A Work Of Art - Katya X Reader

Part 7: Paint Me Bitch

When she returned, dressed to the nines, you were once again struck. She really did make a beautiful woman. "Where do you want me? On that little stool? Bent over the couch? Usually I am not into women, but 20 bucks is 20 bucks," she joked as she watched you fiddle with the lights and chair.

Shooting her a look, you gestured to the stool. "Your throne, madam. I am sure you are more used to porcelain thrones, but this ought to suffice for now."

"That's what you think," she shot back. "Toilets and I have a tenuous relationship. I prefer pissing in the corner like -,"

"- the dog I am."
" - the dog you are."

You finished the sentence in unison, laughter immediately crackling through the air. "Bitch, you stay in my head like this and I'm going to have to start charging rent!" she declared.

Rounding your easel and picking up your palette, you pretended to curtsy. "As if I'd want to be stuck in that head of yours. The housing crisis is insane, but I think your mind may be worse."

She winked. "Don't you know it. Now, paint me bitch."

You gave a few brief instructions on how to pose, paying mind to the fact that you needed her to look good as a solo portrait, but also as the centrepiece and focal point of the main portrait. Demonstrating with yourself, you tilted your chin up, dropped your eyes to try and find an expression of power, gently pouting your lips. "Like this, you know?"

She paused for half a second, eyes watching over your face before seeming to shake herself back to reality. "Yes, right. I can do that."

There went that strange butterfly feeling. Oh no.

That aside, she still was not posing quite how you needed, so, setting your palette down, you walked over. "I'm just gonna... Uh..." You reached out tentatively guiding her hands, telling her to make her fingers more delicate, adjusting her knee so she sat more at a three-quarter, and ever so gently tilting her head. Her eyes seemed to be trained on you, watching you.

"You've gone red," she murmured. Your eyes met briefly before you cleared your throat. Yes, unfortunately you had felt the heat creeping up your neck and cheeks, desperately hoping she might not notice. Too late.

"That happens when you have to hold your breath, Barbara. Your smell like a corpse that's been left in damp gutter after self immolating with Marlboroughs." You had to crack the joke or you were doomed. Thankfully, she split into peels of laughter, completely ruining all your careful adjustments.

After, finally, readjusting, you snapped photos first, sensing this was going to be a long journey of readjusting between bouts of laughter (or wheezes) and the occasional smoke break. By the time the light outside was dying, you had made decent progress. 

With a few final brush strokes to capture the broader shapes, you set down the palette. "Alright, that should do us for today. Want to reconvene next Sunday?"

Shaking out her body a little, stiff from posing, she pouted. "So far away."

Butterflies. Stop it."Well, when are you free?" You did want to make as much headway on this as possible, given it was for a grade; you also needed to paint it twice.

"How about Thursday? I know, I know, you'll be just sweating in anticipation, but it is my slowest day of the week and for some reason Trixie has decided to ditch me that day. You'd be an okay runner up. Maybe." She waved her hand in a 'kind of' gesture.

Much as you did want to see her again - er, purely for the painting's sake, obviously - Thursday had been organised around the full group photos. You gave her a sorry look. "As much as I would love to have you clouding my studio with cigarette smoke, unfortunately I am predisposed. Does Sunday work, though?" She seemed a little crestfallen.

Still, she nodded. "Sure. I need a break from all you bitches anyway, you're fucking up my zen. Gotta meditate."

You felt bad, but you knew this would pay off in the end. Or, you could only hope. Was your work really going to pull in enough money to help even remotely? You had to hope. As you walked her to the door, her energy suddenly shifted, worry started to gnaw at you a little.