Page 40 of Their Courtesan
Chapter 11
SETH
“Marvelous,” Seth’s agent said, gazing upon his one finished work and another two sketches he was already working on. “You’ve outdone yourself.”
Seth didn’t want tolookproud, but he certainly felt it.I know it’s my best work yet. Look at her.He hadn’t mentioned who Judith was or what she did for a living. Only that he had been using a live model for a new series of paintings. If Joy the agent had come over the day Seth called her, then she would’ve found him beaming in so much pride that she would’ve been sick. Five days later, however, he was in better control of his emotions. Not that it stopped him from thinking about Judith, no matter how much Zack warned him not to.Who the fuck else do I think of in the shower, though?Or in bed by himself. Something about that woman had the power to make him touch himself over and over again.
“I’m glad you like them.” Seth offered Joy a cup of tea. She declined. “I’ve worked out a deal with her. I plan on creating a whole series of erotic paintings.”
Guffawing, Joy turned away from the finished painting and went back to staring at a rough sketch on another easel. Sunlight streamed through the studio windows, illuminating the golden paint of Judith’s hair. Seth found himself constantly staring at it, remembering the way her hair glowed in her bedroom.Then I fucked her.Oh well.
“Erotic paintings are a great sell, although it will be difficult to find galleries willing to take them. People are getting conservative again. Such things work in cycles.”
“You’ll find a place, right?”
Joy snapped a picture on her cell phone. “I’ll show them around. Don’t be surprised if I call to schedule some private viewings.”
That was what Seth wanted to hear. He didn’t need to make a living off his art, but he did appreciate the validation. Everyone knew he had the technical skill to create great paintings, but so far most were underwhelmed with his subjects. Since meeting Judith, however…Fuck me. I could paint her all day.Zack’s suggestion that he do a series based on the women of Château was ludicrous. Seth couldn’t stand the thought of sitting down to paint any other woman. Unless she was with Judith, perhaps.
“I won’t lie to you, Seth,” Joy began, running her fingers through her straight, thick black hair. “This could be good for you. I’ve got contacts in Tokyo who might go for this. They love the erotic stuff there. Especially of blond white girls.”
“Not in Hong Kong though, huh?” Joy had many international connections, but Hong Kong was her home playground, and the main gate to the rest of Asia.
Joy waved her hand. “Hong Kong isn’t into this right now. It would be a tough sell.”
“Got it. The Japanese it is.”
“Of course, right here in America is best to start with. This is a European style, but those Euros have seen plenty of Anglo nipples these past few centuries. Get your name going here and in East Asia, and maybe you could break into Europe.”
That was almost too good to be true. Seth had never courted ideas of being a hit in Europe. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he pleaded. “I’ll be happy with a show near here first.”
“I’ll be going to New York for two weeks soon. Can you get me two more finished paintings by then?”
“I’m going to be meeting with the model tomorrow. I should be able to complete these sketches and then get to coloring them.”
“Good.” Joy studied the completed painting again. “What is her name?”
Seth hesitated, not that he expected Joy to recognize his model. “Judith.”
“Wow.” The agent turned away. “How biblical.”
Glad we’re on the same page.Seth had been doing research on the historical Judith as of late. He liked how powerful, how aggressive she was, and determined to depict the modern woman the same way. No beheaded men, though. “It’s an unconventional name for a woman as young as her, but it suits her.”
“To besure.” Joy’s cell phone rang. “Hello? Joy Cheung speaking.”
Joy left only a few minutes later. Seth gazed at his canvases, in awe not of his skill, but how well her beauty spilled from pencil and paint. If he wasn’t careful, he would become lost in a world that did not technically exist. Not until he was back in that bedroom with her, anyway.Fuck. Maybe Zack was right.Nah. Seth wasn’t the type to fall in love with a woman like Judith. He hoped.
***
Men like Seth had no right to speak of self-control when they were spitting in its face – and losing themselves in women like Judith.
To be fair, he knew he would make love to her when he came to see her that Wednesday. What he didn’t count on, however, was going to her only halfway through his work so he could inhale that flowery perfume.
“What is that? Rose?” The words were barely able to spill. He was so enraptured with her body that every other word was punctured with a heavy kiss to her naked skin.
“What?” Apparently she was lost in what they did as well. “Huh?”
“This perfume.” He breathed the scent in deeply, exhilarated. “Is it roses?”
