Flicker, p.18
FLICKER, page 18
“You’re going to say that you chose the freaking hat?” I stopped packing up.
The last thing I wanted to do was be in a legal battle with the Nutwells. Lord knows they had the money and the time to bury me.
“Yes. This portrait is very important to me.” He scratched his stomach.
“Fine. Pose over there.” I indicated the chaise lounge I had set up near the window.
Poncy puffed out his chest and looked proud of himself. I was so angry with him I felt like steam was coming out of my nose.
“How should I put myself? I want this to be very flattering, if you know what I mean. Fifty thousand dollars’ worth of flattering.” He wiggled his hips, and his dingle did a dongle.
“I paint realism. You’ll get what you’ve got.” I slid my lips to the side and wrinkled my nose. I had to paint him, but I wasn’t required to be nice to him.
That statement caused Poncy to frown. “Fine. But do a good job.”
I rubbed my hand over my mouth before approaching him. I could do this. I was a professional.
I told him to sit back and recline. Without having to touch him, I gave him instructions on how to place his feet and arms.
The awkwardness in the room was palpable.
I set myself up and tried to turn off the screaming in my brain. When Poncy took a bathroom break, I picked up my phone and texted Bear.
Farn Mehorn is really Poncy and he is having me paint him naked.
My phone rang almost immediately after the text message was shown as delivered.
“What?” Bear sounded completely shocked. There was also a lot of background noise. “How is that possible?”
I watched the door and spoke in a low voice. “He has a contract, and they have the money to fight me, so I think it’s simpler to just do the painting and get out of here.”
“Can you send me the contract?” Bear asked.
“Sure thing. And it looks like I have to get back to work.” I ended the call and sent Bear’s email the forwarded copy of the contract.
Poncy sat back down but required direction to be posed again. “I did a few push-ups out there, so please make sure to add that definition.”
I let my face go blank.
“Or whatever. Listen, while you paint, I thought we could have a conversation.” He tilted his hips and his penis flopped back into view as his centerpiece.
“It’s better for the portrait if you stay as still as possible.” I went to the window and pulled on the large drapery. The sun was moving and I wanted to keep the lighting as consistent as possible.
“I can do it without moving my mouth a lot.” He tried to prove it to me to no avail.
“If you want this to be as flattering as possible, please stay still.” I went back to mixing up the color for his knees. I was avoiding the bits and beans as long as possible. For now, I just had a few sketch lines.
The background was going to be amazing, and I could complete that at another time. I needed to bite the bullet and get to the problem area, though, so I started mixing the color for his man business.
Barker stepped into the room. “Mr. Nutwell, Ms. Level’s assistant is here with the backup supplies she needed.”
I watched as Poncy’s face clouded with confusion. He had nothing on me because I’d never worked with an assistant before.
Bear walked in holding a bag and a lunchbox.
I looked from Poncy to Bear and back again. Poncy slid his legs to the side and used a pillow to cover up. “What’s this all about?”
“I’m sure you’ve read the contract you signed, and it does allow for Ms. Monday Level to have an assistant accompany her.” He moved close to me and set down the bags.
I watched as Poncy thought about his options. He had boxed me into doing this naked portrait, but thanks to Bear reading the contract, I was boxing him into having my boyfriend present during the painting.
I breathed a sigh of relief. It was lovely to not have to do this alone. The conversation Poncy felt he was entitled to was forced on the back burner.
“Of course, Ms. Level will need some lunch. Did you need to go get yours?”
Bear unraveled a paper-wrapped treat and I had to work at forcing my smile away. Bear had brought both him and me foot-long hotdogs for lunch.
Poncy seemed put out completely, which was understandable. He’d clearly set up the whole situation to make me as uncomfortable as possible.
I could just kiss Bear. And I did. When I looked back up, my subject had disappeared.
“How are you real?” I touched Bear’s face.
“You’re not alone.” He turned his face to kiss my palm. He came away with a bit of pink paint.
Poncy came back with a silk robe on. “Can you work with what you've already done? Can I be done posing now?”
Poncy’s neck and face had turned bright red.
I glanced at the picture. “For sure. I can finish this up and have it back to you next week.”
If he hadn’t trapped me here under false pretenses, I might’ve even felt a little bad for him. But…I’d had to see his peen. And now it was in a picture.
“Don’t worry, Nutwell. If she needs a model, I can have her use my goods as a stunt double.” Bear smiled widely at me.
I looked down for a few beats to keep my chuckle at bay. Bear helped me clean up my area, and Poncy slunk out of the room while I was packing up.
I had to be careful with the wet canvas, but Bear’s truck was the perfect place to stow it safely as we returned to his warehouse…well, our warehouse.
I followed Bear’s truck in my car, and our cell phones were connected by speaker phone.
“You really showed up there today. I can’t believe you.”
“Are you mad? I’m sorry if that was out of bounds.” He sounded slightly concerned as he pulled up to a red light.
I stopped my car a few feet behind his truck. “No, it was perfect. Honestly, I mean, I got to fulfill my end of the contract, and instead of Poncy making me uncomfortable, you switched it. I just love you so much.” And then I stopped. I hadn’t said that before.
I was waiting for his response, but he threw the truck into park and hopped out of it. I rolled my window down, concerned that there was a problem up ahead.
Instead, he grasped my face and laid the most passionate kiss on my lips. The honking snapped us out of our make-out session.
“The light’s green,” I offered, still lost in his eyes.
“They all suck and you’re amazing. And I’m not going to even mention that you spent most of your day staring at another man’s knob and grapes.” He kissed me again, and another horn sounded.
Finally, the social pressure got to him. “I’ll finish this when we get home.”
A ride never took longer in my life.
CHAPTER 35
BEAR
When we were parked, I was out of the truck in a hot second, while Monday was just stepping out of her vehicle.
I had her pinned against it, my hands running up her sides as quickly as I could. My smile was threatening to overtake my face.
She wrinkled her nose at me and said it again without prompting, “I love you.”
“Hey. I love you, too.” I kissed her lips. Everything about Monday Blue matched what I was inside. I loved that she kept her word, even if it meant dealing with Poncy. I love that her job was literally helping bring color into the world for those who needed it most. I loved that she painted the door to the warehouse with a fall scene and two birds. One for her, one for me.
She dropped her purse to her feet and wrapped herself around me. She took a second to kiss each of my dimples and then my nose. She smoothed out my cheeks.
“This face is so important to my face.”
“I totally get it.” And the kissing against the car started again. It was actually getting too heated for as much clothes as we had on. “Care to take this inside?”
She nodded, her eyes bright. I reached down and grabbed her purse, making sure she had it secure, then I scooped her up in my arms.
“You’re ridiculous.” Monday started laughing, then settled into my arms and kisses.
I kicked her car door closed and made our way to the front door. I had to set her down to unlock the door, but I took the time to flip her ponytail out of the way and trail my lips up the back of her neck.
She walked through the door, even though I would’ve carried her. I was glad I didn’t because I got to follow the trail of her clothes as she walked to the elevator. Her jacket, her shoes, her shirt, her bra.
When she got to the elevator, I was looking at a gloriously topless Monday with lust in her eyes.
“Sweet Christmas. When I die, I want this view to be my eternity.” I made my way to her as quickly as I could. After getting two handfuls of her breasts, and kissing each nipple, I fell to my knees.
“Oh!”
She was surprised, but this woman loved me. And I knew she loved me too long without an orgasm, as far as I was concerned.
I dragged her leggings down with my thumbs, and her thong came with them, which saved me time.
Once I could touch her, I concentrated on tasting her. Long, slow laps with my tongue, followed by my fingers. The noises she made would have worried neighbors. Thankfully, we didn’t have any because I wasn’t stopping until she collapsed against me.
I felt her convulse around my fingers. I added some sucking to the services I was offering. I reached my free hand up and pinched one of her nipples. She writhed on my hand and her legs started to shake.
I took a breath to say, “That’s it. Let it go.” I licked my lips, then I went back in. I lifted her leg and put it over my shoulder. I could go deeper, and I did. My tongue was all the way inside of her as she gave a guttural moan mingled with my name.
When she went slack and boneless, I knew she was done. For the first time anyway.
She needed help getting her leg under her, and I made sure she didn’t hurt herself as we both went to the floor.
We’d be making love. Because she loved me.
The fact that I thought I was in love before her was laughable now. Because now, I had Monday. The way she held everything for me was a rush. She had my hopes and dreams all along, I just needed to find her.
“I love you.” I was going to say it too much, I already knew it.
“I can tell.” She laughed, her voice thick with her exertions. “And I love you.”
If people could hear us, they’d probably be rolling their eyes.
And then, she was pushing me flat on the floor. “Time for you.”
I helped her slide my pants off my hips, and I was more than ready for her hands and mouth.
She was as creative down there as she was in the regular world, and I was grateful.
Between the nipping and incredible deep-throating, I was closer to the edge than I expected. Almost embarrassingly so.
“Wait. Stop.” I pushed myself up on my elbows so I could see her.
She locked eyes with me but kept my dick in her mouth. I could feel her tongue swirling on the tip and my eyes almost crossed.
“It’s going to happen. I’m going to come.”
Monday raised one eyebrow and shrugged, and then she went faster and slightly deeper. I was done. As I came, she swallowed what I had to offer, all the while massaging my balls. Every muscle in my body was ready to snap. My screaming made her moaning even louder. She started to hum with me in her mouth.
I left my body. She reached up and pinched my nipple, and I knew she was making sure she was being fair.
When I stopped convulsing, Monday wiped her mouth and snuggled on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Just giving what I’m getting. I think that’s fair.”
“More than fair.” I kissed the top of her head. I was as happy as I could be. I squeezed her in a hug.
The rest of the night was a test of endurance and staying hydrated. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other.
CHAPTER 36
MONDAY
Monday morning, I had to make sure to refill Mr. Nuts’ little house. He was doing great here at the warehouse. There were more trees and space for him. I smiled to myself thinking about how I had taken to calling Bear Mr. Peen.
The weekend was everything. Being young and in love was a heady thing. And man, I had never been in love before. Not like this. There had been crushes, and of course, I thought some of my earlier boyfriends were the real deal, but Bear was a man. I respected his love of his parents and the way he saw to it that they were okay. The fact that he was leaning into his dream of making unique furniture. He was forever. I just knew it.
Just as I was thinking about him, I heard his boots on the gravel. “How’s our favorite rodent?”
Bear slid his arms around my middle.
“He’s great. Seems really happy here. Certainly eats a ton, though I think his friends are onto us as well.”
I pointed out Mr. Nuts and he was frolicking with two other squirrels.
“That’s awesome. I want to do a squirrel-inspired piece in his honor.”
I turned in Bear’s arms. “Can you add the fried chipmunk, too?”
“From the night we first met? Sure.” Bear rocked back on his heels. “You know, it occurred to me that that little guy gave his life for our love.”
“Aw, that’s sad and lovely at the same time.” I patted Bear’s shoulders. “I’ve got to get going.”
He kissed me for a few more minutes before walking me to my car. I loved my job, but Mondays were hard now that I wanted to spend every waking moment near Bear.
CHAPTER 37
BEAR
I was in deep with my sanding. My music was loud, and I was in the zone. Fine, I was thinking about Monday. I had been looking at a few pictures of her on my phone, so it was close when it rang. Monday was calling me, which was weird. I glanced at the time. Usually she was in class about now. And teaching a classroom full of kids was not the time to ring your guy.
I answered, “What’s up?”
I didn’t recognize the voice on the other end. “Hi, this is Minnie. You don’t know me, but I know that Monday would want me to call you.”
“What happened?” I had flashbacks to the call from my mom about my dad when he had his heart attack. There was just something that set my heart on edge.
“She’s getting put into an ambulance. They’re starting compressions. Her mother is headed to the hospital, but I wanted you to know.”
I couldn’t swallow. I couldn’t speak for a second. Then I forced myself to be level-headed. “What hospital are they headed to?”
I didn’t know what was wrong, but compressions were bad. That meant her heart. Her heart that I recently got to call my own was being forced to beat.
“Midiville General.”
I hung up. I needed to get there immediately. I ran to my truck. It was freezing outside and I was just in my t-shirt. I had my phone navigate me to the hospital. I was pretty sure I knew how to get there but having the backup directions wasn’t a bad thing because my head was everywhere.
I used voice dialing to call my mom. I needed to tell someone.
“Hey, sweetheart.” She sounded so chipper.
“Mom.” I could barely think of how to tell her what had happened. I knew nothing. Actually, worse than nothing. I only knew Monday was in dire trouble.
“What happened?” She could tell from my voice that I was beside myself.
“Monday’s on the way to the hospital.” The navigation directions interrupted me, and I followed them. As soon as Mom was done speaking, I resumed what I knew, “They were putting her in the ambulance and doing compressions.”
“Oh my God.” I heard Mom’s sharp intake of breath, then she relayed what I said to my father. The navigation pinged in again. I ran a red light to follow what the GPS directed.
“Are you headed there now?” I could hear my mom’s car keys jangling.
“Yeah. Midiville General.” My voice cracked. How was this reality?
“We’ll meet you there. Drive safely. That’s the only thing you can do for Monday. Or do you want me to stay on the phone?” I heard a car door slam.
“No, I have to concentrate. Love you.”
“I love you, too, Bear.”
I was parking in the hospital lot, taking up two spaces, when I finally shut off the navigation. Déjà vu was slapping me in the face. I ran to the ER and to the receptionist. “Looking for Monday Blue Level?”
She started typing. I felt a hand on my shoulder. When I turned around, I saw Chestnut Level.
“He’s with me.” She looped her arm through my elbow. “He’s family.”
The receptionist nodded before handing me a sticker to write my name on, marking me as a visitor.
“How is she?” I snapped my eyes to Mrs. Level’s face.
“She’s okay. From what I gather, she was shocked at school by some faulty wiring, and her heart stopped. They had to use the defibrillator on her to get her rhythm back. But she is back. And she is resting.”
I felt like my heart fell out of my chest. “She was dead?”
“Briefly. She’s still with us.” Monday’s mother’s eyes were rimmed in red. This was a different demeanor than I’d dealt with in the past from her.
“Can I see her?” I was now at her mercy. I wasn’t sure where Monday was.
“Yes, this way.” Chestnut led me to a curtained area. When I moved behind the curtain, seeing Monday’s face was a balm on my ragged heart. She had a heart monitor on that was following a reassuring beat.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she held out her hand.
I grabbed it and leaned down to kiss it. “Babe, what happened?”
It felt like I’d been kicked in the feelings. No idea how a perfectly healthy Monday was now laid up in the ER.
She seemed tired but with it. “I was shocked. That’s what they tell me anyway. I was plugging in my computer charger, and just, white and ouch, and the next thing I knew, I was coming to in here.”
