Dark Art Ch 10

note:

i can't believe i'm halfway done with this! this is the most support i've ever had for my writing, so i really cannot thank you all enough for that. this will be the last part in serafine's POV, then the story will alternate between the two of them every episode until its done. >:)

Episode 10: Opportunity Costs

"Fee."

Serafine was on all fours on her bedroom floor, patting her hand around under the bed for a familiar shoebox.

"What?" she said flatly.

"Didn't you hear what Noah said about that guy? He's dangerous. Like, actually."

Serafine rolled her eyes while her back was turned, locating the box and standing up to set it on her nightstand before unzipping her jeans. She'd never been uncomfortable changing in front of other women, and easily slid her pants down her legs so that her bare thighs were visible.

"Noah needs to stop reading his mother's emails," she responded, pulling down her underwear and changing into a clean pair of boxer shorts from her nightstand drawer before turning to look at her roommate. "Does Mrs. Divello know he still does that? Because I'm pretty sure it's... You know... Illegal."

"You know what else is illegal?" asked Elizabeth, looking slightly away as Serafine pulled off her t-shirt. "Assault."

"So he got into a bar fight or whatever. Sound's about right for him. You've seen his posts," Serafine shrugged dismissively, slipping into an even more ragged-looking t-shirt and grabbing a handful of weed from the shoebox. She edged past her roommate after that, out of her bedroom and toward the welcome sanctuary of the living room balcony.

"Fee,

I'm

obviously

not talking about

that kind

of assault," Elizabeth whisper-shouted, trailing a couple of steps behind her. "I'm talking about ra-"

"Well, I'm just working for him," Serafine cut her off before her roommate could get the word out. "So you can stop freaking out."

"Maybe that's how

you

see it," Elizabeth insisted. "But do you really think he looks at it like that? He's way older than you. It's really not even okay that he asked you. You know that, right?"

Serafine ignored her, crumbling and rolling marijuana between a thin square paper before sparking a lighter. At this, Elizabeth pulled her shirt up over her nose dramatically while she exhaled, blowing a cloud of smoke into the alley.

"It's temporary," Serafine said after a moment. "And it's relevant work experience, meaning Beauregard will count it as extra credit. Which you know I need. The Masters family just owns a lot of art, and he needs some help while he transitions in, or whatever. I don't see why you're making such a big deal about it. We're both adults."

"Don't you think he has other intentions? I mean..." Elizabeth hesitated, seeming to look for the words that would be the most convincing. "Think about it. Why would he ask

you

, if his family is already so well connected? You know? No offense."

"Honestly? I don't think he really knows what he's doing," Serafine said, her face breaking into a small smile as she remembered the day he came wandering into the conservatory building, followed by a laugh as she thought about how Ivan was so easy to convince. From three percent, to six. Flights to Italy, no questions asked, all because he thought she was pretty.

Typical man.

"It's not funny," Elizabeth said seriously.

Serafine stared down the alley, knowing that her roommate was well-intentioned, but the truth was, she didn't fully understand the situation.

Nobody did.

Elizabeth thought she was delivering a warning, a way to keep her out of harm's way, but she didn't realize that line had been crossed a long time ago, and the life-changing amount of money Serafine knew was waiting on the other side made it easy to ignore warnings, no matter who they came from.

Ivan was tolerable, besides, and his initial payment toward a new wardrobe had instilled in her a strange sense of loyalty. Who else in her life was just handing out money like that? No one. Not Noah, Ric, Elizabeth, or any of her supposed friends. There was just him.

He also hadn't left any bruises on her neck this time, so her fear of getting hurt for real was beginning to fade. He was still well-connected, affluent and attractive, which were all traits that in her eyes, made his other behaviors at least partially redeemable.

"Maybe he's just trying to be nice," Serafine offered, but Elizabeth didn't buy this for a second.

"He's

trying

to fuck you," she said irritably.

"Him and every other guy I know," Serafine shrugged, taking some satisfaction in the way her roommate's frown deepened at her nonchalance. "At least he's rich. And he's actually kindof hot. Super fit and tall, you know? I might let him."

"Gross," said Elizabeth, right as Serafine's phone chimed from somewhere in her bedroom, through the open patio door.

They both turned to look at the direction of the sound before looking back at each other.

Elizabeth sighed. "I really think you should reconsider this."

"You can't live your life in fear of men, Liz," said Serafine. "Or you'll never get anywhere."

"Well, I'm

getting

tired. So I'm

going

to bed," her roommate replied with a shake of her head.

"Night," said Serafine, staring at the trash cans in the alley until the joint burned away the paper and she let it go over the railing, watching the ember go from orange to black on the asphalt before receding to her room and closing the door.

On her phone screen, several messages were stacked on top of each other. Emails and texts, which she unlocked to reveal ticket confirmations from O'Hare Airport to a place called Leonardo da Vinci--Fiumicino, in Rome. Business class. A week from today.

For a while, she just stared at the messages. It didn't seem real that this was all happening.

Leonardo da Vinci--Fiumicino

. The words themselves seemed like something out of the museum archives, not like a real place she could -- would -- be going to.

The same rush of exhilaration she'd felt when she first met Ivan returned. She had to admit, he was more attractive because of all these little perks, and it was nice knowing he was following through on what he said he would do. She'd yet to mention the fact that they were going on a trip to Italy together to her roommate, but reasoned she had time still to figure that out. Searching for Ivan's number in her phone, she typed out a message.

thanks for the

She deleted the text and retyped another, feeling the same anxiety about what to say to him stirring even though he wasn't physically in the room.

i got the tickets

Almost immediately, she could see that he was typing a response, and her heart beat idiotically while she waited. Why did she fawn over his attention like this? It was so unlike her, and yet, here she was. Eyes glued to the screen, awaiting his every word.

don't forget to send pics of your little outfits

She pressed her knees together under the sheets and put down her phone. It was crystal clear that Ivan only wanted one thing from her, but at least it was something she could provide. Being pretty and young and innocent-seeming had attracted male attention her entire life, so it wasn't like Elizabeth's warnings were anything groundbreaking. It's just that this time, there was something in it for her that actually seemed worthwhile to pursue, and she felt a growing sense of determination to endure whatever it took to get there.

Nothing in life came for free, after all. She knew from the moment Ivan made her the job offer that there'd be strings attached, but in her mind, it was like an opportunity cost. No different than being enrolled in an expensive art school for a better chance at getting a job after graduation. If it was free, everyone would be doing it, but exclusivity, opportunity, and access always came with a price attached.

One hand gingerly brushed her cheek where Ivan had hit her. It didn't hurt anymore, but she remembered it so vividly, she could replay it in her mind when she closed her eyes.

She'd never been hit like that before. Well... Not since she was a kid. It shocked her more than it hurt, even in the moment, and hours later, it was the sense of confusion and uncertainty that lingered more than the sting.

Everyone was right about him. He had a problem, but he also offered a lot of solutions, and she thought, maybe, some of his kinks were negotiable. If she could just be more vocal about her own boundaries, he would surely see things from her perspective. She'd never been good at speaking up. That was the

real

problem.

There were aspects of him that she still liked. It was just so hard to separate those from the ones she didn't, like when she didn't like an artist personally, but adored their work. The pros and cons of her relationship with Ivan had similar nuance, which she fixated on uncomfortably in the dark for a while before falling asleep without even noticing it happen.

The next morning when Serafine woke up for school, Elizabeth was already gone.

So, we're fighting now,

she thought with a sigh.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to say anything," Serafine mumbled to herself as she walked to the kitchen, automatically putting on coffee. One of the few ingredients they always had around, thanks to their many late nights spent studying the old masters.

They had a class together later today. Drawing 204. But the thought of rehashing the whole Ivan Masters situation made Serafine suddenly dread the idea of going to school at all, so she hung out at the apartment alone for a while instead, relishing the silence.

She stared at her phone while she drank coffee, Ivan's last message sitting prominently at the top of all the others.

don't forget to send pics of your little outfits

At the sight of the text, an idea presented itself as she swiped the app away to look at her Cash balance once more, still amazed at having access to an amount of money that had an actual comma in it.

If Ivan wanted her to buy new clothes, she decided she would do it. The prospect of dressing better felt very grown-up, for one, and for another, she felt increasingly driven to please him, reminding herself that within a few weeks time, if she upheld her part of the bargain, she would be walking away with hundreds of thousands of dollars for the effort.

She found herself on Instagram again, analyzing his recent posts. If the women he was in photos with were any indication of his tastes, he liked short skirts, bikinis, and skin-tight booty shorts. It made her a little uncomfortable to think about showing so much skin, but she thought,

It's not like anyone's going to see me. We'll be out of the country. And besides, isn't that how all the people dressed over there, fashionable and sexy and chic?

There was a 14-story Macy's downtown that she'd heard Elizabeth mention having "great deals" before, so after she finished her coffee and threw on a pair of jeans, she mapped the store on her phone and walked the entire way there, happy to kill time now that she'd decided she was officially ditching class.

It was 1PM and the weather was uncharacteristically beautiful for summer in Chicago, with a light breeze blowing cool air into the city from the lake. It took her an hour of walking to reach the mall, and the indoor air made her skin prickle as soon as she passed through the revolving door, but she rubbed away the chill on her arms until she got used to it, walking through a daze of colorful aisles and glossy floors, packed with merchandise.

There was so much to choose from that the mall quickly became overwhelming. Anxious thoughts clawed at her as she stared up at shiny plastic mannequins in hats and sundresses.

What if he doesn't like what I get?

she thought, biting her lip.

Would he be disappointed?

Serafine naturally gravitated toward anything cheap, comfortable, and good for getting paint on, but she forced herself to select a few colorful dresses and even different pairs of high heels as she made her way up the store's many floors.

In the dressing room, she tried on short blue dress, looking at herself in the mirror doubtfully. She liked her body, it was just so unlike her to dress like this, the copper-colored skin of her legs now visible all the way up to her mid-thigh. What if it was windy? When she bent over to look at herself in the mirror, she could see the barest hint of her underwear peeking out from under the hem, and tried to pull the fabric down a little further, thinking,

This is so impractical. It must be men that design this stuff.

Well, at least Ivan will probably like it,

she reasoned, turning in the mirror a few more times to observe herself before pulling out her phone and taking a picture.

Without letting herself think for too long, she sent the photo to him, along with the text,

what do you think?

A few seconds later, she saw the '...' that indicated he was typing, and smiled to herself. It felt nice to have his attention. Between her spotty attendance at school, and now the argument that was brewing with her roommate at home, it was nice just having

someone

in her life that wanted to talk to her. Regardless of the reason.

why don't you bend over

he wrote back, making Serafine momentarily look away from her phone, biting her thumb as if the request was too much to bear. She couldn't stop the rush of heat from between her thighs however, and, ignoring her better judgement, put her phone on the ground and bent over, her hands wrapping around her ankles.

Am I really going to do this?

she thought.

It feels wrong.

But it was also kindof... fun. Exhilarating, a little devious, just like most of her encounters with him so far. She could hear other people passing outside the thin dressing room walls as she set the timer on her phone and posed for a few pictures, sending the ones where her waist and legs were the most accentuated to Ivan.

that's better

he replied, followed by.

what else did you get?

until one by one, Serafine slipped into dresses and skirts and high heels and sent him the pictures, dutifully awaiting his approval.

much better

he finally texted back, a phrase which she felt oddly relieved by, when another stream of messages followed.

now i want you to play with your pussy for me

sit on the floor

spread your legs

Serafine's eyebrows raised, but he was still typing.

pull out your tits

send me a video

She glanced at the floor. It was dirty from people walking on it all day, and the thought of putting her bare skin anywhere near the graying carpet made her grimace, but there was just something about the lewdness of his requests that she found so... hot, that she was not only willing to push aside her concerns, she was surprisingly eager.

Sliding off her underwear, she switched her phone to video and squatted down, flipping up the fabric of the pleated black skirt she'd changed into and leaning back against the wall so that her spread legs were perfectly centered, a pair of strappy black high heels making her feet arch sensually on either side of the frame.

As instructed, she unbuttoned the thin blouse she had put on and pulled it off her shoulders so that her breasts were both exposed. In the cool air of the dressing room, her nipples hardened, and, looking at herself for a moment on the screen, she felt another surge of arousal.

It looked like a scene in a porno. The dress, the sharply angled heels, the way her back was artificially arched to make her breasts look bigger from the angle of the camera. But in the moment, she didn't care what she looked like. She only cared about satiating that spasm of muscles she kept feeling from her abdomen, and of course, Ivan's nonstop stream of approval.

Pulling her underwear to the side, she teased her clitoris, before gently spreading her fingers around the entrance of her vagina. She was already wet, and it was easy to see from the camera that lubricant was dripping out of her and onto the dressing room carpet like spilled shampoo.

After just a few seconds, she stopped and sent the video to Ivan with a coquettish little smile, and again, his responses came back in a stream of messages.

god youre so hot

show me your ass

keep playing with your yourself

Serafine bit her lower lip and did exactly as he'd told her, angling her body so that her phone was sitting between her feet on the floor behind her, and she was leaning on her elbows with one hand between her legs rubbing her clit.

Her breathing got heavier as she thought about what she was doing, the way she was positioned facedown on the floor.

Do all the women do this for him? ...Or just me?

She knew exactly what she'd been inviting when she sent him the initial photo, but everything after that had been his idea, so she doubted he was a stranger to getting nudes.

Her body tensed as she masturbated, her skirt flipped up over her waist so that her ass was easily visible, until she saw a pair of shoes walk past from under the dressing room door, and quickly got up and grabbed her phone.

She sent the entire video before she could stop herself, and in the painfully long minutes it took him to respond, got dressed into her regular clothes and started separating the outfits she'd been trying on into things she was keeping and things she wasn't.

slut

chimed his response, but she was starting to interpret words like this as praise when coming from him, and texted him back,

thank you mr masters

, while smiling to herself and leaving the dressing room with armfuls of new clothes.

i'm in a meeting right now honey

came another delayed response as she walked to the register. She bit her bottom lip as she imagined him watching the videos she'd sent him under the table of some important conference room downtown.

see you next week

read another message from him.

were going to have a lot of fun together

i can tell

She responded with a heart, then put her phone away as her cheeks reddened.

Was the heart too much? Maybe I should have just liked it instead...

Leaving the mall with $528 of new clothes, her thoughts turned from Ivan, to Italy. The impending trip still seemed a little too good to be true, and part of her was worried that any small mistake on her part would make it all somehow disappear, but she pushed those thoughts away as she navigated the city back home.

If he had someone else that could help him, he would have gone to them by now. She'd already sensed that he was fielding a lot of other conflicts in his life, but there must have been at least part of him that thought she could actually get this done, otherwise he wouldn't have invested so much of his own time and energy. It was this confidence in her that she chose to focus on as she walked.

When she unlocked the door to the apartment, Elizabeth was already there, reheating leftovers in the kitchen. She took one look at the shopping bags draped over Serafine's arms and raised her eyebrows.

"Since when do you go to Macy's?"

"It's for work," Serafine responded, locking the deadbolt.

"For work," Elizabeth repeated tonelessly.

"Yes," said Serafine, kicking off her shoes and deciding to tell her the truth about the trip. She'd have to say something eventually. "Upcoming business trip. I'll actually be gone for a couple of days next week, I've been meaning to tell you."

"Are you being serious?" said Elizabeth, aghast.

"Ivan is traveling," Serafine shrugged. "So...I'm traveling."

Elizabeth shook her head and made a scoffing noise, as if Serafine had told a bad joke.