He raised his mouth from hers and looked into her sightless eyes. “You can’t break a man that’s already broken.”
I can’t believe that I am standing in a room with the original six pieces from theBlind Vision Collection. I move as close as I dare then turn to look over my shoulder at the artist—a man so complicated that I am starting to realize I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface.
He’s watchingmeas I look ather, and I find that I like it. He glances over my naked shoulders and frowns before quietly turning to walk away.
“I’ll be back in a minute. Take your time,” he says as he exits out into the music room.
Left alone with Chantel, I turn back to face the paintings. I move in front ofArmor, the same image I have been posing for. It’s easy to see that Phillipe was fascinated with her by the way he made the light fall upon her, creating shadows along each sensuous curve of her body.
Each stroke was executed with such care and love that I feel as if I am witnessing it being painted. He’s captured the luminescence of her skin with such perfection that I can’t help but move closer. Once again drawn to her in a way I’ve yet to understand or make sense of, I run my fingers down her arm.
From the slope of her breasts down to her tight, hard nipples, her skin almost glows, making her appear ethereal in nature, but it’s also the darkness he’s captured in the pose that’s so eloquent in its meaning. It’s as though you can’t tell where she ends andthe shadows begin. You can only see what he has decided to show you.
She appears strong and brave as she holds the one thing that makes her formidable in her own right, and that’s the Stradivarius.
I don’t realize how caught up in the painting I’ve become until I hear a thud behind me. Snatching my hand back as if I were just burned, I turn to see that Phillipe is back, and he’s carrying a wooden chair. He places it on a small, plush rug, the only covering on the wooden floors.
“What do you think?” he asks, sitting.
I find I have no words for him. How do you tell someone that his creations are the most painful and beautiful objects you have ever looked upon?
Instead of talking, I stand motionless in my towel and wait for him to do something,anything.
“Come here, Gemma,” he says quietly.
I don’t know what I’m feeling at this moment. As I look at him sitting there in the low lights with his slightly spread, jean-clad legs and his dark hair brushing the collar of his sweater, I find myself moving toward him. I want to touch him, and I want him to touch me.
Slowly, I walk to where he is sitting, facingArmor. I stop before him as his eyes move up the white towel, over my breasts, and finally rest on my face.
Once again, he raises his hand, and in a gesture that is now familiar, he crooks his finger. “Come closer, Gemma.”
Like in a dream, I find I have no choice.
As Gemma stands before him, Phillipe can seeherbehind Gemma, and that’s all it takes for his desire to magnify.
Raising his eyes to Gemma, who is staring down at him, he brings his legs together. “Sit with me.”
He watches as her eyes fall to his lap, and then she looks back at his face. He places his hand on his thigh. “Turn around and sit here on my lap. Tell me what you see.”
He isn’t sure if she will do as he asks. She licks her lips and pivots on her heel. He lets out a deep breath as she sits down on his lap, her towel-covered ass firmly seated on his thighs. He places his hands on her waist and pulls her back against him until her sweet curves are molded to his front.
Lowering his chin to her shoulder, he looks atArmorand repeats, “Tell me what you see when you look at her.”
She takes in a breath before releasing it softly and wriggling a little closer.
He reaches across her waist with his left hand. “Sit still and tell me what you see.”
“I see Chantel,” she finally replies.
“Yes, so do I. What else do you see?”
“I see her violin. I see Diva.”
Phillipe feels a small grin tug at the corner of his mouth. He takes the side of the towel in his fingers and pulls it away, leaving her body on full display.
She moves automatically, trying to cover herself, but he drops the towel’s edge and shifts his arm back to hold her in place.
“Don’t hide. There’s no one here.”
