H e asked the driver for the keys to the town car and gave the man what had to have been a huge tip, and then he acted like I was the crazy one for asking where we were going. I'd never seen someone leave their driver standing on the sidewalk. Then again, I wasn't exactly accustomed to having a driver, so maybe it was something rich people did when they got bored .

“Why didn't you just have him drive us?” I asked as he changed lanes .

“Because there's a slight chance that leaving this car unattended will result in it being stolen .”

I gave him a sharp look, expecting him to laugh at the joke, but then I recognized some of the signs along the road. He wasn't kidding. We were heading into a not-so-good section of the city. It wasn't quite the kind of neighborhood where I'd be scared to walk by myself during the day, but at night, I'd be extra cautious and have my pepper spray ready. More vandalism and theft occurred around here than violent crimes against people, but it still wasn't a great place to live .

Why was Cade taking me here? I'd asked to see his work. This couldn't be where he lived. Even I made enough money to stay out of this neighborhood, and that was saying something. He had to live in a better part of the city .

We parked in front of what looked like some sort of abandoned warehouse. The bottom floor was boarded up and the front covered with graffiti and grime. He looked over at me, a half-smile on his face .

“You might not want to leave anything in the car. The insurance will cover it if it's gone when we come out, but it's a hassle.” He got out of the car and walked around to open my door. His hand tightened around mine as he led me to a set of stairs at the side of the building. As we started up them, he spoke again. “It's not really dangerous here, but a sweet ride like that is a temptation few can resist .”

I nodded. It was actually pretty quiet, which I found surprising. My neighborhood was much noisier than this at eight-thirty on a Friday night. A gust of chilly October air made me shiver and then I was following Cade into a dark space that flooded with light just seconds later .

It was an absolutely huge loft. It ran the entire length of the building, which made it almost three times the size of my apartment. The entire space was open, with the exception of what I assumed was a bathroom. A bed was shoved against the far wall, the mattress lumpy-looking even from where I stood. The blankets piled on it must've been a necessity during the winter. It wasn't cold in here since the wind was blocked, but it wasn't exactly warm either. A small kitchenette was in the other far corner with the basics. Fridge, sink, stove, none of which looked like they'd been used recently .

All of that, however, was peripheral. The majority of the room was taken up with what I now realized was the purpose for our visit. Canvases stood on easels and leaned against walls. A half-finished sculpture of some kind sat on a table among tubes of paint. It looked more like something formed from clay rather than chiseled from rock, but I couldn't tell what it was supposed to be. Among the paintings hanging on the walls were photographs, some black and white, some in color. A few were of people, but distant shots. Most were of nature or architecture .

“This is yours.” I made it a statement instead of a question .

“You wanted to see my work.” Cade took off his tux jacket and laid it across the back of a chair that looked like it had come from a thrift store .

“You don't live here, do you?” Somehow, I couldn't mesh the image of Cade in a tux with living here .

He shook his head. “I have a condo in the city.” He smirked at me. “And much nicer furniture .”

“Then what's this?” I gestured around me .

He hesitated and I wondered if he was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to tell me. “This is where I used to live .”

My eyebrows went up, but I didn't say anything. If he wanted to tell me more, then he would .

“Once I began in my current occupation, I could afford a nicer place, but I kept this place for my... hobby .”

The way he said the last word made me think he didn't exactly like thinking of art as a hobby. Instead of pushing, I walked over to the closest painting. It was a portrait of a sad-looking woman with dark brown curls and dark gray eyes. I didn't need Cade to tell me she was his mother. In addition to her curls and eyes, he had her nose and cheekbones. She was young in the picture, not too much older than Cade was now .

“She's beautiful,” I said .

“She was.” His words were clipped .

I suddenly remembered his tattoo, the letters RIP above 'Mom.' I didn't know the story or how long she'd been gone, but I turned to offer my condolences all the same .

“I work with different mediums, as you can see.” Cade turned his back to me and walked toward a stack of canvases, the gesture telling me we were venturing into forbidden territory. “I'm never sure which one's my best, so I try them all. Experiment and see what I can do with each one .”

“Do you develop the photographs yourself?” I followed his lead away from emotionally personal things .

“There's a space downstairs I use for a darkroom,” he said. “It was easier to convert that than try to add one up here. Photography's a fairly new thing .”

“Well, they're really good.” I cringed at my words. Couldn't I come up with something better than 'really good '?

“Thank you.” Cade picked up something from a cluttered table. He moved several easels out from the center of the room and then opened up the cloth he'd picked up and laid it on the floor. “You know,” he said. “I never bring clients here .”

A thrill went through me at his words and I told myself to stop being silly. We just had a different arrangement than he had with other women. It was an on-going teaching relationship, nothing more .

“I appreciate the chance to see your work,” I said, unsure how I was supposed to respond to his statement .

“You’re the only one who ever asked,” he said simply. He didn't look at me as he picked up some paint and brushes and set them on the drop cloth. “But now, I think you need to do something for me in return .”

The atmosphere in the room shifted .

“Let me paint you .”

I swallowed hard, visions of every movie I'd ever seen where a woman reclined on a couch, nude, and allowed a man to paint her. It wasn't the idea of Cade seeing me that made me hesitate. Once it was done, it would be there, available, for anyone to see .

“Cade, I –”

“It's part of your lesson for the night,” he said. “I was going to conduct this in a slightly different manner, but now that I have you here, this is what I want to do.” He took a step toward me. “Everything off. You can put it on the chair over there .”

Since he hadn't given me specific instructions about how he wanted me to undress, I did it quickly and efficiently. I was surprised at how easy it was to take off my clothes in front of him now. It had taken me months to not want to turn out the lights or undress under the blankets when I'd been with Ronald. Now, I easily resisted the temptation to cover myself as I turned back to Cade. My heart thudded painfully against my chest as I saw he was stripping as well. The man was a work of art himself .

It wasn't until he walked over to put his clothes on the chair that I thought to wonder why he was naked as well. Before I could ask, he was giving me new instructions .

“Go stand in the center of the drop cloth .”

I did as I was told, but couldn't stop myself from flicking my eyes down to catch a glimpse of his cock. I licked my lips as I remembered how he tasted and I wondered what it would be like to take it now when it was still soft, feel it grow in my mouth until I couldn't take it all. My pussy grew wet at the thought .

When I turned to face Cade, he was walking toward me with a paintbrush in one hand and a palette of different colors in the other .

“My dry cleaner would kill me if I got paint on my tux,” he said. “And this is going to get messy.” He dipped the paintbrush into a dark red color .

I gasped as the cool paint spread across my breast. Definitely not what I had in mind when I agreed to let him paint me. But, as the soft bristles moved over my skin, spreading the paint in circles, I had to admit that I liked the sensation. It wasn't quite tickling, but close enough that I wanted to squirm as the brush started down between my breasts. Cade switched to a deep blue that mixed with the red to make purple, and that was the color he ran down my stomach to my belly button. The brush moved over my hips and around my back .

When it dipped into the top of my crack, my hands clenched. The brush began to zig-zag across my left cheek, then my right until most of my skin was covered. Then it was gone and I heard it drop to the floor. A moment later, Cade's hand was in the middle of my back, the paint slick between our skin .

He walked around me so that I could see him again. His eyes met mine for a moment and then he dropped to his knees and put his hands on my hips. The paint on his palms was black, but it only registered for a moment before he was kissing me .

I cried out as his mouth pressed against me, his tongue delving between my lips to find my clit. I'd never considered how waxing would change the way oral sex felt. It was like there were nerves I'd never known existed and Cade's mouth was finding every single one .

I reached out to put my hands on his shoulders to steady myself and he pulled back. I made a sound of protest, my fingers flexing .

“Get paint on your hands,” he said. “Touch your breasts .”

I cupped my breasts, covering them with my hands and squeezing to make sure my palms were covered with paint. My nipples were hard, aching for attention, and I obliged, rolling them between my fingers until Cade pushed my legs further apart and ran his tongue down to my core. My hands dropped to his shoulders, smearing color across his tanned skin .

My nails dug into his flesh as he thrust his tongue inside me, teasing around the entrance and then moving back up to circle my clit. I squeezed my eyes closed as a wave of pleasure hit me. The wet heat of his mouth sent me over the edge and I called out his name as I came. My knees tried to buckle and Cade's arms slid around me, supporting me as he lowered me to the drop cloth .

He put his lips against my ear. “Feels different bare, doesn't it ?”

I nodded. It felt like every inch of skin between my legs was tingling. Being that sensitive might make the pain of waxing worth it. I heard a ripping sound and looked down to see Cade rolling a condom on his now-hard cock .

“I imagine it must feel amazing bareback,” he said as he rolled me onto my side, facing away from him. “That is the one thing I don't do.” He stretched out behind me and ran his hand down my leg. “But when you find a man you trust enough, I encourage you to try it .”

His statement hit me. I'd almost forgotten the reason we were doing this. To make it possible for me to have the confidence to seduce and fuck other men. He lifted my leg slightly and began to slide inside, bringing my thoughts back to the present. None of the other stuff mattered. What did matter was the pressure and burn of him slowly filling me. I bent my knee, letting my ankle rest on his calf, and the change of angle pressed his shaft against my front wall .

“Fuck.” The word barely made it out, the sound strangled. He was rubbing right against my g-spot with every inch he moved and the lower part of his cock was stretching me wider at the same time. The duel sensations made it impossible for me to think clearly .

“Each position has its advantages and reasons behind it.” Cade brushed his lips against the side of my neck. “Some allow for deeper penetration, some provide stimulus right where you need it.” He sucked at the place where my shoulder and throat met. “But for a man, the visual is always important. And what we can do with our hands .”

His hands moved from my hips as his body came to rest, flush against mine. One hand went to my breasts, alternating between the two, rolling my nipples between his thumb and forefinger. The other hand slid over my stomach and down between my legs. His finger parted my folds and found my swollen clit .

“If your man doesn't know what to do with his hands, show him.” His teeth scraped my ear lobe and I shuddered. “Put your hands over mine .”

I did, my fingers not even close to covering his .

As he began to thrust into me, he gave me further instructions. “Show me how to touch you, how you like your clit rubbed. Show me how hard to pinch and twist your nipples .”

It was odd, I thought, as I moved our hands together, how he was in control, but showing me how to take command. Our fingers moved together over my clit; my hand setting the pace and showing his how to move in circles, sending pleasure coursing through me. The hands on my breast were working my nipple until it began to throb, each tug making my body jerk against his, pushing him harder and deeper .

“Pleasure is beauty, Aubree,” he whispered in my ear. “Every sensation has its own unique beauty, even pain.” He twisted my nipple hard and I cried out. “Each person is wired to find it in their own way .”

I was panting now. My fingers slipped and slid against Cade's as we rubbed my clit, our skin slick with paint and my own juices. I didn’t know I could be this wet .

“Give yourself over to every sensation.” He nipped at my neck. “Learn what you love and don't be ashamed of it .”

He moved faster, his hips slamming into me with enough force to make me cry out. I didn't want him to stop, I wanted this to go on and on and on. I knew there was a lot I still had to learn, but I knew I liked this, the merging of pain and pleasure. I liked him taking me so hard that I knew I'd feel it the next day .

“Come for me, Aubree,” he said. His voice was harsh. “Come for me now or you won't get to .”

The thought of being so close to the edge, only to be denied brought memories flooding back of all the times Ronald had taken care of himself and never even thought to ask me if I'd come .

“I want you to come,” Cade said. “I want to feel your pussy contracting around me, squeezing me until it hurts. I want to hear you scream your pleasure .”

My head fell forward, my eyes closing as his thrusts forced away the past .

“Every decent partner wants to see and hear his woman climax .”

I could feel it getting closer, the pressure inside me threatening to boil over. And then he was pushing my hands away. I whimpered, unable to believe he was going to deny me, but then his hands were there, taking care of me. His fingers knew exactly how to move; the right amount of friction to apply .

“A real man wants to be responsible for making sure his woman is satisfied .”

I could hear the strain now and knew he was close .

“Never fake it,” he said. “Never settle for anything less than this .”

His fingers tightened around my nipple even as he drove himself deep. My back arched and I would've screamed if I'd had enough air. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over me as Cade thrust into me over and over again, his thick cock pushing through my spasming pussy even as his fingers kept rubbing my clit until I was almost sobbing, pushing at his hand. It was too much .

My limbs went limp, twitching as he buried himself inside me one final time and came without a sound. He stayed there, his arms wrapped around me, tucking me against his chest as my brain tried to remember how to function .

I vaguely wondered how much of a pain it was going to be to get the paint off, but I didn't care. The two orgasms I just had were worth having to scrub myself raw .

“There's a shower in the bathroom.” Cade broke the silence. “Do you want to go first ?”

I shook my head. “I don't think my legs are up to working yet .”

Cade laughed and I could hear the note of pride in the sound. I wondered if he felt that way with every woman he fucked. My stomach twisted, and I pushed the thought aside. I watched him walk across the room, appreciating the way his muscular ass flexed with each stride. I'd never met anyone who was as confident naked as he was. As he disappeared into the bathroom, I rolled onto my other side so I was facing the wall with most of Cade's work. I thought I understood it now, what he'd said about appreciating beauty. It was strange. I'd come to Cade to teach me about sex but he'd already done more than that. Who would've thought hiring an escort would've changed the way I looked at myself and the world ?

I pushed myself into a sitting position, grimacing at the way the paint clung to my skin. The sound of running water came from the other end of the loft and the image of Cade came into my head, water washing the paint off of his body, running down over the dips and curves of his muscles .

My stomach clenched with desire. It didn't matter that I'd already come twice or that just one round of fucking was enough to leave me sore the next day. I wanted him again. I ran my hand through my sweaty curls and looked at the bathroom door. I was willing to bet it didn't have a lock on it, and if it did, I doubted Cade used it .

Could I do it? That was the question. Did I have the guts to walk in there, step into the shower and tell him I wanted to fuck him again? And what if I did? How would he take it? Aside from our first kiss, he'd initiated everything between us, taken charge and told me what to do and how to do it. Then again, I reasoned, wasn't the entire point of our teaching sessions for me to learn confidence? For me to be secure enough in who I was to get what I wanted ?

I stood up. My knees were a bit shaky still, but my legs stayed under me as I walked across the loft. Doing this completely naked proved how far I'd come in such a short period of time. I reached for the doorknob and told myself that if it was locked, it meant he didn't want me in there with him .

The door opened easily and I slipped inside. The shower was like the rest of the place. A ratty plastic curtain hung on a rod running the length of the tub. It was clear with little swirly designs that did nothing to hide the muted outline of Cade's body. I took a deep breath of the hot, humid air and reached for the curtain .

Cade half-turned as I climbed into the shower behind him and, for once, he didn't even try to hide his surprise. He tilted his head back as he finished turning, letting the last of the shampoo rinse from his hair. My eyes followed the suds down his body and I tried not to let my gaze linger on his tattoo. He'd made it clear that his mom was off limits .

“Decided you wanted to go first after all?” he asked .

I shook my head. Now that I was here, I found I didn't have the words to say why I'd come. I supposed that meant I'd have to show him. I took a step toward him, the warm spray caressing my body and sending rivulets of paint running down me. I reached out and ran my hand over his chest. I felt his breathing hitch as my fingernails scraped across his abs, and then my hand wrapped around his cock and he swallowed hard .

Ronald had been the kind of guy who needed at least eight hours of sleep before he could manage to get it up again, but considering what Cade did and how well he was paid, I had a pretty good feeling he could handle a second time. After just two strokes, I had my answer. I felt him begin to thicken in my hand .

“Not that I'm complaining,” he began. “But what prompted this ?”

I looked up, blinking against the water. “One of the things you're trying to teach me is to get what I want, right?” My hand continued its steady up and down movement and he continued to grow .

He nodded .

“Well, this is what I want.” I lightly squeezed his cock .

He made a sound that was very much like a growl and grabbed my upper arms, pushing me back until I was against the cool tile wall. I stared up at him. I had a moment to glimpse a wild expression on his face, a look so foreign it should have frightened me, but then his mouth came down on mine and nothing else mattered .

His body leaned against mine as his tongue pushed past my lips to plunder my mouth. I moaned as my nipples rubbed against his chest and he swallowed the sound. His tongue curled around mine, drawing them both back into his mouth. I dug my fingers into his wet hair as he sucked on my tongue, sending a bolt of pleasure straight through me. The wet between my legs had nothing to do with the shower .

He was hard against my hip and I knew I had to have him inside me. I hooked my leg around his waist, shifting our position so that his cock was rubbing against my bare pussy. My eyelids fluttered. Fuck that felt amazing .

Cade groaned, his mouth tearing away. He rested his forehead against mine as he grabbed beneath my knee with one hand and reached between us with the other. I braced myself, but even knowing what was coming didn't stop me from wailing as he entered me with one swift thrust. I started to shake as my body tried to adjust. It was too soon after the last time and every nerve ending was still raw. I cried out as he withdrew, then slammed back into me. The base of his cock rubbed against my too-sensitive clit and I whimpered. I was on total overload. Each sensation was too much .

The cold tile on my back and ass .

The water pounding down on us .

The feel of skin against skin as he drove into me .

My eyes opened .

Shit.

“Cade.” I pushed against his chest but he was solid muscle. I grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him toward me, and said the only thing I could think of. “Yellow! Yellow !”

He instantly froze and looked down at me. “What's wrong ?”

I could hear the stress in his voice, but I knew as soon as I told him, he'd understand why I'd stopped. I lowered my leg and he let me go, taking a step back. I watched his eyes flicked down as his bare cock slid out of me .

“Oh, fuck.” He took another step backwards, his eyes wide… disbelieving .

For the first time since I'd met him, there was no mask and I could see how horrified he was to have lost control .

“I'm sorry, Aubree,” he apologized as he struggled to regain his composure .

I shook my head. I wasn't going to let this end. I closed the distance between us and grabbed his cock. His entire body shuddered. “We're not done yet,” I said .

“But I don't have any condoms in here,” he started to protest .

“There are other ways we can finish this.” I smiled up at him as I reached for his hand with my free one. As I moved his hand between my legs, I felt a rush of power. This was what he'd been talking about. This was what it was like to know what I wanted and take it .

As I stroked him, his fingers slid between my folds, finding me slick and open and ready. Two fingers slipped inside as his thumb began to circle my clit. I looked up at him, my breathing quickening as I saw the lust in his eyes .

“What do you want, Aubree?” He spoke in a low voice .

Not second-guessing myself, I leaned forward and ran my tongue over his nipple. He moaned and I smiled against his skin. When I scraped my teeth over it, his cock jerked in my hand and he swore .

“Do that again.” His voice was hoarse .

I nipped at the dark flesh and his breathed whistled from between his teeth. His free hand buried in my hair, holding my head in place. As he pushed a third finger into my pussy, my hand tightened around his cock and he groaned. His dick pulsed in my hand and felt him spurt between us, his warm cum coating my hand. His fingers twisted in my hair, sending a jolt of pain through me as he ground the heel of his hand against my clit .

I cried out as I came, my pussy clamping around his fingers hard enough to make him swear again. The hand in my hair dropped as he wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me up as my climax rolled over and through me .

As we came down, he moved us further under the spray, letting the water wash away everything. When I could finally stand on my own, he released me and then handed me shampoo. We finished showering in silence and while I knew Cade had enjoyed himself, I couldn't help but feel that something about what happened was bothering him. I didn't ask about it though. If it was something I needed to know, he'd tell me. Otherwise, I was going to just keep on with what we were doing. As unconventional as it was, it seemed to be working .