‘It’s a thought,’ said Jason, undeterred. ‘I quite fancy that, actually. But no. Listen, I haven’t explained properly. I won’t actually be on you at the time. I want to do upper body and face portraits. Mainly, I want to capture the look on your face. Every time I see it, I wish I could get it on canvas and keep it forever. It’s always just that little bit different and I hate the thought of never seeing you exactly like that again. So I thought I’d try and paint it.’
Jenna sobered, more moved than she cared to admit by his words. They really sounded like something somebody deeply in love would think.
‘Just face and upper body?’ she repeated.
‘Yeah. No porn stuff, all right? Unless you want me to …’
‘Well, if it’s going to stay private, perhaps …’
‘Wicked. Another project for after this one.’ He bent to snatch a kiss from her, red wine mixing with lips and tongues.
‘So how are you going to do it, if you’re over there at the easel and I’m … not?’
‘What I want is your face, when you’re aroused, then when you come, then afterwards. Maybe a couple more in between. So I just need to capture it, get that moment, then work from there.’
‘But …’ Jenna laughed with appalled embarrassment. ‘You can’t paint that quickly, can you?’
‘I’d take a photograph, then do a sketch from it, obviously, first. And you’re right. We’d have to repeat it a few times.’
His smile was broad and unabashedly lascivious.
‘I do suffer for my art,’ he said.
She slapped the back of his hand.
‘You’re unbelievable sometimes,’ she said. ‘I wish I could see what goes on in your mind.’
‘Trust me, you don’t. We’ll get started then, shall we?’
‘Hold on. There’s something I really ought to do first.’ She took her phone from her bag and dialled Kayley’s number.
It went straight to voicemail.
‘She’s switched her phone off,’ Jenna muttered to Jason. ‘Probably too upset to take calls. Oh dear.’ The tone sounded and Jenna left a brief message of apology, begging Kayley to call her.
‘I hope she’s OK,’ remarked Jason.
‘So do I. She wouldn’t … you know … She isn’t the type to go to the papers, is she?’
‘What type’s that?’ said Jason. ‘The type that needs money. Well, since she’s just lost her job …’
‘Oh, Jason, don’t say that. She knows all kinds of things about us. I mean, she bought that bloody butt plug, for God’s sake.’
‘She what?’
Jason’s surprise at this revelation brought Jenna up short. Of course. He didn’t know about that, and she hadn’t intended to tell him either.
‘Oh … nothing,’ she said, furiously mining her mind for a plausible way to change the subject. No joy.
‘No, tell me what you mean by that. Kayley bought a butt plug for us? When?’
‘Oh God. The one we … the one from the other night.’
‘But I told you to buy it.’ Jason’s eyes were darker than ever, fixed on her so hard she had to evade them.
‘Yes, but you know what it’s like at the moment. Press everywhere. They were tailing me. I couldn’t take the risk of being followed into that shop. So I called Kayley.’
‘Talk about a personal assistant,’ he said. ‘I can’t believe you’d do that. You’re so private.’