Jenna leant her head on his shoulder.
‘You’re not just a pretty face, are you?’ she said.
‘Oh, I’m a lot more than that,’ he said, reaching around to tickle her neck. ‘And you know it.’
They sat there, wrapped up in each other, quiet and calm after the storm, enjoying the sheer togetherness of the moment.
‘So,’ said Jenna, sitting up and retrieving her wine. ‘The fresco is finished. And bloody amazing it is too. What’s your next project?’
Jason took a long glug of wine then turned to her with a crooked smile.
‘You,’ he said.
‘Me? You mean that sketch you were doing?’
‘Oh, more than that. A lot more than that. I’ve got plans for you, madam.’
A pleasurable shiver started at the nape of Jenna’s neck and fluttered downwards.
‘What sort of plans?’
‘I had this idea for a series of portraits,’ he said. ‘Erotic portraits.’
‘You’re not doing pornographic pictures of me!’
‘Don’t be so narrow-minded, Jen. It’s not porn. It’d be art.’
‘Oh yes, that’s what they all say.’ She put down her glass and hugged her arms around her body, as if in defence of it.
‘Well, thanks a lot. You think I’m some low class tits and fanny merchant. Great. Nice one.’
‘No, I don’t,’ she said, opening herself up again. ‘I don’t think that. But Jason – I can’t … My image! I’m not some professional life model, am I? I’m a person with a high public profile.’
‘You think it would hurt your public profile, if people knew you liked sex? Why the fuck should it?’
‘Because you know what it’s like out there. I wouldn’t get a moment’s peace for the rest of my life. The pictures would be referenced in every single interview, every single profile, every single silly paragraph about Talent Team forever more.’
‘So? Let them have their smutty fun. Who cares what dicks like that think anyway? And when did I say I’d exhibit them?’
Jenna took a breath, her fears suddenly falling away.
‘You mean, you wouldn’t?’
‘No. I’d keep them for myself. They’d be my undiscovered masterpiece, a little treat for the world for after we’re both gone. I mean, you’re not going to care if people see them after you’re dead, are you?’
‘What a very comforting thought,’ said Jenna. ‘But … are you serious?’
‘Cross my heart, hope to die. Well, eventually. Sometime after I get this series painted.’
‘So when you say series …?’ Jenna picked up her wine glass to hide behind in case the answer was too shocking.
‘I want to paint you in different stages of having sex,’ said Jason.
She burst out laughing.
‘How on earth is that possible? I mean … wouldn’t you be a bit busy?’ She spluttered into her wine glass, a further thought making her giggle. ‘Unless you mean you’re literally going to get to work on my body with a paint brush. Is that it?’