So why do I want it so much?
“Tomorrow,” I tell her. “Come to my office after dance. I want you bent over my desk by eight o
clock.”
“Okay, Mr. Vaughn.”
I kiss her again on the throat, feeling her pulse beat wildly on my lips.
“No panties,” I add. “But keep your skirt and tights on.”
She kisses me on the lips and then pulls away. “Whatever you want, Mr. Vaughn.”
Chapter Eleven
Chloe
I spend the morning at the yoga class for amputees. Getting to know the poses. The people. Trying
to piece together a sequence in my mind.
I’ll be coming here a lot, while I work on this project. But Mr. Vaughn won’t.
He agreed to be there for the actual project. When the art is happening. I know it’s because he
doesn’t want to face them.
He is the strongest man I know. Mind, body, and soul. But he fears this encounter. Facing his past
and the people who remind him of that horrible day. For the things that were out of his control, but the
same things he blames himself for.
They all ask about him. And look forward to meeting him. Even after what happened, they are still
his fans. They want to see his work.
I want to see more of it too.
During my lunch break, I head up to the rooftop to examine the painting that I set aside to dry. And
what I find in the daylight is even more beautiful than I ever expected.
But it isn’t the Nutcracker on canvas. It’s the one beside it. On the extra length of paper. The black
and red and blue that paints an entirely different story.
And it occurs to me then that there is nothing that can top this one.
Salacious.
That’s what I’m going to call it. And I’m going to use it in the show.
Nobody will know what it means. Only us. Rellek and Chloe, and the visual imprint of our bodies
coming together for the first time.
And when the world has seen it, or even a small portion of the world, I will hang it above my bed.