Page 70 of Their Courtesan
Seth dove into his clam chowder and salad.Zack’s right. I’m doomed.Still, he blustered through his day with a smile on his face. Nothing could take away his happiness right now.
***
Late that night he sat in his studio, finishing up his latest portrait of Judith: the one of her on the fountain, caught biding her time between clients.
He loved this pose. It was natural, relaxed, beautiful. Judith appeared in her element while also sharing an intimate moment with the viewer. It also wasn’t sexual, which was a nice change of pace from the other, more explicit portraits.
I’m keeping this one.He decided that as he added a blend of brown to her golden hair. Maybe he would display it in a gallery, but no amount anyone offered would be enough to make him part from it. It represented more than a moment they shared in that hedge maze. It represented the beauty he saw within her. Intimacy unmatched.
Once finished, Seth sat back and viewed it in context with the other completed paintings. A dozen Judith’s gazed at him, some of them with come-hither eyes, others with nothing but humor and yet even more begging him to think of no one but her.Accomplished.Judith was more than his muse now. She was his love. He supposed every artist had to have that muse who was also a great love.Not that it ever ended well for those other fools.Seth was in good company, then.
He spun around on his stool and looked out the darkened window. Enough lights were on overhead that the paintings reflected in the glass before him. Seth was surrounded.
For a split second, he realized his folly.
Then like the true fool he was, he crushed it down, deep, deep into his stomach where it wouldn’t have to be acknowledged. All he cared about was breathing in his careless emotions.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Joy.“My collection is called The Consummate Courtesan.”It was perfect. Artistic, poetic, classy… and absolutely true. Judith was consummate. A tender specimen who put others before her own needs, even if those others served her needs. A beautiful, darling woman who made him laugh and everyone around her comfortable, even if they didn’t agree with her lifestyle.
And there was the other definition of consummate, which matched her as well.
The next time he saw her he was going to worship the ground she walked on. He would prove that there was no other man who could make her as happy as him. Seth felt like he was walking into a real courtship. Yes. Yes it was a courtship. Eventually his graceful courtesan would become the only woman who mattered in his world. His heart beat erratically to think it.
I’m a fucking bastard in love.He shoved his phone back in his pocket after receiving Joy’s confirmation.And I don’t care!
