Page 3 of High Stakes and Soulmates
Understandable.
“What if I walk you to the door? Really, it’d be my pleasure.”
“What? In case I can’t find it?” he teases.
“Exactly!” I say as I hurry after him, ditching Julian. “I was being abused in there.”
Cyrus seems less than certain about that. “Yeah? That’s why you were rolling around with Julian when I walked in? Abuse?”
“Possibly, but probably not,” I say. “How is your day going?”
“Would be better if I wasn’t being called in after hours. Why do they even need me? Sometimes, I swear they can’t even wipe their asses without help.”
“Do you want me to terrorize them a bit? Would that make you feel better?”
“Not sure it would.”
“I’d do it for you.”
“I’m well aware,” he says as he reaches the door. “Uh… thank you so much for walking me to the door. I would’ve never found it without you.”
“You’re welcome. If you ever need my fantastic assistance ever again, please, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Cyrus shakes his head and gives me a wave before slipping out the door, shutting it tightly behind him. Although Casimir’s house is set up so the sun can’t creep in even if the door does get left open, and the windows have special tint on them to keep it from hurting us, he makes sure to slide out without opening it too far and disappears into the daylight… a place I’ll never be able to follow him.
“Did perusing him with your eyeballs rejuvenate you enough to keep on living?” Julian teases.
“It sure did! Now, let’s talk about that painting of my naked body you promised me,” I say as I contemplate the pose I should take.
“I promised you no such thing. Casimir did, so Casimir will paint you.”
“Alright, sure. Why not!” Casimir says, which should honestly concern me more than anything. Obviously, the man is on a high today for some reason. Either that or he’s looking for a new way to be mean to me. Honestly, that’s my guess. “Go on now. The couch looks like as good of a spot as any. Whip them off.”
“I feel almost a bit shy!” I whine as I head over to it and immediately drop my pants.
“Nottooshy, apparently,” Julian observes. “Casimir doesn’t even have anything ready yet.”
“It’s okay, I’ll wait. Julian, which pose should I take? Sexy seductor? Woeful lover?”
“I’ve seen Casimir paint and I’m going to be very honest, it’s not going to matter,” Julian says as he sets Casimir up with acanvas and paintbrush. “I’m more concerned about your naked ass on my couch.”
“Come, come. I want you in your wolf form lying with me. It’ll be a tasteful nude.”
“Yes, because nothing says tasteful like a painting done by your best friend that details your naked ass and his boyfriend,” Julian says with ample sarcasm.
“If you’re jealous that you don’t have a painting of you and Casimir, I’m more than willing to draw some stick figures for you,” I assure him.
“Stop moving around so much, I can’t tell what color your eyes are,” Casimir says.
“What the fuck? You’ve known metwo hundredyears, you’ve tried toeatme, and you don’t know my eye color?”
“Keep that disgruntled look on your face. I think it really makes your eyeballs pop,” Casimir comments as Gustov comes over to him for pets. Casimir seems to forget all about painting me while he switches to petting him.
“You’re going to be here all night at this point,” Julian warns me.
“No, no, I’m focused,” Casimir says as he pets the dog some more, and then decides he’ll paint me with his left hand since his right is preoccupied. “Almost done.”
“Are you?” Julian asks while he eyes the painting. “You’re like a fifteen-year-old boy in a five-hundred-year-old body.”
