Page 86 of Their Courtesan
Chapter 21
JUDITH
Judith emerged from the bathroom and popped a mint into her mouth.Never leave home without my mints. Never exist without my mints.How many had she consumed over the years? At least a million. Now she sucked on her favorite one – like she had sucked on Seth ten minutes ago.
He sat in the living room, still in a daze after the hummer she gave him.Couldn’t help myself. Had to be done.The guy had been screaming for sex all day. As a perfect gentleman, however, he hadn’t asked for it out in public. Far cry from a lot of the clients Judith went out with throughout her career. Most of them got off on public thrills.
So when Seth wentthatlong without jumping her, it only seemed right that she…
Okay, okay.I panicked. I didn’t know what else to do. How do I hang out with a guy all day and not at least suck his cock?This job was doing a number on her ability to have a relationship. Seth had been kind to her all day. Did she think she owed him? Or was she so taken in by him that shehadto do something sexual? Maybe she was giving him an orgasm so their night could go on longer. Shit, was she really so fucked up in that regard?
“Feeling better now?” Judith sat next to him on his couch and patted his knee. There wasn’t a sign of an erection in his pants.I killed it. Real good.Even after rinsing out her mouth and popping in the mint, she could still taste his musk and seed on her tongue.
“Didn’t realize I wasn’t feeling okay earlier.”
“But you feelbetter,right?” Judith patted his knee even harder. “Now, are you going to show me those pictures or not?”
Sighing dramatically, Seth got up, taking her hand in his. “First, more wine.”
“Yes. We need more wine.” She didn’t mention how delicious it had been. So smooth! So silky!Fuck. No wonder I felt compelled to blow him.Only way to follow up that kind of drink was with a velvety cock chaser. Apparently.
Seth got them clean glasses and poured the last of the bottle into both. To the soothing hum of the dishwasher in the background, he came back to the couch and motioned for her to join him over by the one closed door.
“You’re one of the lucky few to ever be allowed in here.” He put his hand on the knob and gave it a sturdy turn. “Voila. My studio.”
The door swung open. Whatever Judith was expecting, it was not this.
How to describe it? When she thought of a studio, she thought of messy paints, tarps and sheets everywhere, and perhaps the fumes of the working artist. Maybe fumes of something else. Ahem.
Then there was comparing whatever she expected to the rest of Seth’s house. From the moment she saw it, she knew it screamedSeth Christens.Older, traditional, classic. Brick homes were hard to come by these days, but somehow he had managed to secure one years ago. He had called it a townhouse. Sure, perhaps in another life. It looked like two townhouses combined, for Judith was pretty sure they weren’t supposed to be this spacious and loft-like. Yet it suited a man like him. Not soft, but also not rigid. Quiet, but not a pushover. The more Judith was allowed into his personal life, the more she saw a man who clearly knew what he wanted in life and would do anything to get it… whether he realized that about himself or not.
His studio encapsulated these images. The general décor and style of the house continued, with its brick walls and large, friendly windows, but the contents were quite different. Easels were arranged in a simple fashion around the large room (was this originally the master bedroom or something?) with paintings covered in protective sheets. Little handwritten plaques were pinned to the sheets.“Gone On A Wednesday.” “Waiting For The Evening.” “Lazy Garden Day.”The sizes ranged from small like the one in Judith’s room, to big enough to hang above a fireplace.I would love to see that.
There were no fumes. Paints were properly put away or left to soak in a large industrial sink. Books on painting and albums full of photographs lined one wall while another was covered in neatly organized calendars, complete with self-imposed deadlines. Seth was one of the most orderly men Judith had ever met, and he didn’t even have an assistant!
“Sorry about the mess,” he said, picking up a stack of magazines and moving them to the bookshelf.Yeah, total pig-sty.Judith rolled her eyes and drank her wine. “I want to show you this one first.”
His hand slightly shook as he took the edge of the sheet. Was he nervous? About what? Showing her his work? Not like she hadn’t seen the painting he gave her or any of the sketches since then.My favorite is one of this woman and her dog at the park.When Seth found out that Judith appreciated his “discarded” doodles, he started bringing them to her. They were currently stacked on her dresser, but eventually she would get an album for them.
The sheet came down. Judith nearly dropped her wineglass.
There she was, sitting on the edge of her bed, coyly looking at the viewer with a sheer black robe draped across her body – nothing was left to the imagination, though. Her breasts, pink nipples included, were subtly prominent, and her legs parted enough to show off her strawberry blond hairs.I remember posing for this.One month ago, Seth had posed her like this in her room when the sun was at its best.I spent the whole time waiting for him to finish up and fuck me.She could see it. Was it because she knew it was there in her eyes? Or had Seth actually managed to capture that and the whole world would be able to see it?
She swallowed. There was nothing vulgar about the painting – or any of the other ones he showed her – but they reminded Judith of how vulnerable she was deep inside.
“So… what do you think?” Seth stood in front of three paintings, although more were covered in the back. “I’m using way softer colors than I usually do. They’re pretty bright, too. I wanted to make sure I captured how much you glow every time I see you.”
“They’re…” Judith had to wash more wine down her throat. Everything was drying out. “That’s me, huh?”
He put a reassuring hand on her back. “You don’t like them. I’m sorry… have I embarrassed you?”
“What? No way. You’d have to do way worse than paint beautiful portraits of me.” Judith King was not easily embarrassed. If she could be caught fucking a client at a Roman ball three years ago, she could handle being painted naked.
“You think they’re beautiful?”
“Yes! Oh my God, Seth.” Judith had to turn away from her own image before she gasped on the last of her wine. “I knew you were talented, but… I don’t know what else to say. I’m afraid anything I say will sound either really narcissistic or flippant. So let me say that I’m amazed. That’s all.”
His nose rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m glad you think so. I’ve spent a lot of time on them. Even more time than I’ve spent with you.”
