me get one of those, please. If you don’t mind.” He threw on some charm. The pretty, short-haired woman with dyed blonde curls and rich almond colored skin smiled and leaned forward for him to partake. He grabbed one. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, beautiful.” She drifted away. He lifted the stick to his mouth like he would a cigarette and climbed the ladder again. Swirls of smoke wrapped around him like a smoky shawl with the scent of Bombay Blues. Brush in hand, his arm muscles burned as he quickly went over the canvas with white paint. When he was done, he hit the floor and shoved a couple of tubes of paint in his pocket before going back up, where he blended two shades of blue, forming a sky.
He worked diligently, steadfast and with purpose, and after about fifteen minutes, he returned to his station where he noticed a crowd gathering. Across the club, the other artist had attracted attention, too. He knew what was at stake. My shit has to be tight. They had two hours to work, though he hoped to finish before that so he could dip out a bit early. They’d both collect tips in their buckets and if he got lucky, there would be offers for their finished piece from various patrons, some of whom only attended to see the art. He stuck the incense stick into the soil of a nearby plant, and began to move like a maniac as his vision became clearer and clearer.
He chanted the lyrics to ‘Bad Blood,’ by Nao, as it boomed through the thumping club speakers. People danced, rocked, kissed, laughed, drank and shot the shit. Voices blended smoothly like iridescent rolling chariots on a road paved in crystal. He studied the canvas, hand on hip. He worked on the outline of his creation in simple, small stroke segments. Humming to the music, he loved the eclectic fusion of the world around him as he concentrated on his painting. He toiled on, then paused as he heard a voice calling out over the music. He heard it once more, this time convinced someone was summoning him. He turned to see where the voice was coming from. When he couldn’t figure it out, he started to turn around but then, the person spoke again, the words clear as a bell.
“King.”
He looked down from the ladder and spotted the woman in red. Suri. He hated this vantage point. She glowed from the way the lights hit her and stood out like a vibrant crimson chess piece on a board before one decided to make a move. Her breasts were practically bursting through the fabric of her top, and a sheen of glitter dusted the dark, smooth globes, as well as her face. He hadn’t noticed that before. Maybe she’d hugged someone who’d been covered in the stuff. She looked like a pretty little jewel. His dick jumped as he stared at her breasts once again. He grimaced, annoyed with himself, and turned away.
“I’m busy,” he yelled out as he continued to paint. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions. No excuse for it, but it’s been a hard week and I’ve been dealing with a lot. I was overthinking and took it out on you. Can we start over?”
He kept his back towards her, took a deep breath, then climbed down the ladder, dripping paint brush in hand. He placed it on a towel and looked down at her. Damn. Why in the fuck does she have to be so pretty?
“Suri, thank you for your apology.” She nodded and rocked back on her feet. “I have a lot going on too, so I’m glad I got to see what I needed to early on.”
Her brows bunched and she crossed her arms.
“What are you referring to?”
“I can’t do any drama. I’m thirty-five years old and way beyond that sort of thing now, so maybe you’re young, I don’t know, but—”
“I’m thirty-two.”
“Well, regardless, again, thank you for the apology but I’m not feeling your energy. Your vibe isn’t calibrated right…” He shrugged. “No offense. I won’t deny that when I first saw you, I literally felt speechless. You’re just that beautiful—but it’s an unconventional beauty, too, and I like that, but physical attraction alone isn’t enough for me anymore. I trust my instincts. Have a good night, lady in red.”
He turned away to work on the bottom of the canvas, pushing the ladder aside. He could feel her stare on him.