The next morning there were some flowers tucked under my windshield wiper with a note.
K-
Picked these from the patch in front of your car. I’ll try to appreciate the things you like more; I enjoyed our time in the library. Have a nice day.
-Z
I looked in front of my car and, sure enough, there was a weed patch the flowers had been growing in. I wasn’t happy he was still bothering me, but it was a step up from being showered with expensive items. I laughed as I realized how many girls would have loved to be showered with gifts. I guess I wasn’t most girls.
I got in the car and headed to school, the weeds—flowers—in the backseat. I was a little curious over the comment about appreciating things I liked, but pushed it aside as I walked into art class.
“Class, today we have an amazing opportunity!” My teacher, a pretty, middle-aged woman, bounced on the balls of her feet as she clapped her hands. “We’ve had a model offer to pose for us today, so we’ll be taking a break from our oil-based landscapes. Please be advised, our model will be disrobed.”
I sighed and went to grab one of the school’s easels and paint sets. I wasn’t so concerned about the model being nude, I’d seen lots of nude paintings, but I was disappointed I didn’t have my own materials to work with.
I picked a spot next to the platform set up in the middle of the room and started laying everything out. I liked to be in front, so I wasn’t craning to see over anyone’s head while I worked. I didn’t look up when the teacher began to speak again.
“Class, this is our model for the day! And your name is . . . ?”
“Zeus.”
My head snapped up so quickly I thought my neck might break.
He was wearing nothing but a white bathrobe and the cockiest grin I’d ever seen. My eyes must have been like orbs, I was so shocked. He gave me a quick wink, and my mouth popped open in disbelief.
“Well, Zeus, thank you so much for volunteering to do this for us,” the teacher continued.
“It’s no problem,” he said. “I simply want to appreciate every art form out there. I thought if I was a part of the art, it would mean more to me.”
“We’re very happy you’re here,” the teacher said. Her eyes were glazing over as she stared at him, and I could almost see the fantasy she must have had playing in her head.
“Should I?” He pointed at the platform and moved to take his robe off.
“Oh, yes, please!” She grabbed an easel herself, never taking her eyes from him, and sat down.
I gasped as his robe came off, snapping my mouth shut and averting my eyes just in time. I could feel my cheeks blushing a million shades of red.
“This is officially my favorite class ever,” the girl next to me said with a grin, her gaze devouring the man in front of her.
“Uh-huh,” I agreed weakly. I glanced around the side of my canvas and saw Zeus, lying on his side with his legs stretched out straight, propped up on his elbow, facing me.
“Hey,” he said, cocking an eyebrow and smiling devilishly.
I gulped, my eyes still wide, and made sure my easel was positioned so that there was no chance of me seeing his lower half. If the professor had wanted a full body portrait, then I was getting half off—I wasn’t even going to look at that part of him.
I heard him laugh softly and peeked up again. He was still staring at me, a wide smile on his lips.
“Did you get my flowers?” he whispered.
I nodded and gulped again, focusing on my still-blank canvas. Maybe if I didn’t speak to him, he would quiet down himself.
“You know what? This position is a little bit uncomfortable,” he said to the class. “Do you mind if I move?”
There was a chorus of approval from the females in the room and some grumbling from the males. Zeus scooted a little farther down, laid his head on his arm, and bent his upper leg, so his foot was now on the floor behind his other leg. The position opened up his private area, and I squirmed as I readjusted my painting so I wouldn’t see it.
“We should go out tonight,” he whispered to me again. “It’ll be fun, I promise. We can talk about today’s class”
I died a thousand deaths inside. The girl next to me was sending a murderous glare my way. This was not an experience I ever wanted to talk about. To anyone. Ever. I remained silent, trying to paint his head and shoulders. Maybe a bust would still get me a good grade.
“Is that a yes or no?” There was laughter in his eyes as he spoke, clearly aware of my discomfort.
“I’m sorry, this one isn’t working either,” he announced loudly and stood up.
I ducked my head down—my easel was too short to cover anything up. I could hear him chuckling.
“So date or no date?” he whispered again, in spite of my bowed head. “Wow, it must be hard to paint me without looking. Unless you’ve memorized my amazing good looks. Have you? That would be so flattering, as well as a good indicator you want to go out tonight.”
I dropped my paintbrush and covered my face with my hands.
“Just stretching for a minute,” he announced again. From the girls giggling around me I could guess he was pointing his hips in my direction.
I dropped my hands, without shifting my eyes, and sighed.
“If I say I’ll go out with you tonight, will you stop trying to show me your crotch?” The whisper was soft and quick, but he heard it anyway.
“I don’t know, are you saying you will?” I could hear the laughter in his whisper.
“Yes.”
“Sorry, I’m not feeling comfortable; I think that’s what it is. I’m going to cover my lower half up, if that’s alright.”
I heard quiet groans of protest, and when I looked up, he had wrapped a towel around his waist. He lay back down in his original position and winked at me again.
“Pick you up at eight then? And I can spend whatever amount of money I deem necessary?”
“Sure.” I sighed in relief. And then I realized what I’d agreed to. Angry prickles bit at my insides. He’d somehow managed to get me after all.
I didn’t know what Zeus had planned for our date, so I dressed up. I figured it was better to be overdressed than underdressed. I had a cute white dress I’d completely forgotten about in the excitement of buying a new one. It had a tank top bodice and came a little past my knees in a pencil-style skirt. It was formfitting, but not so tight that it left nothing to the imagination. I chose a pair of red heels and necklace to offset it. Once again, I wore my hair down and curly, the way I liked it when I went out.
At eight on the dot there was a knock at the door. Zeus stood on the other side, wearing a suit of impeccable taste. He’d also worn a red tie, which matched my shoes. He may have been driving me crazy lately, but I couldn’t deny he was extremely attractive.
“Good evening.” He smiled and held his arm out for me. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I took it and walked out to the car with him.
“Now, I was tempted to bring a limousine to pick you up, but I thought it might be frowned upon.”
I laughed at his confession as he opened the door to his convertible for me.
“Well, thank you for the consideration.” I smiled as he closed my door gently and got in the car. With a turn of the key, we left the complex.
“So what are we doing?” I asked, tired of being kept in the dark.
“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” he replied.
Every now and then he’d look over and smile at me, soft music playing on the radio. I realized we were heading for the Strip as traffic increased around us. More lights glowed in the night air, and soon, pedestrians were crossing every which way in front of us.
“We’re not going to the club, are we?” I asked, uncomfortable at the prospect.
“No, actually. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” I breathed out a sigh of relief.
Secretly, I was afraid we would end up flying somewhere
like Paris. I’d seen that once in a movie. The girl hated the guy but finally agreed to go out with him. Then he took her on this huge, expensive date, and she fell in love with him right away. If Zeus was hoping for the same reaction, he was greatly lacking in judgment. If I so much as saw a runway, I would dive from the vehicle.
We pulled up to The Bellagio and Zeus paid the valet to park his car. I released the air that I suddenly realized I’d been hoarding and relaxed into the seat. Instead of a resort employee opening the door for me, Zeus came around and swept it open with as much style as possible. I accepted the arm he held out for me and we strolled inside. It was breathtaking. My eyes scanned high and low while we walked through the front lobby, wondering what we were doing here.
Finally, we came to a restaurant called Picasso. I could tell right away that it was one of the finest restaurants in the city. There were several awards hanging on the walls, but my breath caught when I saw the artwork.
They were all Picassos. Zeus graciously let me stop in examine them more closely. I knew they weren’t originals, but they were very good replications. I wanted to stand and stare at them the whole night, but it would be rude. Still, I had to apologize to a couple for standing at their table too long while I surveyed the canvas on the wall next to them.
We were seated at a table in the corner so we could be by ourselves. My menu didn’t have any prices on it, so I knew nothing would be cheap. My stomach twisted uncomfortably, but I knew I’d agreed to let him spend whatever amount he wanted.
“What do you think?” Zeus asked quietly, studying me.
“I think it’s amazing,” I said truthfully. “I also think you shouldn’t have gone through this much trouble for me.”
“It was no trouble,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I have a couple of friends here, so I can get in whenever I want. I thought, since you were an art student, you would enjoy eating here.”
“There’s only one problem,” I whispered. “I don’t know what to eat!”
Zeus laughed and opened his menu. “I’ll tell you what’s good. Just be warned—it’ll be everything. The chef here can do no wrong.”
I laughed in return and started asking about certain dishes.
What followed was one of the largest, most delicious meals I’d ever had. He’d been right—everything was delicious. The chef even came out to ask us how it tasted. I’d never had an experience like this before. It was almost eleven by the time we stood to leave.
“Thank you for dinner,” I said as we left the restaurant. “It was a nice date.” I was surprised to find that I meant it. My anger from before had greatly dissipated.
“The date’s not over yet,” he said smiling. “The best part is yet to come. Do you trust me?”
“No.” I laughed nervously. I really didn’t trust him all that much—he had a lot to make up for.
“Well, too bad. You have to wear a blindfold for this next part.” He pulled a piece of cloth out of his jacket pocket, and I eyed it hesitantly.
“Why?”
“Don’t worry, it will come off. I want our next destination to be a surprise.” He smiled reassuringly.
“What the heck, go ahead.” I threw caution to the wind and decided to go with it. It couldn’t be much worse than him showing up naked in my art class—unless, of course, I ended up dead in a dumpster. I grinned inwardly as I imagined the “I told you so” I would be missing from my parents if that were to happen.
He tied the blindfold loosely around my eyes, making sure not to tie my hair in it.
“Alright, here we go.” He took my hand and squeezed it as he began leading me forward. It was odd how comforting his hand felt in mine, and I found myself squeezing back.
We didn’t leave the resort as far as I could tell, but we did walk through a few doors. Finally, we stopped, and he let go of my hand.
“Are you ready?” he asked, excitement burning in his voice.
“I guess so,” I said, still not sure what was going on.
I felt his arms encircle me and his fingers work at the tie of my blinder.
“Close your eyes before it comes off,” he said. His warm breath washed over my face. Soft fingers traced over my cheek and through my hair, causing my breath to catch and goose bumps to form on my arms. “I want to see your expression when you see everything.”
“Okay,” I laughed and closed my eyes. The blindfold fell away, and I could hear his footsteps moving a few paces away from me.
“Alright, open your eyes.”
There were paintings everywhere—Monets, Picassos, and all sorts of other fine works. I gasped as I took them in, turning in a circle to see each of them. They were beautiful. I couldn’t decide where to start first.
“Do you like it?” he asked from behind me.
“I love it!” I turned to face him, a smile spread across my face. “Where are we?”
“Still in The Bellagio,” he explained. “This is usually closed right now, but I managed to convince them to let us in. I thought you might enjoy it more without all sorts of people in your way.”
“This is . . . Not what I expected,” I said honestly.
“What did you expect,” he laughed.
“I’m not sure. I didn’t know what to expect from a man who had to get naked for me to go out with him.”
“Hey now,” he said, acting hurt. “You were the one that made it difficult.” He clutched a hand to his chest like I had mortally wounded him.
“Yeah, well . . .” I didn’t want to ruin our date by calling him out on his actions when we first met.
“Listen,” he said, moving closer to me. “I really am sorry about that. I was a jerk and I know it. Thank you for helping me realize I’m better than that. And you’re worth more than that.”
“Oh,” I said embarrassed. There was a little awkward silence.
“So, do you want to see the rest of it?” He held his arm out for me again, ushering the uncomfortable feelings away. “There are a few more large rooms like this one.”
“I would love to,” I said. It wasn’t like me to hold a grudge for so long. I decided that despite his piggish behavior before, he was a good guy. I finally found it in myself to forgive him and get to know who he really was. And if it turned out he really was a jerk, well then, I knew how to take care of him. I reached out and took his hand instead of his arm, blushing at the grin he gave me.
“Show me the rest?”
“I’d love to,” he replied.
Chapter Eight