“Can you hold the phone and record me?”
Maddox tilts his head to the side, eyeing me warily. “Considering the last thing you recorded, I wouldn’t mind a more thorough explanation before I agree.”
He smiles while I burst into laughter, then quickly outline my plan.
I’mas nervous as I’ve ever been when I come home and head straight for the studio, not even bothering to change out of my uniform. At the door, I hesitate. The lights are on, so I know Avon’s in there. Despite this being my house, I knock.
“Is it home time already?” She pulls a face, moving back towards her easel and pulling an oilcloth over the top. “Felt like I barely started.”
“You don’t have to go,” I blurt, afraid I’ve misjudged everything again.
The video Maddox recorded contained as full an apology as I could manage, the way she taught me, doubling as a confession. I sent it to her straight away, unedited. Handing her the power that I’d once tried so hard to wrench away.
My throat pulls tight as I watch her, searching for any sign of what she’s thinking, feeling. Unable to find anything conclusivewhen she usually can’t hold a single emotion in check. “I just came to say hi and see if you need anything.”
She nods, grabbing her brushes and moving to the workbench sink. She adds the cleaning fluid and washes them until the water runs clear. The silence between us develops, thickens until I can barely inhale. Then she moves a few steps away, stopping halfway back to her painting.
“Did you get my message?”
“Yes, I got it.” She raises her eyes to meet mine, an expression I can’t decipher on her features. “Thank you.”
I shrug, moving past her to fidget with the equipment on the bench, needing something to do with my hands because my brain certainly isn’t working.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Yes, anything.” The answer is out before I even consider the question, but I’d rather have it be that way than hesitate.
“Da—” She cuts the word off, then says, “I heard on the grapevine, that you’re into crying girls.”
A rough sound rumbles deep in my throat. Somewhere between a growl and laughter. “The grapevine, huh? Yeah, that’s true.” I frown blankly at the floor. “Do you want me to explain?”
Then I shake my head, because of course she does. Why else would she bring it up?
“I would’ve told you sooner, but…” A vague hand wave tries to encompass everything. “It’s a fetish. It turns me on, and I don’t really have an explanation for why.”
“Is that what you like about me?”
“One of the things. It’s not…” The words run out again and I raise my gaze to hers, needing more than to just explain. Needing to place it in the right context. “With the sex I had before, it was everything. Those girls I paid for? If they didn’t weep on cue, the money was wasted. I scripted every second to ensure it worked out the way I needed, but…”
I frown as my heart thuds, hairs standing on end. My vocal cords stiffen until I’m straining to force out the words.
“The more I grew to like you, the less it meant. If you never shed another tear, you’re still the girl I adore.” And in a whisper, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I…”
She leans her torso forward, frowning at the floor, hands balling into fists at her side. As the silence grows, I rest my weight against the bench, unable to do anything but wait.
Then she tilts her head and my chest jolts as her gorgeous eyes peek up at me from beneath their thick lashes.
“I wondered…” She pauses, her lips pressing hard together before her mouth curves into an enormous smile. “I wondered if you wanted to show me another of your mother’s paintings?”
My hands grip onto the bench behind me as Avon blushes a deep red. As my heart hammers, each thump speeding until it feels like everything else is moving in slow motion.
I move a step closer, and she stays exactly where she is. Another step, and I can see the skin of her arms raised in goosebumps. The tiny shudder of the pulse beating in her neck.
My hands cup her shoulder, watching a shiver pass over her collarbone. I bend my head, whispering in her ear, “If you want me to show you a painting, I’m happy to do that. If you want me to bend you over the chair and fuck you, you’ll need to be a little clearer.”
A sharp inhalation is soon followed by a soft laugh. “Right. What’s the opposite of a safe word?” Her chin jerks up, eyes sparkling with amusement. “I must have missed that instruction.”
