Mel laughed as she flopped down on the edge of my crumpled bed. I was somehow relieved to see a woman like Melanie ‘flop’. I felt a little less intimidated as I gathered some of the stacks of photos and sketches and placed them in her lap. I watched her face as her expression turned serious and she scanned each portrait with a critical eye.
A half-hour passed in silence as she sifted through the stacks. When she viewed the last one, she looked up at me at last. She put on her best poker-face and I couldn’t read her thoughts.
“Sonny, tell me what you think of these,” she said as she tilted her head expectantly at me.
“They’re missing something.”
“What are they missing?” she quizzed.
I took a deep breath and shook my head.
“I’m not sure, Mel. I don’t know. All I know is there is something about Summer I haven’t been able to capture yet. I’m still working on it, though,” I said defensively.
She nodded and trained her gaze on the stack in her lap. She gathered them and offered them back to me.
“Sonny, let’s talk business a minute. You’re right…these sketches are good; good enough that I can get you work right now. Are you interested?”
“Well, yeah…sure, I’m interested. What kind of work?” I asked.
“Cover-art. I can put you to work right now doing nothing but cover-art for books.”
She paused.
“I don’t see what it is that you feel you’re missing in these, but that’s an artist’s instinct. You won’t be happy until you figure it out for yourself. In the meantime, do you want to work?”
I nodded vigorously.
“You’re damned right, I want to work. When can I start?”
“I can email you some layouts in the morning. You take a look at them. Decide what you want to do, how much time you’ll need to complete them, and then we’ll talk money.”
I was elated by the prospect of working again, especially doing something I loved to do. There was a sudden feeling that began to gnaw at my lower stomach.
“Mel…why are you doing this?” I asked.
“Because your sister is a client…and a friend. Because I can make money on your work,” she said as she came to her feet.
Suddenly, her arms were around my neck and she was looking at me like I was tomorrow’s blue-plate special. She tilted her head and kissed the corner of my mouth lightly.
“And, because I think you’re sexy…” She kissed the opposite side of my lips the same way. “Gorgeous…and I want you,” she declared before her lips devoured mine.
The kiss was hot, steamy. My cock rose quickly at the prospect of having Mel in my rumpled bed. When she drew away again, something happened. There was a look in her eyes; it was one I knew well. But, there was also a dawning inside my head. In an instant, it came to me. This was the look that was missing in my sketches of Summer.
I shifted and created a slight distance between us. It was easier to talk to her without her breasts rubbing against my chest. I kept my hands on her waist, while I held her slightly at bay.
“Mel, if your offer is contingent on us sleeping together…I’m going to have to decline.”
She looked taken aback by my words, but then, she stepped away from me.