The Lottery (19 page)

Over the next three weeks , the doctors began reestablishing the
new connections they had created before the surgery, and along with physical
therapy, Bailey began to slowly control her motor functions again. Speech took
a little longer, but she had mastered the use of single words to help
communicate her needs and feelings.

Ethan spent most of his days with Bailey, allowing Karlyn to
finish her commission pieces. Coming home to his woman, he finally felt like he
could have it all. His sister improved every day, so his confidence grew that
he wouldn’t lose her, and Karlyn warmed his heart and his bed, and she gave him
hope for a family to grow, even though they never spoke of any kind of future. She
showed him every day how much she cared about him in her own little ways, and
he gave himself to her mind, body and soul.

He hoped it was enough.

Chapter Fifteen

Bailey’s road to recovery was enough to put Ethan at ease. Karlyn
was happy to see that Ethan began to return more to his former self, eating and
sleeping regularly again, as each day new victories in Bailey’s progress gave
him hope. Each night, she fell into his arms and shared her hope and the
passion for him. The mornings were special, a quiet time where she could revel
in his arms.

A month after Bailey’s return to consciousness, the morning
dawned bright and beautiful, with sunlight shimmering through the soft sheer
curtains of the French doors. A soft, warm breeze blew through the opening. Spring
was finally in full form, bringing rebirth and warmth to their lives. Awakening
in each other’s arms, holding on tightly after sharing their bodies once more,
soft and tender emotions swirled about them.

“I want to paint you.”

“I believe I have seen a few paintings upstairs that look quite a
bit like me.”

She flushed at the truth of his words. “Yes. There are. But, I
want you to sit for me, so I can capture you in front of me. The other
paintings are just random recreations of an emotion, abstract. I rarely do
portraits, but I want to do yours. You won’t be here forever, you know, and I
want to have something to remember you by.”

Sadness suddenly filled him, her words reminding him of their inevitable
goodbye. Hope had begun to grow that she would not say those words to him, as
he had already become so attached to her. Thinking she felt the same, he was
troubled by the train of her thoughts.

“Then you shall paint me, so when I say goodbye you can remember
how sexy I am.” Even though there were no words of a forever that had ever been
uttered by either one of them, he still felt the stab of sadness that she was
obviously not even considering a future.

“I’m glad you’re so humble.”

****

After a quick slice of toast and fresh jam, Karlyn jumped into an
old t-shirt and threw on her coveralls. Bounding up the steps, she saw that he
had moved a few of the oversized pillows that littered one corner she sometimes
used for reading into a makeshift chaise. He laid across it in his nakedness, and
she smiled. What a memory to have for the future.

Pulling out a large canvas she had just prepped the night before,
she quickly sketched the scene before her, becoming aroused at the sight of his
nude form. No matter how much she had him in her bed, in her body, she couldn’t
get enough of him. As she sketched his genitals, he obviously felt the weight
of her stare there, and he grew thicker and longer, making her re-sketch the
area several times.

Looking into his eyes, seeing the desire there as she finished up
her initial sketch, she moved, grabbing her paints with trembling fingers. Hours
passed as she fought her need for this man, and did her best to infuse all her
love, all her passion, and the desire he reflected back at her within the
confines of the canvas before her.

“How much longer? I’m starting to get a cramp in my side.” After
several hours, she was sure he was getting tired of holding his pose.

“Not much longer. Stay still for a few more minutes.”

“Can I at least see what it looks like?”

“You sound like a pouting child. You can see it when it is done.”

“No fair.”

“The world is not fair.”

He began to stroke the soft skin of his cock after she finished
her last words, and she watched his fingers move across the shaft lazily.

“Now who is not being fair?”

“Well, the world is not fair. Correct?”

 
Lust swirled within his
green gaze, and it had her whole body alive, trembling with longing. Knowing
her work was almost finished, she fought through the craving she felt, watching
him for long moments pleasuring himself as she captured the light in his eyes
with the magic of her paints.

Once done, she threw her palette and brush aside, with little
care if it landed safely, and ripped the clothing from her body. He shivered as
he watched her undress, and she flung herself on top of him, seating herself in
his lap. Immediately impaling herself on his massive tool, they began an
animalistic rhythm of lovemaking, at the limits of her control.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the studio, sleep intermingled
with lovemaking until they finally gathered themselves to go downstairs to make
an early dinner. Neither redressed, and finger fed each other, sitting atop her
dinner table, wine flowing liberally, until Ethan finally gathered her within
his arms and carried her into the bedroom where they remained for the rest of
the evening.

****

Late afternoon sunshine streamed into the studio the next day as
Karlyn made the final stroke on her commission piece. Excitement thrummed
through her, knowing these pieces would soon be installed at the community
center. Her coffers were also going to fill, which made her feel overwhelmed. She
had never been paid this well, and the potential exposure she could get from
this set of work could start the ball rolling on a true career.

Priming up the vid phone to call Michelle to let her know the
pieces were finally complete, she heard knocking at the door. She took the
stairs two at a time, happiness filling her. Sliding the door open, she saw an
elegantly beautiful woman standing in her doorway.

“Can I help you?”

“I hope so, are you Karlyn Bowman?”

The woman’s strong perfume hit her squarely in the face, and she
nearly choked from the strength of it. “Yes I am. What can I do for you?”

“I saw one of your pieces recently, and I was hoping I could come
for an impromptu show. Is it possible to see some of your other artwork?”

Pride radiated along her body. People were coming to
her,
to see her art. It was finally
starting to happen. “Sure, come right in. Watch yourself though, this is a
studio and you may get paint on your clothing.” Which looked
really
expensive
,
she wanted to add
.
“The
studio itself is upstairs, if you want to follow me. I have a store of
paintings up there.”

The woman followed along behind her quietly, taking in her
surroundings.

“Now these pieces on the pedestals are already spoken for, as
they are commissioned pieces or private pieces for my own collection, but I
have many pieces to the left. If you tell me what type of painting you are
looking for, I can put a few pieces together for you to view.”

The woman stopped in front of the piece she had just finished and
took in a deep breath. “This is stunning; too bad it is already spoken for. I
love the cityscapes I have seen so far. What else do you do?”

“Country landscapes, florals, more cityscapes, a few abstract
pieces, but not many…pretty much anything that catches my attention at that moment.
As of late it has been the cityscapes. Are you looking for larger pieces like
these are something smaller?”

“A little smaller would be nice, something to put into my
bedroom. I have a large wall that needs to be covered.”

“Let me see what I may have. Would you like some wine while I
look through my stock?”

“Sounds delicious. Red if you have it.”

Karlyn walked down to grab a bottle and a goblet, and as she
returned to the studio, she noted the woman looking around the space.

“What lovely taste you have. This is such a quaint apartment. Do
you share it with anyone?”

Warmth flooded her, unsure of how to respond to the question. “Up
until a couple of months ago, no. But I have a friend who has been staying. He,
well…” A blush flashed across her face and chest. Pouring the wine, she looked
at the woman and noted how she was solely focused on her.

“From that blush, I would take that to mean your male friend is
more than a friend?”

Suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation, she wanted to
change the subject. “I will take a peek at the stock I have and pull a few out
that fit the guidelines you have told me, and then see if there is something
that catches your eye.”

“Fabulous.” The woman took a big gulp of wine and continued to
walk around the studio perusing her work. “So, sharing your studio apartment
with a male friend, living the good life, painting away, living in happiness. Does
your friend share in that happiness?”

“I think I found two over here that may work. Let me pull out a
couple more and I will bring them over.”

“Ahh. Shy about your love life? There is nothing wrong with
sharing a little of your happiness with the world. It is so refreshing to see
two people who care about each other in this day and age. So many male-female
relationships are paid for, that true love simply cannot happen. So is this it,
true love?”

A shiver ran up Karlyn’s spine. The direction of the conversation
was not appreciated. Grabbing the two other paintings she had been looking for,
she pulled all four along with her and set them up on pedestals for the woman’s
inspection. Cold sweat began to form on her brow, and she wasn’t sure if it was
from digging through the paintings or inquisitive vibe the other woman was
throwing her way. Or maybe it was a reaction to the strong perfume she wore.

The woman swallowed the last of her wine and came close to the
paintings on display for her. Closely inspecting the first piece before moving
on, she turned and smiled at Karlyn. She felt like a preyed animal, and was
never so afraid of a smile in her life.

“So you never said. Is it true love?”

“I never spoke anything about love. I just said he was a friend.”

“Well from the blush and your smiles, I could only assume there
was more than friendship there. So few of us get that chance, so I’m sorry for
trying to intrude. Just trying to live vicariously through the happiness I saw
in your face. I’m so glad he makes you that happy.”

The woman turned to the next piece, gratefully, as her stare was
uncomfortable and heavy. She remained quiet as she looked at each of the four
paintings, taking her time with each canvas.

“I was actually hoping you may have a few portraits or nudes. I
love the nude body, and would love to know how much the piece under the canvas
is.”

Remembering the day spent with Ethan, brought more color to her
face. “That piece is private, and not for sale.”

“Too bad. If that is your lover, he is truly magnificent. You
must be doing very well with your art to afford a stud like that.”

Karlyn did not like the woman’s questions or her assumptions. She
again directed the woman to the pieces she had shown her earlier. “I really
think one of these would be more suitable for you. Or I have others, more rural
landscapes if that interests you.”

Glancing at the grouping Karlyn had shown her, she was pensive
for a moment. “How much for the entire set?”

“En-tire,” Karlyn swallowed hard, trying to recompose herself. She
needed the money to bolster her career and to reinvest into supplies, but there
was something about this woman that she did not care for. The thought of her
paintings gracing her walls almost made her sick to her stomach. She then
decided to throw out a figure that would be laughable, in hopes the woman would
leave empty handed and incredulous.

“Sixteen million.”

“Done. What is your banking IP, and the funds will be placed in
your account?”

Karlyn stood in shock. What the hell had just happened? She shook
herself to ward off the shock, and robotically listed the bank information. The
woman pulled out her portable comm unit, typed in the numbers and hit send. Within
moments a message popped on her vid screen showing the correct amount had been
deposited into her account.

The woman rifled through her tote, and pulled out a business card
with her name and address printed on it.

“Maybe I will get a chance to see this special friend of yours
one day. I am going out of town for a few days, but I will have one of my
employees
stop by to pick them up on
Wednesday at four p.m. if that is okay with you?”

Karlyn nodded her approval, too shocked to speak. The woman
walked down the iron stairs and towards the steel door. Turning she air kissed
both of Karlyn’s cheeks in a show of complete and utter superficiality, and
pulled open the door. “I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship. I
love the work, absolutely love it.”

Karlyn stood at the open doorway, surprise still stiffening her
body. The business card was still clutched between thumb and forefinger and she
placed it down on the table beside the door so she could close it. Finally
remembering her call, she glided up the stairs, happy she had made such a
wonderful sale, even if she was odd. Regardless, she was gone, and Karlyn was
paid, so she needed to let go of the feeling.

Prepping the vid, she entered Michelle’s address and waited for a
reply. Michelle came on and was thrilled at the news.

“Perfect timing! The opening to the public is this Friday.”