Page 87 of Their Courtesan
“Do you fuck your paintings, though?”
“Can’t say I have. I’m not into using raw and scavenged materials.”
Judith looked back at the paintings, each one more elaborate than the last. Whether she was surrounded by the reds and browns of her room, or out in the green nature of the garden, she had the same flowing blond hair and pale skin. Sometimes her clothes changed colors as well… if she was wearing any to begin with. However, there was one major discrepancy between portraits.
“Why are my eyes different colors in all of them?” In one of them they were green. In another they were brown. In one more they were amber.
“Because your real eyes are hazel. They change colors based on the light.” Seth rested his hand on her hip. “You never noticed?”
“Not really. Wow, you must really be an artist to notice that, even when you’re drooling over me and thinking about where to stick your cock.”
“Whether you believe it or not, Idostare at things other than your breasts.”
“If you say so.” She flashed him a smile – and her cleavage.
“Now, now…” He took her empty wineglass and added it to his on a table. “There’s plenty of time for that later.”
He led her out of the studio, turning off the light and closing the door behind him. Judith assumed they would be going to his room, regardless of what he said, but was taken to the center of the living room. She stood in her sandals upon a sea of rich hardwoods that didn’t even creak when she shifted weight. How much had Seth spent to restore this old home? Or had he bought it already restored?On one hand he doesn’t like spending money… but on the other, this place is so him I can’t believe he didn’t have any say in it.
Seth stood in front of a stereo. The man had millions upon millions of dollars sitting somewhere in his bank accounts – Judith knew, because Monica had done her usual digging into patrons’ financial backgrounds and shared the knowledge – but still had a stereo he had to manually load withCDs.The only other person Judith knew with a sizable CD collection was Grace, who was addicted to female singer-songwriters and 90’s dance music.
As if it read her mind, the stereo spat out the awe-inspiring sounds of an early ‘90’s song. “You’re kidding, right?” Judith crossed her arms as she was whisked away to elementary school, when one of her teachers used to play this song during their morning exercises. “The Cranberries?”
Seth turned, mischief tugging at the corners of his mouth. “What can I say? I’m a disgusting byproduct of the ‘90s. You should see my pog collection.”
“Pogs?” She thought he was older than that!
“Pogs, and at one point I was the class hackey-sack champion. Should’ve played team soccer thanks to those skills, but I picked rowing instead.” He extended his hand to Judith.
She stared at it, curious. “You want to dance? I didn’t take you for a dancer.”
“Heaven forbid I didn’t find ways to surprise you.”
She tentatively took his hand. “All right. I’ll go to senior prom with you, Dr. Christens.”
He pulled her into his embrace, already swaying her back and forth.Typical dancing.If he wanted to impress her, he would have to do better than that. Judith had “dated” ballroom champions before. Besides, “Dreams” wasn’t exactly a slow dance song.
As she wondered if he even knew how to foxtrot, Seth twirled her, so fast that the world became too blurry to exist in. Her sudden, surprised laughter echoed in her head.
Seth may not have been a ballroom champion in his own right, but he knew how to dance. Or at least he was good enough at dancing to make her think he was the best partner she’d had in ages.Who did I even go to the prom with?That felt like so long ago.
They danced for most of the song. When Seth wasn’t trying to dip or twirl her, Judith was stumbling in her sandals and clinging to him as if she were about to splat across the hardwoods. Was it the laughter shaking her body? Or the two left feet she didn’t know she had? Seth was laughing too, more than she had ever seen before.He should laugh more often.Such a serious man. Such a sweet, caring, serious man…
He yanked her back into his arms, holding her tightly, kissing her face all over. When his lips lingered on her throat, he mumbled, “I never want to let you go.”
Perhaps it was the ethereal soft-rock music ringing in her ears. Perhaps it was the heat of his body traveling to hers. Whatever it was, Judith melted against him, her own lips searching for his ear, his shoulder, anything they could touch in that strange position.
“So don’t let me go,” she whispered, before turning in his arms.
They swayed back and forth to the final notes of the song, Seth’s hands folding on her stomach and chin resting on her shoulder. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
The stereo played a different song that Judith didn’t recognize. As it disappeared into the background, she said, “You’re always a surprise, Seth. I used to think you were some stuffy guy. Now I know you’re just a guy.”
“Justa guy?” Laughter bit his words. “That’s like saying you’re just a girl.”
“Why can’t we just be a girl and a guy? Why does it have to be more complicated than that?”
His hands moved up her body, grazing her breasts and tickling her cheek. “I’ve had more fun with you in the few weeks I’ve known you than with every other woman in my life put together. To me, you could never be ‘just a girl.’”
