Page 6 of She’s Worth the Risk

June’s face lights up. “Are you sure? Then we wouldn’t have to cancel…”

“Absolutely.”

The young woman steps forward, and June’s gaze swings to me. I inhale to protest, but when I catch the gleam of relief in her eyes, I stop. Tempted as I may be to walk out, I could never do that to her. She reminds me of a lovely old lady I’ve spoken to at department fundraising events—one of the few people who has made those evenings bearable—and I soften.

“Fine.” I glance at the young woman’s name tag, but it’s illegible. “And you are…”

“Zinnia.” She beams, toeing off her sandals beside the pedestal, then hesitates. “Should I be nude? I’ve never done this before, so…”

Heat rises to the back of my neck. I ignore it, adjusting my glasses.

“Traditional figure study is nude, yes,” I say stiffly, “but given this is very spur of the moment, go with whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Okay, I’ll just…” She reaches for the hem of her dress, and June’s hand shoots out.

“Let me get you a robe, dear,” she offers, but Zinnia shakes her head.

“No need.”

Then she pulls the hem of her dress over her head and tosses it aside, until she stands there in her bra and panties, grinning.

My breath stalls. I cough, turning away. I’m hit with the thought that I can’t remember the last time a woman undressed in front of me, then dismiss it immediately.

“Excellent.” June claps her hands together in delight. “You’ve saved the class, Zinnia. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she says, as June trots merrily from the room.

When I turn back, Zinnia has climbed onto the pedestal, and I’m relieved to see she’s still in her underwear. They’re a neutral color, so they’ll work well. Probably better this way. She stands easily, gaze moving around the studio as everyone opens their sketchbooks. She’s not the least bit uncomfortable or self-conscious, and I step closer, fascinated by the sweep of her cheekbone, her delicate nose, and the tiny diamond stud glinting there. When her gaze moves to mine, I realize I’m staring.

“How do you want me?” she asks, eyes dancing.

I snap back into the moment. This is what I was afraid of. No structure. No plan. I’ll have to run this entirely off the cuff.

“Let’s start simple,” I say crisply. “Take a contrapposto stance.”

She bites her lip. “Sorry, I don’t…”

I exhale, sliding my glasses off to clean them on the hem of my shirt. This is going to take all night.

“Stand with your weight on one hip,” I explain. “We’ll start with a series of quick warm-ups, so keep up.”

“Sure thing.” She does as I ask, settling her weight into her right hip. “Tell me if I look like I’m about to fall over,” she jokes, and laughter echoes through the group.

“You’re doing great,” an older woman calls out, and a couple of people murmur their agreement.

“Right,” I say, ignoring them as I pull out my phone to time the exercise. “You’ve got two minutes to capture this pose. These first ones are simply to get your hand moving. Don’t worry about the details, just capture the shapes.”

I set the timer, watching as everyone begins scribbling. When I glance at our model again, her eyes are on me, warm and curious, and I shift uncomfortably. She’s the one in her underwear, so why do I feel exposed?

“Turn your head toward the back of the room,” I tell her when the timer goes off. “One hand on your hip.”

She does as asked without missing a beat. There’s a rustle of paper as everyone flips to a new page.

“Is my arm doing something weird?” she asks, and more laughter comes from the group.

“Not from this angle,” the same older woman assures Zinnia. They exchange a smile, and I tear my gaze away and wander to the window to look at the street, trying to ignore the unusual sensation lodged in my chest. The timer brings me back into the moment, and I issue more instructions, guiding the group through a few longer poses, each time turning away from the woman at the center of the room.

“Take a quick break,” I tell the class, and they burst into animated chatter. I turn to Zinnia, adding, “You, too. You’ll need to hold the next pose for fifteen minutes.”