Chapter Sixteen
Mason
It’s another gala night, another event where my art is on display, though none of the people here know I’m the artist. I was very clear that my name is never to be given out. It’s not that I’m ashamed of what I do; it’s just that this is personal to me, and I don’t want the world to know it’s me creating this erotic imagery. This has nothing to do with my work life. It’s a hobby, one I love, one I work on when I need a release. It’s personal.
The only reason I allow the art to be sold is because I don’t know what else to do with it. Sure, it pulls in a ridiculous amount of money, but I have enough money. I don’t sell it because I need more. I sell it because I believe it needs to be released into the world. It brings joy to many. It’s a release of something animal inside all of us, something that sees beauty and freedom in the shape and feel of a body.
I nearly laugh aloud at this. I’m known as a man who doesn’t give a damn about anyone. I like people thinking this about me. It makes life a hell of a lot less complicated. If people think you don’t care, you won’t get caught up in all of the crap in the world. The thing is, though, I do care, I care more than I’d ever be comfortable admitting.
Maybe through my artwork, I find the joy I’m not able to find in other aspects of my life. When I started painting, I heard that many artists commit suicide, that artists are all struggling with inner demons. Maybe we are. I’ve never had any desire to take my life, though. I find joy in living. The art simply allows me to let out feelings I can’t otherwise set free, I can’t openly express. I do have a certain idea of perfection, though I’ve never been able to master it. Maybe that’s why I still paint. Maybe someday I’ll find my masterpiece and then be done with it. For now, I’m not even close.
I’m standing back in a corner, just another patron as far as the people here are concerned, as I watch the crowd in the dim lights of the gallery. Servers pass out food and drinks. Some people stop and chat with me as they move from one piece to another. I give them false smiles and chat, but I’m ready to leave. There’s no need for me to be here. Bella likes me to attend, and she’s one of the few people who knows who I am. She sells my work. She does a good job. She’s become too clingy this past year, though. I will soon need to end the relationship.
Smiles abound around me as piece after piece sells for exorbitant prices. I don’t care. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate people buying my creations, it’s only that I don’t find joy in this part of the work. I also haven’t felt a connection with my art for a while. Something’s missing. But I’m not sure what it is.
I sneak off to a back room. I need a break from the noise, the constant conversation, the food, even the drinks. It’s time to leave. Her scent hits me before I see her. It’s the only one she’s ever worn. I have no idea what it is, but the rare times I smell it on another woman, it feels wrong. There’s a slight difference, but not enough to make me wonder what they’re doing with her scent on their body.
“Hello, Mason,” she says, her voice slightly annoying. Yes, it’s time to end the work and personal aspects of our relationship. I don’t often sleep with her, but I have used her when I’ve needed an outlet and didn’t want a stranger. She’s always eager... but this doesn’t make it right.
I slowly turn.
She’s already my past, but I’m well aware women like her don’t give up easily. I stay still, leaning against the wall, looking out the open doorway, wondering if anyone will walk in. Do I care? Not really.
“Hello, Bella,” I say after an uncomfortable pause.
She smiles, not at all offended by the coldness in my voice. She could turn and walk away right now, and I wouldn’t care. She truly is buried in my past now. When I decide on a course of action, nothing will change my mind. Chloe is now my present, but I’m not at all sure what will happen with her.
“I can see you’ve missed me,” Bella says with a fake laugh. I honestly don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve seen her. I don’t care.
“I haven’t once thought about you,” I tell her. I know it’s cruel, but she knows who I am. She doesn’t even flinch. She’s incredibly hard to offend... something I’ve always liked about her.
“We’re going to be in each other’s lives for a very long time,” she assures me. I smile, a cold, unfeeling turning of my lips.
“We’re done, Bella,” I tell her. Again, she doesn’t flinch.
“We’ll never be done, Mason. We have contracts,” she tells me.
I barely hold back a roll of my eyes. I can get out of any contract. I don’t point this out to her. “Do not make me cruel for rejecting you,” I say. “We’re done with the personal aspect of our relationship."
She laughs. “If you recall, I once turned you away. Maybe you still hold a grudge because of that.”
“I don’t hold grudges. That gives people far too much power over you,” I say.
“You’ve always have enjoying having power, Mason. I’m surprised you became an artist, since so much of your life is out of control in this line of work.”
“I think this is one area of my life where I don’t have much choice,” I admit. I’m slightly softening as we talk. I realize this is a bad idea, but I can’t seem to help myself.
“I’m an incredible dealer, Mason. I make you a hell of a lot of money,” she reminds me.
I gaze at her. She doesn’t know me well if she thinks money motivates me. Then again, that’s all that matters to women like Bella. Again, this has never bothered me. It still doesn’t.
“You’re more manipulative than I realized,” I say, not as an insult. Honestly, I’m slightly impressed. I like a woman who goes after what she wants. I’m even more impressed when she’s able to get it.
“I like getting my way, too,” she assures me. I smile.
“And what makes you think I’ll keep doing business with you?” I ask. I have to admit I’m intrigued. My past and present are colliding, and I’m not sure I can keep them apart.
“Because you know I get what I want. All of your dreams will come true if you keep me at your side.”
“And what makes you think you know me well enough to have any clue of what my dreams are?”
“We’ve known each other since birth, Mason. I know you far better than any other person on this earth,” she assures me. She might be right. This doesn’t mean anything, though.
“You know the old me. You know nothing of the man I’ve become.”
“We might evolve as people, but we don’t change that much,” she says. She moves closer. She doesn’t hesitate as she leans into me, her thumb rubbing against my lip just as she’s done many times before.
“Stop,” I tell her.
She laughs again, the sound confident and sultry at the same time. She’s a woman who knows who she is and what she wants. She also isn’t afraid to go after it. This is certainly a quality I normally admire.
“I’ll have you, Mason, unless I decide I don’t want you,” she says. I want to dim some of this confidence and knock her down a few pegs.
My arm snakes out, and I pull her against me. Her eyes widen. She wasn’t expecting this. She’ll soon know she isn’t in control around me. I lean close, my lips centimeters from hers. She pants against me, her eyes dilating.
“No one has me unless I want them to,” I tell her. My lips brush hers as I speak. A slight whimper escapes her. She isn’t as sure of herself as she’s projecting. Before this gets out of hand I push her away and move over to the empty wall in the darkened room. She follows me.
“You can play all the games you want, but I felt you right then,” she says. She doesn’t hesitate as she reaches between us and flutters her fingers across my dick. I don’t respond. I don’t run.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Bella. I’m a guy. Just because you can turn me on doesn’t mean I respect you in any way.”
Her head tilts back as she laughs in a calculated way, showing me the creamy curve of her neck. She reaches for me again, her manicured nails resting on my arm.
I smile, getting ready to say something. But I immediately know the second we’re no longer alone. A mask falls over my face. Bella feels the change and smiles at me in the most calculating way as she flutters her lashes, a mask of her own coming into place.
I stiffen as I realize something has shifted in the atmosphere. Not only aren’t we alone anymore, but someone I wasn’t expecting in this place tonight has appeared as if I’ve conjured her up. I suddenly turn and look at the woman in the large opening to the room. Her eyes are on me and Bella. She looks mortified.
“I’m so sorry,” she says. “I was looking for the other art room the employee told me about. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She then turns and flees.
This night just got a hell of a lot more interesting. What in the hell is Chloe doing at my art show? I have no idea, but I’m definitely going to find out.
“Now we can get back to where we were,” Bella says as she tries to push against me.
I easily slide away from her. “We’re done, Bella. If you touch me again, I’ll burn down the working relationship as well. For now, you can do your job. If you become inconvenient, that will also end.” I walk away, not waiting for a reaction. She can tell by my tone that I’m not bluffing. Then again, anyone who knows me, knows I never bluff. I might have enjoyed her flirting to some extent, but the moment I see Chloe all thoughts of Bella vanish.
I quickly return to the main floor and see Chloe as she turns down a hall. I smile. This is the way to the exclusive room with the most expensive paintings. I’m more intrigued now as a person has to be invited to this room. There’s more to Chloe than meets the eye. It looks like I don’t know everything about her like I thought I did. I smile. This keeps getting better and better.
I quickly move down the hall and thank my good luck when I find Chloe alone in the room with only six pieces of exclusive art. We might not have much time, but for now, I can have her all to myself. I move up behind her and feel her body stiffen. She’s well aware I’m here. This is another thing I love about whatever is going on between us. We can feel each other’s presence without laying eyes on the other. It turns me on that much more.
“What brings you here tonight, Chloe?” I huskily ask. My body is on fire, and only this woman can settle the flames. No other will do. I must have her.
“I’m in love with this artist,” she whispers. The words send another flame straight through my soul.
“Why is that?” I ask.
She’s still tense but I can hear the smile in her voice. “I love what the paintings make me feel. I bought my first one six years ago. I was with friends, and we stepped into this gallery, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the image. It was far more than I could afford, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it and came back for it a week later.”
Which piece? I desperately want to know, but I have to be careful here. I don’t want her knowing I’m the artist. I’ll never get the truth from her if she knows this.
“You said first?” I tell her.
She chuckles, seeming to relax as she talks about the art. The tension is still between us, but there’s a new lightness that’s never been here before. I like it. It seems I like everything when it comes to this woman.
“I only have two, but I have a great new job now, so I’m eyeing this one,” she says as she gazes ahead at the painting on the wall. I look at it, trying to see it through her eyes.
This art is of a woman lying on a flat rock beneath bright moonlight. Purple flowers are covering her in strategic places with splashes of paint woven over her flesh. Her head’s thrown back, her knee bent as if she’s offering herself to the heavens. It’s not bad. It’s also not something I’d think would interest Chloe. She becomes more fascinating by the second.
“What appeals to you about this one?” I quietly ask. I so want to touch her, to lean against her and run my lips over her neck. I want to take her in this room beneath these images.
She hesitates for a long moment, so long I wonder if she’s going to refuse to answer. I wait. Though I might not always be the most patient of men, I’m also well aware there’s a time to push and a time to hold.
She takes a step away from me. But then she starts speaking. “She looks so free, like nothing in this world can touch her. I love how her head’s thrown back, how she seems to be free of all of the trappings in this world. She’s offering her soul to the heavens, and because of this, she’s unburdened.” She finishes on a whisper, and I realize she’s holding so much inside of herself. She needs to be set free. I’m the man who will do this... and it needs to happen sooner rather than later.
I can’t stand to not touch her. I lean forward, her back to me and whisper my lips across her neck, enjoying the shiver that travels through her, and the soft moan that escapes her lips. I want to do more but know neither of us needs to be caught in a compromised position. I reluctantly step back.
I’m about to say something when another voice breaks in on us. I want to immediately turn and reprimand the person so foolish as to enter our private little universe. When I’m with this woman, the rest of the world isn’t invited inside our bubble.
“There you are. I thought you might’ve snuck out of here,” a man says. I turn to watch him as he moves across the room and wraps an arm around Chloe. She tenses for a fraction of a second, then pastes a fake smile on her lips. Her skins flushed, and I know this is because of me, because of the strength of her desire for me. It’s as strong as what I feel for her.
“I found the secret room,” she tells the man with a laugh. It’s fake. I can clearly see this. She’s putting on a show for me to try to prove she doesn’t have feelings for me. It seems I’m meeting her boyfriend. Interesting.
“Ah, so you’re trying to figure out how to spend several paychecks,” he says, but it’s clear he doesn’t care. He’s not that interested. I’m unsure of why he’s even here with her.
“I’ve already figured that out,” she tells him. He finally turns as if just noticing me standing here. His smile is as false as hers right now. He noticed me the second he walked into the room, and there’s no way he hasn’t noticed the tension between Chloe and me. Pure electricity flows between us.
I don’t let him lead this conversation. I move up to both of them and hold out my hand. “You must be Paul. I’m Mason Alexander, Chloe’s . . . boss,” I say. I only hesitate with the last word for a brief pause. I’m so much more than her boss.
This takes the man back a little, but he quickly recovers and shakes my hand. He’s confident but not quite sure what to think about finding his girlfriend in the room alone with me. Good. Let him wonder. He doesn’t treat her right so he should be well aware she can be taken from him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mason,” he says. I don’t appreciate him having the audacity to use my first name, but don’t call him on it. “What a small world to find you here.”
“I love the art scene,” I tell him.
“My girlfriend does as well. I’m not that into it, but I don’t mind the free drinks and meeting people,” he says with a chuckle. Chloe shifts on her feet, clearly not loving this conversation.
“It was great running into you, Mr. Alexander,” she says. “I’ve kept Paul here for too long already, though, so we really should be going.”
She doesn’t allow me to answer, just takes Paul’s hand and quickly flees the room. I stand here a few moments before taking a card from my pocket. I move up to the piece she wants, then pull out a card and stick it onto the back of the art. This lets the gallery know the painting is sold. I’ve never held a piece back for a person before. I’ve carried these cards to every show and never once wanted to use one. Chloe keeps growing on me, though. I want to give her more than I’ve ever wanted to give any woman. I can’t even begin to understand the reason.
I leave the gallery, no longer having any desire to be here. It was worth coming, though, because it’s one step closer to the woman I know I’ll have. I’m not sure how long I’m going to keep her, but I know it won’t be brief. I have a feeling our affair will be anything but short. I don’t think I’ll get this woman out of my system for a very, very long time. This should terrify me, but it doesn’t. No, it’s quite the opposite. It absolutely thrills me. I can’t wait to take this journey with her. I smile, anticipating our next moment alone together.