Chapter 1
Tabitha was only 24 years old. She had graduated college when she was 22, but she still had not settled on a satisfying path. She wasn't exactly looking for adventure, but not opposed that possibility, either. She just knew that life was only starting and she was eager to see where it would lead.
Bradley was 30 and an artist whose work had attracted a following.
Tabitha was a uniquely attractive girl. She was tan, with straight, sun-streaked hair, and possessed an agile body that was made for wearing sundresses. Unlike what seemed like the majority of her peers, she had no tattoos, just unblemished, golden skin. In fact, she was normally largely unadorned...little or no make-up...the one nod towards fashion being a plain silver toe ring. Understandably, she attracted attention from men and women alike, and most were delighted that a fun, youthful, accepting personality went along with such an attractive face and figure.
Bradley didn't fit the mold for artists. Rumpled khaki's, boat shoes, sun-faded polo shirts and Ray Bans were his norm. He grew up well off, was well educated, and had the aptitude to have succeeded in most occupations. Though he followed his passion of creating art, Bradley had intuitively what many artists lack in terms of common sense and business acumen. It's not exactly that he was commercial in his approach...his art was first...but once the art was there, he knew what to do with it.
Owing to his mind for business, Bradley was able to purchase a space downtown, which was originally a ground floor storefront on a busy street. Bradley converted the space to house his art studio with a reception area, with his personal residence upstairs. Bradley's studio was filled with the tools of his work. Hammers, chisels and grinders for his sculptural work, paints and easels, acid washes for etching, and other equipment that might be seen in a carpenter's shop...workbenches, tools, block and tackle, sawhorses, etc. The heavier equipment was mostly used for mounting heavy sculpture, but also to make props for future performance art projects. He retained the storefront windows, potentially for displaying his artwork. Bradley didn't use this feature frequently, preferring to exhibit his art in traditional galleries.
Bradley had been successful selling his art, especially his sculptural work, which allowed him the luxury of pursuing more purely artistic projects.....projects that weren't intended to produce sales, but simply to produce beauty.
If Bradley didn't exhibit the normal dress or attitude of a "normal" artist, he did share the strong passion and sexual appetite that have been seen in so many. Maybe it was an appreciation of beauty, or for Bradley in particular, maybe a creativity that could envision how beauty and sensations could be seen or felt from different perspectives.
One night, Bradley was at the opening of an exhibit of his work at a gallery downtown...not too many blocks from his studio. Unlike many artists, these openings were not a chore for him. He wanted to talk about his work, was genuinely interested in others' perspectives, and liked the company of people who appreciate art. If they happened to appreciate his pieces, so much the better. One aspect of success is that it breeds security, not just financially, but about oneself. If a potential customer didn't like his style of art, he wasn't offended. Pieces of art, being viewed on a subjective basis, are never suited for everyone. But, by engaging art viewers regardless of their opinion, Bradley felt there was an opportunity to view his own work through other's eyes. More often than not, he learned more from those who weren't attracted to his art than from those who were.
This was obviously a unique perspective for an artist, and one that was extremely popular with gallery owners. Not only was his art good, but his accepting vibe drew customers in and led to more and more sales for the gallery. It didn't hurt that he was presentable, affable, articulate and nice looking.
Tabitha lived in a studio apartment north of downtown. While she didn't know exactly what she wanted from life, she didn't want to trade on her looks, and certainly didn't have interest in being a kept woman. She had friends from school that were very attractive and ended up with wealthy men that kept them comfortable, but rarely happy. It was an interesting observation for her. The more beautiful the woman, the more likely she would end up with men that were more interested in showing them off than making them happy. Her theory was that more decent men were less likely to approach a beautiful woman, so it was not unexpected that the brash or arrogant men "won" the most beautiful girls. She had been pursued by some just like them. She couldn't have been less interested.
Tabitha actually made a little experiment with this theory. She made a point of seeking out men that were friendly, smart, or otherwise interesting, regardless of the obviousness of their wealth, looks, or lack thereof. She felt that the dates she went on were more fun, and the men more likely to truly be interested in her and her happiness. Obviously, those men felt lucky to have the attentions of a girl that had such an attractive nature to go along with her pretty face and long, beautiful legs.