"Chris!"
I looked up from the hors d'oeuvres table, the din of glasses and conversations creating a little cocoon around me.
"Jim! Dora! How great you could make it!"
"Wouldn't have missed
this
," Jim grabbed me into a bear hug. "Jerry and the gang should have been here by now - have you seen anyone else?"
I shook my head, smiling at Dora and kissing her on the cheek. "Been here most of the afternoon. It's gotten a little crazy though. They could be here...somewhere..." I waved vaguely at the jostling crowd of studio hoppers. Once a month the galleries show their new artists, hosted wine, a few hors d'oeuvres and depending on the weather (and who's showing what) a crowd. Cheri's opening had been well advertised. In spite of her protests about a lack of contacts in the city, or her perceived reputation, she had talent. The fans will excuse an artist her foibles if she has talent.
"Shit, man," Jim said over a meatball, looking at the walls. "What the fuck is this?"
Dora just rolled her eyes, plucked a few things from the table and looked at me kind of funny. "They're almost pornographic, don't you think?"
I laughed. "Almost? Yeah. I'd say definitely. But only if you let your eyes go out of focus. I mean, they're just abstracts, right?"
We were standing near the final version of my
ejaculation
, as Cheri and I had come to call it. It was barely recognizable as a cock, and the stream of droplets almost looked like separate circles splattered on the canvas. From across the room there was no doubt what it looked like, but in front of it, it became completely abstract.
Dora looked at me and at the picture, shaking her head. Jim stood back and studied it, trying to see what Dora saw.
"Hey bud," I grabbed his shoulder. "You're going to hurt yourself looking at it that way. Let me get you started on something a little easier."
On our way to the "easy one," we passed by the one of Cheri masturbating. She had modified it, rendering the air gap between her finger and her clit as foreground, her body, whitespace. When Dora saw it she gasped, putting her hand to her mouth and then taking a sip of wine. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," she said quietly.
"You've got a great eye, Dora. Not too many people see it that way."
"What? What way?" Jim was focusing on the crescent moon that was the air gap, still trying to make sense of the imagery.
"C'mon. You'll get it with this one." There was a crowd around one of the larger canvases. It showed a figure, bent into an "L" shape, an enormous cock pushing down, or maybe it was a dildo. It clearly extended from the figure's crotch, but there wasn't a clue as to the figure's sex. Its ass cheeks looked like they had been recently spanked, like in the prior 10 micro-seconds - flattened slightly, distended - but no implement gave that impression. Just the shape of the cheeks.
It wasn't romantic. It wasn't violent. It looked like a still life. The figure's relationship with the ground plane created geometric shapes that Cheri had enhanced. Still whitespace background, but competing with the human figure. The shapes flattened everything to the canvas, approaching abstract but still very figurative. I had learned a lot in the past several weeks.
"Holllleeee shiiitttt," Jim drew out the curse. "Now that I understand. Look at the schlong on that guy!"
Dora groaned and stole a glance at me again, mouthing the word, 'You?'
I smiled and shook my head. I was happy to be able to tell the truth. "But I know the model," I said aloud.
"Holy crap, dude. When do we meet this chick?"
I led them over to a small cluster of critics and fans, bringing a fresh glass of champagne to Cheri.
"Two new adoring fans, sweet." She knew my silent 'cunt' was out of respect for the context, but she blushed nonetheless. I have become quite attached to that blush. She took the wine and smiled a warm greeting to the newcomers, thanking them for coming.
"It's...ummm...provocative?" Dora said, diplomatically.
Cheri's smile widened. "Yes. Some are more than others. Have you had a chance to see them all?" At Dora's response, she continued. "Come on, then. Let's start at the beginning." Cheri threaded her arm into Dora's and the whole cluster moved through the crowd to the first piece near the door.
* - * - * - *
"I think that went pretty well, don't you?"
There were only a handful of people left: the gallery owner, Cheri's agent, a friend... of somebody's, me and Cheri. She looked wiped out, staring at me with glazed eyes, nodding slightly.
"Monique," I asked. "How'd it go?"
"Except for a couple, everything's been purchased. Even the replacements. Best response I've seen in years. Amazing response. I feel like we could have priced them higher..."
I leaned over and kissed Cheri on the top of the head. "You ready to go back to your place?"
"I can't...at least...I don't think I can...Monique, Theresa...do you need help cleaning up?"
"Hell no, girl. We've got it. Take off. You did your part. Great night. Great work! There may be some commissions out of this." Monique gave her a knowing look. Her agent knew her stuff. If she said there were commissions, then she must have had a few good conversations. She walked over and whispered for a few heartbeats in Cheri's ear. I watched her eyes get bigger and then she broke into a smile.
"I'd have to ask my talent, Monique. It's not out of the question." Turning to me, she wrapped her arms around my neck. "I'm bushed." I leaned in and gave her a kiss, the smell of lavender wafting up. I pulled back, raising my eyebrows and she looked all innocent. "What?"
I shook my head and whispered, "I was looking forward to getting a little bushed myself. You need it soft or hard tonight?"
She shook her head and shivered a little. "Hard." She said. "I need it really hard."
"So what was Monique whispering about?" I looked over to make sure she hadn't fallen asleep. We were only a few blocks from the studio.
She grunted, giggling a little. "She had a couple of folks who wanted to see me making the paintings. 'They'll pay to watch,' Monique said. Can you fuckin' believe it? Who are those people?"
"But it turned you on, didn't it? It did. I saw your reaction, and I smelled it. I can smell it now. You want somebody to watch you get fucked, or whipped, or taking a cock down your throat. Say it. You know it's true." It was our form of foreplay. Not exactly the same every time, but along those lines. I could smell her arousal building.