The Art of Zen, page 4
Tia stood between them and let out a dramatic groan. “That’s enough. If this is how you two are going to act around each other, I won’t let Vivian come with me.”
“What’s wrong with flirting?” Vivian defended herself.
“Yeah,” Carlos agreed. “We’re just having a little fun. I like the way she looks.”
“I like the way you look,” Vivian complimented. “But I’ll stick to my preferences.” As they said goodbye and walked outside to hail a cab, Vivian turned to Tia with a stern look. “What was that in there?”
“I’m sorry,” Tia apologized. “I don’t know why he rubs me the wrong way. He’s too uptight.”
“Says you,” Vivian replied. “He was all business, yes, but give him a chance.”
“I want to ruffle his hair up and loosen that tie.”
“So you are interested,” Vivian said knowingly.
“No,” Tia declared with a firm shake of her head. “I just want to see him messy.” She tilted her head in thought as she smiled. “I’d love to see him with a smudge of paint on his nose, or remnants of charcoal under his fingernails.”
“Not a chance,” Vivian chuckled. She slid into the back of the cab and moved over to make room for Tia. “I’ll give you five hundred dollars if you can make that happen.”
“You don’t think I can do it?”
“I think you have a better chance of getting him naked than you have of getting him messy.”
“Ha!” Tia let out a sharp laugh. “If that ever happens, I’ll give you five hundred dollars.”
Spencer remained at his desk after they left. A hard line was between his brows as he thought about the meeting he just had. He was glad Vivian had accompanied Tia. The way the artist behaved in their meeting made his blood boil. Who did she think she was to come in here and act so unprofessional? As she sat there sketching away, he had the urge to take the pen and sketchpad out of her hands and insist she pay attention. He studied her sketch and took a deep breath. In just a short amount of time, Tia had captured the pulse of New York City. She was very talented. “Ok,” he murmured. “You don’t understand her, and she probably doesn’t understand you. I will respect that she’s the extreme opposite of me, as long as she shows up on time and gets her work done.”
“Who you talking to, boss?” Carlos asked when he walked through the doorway.
“No one,” Spencer mumbled. “Do me a favor and watch it with the womanizing comments, ok? You could have ruined that deal before it even had a chance to start.”
“Sorry,” Carlos said with a cheeky grin. “I couldn’t help myself. Vivian’s a looker.”
“Leave it alone.”
“It’s harmless flirting if she’s game. Why not have a little fun? I’m excited for that little one to be around, she’s a looker, too.”
“Tatiana?” Spencer questioned. Upon first meeting her he may have thought so, but after today he wasn’t so sure. She was pretty, but at that moment, he decided she annoyed him too much to think about her looks. “I don’t care what she looks like, I just hope she isn’t as flighty when it comes to the mural as she was in our meeting.”
“Is this her work?” Carlos pointed to the paper on the desk. He picked it up when Spencer nodded and studied her work. It took him less than a minute to start laughing.
“What’s so funny about that?” Spencer wanted to know.
“Man!” His laughter was loud as he shook his head. “She has you down!”
“What do you mean? She didn’t draw me.”
“She sure did. That’s you.” He pointed to the drawing. “Spitting image.”
Spencer took the drawing from Carlos and looked at the man Tia created sitting on a park bench. He wore a suit and tie, the same tie he currently wore. It was a simple sketch and could have been anyone, except for the hard line between the brows that created the very scowl he had on his face as he studied her work. “I don’t look like that.”
Carlos jutted his chin toward the bathroom in Spencer’s office. “Go look in the mirror.”
Spencer stood up and walked quickly into the bathroom. He flicked the light on and got a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He looked at the drawing he still held in his hands and back at his reflection. Carlos was right, she captured him perfectly.
“You’re always scowling, boss,” Carlos chuckled.
“It’s called concentrating.”
“It’s scowling. I think she’ll do just fine if she could get through a meeting with you scowling at her.”
Spencer walked back to his office and settled at his desk. He opened his emails and tried to keep the irritation out of his voice. “Well, if she continues to act like a child, this is the look she’ll get from me.”
Carlos knew when to retreat. He could see Spencer had his feathers ruffled. Spencer may defend the look on his face and insist he’s concentrating, but Carlos knew a scowl when he saw one. Repeating the phrase that Vivian said during their meeting, he left Spencer’s office with a chuckle. “This is going to be fun.”
Chapter 4
“Mm,” Ainsley sighed. She stretched out on the bed with one arm over her head, legs wide to accommodate Spencer’s head between her thighs. Her hand held his head closer as she reached her peak and her cries became louder. “Oh, my God,” she gasped. The pitch of her voice raised a notch. “Oh, right there. Don’t stop, oh!” Her back arched off the bed as her entire body tensed with pleasure.
As Spencer kissed her thighs and moved up the length of her body, Ainsley acted quickly. She rolled him over, climbed on top of him, and straddled him with a moan as he slid deeply into her body. She moved against him with a sense of urgency and ignored the look of confusion on his face.
“Wait, Ainsley,” Spencer gritted out. It was difficult to hold back with the way she ground herself against him.
Her breasts bounced perkily as she rode him. “Just enjoy it, Spencer,” she panted. She braced her palms against his chest and moved faster to get him to come as quickly as possible. She had a party to host. Typically, she liked the missionary position the best. It served her to lay back and let her lover service her, but she had already spent enough time on her back. She didn’t want to ruin her blowout any more than she already had. A smile spread across her face when Spencer gripped her hips with his hands and let out a long groan. He was done. Now she could get dressed and get this event started. “Mm,” she purred and trailed a French-tipped fingernail down his chest. “All better now?”
“Ainsley,” he breathed. “What the hell?”
“Oh, come now,” she cooed. “You didn’t enjoy that?”
“Obviously, I did, but-”
Ainsley slid off him and slipped her arms into her pink silk robe. Her voice turned harsh. “Then what are you complaining about?”
“I’m not complaining, I just thought... I mean... I did it for you, you said-”
“Oh, Christ! We’ve had this conversation!” Ainsley snapped.
“Hold on.” Spencer sat up in bed and pulled the sheet over his lap. “You led me on. You begged for that, you always beg for that and I always give you that. How about returning the favor every once in a while?”
“You know my rule, Spencer. When I have a ring on my finger, you’ll get all the blowjobs you want.”
“Grow up,” he muttered.
“Me?” Ainsley let out a malicious laugh. “Who’s the one pouting because he didn’t get a blowjob?”
“I am not pouting. You knew exactly what you were doing. You push all my buttons, say the right things to get me worked up. You lay back and let me satisfy you, then when you’re done, you jump on me and-”
“And fuck you!” she yelled. “Wasn’t that what you wanted?”
“Do you really think holding an ultimatum over my head is going to get me to propose? Do you really think I’m so childish that the promise, most likely an empty one, of endless oral sex is going to make me run out and buy a ring?” He got out of bed and stood facing her. “When you try to enforce this issue, all you’re doing is pushing me away. This isn’t love.”
Ainsley pulled the sash tightly around her waist and belted it. She shook her perfectly styled hair back from her face and held her head high. “Do you realize how lucky you are to have me? I know how men look at me. They want me for how I look. For who I am. Do you even know what you have here?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “A spoiled princess.”
Ainsley inhaled sharply. Her blue eyes were icy with anger. She stared at him from across the bed as he stood his ground without a stitch of clothing on. Her eyes raked over his chest, down his stomach, and lower on his body. He really was a beautiful man. Lean and muscular. She didn’t care how beautiful a man’s body was, or how good he was in bed. Her demands were her demands, and they would be met. There were rules to being in a relationship with her. She coveted the last name Chadwick, not to mention the prestige and lifestyle it would bring to her. Ainsley Davenport lived a lavish life. Ainsley Chadwick would live an extraordinary one. All of her friends used this as the ace up their sleeves and it worked. It would work for Ainsley. Once Harry Winston sparkled on her finger, Spencer would get his blowjobs. Once they were married, she’d taper off to Christmas and his birthday.
“Get dressed, Spencer,” she demanded through clenched teeth. “And don’t you dare let anyone feel any tension between the two of us tonight. You’ll smile and be cordial with my guests and warm with me. Subtle displays of affection are acceptable. Try not to paw me.”
“When have I ever pawed you?” He walked away and slammed the bathroom door behind him. Then locked it so she wouldn’t follow him and continue the argument.
Spencer had been on and off with Ainsley for nearly five years. They met through mutual friends at a charity event and he was charmed, at first. It was impossible for one not to be charmed by Ainsley. She was pretty, with a bubbly personality, and all the right connections in their social circle. His parents tolerated her, not that he needed their approval, but he respected them and appreciated the fact that they kept their thoughts to themselves for the most part. From the beginning, he knew Priscilla, Ainsley’s mother, approved greatly of him and would be thrilled to see his ring on her finger.
Spencer came from old money, a fact that he knew while growing up, but his parents raised him to be humble and to work hard. His father was a wealthy investment broker, and his mother had made her money in real estate. When Spencer turned twenty-five, his grandfather left him a handsome inheritance. He listened to his father and invested it wisely, then turned to his mother for help finding his first location for a restaurant. In the ten years since, he’d made himself a very rich man with over a dozen restaurants around New York City. He showed no signs of stopping, he loved what he did. He also knew Ainsley and her mother loved it, too. Not for the fact that they got to dine in the finest restaurants around the city, but for his money, and his family’s money. He knew that which was one of the reasons they were on and off over the years.
Spencer wasn’t opposed to marriage, but when he could see Ainsley’s ulterior motive, he knew marriage would not be the way their relationship ended. At this point, he wanted it to end. Period. While Ainsley was fun and charming, she also had a nasty side to her and turned childish when she didn’t get her way.
He turned to the shower and cranked the water to hot. As the steam filled the room, he braced his hands against the counter and stared at his reflection as the mist began to swirl around him. Months ago, he knew it was time he ended things, but he procrastinated and tolerated her. Just when he had it mapped out in his head what to say to her, and how he would break things off, he obtained the building for his newest restaurant.
Ainsley had been so supportive and excited about his latest venture. She put her all into talking about it to everyone she knew, and she knew so many people. Her connections had made his last two restaurants instant sensations that were still going strong. Was it wrong to hang onto her just because her social circle could influence his patronage? Maybe. He guessed if he really looked at it from a different perspective, he was using her just as much as she was using him. Maybe they deserved each other.
“No,” he mumbled to himself as he stepped under the scalding stream of water. “I’m not using her. My restaurants sell themselves. Her friends are just a plus. She’s holding oral sex over me for a wedding ring. I deserve better.”
He did deserve better, but he didn’t have the energy to make the break. Some people didn’t have time for a relationship. Spencer didn’t have time for a messy break up.
Tia took a few days to complete her drawing for the mural. She decided to present Spencer and Ainsley with it at tonight’s dinner. She knew through Vivian that Spencer was impatient for the final drawing, and she knew Ainsley would be thrilled to receive it at her party and show it off to her guests. Tia appreciated Ainsley’s excitement for her work. Even though Ainsley’s over-enthusiasm made her uncomfortable, it was flattering at the same time.
She glanced at her watch and knew Vivian would arrive shortly with a car and driver. Tia wasn’t above taking a taxi, or even the subway at times, but for tonight’s event, they both agreed to do it in style. For the most part, Tia believed in a relaxed wardrobe, especially when she was working. It was fun every now and then to get dressed up. She opted for a red sleeveless knit dress that hugged her curves; subtle as they were. Tia was always a little jealous of Vivian’s curves and wouldn’t mind filling out her clothes the way her friend did. On her feet were gold sparkling Christian Louboutin heels. Because she couldn’t resist adding a little flare of her personality, she topped the dress with a leather motorcycle jacket. She was sure Vivian would have something to say about that.
“Wow!” Tia exclaimed when she slid into the town car next to Vivian and looked her over.
“Why thank you,” Vivian replied with a playful bat of her eyes.
“No, seriously, you look amazing!”
Vivian looked stunning in a black cocktail dress with spaghetti straps and a neckline that dipped low to show off her ample cleavage. The slit up her right thigh showed off her legs. She looked Tia over with approval, shook her head on the edginess of the motorcycle jacket, then laughed with her friend when they discovered they wore the same shoes. “Great shoes,” Vivian teased. “You just had to make a statement with the jacket, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” Tia nodded. “I can dress up and be fancy, but why not add a little spice to it?”
“Why not?” Vivian murmured.
“Indeed,” Tia agreed. She accepted a flute of champagne and gave Vivian’s look another pass. “I can’t get over you. This looks great on you.” She glanced down at her chest with a slight grimace. “I wish I had tits.”
“You do have tits,” Vivian pointed out. “They’re in proportion with your body... small.”
“Thanks,” Tia muttered. “Yours are great and they’re real. Jealous.”
“Tia Zen, are you checking me out?”
“Oh, please,” Tia scoffed. “You know I don’t swing that way. You’re always checking out men, I can’t check out a woman?”
“I think men are beautiful, I just don’t want to bang them.”
“And I think women are beautiful, I just don’t want to bang them,” Tia countered. A look of confusion crossed her face. “Or whatever it is that you do.”
“The difference is, I’ve experienced both.”
“You really want me to end my dry spell, don’t you? You’re always suggesting men to me, now you’re encouraging me to have sex with a woman?”
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
“Never happening.”
“And what exactly is your aversion to women? We smell nice, we’re soft in all the right places-”
“And not hard where you should be,” Tia interrupted. “At least you like them pretty. I see the appeal of a pretty woman, but not a masculine one.”
“Butch isn’t my type. I don’t see it as your type, either.”
“I don’t have a type when it comes to women.”
“Yet,” Vivian teased.
“Not at all,” Tia stated.
“Alright, enough teasing you about your sex life-”
“Finally,” Tia interrupted.
“Is that the completed drawing?” Vivian asked as she pointed to the envelope Tia placed on the seat between them.
“Yes,” Tia answered and handed it to her. “And per Sergeant Stuffy’s request, I left him out of the final draft.”
“I can’t believe you put him in the first one. I hate it when you draw me.”
“Cranky people are fun to draw, there’s so much emotion underneath a frown. You’re one of my best muses when you’re pissed off.”
“I can’t blame him for not wanting to be in the mural. As the owner of the establishment, he needs to be seen in a serious light.”
“Too serious if you ask me. He has no sense of humor.” Tia studied Vivian as she sipped her champagne. “At least you can laugh at it once you cool off.”
“Get to know him a bit better before you go mocking him.”
“It’s not mocking. He has a great scowl.” She rolled her eyes when Vivian gave her a grin. “Knock it off. I’m an artist, I notice features. It has nothing to do with how handsome he is.” She spoke quickly when Vivian tried to interject. “Handsome, shiny, and too perfect. Now stop it and let’s prepare ourselves to rub elbows with the upper echelon.”
“Sweetheart, you are the upper echelon,” Vivian murmured.
“Shh.” Tia held a finger to her lips. “No one needs to know about that.”
Spencer endured Ainsley’s receiving line and played the perfect doting boyfriend for half an hour before he discreetly stepped aside and grabbed the first drink he could find. Most of the time he tolerated her events with a safe smile and charm for all her guests. Tonight he couldn’t wait for it to be over so he could go home. Alone. Ainsley was always on a high after entertaining and that usually meant talking about their future. He had no desire to discuss it because there wouldn’t be one. He would power through this ordeal and go home so he could figure out the best way to break things off once and for all.
