Fearless by Annie Jocoby Read Free Book Online Page A

this studio or in my studio apartment. And I had finally resorted to having bars installed on my windows, and the guys were coming today to install them, so painting this Dalilah in my apartment was out of the question. I never thought that I would have to resort to having bars on my windows, but being constantly robbed was getting old indeed.
    My heart was pounding as I got to my warehouse and set up shop. I started the generator, which powered the lights a nd a space heater, which was necessitated by the fact that it was always cold in this place, for some odd reason. I set up my canvas and carefully inventoried my tools. I had gotten the contract that was sent over by courier, and it specified that I was to paint a nude portrait of her that was to be delivered in three month. The payment would be contingent upon the buyer being satisfied with the work, which would mean that I wouldn’t be paid until the end of the project. Until then, I guess, I would live on Spaghetti-O’s and Ramen Noodles, as usual.
    There was even an addendum that specified that, if the buyer was satisfied with the work, I could exercise an extra $10,000 option to sculpt her. He would supply the marble. That was more than exciting to me. I was an excellent painter, but an even better sculptor. I just never really got the chance to sculpt, as I couldn’t afford the materials. If I chose to exercise that addendum, I could take up to six months to deliver it.
    I set up the pedestal for her to pose on. I was given rather detailed instructions on the pose that she was supposed to assume in this first session. I was also sent a fainting couch for her to lay on. The couch was royal red, and very traditional. I would assume that he wanted the final product to be in keeping with the look of the couch, which would mean that I would paint her in more of a classical style, as opposed to attempting something more avant-garde.
    This guy seemed to be a micro-manager and a control freak, but, no matter, I was going to do what he said. Far be it for me to breach the contract in any way, which would mean that I wouldn’t be paid the amount that we agreed to. I had a working knowledge of contract 101, and realized that the terms were not absolute. It depended upon my following the instructions that I had agreed to, to the letter.
    I finally got everything set up and ready to go. I looked at my watch. It read 7:55. Dalilah was supposed to arrive around 8. I tapped my toe nervously, hoping that she would show. I needed the income, for sure, but, truth be told, I also was looking forward to seeing her. From the short time that I saw her on the bus, I could tell that she was radiant. Incandescent. She just exuded a certain kind of sensuality that emitted from her very presence. It was difficult to describe. All that I knew was that I was drawn to her, as if I was being pulled in by a tractor beam.
    It occurred to me that my benefactor had obviously felt the same way about her, which would be why he was so eager for me to take this project. In which case, I probably shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds me, which is what I would be doing if I started a love affair with her. But, then, I immediately put that thought out of my head, because a girl like that was out of my league anyhow. I was obviously going to have to make do with fantasizing about being with her. And there wasn’t any way that I was going to not fantasize about being with her.
    At the same time, I had to be professional. That was going to be exceedingly difficult, considering the circumstances, but I was going to have to look at h er as just another model. I had painted many nudes over the course of my career, both when I was a student and a few times as a professional, whenever I had been able to score commissioned work before. I typically couldn’t afford to hire them on my own, but there had been a few commissioned projects that featured nude models, and I never had an issue being a consummate