Portrait of Jealousy (The Art Models Club Book 2) (8 page)

“
Uh, I'm going to have to get off the phone.”

“
Oh, okay,” Amber said, disappointed.

They used to talk for hours. This phone conversation had felt forced.

“So I'll be bringing a guest to stay when I see you,” Hannah repeated.

“
Um . . .I'd have to get Hunter's approval,” Amber said with a bit of reluctance.

“
I mean, of course you would be fine. It's just that I would feel weird allowing a guy to stay without him knowing about it. You know?”

“
Hey, we can talk later, sweetie,” Hannah said, now sounding like she just wanted the call to be over.  know it sounds terrible Sounds great!”

The two girls spoke for a few more minutes. Hannah continued to be vague about school and the mystery guest who must clearly be a man. Amber hung up feeling oddly depressed. She could feel that she and Hannah had definitely grown further apart.

But a visit from Hannah would definitely help take the sting out of Hunter's absence. Surely Hannah could understand that one guy wouldn't want another guy in his own house without meeting him first.

She grabbed her history book and notes and got to work. If she couldn't get time off from work, she at least needed to be ahead with her school work, especially since her history final exam and art project were both due after the Christmas holidays.

She was still hard at work when she heard the Ranger Rover pull up. Caleb had taken it that morning for work. Remembering the insurance card, Amber smiled as she thought about being able to drive Hannah about in style.

Caleb was whistling off key when he came through the doors.

“Hi, Caleb!”

Amber wondered if she could come up with an excuse to drive the Range Rover somewhere. It had been ages since she had driven. Hunter had never offered her the opportunity prior to this.

“Hey, Amber. Did Hunter get picked up on time?”

“
To the minute. Almost as though they knew that he would go ballistic if they were even one minute late.”

Caleb grinned.

“Oh, I'm sure it's the same car service he always use. They probably have a file just for Hunter.”

“
I bet it's several inches thick,” Amber said, laughing.

“
I bet the drivers draw straws to see who has to pick him up.”

Caleb dropped his backpack on the floor and headed for the refrigerator.

Amber watched him, curious as to what he would say about the bags of snacks.

Caleb took one look and then twisted his head back to look at Amber. He sighed.

“I wish I could say that this surprises me, but it doesn't.”

Amber walked over and they studied the typed labels together.

“So . . . we are going to just pretend that this is normal behavior?”

Caleb shrugged and tucked one fist beneath his chin.

“I look at it this way. Hunter is a confirmed control freak.”

Amber nodded her head in agreement.

“But on the flip side, he doesn't appear to be involved in the mafia.”

Caleb grinned.

Amber laughed and nudged him.

“
Okay, so ignoring the control freak behavior it is.”

Caleb suddenly looked stricken and began to root through the fridge.

“Hey, I just noticed that he didn't leave anything in here for me!”

He sniffed dramatically.

“He finds the one girls of his dreams and then casts me aside like a . . .like a . . .like an old cell phone!”

“
Aw, poor thing!”

Amber couldn't wait any longer.

“Why don't I take you to get some cheap fast food for dinner.”

She smacked the insurance card down on the counter.

“I feel a need to take the Range Rover for a spin.”

Caleb's eyes gleamed.

“I know just the place.”

He looked around as though expecting someone to overhear them.

“A certain someone who shall remain unnamed always stops me from eating there.”

“
Really? There must be some incredible, mouth watering, greasy food there.”

Amber grinned.

“Enough to give somebody a heart attack,” Caleb said happily.

“
And there is nothing that a certain person can do to stop us!”

Amber gave Caleb a high five.

“Just give me a second to grab my purse. I'm starving!”

An hour later, Amber groaned as they headed back home.

“Ugh! I'm starting to question our sanity in eating there.”

Caleb looked up, apparently not feeling much better.

“It was a difficult job. But it had to be done,” he said grimly.

He belched loudly.

“Um. . . excuse me!”

Amber laughed.

“I agree the meal had to be eaten. And it was excellent all the way until it hit my stomach.”

She rubbed her belly.

“But I think I'm starting to appreciate the wisdom of Hunter's meal plans.”

Caleb clapped his hands over his ears.

“No! I refuse to be indoctrinated!”

Amber laughed. Her stomach wasn't feeling great but it was certainly in good enough shape to take the long way home. The Range Rover was proving to be a pleasure to drive.

The first day of art class without Hunter seemed like the worst. Amber had never even realized how much she cherished the odd little moments when he would simply walk by her easel and brush against her elbow or share a secret smile. The new TA, Jessica, was nice enough. If Amber was being fair, she would have admitted that Jessica's quiet, thoughtful comments were quite perceptive. But of course, Amber wasn't being fair because she didn't want Jessica.

She wanted Hunter, plain and simple. She wanted Hunter's mesmerizing green eyes that made her melt beneath his gaze. She wanted to press her head against his taut chest. She ached to run her fingers through his thick, wavy hair. Even the paint and turpentine smell of the classroom reminded her of Hunter.

The model that day was an older gentleman. As soon as he walked into the room with his robe, Megan moved over to nudge Amber's shoulder.

“Oh, my gosh, he's one of the ones from this summer!” she whispered so that only Amber could hear.

Amber smiled, remembering that Megan had not been impressed with the male models from her summer drawing course.

As soon as the man disrobed, Amber could see why. Her first thought was shock at the amount of body hair everywhere except on the poor man's head. His perfectly round head was as lustrous as a polished bowling ball. Sneaking a look at her classmates, Amber realized that everyone was already busy working except for her.

She forced herself to concentrate, blocking in the man's enormous stomach first because it was the largest part of his body. She followed that with his flabby, droopy breasts. The man would definitely benefit from a bra. She felt like she was drawing matchsticks when she sketched in his impossibly skinny arms and legs. Her drawing looked like a caricature but she wasn't sure how to fix it. Seriously, the man looked like an extremely hairy pregnant woman.

The model suddenly shifted positions, turning and raising one toothpick leg up so that his foot rested on the seat of his chair. His new position allowed Amber a clear side view of his bulging buttocks. And then her eyes widened as she realized that the model was quickly developing an erection. She thought she heard a small titter from across the room but Professor Collins coughed loudly at that moment and drowned it out.

Sneaking a peek at Megan, she saw the girl roll her eyes as though to indicate that this had happened the last time she saw this model. Amber pulled her eyes to the man's face, desperate to focus on something else. But then she saw that there was a light sheen on his forehead and he had the beginnings of a smile on his face. Yuck! By now he had a full erection.

This wasn't the first time Amber had seen a male model get an erection during a modeling session. But the other models had quickly changed positions in an attempt to make it less noticeable. One model had actually maneuvered it beneath his leg to cover it up. Others would simply lie flat on the platform and choose a pose that emphasized arms and shoulders while they got themselves under control. Hunter had explained to her that the most professional models would never allow the session to turn sexual.

Okay, now the model was moving again. What the hell? Now he straddled the chair, his back arched and his eyes squeezed shut.

Amber's mouth dropped open. There were a few audible gasps in the room.

And then Jessica was suddenly on the platform covering the man with his own robe. She had to give it to Jessica. That must have taken some courage to do.

“Thank you for your time today,” Professor Collins said, opening the door and ushering the man out of the room. “But we won't be needing you further.”

Once the man had left, Jessica spoke up. “I am so sorry everyone. I should have vetted this guy more thoroughly.”

“
Damn Pervert!” shouted one of the guys in the back row. “Like any of us needed to see that.”

Professor Collins returned to the room. “My deepest apologies everyone. I know that was offensive and I can assure you that individual will be banned from the school.”

“I am so sorry, Professor Collins,” Jessica said, wringing her hands. “I didn't have time to check his references this morning.”

Professor Collins suddenly looked angry. “There is no need for you to apologize, Jessica,” he said. That man knew what he was doing. He willingly signed a contract based on our guidelines.”

He took off his glasses, pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket, and carefully polished the lenses.

Wow, Amber thought, seeing him without glasses for the first time. Professor Collins was one hot tamale! She looked sideways at Megan.

Megan held up two thumbs and winked.

“
Let's do something a little different today for the rest of class,” Professor Collins continued, seemingly unaware of the new tension he had just created in the classroom.

“
Break up into pairs and let's work on faces for the rest of class.”

Megan immediately dragged her easel over. This was a rare opportunity for the two girls to talk during class time.

“I guess we're pairing up?” Amber teased.

She turned her easel so that she faced Megan.

As she studied her friend, she noted for the first time just how pretty Megan was. She would make a great model. Her skin was so smooth and pale it was almost translucent except for the fine line of soft brown freckles across her nose. Her eyes were like sparkling blue gems, so deep that it was as though light bounced off them. If you really studied her face closely, you could see that her delicate, pale lashes were quite long and curled at the ends. She didn't seem to want or need even a drop of makeup. A cascade of brilliant red curls dropped around her face.  

“
So, now you know why I wasn't impressed this summer,” Megan said with a giggle.

“
Hairy Pop-Up was there too and the same thing happened.”

Amber smirked.

“The only good thing about his . . .um . . .excitement . . .was that it detracted from that poor dead animal on his back and chest.”

Megan snorted with laughter and then tried to cover it with an exaggerated cough with Professor Collins glanced over in their direction.

“He could shave himself and weave a wig for every day of the week,” she said with a small giggle once she caught her breath.

Amber started sketching madly as she saw Jessica start to move in her direction. She gave a small cough and Megan got the point. She picked up her own charcoal and got to work.

After class, Megan gave Amber a hug.

“
I know Hunter's internship must be tough for you,” she said sympathetically.

“
If you ever want to hang out, just give me a call.”

“
Thanks, I really appreciate that. Are things okay with you? You look a bit tired.”

Amber knew that Megan was struggling just to keep up in class. She worked as a waitress in one of the local restaurants in town most nights and weekends.

For a moment, Amber felt a bit guilty. She would be in Megan's position if it were not for Hunter's generosity. She still couldn't believe how quickly her own life had turned around.

“
I could really use a whole day to sleep,” Megan said ruefully.

“
You should. I've got notes up to chapter 20. I'll e-mail them to you tonight.”

Megan brightened.

“That would be awesome! I've only had time to skim over the material before class.”

Amber shrugged with an embarrassed smile.