“What do you want to do?” he asked.
I looked out over the Seattle streets and said the one thing any tourist would say. “Go to the Space Needle of course.”
He grinned. “Well that’s good. We have reservations there for dinner. For now, how about a surprise?”
“Sure.”
Alec hailed a cab and we were off. He gave a set of directions that meant nothing to me and I people-watched until our ride stopped. Alec paid the driver, got out and held the door for me. I stepped out and came to a standstill.
About twenty feet in front of me was a wooden sign with giant letters in a startling white that said “Zoo.” More specifically, “Woodland Park Zoo.”
“You’re taking me to the zoo?” I smiled wide.
“Why not? I haven’t been, and I’ve lived here for years.”
“No reason.” I lifted my hand and took his once more. “Let’s check out some animals.” I didn’t tell him that I’d never been to a zoo. Ever. That wasn’t a hot spot in Vegas and once my mother left, dad stopped doing family trips of any kind.
Turned out, I really enjoyed zoos. There was so much to see, hear, touch and explore.
“So far, what’s your favorite exhibit?” Alec asked while slinging an arm over my shoulder.
I shook my head. “So many to choose from. If I had to pick one I’d go with the Ocelots.”
“The feline?”
Nodding I continued. “I can relate to the female cat. They live a solitary life, they mate when they need to, care for their young, teach them how to hunt and then set them free.” Alec’s eyebrows narrowed into points, marring his beautiful brow. “Plus, they are beautiful. If I had to be an animal I’d pick that. They’re sexy as all get out!” I finished, trying to lighten the mood. “You?”
Alec twisted his lips. I’d hoped he wouldn’t dig for information about my reply. Now was not the time to open wounds. Now was the time for experiences, making lifelong memories, especially since I was leaving so soon.
“If I had to choose one, I’d go with the arctic fox.”
That seemed an odd choice. I would have taken him for a gazelle or something exotic sounding. “Okay, why?”
“Because they form lifetime monogamous relationships. I’ve always envied people who could do that. Now I see that a stunning creature like the fox does it and well…it just gives me hope.”
“Aw, Frenchie. You’re a softy underneath all that muscle,” I tapped his chest, reached up on tiptoe and kissed him. He wound his arms around my back and kissed me hard. That’s when I heard a click.
I looked over and noticed he’d pulled up his camera and took a selfie of us making out. “Cheesy. A selfie? You, an artist? Shocked!”
“How else was I going to capture this kiss forever in time?”
I thunked on his temple. “Use your noggin. Our time together, all there in your memory.”
“And now I have it captured on film.”
We spent the rest of the day roaming through the animal exhibits. I understood now what the attraction was. Families were everywhere roaming about. Made me miss Maddy. Had she ever been to a zoo? I made it a point right then to take her in the future. There were a lot of things that Maddy and I didn’t get to do growing up. I was going to rectify that. As soon as I got my dad off his loan shark “death row” and he was awake from his coma. Hell, maybe he’d want to go along. Doubtful, but it was possible.
***
Later that evening, the cab dropped us off at the entrance to the Space Needle. First stop was the observation deck. A three hundred and sixty degree view of what the natives called Emerald City. Couples and families dotted the walk. We found a little outcropping where we could easily see the sun setting over the landscape. Breathtakingly beautiful. I stood with my hands on the rails in front and just stared out at the glorious sight. A wave of clicking broke my concentration on the visual eye candy.
“What?” I grinned over at Alec. He came close, swept his hands into my hair and kissed me. It was a kiss to remember. Slow, soft and so warm it sent a current of desire zipping through my nervous system. He pulled away and set his forehead along mine.
“You are too precious. Too beautiful. Too much for any man to keep for himself. The man that does secure your love…forever…he will be un homme très chanceux.”
“What’s that mean?” I whispered against his lips then caressed his nose with mine.
His fingers dug into the wild strands of my hair, and he held me at the nape. His eyes were the color of golden bricks, the kind that should only exist in fairy tales. “It means, he will be a very lucky man. To have your love for all eternity will make him very rich.”
“Alec,” I shook my head then leaned into his chest, the safest place I could be right then.
“Oh ma jolie, how I will miss your love in my life.” He held me as tight as I was holding him. Possibly more. Even though I had a couple more days, this was the moment I’d remember through my entire life. The time where I realized that there were many different forms of love and it was okay to love those you give a piece of yourself to, even if they don’t deserve it. Alec, he definitely deserved it, and we’d always have this time.
We made art together, and we loved together, in our own way. And that is what would matter when I looked back on my life and the decisions I made in the past. As well as any I would make in the future. My time with Alec was special and I anticipated that as I continued on this journey, each client would add to the pattern of my life.
“Come, let’s eat so we can go back home and I can ravish you for dessert!” He waggled his eyebrows then led me back to the elevator.
The dinner at the Skycity Restaurant was impressive to say the least. I’d had the jidori chicken that was coated with a scrumptious smoky mozzarella and bread pudding. It was to die for! Alec on the other hand had the prime tenderloin. It had a bacon fondue type cheese that made my knees tremble. Over dinner we’d shared bites of our food, and finally a bit about our lives before “Love on Canvas.” Alec was surprised I had been raised in the desert. He didn’t ask me about being an escort or why I chose the profession, and for that, I was grateful. He focused more on my fledgling acting career and my interest in motorcycles. In return, I found out he’d moved to the States when he was in his early twenties but visited France after every major exhibition. He’d be leaving for his country a few days after I moved onto my next client.
Connecting with Alec on a level outside of our physical attraction was nice. I could see being friends with him after I left, though nowhere near the type of friend I considered myself with Wes. My surfer guy was in a class all his own.
***
Today was the day. The Alec Dubois “Love on Canvas” exhibition. The warehouse loft had been completely transformed for a gallery event, at least that’s what I was told. I was a bit nervous to see what people’s impression of his art was going to be tonight, mostly because I was the ongoing theme in the pieces. Once finished, he had seven canvases in all on display. He said there was one past the six I knew about, but he wanted it to be a surprise. Working on the last one had taken up most of his attention the last couple days.
We needed that separation knowing that tomorrow I was getting on a plane headed for Vegas, a departure that would take me out of Alec’s life…possibly forever. No one knew what the future would bring, just that there was no stopping it.
Millie had sent over my plane tickets to Vegas and the one-way ticket to Chicago where Anthony Fasano would be picking me up personally. My time in Seattle was running out. Less than twenty-four hours and I’d be on a plane home. Gin and Maddy were picking me up and taking me straight to Dad. I needed to see my old man.
The clock read six p.m. Time to get ready for tonight. I shuffled through my suitcase and pulled out the one dress I’d brought. Being a Vegas girl, I always carried around a little black dress, one that didn’t wrinkle and could be twisted up, yet still survive in the bottom of your purse. I was pretty sure I�
��d either need to go barefoot, rock some flip-flops, or commit fashion suicide by wearing my motorcycle boots with the dress. As I was pondering the very limited options, a giant white box with a bright red bow landed on the bed near where I was sifting through my stuff.
“For you,” Alec’s voice speared across my senses in a sultry greeting.
I turned around and my mouth dropped open. Alec was standing there ready for the evening. He wore a suit. The first time I’d seen him in something so formal. He looked dashing to say the least. My mouth watered at the sight of his beautiful body wrapped in fine silk threads. His suit was black on black. Everything. The jacket, the shirt underneath, to the slim satin tie. Definitely worked for me. My thighs were instantly moist, and tension sizzled in the air as I let the towel I’d been wearing while getting my clothes together drop from my body.
“Douce mère de toutes les choses saintes,” he said in hushed French. That wasn’t helping my libido. Instead of bringing me down, he brought me higher. I bit down on my lip and swayed, watching him come to me. In a flash, Alec’s mouth was on mine and my back was against the wall. His hands slid down to my ass and pulled me up. I groaned as the thick wedge behind his trousers pressed me harder into the wall right where I wanted him most.
“We can’t do this now,” I warned, not really believing the words myself. I sucked at his neck and lips, and dug my heels into his lower back. He groaned as his tongue entered my mouth. For long moments, there was nothing but deep, drugging sweeps of his tongue, nips from his teeth and the press of silk against flesh.
“We can. We are.” I could feel his breath along my neck as he spoke. “Nous allons nous dépêchez.”
“What does that mean?” I sucked on the spot he loved behind his ear and clutched the tight man bun at the back of his head pulling his face back.
His eyes were dark, and held nothing but the promise to please within their inky depths.
“It means we hurry,” he flicked at his belt, undid his pants, pulled a condom out of his pocket, and in seconds, he was notched at the entrance to my sex.
“Fuck, don’t stop now, Alec. Please, give me you.” I said. He loved when I said those words and I knew it. He slid the wide crown of his cock against my center, rubbing it in the wetness there, moved his hands wide along my ass, and then impaled me.
“Sweet, Mother…” I called out, his steely shaft filled me deeper than ever before, so deep I lost my breath, then found it again when he breathed life into me with his kiss. “So good, it’s always so good with you.”
He moaned into my neck, slammed me into the wall and held me there, hung up on his cock, then dragged his hands over my sensitive skin to my breasts. Once there, he tweaked each peak hard. My nipples were two blazing hot points of need, and with every touch, twist, and pluck he sent me Nirvana-bound. “I’m gonna come,” I announced, and he grinned against the erect tip then bit down into it.
That was it. Nothing more needed. The orgasm shredded through me like a wood chipper destroys a tree trunk.
“Never forget the way you feel right now, ma jolie. Je t’aime. I love you,” Alec said before taking my mouth. My pussy clamped down around his cock giving him what he needed while he thrust into me like a madman. When he was done, he pulled me off the wall and brought me to the bed where he sat, still imbedded in me. It took several minutes to settle the quaking in my limbs. Through it all, Alec held me and soothed me the way he always did. I often thought it soothed him as much as me.
“We’re gonna be late to your own show,” I giggled.
He smiled. “With good reason.” he winked and indicated the large white box. “This is for you. To wear tonight.”
Excitedly, I jumped off him and stood at the side of the bed. He took care of the condom while I opened my present.
Inside the box, I found a champagne-colored cocktail dress. It had tiny crystals that shimmered and sparkled in the light. The neckline was loose fabric that draped over my breasts enticingly. The slight wisp of fabric that held it at the edge of my shoulder did so in a way that made the drape of the fabric look perfectly natural. The hem was just to the knee and the dress fit like it was painted on. Alec held out another box as I was straightening the dress. The shoes were Gucci originals. They were a shiny gold with a four-inch spiked heel and a touch of a platform. Utter perfection.
“Never met a woman that didn’t love shoes.”
“All women love fuck-me pumps. Especially, sexy, hot as hell ones. It’s written in our genetic code.” I shrugged. “We’re born that way.”
Alec freshened up his suit as I finished getting ready, then he led me down to the party. It was in full swing when we arrived. The second we walked through the entryway camera bulbs flashed and applause filled the room. A blonde in a tight white suit immediately took Alec away. His publicist. I hadn’t seen her since the first few days, but she had a lock on his arm that might have drawn blood if he attempted to escape. He looked over his shoulder at me. His downturned lips and narrowed brow proved he wasn’t happy. I waved and blew him a kiss.
A man with a tray of champagne offered me a drink. I took a glass of the pink bubbly and made my way over to the first painting. It was me. Of course. Yet, Alec had added so much more depth to it than the first time I’d seen it. Now it was as if I could grasp the tear sliding down my image’s cheek and smear the red lips pressed into the painting.
“No Love for Me,” was written underneath the image. I walked over about twenty feet and saw the same image only this one included the silk-screened image and the painting of me touching the heart of the original. “Love Thyself.” Reading the words was like sending a spear right through my heart to touch emotions not hidden far enough beneath the surface.
Incapable of looking at it any longer, I went over to the set of three paintings in a bundle where the most action was happening. The crowd was thick as the light shined down on the three giant canvas’s hanging side by side. Above the trio it said “Broken Love” but under each one I noticed they had their own individual names.
The first of Aiden pleasuring himself with my hand over his erection was labeled. “Forbidden Love.” Then the picture in the middle where Alec had caught a very harsh moment between Aiden and I was called “Love Hurts.” Then the last. There was a much larger crowd around this painting. Alec and I together, entwined in our passion. It was definitely the most stunning of the three. He’d added red sweeping swirls of paint all around the couple on the canvas, highlighting the fiery passion the couple shared. Below it, the name simply said, “Our love.”
And it was our love. Alec’s and mine. Beautiful, passionate, wild, yet still a love that had to be nurtured, and cared for. It’s purity captured perfectly on canvas.
I moved along the wall and watched people discuss the art. Not once did I hear any gasps, or see any scowls. That must have meant people were accepting of his vision.
This painting made me hot. Straight up wet between the thighs, and ready to jump Alec the moment I saw him again. “Selfish Love,” he’d called it. Me, pleasuring myself for the world to see. Something about it was righteous and powerful. At least it made me feel that way.
Alec’s arms wound around me as I stared at the painting.
“You like it?”
“I liked doing it more,” I said low, my words a veritable moan.
“Ah, I see. Later we shall revisit this scene, hmm?” I nodded quickly. “Let me show you the last. It is my best photograph to date.”
That was saying a lot. Alec Dubois was a truly amazing artist and photographer. His pictures could be found on everything from calendars to signed lithographs. He led me over to the one painting that had a giant white drape over it.
I stood still as a crowd of people surrounded us awaiting the reveal. “This portrait will be sold at twice the asking price. Half of that price will go to you, ma jolie.”
That shocked me, and I shook my head no several times, but he just grinned and pulled the drape off. It was me. Onl
y it really was me. The real me. Just Mia. I was standing at the space needle observation deck looking into the horizon. My hair was blowing like a black flag in the open breeze. I was serene, happy, elated, and taken with the beauty before me. I looked free in that moment. Not stuck in the confines of a job I didn’t want but was getting used to. Not bailing out my dad or struggling to make it as an actress in LA. Raw beauty. And for the first time, I saw myself as beautiful. Alec made me see that in this image.
Tears formed in my eyes as I stared at what he’d captured. My body felt swathed in heat, the center of my vision being a bright spot of light, the rest a dark cave. I scanned the title below the painting. Tears slipped down my cheeks, falling onto the skin of my breasts and the concrete below my feet. I locked gazes with Alec, his eyes were glassy, wet, though he didn’t let any tears fall.
Beneath the most beautiful picture of me I’d ever seen, said it all.
“Goodbye, Love.”
Chapter 10
Last evening was amazing. I had felt like Cinderella at the King’s ball. Once the last picture was revealed, spectators starting connecting the dots. Newspapers, and other media professionals interviewed me, took pictures of Alec and me together, overall making a big fuss. It was fun. The glasses of champagne I’d consumed didn’t hurt my mood, either. When it was all over, there were bids for all his paintings. They would spend the next six months touring galleries. Then the buyers would have their one of a kind Dubois original. First though, Alec wanted the general public to have the opportunity to view his work. I understood that. It was his life’s passion and should be shared far and wide.
The window showed the sky was still dark, midnight in color. It had to be very close to sunrise. Before I’d gotten ready yesterday I’d packed everything up and had it hidden in a corner downstairs. My flight was early and I wanted to slip away unnoticed. As with Wes, I couldn’t bear the thought of having to say goodbye to Alec face-to-face. I scanned his sculpted face and body. Stunning, and completely dead to the world. He’d had quite a bit more of the bubbly than I’d had and chased it with some fancy French drink I’d never heard of before. Then, he’d taken me to bed, fucked me to within an inch of my life and passed out while still inside me.
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