Page 39 of Becoming His Muse
He knew she’d be able to get some excellent candidates. Just because you had a degree didn’t always mean that finding a job in your chosen field would come easily. So, having someone who could help with some of that stress and have options for you was always a plus. Elion was sure it was one reason Olani’s company seemed to do so well. From how she spoke about it, he knew that she genuinely enjoyed helping those looking for work find employment.
“How’s the sculpture coming along?” she questioned before popping a grape into her mouth.
“For the most part, I’ve finished it. I have to stain it, and then it’ll be done.”
“Do you normally finish a sculpture that quickly?”
Elion shook his head. “It typically depends on the size and material I’ve chosen for the sculpture. This one is only thirteen inches, and I chose clay for all the pieces in the upcoming exhibit.”
“Do you know how many pieces you plan on having?”
“I wish I did. Usually, when I look at a collection and feel it’s complete, I stop working on it.”
Olani hummed as she took a drink from her water bottle. “This is the fourth piece, right?”
He couldn’t help but smile at her. He hadn’t explicitly told her it was the fourth piece, but it went to show that she didn’t ask him about work because she felt she had to. She was genuinely curious. They’d spoken about four different pieces, and she’d remembered that.
“It is, and I don’t feel like I’m near finished yet.”
Olani held out a strawberry to him, and Elion took a bite. He didn’t miss the way her eyes zeroed in on his lips when he did so. For added measure, he ran his tongue along his lower lip and watched her follow the action. He refrained from smirking at her as she ate the rest of the strawberry.
“Is there a range for the number of pieces you usually have per exhibit?”
“Typically, between seven and eleven, depending on the exhibit size. I’ve had more than that twice, but that’s usually the median.”
She nodded, and they finished their lunch before lying back on the pillows he’d brought. The person doing yoga was packing up to leave, and the other one had left a few minutes after she’d arrived. So, it was just the two of them.
Elion took her hand in his, playing with her fingers as they looked up at the shifting clouds, describing the images they sawwithin them. This went on for fifteen minutes before he sat up and grabbed the backpack he placed to the side.
“I thought we could fly around the park for a bit after lunch,” he stated. Olani rolled onto her side, propping her face up on her hand, and raised a brow at him. “Well, sort of,” he amended, pulling the drone and controller from the backpack.
She sat up. “We’re going to fly a drone?” she questioned with a smile.
“Yes,” he responded, turning on the drone and controller. He waited for the Bluetooth to synchronize before placing the drone on the grass beside him. Elion pulled Olani to sit between his legs and put the controller in her hand. “This screen will allow you to see where the drone is going. This number over here,” he pointed to the lower left-hand side of the screen. “Shows you how far away from the controller it is. It has a little over a mile range before it disconnects.”
She nodded, and he placed his hands over hers, guiding her through the controls as the drone lifted from the grass into the air.
Olani was excited as the drone flew. She felt like a kid on Christmas. It was her first time flying one, but she’d almost bought one for herself last year for her birthday. However, she’d decided against it at the last minute. She’d been glad she had after discovering they had to be registered before you could fly them. She hadn’t known that when she was about to make her impromptu purchase and probably would have flown it immediately. With her luck, she probably would have gotten fined or something.
“Baby,” she stated, turning her attention to the screen from the drone as it got further away from them.
“Yes, Sweetheart?”
“You registered your drone, right?”
She didn’t want them flying it, and something happened. She’d feel terrible if he got fined or it was confiscated.
“I did.”
Olani nodded before laying her head back on his shoulder. Her attention was on the view of the drone. They flew around the area they were seated in before going over the trees to another part of the park. There were more people there. Kids were running around playing games, families were having picnics, and a few vendors were in attendance. She glanced down at the corner of the screen to make sure they hadn’t gone too far out.
They looped around, retracing their path before turning and flying over the pond. She hadn’t realized that while circling the pond, Elion had removed his hands from hers, and she was flying it by herself. It wasn’t until she was steering it towards the walking trails that she was made aware. His hands rested on her waist as he caressed it through her shirt.
She flew for several minutes before bringing it back to them, snapping a picture over the pond as she did so. She asked him to help her land it, and he placed his hands back over hers. He kissed her neck as the drone hovered in front of them before landing on her lap. He picked it up and placed it beside them, Olani doing the same with the controller.
“That was fun.”
“I’m glad you liked it. Next time I’ll bring the other one, and we can race,” he responded, wrapping his arms around her.
