to see each other at least one day every weekend. And while they did keep that vow, usually they were both so exhausted, all they did was lay on the couch and watch movies, sometimes falling asleep on the couch.
Things were going well until they had a small argument one Saturday when Finn had asked Courtney if she could accompany him to the grand opening of a jewelry store in New Jersey. He had designed the mural that ran along their entire back wall. Normally, she saw his work while it was being created but because he had done the piece on site, she couldn’t. Of course, Courtney was too busy to take the day off. Finn said it was fine but Courtney could tell he was disappointed.
“No it's fine,” he said. “I understand that you're busy and it was short notice.”
“But we can go this weekend. I really want to see it,” Courtney added.
“No, I don't want to rent a car and riding the bike to New Jersey for an hour just to see my painting on a wall is a waste of time,” he countered.
Courtney bit her lip, there was no way being this close to the deadline that she could take the day off but she wanted Finn to know she did support his work. The Saturday after the opening Courtney tried again she asked Finn if he wanted to take the drive to New Jersey but instead of thinking it would make him happy he got exasperated instead.
“Courtney, I really don't feel like going out there right now, besides I'm working on a new project. It’s really not that big of a deal,” he said sighing.
“But it was important to you before,” Court started.
“Just drop it,” Finn responded going back to his sketch book.
“Ok fine,” Courtney said. “There is this movie on Netflix I want to watch that Kim recommended.”
“Go ahead and watch it without me. I just have to work on some ideas,” Finn said not looking up from his sketchpad.
“Well, I wanted to watch it with you,” Courtney said pouting.
“I'm busy Court,” Finn said.
“I thought Saturdays were our day,” Courtney said rolling her eyes.
“It is but I have to have this ready for Monday. Why can't you understand I have to put effort into my work just like you put in hours for yours?”
“I do understand but I leave my work at the office when I'm with you,” Courtney said. “I was asked to come in today and I didn't because I wanted to spend time with you. I don't know why I bother though. I would have just went in if I knew I would be here entertaining myself.”
Courtney flopped on the couch and started flipping through the channels angrily.
“Fine, Courtney. You wanted my undivided attention. You’ve got it,” Finn said smacking his notepad on the counter. “What do you want to watch?”
“Nothing if you want to be a grouch about it,” she said. “Go ahead and work. I'll just sit here quietly.”
“That's not fair. I always give you time to work,” Finn said his voice rising slightly. “I understand that you want to watch the movie but you always undermine my time. I don't just get up slap some paint on a canvas and that's that. I have to plan, just like you do. Why do you have to be so difficult?”
“Difficult? Why does it always come to this Finn? Why do you always think I disregard your work? All I wanted was to come over here and spend some time with my boyfriend. But if you're just going to argue with me, I might as well go home and deal with Prada’s attitude. At least she’ll cuddle with me on the couch.”
“What did you just say?” Finn asked.
“That I should go home and deal with Prada’s attitude instead of yours?” Courtney asked hotly.
“No, did you just call me your boyfriend?” Finn asked with a grin.
“Well, that’s what you are,” Courtney said.
Finn walked over and put his arms around Courtney.
“That's the best thing I've heard all day. And yes, I would love to watch this movie with you. I even want to walk twenty three blocks to go get you tacos Courtney,” he said laughing and kissing her on her forehead.
“Well I do love tacos,” she said tiptoeing so that she could kiss Finn on the lips.
Later on that night when Courtney went to sleep, Finn went back to his sketches. He was waiting for the right moment to tell Courtney some exciting news. A few months ago, he had invited her to a good friend’s upcoming exhibit. He had asked her to not make plans and she agreed but he just wanted to make sure that everything was set, he knew he needed her there with him. He wanted to surprise her. His friend James had asked him to showcase some of his pieces alongside his own. He was working at James’ studio on one of his biggest pieces ever. A sculpture dedicated to her.
They had their standard date on Saturday but on Wednesday they had dinner plans. Finn had insisted. They were supposed to go to their favorite Italian spot but he wanted to surprise Courtney by making dinner for her instead. He knew she may be exhausted and may not want to go out. He let himself into her apartment, with the key she had given him. As soon as he opened the door he was immediately attacked by Prada, who had missed him and wanted nothing more than to follow him aro
und. Before he got busy in the kitchen he decided to feed Prada. He had bought her something special. He opened the can of salmon and added a scrambled egg on top. She purred in appreciation. Finn let his thoughts wander as he set about making dinner. It had been six months since Finn and Courtney had their first fateful meeting.
He smiled as he remembered the day she first knocked on his door, a tiny ball of fury. He had known at that moment that he wanted to know her. Then the night she had brought a bottle of wine and the truce eggplant parmesan upstairs to his apartment. That was exactly six months ago today. He wanted to recreate that moment for their six month anniversary. At first he had gone to Antonio’s to order the eggplant parmesan, which was Courtney’s favorite dish of theirs. He was disappointed when they told him they were all out and that mama Giovanni had gone home for the night. He spoke to Antonio and convinced him to call his mother. When she got on the phone, Finn begged his mother for her eggplant recipe. She was old school Italian and guarded her culinary secrets tightly but when she found out it was for Courtney, one of her best customers, she conceded and emailed him the recipe, after he promised that he would never tell her secret recipe and that he would still come to the restaurant. He assured her that there was absolutely no way he could recreate her masterpiece and they would remain loyal customers. Besides he told her, he had no idea how to make the countless other dishes she excelled at. He thanked Antonio and set off to buy the ingredients.
He pulled up the email and read the instructions. He knew there was no way he would be able to top mama’s version when the title alone read Melanzane alla Parmigiana. He checked the list. Courtney had most of the ingredients at home but he would need eggplants, breadcrumbs, fresh chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh mozzarella cheese and Fontina cheeses, fresh basil and oregano. It wasn’t as difficult as he suspected however. After prepping the eggplant, dredging them lightly in flour, dipping them in an egg mixture and then breadcrumbs, he lightly fried them in olive oil until they became golden brown. Next, he combined the fresh tomatoes to the sauce and layered the eggplant, sauce, cheese and basil and baked it for thirty minutes. He had just put the eggplant parmesan in the oven and was setting up to make the garlic bread when there was a knock at the door. He knew it wasn’t Court because she had no idea he was here cooking and would have used her key. He wiped his hands on his pants and when he answer the door it was the florist.