Chapter 13

“So tell me more about this mysterious neighbor man,” Willow said as she and Marv helped me bring my pictures to the art gallery.

“There’s nothing much to tell. He’s a mystery man,” I said as I laughed.

“You haven’t found out any more about him? Does he know about your lifestyle?” Marv asked with a playful nudge to my shoulder.

“Yes, he does.”

“Really? And he’s okay with it?” Marv questioned before Willow kicked him in the shins.

“Stop, it doesn’t matter. It’s her life,” Willow defended me.

“Nope, I haven’t found out too much about him,” I said answering Marv’s first question. I guess he doesn’t like to reveal too much about his life.”

“You’re lying to us,” Willow said as she stopped and looked me in the eyes.

“What? There has been nothing to lie about. I don’t know anything about him.” I continued to bring my pictures out to Marv’s truck.

Willow and I had been friends for a long time. I would have told her if there was anything I knew for sure, but I didn’t know much. And I wasn’t about to tell her I’d seen him carrying large bags of guns in and out of his house. At least I wasn’t going to tell her until I knew more about what they were for and why he had them.

Behind me, I heard Willow and Marv having a little bit of an argument. Marv was telling Willow to leave things alone, and Willow was telling Marv that he didn’t know what he was talking about. It was actually very funny to listen to the two of them argue. They were both good friends and always thought they knew what was best for me. I was lucky to have them in my life.

“OK guys, I’ll tell you the truth. I fell down a mountain, and he carried me home; we had sex. We had sex again just the other night. I’m pretty sure he’s an elite killer, and I don’t know where he is at or what he’s doing now, and I’m perfectly fine with that.”

Willow broke out in hysterical laughter. Her body was bent over, and she held onto the table for support. I wasn’t exactly sure why she was laughing so hard, though.

“Oh Isabella, you are so funny. I love your sense of humor.”

Sometimes honesty is better than any lie you can tell. I knew Willow wouldn’t believe me. I knew that the idea of me sleeping with a stranger would not be something she could even comprehend. But to me, Marcus wasn’t a stranger anymore.

Yes, I did not know much information about him. I wasn’t too worried about it, though, the man did live right next door. Sooner or later, I would find out more about him, which was a natural thing that happened over time.

“Well, I’m glad my life is amusing to you,” I said with a smile.

“Seriously Isabella, you should stay away from that guy. Whatever he’s doing, it’s probably illegal. Only criminals like to keep their life so shrouded in mystery,” Marv said as he continued loading the artwork into his truck for me.

“I appreciate you both worrying about me so much.”

“Isabella, he’s very handsome. Do you think you would consider dating a guy like that someday and only him? Like a normal relationship?” Willow asked, and I instantly cringed at her questions.

I could tell what Willow was really trying to get at; it was if Marcus looked like a guy that I would consider my type. If I said yes, then surely Willow would have a date lined up for me with a guy that she thought looked a lot like Marcus. If I said no, the date would be with someone exactly the opposite of Marcus. There really was no way for me to win.

And of course, there was the comment about dating only Marcus. Willow did her best to support my lifestyle, but every now and again, she came out with comments that made me realize she wasn’t as understanding as I thought she was.

“I don’t know. He is very handsome, and he’s okay with me dating other guys too. Not that the two of us are dating or anything like that.”

“I think you two should stop talking about how handsome this guy is.” Marv laughed. “And what did he say about you seeing other guys? He is cool with that? He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would share.”

“Oh darling, you are much better looking; you don’t need to be jealous of us talking about Marcus,” Willow said as she hugged her husband.

“He knows about Stanley and was okay with it,” I added. “But you’re right … he doesn’t fit the mold of a man who would share very well. Maybe he’s just humoring me? I think you’re handsome too, Marv,” I added with a wink to tease him.

Both Marv and I laughed. He certainly had a good sense of humor, but handsome was not a trait I would use to describe Marv. His tall thin frame looked like it barely kept him from falling over on a windy day. Although Marv did go to the gym often, he didn’t appear to be making any progress on his goal to bulk up and get more muscle.

“When you are married someday, you will see your husband as the handsome model that he is in your eyes,” Willow said as she kissed Marv.

“So basically Willow is saying that you’ll go blind when you get married,” Marv joked.

The two of them were such a sweet couple. It was encouraging to see them together and how they interacted with each other. Willow was more of the caretaker for the family, and Marv was the provider, but they switched roles as necessary and took care of each other very well. They had the traditional family that I had once dreamed about, but now that I’d lived with multiple partners, I couldn’t imagine going back to a single man. I really did love my lifestyle.

“I’m really excited about this photography show. I hope there are a lot of people there,” I said, trying to change the subject away from Marv. “I’ve invited all three guys in my life,” I said with a playful shrug in my friend’s direction.

“Yes, I’m sure there will be plenty of people. There have been flyers all over Kansas City, and I think they said all the tickets for the event were sold out. Are you sure it’s a good idea to mix all the guys together so soon?”

“It will be fine,” I assured her.

I couldn’t help smiling. All the tickets being sold out was a big deal. That meant there would be over a thousand people at my show. All of them interested in seeing my art and possibly buying some of it. I would really love to sell a few pieces to help pay for the renovation I was doing to my family’s home.

“How many total pieces do you have?” Marv asked.

“I should have twenty-six. I’m not sure if they will be showing all of the pieces or picking twenty of their favorite. The showroom floor is oddly shaped, so we will have to get things hung and see how it goes.”

“This is big, Isabella. Like really big. People will come to your show and be talking about your photography in the newspapers and stuff. You might just end up being really famous.”

I couldn’t help smiling at Willow’s enthusiasm. She was always one of my biggest supporters, and it made me feel so optimistic about my show. I had sold a few photos through friends and local people, plus I had sold several pictures online, but I had never had a real show. I had never put my work on display for people to critique and judge with me standing right there. It made me nervous even to think about it.

The thought of people picking apart my work or saying bad things about my photos made me feel pretty anxious. I really did hope that Marcus could make it to the show, and I wanted him to be able to walk around with me to be my protector from the critiques. His physical presences would make it hard for people to say too many bad things to me.

At 6’2 and with all the muscles Marcus had, no one was likely to be talking very poorly in front of him at least. They would be too afraid of him.

Marcus wasn’t a scary guy, even if he looked like it on the outside. In reality, he was a very kind man who seemed to have a lot of demons in his past that he liked to keep protected. He always seemed to be protecting something.

I did really want to get to the bottom of what he did for a living and why he was in Bain, Missouri. It seemed like there was quite the story there, and I just wasn’t hearing it yet.

Willow, Marv, and I brought all my paintings to the art showroom and unloaded them before heading back home. I only had two nights before my show, and I could hardly keep calm. I spent the rest of the day doing yard work and cleaning around the house in anticipation of Marcus being back soon.

I also couldn’t help looking over at his house and wondering about that light I’d seen turn off. I wanted to believe I had imagined it, but there was a sinking feeling in my stomach that I had seen someone inside his house while he was gone. I was for sure going to tell Marcus all about it when he returned home.

The night before the art show, I didn’t sleep much at all. My brain raced with excitement over the event and all the people that would be there. It didn’t help that I was away from my bed and staying in a hotel for a few days around the show.

The gallery said it might take them a couple days to make sure they had all the sales cleared before they could give me back the remaining photos. I didn’t mind, though, it was nice to have a little bit of an adventure and stay in the city.

I got to the gallery nice and early and walked around to see how all the photos looked. The lighting in the gallery was simply amazing, and it surprised me at just how perfect my photos looked there. I was confident in the quality of my photos, but seeing them on display here made them look even better.

My heart started racing as I looked around the gallery and saw my life’s work on display. I said a silent prayer that people wouldn’t think my work was horrible. That was all I wanted. Just not horrible. They didn’t need to love it; I just couldn’t take it if everyone thought my photos were bad.

Stanley was planning on driving in for the show right after work, and Rob had said the same thing. I still hadn’t heard from Marcus, though, and I really hoped he would be there. Of course, several of my friends from college as well as Willow and Marv were all planning on attending. I couldn’t wait to see everyone.

“Isabella!” The gallery owner Sarah greeted me enthusiastically.

“Hi Sarah, the showroom looks amazing. I think your display and lighting is what is going to get people interested in my work tonight.”

“Oh, shut up! Your work is amazing. I bet we sell at least half of your photos.”

Wow, half of them. I couldn’t even imagine it. That would mean I had enough money to finish the whole renovation on my family’s home. I could do the kitchen too, and that was going to be extremely expensive. Plus, I could actually relax for a little bit and not have to worry about money as much; it would be a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders.

“Wow, Sarah that would be great. Thanks so much for believing in me.”

Sarah brought me around to show me where the drinks would be set up and the flyers about my work. She showed me where the balcony was in case I needed to take a breather from all the chaos; I knew instantly that I’d be out there during some point of the evening.

“Many artists get overwhelmed at their first show. There will be a lot of people wanting to talk to you and a lot of questions. The hardest part will be consistently keeping a smile on your face and interacting with people. Use this balcony when you want to escape for a moment. It has stairs that go all the way down to the first floor if you decide to make a run for it.” Sarah winked and laughed a bit.

“I think I’ll be alright. I’m really excited to meet everyone and talk about my work.”

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in a back room and trying to get some sleep. I had been up the whole night and really didn’t want to have bags under my eyes when I met everyone at the event that night.

I was able to get an hour nap in before I needed to change and get ready for the show. I brought a black cocktail dress that I thought would help me blend in with the crowd if necessary. The back was cut really low, and it fit me perfectly, like a glove. I had some basic black heels on to tie the whole outfit together. I had transformed myself from the shy and unsure artist to a confident photographer, at least for the length of my show.

When the evening started, there were at least thirty people outside the gallery door just waiting to get in. It was exciting to see that many people interested in the event. I noticed Rob was one of the first people waiting and was relieved that I knew someone.

My body was so tense that I had to have a couple drinks to calm my nerves. My pulse raced, and my face was flush with excitement. Rob didn’t come straight over to talk to me, though. Instead, he allowed the other guests to interact with me while he started looking through my art. He had on an amazing dark gray suit and blue tie that made his eyes sparkle even from across the room.

More and more people were flooding into the space as the first hour of my show went off without either Stanley or Marcus showing up. I tried to just mingle around and see what people thought of the work. Since Sarah had not introduced me yet, it was nice to be anonymous and able to blend in, although a lot of people knew who I was already from the advertisements for the event. I really wanted to hear their thoughts and critiques without people being obliged to give me compliments. If they knew I was the artist, it was more likely that they would feel like not saying the truth about how they liked my work.

People seemed to really like the picture I took when I fell in the woods. It was one of my favorites as well. The dark circle around the moon and the trees that covered the corners made the picture very scary looking. It was ominous, and I liked that. Especially because that night had been anything but ominous; it had been fantastic.

It was the first night Marcus and I were together, and I could still feel the ecstasy of his hands on my body. My body reacted as I let my thoughts drift back to that night, and the power of Marcus as he brought me to orgasm.

I pulled out a phone and sent a text to Marcus to see if he was going to be able to make my show. Since I really didn’t know what he did for a living or where he was, I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to come to my show. It was perfectly fine with me if he didn’t show up. I had enough on my hands as I tried to relax before Sarah introduced me to the crowd. If Marcus had been there, it would have made me even more nervous.

Marcus made me nervous with the way he looked at me. His eyes were always full of desire and a deep need to have his way with me. I couldn’t handle having to deal with that and be social with all the guests of the art show. It would be too much.

“Your pictures are amazing,” I heard a man say and turned around expecting to see Rob, but instead it was Stanley.

For some reason, Stanley’s voice hadn’t sounded as familiar as it normally did. He also looked a lot different than I was used to seeing him. Stanley had his hair brushed precisely with a tailored navy colored suit on. He looked good, damn good.

“You’ve seen my work before.” I laughed as I pushed him away a little.

“Yeah, but in here it looks so official. You really are a fabulous artist, Isabella. I’m sorry I don’t tell you it more often.”

“Thank you, Stanley, I really appreciate that,” I said as I gave him a big hug.

With my arms still wrapped around him, I noticed Rob standing at the other end of the room and eyeing the two of us. This was it; it was time for these two men to meet one another. I hoped they would get along.

“I’ve got someone else for you to meet,” I whispered to Stanley as I pulled away from him.

“Another one already? You’re a fast mover.”

“It’s Rob, the guy I went on the date with the other night. He’s just getting to know me, but I sort of went for it and told him about my life.”

“You didn’t think he was going to be agreeable, did you?” Stanley laughed and then went straight faced the second Rob got near to us.

“Rob, this is my friend Stanley. Stanley, this is Rob,” I motioned between the two of them.

“So you and Isabella?” Rob asked Stanley with a raised eyebrow.

“Isabella and I met while she was in college. We lived together for awhile, but now we don’t. I think she’s pretty fantastic, though.”

“We only went on one date so far, but I do have to agree with you that she’s fantastic,” Rob said and pulled me toward him before kissing me.

It always made me laugh when guys wanted to test out the resolve of the other men I was seeing. Rob clearly thought Stanley would get upset or jealous or say something, but he was an old pro in this relationship. Stanley simply sipped his drink and waited for us to finish kissing, then without missing a beat, he moved the conversation forward.

“Have you sold anything yet?” Stanley asked.

“Not that Sarah has told me. I really hope something sells.”

“Did you see that one in the woods,” Rob asked Stanley.

“No, I didn’t see it.”

“It’s the woods down the street from the house. You should go check it out,” I said as I took advantage of the moment. “Rob, will you show him where it’s hanging please?”

“Sure,” Rob replied as the two men went off to get to know each other while admiring my photographs. I couldn’t have asked for a first meeting to go any better.