Page 131 of Their Courtesan
“So. What do I get for dinner?” Judith eyed Seth’s box of orange chicken.
“This, apparently.” Seth pushed it toward her, complete with extra pair of chopsticks. “I thought you would have already dined.”
“And miss out on the way your friend checks out my tits?” Zack looked away, blushing. “I wouldn’t missthatfor the world. Remember, I charge triple my usual rate for a threesome.”
“Oh, boy.” Zack excused himself to go to the restroom.
“You scared him off. Was that your goal?”
Judith bent down and kissed one of her favorite clients.She could be bullshitting me about that. I don’t think she is.“I wanted to see how you reacted to the word threesome.”
“I don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s never going to happen. With me involved, anyway.” He looped his arm around her waist. “I’m too possessive in bed to ever let that happen.”
“Keep talking dirty to me.”
“Can’t. Need to eat up and get the hell out of here.”
Seth hurried through his dinner and changed into his evening wear. He had two outfit choices, and after seeing how Judith dressed, decided to coordinate with an off-white turtleneck – yes, in New York in July – and a gold watch.
“Do I look too pretentious artist to you two?” he asked his guests.
“Only if you added glasses. Then I’d have to kill you,” Zack said.
“Duly noted.”
Once perfume had been applied and shoes were shined, Seth took Judith by the arm and let Zack trail behind them as they headed to the gallery down the street.
Things had changed… rather drastically since they were last there.
Gone were the crates, the papers, and the tools necessary to put a whole exhibit together. Interns and personnel alike were dressed in their best clothing. The lighting was mellow and subdued. The gallery owner appeared with a member of the press, introducing him to both Seth and his beautiful muse. Zack hung out but didn’t interfere.
Slowly, people began to arrive. For a function that wasn’t set to start until eight, the place was already packed at 7:45. The real horror? Seth actually recognized a lot of these people. New York’s richest art collectors. Celebrities looking for something to do on a Sunday night. Men speaking Italian and women talking about their summers in Sweden.
Every person Seth shook hands with commended him for his paintings. “Simply exquisite. I really must know how you capture this woman’s beauty so well.” “Tell me, darling, is it true what they say about you? Really! Every word? Fascinating.” “I can see why you retired from the medical field when you have this level of artistic talent. Anyone can be a doctor, but it takes a special something to be an artist.” “If you would let me, I’d buy half the paintings in this room. We’ve been wanting to renovate with a tastefully erotic theme anyway.” “Is that what I think it is on her leg in this painting? Good God, man! That’s bold!”
Seth both drank it up and wanted to depart for the exit. He had never been good with this level of attention, and yet he had signed up for it. Besides, with Judith at his side, charming every artistically-minded person who came their way, it was impossible for people to not come to his way of thinking and realize that he was another guy who happened to paint some pretty portraits of a beautiful woman.
At 7:30, Seth was expected to be at the front of the room giving a speech. Oration was never a strong suit of his either, but he didn’t necessarily have stage fright.Before tonight, I never had a reason to be excited about something.That had changed when he met Judith months ago. His lover. His muse.
The love of his life.
He thought those words as he gazed upon her standing at the front of the audience. “I’ve been playing at being an artist for years now,” he told the crowd, “but nothing I painted was truly good enough for the world. I hid those paintings away or simply wrote them off as a learning experience. Once I met Judith, though, everything changed. I had that artistic epiphany you always hear snots going on about. I truly realized why I had chosen this kind of life for myself. Never before had I been so happy to lock myself in my studio and paint whole nights away. Every time I sat down to sketch this gorgeous woman, I considered myself one of the luckiest men alive.”
Some members of the audience chuckled.They must have seen the pictures…Luckily, there were no indecent ones of Seth like there had been of Miguel. That didn’t mean people couldn’t add it together.
“I welcome anyone to indulge in my slice of paradise here. Thank you for your support, and I hope to see you again.” Seth held up his glass of champagne in salutations. The first person to hold one up in return was Judith, smiling as if she was truly happy to be there as well.
Maybe she is.Seth reminded himself that it was a part of her illusion… even if she claimed to love him as well.I can bear it.
What he couldn’t bear was the face he saw far, far back in the crowd.
