He leaned into my ear, his voice taking a darker, more assertive tone. “I said…You need to take off your fucking clothes and strip down bare.”
My knees buckled as a blush coated my face. My hands felt clammy, and I could feel myself becoming lightheaded.Is he absolutely insane?He has to be.
Shaking my head, I tried to ignore my reaction to his words. “…I-I can’t do this. My husband, he—”
My words got caught in my throat as he sighed, rubbing his hand over my arm softly before he deeply inhaled. I practically froze in place, his hand making my skin feel hot.
“Relax. All I need is your bare back. The rest of you will be covered completely. I have a few more supplies to get from my shed outside. I’ll give you some time.” He walked out, giving me no chance to speak or further protest.
Rosenna.
You need to leave.
Get to your car. Go home.
Figure it out on your own. If you can’t, listen to Gavin and sell the properties.
You’ll have to let Kira go, but she’s a big girl.
You need to leave.
You need to take off your fucking clothes and strip down bare.
…
…
I’m not proud… of the decisions I make at times, I thought to myself as I sat on the bench with the knit blanket wrapped around me like a towel. I watched him silently through the mirror as he walked around his studio comfortably.
As he went over to his closet of canvases, I lost sight of him and decided to look around a bit more. His art spoke volumes. It was soft and elegant but passionate all at once. And here I was, mentally preparing myself to pose for him so I could be amongst his creations.
Glancing down at my attire, I felt my heart rate quicken and my face flush in embarrassment. I was never one to model, much less for a client I was trying to persuade to let me present his art. And nude at that. It felt wrong…So wrong.
As I played with the fabric and held it up to cover my chest, I felt it slip down my back slightly, as it wasn’t all that tight. Hearing a few things in the background, I went to lift my head when I flinched, my breath hitching and my mouth going dry.
Feeling his presence behind me, almost flush against me, he ran his thumb over the small tattoo that was on my back by my rib—the same tattoo I’d gotten years ago to fill an aching void that had built itself within me. I looked up at him in the mirror to see he was highly focused on it.
I cleared my throat as he bit his lip, and he looked up to make eye contact with me in the mirror… not bothering to move an inch away from me.
“What a lovely little surprise, Flower.”
I gulped softly as he continued caressing it. It was a small rose tattoo, and entwined around it the words—
“‘You are loved,’”he read in a whisper.
I felt out of breath as I watched him. His touch was too tender, his presence was too close, too suffocating. He leaned in slightly, taking a deep breath before exhaling abruptly and pulling away, seemingly frustrated.
He seemed strained as he fixed my hair to the side like he wanted and positioned me. My pose consisted of my hair to the side and my hands lowered beside me, and I held the blanket between my arms and torso. Meanwhile, my entire back was on display, and I felt genuinely exposed to this man.
“Tell me if you get uncomfortable. It’ll only be an hour or two,” he muttered, sitting at the easel, and I nodded. I’d sat still through much worse before, like my wedding reception when I was being told by Gavin’s parents how to be a good wife.
Reminiscing on the past or simply thinking about my plans for the week, I didn’t even realize the time had passed.
Soon, he finished and beckoned me over with his two fingers. I adjusted the blanket so it would cover everything and blushed as I walked over to where he sat, drawing and painting.
My eyes landed on the canvas and I had no words to describe what I saw.
My breath caught in my throat.
