“No need to change.” He stepped away from the door. “You’re just going to take it off anyway.” He headed down the hallway to the next corridor where his home studio was located.
I stood there for a moment, digesting his words in silence. Throughout the week, he’d stopped by my room for sex. But that’s all it was. We fucked, and then he went to his room. There was no kissing or touching. There wasn’t cuddling when it was over.
Straight sex.
I followed behind him and entered his studio. His fabrics were organized, and his mannequin stood in the center with pins pressed into the material. The black rope piece he’d been working on hung on a hanger.
I felt the piece of lingerie in my fingertips, my thumb gliding over the nylon. It was simple but extremely sexy. It was one of my favorite pieces he’d ever created. It was difficult to believe I was the inspiration for it. “What are you working on now?”
“I haven’t sketched anything new lately. But I have some older ideas I wanted to create.” He opened his notebook. On each page was a different creation. He signed them and dated them in the top corner. The page he had the book open to had been sketched two weeks ago.
“What’s this one?”
“The Queen.”
“The Queen?” I asked.
“Yes.” He pointed to the fabric in the picture with a pencil. “Light pink fabric here. Bead of white here.” He pointed to another section. “Rose gold pendant here.” He pointed to the opening of the fabric. “It opens here and there.”
It was a great piece. The color hinted at an inexperienced woman, but someone who would grow into her power. The combination of champagne pink, white, and rose gold showcased a feminine collection of power. “It’s beautiful.” I wondered when it was inspired, but I didn’t ask because it wouldn’t matter.
He got to work and grabbed the first piece of fabric.
I stripped down to my thong, standing barefoot in the slightly cold room. A robe was hanging on the coat hanger by the door, so I pulled it over my shoulders. When I turned around, I saw Conway looking at me.
Once my skin was concealed, he got back to work.
I sat in the chair and watched him, leaving him to concentrate in silence. Now that we didn’t talk anymore, I didn’t feel like I knew him. He came to my room for sex, and we didn’t exchange a single word. Today was the longest conversation we’d had in over a week.
He kept working, cutting the fabric before he began to create his design. He started with the foundation first, getting the base of the fabric before he moved to the intricate design he had sketched out. “Marco tells me he’s getting bored.”
My eyes focused on his hands, watching his callused fingertips work the piece. “Yeah, I can tell.”
“You need to take it down a notch. There’s other things for you to do here.”
“Such as?”
“The pool, the gym, the library…many things.” His eyes never left his work. “Marco enjoys your company, but pretty soon, you’re going to put him out of a job.”
The last thing I wanted was for Marco to lose his retirement. He enjoyed his work, enjoying being outside with the horses while getting his hands dirty. He was connected to the Italian soil. “I don’t want that to happen.”
“Then take it easy.” His shoulders remained straight as he worked, and his posture was perfect. When his hands moved, the intricate muscles in his forearms shifted. It was no surprise he had such corded muscles and arms with the intricate work he did.
I didn’t want to do anything else, but since there was only so much work to be done, I couldn’t take it away from Marco. But then an idea popped into my mind. “What if we expanded?”
“What does that mean?”
“What if we got more horses? What if we got some chickens so we could have fresh eggs?”
“I’m not interested in having a farm.”
“Or cows and goats. I could use the milk to make cheese.”
“Again, not interested. I already paid a fortune for you. I don’t want to spend more money so you can have an expensive hobby.”
“It wouldn’t just be a hobby. I could sell everything we make at a local market.”
“Because I need more money,” he snapped. He didn’t break his concentration even though his tone rose.
I couldn’t override him when he made excellent points. He did pay a lot of money for me so he shouldn’t spend another dime to make me happy. “I need something, Conway. Without a purpose, I’ll be unhappy.”
He sighed as he started to sew the fabric together.
“Let me work with you in Milan. I can do more than just inspire you.”
“You aren’t modeling.”
That was another insult that burned. He wanted to keep me all to himself, but he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. It made no sense. “I have two years of business classes under my belt. I can help you do other things.”