Page 50 of Paint Me Love
“Derek…” I whisper, imagining him next to me.
My body catches fire, onboard with the fantasy. My fingers become his, the hand stroking me, too. I bite on my lip as I up my pace, needing to come.
Still, it takes me a while. It’s not the same, not good enough. I miss my training, the way being with him makes me feel raw and vulnerable and free.
Just a couple more days.
And in the meantime, I better focus back on the upcoming exhibition and the art classes or I might miss him too much.
Today we are recording our first online class. We’ve set up my apartment for it since there is a live-drawing class at Jesse’s studio later today. The PowerPoint is ready, the exercises, too. I’m excited. As I start my part in front of the camera, I realize Derek hasn’t been on my mind today. My cock gives a disapproving twitch. Still, good job me.
“Okay! This was great. I’ll put the lesson together and schedule the release. We’ve got”—Jesse glances at the dashboard of our online classroom app—“twenty sign-ups. I’d say that’s a good start considering we’re practically nobodies.”
I bump him with my arm. “You aren’t a nobody, Jesse. I’ve seen the crowds.”
He laughs. “Maybe. But this is a new venture for me as well. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
As part of our online classes, we also offer consultations and one-on-one time. Depending on their profiles and backgrounds, each student is assigned either to me or him. We aim to help them as much as we can, so taking into consideration our strengths makes sense.
We double-check everything, and Jesse hits upload. We end up finalizing the second and third lessons too since we recorded them anyway, which means we have two weeks to do the fourth, fifth, and sixth lessons if we want to keep ahead of schedule.
“You hungry?” Jesse asks, glancing at his watch. “I’ve got an hour to kill before I need to be at the studio.”
I’m not going today because I’ve got a late shift at the supermarket. “As a matter of fact, I am. Shall we order something?”
“Will it get here on time?”
Good point. “Not sure. How about the bakery by the bus stop then? It’s always busy. I’ve been meaning to try it for ages.”
He nods and hops up from the couch. “Let’s go there then.”
I grab my keys and open the door. “I heard they have an amazing hazelnut—”
“Hi.”
I freeze, eyes going wide. Derek is standing in front of me, his hand reaching for the doorbell as if he was about to ring it. “Hi… What are you doing here? I thought you were in Helsinki for a couple more days…”
He scowls, looking behind me. “I wrapped up the deal early. They don’t need me for the rest.”
His voice is stern. His eyes are cold but also excited, like he’s both happy to see me but also annoyed by it. Did something happen?
I lean against the door frame, crossing my arms. “Well, congratulations on another successful deal.”
He starts to nod, but doesn’t quite finish doing it as Jesse comes up to stand next to me. “Hi, Mr. Salinger. Congratulations from me, too. I’m Jesse, if you don’t remember me. I did one of the murals in your gallery, like Dan.”
A storm crosses Derek’s face. “Thanks. What are you doing?” he turns to me, the intensity in his gaze growing to shivers-inducing levels.
My body soaks up the attention like a sponge. Little shocks travel down my spine, bringing with them heat and anticipation. “Art stuff,” I say, trying to keep my breathing leveled. “And we were going to grab something to eat. Want to join?”
Derek’s eyebrows slant even more. “I have to… go. They need me at the office. I’ll stop by later.” He looks straight into my eyes, leaving no doubt that what he’s about to say is not optional. “Make sure you are in.”
Then he turns around and leaves. I stare after him, not quite sure what just happened, but pulsating with desire at the order he gave me.
“You okay?” Jesse asks, concern in his voice.
“Yeah…” I snap out of the shock and remember what the two of us were up to. “Let’s go to the bakery.”
On the way there, I can’t get Derek out of my mind. Desire still flows in my veins, but I can tell he was off. I don’t know how or why, he just was. And what was with the curt and bossy interaction we had? I love that attitude when we mess around or fuck, but this was neither. Did something happen in Helsinki?
