Chapter 23: Cutting the Beef

Blankenship’s drawing class continued to be a pain in the ass. Thursday, he wanted detailed drawings of our fingernails. I guess I was learning things. I think my drawing was improving. You couldn’t tell by his comments. “You’re supposed to draw your thumb, not your big toe.” Fuck.

We survived the class and Mary was waiting for me outside the door.

“Um ... Sorry I ran off Tuesday before we could talk. It looked like Eva wanted your time.” She slipped a slightly shaky hand into mine and I relaxed.

“We’re getting together Saturday afternoon for our first painting session. We needed to work out the details.”

“You’re going to paint on her like you did on Jasmine?”

“Yeah. Merck stopped me after my Literature and the Arts class to congratulate me on that work and asked if I was going to do similar works for each of the periods. He liked it. So, I’m painting Eva up as Athena for the Homer segment.”

“She’s already a piece of work.”

“I’ve never had a canvas talk back at me as much as she does,” I laughed.

“Could I ... stop by and join you?” Mary asked. “I’ll stay out of the way, but you seem to be the only person in our class who has an unending supply of figure models and a private studio. Maybe I could draw one of your girlfriends if it’s too crowded in your studio with Eva.”

I found that we’d left the art building and were walking in the opposite direction of my bus stop. We were headed toward Mary’s dorm and I was just letting her lead me along. Her hand was calm in mine and I didn’t want to remove it.

“Mary ... You know that all five of the girls I live with are my lovers, right?”

“Yeah. That’s pretty hard to miss.”

“I guess ... We aren’t really a house of hedonism but sometimes it seems things get a little out of control. We don’t have alcohol in the house, but we do get a little high sometimes and clothes don’t seem to have a lot of meaning then. I mean, I’d love to have you come over. It’s going to be a long, intense painting session. But I like you and I don’t want you to feel obligated to play with people—even if I play with Eva a little.”

“Do you think you’ll ‘play’ with her instead of painting?”

“Not instead, but sometimes one thing leads to another. I just don’t know where her head is.”

“I bet you know where other parts of her are,” Mary laughed. We were almost to Mary’s dorm when she stopped and pulled me around to face her. “Jett, I function pretty well. I know you’re aware of my anxiety and panic attacks and I really appreciate your calming influence in class. But I’m working at overcoming a lot of the problems I have and I can’t do that sitting alone in my dorm room. The shaking in my hands isn’t all from anxiety—in fact, it contributes to my anxiety. I’ve had mild essential tremors since I was a toddler. It made school a frustrating experience. Teachers were sure I was being abused at home and tried to get me taken away from my parents. It seemed that every year there was another ignorant do-gooder who was concerned for my well-being.”

“Damn, Mary, I had no idea. That must have been hell.”

“Yeah. But when the doctors could only prescribe sedatives and tranqs, my parents found a specialist in bio-feedback. It’s not a hundred percent effective, but I’m able to control about eighty percent of the tremors by drawing and painting. The doctor found something I loved and linked it to my bio-feedback. When I don’t have time or lose control, then I end up multiplying the effect with my anxiety. God’s truth, Jett. You and Blankety are the only people I’ve known in four years who could get me down from that point without Prozac.”

“Any time. I don’t know what kind of relationship you want ... or even what kind of relationship we have ... but if you want to come and draw or paint with me, any time. Any time at all.”

“Thanks, Jett. I don’t know about the relationship thing either but I’m a big girl and might even get turned on if I see you ‘playing’ with Eva.” We giggled a little at the image. I had a feeling that by the time I was done with her on Saturday, Eva wasn’t going to be interested in any playing. We were all going to be too tired.

“I’ve got to head home now, Mary. Thanks for talking to me. You know, I really enjoyed our date Sunday and I’d like to do it again sometime.”

“Believe me, I’d like you to do it again sometime, too. I ... um ... don’t usually have anyone else’s fingers up there. It was pretty damn nice.” Mary reached over and pulled my head toward her for a sweet kiss. “See you Saturday, Jett.”

I was tempted to cut my slaughtering class Friday morning, but we were going to be studying the grading of beef on the hoof and I felt like I’d never understand it if I didn’t participate. I shifted gears as fast as I could Friday afternoon, though. I still had a ton of work to do on the canvas Eva would pose with. Detail work on the figure would have to wait until the painting of Eva was finished. I had another ten days before the Homer project was due. But enough of the image had to be complete that I could blend the edges with the living canvas.

Ariel and Kelly got home about two o’clock and both stopped to give me a very sweet kiss that ended up with them naked. Of course, that was kind of their normal attire within five minutes after getting home from classes. I just appreciated the fact that I got to help get them there. I didn’t mind the little break. Ariel headed for the kitchen to start getting Friday night stir-fry ingredients prepared and Kelly headed upstairs. I went back to painting.

About an hour later, Kelly came back into the studio with her tripod and video camera.

“You know I won’t be here until after dinner tomorrow when you’re painting,” she said. “I’ve got the camera set up with a terabyte external storage device. You just have to route it through your Mac. There should be plenty of room for the action but turn it off when you take breaks. It just wastes space to let it run. I’ll worry about editing and splicing later.”

“Kelly, you’re a sweetheart. I feel bad about you spending so much time on my projects. I need to pay you for...”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” she snapped at me. “You don’t pay me, Jett. Ever. I thought we settled this. I’m a whore for my art, but I will never be a whore to you. I am yours, body and soul. Don’t ever offer to pay me!”

There was only one thing I could do. I kissed her. She was still a little angry and stiff when I pulled her into my arms, but she melted as soon as our lips touched. There was a quiet longing in that kiss. I wanted it to go on forever. Kelly needed my reassurance and I needed to accept the conditions.

“Red, you are not my whore and I will never think of you as a whore in any circumstance. Please forgive me for misunderstanding and be sure that I love you. I love you, Kelly.”

She moaned into my mouth as she ground her crotch against me. I’d been wearing briefs to paint in as I usually did and my cock poked out the top as it hardened and was moistened by her pussy juices. “Come upstairs and sleep with me tonight?” she pled. “No cameras, no one else. Just you filling me over and over. I love you, Jett.” I quickly agreed and with a date to consummate what we’d just started, we were able to back off a little while she set up the camera.

“You know I’m using these as projects in my video editing class. My prof is impressed with the footage I bring in. She’s giving me tips on videography, too. And Jas and I have made five hundred dollars off her Nubian Goddess video. We aren’t starving here.”

“You are clever. I’m glad Jas is earning something but a little surprised that she was willing to sell something she could be recognized in.”

“Between the paint and the makeup, there is no way anyone would recognize her. She absolutely glowed in that vid. When she started working her abs on you, it was like the entire scene you painted came to life.”

“I don’t think you can do that with Eva.”

“No. She doesn’t want her first time with you on video. I respect that.”

“Wait! Her first time with me?”

“I’m not saying that you are going to fuck tomorrow night. Looking at your canvas, I’m guessing this is going to be a marathon session. We’re prepping all the beds tomorrow morning so that if she or Mary or both want to stay over, there will be places for them no matter who they want or don’t want to sleep with. Just because the five girls you live with are open and ready for you and each other any time of the day or night, it doesn’t mean that we automatically assume every girl who visits is going to be part of our harem.”

“I don’t know what will happen with either Eva or Mary,” I sighed as I watched Kelly set up the camera. “I wish I’d thought to catch some of the preliminary work of the painting on video like you did with the one of Char and Sarah Lynn.”

“We did,” Kelly laughed. “You were so into your zone that you didn’t even notice me slipping in to video snippets while you were doing the original drawing. I was in last night while you were painting, too. Oh, and I’ll show you some yummy footage of Ariel bent over that stool Tuesday night while you plowed her. I got such a good licking after I showed her the tape that I thought I’d pass out!”

“Oh, geez! With you flitting around like you do with a camera, nowhere in the house is safe,” I laughed. “We could have our own reality TV show.”

“It would only air on adult cable,” Kelly said. “Just having you running around with your dong flopping would get us an NC-17 rating. Now go back to work and be ready to fuck me into the mattress tonight. I’m beginning to see your concept for this painting in my mind’s eye. Can’t wait!”

Kelly was gone and I returned to the painting of Athena.

I didn’t really get back to painting Friday night after stir-fry. It was family night and my family all wanted a little care and loving. Not that I screwed everyone, but each of my girlfriends got held and petted—not just by me, but by each other. It was like we needed that time of bonding to reassure each other that we really were part of one family.

Kelly and I finally made it up to the Kat House after leaving our four other lovers all piled together in the big bed. What a sweet sight.