Complementary Colors Page 7

  No matter the price.

  “I’ll stay, but under one condition.”

  “What?”

  I scraped my teeth down his neck to his shoulder. “You make sure to fuck me hard enough there’s no way I could even think of walking out.”

  ********

  “Where have you been?” Julia cut me off at the bottom of the steps.

  “Can you yell at me later? I’m tired.” Tired, sore, completely melted. I was going to have to sit on a pillow for a week. God, I hoped she hadn’t promised me to anyone.

  “Not until you tell me where you were.”

  “Out. With a friend.”

  “Please tell me you used a condom.”

  “I didn’t know you cared.”

  She slapped me. “I work too fucking hard to have you destroy it all just because you can’t keep it in your pants.”

  “Then I would suggest you cancel any further dates you have scheduled me for.”

  “The clients who have earned your company have to prove they are clean. And they know the rules.”

  Condoms.

  She gripped my chin and turned my head to the side. “Do you have any idea how hard those are going to be to cover up?”

  And no visible marks. Especially no hickies.

  “Now I’ll have to take you to get tested.” She pulled out her cell phone. “Have you showered yet?”

  “Take a sniff. What do you think?”

  “I do not need this, Paris. Not now. You have the biggest interview of your life in three days. I cannot believe you would risk everything for…” Her face reddened.

  “Sex?”

  She slapped me again.

  “Well, what else did you want me to call it?”

  She quick-keyed the number. “How dare you do this to me?”

  “You can calm down. He’s clean.”

  “Really? He tell you, or did he show you his paperwork? I’m sure he just conveniently had it lying around.”

  “No, he’s never had sex with any other man.”

  “There are more than a few ways to catch something.”

  “You’re right, there are. And those ways won’t be stopped by a condom.”

  “I mean, drugs. Specifically needles.”

  “He doesn’t even smoke cigarettes, let alone shoot up.”

  “Drug users lie.”

  “I had my tongue in every crack and crevice of his body. If he had track marks, I would have found them.”

  She curled her hand into a fist. I braced myself, but the strike never came.

  “Look, sex helps me paint. That’s what you want me to do, isn’t it?”

  “Then maybe I should take more applicants?”

  “Sex with people I want to have sex with.”

  “And obviously, that’s not a choice you can be trusted with.”

  “He’s the only one I’ve slacked on in years.”

  “It only takes one.”

  “Even without tests, there’s less of a chance with him than the people you hook me up with who wear condoms. Now, can I go get a shower?”

  A child laughed.

  I turned. “Who did you bring in here?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  With only a dividing wall between the kitchen and open floor plan, there was nowhere for anyone to hide. “Nothing.” The beginning of a headache throbbed behind my eyes.

  “Here, I have some pills in my purse.” She walked over to the dining room table.

  “I’m fine.”

  “If your head hurts, you need to take something for it.”

  “It doesn’t hurt.”

  “Then why are you rubbing your temple?” Julia dug around in her handbag and came back with a fat white pill. “Here.”

  “What is it?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Yes.”

  “Take the pill, Paris.”

  “Fine.” I turned to go up the stairs.

  “Now.”

  “I need water.”

  “Then go to the kitchen.”

  “My room is closer.”

  “You have no trouble fitting far bigger things down your throat, so swallow it dry.”

  “Sucking cock is a lot different than trying to swallow pill the size of an egg. If you’d ever done it, you’d know that.”

  Another slap.

  “Covering up a busted lip is going to be a lot harder than hickies.” I pressed my tongue to my lip.

  “Take the pill, or a busted lip will be the least of your worries.”

  I put it in my mouth.

  “Swallow.”

  The chalky rock scraped my throat. I worked my mouth for every drop of saliva I could get.

  “Swallow it.”

  “I’m trying.” It got stuck on the way down.

  Julia held my face and squeezed my cheeks. “Open.” I even remembered to lift my tongue. When she was satisfied, she let me go. “Go bathe. You’re stinking up the place.”

  Cut free, I climbed up the steps.

  “Paris.”

  I stopped at the top. What the hell could she want now? “Yes?”

  “I only do this because I care about you.”

  I always wondered if she actually believed her lies or if she thought I did. “I’ll be in my room.”

  By the time I’d washed, the pill lodged somewhere in my chest had begun to burn a bitter chemical taste back up to my tongue. I drank two glasses of water, but the lingering pain made it impossible for me to tell whether or not it had gone down. Then the room tipped.

  The mystery pills Julia pushed on me could either give me the best highs or the worst hangovers.

  I staggered over uneven ground and into my bedroom. A blinding mass struck me from above, but the light switch had moved so I had no way to turn it off.

  The walls fell, kicking up waves, and my bed rocked in the center of my room. I grabbed the comforter but was swept away by the undertow before I could climb on.

  My shoulder knocked against the frame, and somehow I wound up on the ceiling with all the furniture dancing around me. I reached for the bed, but it drifted off the edge of the world.

  Then the ants ate all my strength, and all I could do was float.

  Chapter Four

  Sunlight cast broken pieces of red and gold across the ripples. Fat orange fish made circles, and we watched them for a while before he spoke. I didn’t know where he’d come from, but I don’t think I cared.

  Summer was always so lonely for me.

  The boy put his hand on my chest. “¿Cómo te llamas?”

  I looked down because I thought I had something on my shirt. “I don’t understand.”

  His entire face lit up when he laughed. “No. Name. You name.”

  “Paris. My name is Paris.” I put my hand on his chest.

  “Me llamo…”

  “Your dinner is getting cold,” Julia said.

  The salmon and asparagus on my plate had been arranged with bits of lemon and decorated with lacy sauce. Too bad making a pretty food sculpture didn’t make it taste like a cheap can of alphabet soup.

  I poked the fish with my fork.

  The murmur of conversation flowing through the restaurant was chorused by the occasional clink of silverware on porcelain. The contrast spit out shards of lime greens over reds and purples.

  With every new chip, the pain behind my eyes swelled. It might have been tolerable if the people at our table would have stopped talking to me.

  “So tell me, Paris, what are you working on right now?” I think his name was Crayson. “It’s going to be difficult for you to top the Trinity you unveiled at that last showing. It was definitely your best so far.”

  My best. A corpse was my best. A corpse being torn apart by ravaging dogs while onlookers did nothing.

  That…That was my best.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  He smiled and so did his wife. There were two other couples at our table. I’d never seen them before, but they must ha
ve been serious about purchasing one of my works. Julia only invited out the ones who’d practically given her a blank check.

  “Paris is always working on amazing new pieces. I’m sure whatever it is, you will be pleasantly surprised.”

  “Are you a religious man, Paris?” I didn’t know the man sitting across from me at the other end of the table either, but he looked vaguely familiar.

  “No.”

  He arched an eyebrow and sipped his wine. “Then why do all your works have a religious theme?”

  “I—”

  “Paris respects the need for religion,” Julia said. “While we don’t belong to a particular church, it doesn’t mean we can’t recognize intelligent design.”

  The man folded his hands and leaned forward. His eyes were so dark they were black. I’d never seen a man with eyes like that.

  Exactly like mine.

  “Is that what you believe, Paris?”

  Julia paused mid-bite. The gleam in her gaze dared me to refute her. Would she stab me with her steak knife if I did? Wouldn’t that be a wonderful front-page story? At least she would get the fame she’d always dreamed of.

  The tension screamed between us.

  “What she said.”

  Julia went back to eating and talking with everyone except for the unnamed man. He stared at me while he plucked cherry tomatoes from the end of his fork. There was no ring on his finger, but he wore an expensive watch and sapphire cufflinks.

  I cut a piece of salmon and dragged it through the sauce. It dripped on the way to my mouth. I collected the smear of sauce from my lip and sucked it off my finger.

  “Use your napkin.” Julia pushed it closer. She resumed her conversation, and I did it again.

  The man tilted his head ever so slightly in the direction of the men’s room. I flicked a look at Julia. His smile widened as he drank the last of his wine.

  “Ladies, gentlemen, if you would excuse me, I’m going to step out on the veranda for a smoke.” The man made his way through the crowd of tables.

  Off to my right, a woman laughed. Her blonde hair fell in a curtain over her shoulders. A minuscule table separated her from an equally lovely young man. Their hands made love to each other between their glasses of wine.

  Every so often, they would share a bite of food, and he would lean close enough to whisper in her ear.

  An elderly couple sat behind them. Their table was also small, but they’d moved their chairs to one side. The subtle smiles they shared were twice as powerful.

  I drank some wine to soothe the dryness in my throat. After another excruciating minute, I pushed back my chair. “Would you excuse me, please, while I make use of the facilities?”

  Julia’s hand locked onto my wrist. “You have guests.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “It’s rude to leave the table.” She squeezed five burning points into my skin.

  “I’m just going to the bathroom.”

  She did not let go.

  “I promise.”

  She still didn’t let go.

  “It’s right across the room. You can see the door from here.”

  Her grip loosened. “Don’t take too long.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Her heated stare pressed against my back all the way to the men’s room. The man with no name stood at the sink washing his hands.

  There was no one at the urinals, and all the stall doors were slightly open. As luck would have it, the closet-like design offered maximum privacy.

  I entered the one at the end. The man with no name joined me. He locked the door and shoved me into the corner.

  “Took you long enough.” He attacked my mouth.

  “Julia doesn’t trust me.”

  “Really? Does she have a reason not to trust you, Mr. Duvoe?” He bit my ear, and I hissed.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Good.”

  Our tongues returned to battle. I pulled his hair, and he twisted one of my nipples through my shirt.

  “I wanted to fuck you as soon as I saw you.” The man worked his belt with one hand.

  “Allow me.” I knelt and set him free. He grabbed the back of my head and forced me to take his cock to the back of my throat. I swallowed, massaging his length.

  “I’m going to fuck your mouth, Paris, like no one ever has. You’re going to choke on me. You’re going to beg me to stop.” He rolled his hips. “And maybe if you’re good enough, I will.” He yanked me back only to slam himself down my throat again. “That’s it. God, yes, just like that.” He pumped his hips. “Suck harder.” I did. “Yes. Yes. Just like that.”

  I fought to keep pace and unbuckle my pants.

  “Don’t you dare touch yourself.” He drew out until only the tip of him was between my lips, but before I could catch my breath, he forced his cock to the back of my throat. “Goddamn, you’ve got a good mouth.”

  The scent of male musk overpowered his expensive cologne, flavoring every breath he allowed me to take.

  Then he held me. Filling my throat until there was no room for air.

  I rolled a look up at him, but his features were lost under the tears pooling in my eyes.

  “Aw, Paris. Why are you crying?” He wiped my cheek a with manicured fingers. I breathed through my nose, and he pinched it shut. “No cheating.”

  I glared at him.

  “Is something wrong? Is there something you need maybe?”

  Black stars burst in front of my eyes.

  “It’s easy to take breathing for granted until you can’t do it.”

  I groaned.

  “Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full?”

  He pulled out, and I gasped for breath.

  “Now what were you trying to say?” He petted my face. “Maybe ‘stop, I can’t take it, it’s too much’?”

  I met his gaze and smiled. “Is that the best you can do?”

  He laughed. “You are something, aren’t you?”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Stand up.” I did, and he spun me around. “Hands on the wall.” He worked my pants open.

  “There’s a condom in my wallet.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “Use it.”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Julia’s rules.”

  There was a second where he paused. Then he dug a hand through my pants pocket.

  “Other side.”

  He dropped my wallet on the floor. “I hate these fucking things.”

  “Yeah, and I hate my sister.”

  “You sound like you’re scared of her.” He flicked the wrapper, and it landed next to my shoe. “Are you?”

  “Do you plan on sticking your dick in my ass or not?”

  “Patience. Damn thing is slick as…there.” He painted the lubricant left on his fingers over my opening.

  The man pushed just enough to work the fat head beyond the ring of muscle of my hole, then took me in one hard shove. “God…I bet you feel ten times as good without the condom.”

  “Too bad you’ll never find out.”

  “Don’t worry,” He thrust. “I’ll find a way”—he grunted—“for you to make it up to me.” I tilted my hips to change the angle and had to bury a cry into my arm.

  “One day, I’ll have you somewhere you won’t get to hide those sounds. I’ll make you sing, Paris. Just like a little bird.”

  I clenched my ass, and he barked in surprise. I laughed.

  “Fuck. Definitely going to have you again.” He pulled me back while he went forward, slamming our bodies together.

  My gut knotted up, sharpening the pleasure. He might have only been average in size, but he obviously knew how to make the best of it.

  “Still think that’s funny?” He did it again, and the shock picked me up on my toes so far he almost slid out.

  “You won’t have me again.”

  “Who says?”

  “I say.”

  “From what I’ve h
eard, this ass I’m fucking has a price tag, and here I am using it without paying a cent.”

  “Free”—Another sharp jab yanked the breath right out of me.—“sample.”

  “Really now?”

  “You have no idea what I can do.” I looked at him over my shoulder. “No idea.”

  “Maybe I’ll just have to find out.”

  “From what I’ve seen so far, you don’t stand a chance.”

  The flush in his cheeks darkened. “What’s the price?”

  “Fifty, sometimes sixty. Negotiate with Julia.”

  The man reached around and grabbed my balls. “She’s not the one I’m fucking.”

  “Not my call.”

  He squeezed.

  I gritted my teeth. “Fucking hell.”

  “That’s right, cry like a little bitch.”

  I pushed back against him, cutting his thrusts short. The sound of our bodies slapping together echoed off the walls. He grunted with every thrust. “Gonna come.”

  The bathroom door whispered on its hinges. Laughter floated in, and voices followed. He froze with his cock buried in my ass.

  “Might want to hold that thought.” I smirked.

  “Shh—”

  The hazy image of two men moved behind the slats in the door. They met at the urinals.

  I leaned my head back until my lips almost brushed his cheek. “Maybe they’ll blow each other.”

  My fuck buddy slapped his hand over my mouth. “I said shut up.”

  I clenched my ass and rolled my hips. He glared at me. I laughed at him with my eyes.

  Next to my ear, he whispered. “If you get me caught, I will do worse than fuck you raw.”

  I did it again.

  He all but crushed my face with his hand.

  The two men unzipped and urinated.

  “Are you up for a game this weekend?” the man on the left said.

  Right guy shifted his weight. “Wedding anniversary.”

  “See, I warned you not to get married. Ruins your life.”

  “She’s a good woman.”

  “Ruins the sex too.”

  Righty laughed. “That’s why you keep friends with benefits.”

  “So no golf?” Lefty finished. The sliced image of his gray slacks moved to the sink. There was a squeak, then the hiss of water.