Drawn (28 page)

Sitting on my bed, I pull out my phone and select
Damien’s number before holding it to my ear to await the connection. Although it goes straight through to voicemail.

“Dammit,” I say to myself as I listen to his short and abrupt message.

“
I’m unavailable, leave your details and I’ll get back to you.
”

“Hi, it’s me. Don’t get all upset at me, but I’m not at mum and dad’s place. Dad was picking a fight with me, so I left and mum dropped me off at my place. I’m just going to pick up a couple of things, and if I don’t hear from you soon, I’ll walk over to your apartment and wait for you there.”

As I disconnect the call, there’s a gentle tap on my door. “Etta?” Aaron says from the other side. I realise that the last time we spoke, was when I was trying to run away from Damien.

Opening the door, I smile at him. “I guess I should explain what our last interaction was all about.”

“No. You don’t. I just want to see how you are. I haven’t heard from you. You haven’t been in class. I just need to know that you’re ok and if you need any help.” He keeps his voice quiet as he stuffs his hands into his pockets and studies me with concern in his eyes.

“Why would I need help? We just had a fight and I over reacted. I shouldn’t have forced you in the middle of it,” I tell him defensively, not liking what he’s insinuating.

“If you say so. You just don’t seem yourself. It’s unlike you to fall so far behind in your studies, and it’s unlike you to avoid your friends to spend all of your time shacked up with some guy.”

“You wouldn’t be complaining if it was you I was shacked up with,” I retort, taking offense to his supposed knowledge of the inner workings of my mind.

He presses his lips together and just nods his head, keeping his distance from me. “Ok.” Is all he says before he starts to turn away from my door. He takes two steps toward the staircase before stopping and turning back to me. “I know I keep saying this. But when you’re ready – when you need me. I’ll be there for you.”

“That’s really nice of you, Aaron. But I won’t be…”

“You will. Eventually you will. I have no doubt in my mind that you will one day call me, and I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to help you.”

“Why?” I ask, wondering how he can be so sure and so unwavering.

“Because I love you Etta. How can you not know that?”

As he turns again and walks quietly down the stairs, I’m left with my mouth open and a pain in my chest as I watch after him. He’s right – how could I not know that? He’s been waiting for me this whole time. Ever since my father broke us up.

Feeling physically shaken after Aaron’s revelation, I sit on my bed and look around my room, paying attention to all of the things I have adorning the surfaces, all of the things that represent me.

Damien
’s apartment doesn’t have anything in there of me at all. I spend all of my time there, just being with him. While it’s what I thought I wanted, as I sit on my own, amongst my own things, I realise that I’m completely neglecting myself, and all those who were important to me before Damien came along.

Standing up, I look in the mirror and study my reflection, paying close attention to the way my eyes seem to sink into my face due to my lack of sleep. It’s not that I look ill or anything, I just look tired. And I am tired. I’m very tired.

A burst of laughter travels up the stairs, and feeling left out, I decide it’s time for me to go. But not before I try to make amends by making plans to go out with everyone soon. Plans that I’m not going to break.

“Hey guys,” I say as brightly as I can
, as I come down the stairs. “I’m going to head back out, but do you think we could maybe make some plans for this weekend? Maybe we could go to the city or something.”

“Yeah Etta,” Kensi nods. “I’m always up for a party. Make sure you’re here Friday, we’ll all travel in together.”

“Am I coming?” Jeremy nudges her, his arm resting lightly around her shoulders.

“Well, that all depends…” She leans in to him and whispers something in his ear, causing his eyebr
ows to shoot up high on his forehead.

“Excuse us,” he says, grabbing Kensi by the hand and heading for
the staircase at great speed.

She gives me a wink as they pass
, and she runs up after him. “See you Friday.”

“Alright,” I laugh
, before turning back to Aaron and Jessica.

“Do you need a lift anywhere?” he asks.

The disappointment on Jessica’s face is obvious the moment he suggests leaving her on her own, while Jeremy and Kensi go at it upstairs. So I don’t have the heart to drag him away from her, and I especially can’t do it after what he said earlier – I don’t want to give him the wrong idea.

“No thanks. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Turning away from them, I walk out of the townhouse and head to Damien’s, checking my phone again to see if he’s called, and I missed it. Although, in a way, I’m glad he’s still out, I think I could do with some sleep.

***

“Henrietta,” I hear whispered in my ear, startling me awake. It’s grown dark and I wonder how long I’ve been asleep for.

“What time is it?” I mumble, inhaling sharply as I try to wake myself up.

“After nine. What are you doing here?”

“Sleeping, and waiting for you. What time did you get back?”

“Henrietta. You can’t come back here when I’m working. Not after last time.”

“What?” I say, sitting up in the bed. I reach over to turn the lamp on. “You weren’t even here.”

“Not at first, no. But I don’t think it’s very professional of me to have a naked girl in my bed when I bring clients around. You are naked aren’t you?” he asks, sliding his hand underneath the sheets brushing his fingertips down the length of my body. “Well, you got that part right.”

“Don’t,” I complain, flinching away from him
, it’s probably the first time I’ve ever had restraint around him. Sitting up, I keep my body covered, trying to get this all straight in my head. “Firstly, what the hell was she doing here? And secondly, why would she
ever
see me in your bed?”

“You left the bedroom door open, we could see straight in,” he explains.

“And why was she here?”

“So I could walk her through the process.”

“You took her into the spare room?”

“I did,” he states, dipping his head to pl
ant soft kisses on my shoulders. Knowing that he’ll distract me with sex, I try to keep my wits about me. Although my resolve begins to waiver as the sheet falls away, and he takes my nipple into his mouth.

“Please show me what it is you do. I want to know
Damien. I won’t be ok until I know.”

Sucking my nipple into a hard peak, h
e sits back on his knees, pulling his shirt over his head. My hands immediately reach out to touch his skin running my fingertips down over his chest and abs with my need to feel him whenever he’s near.

“That wouldn’t be fair. Only clients get to see the work. There are rules,” he murmurs, removing his pants and sliding into the bed behind me. His hand reaching over my waist and down to my mound, a finger slipping be
tween my folds to tease my clit.

“What if I became a client?” I whisper, closing my eyes as the delicious sensation of his touch starts to flood my body
and my mind.

“I wouldn’t take your money. When I create a portrait for you, it will be for my absolute pleasure.” He grips my hips, tilting them so he has access, and enters my warm, wet depths
.

“When will you show me?” I ask, gasping as his thrust presses firmly against my g-spot
, and his fingers work my clit. I don’t know how much longer I can hold a conversation for.

“Soon, my love, soon.”

***

Surprisingly, the next morning when I ask
Damien to come into the city with everyone on Friday, he actually agrees immediately.

“What are you doing?” I ask as he stops eating his breakfast to reach for his phone, his fingers working furiously to type out a message on the screen.

“Telling the guys. They can set something up.”

“Like what? A fight?”

“Yep,” he confirms, giving his phone a final tap, before setting it down beside him on the table.

“I though
t you said that I could choose. Portraits or a fight?”

“Yes, but as my main money maker. If you chose fighting, it would have meant that I’d be out there every weekend looking for someone to hustle. Now I can do it for fun. Besides, we need the cash.”

“But you just got a commission, didn’t you?” I ask him, confused.

“Yeah, but I need money to hold us over until I’m done. She’s only paid me the deposit.”

“How is it that I’m feeling as though I’m the one getting hustled right now?” I comment, shaking my head at him for managing to get his own way – again.

“Take your clothes off. I’ll give you your way for the rest of the day,” he growls erotically, the rumble of his voice sends glorious chills racing around inside me.

I stand, and pull my dress over my head.

“You’re on,” I say, turning around and striding toward the bedroom, boldly naked.

***

When Friday rolls around,
Damien drops me off at my place so I can get ready with Kensi and Jessica.

“Make sure they understand that I don’t want any of you watching when a fight goes down. I can’t make any money if they start getting hits in,” he reminds me for the
billionth time. He’s made me promise to stay inside the nightclub when the fight happens.

“I wouldn’t dream of distracting you. I don’t know if I’d enjoy looking at your face anymore if it got all beaten up. I’m very superficial you know,” I joke, unable to keep the grin off my face as I speak.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. You’d love me with a smashed up nose – as long as my tongue still works.” He winks, pulling me toward him to press his lips against mine before he heads off to meet up with the guys who are the lookouts for his fights.

Humming as we separate, he presses his forehead against mine. “I’ll see you in an hour,” he murmurs, kissing me once more before unlocking the car to let me out. “One hour,” he repeats, calling after me as I walk up the short driveway.

“Alright, go!” I laugh, shooing him away as I head inside and call out that I’m here.  Kensi, of course, is already making pre-emptive cocktails in the kitchen. 

“We were wondering, since you have never slept in your room – can we turn it into a home office
or a gym?” Jessica asks me when I walk through the door.

“No,” I smile. “It still holds most of my clothes.”

“Damn,” she says with a smile, clicking her fingers dramatically. “Oh, and it’s just us tonight. Kensi and Jeremy had a falling out.”

“Really? What happened, you were all over each other just last weekend?”

“Bedroom malfunction. He thought he could get all up my back door without discussing it with me first, so I threw him out,” she says, licking some sort of sauce off the back of her hand as she shrugs like it’s no big deal.

“Couldn’t you have just said ‘no’ and moved on?” I ask.

“She doesn’t want a guy who just takes from her,” Jessica explains. “Supposedly, he wasn’t that great with his tongue either.”

“
Yeah, he was fucking hopeless. But he was plenty happy to have me lollipopping all over him whenever he got the chance. Nope. No thank you. You don’t get to ride the Kensi train indefinitely based on your looks alone,” she comments, heading back into the kitchen to tend to the drinks. “Are you drinking with us?” Kensi yells after me as I begin to climb up the stairs.

“Yes. I’ll just take a shower firs
t,” I call back, as I grab a few things from my room and make for the bathroom.

Unlike
Damien’s, this bathroom is littered with beauty and bath products. It’s clean, but it’s cluttered, although I don’t really have the right to complain. At the moment, I’m kind of spending an exorbitant amount of money for storage space. I know I could give up the room, but I just don’t feel comfortable doing it. We’ve only been together for a couple of months, despite how I feel about him, it’s way too soon to make anything permanent.

Here’s the thing, while I with him
, I’m in Damienland. It’s this place where everything is wonderfully blissful and I rarely question anything. It’s filled with sex, orgasms and clouds. Yes clouds. That’s what I feel like I’m walking on. I don’t know how he does it, but if we ever figure it out, we could bottle it and make a fortune – then he wouldn’t feel the need to do all of this other shit to make money.

When I’m away from him, although it’s not
often that I am, it’s as though my mind starts to clear, and all the questions that surround him and his actions start to present themselves. I promise myself I’ll get to the bottom of his issues. That I’ll be that one person he shares himself with completely. But ultimately, I know that’s not going to happen. He’s far too guarded. I just need to decide whether that’s something I can live with. Although I’m not sure I’ll have a choice. Because one thing I’m very sure of, is that I need him, and he needs me - we fucking
need
each other.