Page 22 of Sire: On Your Knees

When we walked inside, Noonie started bouncing on her toes, clapping her hands together. Suddenly, she was the one in control as she pulled me from exhibit to exhibit. A few times, I found myself standing back, merely admiring her. I loved the way her forehead wrinkled when she was in deep thought or how her ears wiggled when she was excited. I found myself enjoyingher reaction to things much more than the art itself because, in a way, she was the art.

"I love this one the most," she whispered as I walked up to her. Her voice was a little shaky, and when I looked at her, I saw tears running down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" I asked, becoming concerned.

Noonie shook her head with a little giggle. "Nothing. It's perfect."

I turned to see what had her so worked up but couldn't figure it out. I only saw a canvas covered in graffiti. "Why do you love this one?" I figured asking was better than trying to figure it out on my own.

"Because it's raw and imperfect like me. It has layers, textures, and mistakes, but that's what makes it so beautiful. Even messy things can come together to create a masterpiece." She swiped away her tears before turning to me. "Also, Lay loved graffiti. I don't know how many times I went on missions with her around the city while she tagged various buildings, expressing her pain in a different way."

Her words buried themselves in my heart, causing it to race. "That's beautiful, Novi."

She smiled and dropped her head. "This was perfect. Thank you for getting me out of the house."

I nodded, feeling stupid that I was blushing too. Her appreciation of something so simple made me want to do more to keep that smile on her face. She lit up the entire room so much that she should've been on display. "Are you hungry?"

She rubbed her stomach and nodded. "Absolutely."

I chuckled. "Come on, fat ass. I saw a taco truck outside."

She clapped her hands excitedly, coming closer to me. We walked out the door side by side as she continued to talk about what she loved about the gallery. I didn't understand it all, but I could listen to her talk all day.

The truck was still in the same place, so we got in line. We waited about ten minutes before it was our turn to order. I got steak and shrimp tacos while she settled on Birria. For our drinks, we tried some mango concoction that was good as fuck.

There was a bench on the side of the gallery that we went to sit on while we ate. "What are your goals?" Noonie questioned me out of the blue.

I shrugged. "I wish I could tell you, but I don't really know what I want."

I looked up when I felt her hand on my arm. "Don't worry. You'll figure it out." I appreciated her encouragement because sometimes I felt like I might be a slave to the Dupree name and CCB for the rest of my life. I never really had desires outside of what this lifestyle offered me.

"Have you come up with that business name yet?" There was a drop of consommé on the corner of her mouth, so I quickly used my finger to clean it up. She shuddered at my touch. When we looked at each other, we drifted into another realm where we were the sole occupants. My heart raced the longer I admired her.

When she shook her head, she released me from the trance. "I'm stuck between two. She Sparkles and Knovah's Clean Slate."

"I like the first one."

She bumped into my shoulder. "I bet you do. I wonder if I can really pull it off, though. I know nothing about running a business."

I bumped her back, ready to offer encouraging words of my own. "It's okay to be a novice. We all start somewhere. Your main focus right now should be getting started. Some things you will figure out as you go along, while others will come from those books you're constantly reading. It'll come together."

Noonie laughed with a shake of your head. "I have learned a lot since becoming your prisoner." She took another pull of her drink then set it down. "Anyway, I need to use the restroom."

I nodded toward the gallery. "There's one inside."

"Okay, I'll be back." Noonie hopped up and headed back inside. Since she left nothing but trash behind, I gathered everything then went to dump it in a trash can.

I waited along the side of the building when a seller caught my attention. I don't know why I did it, but I crossed the street and purchased a red rose for Noonie before heading back to my previous waiting spot. After a few minutes, I started to get the feeling she might've taken off.

I couldn't say I blamed her if she did. After all, she was still my prisoner, and this was the perfect opportunity. Just as I was certain she was no longer inside, she rounded the corner.

"Aww, is that for me?" she asked, spotting the rose. I eyed the flower, then nodded and handed it to her. "You're so sweet. Sorry I took so long, but there was a line for the women's restroom."

I kept silent, watching her inhale the flower's aroma with a contented sigh. A part of me wanted to know why she didn't use this opportunity to get far away from me, but I kept my lips sealed because I was too afraid of what the answer might be.

"Thank you for this. Where are we off to now?" I shrugged nonchalantly. I had no other plans other than this. "Can I take you to my favorite place?"

I figured there was no harm in allowing her to experience a little more freedom, so I agreed.

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