The Art of Love Read online

  Her eyes meet his before he speaks, “I’m sorry I lost my temper with you and that I threw the paint at the wall. I apologize for rushing your process. It’s just that it’s been a really long time to get this side of the house complete. The extra entrance and driveway have been moving rather sluggishly too. That’s why it’s such a god damn shit storm out there.”

  Elise notices the padded dirt where her car currently sits, “Oh? I didn’t pay too close attention to that I guess. It looks good to me, my car drives on it fine and apology accepted.” She tries to be nonchalant and callous by turning her back to return to what she’s doing.

  “It looks fine for right now, but when it rains it’s a God awful mess out there. Matter of fact, you should move your car onto the stone driveway so you won’t have such a hard time leaving later. I could smell the rain coming while I was out this morning,” he recommends to her staring out of the window into the cloudless morning sky. She knows she should listen to him, but the ounce of resentment left from the previous night causes her to be outright defiant.

  “You know I watch the weather daily. It said nothing about any rain coming,” she rebuts looking to her car, “Nope, absolutely nothing about rain.”

  “Well I ride my horse daily and I know the weather better than any of those weathermen. Can’t no machine tell me what I feel in my bones. It’s gonna rain today,” he reiterates.

  “Well I’ll believe that when I see it,” she smiles, “I’m gonna get back to work here.”

  “Okay then, I’ll let you get back to work then. If you need anything, please ask. And from now on, I promise to be more respectful and understanding to your process.”

  “Thank you, I greatly appreciate that,” Elise returns to the wall.

  Hours go by before anyone sees or hears anything from Elise. Brandon brings lunch by the room to check in on her and what he sees before him is nothing short of amazing. The snow-capped, mountain range stretches across the entire wall. There is a family of moose outlined, along with a tall bear and its cub. The bear are about halfway complete. There’s something warm and loving in the face of the bear that takes away the menacing nature of the beast. Elise’s talent shines through and the mural itself warms Brandon’s heart.

  “I can see why the grey was necessary, and I apologize again for letting my anger get the best of me,” Brandon expresses his regret once more. He’s ashamed to have behaved so poorly, especially in the presence of someone he knows is capable of the task at hand.

  “You threw a tantrum,” she corrects him with a chuckle, “But it’s okay. Just know that I won’t tolerate any more of that nonsense. I understand that you just want this room to be perfect for your nephew. I’m going to keep working at it until it’s finished. And, thank you for bringing me lunch.”

  “Well how about you join me for lunch. Take a break,” he requests.

  Elise isn’t sure what inspired his gesture, but why not take an opportunity to sit with a billionaire. He may give her the stock tip of a lifetime. He sure wasn’t the man she met those years ago. She smiles at her frivolous thoughts; setting down her paint brushes and stepping out of the painting jumpsuit. Brandon points her toward a powder room just off the kitchen where she can freshen up.

  Scents of roast beef and potatoes waft through the house as Lucy, Brandon’s housekeeper, sets the table for their lunch. Meanwhile, Elise is scrubbing the paint off her hands and from underneath her fingernails. She unleashes her curls from their restrictive rubber band, letting them fall just beyond her shoulders. She doesn’t know what to expect but as she enters the dining room, she’s pleasantly surprised.

  Brandon isn’t sitting at the massive table that seats ten people, but instead at a table for two placed in front of the window. The massive window must be at least six feet tall, as Elise’s eyes travel up its height. She continues to look around until her eyes meet his. Brandon stands when she approaches the table, and pulls her chair out for her to sit.

  “Thank you. This is all so amazing,” she exclaims enamored with the sheer opulence of his ranch house. He watches the words flow from her lips like a soft breeze carrying rose petals on a summer day. There are subtly addictive tones that speak to his primal nature. Her beauty is unassuming and glorious.

  “Mr. Fairchild!” she asserts breaking his trance.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. You had me lost in thought. What were you saying?”

  “I was saying how beautiful your land is, even with the unfinished work you have going on out there,” she chuckles.

  “Speaking of that mess of dirt, why are you going to be so stubborn as to let your car sink into that mud? You won’t be able to get out until that dirt dries,” he brings up her car again.

  “Listen, my car will be just fine because it’s not going to rain today,” she states confidently.

  “Care to place a wager on that?”

  “Well, what do you have in mind?” she asks as she takes a bite of food.

  “Okay, when it rains tonight and you can’t get your car out of here, you’re going to have to stay the night,” he begins.

  “You think so?”

  “Let me finish,” he grins, “You’re going to have to stay the night. So in the morning, not only will you have to dig your car out but you have to help with the morning chores around here.”

  “What exactly does that entail?”

  “Well we gotta check the cows and get them into their milking stalls. Then the pigs gotta get fed and we gotta mend any fences that need mending. We hit the stables and make sure the horses have their hay. Locks are secure. Check the orders and make sure any livestock that gotta go out are prepped and ready to go. You know, chores,” he snickers.

  “I thought chores were more along the lines of washing dishes, doing laundry, and dusting shelves,” she counters.

  “Ha! That’s what Lucy’s for! We can’t have her out here doing everything,” he scoffs.

  “I guess. But what do I get if I win?”

  “I tell you what, if the pigs in my pen happen to sprout wings and take flight in that clear, open, rainless sky, then I will keep you on as my artistic consultant for my business.”

  Brandon pulls the idea out of thin air; however, it gains traction the more he thinks on it. As Elise mulls the parameters of the bet over, she prays that her weathermen are correct.

  “Well, I already have a job selling my personal pieces at the gallery,” she tells him, not completely sold on the idea.

  “I ain’t say you had to quit. You would be a consultant. I call you in when I finish a house and you meet with the buyers and construct a piece to go inside the new home. I’d pay you directly and the piece would go in the home as a thank you for choosing Fairchild Homes and Construction.”

  “Oh okay, I get it now. It would be a permanent freelance position. Well I can’t turn that down. You have a bet Mr. Fairchild,” Elise accepts extending her hand out. They shake on the deal, but as their fingertips touch an unexpected spark ignites between them. As the lunch continues, Elise melts under the charm of the brooding blonde before her. He regales her of tales about funny ranch mishaps and projects at work. They talk about the changes he’s gone through and how he managed to amass such a fortune over the last few years. He also expands on her potential role in the company, winging most of it, to appease her since she believes she’s to win the bet. Before they know it, an hour lunch turns into hours of conversation.

  “Wow, look at the time,” Elise stretches and yawns, “Why aren’t you at some meeting with other rich people or at work?”

  Brandon laughs, “Well, what’s the point in being rich if you can’t do what you want? Right now, I’m enjoying our conversation. You’re different from most people I speak with.”

  “Oh, yeah? How’s that?”

  “You’re not as apprehensive as most of my employees and you’re not as uppity as the people I share a tax bracket with. I like it. I miss that about our conversations,” he smiles at her.

  “Well
, thank you, I think. However, as nice as this lunch and conversation have been, I think I should get back to work,” Elise returns his smile.

  Brandon simply nods as he rises from his seat and moves to pull her chair out. With a full stomach, and delightful discussion on her mind, Elise returns to the mural. She gets lost in her paint strokes. The only thing to disrupt her is the sound of thunder clapping which shakes the window pane.

  Brandon reemerges just as a flash of lightening streaks across the sky, “I hate to say I told you so. But, I told you so. You have a few options here. You’re more than welcome to leave now and avoid spinning those tires out there in Utah mud. Or, since you got chores to do in the morning, you can stay here.”

  Elise glances from Brandon to the window, as droplets of rain splash against the wall. She sighs in defeat. Looking at the cowboy, she concedes, “Fine. I guess you win and since I gotta be back here early in the morning, I might as well stay. Let me finish up here and run get my change of clothes out from the car.”

  “Okay, and while you do that, I’ll rustle up some dinner for us,” he offers.

  “Oh you cook? Where’s Lucy?”

  “Unlike you, Lucy left when I told her to …after lunch; so she wouldn’t be stuck here for the night,” he replies.

  Elise huffs at his answer knowing that he isn’t going to let her live this bet down. She strips out of her painting gear to rush to her car before the rain falls any harder. Brandon is moving around the kitchen as she stands by the back door gauging the distance she needs to run to get to her car.

  “Unless you got one of them remote control cars, it ain’t gonna come to you darling. The longer you look at it, the wetter it gets,” he comments without taking his eyes off the cutting board.

  Elise knows he right, again. Her gym bag was right on the floor in the back seat. She always has a fresh pair of clothes in it, since she hasn’t been to the gym since the day she signed up. The crash of thunder is just the startle she needs as she takes off into the rain. Once the bag is in her hand the mud accumulating under her feet gives way. Elise slips and slides almost under the car. The splash accompanied by a loud thud and groan is enough to make Brandon look out into the driveway. He rushes out to her, throws her bag over his shoulder, and scoops her into his arms. Elise looks up at him as he carries her into the house.

  He sets her down on the couch closest to the fireplace.

  “Lucy’s gonna kill me for tracking all this mud in the house,” he stares at the trail of footprints before looking to Elise, “Here let’s get you out of these clothes and warm you up.”

  When he attempts to remove her shoe, she grimaces in pain. He unlaces the shoe entirely before taking it off and decides to cut the sock off her foot. Her ankle is a little swollen, but nothing a bag of frozen peas won’t fix.

  “I already ruined your sock, but do you think you’re okay if I roll these jeans off ya? If not, I gotta get my other scissors to get through the denim,” he tells her.

  “No, I can move my ankle. And besides, these are my favorite jeans,” she laughs maneuvering around to wriggle them down from around her waist. His beet red cheeks cannot be missed once her trousers hit the floor. He picks them up immediately and turns around to face the fireplace. Brandon grabs her bag and notices all of the clothes inside were wet as well. He opts to hang the clean wet clothes by the fireplace and toss her dirty wet clothes into his pile of laundry.

  Brandon is doing everything in his power to not be alone with Elise while she sits by the fire with just her bra and panties on. The reflections of the flames dance across her wet skin like a salsa dancer. Her dark brown nipples can be seen through the blue lace she adorns. He swallows hard as he brings down some blankets and towels for her to clean up.

  “I’d prefer if you just lay down here and let that ankle rest up for the night,” he suggests softly.

  Elise merely nods as she moves from the couch down to the floor to arrange the blankets closer to the fire. He watches her closely, so much so he can see the goose bumps forming and her body start shivering.

  “Okay you’re shaking now, so we gotta get you heated up quick,” he doesn’t wait for her to debate or give him permission. He strips down to his boxers and lies behind Elise on the floor next to the fire. He pulls her back into his burly chest to let his body heat up the side the fire can’t reach.

  “Thank you,” Elise clambers with her teeth chattering.

  “Hush now! We’ll get you warm and then get you fed,” he commands as he pulls a blanket over them and tightens his hold on her. Elise moans as she leans back into him. Her panties are getting his boxers wet so she starts the slide them off.

  “What are you doing?” he asks as his breathing gets heavier.

  “My panties are wet. I have to take them off,” she continues to wriggle out of them. Her hand grazes over his shaft when she notices her panties made them wet, “Take your boxers off, Brandon.”

  “Excuse me, but uhh, I don’t think this is appropriate for me. I think maybe I should just get you a few more blankets and then move you to the bedroom,” he refuses nervously.

  “It’s only because they’re wet. I don’t want you to get cold next.”

  Brandon’s heart thumps loudly in his ears as his pulse races and his penis hardens under the touch of Elise’s fingertips sliding his shorts down. She stands to put them by the fire with the rest of her clothes. Shadows of her voluptuous figure project onto the walls.

  “My God, you’re beautiful,” he mumbles to himself.

  “The way you look at me is as if you ain’t never seen a naked woman before. Stop smirking and move over so I can get warm again,” she grins.

  “Oh I’ve seen quite a few, but ain’t none ever compared to you,” he praises her.

  Elise lays with her back to him again, this time with a plan in mind. She wiggles her hips so his erection lays between her cheeks. She begins to gyrate against him hoping he gets her hint.

  “You’re really trying to heat things up, huh?” he whispers in her ear.

  “More than you know,” she admits turning around to face him. Elise presses her nipples against his chest pulling his face to hers. They kiss for the first time, deeply; passionately.

  “Wait,” Brandon pulls away with a gasp for air, “I don’t want this to ruin our working relationship.” He stands up and reaches for his pants.

  She touches his leg and with a most sincere look in her eyes, “I won’t let it, if you don’t.”

  Elise bites her bottom lip as she leans back onto the floor and spreads her legs for him.

  “Don’t move,” he commands jetting out of the room stark naked. He returns a few moments later with a few condoms and a bottle of lube. He joins her on the floor, pressing his body on top of hers. She rubs her hands over the contours of his chiseled physique as he cups her breasts in his hand while kissing on her neck. They start moving together and before she realizes he even put the barrier on he’s inside of her. Elise grabs the blanket underneath them to steady herself as he thrusts inside of her. Her walls tighten around the girth of his manhood as he continues to slide in and out of her.

  “Oh my God, you feel so good,” he whispers. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her closer, so he can fuck her deeper. They’re both sweating as the sex heats up. He grabs her ankles gently placing them on his shoulders as he sits up. He uses her soft thighs as handles and begins to pummel her pussy until she orgasms. Elise’s nectar drips down his shaft as his primal urges get the better of him. He starts pumping harder and faster. The only sounds to be heard are that of her bottom bouncing off his lap as he thrusts into her mercilessly until she cums again. Elise cries out in ecstasy as she cums another time shortly after. She wants to take charge. She moves her legs off his shoulders and pulls herself up so she can ride him. Brandon sits back on his knees as Elise vigorously bucks her hips. Brandon begins to yell out, but she silences him by sticking her tongue in his mouth. They both climax as she kisses him passionately.
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  The two new lovers collapse onto the pile of blankets and this time Elise’s trembling body is from the sweet bliss of a passionate sex session rather than the cold rain.

  “Is something burning?” Elise ponders out loud after a few minutes of them holding each other by the fire.

  “Well it definitely got hot in here. You are something else Miss Saunders,” he chuckles. But, the aroma strikes him too bringing Brandon to the realization she wasn’t talking about what just happened. He thinks for a moment, his eyes widen, and then he hops up from the floor, “Oh Shit! The food!”

  Chapter 2: Creating Something New

  Elise moans as Brandon shakes her awake to get ready to head out. After she freshens up and gets dressed, they walk to the stables. Ginger is up and ready to go as Brandon saddles her up with riding equipment.

  “I’ll let you take Ginger here since she’s a morning person. I’ll take ole Grumpy McGee over there,” he laughs at his black and white stallion, Warlock.

  “Why would you name your horse that?” Elise chuckles.

  “I didn’t! That’s just his attitude every single god dang day! His name is Warlock. I bought these two in hopes of them breeding me some ponies but they don’t seem to get along too well,” Brandon admits pulling the horse out of his stall. Warlock doesn’t want to move, nor does he want to be touched. He huffs and puffs at Brandon before trying to back up into the stall again. After wrestling with the horse for over a half hour, he finally gets him ready to ride.

  “Jeeze that’s a stubborn one you got there,” Elise states as she reaches over to pet him from atop Ginger. Ginger doesn’t like that one bit, refusing to move any closer to Warlock as she takes a few steps ahead.

  “Yeah, she’s a ball buster there. You go on and ride ahead. Ginger knows where to go and what to do. Just make sure you be careful getting up and down off her. I know you hurt your ankle last night,” he cautions Elise.