The Art of Love [Hedon Falls 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)

“This is great!” Serena exclaimed as she looked at the Body Canvas work.

“I know,” said Melanie. “That’s why I’d love to get some of those photos.” She clicked open a few more folders. “This artist does sculpture with found or recycled objects. He reuses all kinds of things.”

“That’s not made out of pop bottles!” Serena said, pointing to the caption beneath a sculpture of a man and woman embracing.

“It is,” Melanie said. “He warms the plastic up so he can remold the bottles. Then he covers them with other materials to make it look more realistic.”

“You know,” Serena said as she looked through the other artists’ work, “I’m sensing a theme with the artwork you like best.”

“What theme?” Melanie asked, frowning.

“Sex,” Serena said. “Or eroticism is probably the better way to put it since a lot of the sex is just implied. Like the nudes in the Body Canvas stuff, or the sculptures.” She pointed to some paintings by an artist named Garrett Anderson. “And those are very blatantly sexual.” Most of that artist’s work featured people involved in some sort of BDSM activity.

“Sex? No. I just—” Melanie broke off and thought about it. “Oh, my God! You’re right!”

Serena laughed. “I think you need to get laid, my dear.”

Melanie went red. “Everyone is going to think I’m a sex-crazed nympho!”

“So make it work for you,” Serena said. “Why don’t you make that the theme of your opening exhibition? Erotic art.”

Melanie tapped her fingers on the table while she thought. “You know, that may just work. Though it would mean there wouldn’t be a lot of families coming through.”

“Do many families even go to galleries these days?” Serena asked.

“Good point. Maybe I will do that.”

“And maybe one of those artists will be a gorgeous hunk who will fall madly in love with you and sweep you off your feet,” Serena said with a wink.

They laughed and talked for a little longer before Serena left to relieve Liam from looking after the twins. Melanie went through the files again, looking intentionally for erotic work this time. She decided on the Body Canvas artist, the found art sculptor, and the painter who did the provocative nudes and BDSM pictures. She sent e-mails to the three of them, telling them about the exhibit and requesting an appointment to come and select some work she felt would suit the theme.

The phone rang again and Melanie saw the contractor’s number on the display. “Hey, Andy,” she said when she answered. “Have you got an estimate?”

“We’ve gone over everything,” Andy said. “You’re looking at around thirty thousand.”

“Dollars?” Melanie exclaimed. “That’s triple the original plumbing estimate!”

“It’s a ton of extra work and materials,” Andy said. “Everything needs to be replaced. I warned you that this could happen with old buildings.”

Melanie closed her eyes and rubbed her temples again. “Fine,” she said with a sigh. “Do what you need to do, but if there are any ways you can keep the costs down, please try.”

Melanie went to work on the budget, looking for an extra twenty thousand dollars somewhere. The only place she could see to save that kind of cash was in the apartment she had planned for herself. She wanted to be able to live and work in the same building. As a child she had dreamed of living in the art gallery and being able to visit the art whenever she wanted. She had hoped to make that dream a reality, but now it would have to wait. If she put the apartment on hold and continued renting, it would save her a lot of money. She called Andy back to explain her plan.

“I’ve been looking at the numbers,” she said. “We’re going to have to put the apartment on hold in order to pay for the extra plumbing expenses.”

“You want me to scrap it completely?” Andy asked.

“Put up the outermost walls to keep it separate, and run all the plumbing, heating, and electricity up there so it’s roughed in when I’m ready to finish it, but don’t do anything else.”

“You sure?” Andy asked.

“Yes,” she said with a sigh. “I can keep renting until I can find the money to finish it.”

She hung up and clicked on an e-mail that had just popped up from the Body Canvas artist, Justin Gauthier. He was asking her to stop by his studio the next day at one in the afternoon. She replied immediately that she would see him then and noted the appointment in her calendar. It was the end of the day before she heard back from the others, but she managed to arrange appointments with them for later in the week. Satisfied that something was headed in the right direction, Melanie put her work away for the day and began making her dinner.

Melanie stood at the door to Justin Gauthier’s studio and nervously smoothed her skirt. She didn’t really expect Serena’s prediction of finding love with an artist to come true, especially since he was six years younger than her, but it never hurt to make a good first impression. She had chosen an outfit that was sexy, without looking skanky, and spent some extra time on her hair and makeup.

When the door opened, Melanie’s breath caught. Justin
was
a gorgeous hunk. He was quite a bit taller than her, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He was slim but not scrawny. His hair was light brown and hung down over his face a bit, stopping just above his deep blue eyes. As she watched, his eyes travelled slowly over her body and she felt a flush rising when he spent a few extra moments studying her chest. Her nipples hardened in response, as though just by looking, he had touched the sensitive peaks. At last, his eyes met hers again, and a lazy, almost arrogant smile tugged up the corners of his mouth.

“You must be Melanie,” he said, and she just about melted at his French accent. He put the stress on the final syllable of her name instead of the first and she loved the soft sound of her name from his lips.

She extended her hand as she said, “And you must be Justin.”

“Justin,” he said, giving her the French pronunciation. “
Je suis enoûté
.” He lifted her hands to his lips and planted a soft kiss on her hand.

How is it he can say and do something so ridiculously corny and I’m still getting wet because of it?
His lips sent tingles racing up her arm and through the rest of her, tightening her nipples even more and making her pussy throb slightly. When he pulled gently on her hand to lead her into the studio, she followed.

Justin obviously lived in his studio. It was in an old warehouse that had been converted to loft apartments. She could see the walls for the bathroom and a closet, but there were none other than that. A silk screen shielded the bed, though she could see part of it and noted the covers were rumpled. She briefly wondered if anyone had helped him rumple them but dismissed the idea. It didn’t matter. She let him lead her to the place where he had his art and workspace set up. That wall was made up entirely of windows, and the sunlight streaming in made it perfect for creating.

He had a number of easels set up with framed photographs resting on them. Melanie went to look at them. Many were Body Canvas art, though some were just photos of other things and had been digitally manipulated to create emphasis on something in the picture. She examined each one, lingering at the ones that were more erotic.

“Do you see something you like?” he asked. She glanced at him and couldn’t help it when her eyes dropped to his crotch. Realizing what she’d done, she quickly raised her eyes again to find an amused grin on his face. She could feel her cheeks burning. She realized that she was still holding his hand and tried to pull away, but his grip tightened and his smile grew wider.

Melanie opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. She swallowed and tried again. “I’m very impressed by your work,” she said. She noticed he had moved closer, and in an attempt to keep things on track, she turned toward one of the Body Canvas pieces. In it, a woman lay on her back, her long curls fanning out, and her head thrown back in an expression of pure bliss. She was clutching a man who lay on top of her. She had one leg wrapped around his waist and he was kissing her neck. The background was painted to look like sheets on a bed, and Justin had painted the models’ bodies from the waist down to look as though a sheet lay over top of them. When Melanie examined it, though, she could see the cleft in the man’s behind, and the woman’s individual toes.

“This piece is beautiful,” Melanie said softly.

Justin moved up behind her, placing his hands lightly on her waist. “What do you like about it?” he asked, his lips close to her ear.

Melanie closed her eyes as a tremor of desire shot through her. She knew he felt it too when he pressed himself lightly against her back.

“Do you like the way he kisses her?” Justin whispered seductively. With his accent, the words sounded incredibly sexy.

“Yes,” Melanie whispered back, her voice barely more than a breath.

“Do you like to be kissed that way?” he asked even more quietly, his breath caressing her neck.

She nodded and tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck to him.
What is he doing to me?
He chuckled lightly and brushed his lips across her neck. A small moan escaped her as her whole body responded to him. The lust was a heady sensation. Her head spun. Her stomach quivered, and her pussy was dripping. His lips continued their slow, gentle exploration of her neck, one hand slipping around her waist and pressing her more firmly against him. She could feel his erection pressing into the small of her back. His tongue traced the outer curve of her ear, and she moaned again.

“
Vous êtes très belle
,” he whispered. “
Je vous veux
.”

High school French had been a long time ago, and Melanie had no idea what he was saying, but she didn’t really care. It had been ages since she’d felt this way, and she wanted it to go on and on. She reached up behind her to thread her fingers into his thick hair. He groaned and turned her around, bringing his lips to hers, tasting her with his tongue, and she eagerly stroked it with her own. She clung to him, melting in the sensations. His hand travelled down her back, and when it lightly caressed the dip just above her ass, she cried out and arched her back to press against him. He stroked the area again and her back bowed further, the sensation bringing on an involuntary pleasure response. As he stroked her back repeatedly, she cried out softly, powerless to stop her body’s response to his touch, especially when his lips found her collarbone and kissed her enthusiastically. Her desire was out of control, and she was desperate to ease the ache between her legs.

She lifted one leg to wrap it around his waist, and his hand travelled down over her ass and down her thigh, holding her leg in place. Her skirt rode up, revealing her black lace thong and he slid his hand up the back of the thigh and caressed her bare ass. When she moaned and arched against him, he squeezed tightly, kneading her flesh. Melanie’s head flew back and it unbalanced them. They nearly fell, but he managed to regain his balance. He lowered her to the floor, his lips returned to hers, and his hips settled between her legs. Melanie wiggled against him. Her clit demanded stimulation. His cock was rock hard in his pants and she loved the gentle rubbing as she moved her pussy against him. He used one hand to fumble with the buttons on her blouse and managed to open it. He reached around the back, searching for the clasp of her bra.

“It’s at the front,” she whispered. He quickly opened that, and her breasts sprang free. He groaned softly when he saw them and Melanie was incredibly turned on by the hungry look he gave her. He bent his head to taste first one peak, then the other, and his tongue swirled around the hardened nipples. He sucked her eagerly into his mouth, while he squeezed the other breast and rolled her nipple between his thumb and finger. Melanie felt as though her tits were directly connected to her clit. Every touch to her breasts made her pussy spasm, and she rubbed herself harder against him.

Incredibly, she felt a climax building. The twin sensations of his mouth and hands on her breasts, combined with the friction of her crotch against his, were driving her to the peak of pleasure. He groaned against her, suckling her breasts hard. He grazed her nipples with his teeth, and it finally sent Melanie over the edge, wave after wave of pleasure coursing through her as she cried out in ecstasy.

Melanie was panting hard, still coming down from her orgasm, when Justin sat back for a moment. She lifted her head to watch as he pulled his shirt off. His magnificent chest was firm, well muscled, and completely smooth. Her eyes trailed down over his stomach to the front of his jeans. There was a huge wet spot right over his crotch, and she felt a moment of embarrassment that she had gotten his pants all wet, but then he was undoing the jeans and pushing them down off his hips. The cock that sprang free was beautiful. It wasn’t as long as some Melanie had seen, but it was thick and hard, and she got a rush thinking that she had caused that.

He stroked himself a couple of times, closing his eyes in pleasure. Then he opened them and looked down at her. He reached to her waist and yanked her panties down her legs. They caught for a moment on her shoe, but he managed to get them off. He took hold of her knees and pushed her legs apart. His gaze on her exposed pussy had her dripping again. She hadn’t been this wet in a long time, and she could feel her juices running down the crack of her ass before dripping off of her.