“I…” She swallowed hard and considered her answer. “I do.”
I smiled but immediately turned puckish. “I told you, not until we’re married.”
Her eyes flew wide and she lunged at me. She bowled me over and ended up on top of me.
I kissed her.
She struggled for a moment but then gave in. Her body relaxed against mine, and she sighed with pleasure. My dick decided to join the fun. She squeaked when she felt it beneath her.
“Sorry,” I said without a trace of regret. “But I told you so.”
“It’s ’cause he likes me.”
“He does. Very much. And he can’t wait to be properly introduced.”
“I can’t either.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to. So is he.”
She frowned.
“I told you, you aren’t ready yet. And to be honest, neither am I. Not after tonight.”
“I understand.”
I caressed her ass through her pajamas. “I definitely want to, though. So does he.”
“I know. I can feel it.”
“We’ll get there. Patience, okay?”
She nodded.
I kissed her again and patted her ass for good measure.
She rested her head on my chest. Finally she said, “I’d better go.”
“Yeah, I know. If you stay here much longer, my poor hard-on is gonna explode.”
“He isn’t the only one.”
I grinned and kissed her again. Then I gently pushed her away so I could sit up.
She stood and looked down at me for a change. “You’re short.”
“Yeah, when I’m sitting down and you’re standing up.” I grinned. “Then again, this puts me at a perfect level to admire your chest.”
“Yeah,” she scoffed, “what little I have.”
“Still, I can’t wait to be properly introduced.” I slid my hands up the outside of her pajama top and cupped her small breasts. I teased her nipples until they were stiff.
Eventually I released her and stood. I kissed her again. Then I turned her toward the door. I marched her down the hall to her own room, where I lifted her chin for a final kiss.
She sighed and leaned against me till it ended.
“Sweet dreams,” I said with a grin.
“Of penises.”
“And erections,” I added. “Long, hard erections. That feel good in your mouth.”
“Oh my gosh!”
“G’night, Little Bit.”
“Goodnight.”
“See you tomorrow.”
“Mmm. I can’t wait.”
“Me neither.”
Chapter 31
Christy was in a good mood after aerobics. She bounced along as we walked out of the Sports Bubble.
“Here, hold this.” She handed me her duffel bag. Then she twirled and walked backward in front of us, until she suddenly ran and leapt into my arms. She wrapped hers around my neck and gave me a long kiss as I carried her down the sidewalk. After about ten feet she hopped down and danced away happily.
We watched her go. I felt like a grown-up watching a toddler chase a butterfly.
“She told me about your call last night,” Wren said after a moment, “and what you talked about after.”
I nodded.
“So you ended it with Gina?”
“Yeah.”
“Is she okay?”
“Gina? Yeah, I think so. She knew it was coming. She’d been thinking the same thing. Still wasn’t easy, though. For either of us.”
“A long-distance relationship is hard to make work,” Trip said.
I nodded. He should know.
“Also, it’s hard to compete with the all-star matchmaker here.”
Wren piped up, “Do I need to remind you that you’ll benefit from it as well?”
“Yes, dear,” he said blandly.
“I’m sorry for Gina, though,” Wren said. “Happy for you and Christy,
but…” She shrugged. “Real people with real lives. Isn’t that what you’ve been telling me?”
I grinned sidelong at Trip. “She can change.”
“Oh, I’ve known all along,” he said. “But next time maybe don’t make her feel so guilty about it. Totally ruins our sex life.”
“I’ll do my best,” I laughed. Then I watched Christy frolic and run back toward us. “God, I can’t wait to get that energy into bed.”
“She’s gonna rock your world,” Wren said with a smirk.
Christy skidded to a halt, apple-cheeked and breathless. “What’s so funny, Mr. I Know That Look In Your Eye?”
“You,” I said matter-of-factly. “I was just saying how I can’t wait to get you into bed.”
Her baby blue eyes flew wide. Then she grinned. “You’ll have to catch me first!” She dashed away.
“Have to catch her first,” I said to the others.
Trip calmly reached out and accepted Christy’s duffel bag from me. He passed it to Wren and slung my backpack next to his own.
“You’re never gonna catch her, dude,” he said.
“That’s okay. I know where she lives.”
He glanced at Wren. “He really is a doofus, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, but we’re stuck with him.”
I gave them a final grin and jogged after Christy. Trip was right, I didn’t have a hope of catching her. She was too light, too quick, too full of energy.
But I’d run her down eventually. And when I did, I’d have fun toying with her until I was ready to eat her.
Christy’s sculpture was ready to come out of the mold that evening. We met Siobhan at the studio, along with punk girl and the tall guy. The heat in the room was stifling. It helped the marble mixture cure faster, but it was a delicate balance. Cure too quickly and the mixture might crack; too slowly and it wouldn’t be ready in time for the exhibition. Fortunately, Siobhan had years of experience with the process.
We used the ceiling-rail winch to turn the entire box over. It weighed several hundred pounds, so it took all of us to keep it stable. One slip and
countless hours of work would turn into large chunks of marble debris. Once we set it on a dolly, I used a hammer and pry bar to detach the base. Then I hauled on the winch and lifted the box off the mold. The sloped sides released the pink material with a soft whoosh.
I pushed the empty box to the side and lowered it to the floor. The three artists ringed the mold like senators around Julius Caesar. Their knives flashed as they moved in for the kill. I laughed to myself at the mental image.
Siobhan joined me and watched silently.
“Thanks for all your help,” she said eventually. Her Irish brogue made her sound like a character from a movie. “She couldn’t have done it without you.”
I nodded silently.
“You’re her muse. I hope you know that.”
“I do.”
“And she’s falling in love with you.” She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “But you knew that too, didn’t you?”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
“I thought it might be. I hope you don’t mind, but I talked to Laszlo…
Professor Joska.”
I looked at her in surprise.
“He says your work shows new passion as well.” She chuckled at my reaction. “We push you hard, but we care about you, our protégés. We like to see you do well.”
“Professor Joska thinks of me as his protégé?”
“Oh, sure. He’s right proud of you, he is.” She leaned close, and her eyes twinkled. “Don’t tell him I told you.”
“I won’t.”
We watched for a while longer, until the three artists had cut away most of the mold material.
The marble sculpture gleamed in the lights from above, but it was studded with tags and ridges where the seams of the mold had been. It also had little pink bits of the stuff where the release agent hadn’t entirely done its job.
“Time to get to work with the tools,” Siobhan said. She handed me a filter mask and safety goggles. “Let’s get to it.”
I donned the gear as the others did the same. Siobhan passed out squishy yellow earplugs as well. I rolled them up and shoved them into my ears. Then I pulled on a pair of leather work gloves and accepted an angle grinder from