Rene had a drawer in my bureau, a shelf in my bathroom and her own corner in my closet. She had unofficially moved in…And I wasn’t concerned in the least. We were comfortable together. Comfortable in a way that I had never experienced.
Artists are moody. There isn’t a more politically correct way to word it. Being an artist herself, she respected my moods and exhibited a few of her own. We gave each other space when it seemed needed, but spent a lot of time learning and loving. Love. There goes that word again.
More than two months had passed since the arrest of Rene’s brother. The only nights we were spending apart were the nights she was out of town assisting with his defense. It was a bit odd to me that a good lawyer would require her physical presence to prepare a legal case, but what did I know? I wasn’t a lawyer…Then again, neither was Rene.
We were artists… And tonight we celebrated our artistic minds. Ok, just my artistic mind. The Velvet Underground was showcasing promising local artists. Of course, they included me. I hated events like this. All of these people pretending to have deep thoughts and unique insights when all they were really doing is looking at the pretty colors.
Even still a person doesn’t have to be an expert on art to spend money buying it. That was my goal tonight. Sell a few pieces, make a few contacts and show off Rene.
Max was going to be there. Having Rene in my life dissolved the anger I had for her. I was able to have a civil conversation with her from time to time. Our interactions were often meaningless, but she did make a point to tell me she would be attending tonight’s event. Yippee.
I dressed knowing there would be hundreds of eyes on me. I wanted to give them a nice view. I wore a rusty orange dress that was too short to complete any task besides standing. Anything else would be indecent exposure. The lone sleeve flowed around my arm, sheathing it in yards of extra fabric. My reflection was impressed… And so was Rene.
She urged me back into the bedroom at first glance. Her lips pressed butterfly kisses across my bare shoulder. Her hands clenched my curls and held my head hostage. Had we there been more time, I would have given in. The sex with Rene was even more intense now than it had been in the beginning.
Rene had promised not to hover. She wanted to give me space to do what I do. She had been quietly encouraging me to focus completely on my art. I had been quietly ignoring her. That seemed so irresponsible for someone my age. I had a mortgage, a car note. I had responsibilities.
She helped me display my paintings. By help, I mean, I directed and she executed my vision. She was afraid something was going to fall out of my dress if I moved around too much. She pressed her lips to mine. My lips clung to her softness. She pulled away, patted my booty and winked before sauntering away.
Did I mention my girl looked amazing? I watched her lean against the bar, her hair cascading over her shoulders. I planned on pulling it later. She loved having her hair pulled. I felt my cheeks grow warm.
“Rebel. Hello.” A hand moved rapidly in front of my face. I turned to see Max. “What has your attention like that?” She popped her collar. “It can’t be as interesting as me.” I rolled my eyes. I was slightly embarrassed at having been caught in the middle of a day dream.
“She is more interesting than you in ways you’ll never discover.” It was my intention to establish some boundaries from the very beginning. She needed to know that I was happily taken. I knew from experience that a woman would taken any sign of interest and run with it. I didn’t want Max running with anything.
A few people were gathering in front of the larger pieces. I left her to introduce myself. She didn’t leave though. Did she really intend on staying within arms reach all night? There had to be at least 10 other exhibits.
Rene did not hover as promised, but she stayed within my line of sight. Or maybe it was just easy for me to pick her out any crowd. There was usually a woman smiling up at her or trying to get her attention. She didn’t seem bothered by them. Actually, it seemed welcome. And I didn’t like it.
“You being here like this reminds me of how we used to be together. You doing your art thing. Me being by your side all night willing to do what ever it is you asked. After the night was over, we’d go home and create our own masterpiece in bed. You remember?” At this point Max was leaning down and whispering in my ear.
Rene picked that exact moment to approach me. Or us, I should say.
“Rebel, you want a drink?” I nodded, but instead of going to the bar she eyed Max, but didn’t acknowledge her. She looked into my eyes deeply making me forget Max was standing next to me. Girl, you got it bad.
“Rene, this is Max.” They shook hands. Standing between them was awkward. How many people could look from left to right and see their past and future?
“Drinks?” She included both of us in this offer. I nodded again, but I was too concerned with Rene’s expression to notice Max’s response. She maneuvered her way to the bar smoothly drawing more than a few looks along the way.
“Is she even old enough to drink? You sure she’s not a high school student? Did you check her ID?” She laughed even though it was quite obvious she was the only one that found herself clever. Max was annoying now. I plastered a fake smile on my face before speaking.
“Maybe she is a teenager, Max. That would explain how she‘s able to keep up with me every…single…night.” I walked away from her before she had a chance to speak. I joined a group that was huddled in front of one of my paintings. Their discussion of my work was much more thought provoking than anything Max had said all night.
My mouth went dry. Where was Rene with my drink? My eyes scanned the crowd to find her. When my eyes landed on her, the view wasn’t so great. I watched as a beautifully fake woman smiled up at Rene. Her big smile revealed dentist cosmetically straightened teeth and her low cut top revealed surgically enhanced breasts. Hmmph! This woman was damn near the twin of the woman Rene was here with before. When the woman reached out and touched Rene’s bicep and squeezed, I started plotting homicide. When she slipped what was probably a business card in the front pocket of Rene’s shirt, I turned my back to them. I wasn’t going to torture myself anymore.
When I turned, I almost collided with one of the guests. She reached out to steady me, much in the same way Rene had done the first time we’d met. I looked up at the stranger and she was smiling in the most bashful way.
“I’m so sorry. I was hoping to run into you, but not like this.”
“You were hoping to run into me? Why?”
“Well, I’m an agent. I’d like to talk you into letting me represent you.” She said it so smoothly. Or maybe it wasn’t the words, but the lips that formed them. My ears were still able to decipher the words that caused my body to instantly react.
“No, thank you.” I turned to walk away from her. She reached out, grabbing my arm. She handed me her business card.
“Hear me out. Just let me take you to lunch. Call me.” She slid past Rene as she walked away from me.
