by Eva Luxe
“Okay,” I said. She walked back over the canvas to put some finishing touches on the piece before taking it off the easel and putting it on the table. She picked up a fresh, white canvas and got started on another piece. She moved slowly and deliberately, making sure that she picked the perfect color before getting started. I started to feel a little uneasy, like I was intruding on her creative process.
“Do you want me to leave so that you can do your thing?” I asked. I was enjoying watching her, but I wanted her to feel comfortable and not feel like her art would be compromised because I was standing there.
“No, you’re fine,” she said, not even turning her head away from her painting. “And besides, I’ve never had an audience before. It makes me feel like I’m the main attraction of a peep show.”
“That would definitely be a show that I would love to see,” I told her, greedily licking my lips.
She stood there completely naked, painting. Paint was streaking across her body as she moved, but, again, she seemed completely unphased.
I tried not to compare her to my ex-wife too much. They were completely different. My ex-wife would never be caught dead walking around with no clothes on. Whenever I even came into the room where she was and she wasn’t dressed, she would cover herself and turn her back to me. I had gotten so used to it, I would often announce my entrance into the room to give her the chance to prepare herself.
Talia was completely different. She was more free, uninhibited. The focused look on her face as she painted made me marvel at her even more. She had a real gift and I felt honored that I could be there to witness it.
“I appreciate you saying that I could stick around and watch,” I said after a few minutes. “I’m going to go get a few things done that I need to take care of myself.”
“Okay,” she said, absentmindedly, not even taking her eyes off of the canvas. I slipped out of the room and leaned against the wall. I blew out a breath of air, hoping that it would help me to calm down. I could feel nervous energy welling up, threatening to choke me.
I felt like I needed to put some distance between us. The last thing that I wanted was for feelings to develop that would make it hard for us to have the type of relationship that both of us talked about wanting.
We talked extensively about it in the days leading up to her coming out here.
“I really want to make it clear that I want things to be simple between us. I don’t want any type of complicated relationship that would make things hard moving foward. I hope that we are in agreement on this.”
“Yes,” she said. “I think that that would be best. No offense or anything. You seem nice enough. It’s just…at this point in my life, I feel like I need to be more focused on my art and I feel like the type of arrangement that you are proposing is exactly what I need to make that happen.”
“There’s no boyfriend who might get jealous if we start this?” I asked carefully.
She laughed loudly.
“No boyfriend,” she said. “I am always working or with my family. A good friend of mine recently reached out to me and said that he has a showcase that he wants me to be a part of. Now, thanks to your ad, I have the chance to make that happen.”
I wanted to stick by my word and make sure that we both got what we wanted. I wanted someone that I could be friends with and have incredible sex. She was looking for the chance to focus more on her art.
What she didn’t need was someone who was beginning to develop more feelings for her, feelings that they both discussed would get in the way of what we wanted.
I went to the opposite side of the house and decided to make myself busy in the garden. It had been a long time since I had stepped foot in the garden and it showed. There were weeds all over. I was almost grateful that I could throw myself into tending the garden. I just wished that I could somehow stop thinking about Talia so much.
But, my mind went back to her beautiful frame standing there naked. I wished that I could run back to the room and just stare at her as she moved.
But, I didn’t. I wouldn’t.
It felt wrong holding back, but I didn’t want her to get a weird vibe and decide to cut the trip short. That would be a disaster.
I was working so feverishly in the garden that I dropped the rake that I was holding when my phone rang.
It was Jensen.
“So, I heard that you have a guest on the island,” he said playfully. My pilot probably had been happy to share the news with everyone at the office. I knew that I wouldn’t hear the end of it.
“Yeah,” I said, rubbing my neck.
“Well? Aren’t you going to tell me about her?” he asked incredulously.
“Nope,” I said, smiling.
“Wow. You’re no fun at all.” I could almost hear him pouting.
“You should be happy,” I said. “I took your advice and decided to let someone in.”
“Yeah, well, I want to know all of the details.”
“Now, you know I can’t do that. A gentlemen never kisses and tells.”
“Oooooo! So, there’s kissing involved. Good to know. Well, whatever it is that is going on, I hope that you taking the time to soak it all in. You don’t need to spend so much time alone.”
“Well, that was kind of the point of coming to live on an island.”
“I understand,” he said. “But, no man is an island.”
His words echoed in my ears for a while.
No man is an island.
The last time that I’d heard those words was the day that I left to come and live on the island.
I didn’t even bother saying goodbye to anyone at the office. I knew that that would only make it harder for me to leave. I went around the house making sure that I had grabbed everything that I needed. I made it a point to only take the bare necessities. So, I grabbed a few changes of clothes, a few books, and a watch that my grandfather had given me before he passed.
“Keep this safe,” he told me, struggling to breathe. At the time, I didn’t know that it would be our last conversation. About a month after I went to live on the island, Jensen called to tell me that he was gone.
I was in such a state of shock that I didn’t even know how to take it. But, that made me hold the watch as something special.
I was able to fit all of my belongings into a small bag. After I finished packing, I went and sat on the stoop, waiting for Jensen to arrive so that he could take me to the airport.
“Is that all you’re taking?” he asked, looking at my small bag, his eyes all but bulging out of his head.
“Yeah,” I said, getting up, trying to get my legs to wake up since they had fallen asleep. I almost fell completely.
“Whoa! Are you okay?” asked Jensen.
“Yeah, I’ve just been sitting here for a while and my legs fell asleep.”
I hobbled into the passenger’s seat of the car and closed the door, grateful to be sitting on a soft seat rather than the hard slab of concrete that I had been sitting on for hours.
“Are you sure about this?” asked Jensen, looking at me skeptically.
“I am,” I told him. “I have never been more sure of anything. I need some time to really relax and focus and I feel like this will be the best place to do that.”
“But, what about when you get lonely?”
I waved him away.
“Lonely shmonely. I’m going to get away from people.”
Jensen started driving and didn’t say anything for a while. After about thirty minutes, he finally spoke.
“Well, I’m sure that you know what you’re doing. You’re the boss. But, remember something: no man is an island.”
I laughed.
“Funny choice of words, Jensen,” I said.
“I’m serious,” he said, nodding. “You might think that this is a good move. What happens if it’s not? What happens if you DO get lonely?”
“I guess you’ll find a way to make sure that I don’t,” I said, smiling at him jokingly.
I would h
ave never guessed that that was exactly what he had done. But, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had been right.
I decided to go for a surf. Hopefully, what would help me to clear my mind.
Chapter 6 – Talia
The jazz music wafting from my phone speaker was haunting, yet relaxing. I continued painting after Blake left, but I couldn’t focus on anything. I kept finding myself thinking about him rather than focusing on the art that I was trying to create.
I realized that part of my distraction may have been the fact that I was still naked. I had never painted naked.
The only other time that I had been naked was when I volunteered to have an art class paint my picture. I was very nervous at first, but after a while, it just seemed natural. Seeing my body over and over on canvases was kind of weird, but it was nothing compared to how I was feeling now.
I felt vulnerable. But, it had more to do with me being around Blake than anything. Blake was so incredibly sexy. And I loved the way that he took charge, but didn’t do so in a forceful way. Everything about him was inviting.
“Get ahold of yourself, Talia,” I said aloud. I needed to be more focused on my art now more than ever. I finally had the time to work on my art, so I vowed to take full advantage of it. Sure, things were going great between Blake and I, but there was no telling when he would lose interest. And if that happened, he would have me on the first things smoking off of the island. I didn’t want that to happen at all.
The music on my phone stopped as a phone call came in. I wondered who could have been calling me.
It was Harvey.
“Hey, I was just working on some art,” I said.
“Oh, wonderful,” said Harvey. “The show is in just six short months. I really hope that you are ready. I’m counting on you to come through for the show.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I will be ready.”
“I hope so,” he said. “So far, the other artists have already submitted their pieces. Do you have any idea when you will be ready with yours?”
I tried to stifle my irritation with his persistence.
“I will be there by the time of the showcase. Don’t you worry.”
“Okay. Okay.”
“Other than that, how’s everything going?” I said, trying to sound as upbeat as possible.
“It’s going pretty great! Hey, what are you doing tonight? Maybe we can meet up for drinks.”
“Actually, I’m not in town. I’m actually on an artist’s retreat. And it’s kind of perfect because I have all the time that I need to focus on my art.”
“Alright,” said Harvey, sounded dejected. “I guess I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. Let me know if there’s anything that I can do to help.”
“Will do, Harv,” I said. “Talk to you soon.”
“Bye.”
I hung up the phone and threw it back onto the table. Harvey sounded put off that I wasn’t around to go out for drinks with him, but I figured that he had only asked because he wanted to try to micromanage my work.
I had met Harvey when I was volunteering at the art school. He had come to donate some art work that some artists had showcased at an event that he did.
I had been wearing a robe and walked past him.
“Well, hello there, beautiful,” he said, smiling. Harvey was handsome, but not my type. But, I didn’t want to be rude.
“Hello,” I said, wrapping my robe around me tighter.
“I’m guessing you’re a nude model, right? You must have a beautiful body.”
“I guess,” I said, trying not to feel weirded out. Harvey must have picked up on my nervousness.
“Whoa, I hope that that didn’t sound weird,” he said, putting his hands up. “I’m Harvey, by the way. I own an art gallery nearby. I’m here donating some art work.”
My eyes lit up.
“I’m an artist, too,” I said, excitedly.
“Wow, really? I bet you’re really good! You should come by and show me some of your work,” he said.
He thrust a card in my direction.
“This is my address and phone number. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, you should stop by.”
“Okay, I will,” I said.
The very next day, I showed up at his art gallery with some of my best pieces. I figured that I needed to move fast so that he wouldn’t forget about me.
When I walked into the gallery, I was greeted by his receptionist. She was a grumpy, old lady who looked like her mouth was fixed into a permanent frown.
“Can I help you, miss?” she said, her voice gritty and deep.
“Um, yes. I’m looking for Harvey?”
“Do you have an appointment?” I hadn’t expected that.
“No,” I said sheepishly, kicking myself for not calling ahead.
“Well, Mr. Harvey doesn’t take walkins. You have to call and make an appointment.”
“Can I make an appointment now with you?”
“No,” she said, curtly. You have to call.
I was irritated. I pulled out my phone and dialed the number on the card.
Harvey picked up.
“Hello?” he said.
“Hey there,” I said, loudly. “It’s Talia. We met yesterday at the art school…”
“Oh, yes! I remember. How’s it going?”
“Going pretty well. Listen, I’m out in the lobby having a wonderful chat with your receptionist. She informed me that I needed to make an appointment with you.”
“Really?! She knows that I have no appointments today. I’m so sorry that she’s doing that. Here, let me come out there.”
He hung up and emerged from his office after a few minutes.
“Come with me, Talia,” he said, guiding me to his office.
I gave his receptionist a smug look with my nose up in the air. She looked upset, which made me have to stifle a laugh.
Once we got into Harvey’s office, I showed him my art work.
He looked over each one with amazement.
“This is really good,” he said. “Have you ever had your work displayed in a gallery? Because I would love to have these pieces here.”
I shook my head.
“No, I haven’t,” I said. “But, that sounds like an artist’s dream come true.”
He chuckled.
“Well, I can’t promise anything will come of it, but I would love to buy one of your pieces off of you and hang it up here. Is that something that you’re interested in?”
“Yes,” I blurted out.
He roared with laughter and nodded.
“Good. Good.” He picked up a floral piece that I had done a few years back and eyed it approvingly. He asked me how much I would part with it for.
“Um…I don’t know. Like $25?”
He shook his head sadly.
“You artists always undersell yourself. A piece like this, even from an unknown artists, could easily go for $100. Or more. Always remember to ask for what you’re worth. If you overshoot, leave it up to the buyer to negotiate lower.” He pulled out a crisp $100 bill and pressed it into my hands. I stared at it in shock. I had never sold any of my art.
That had been over a year ago. I hadn’t heard from Harvey again until he called me to ask about being a part of the showcase. I knew that this could mean more opportunities for me if my pieces were good enough.
So, I decided to really focus on creating great pieces. I turned my music back on and went back to work. No matter what, I was going to use this time that I had to the full.
No matter how hard I tried, though, my mind kept going back to Blake. In fact, one of the pieces that I made was an abstract of him. I had never done an abstract before, but it was beautiful. It was a picture of him nude. I felt that I had done a good job of capturing his beautiful frame. I spent the most time working on it, probably about two hours.
Once I finished, I stood back and just stared at it. I smiled, proud of the work that I had done.
My stomach growled and I realized that I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. I looked for my clothes and found them in a pile on the floor where I had left them. I put them on and ventured toward the kitchen to see if I could find something to eat.
I found some turkey and bread and made me a sandwich. I was so hungry that it tasted amazing, like I was eating a gourmet meal. I savored every bite. I found some cold lemonade in the fridge and drank it graciously.
Once I finished, I started to wonder where Blake had run off to. I could hear Duke barking from somewhere. I still hadn’t taken a full tour of the house, so I wasn’t quite sure where it was coming from. I decided to follow the sound of barking.
I walked through the house looking for Duke, calling his name. I finally found him outside by the beach. He was running back and forth happily, his long ears flopping happily as he ran back and forth along the water’s edge.
Blake was in the water surfing. His chisled chest and muscular arms were mesmerizing. The way that he balanced on the surfboard with such ease made him look light and free. I sighed, wishing that I could feel light and free, too.
I walked out toward the edge of the water and just stood watching him. He saw me and waved, making him lose his balance and fall into the water.
God, even his fall was sexy. I crossed my legs as I felt the moisture began to pool inside of my vagina.
He swam toward me and emerged from the water, surfboard in hand.
“Hey, there! How did the art work go?” he said, struggling to catch his breath. The beads of water glistened over his body in the bright sunlight.
“It went very well,” I said, trying to keep my composure.
“Good,” he said, nodding. “Do you swim at all? The water feels wonderful.”
“Yes, I swim,” I told him. “But, actually, I was just watching you surf and it looks really cool. Any chance you’re up for giving surfing lessons.”
He looked at me and licked his lips.
“That can be arranged,” he said. “Let me grab an extra board for you.”
I wasn’t exactly the most coordinated person in the world, but I figured that this would give us a chance to have a little fun. At the very least, I was sure that it would provide us with some good laughs.
He disappeared in the house for a few minutes. I stood outside watching the waves. Duke was still barking and jumping in and out of the water. I couldn’t help but laugh at the oversized puppy who was having the time of his life playing in the water.
