Fetish

v. session #1

Andrew Joseph Xavier Lowe, thirty-five years old, divorced, no children, a graduate of the Fine Arts Academy in Düsseldorf, Germany and one of the three heirs of the famous luxury conglomerate XLence. No criminal record other than two minor offenses for underage drinking many years ago. Aside, perhaps, from his younger sister, who is the lead singer of an indie-pop band that not many people listen to, the Lowe family is quite reserved and discreet, with no scandals or media appearances. About two years ago, Andrew returned from Europe and moved to a four-bedroom penthouse on Park Avenue. That was all Ella could find out about him in less than a day.

Catherine has agreed to speak with Mr. Lowe's assistant. “Mr. Lowe needs a model for a commissioned painting, the piece will not be sold”, he said. It would be discreet, just the way she wanted and needed it, to not run the risk of having people tired of her face. Time, place, and p*****t discussed, Catherine agreed to pose for Andrew Lowe. She just forgot to ask if she would have to take her clothes off.

- Ms. West, it's a pleasure to meet you. - Said Josh, Mr. Lowe's assistant, when meeting Catherine in the lobby of Andrew's apartment. - How are you?

- I'm fine, it's a pleasure to meet you. - Catherine said, looking around. - Mr. Lowe…?

- He's on the penthouse. Come with me.

Very anxious, Cathy got into the elevator with Josh and they were in complete silence until they reached the sixteenth floor. Not surprisingly, the elevator led directly into the apartment. The place was huge, with a high ceiling, glass walls and a beautiful decor with brutalist inspirations. The living room was divided into two rooms; on the opposite side of the room, Cathy caught a strong and familiar scent of oil paint.

- Mr. Lowe? - Josh said entering the other side of the room. Cathy remained frozen in place.

- Yes? - A distracted voice sounded behind the column that divided the two rooms. Cathy could briefly catch a glimpse of the man she was going to pose for.

- You asked for a model, here she is. - Josh said, walking towards Cathy. Andrew followed. - Let me introduce Miss. Catherine West.

Cathy's eyes met Andrew's. He looked at her and his first reaction was to raise his eyebrows as if he were confused, staring at her as if he was unable to comprehend her presence there. The way Andrew looked at her and the way Josh introduced her made Catherine realize that maybe Mr. Lowe hadn't chosen her to pose for him, he'd just tasked his assistant with finding anyone to do the job. She felt silly, but Cathy was a little sad to think that she hadn't been personally chosen by Mr. Lowe.

- Nice to meet you, Mr. Lowe. - Cathy said, reaching out for him, but he didn't take her hand. Instead, he continued to stare at her with that expression that veered between confusion and something inexplicable.

- Andrew. - He said, as if coming back to his senses. - Call me Andrew… Forgive me, my hands are covered in charcoal.

- It’s alright. - She smiled.

- What's your name again? - He asked.

- Catherine. Catherine West. But everyone calls me Cathy.

- So... Do you think she's good for what Mrs. Rowland asked for? - Josh asked Andrew.

- Yes, of course. - Andrew said, still sounding a little airy. - Please come with me, Catherine.

Catherine entered the second space of the room and could see Andrew's small makeshift studio. There was a huge white background with a stool in front where she assumed she would sit. Facing this white background was a huge canvas on an easel, paints and other art supplies. But what really caught Catherine's attention was the dining table, where there were several velvet displays with necklaces, earrings and bracelets; all shining so brightly in the sunlight that she knew immediately those were real diamonds.

- You can leave your bag anywhere. - Andrew said, taking a cloth and wiping his hands. - Sit there, please.

- Mr. Lowe, if you don't need me anymore, I'll go back to the warehouse and do those chores you asked me to. - Josh said, announcing his departure. - Ms. West, it was nice to meet you, I've already ordered a car to take you home in a couple of hours. See you later!

Josh left and Cathy found herself alone with Andrew. He was very quiet, serious and even a little shy from what she had noticed. But one thing that was basically impossible to ignore was that he was actually quite handsome. There weren't many recent photos of him on the internet - he was older, his sparse beard was already starting to turn slightly gray and a few lines on his face betrayed the arrival of his late thirties. But all this just made him more charming. Catherine realized she had been staring at him for a long time when he looked back at her with his beautiful green eyes.

- Josh hasn't told me much about the painting. - Catherine said, trying to break the bitter silence between them. - Who ordered it?

- A friend of mine. - Andrew said. - Angela Rowland.

- That name is familiar...

- She's a jewelry designer.

- Oh, the A. Rowland jewelry brand! - Cathy exclaimed.

- She's redecorating one of the New York stores and asked me for a painting. - Andrew said, walking to the jewelry displays on top of his dining table. He looked at Catherine and then at the jewelry, repeating the process a few times. He took a sapphire necklace in hand. - You… Do you happen to be wearing something under your shirt?

- What? - Catherine asked, a little surprised. She was wearing a black turtleneck sweater. - Do you want me to take off my shirt?

- Is it a problem? - He asked, turning back to the jewelry displays.

- No…

Catherine took off her shirt. She was wearing a vintage Dior bra in silk and champagne lace. It was a very modest bra, she recalls wearing crop tops that were more revealing than that. But for all intents and purposes this was a bra; lingerie wasn't about the amount of skin it showed, but about pieces that should always be hidden under her clothes. Andrew turned back to her and looked a little surprised, maybe even nervous. Cathy was a little nervous too, but his reaction made her smile. He walked over to her with the necklace in hand.

- Can I? - He said, asking permission to put the necklace around her neck and Catherine nodded, lifting her hair. He walked around her and gently closed the necklace, as if to avoid touching her skin.

- It's pretty heavy. - Cathy said, laughing, feeling the cold stones of the necklace on her chest. - It's very beautiful.

- Glad you liked it. - Andrew said, going to the table once more. He picked up a pair of earrings, bracelets and some rings, all matching the necklace. - I was in doubt between this and the rubies, but I think blue suits you better.

- I agree. - She said.

Andrew gave the earrings in her hand for her to put on. When she was done, he pointed to her hand and she held out her fists for him to place the pair of bracelets on her. He then gently took her hand and placed three rings on her left hand, swapping two at once, until he was satisfied with the composition. He then returned to his easel and replaced the canvas with a huge pad of paper.

- Pose any way you want, I'll do some sketches. Try to make all the pieces visible to me. - He said. Cathy adjusted herself on the bench and crossed her arms, as if she were hugging herself.

- Should I look at you or not? - She asked.

- It's up to you. - He said, smiling briefly. Catherine, attentive to all his expressions and movements, couldn't interpret whether this was supposed to be a provocation. She decided to look away.

In a matter of minutes, Andrew turned over the sheet of his pad of paper and asked her to change her pose. He made about ten sketches in charcoal, and when he was done, he asked her to come to him.

- What do you think of these? - He asked, turning the pages of the pad slowly. Catherine was impressed with the talent, each drawing was done extremely quickly and all were beautiful. Her bra and the rest of her clothes were left out on all of them.

- They're all beautiful… - Cathy said, impressed.

- I liked those two. - Andrew said. In one of the sketches, Cathy had her left elbow resting on her right hand, while her left hand gently touched the last sapphire on the necklace. In the other draft, she was leaning to the side, hugging her right arm with her left hand, while looking straight ahead over her shoulder.

- Is that the canvas you're going to paint? - She asked, pointing to the screen he put on the floor.

- Yes.

- It's huge, so… I think I'd like to take up most of the painting. I liked this one better. - Catherine said, pointing to the second draft where she was leaning to the side.

- You do have a good point. Can you sit like that again?

Catherine went back to her seat and Andrew took the canvas and placed it on the easel. With a pencil, he began to sketch on the canvas, this time in a slower and more detailed way. As he sketched, Cathy began to think that he would at some point need to draw her breasts; Would he ask her to take off her bra or would he just imagine them? She knew it wouldn't be a problem to pose nude… But he had something that made her extremely vulnerable; she had yet to decide if that feeling was good or bad. Nearly half an hour later, Andrew finished the draft.

- What do you think? - He asked, showing the screen to Cathy.

- I think you're the only artist who cares about a model's opinion. - She said, laughing.

- Well I'm painting you, I need to know if you like it. - He said.

- It's beautiful… Your style is very familiar. - Cathy said, raising her eyebrows, staring at the sketch. - Is it possible that I have seen some of your paintings before?

- I have a piece at the Metro Pictures. I think it's my only painting exhibited in New York.

- Dungeons of Eden… - Catherine said, shocked, looking at him, remembering the painting. - It's yours?

- Yes. - He said.

- You sign with another name, don't you?

- Xavier Köhler, yes.

- I'm shocked. - Said Cathy, visibly excited. - I love that painting! I visited this gallery a few weeks ago.

- I'm glad you like my work. I must say, I like yours too.

- My work?

- You're the model who posed for the Rascal Class artists, weren't you?

- Well, yes. - She smiled. - Not exactly a job, I guess.

- None of those works would have existed if it weren't for you, so… The work of a model can be as important as an artist’s in many cases.

- Thinking that way...

Both were silent, looking at each other as if expecting something. Wearing a vintage bra and half a million dollars worth of jewelry, Catherine desperately wanted to be kissed right then. Andrew was doing something to her, something different, good and dangerous. “This is a professional situation”, Cathy thought. "You can't just offer yourself to him like you're a cheap w***e". With that in mind, she averted his gaze, a little embarrassed that she might have exposed some bad intentions.

- Well, it's getting late. - Andrew said, breaking the silence between them. - I don't want to take your time more than what I'm paying for.

- Yes, of course. I don't think I can take these home, right? - Catherine said, turning around and lifting her hair so he could take off her necklace.

This time, when Andrew opened her necklace, she felt his fingers inevitably touch the skin of her neck. It was like he was one of her clients at the club and she was begging him to break the no-touch rule. The fact that he seemed way too serious and polite to do such a thing only made her want him more. He put the necklace back on the display and turned to her. She raised her fists and let him take off her bracelets and rings, even though she could take them off herself. He stood in front of her for a while in complete silence. He lifted his hand and brushed back a lock of her hair. Catherine felt her breath falter as he touched her ear, elated and at the same time disappointed in herself for giving in so easily to the advances of a man she had just met. When she felt him opening and pulling her earrings, she let out a breath that mixed relief and disappointment.

- See you next week then? - Andrew asked. Catherine was putting her shirt back on.

- Of course. - She said. - How many sessions do you think you need to finish the painting?

- Two. Maybe three for a retouch. Is it okay for you?

- Yes, sure. I'll keep my schedule free. - Said Cathy, picking up her bag. - It was nice meeting you, Mr. Lowe... I mean, Andrew.

- It was nice meeting you too, Catherine. - Andrew said, extending his hand to her. - The girl with a million dollar face... And body.

Catherine felt her entire body tremble as she realized that Andrew had already seen her naked in a way, through the eyes of sixteen different people. Was that flirting? A provocation? Catherine didn't know which side of her he wanted to see right now; a seductive woman or a seduced girl. Cathy always knows what people want, she always wins that kind of game even when she pretends to lose. But whatever Andrew wanted remained a mystery to her.

- Goodbye. - She said, smiling politely. - See you at the next session.