Chapter 6

Mioki could think of nothing else the next day except the man who had become the focal point of her world. When Cathy had suggested that she again accompany Mioki to the painter"s home, Mioki had dismissed the idea. She had assured the disappointed Blonde that she felt at ease and no longer needed a companion for safety. Perhaps closer to the truth was the fact that Mioki now wanted to be alone with the handsome artist who she still found a bit frightening, but also so experienced and worldly. His talent, she thought, was matched only by his sexual magnetism. She might be playing with fire, but it was a chance she was not only willing to take, but which she relished. She wanted, no craved, to be near him, to hear his voice, to have him ignite the passions in her which she was now convinced she needed to experience if she were to become a true artist. So when a young woman walked into their art class that day and, at Darius"s request, disrobed, Mioki felt none of the initial discomfort which the other students experienced. She accepted the woman's nudity and began to draw, not for herself, but for the man whose approval now seemed all important to her. Perhaps her only reaction was a touch of envy at the attention the woman received -- her dreams had continued and the images of her own nudity and the attention it won her with the throngs played in the back of her conscious mind. At the moment, however, there was only one man whose attention she desired.

"Welcome, Mioki. What, no chaperone?" he smiled as she entered his house for the second time.

"No, I... I realized how foolish I was being. I can't live a sheltered life forever."

"Exactly!" he commented as they again talked and drank wine.

"Actually, I have been considering what you said in class, about needing to experience the world, not just imitate it."

"And... ?"

"Well, I don't know that I'm ready to take off for Tahiti, but I do see your point. We must first experience the passions which we attempt to portray on canvas."

"When I paint, my dear Mioki, I do so to capture your soul, not just your image."

He smiled inwardly at the double entendre.

"Shall we?" he asked, motioning toward the studio.

"Yes, of course," she answered, following.

"Ooooh" she remarked as they entered the studio now bathed only in the light of a half dozen candles.

"Candlelight is my favorite illumination," he remarked, "the interplay of shadow and flickering light creates an aura of mystery. It also enables me to concentrate on the elements of the composition I wish to emphasize. Please recline on the couch. Tonight I want to focus on your body."

Feeling a bit of discomfort, Mioki nevertheless assumed a prone position again slipping off her shoes.

"You are lovely Mioki. The canvas may never do justice to your body, but we shall try. Would you reveal more of you leg please?"

"The young woman hesitated but for a moment. The request had caught her a bit by surprise, but the semi darkness gave her courage, so she gently pulled her skirt up her thigh.

"A bit more. Such legs should be seen to be appreciated."

Mioki bit her lip. Her skirt was already a bit above where she had allowed it to rise on the previous evening. Yet to deny this man, was becoming unthinkable. He had so much to offer, so much to teach her. The image of the model in today's class flashed through her mind and she chided herself inwardly for such prudishness. The skirt was pulled even higher. Unlike last night, Darius had yet to apply charcoal to pad. Obviously he was dissatisfied.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I can't paint a body so completely hidden from me," he stated. "Would you consider posing nude?"

"Oh, I couldn't," she responded, sitting up and straightening her skirt. "You said I didn't have to."

"Of course, if that is how you feel. It is simply that the folds of your skirt and blouse are obscuring what I wish to sketch. Would you consider removing just the blouse and skirt?"

He chuckled. "I assume you have on something underneath."

She reddened, thankful he could not see her obvious naivete in the candlelight.

"Yes, of course," she finally sputtered.

"Then you would be revealing nothing that others haven't seen at the beach or around a swimming pool."

"You mean you want me to pose in a swimsuit?"

"My dear Mioki, did you happen to bring a swimsuit with you?"

"No, of course not."

"Then your bra and panties will suffice."

Mioki's mouth dropped open. If this were any other man making such an outrageous request, if her dreams of late had not afforded her such pleasure from revealing herself to others, she would have simply walked out the door never to return. Yet, this was the very man she wanted to admire her, just as those countless throngs in her dreams. Here was the opportunity to experience just a bit, a safe bit, of the worldliness she realized her well meaning upbringing had denied her. After all, she thought, he was right. A bra and panties really revealed little if anything more than a two piece Bikini.

"I..." She still hesitated.

"Reveal to me only what you wish," his mesmerizing voice came to her.

She felt her hand reach for the buttons on her blouse.

"If anyone I know saw me doing this..."

"No one is here but the two of us."

Her blouse was fully unbuttoned now. She slipped it off uneasily.

"Now the skirt."

"I'm really not sure I should be doing this," she said quietly even as her hands slid the skirt down and off.

Mioki lay back, covered only by the black lacy bra and sheer black panties, her hands and arms covering breasts and nest.

"Better Mioki, much better. Now lie on the one arm while the other drapes down your thigh."

Mioki almost closed her eyes as she followed his direction. She knew the pose was quite artistic but also provocative. She began to feel her temperature rising, not all accountable to her embarrassment at lying in only bra and panties before a man she had known for only two days.

But her eyes found his and she saw reflected in the shimmering light the same expression those in her dream had shown -- an unadulterated appreciation for the beauty of her young, sensuous body.

"Please, the straps," he asked.

She slid them off her shoulders, trying to contain the rising excitement within her.

"As far as I go," she smiled.

"Just a bit of cleavage, no more than you would show in a low cut gown."

Mioki, after her last statement, was amazed to see her hands pulling the bra down to reveal the tops of her breasts.

"Have you never worn a really low cut dress?" he chided.

Mioki's breathing was becoming labored. Her heart was beginning to pound. Her instincts to stop and flee were overcome, however by her desire to please and attract this man.

"There," she intoned dropping the bra another inch or two.

"How beautiful are your aureoles, Mioki?"

"I..." she started to protest, yet as the words caught in her throat, she allowed the bra to uncover the tops of the dark rings.

"And that is really as far as I go," she said trying to inject some levity.

"I understand. You are afraid I will be disappointed. Perhaps your breasts are not as perfect as the rest of your body and you are afraid I will disapprove. Your nipples, Mioki, how can I paint your breasts without nipples?"

Her hands went behind her quickly, the catch was undone and the bra discarded entirely.

She intended her look to be defiant, but her resolve melted instantly as she saw his eyes widen with appreciation for her physical beauty.

"They're lovely, Mioki. It seems a shame you would ever cover them."

She blushed again but as she again reclined, the young model thrust out her chest to maximize her modest breast size.

Darius dashed off several sketches with the same rapidity as the night before.

"And now Mioki..."

She knew what he wanted, knew she wanted him to see her, to appreciate her body completely, yet as her fingers clasped the skimpy elastic undergarment, they paused, the last vestige of her modesty forcing a momentary halt.

"Surely what lies between your legs is as alluring as the rest of your body, Mioki."

"It's... it's just that..."

"Do you really think you are showing me what I have never seen before... hundreds of times?"

She had no doubt of the accuracy of his statement. Mioki, even while she recognized the power he was welding over her, could not control the jealousy of knowing that other women had occupied this couch. They had had no compunction in baring their bodies to him. Why should she? It was obvious that she was special to him. The way his eyes were afire when he looked at her. His encouragement to experience life -- she just knew he wanted her for his own. How could she compete with the others though, many of whom were probably more beautiful and certainly more experienced, if she withheld what he asked?