A small bell chimed when Kyle stepped though the door. It shut quietly behind her as she peered about the room looking for, she glanced at the scrap of paper clutched in her palm, Adrian. She was here for a meeting with the elusive artist.
She glanced through the large studio and drank in the varying mediums of art. Finished and unfinished pottery and ceramic sculptures covered shelves and display tables in one corner; paintings and drawings hung and propped up on the other side. There was a black door to the right and a red light turned on indicating photo processing in progress. In the center was a giant mess of twisted metal.
Kyle stepped to the side to get a different perspective of the sculpture. From the new angle it made more sense but was still obviously abstract. She gazed longingly towards the ceramic sculptures and was taken back for a moment to the time when she used to work the firm but pliable clay in her hands. She let out a melancholy sigh.
The clatter of plastic and the ominous splash of liquid pulled her out of her thoughts and she started towards the sound. She found a large beige canvas hung from the ceiling as a divider and made her way around it. A gasp escaped her lips when her eyes fell on the scene.
Standing stock still was a dark figure. A massacre of deep blood red was pooled at her feet. Splashes arched up the walls in sickeningly realistic splatters. In front of her was a second smaller canvas with paint sprayed up on it. The background was a sea of blue hues and the blood paint was flecked over it. The scene was disturbingly beautiful.
Kyle's eyes pulled towards the tall statuesque woman. Her curvy frame was draped in clinging black cloth. Mahogany hair cascaded in elegant waves to her delicate waist. The black cotton robe she wore fell just barely below her bum. Her toned thighs were the kind of creamy skin most women lusted after. Her feet were bare and the blood-red paint pooled around her heels and under the arches of her feet.
Adrian twisted her neck around to look at Kyle. Her silvery blue eyes glinted feral before softening into a welcoming gaze. Her body twisted around to face Kyle and a second gasp escaped the latter.
Adrian's robe was held loosely around bare breasts and red paint was splashed over them, up her neck, and flecked on her face. The front of the robe had splatters of paint over them too. Her lips, naturally as red as the paint, curved up into a tight lipped smile.
"How may I assist you, Kyle?" Her voice was a running river of velvet through Kyle's mind. For a brief moment, she forgot the question asked of her.
"I'm here for the meeting we arranged. I'm the curator for the Delancy family." Kyle said all this breathlessly, her eyes never leaving the captivating gaze of Adrian.
"Ah, yes. Do you know which they desire, or are you going to select your own choices?" Adrian moved toward Kyle, who's breath hitched at the sudden, fluid movement.
Adrian stepped gracefully around Kyle and walked toward the main area of the flat. Kyle's gaze shifted down to the bloody footprints and back up to the tops of Adrian's thighs. With each step forward, the cloth shifted around and the crescent of butt cheek peeked out. Adrian heard the soft sigh from Kyle's lips and turned her head to beckon her with her eyes.
Kyle followed dutifully around the opposite side of the metal structure where two modernized Victorian style armchairs and a matching chaise were set around a low coffee table. The wood on the set was perfectly polished bloodwood and the chairs and chaise were plush dark red velvet.
"Please sit while I change into something more appropriate." She left Kyle and walked back around the canvas divider.
She returned shortly after in a pair of dark denim jeans and a plain black v-neck shirt. Her feet were clean of the paint and she avoided the wet footprints leading to and retreating back from where she left her visitor.
Adrian draped herself across the chaise and looked deeply into Kyle's eyes. With the exception of the clothes, she looked like she belonged in the Victorian era along with the set. She was beautiful and Kyle wanted her.
A sense of longing and intense lust came out of the depths of Kyle's soul and before she could censor her thoughts she blurted out, "Will you go to dinner with me tomorrow night?"
Embarrassment colored her cheeks as she realized what she said. She wasn't even sure if Adrian liked women. She hadn't even spoken more than a few words to the mysterious woman. Kyle put her head in her hands and mumbled out a desperate apology.
Adrian drank in the red stained cheeks and felt the heat rise in the room at Kyle's embarrassment. She tittered in amusement and Kyle's head lifted at the sound of her tinkling laugh. Adrian smiled serenely at the embarrassed woman and nodded her head.
"I have plans for dinner already. Perhaps we could do after dinner drinks. I know of a nice cocktail lounge we could visit. Pick me up at ten. Now, we should discuss what you came here for, should we not? I asked earlier if you had something in mind for Mr. Delancy, do you?"
Kyle smiled back and pulled out a binder that had pictures of Adrian's art from her website that Delancy had mentioned. She laid the folder on the table and spun it to face Adrian.
***
They went to look at the selected pieces, set up prices and talked shipping for a bit longer before Kyle's blackberry went off to remind her of her next appointment. Adrian walked her to the door and Kyle held her hand out.
Adrian carefully grasped her hand and pulled it to her mouth before planting a kiss on the knuckles. She uncurled Kyle's fingers and flipped her hand supine, kissed the palm and ran her tongue swiftly through the space between her lips. She held Kyle's gaze throughout and smiled into her palm at the shiver that ran through Kyle's body. She dropped her hand and licked the salty skin taste that clung to her lips.
Kyle was frozen as Adrian opened the door for her, the bells chiming. Adrian placed her hand on Kyle's lower back and gave her a little push towards the door and Kyle thawed out in embarrassment. Her cheeks colored again and she mumbled a quiet good-bye and left with one last look back before the door was shut soundlessly behind her.
Adrian stood behind the door, staring at where Kyle stood, a smile dancing across her lips. Her tongue licked the salty sweat of Kyle's palm against her sharp incisor, drawing blood, and swallowed the metallic salty liquid in her mouth. A broad grin broke out on her face, baring her lethal teeth before turning back to clean her floor and finish her painting.
***
The crisp breeze picked up tendrils of Kyle's hair and spun them around her face as she made her way through the small footpath in the meadow. It was one of her favorite places to think. She glanced at her watch, let out an impatient sigh and sank into the knee-deep grass.
There was still an hour and a half before she needed to go to Adrian's. Flopping onto her back, Kyle made a star indention in the grassy field. The sky was cloudless this night and the stars reflected in Kyle's murky green eyes as they covered the entire sky. She absently picked out constellations remembered from schooling as her mind drifted to the image burned in her mind of Adrian standing in a pool of paint.
***
Glancing around the room, Adrian huffed a sigh of impatience. Her searching silvery eyes found purchase on the wall clock. Nine-thirty. She tipped the remnants of her brandy snifter back and with the grace of a feline, Adrian rose from the dinner table, made her excuses and glided through the exit.
***
Kyle stood before the studio door and brushed at her tan suede pants for the umpteenth time. A few stray grass pieces scattered to the floor and she stared at them, gathering courage. Raising her head confidently, she pressed the buzzer for the door.
The door swung open and her breath caught at the sight of Adrian leaning against it. The curvaceous brunette was at utter ease in the skin-like burgundy red dress. Her head rested against the door with her arm nestled on the crook in her waist. Full hips swayed out and tapered into toned pale silk thighs and calves. Delicate toes were bound in black, strappy four inch heeled shoes.
