"Did you draw…" he gestured to his crotch.
"Yes, it would be pretty hard not to, given I drew the rest of your body."
Quickly spinning around and restarting the car, he said, "I must see these. You said you only sent photos. Where are the originals? “Gone was the easy-going guy from earlier who thought it was so cool she was talented. Now he was freaking out, much like she had been on the inside earlier.
"Hidden in my room."
"Great, let's go."
Once back home, the workers were gone. All the lights were out. Bennett dragged her to the backstairs by her room as Poppy tried to slow him down.
“Look, I know, Gran. She may be in her bed, but she is not asleep. Not with me out with some guy she hardly knows.”
“She will be awake until I get home. You go and wait in your room. I will go up the regular way. I will grab my portfolio and meet you in your room shortly.”
“You know where it is?” Bennett asked questions.
“Of course. Who do you think changes your sheets?” she asked as if he should know the answer to that question. He did not, but he would never look at his sheets the same way again.
Bennett thought about it for a minute, then nodded and quietly headed to his room.
Poppy did just as she promised. The minute she had walked in the door, Gran had called her. “Poppy, is that you? Everything all right?”
“Yes, Gran. It is just me. Good night.” Poppy had barely reached her room and pulled out her portfolio when Gran’s snores began roaring through the apartment. Positive her grandmother was asleep, Poppy slipped down the back stairs. She grabbed her coat as she went.
Bennett was pacing around his room when he heard the soft knock. Opening the door quietly, he motioned for her to come in.
“Okay, Michelangelo, let’s see what you have done to my future,” said Bennett, reaching for the leather satchel with the artwork.
One by one, he went through them. Holding up the largest one, he asked, “This is really me? It is amazing. I would have never known. How could you draw me so correctly without me sitting for you? I see how you were able to do the ones from class.”
“Well, hum…I hum…” Poppy was unsure how to tell him about photographing him without sounding like a stalker, which was basically what she had been.
“Come on, Hunter. What is it you are not telling me?”
“Well, I took photos of you when you returned from running with your shirt off over the Thanksgiving break.”
Bennett was silent for a moment; then, he let out a huge peel of laughter. “You little perv. If you had wanted a picture of my chest, you didn’t have to hide and take one. I would have posed for you.”
“Yeah, right, like I was ever going to ask that.” Poppy began gathering her artwork and putting it back in her satchel. “Look, it’s late. I need to go.” When Poppy began unbuttoning the suit jacket, Bennett immediately reached to stop her.
“Just keep it. I don’t need to see all that again.”
Poppy laughed. She had put her coat on under the jacket before she came downstairs.
She slipped off the jacket, but her coat kept her fully covered.
“Oh, thank God,” Bennett muttered. There was just so much a red-blooded male could take in one night.
As she started out the door, Bennett asked, “You are sure no more pictures are floating around somewhere out there that have my face?”
Poppy nodded. As she passed in front of him, Bennett could not let her go without giving her a final warning. “Poppy, that kiss tonight was incredible, and you are an awesome girl. There is obviously something between us, but it can’t happen. I am way too old for you. If anyone found out about tonight or the artwork, it would wreck my future before it even began. I have to ask you not to tell anyone about this.”
Poppy nodded. “I promise. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Good.” Bennett gave her a huge smile, and then, because he could not stop himself, he reached down and gave her a soft goodnight kiss.
Poppy was so stunned that she snapped back and just looked at him before asking, “What was that for?”
