Life Art

Lost in the attention of his skilful hands and mouth Kallah revelled in the feelings he gave her. She felt the snap of a button giving way and the zip of her skirt lowering. She wiggled and manoeuvred at the touch of his hands so that he could move it down her bare legs and discard it. Placing a supportive hand behind her back, Mason pulled her up slightly and kissed her deeply as his free hand removed her shirt and bra and lowered her back to the couch hovering above her still fully dressed.

She moaned softly into his kisses as his hands explored her breasts and body lowering down to the panties she still wore. Her hands tried to lift the shirt he was wearing, so he sat up looking down on her nearly nude body and grinned as he pulled it over his head discarding it to the floor beside them. Remaining sitting he lightly ran his fingers up her ribs and around the swell of her breasts causing her skin to become goose-bumped. Looking up into his eyes Kallah could see the desire in his eyes, and it made her melt inside with the need that rose quickly within her, she reached for him then and he leaned back down to kiss her.

She ran her fingers down over his chest to the belt of his pants, and he rolled them both slightly, so he was lying alongside her on the wide couch. As she fumbled with his belt, his hand dipped under the band of her panties and began to rub gently at the smooth outer lips of her pussy. They continued to kiss as Kallah finally broke through the confines of Mason's pants and began to massage his cock through the soft cotton of his underwear.

Mason's fingers began to move and press in under the folds of flesh in her pussy. He noted how wet she was from his teasing of her body, her pleasure even more evident to him now than the soft moans and mewling noises she made. He was enjoying this first slow exploration of the girl below him, and he ran his fingers over her swelling clit, smiling at the quiver it elicited in her body. He continued to tease her as her hand moved below the waistband of his underwear to circle his cock and stroke him gently eliciting a low groan of his own.

Kallah moaned and bucked as he left his thumb to rotate and tease at her clit, the fingers of his hand curling around her pussy and pushing one inside. Using their hands alone, each began the rocking, pumping motion of sex until with two fingers crammed into her tight pussy Kallah arch up and back calling out her orgasm to the room and shaking with its impact.

Mason swallowed her cried with deep soul-searching kisses until she bucked up hard against him, and they fell to the floor below the couch. Grinning having fallen on top of him, Kallah began to follow the path that he had taken on her body. She kissed down his neck as her hands worked his pants down over his hips. She kissed down his chest as he stroked her hair, manoeuvring to kneel beside his legs and pull both his pants and underwear away. He lifted his hips and kicked the pants away as they reached his ankles.

His more than ample cock stood up from his groin proudly, and she reached out fondling gently and guided it to her lips. Surprising him, she did not take it immediately into her mouth but rather extended her tongue and licked from under the head of his cock, down the shaft and over his balls making him groan deeply with pleasure. She repeated the motion in reverse and swirled her tongue around the tip and flutter her eyelashes as she looked up at him. Over and again she teased him until finally she lowered her mouth over his cock and began to suck.

It took only a few minutes before he groaned and pulled her up wrapping his arms around her he rolled her to her back practically tearing her panties from her squirming body. He entered her without preliminaries and began to pound long deep and hard into her willing body. Kallah wrapped her legs up around his hips, overwhelmed by the aggressive passion in his fucking she rocked her hips to meet his thrusts and mewled loudly in pleasure.

"Fuck!" he roared as he came minutes later. Pushing into her harder and harder until he finally collapsed on top of her wrapping his arms around her. She buried her face in his shoulder breathing heavily and holding him tightly as they both came back down to earth. Mason rolled off her to his back letting her breathe again and smiled.

"Wow," she breathed, "I was beginning to think you didn't want to sleep with me after your reaction to my invitation to dinner on Friday. I guess I got that wrong."

He chuckled and rolled back toward her kissing her deeply, "I've wanted to do that since the first night we met. Speaking of dinner though I am starving, come on let's see what's in the kitchen." Kallah stood and went to gather her panties, but he shook his head, "You may as well get used to being naked at home with me if we are going to be a couple." He grinned at her and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I can handle it if you can." She replied with a grin to equal his taking the hand he held out to her. She hadn't felt this comfortable and confident with a boyfriend before, and she savoured the feeling at that moment.

"Wait," Kallah attempted a straight face as she said, "Does this mean we can be facebook official?" Mason groaned and rolled his eyes at her. "I'll take that as a yes," she burst out laughing but continued teasing him. "Well, you being a computer geek and all I thought you would want all your geeky friends to know you have a girlfriend."

"They will make me their king, and then I will have no time to spend with you," he teased her in return.

"Better not then, I don't want to be shelved just yet," she winked.

*****

Kallah and Mason spent the next two weeks in the blissful coupling of new lovers, blocking out the rest of the world in favour of exploring each other. They rarely spent a night at Kallah's small apartment both travelling into work in the city and home again together. It had just been so natural and easy between them that when she had her weekly lunch with her friends and Louise pointed out that she should just move in with him and save the rent on her apartment she had blinked in dumbfounded recognition of the situation.

"You're more than just dating; you're practically joined at the hip," Amber had laughed. "What are you going to do if you get into Lightning Ridge this year? Take him in your luggage?"

"I don't know," she said contemplatively. "I haven't thought about it recently."

"It's a lot of money for art lessons, no matter who they are from, but I don't want you to give up your dreams for a guy," Amber said seriously.

"Don't be silly," Kallah rolled her eyes, "If I got in I would go. Of course, I would. I have wanted to go to Lightning Ridge for forever." She wasn't sure it was as important to her as it had been though. She had barely touched her sketch book or pastels in the last month that she had been seeing Mason.

"When was the last time you worked on anything new, even a sketch?" Donna asked shrewdly seeing Kallah's thoughtful expression.

Kallah looked at her friends and laughed, "Oh my God, is this an intervention?"

"No, but we are your friends. We love that you're happy but just don't lose the real you in favour of becoming us," Donna said.

"No matter how rich or well hung he is," Louise put in with a wink making the other girls laugh. The focus then turned to Louise and her latest conquest but Kallah remained introspective and wondered if she was losing part of herself in her relationship with Mason.

The lunch broke up shortly afterwards, and the women went back to work, Kallah though, spoke to her bosses and went home early. She called Mason and told him that he didn't have to pick her up and that she just wanted a quiet night at home alone to catch up on some stuff she had let slide while she had been spending so much time at his place.

He had sounded confused but agreed that a night to catch up on things was a good idea and said he would call her later. When she got home, she gathered her mail from several days of not being home and put it on the table. Then she went around opening every window in the stale apartment. First things first, she thought and began gathering her laundry and starting to clean the small space. She had never thought about just how small it was before spending so much time at Mason's house, but now as she cleaned she was grateful.

The sun had begun to set. She had the laundry in the drier, and her apartment smelled fresh and inviting for the first time in weeks. She went through her freezer and came up with some frozen leftovers to go with a bottle of wine she had and set them to defrost as she finally sat down with the small bundle of mail. Assuming most would be bills she opened her laptop on the table beside them and opened her online banking. She had barely spent anything in the last two weeks, and her account balance looked quite healthy but she also knew that was about to change. Remembering her father's financial advice about paying herself first, she transferred funds into her Lightning Ridge account. She had saved more than she needed to go, but the extra would come in handy for supplies and assorted other things she was sure. She then began to open her mail and pay the bills.

She pulled out the letters that she knew to be the telephone and electric bills first. Toward the bottom of the stack was a plain white envelope that had been addressed by hand, and she looked at it curiously. She couldn't make out the smudged stamp of the sender on the back of the envelope, so she opened it hurriedly hoping it was her invitation to the summer workshops.

"Dear Miss Kallah Sanders, Due to the overwhelming number of applicants to the Lightning Ridge Summer Workshops this year, we would like to invite you to further your application by attending a weekend life art workshop..."

Kallah squealed with delight, racing through the rest of the letter about dates and how to take up the offer made to her. An email address and invoice accompanied the letter, and she quickly accepted the offer and transferred the application fee, quoting the receipt number for them. Grinning from ear to ear she called Mason to tell him.

"Hey gorgeous, I was just thinking about you," Mason answered.

"I have the best news," she blurted and proceeded to tell him about the weekend workshop.

"That's great," he said but his tone was disapproving.

"I thought you would be happy for me," she accused.

"I am, I said it's great, didn't I?" Mason repeated in the same flat voice.

"Then why are you giving me that tone, Mason?" She was confused by his reaction.

"I just, well... I don't think it's the right sort of workshop for you..." he seemed to be measuring his words, and Kallah lost it.

"What I am not talented enough?" Hurt and anger coloured her voice.

"No, I mean yes, I just well, mum said that Lightning Ridge is just an excuse for old men to take advantage of pretty young protégé's and..." Kallah cut him off.

"So I am not pretty enough?" She accused.

"No, that's not what I said," Mason became frustrated. "I just don't want you to get into a bad scene that's all."

"Well, it's too late I have already accepted and sent of the application fee, so you can like it or lump it," she said angrily.

"You didn't even talk to me about it first?" It was his turn to sound wounded.

"Stupid me, I actually thought you would be happy for me," Kallah was close to tears.

"I am it's just..." he tried without succeeding as she cut him off again.

"Forget it Mason, you obviously don't know me at all if you ever thought I would turn down an opportunity like this," Kallah hung up angrily. "Fuck!" she swore at the empty room, "How could he not understand what this means to me," she picked up the letter and reread it, trying to find the enthusiasm she had before talking to him, but it dissipated completely. Amber was right, she lamented, she had been losing part of herself being so wrapped up in Mason.

Forgetting the food she had been defrosting Kallah poured herself another glass of wine and cleared off the table. Gathering her sketch book and supplies she laid them out on top of her old drop cloth and sat looking at a blank page. "I got in on talent not because some misogynistic pig wants to check out my ass," she said to the page and picked up a soft charcoal.

Kallah lost herself in the feel of the charcoal and the lines it created before being startled by heavy thumping on her door. She tried to ignore it, but it was persistent and finally she got up and opened it a crack.

"Let me in," Mason said softly. "We need to talk about this."

"I think you said it all don't you?" She gave him a flat unfriendly stare.

"You wouldn't let me finish a sentence. Now let me in, please," there was an edge to his voice. Kallah stood back and opened the door wider. "I know this means a lot to you, I'm sorry. The first words I should have said were congratulations, way to go, or something like that but they weren't and I can't take them back, but please let me explain."

"I don't understand why you couldn't just be happy for me. You know how much I want to do this," she said frustration clear in her voice.

"I am happy that you are chasing after the thing you want to do. I love that you have that passion in your life, but life art classes made me worry. I have been around artists and creative people all my life and things aren't always what they seem," he sighed loudly. "That's my baggage, not yours and I am sorry. You will be great, you'll be amazing, I know that. I am happy for you."

"Baggage?" She asked softly.

"Mum and I didn't always get on so well," Mason admitted not elaborating much. He watched Kallah carefully, "I really do care about you, and I just... well I would miss you." his voice faded off again, and he took a step toward her. "I know you're talented," he indicated the pictures on her walls that he knew she had done herself.

"You said something about Lightning Ridge on the phone, like you didn't approve of me going there," she hadn't quite let go of her anger about the earlier conversation. "I am not some naïve little school girl I know what life art entails, I am not about to be seduced by anyone in an old paint-stained smock."

"Forget I said anything. It's your career, and you should experience all of it, I was just surprised by your call that's all. You sounded strange on the phone this afternoon and then you told me this news, I just... look I am sorry. I should have been supportive not raining on your parade," Mason apologised again.

"I'm sorry too," Kallah finally gave in, "I haven't had a boyfriend quite like you. Most of the guys I have dated would have been planning a macho bonding weekend with their mates by now."

"Well, that is on my to-do list for tomorrow," he smirked at her. "Right after you tell me when this wonderful weekend begins, and we have the obligatory makeup sex."

"Not so fast," Kallah laughed and stepped back. "This was supposed to be my night to catch up on things, without distractions."

"I won't distract you much," he grinned and took another step toward her.

"You're already distracting me," she reached out and put a hand on his chest. "I can't think straight when you're around," she shook her head and gave a girlish giggle instantly regretting it as his arms wrapped around her and pulled her close to his body.

"No one has ever fit so perfectly in my arms," he murmured into her hair. If he was honest with himself, he had already fallen in love with her and the thought of losing her over this had felt like a stabbing pain in his chest. Her smile though and more so her giggle had lifted that weight and pain and he found him letting the tension subside as he held her to him. "I need to know we're good," he whispered looking down into her eyes.

"We're fine," she laughed. "It may not have been entirely your fault," she admitted thinking about the lunch that day and why she had come home to be alone. Mason looked at her curiously, and she explained about how she had felt after lunch with the girls and her worry that she was losing an important piece of herself.

"Why didn't you say something, if you felt that way?" he asked softly.

"I guess I didn't realise until it was pointed out. I love being with you, but we have been so wrapped up in each other that the things I would normally make time for I just haven't," she said. "It's not anyone's fault it's just what happened and then I got the letter and you seemed so against me going and doing the weekend down there... I guess I just felt... all wrong." Mason picked her up and sat them both on the couch, kissing her deeply.

"I would never make you choose, and I am so sorry you felt that," he sighed and held her hands in his. "I guess it's my turn to explain properly." He gave a lop-sided smile. "My parents had one of those truly, madly, deeply loves. It was ferocious in its highs and its rocky lows, and as I grew up, I saw how much my Dad compromised for her. I resented her a lot for her erratic moods and locking herself away with her art. For the dramatic tantrums and fights that occurred. It wasn't until after he passed that I began to have an inkling of just how much she had given up for him, or put up with from him."

"They met through my Uncle Paul; he had always been big on the art scene and discovered my mother's talent when she was still in school. They had a brief affair and then she met my Dad. It was the seventies, you know free love, sex drugs and hard rock. Paul never let that sort of life-style go, he is what I would describe as the epitome of a dirty old man; though he would probably prefer the term lothario." He could see her trying to make sense of what he was trying to say.

"I know I am saying this the wrong way, but a visit from Uncle Paul and his cronies was always a catalyst to a huge fight between my parents. Mum was always a bit of a free spirit, and Dad had always tried to dampen that side of her nature, keeping her to himself out in the country away from her friends in the art world. It wasn't ever overt or mean it is just what happened," he shrugged. "I would never want to do that to you, I promise but onto the point of my story."

"Whenever Mum felt the need to escape she would run to Paul, and whatever artist commune he had to go to at that time. She was deemed too old for him by then probably. He likes his artists and models young and nubile by all accounts. They remained close though, and he always welcomed her with open arms. He eventually settled down and opened a permanent art colony of sorts. He got funding from the Arts Council to hold workshops twice a year and invited his friends to run the workshops. In reality though the artists and Paul himself chose young, good-looking people to attend along-side would be lovers and the whole thing usually dissolved into some sort of orgy by the end."

"And you think if I go to a summer workshop for artists it's going to be like that? You think I am so easily influenced into sex, drugs and whatever else you think goes on at these things? Lightning Ridge has a great reputation, nothing like that goes on there," she shook her head, "and if it did I am a big enough girl to just say no."

"Firstly, yes. I know you are very well equipped to look after yourself, I am not saying that," he said carefully.

"Then what are you saying?" She was becoming angry and frustrated again.

"I just don't want you to find yourself in a compromising position, because you have ingested something you weren't aware of," he tried to put it delicately.

"Lightning Ridge has a great reputation, you're worrying about nothing," she tried to calm her feelings more than his. "Have a little faith in me."

"I do, I will, I just wanted to explain my initial reaction," he gave up stopping short of telling her explicitly that Paul Vaughn, the director of the Lightning Ridge workshops, was his uncle. She would find out for herself soon enough. "I'm sorry I over-reacted, I had thought that if you didn't get in again this year I could ask Mum and her friends to give you a Master class in what you wanted to do."