Unrestrained (Unrestrained 3)

"All right," he said, his arms crossed. He leaned against the wall and regarded me. When he spoke, his voice was almost a whisper. "I don't meet many submissives. When I do, I have an undeniable urge to get to know them, and I meet so few who are also talented artists and lovely as well. Have pity on me, Kate," he said, grinning. "How can I possibly resist you?"

"It's not proper etiquette to acknowledge someone in the lifestyle unless they want you to. I don't want you to. My private life is none of your business."

"You made it my business by performing live in front of me and a few dozen others the other night. If you hadn't wanted an audience of appreciating men, your Dom should have kept things private."

"We were wearing masks. That should have told you we wanted our identities to remain private. What we do is personal, between us. Please don’t mention this again. You make me very uncomfortable."

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"If you insist, but you must understand I want you. I'll do pretty much anything to get you."

"There is nothing you can do to 'get' me," I said, angry. "So give up."

"Hope springs eternal. In my experience, submissives need a lot of attention or else they feel sad and neglected. If you ever feel neglected, you can give me a call. I wouldn't let you out of my sight if you were mine…"

"I'm engaged," I said. "You shouldn’t approach me, out me or make any suggestive comments."

"You're not married."

"Not yet."

"Exactly."

I stood staring at him, shaking my head. Finally, I gave up and pushed past him. He inhaled as I walked by and made a sound in the back of his throat.

I hated him.

Back in the room, Sefton's class had taken the empty benches. Janus returned and sat on a settee with no back, leaning to the side, his thighs spread, one arm on his hip. I decided not to move, too upset from my latest encounter with Sefton, my hands shaking. I tried to draw but my first attempts were ruined and so I had to turn the page and start over. Finally, after Sefton ignored me and spent his time commenting on his own students, I settled down and was able to get something down on paper but it wasn't my best effort.

Talia stood by me for a moment and watched me struggle with the pose, but said nothing. I wasn't sure if I could stand to deal with Sefton much longer. He'd seen us have sex. He clearly didn’t care that we were engaged. He clearly enjoyed upsetting me.

During the second break, I stayed in my seat and thankfully, Sefton ignored me. He and Talia spoke to each other at the back of the class, and then they walked around the easels, looking at the drawings and paintings and commenting to each other. His class had the choice of sticking with the first pose and finishing it, or starting another pose to get the experience. I looked around at the paintings and wished I could be doing one instead of drawing, but it was still so great to be doing art, whatever the medium.

If only Sefton was out of the equation, I'd be fine. Then, I got mad at myself. He was a bastard and I shouldn't let him ruin my experience. He was the one who was being rude. I made a decision to ignore him from then on. I wouldn't let him invade my space or my thoughts any longer.

Towards the end of the morning, as I worked on the final pose, a profile of Janus from behind so I could catch the lovely lines of his back and buttocks, Sefton came to stand beside me, watching as I worked on the final touches.

"Very good," he said. "Proportions are perfect."

"Thank you," I said, for although I hated his innuendo, he was a very skilled and talented artist, and I appreciated his recognition of my abilities.

He knelt down beside me and watched as I worked to finish Janus's feet, which I always found difficult.

"You're wasting away here, Kate," he said, turning to look at me, his expression serious, no hint of a leer in his eye. "Technically, your work is exceptional. You have a very good eye for perspective and shading. You really should be in the Master Class. What can I do to convince you to attend?"

I shook my head. "Quit teaching it," I said, my voice low.

"I can't do that. What else could I do?"

"Nothing." I glanced around, not wanting the other students to hear our conversation. "You make me very uncomfortable."

"I apologize if I make you uneasy," he said. "It's a bad habit of mine, pushing my luck. I don’t know why I'm like this, but I promise to keep myself in check if you'll take the class. You're too good to languish in this class."

"I'm happy to have Talia as an instructor."

"This is not a class with instruction, so you're missing out on a lot." He sighed audibly. "I could teach you so much, if you'd let me."

I turned to look at him, to see if there was that gleam in his eye, but there wasn't. He was being serious – for a change.