Authors: Theresa Troutman
Tess pulled away, gasping for air. “Make love to me, Sebastian.”
* * *
He wasn’t going to say no this time. He had missed her as much as she’d missed him. Sebastian picked Tess up in his arms and carried her into the master bedroom, gently setting her down on her stocking feet. He turned her around and slowly pulled down the zipper on the back of her dress. Tess stepped out of her Chanel and then Sebastian carefully draped it over the chair.
“Lay down on the bed for me,” he said as he began taking off his suit in an agonizing, leisurely pace.
Tess watched him, her eyes devouring his nakedness as each layer of clothing was removed.
Sebastian covered her body with his, pushing her arms overhead and holding her still. He kissed her neck and inhaled the scent of her hair. Sebastian had just started his foreplay, but he wanted to dash it all and bury himself inside her. It had been too long since they last made love and his celibate resolve was fading fast.
Sebastian released her arms and slipped off her panties. He pushed between her legs with his knee and she opened up for him. His erection nuzzled against her. She was warm and wet—an invitation to come inside. “I desperately need you,” he said in a hoarse voice, his mouth centimeters away from hers.
“What are you waiting for?” she asked in a whisper, lifting her pelvic bone against him. “I need you, too.”
That was all Sebastian had to hear. He reached for his cock and positioned it over her opening, sliding inside with ease. He closed his eyes and held his breath, his lips upturned in a smile. She felt amazing. “I’ve missed you so much.”
* * *
Tess held onto Sebastian’s arms as he made love to her. This felt so right. How could she ever have contemplated being with another man? Sebastian was her home. He was the only person who could fill her with a myriad of emotions: love, passion, respect, adoration—they were too many to list. He was an amazing lover and she was never going to let him go. Tess vowed to spend the rest of her life proving her love and devotion to Sebastian.
He rolled her onto her side, propped up her leg, and continued to thrust in and out while lying behind her on the bed. His hand slid over her shoulder, down her arm, until he cupped her breast. “That’s it—right there,” she said in a strained, hushed tone as he pushed her to climax. A few moments later, he followed her over the edge.
Tess turned to face Sebastian and snuggled into him. They were hot and sweaty, trying to catch their breath. Although his face showed no emotion, his eyes were smiling back at her. “I love you, Sebastian.”
“Okay,” he teased.
She playfully pushed his shoulder, while he kept a tight grip around her waist. Tess looked at the new engagement ring on her finger. It was beautiful and elegant; she couldn’t believe it belonged to her. “When did you buy it?” she asked.
“Six months ago,” he replied. “Do you like it?”
“It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen,” she admitted. There was no point in arguing over the cost or extravagance of the gift. That was one of the things that made Sebastian—Sebastian.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“You have impeccable taste. How could I not like it?”
“Well, yes, that is true,” he agreed with a soft chuckle.
“We never got to eat my cake,” she bemoaned, changing the subject.
“We can fix that.” Sebastian stood up from the bed and walked out of the bedroom.
* * *
Sebastian grabbed a tray from the kitchen. He arranged the birthday cake, two forks, a bottle of champagne, and two flutes on the tray. Walking back into the bedroom carrying the tray, which covered his private parts, he gave her a boyish grin. “Dessert is served.”
Tess sat up in bed, propping her back against the pillow. “You didn’t bring plates.”
“We don't need plates.” He popped the cork on the champagne and poured a glass for each of them. Handing Tess a glass, he joined her in bed. “Happy birthday, darling.” Sebastian picked up the fork and dug into the cake. He fed a piece of the delicious confection to Tess.
“This is so good. I’m in heaven,” Tess moaned, closing her eyes. She picked up her own fork and continued eating the cake.
Sebastian sat back and gazed at his beautiful fiancée while she ate her birthday cake and drank champagne. A year ago, he could never have predicted things would turn out this way. Time was fleeting and moved at a rapid clip. At last, Tess had accepted his ring—his promise to cherish her forever.
“What are you thinking?”
“I was thinking I have never seen you look more lovely, sitting naked in our bed, eating chocolate cake.” He leaned in and kissed her, licking a stray piece of buttercream from her lip.
Sebastian walked in the front door of the condo, holding a package in his hands. “This came from your mother,” he announced, setting it on the coffee table.
Tess ripped the tape off the brown corrugated box, eager to see what was inside. She pulled out a white shoe box and removed the lid. She found a dozen old Christmas ornaments along with a handwritten note:
For your first Christmas in your new home. Love, Mom
“Look at this. These were ornaments from my tree at home when I was growing up.”
Sebastian peeked in the box. “There’s something else in there,” he said, picking up the round tin at the bottom of the box. He opened the tin, inhaling the delicious scent of its contents. “Your mother’s chocolate chip cookies.” Sebastian took a bite out of one before he offered the remainder of the cookie to Tess.
“I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas,” Tess said.
“There’s a lot down the street selling live trees. Maybe next weekend we can buy one,” Sebastian suggested.
“Definitely.”
Tess was sitting in her Monday morning class, waiting for the lecture to start. Dan squeaked into the room just as the professor turned around to begin his lesson. Late as usual, the only place to sit was in the front row. Tess fiddled with her cuticles, realizing Dan would have to sit next to her. Everything had been going well so far. Dan had kept his distance; they hadn’t spoken to one another. She wasn’t sure she could handle sitting next to him for ninety minutes, as she felt her heart rate speed up and palms become clammy.
Dan quickly took his seat and quietly opened his notebook. He didn’t look her way or speak to her. That was a relief. At least Tess was somewhat able to focus on the lecture and take notes.
At the end of class, Tess packed up her bag and stood to leave the classroom.
It was at that moment Dan chose to speak. “That’s some rock you have there,” he said, pointing to her ring finger. “So I guess you and Sebastian are officially engaged.”
Tess looked down at her sparkling diamond, the light catching the multi-facets of the cut. “Yes, we are.”
“Congratulations, Tess, I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you. I have to get to my next class.” She turned away and then let out a long exhalation. Tess filed out of the lecture hall with her fellow students, leaving Dan Miller behind.
Sebastian was waiting for Tess after her last class. He had just come from working at the gallery. “Hello, darling. How was your day?” he asked, greeting Tess with a kiss on the cheek.
“It was okay.” Tess shrugged. “I sat next to Dan Miller in class today.”
“And?” Sebastian asked, leery of the response.
“He congratulated us on our engagement.”
“That’s all?”
“He said he was happy for us.”
“Good,” he clipped out.
“I don’t want to talk about me. How was your day?”
“Did he harass you? Are you sure you’re okay?” Sebastian prodded, his mouth pressed into a hard line.
“No, he didn’t harass me. We were very civil to one another. It’s just that when I see him I feel guilty for hurting you. Kissing him was such a big mistake.”
Sebastian gave Tess a hug. “Stop beating yourself up. It’s over. We’re together. I’m not holding a grudge.”
They walked out into the cold December weather and made their way toward the subway station.
Standing on the platform, awaiting the next train, Tess said, “So tell me about your day.”
His face lit with enthusiasm. “You’ll never guess who walked into the gallery today.”
“Who?” New York was a big place and you were bound to bump into someone famous from time to time.
“Andy Warhol.”
“That’s amazing. Did you get a chance to talk to him?”
“Yes, we talked about his current project with Basquiat.”
“You really love working at the gallery, don’t you?”
“Yes, can you believe someone like me actually enjoys a job?”
“I told you: when you do something you love, it doesn’t feel like a job,” Tess responded, lacing her arms through his. “So is Fiona going to show these new paintings?”
“I hope so. She was having dinner with Andy tonight.”
“Maybe you’ll get all the good gossip next time you work.”
The train pulled into the station. The doors opened and a torrent of people escaped the packed car. Sebastian let Tess enter first and followed closely behind her. The doors closed and the train headed Uptown.
* * *
Henry had just helped Sebastian set up the Christmas tree in front of the window, next to the fireplace, when a knock sounded on the door.
Tess ran over and opened it. Two delivery men in navy coveralls stood outside the condo with a tall, thin, wooden crate. “We have a delivery for Sebastian Irons,” the one on the left announced.
Sebastian walked up behind Tess. “Please come in,” he said, opening the door as wide as possible.
The men came inside and removed the panel on the side of the box with crowbars. They carefully lifted the contents of the box in unison. It was covered with a white canvas work cloth. Carefully, Sebastian removed the cloth to uncover a painting. The painting was large, measuring sixty inches by thirty-six inches. It wasn’t a portrait or landscape; it was an abstract painting—just a copper-painted canvas with green splotches. The painting wasn’t signed, and Tess had no idea who the artist was. She walked up behind him and they looked at the painting together: Tess wasn’t sure what to make of it, while Sebastian beamed with pride.
“I’d like it hung over the fireplace,” Sebastian instructed as the two men set to work.
Half an hour later, Sebastian tipped the delivery men before they carted away the wooden crate. The three of them stood in the living room looking at his new acquisition.
Henry and Tess glanced at each other, unsure what to say.
“Well, what do you think?” Sebastian asked.
“I think I could do that if I had a garage and a few cans of paint,” Henry joked.
“It looks like they spilled acid on the canvas, yet the canvas is intact. What else would cause that effect?”
“It’s from the oxidation series. After the artist painted the canvas, his friends urinated on it. They are also known as the ‘piss paintings.’”
“There’s more than one? I’m definitely in the wrong line of work,” Henry commented in amusement.
Realization dawned on Tess’ face as she now understood what she was looking at. She had remembered reading about them in one of Sebastian’s art magazines. “Oh my God, how much did that cost?” she whispered, reaching for the armchair to sit down.
“Hope you didn’t pay more than a hundred dollars for it,” Henry piped in.
“Henry, that’s an Andy Warhol painting,” Tess informed him.
“The guy who paints soup cans?”
“Yes, the very same guy that paints soup cans,” Sebastian confirmed.
Tess became very quiet, so Henry took the hint and left the condo.
“You bought a painting that someone urinated on!” she exclaimed after Henry closed the front door.
“It’s probably Victor Hugo’s urine, if that makes you feel any better,” Sebastian said lightheartedly.
“Victor Hugo is dead,” Tess muttered.
Sebastian laughed. “Not the writer Hugo—Halston’s lover Hugo.”
“Are we going to be able to pay the utilities this month and put food on the table?”
“Yes, darling, you have nothing to worry about. It was an amazing deal. I couldn’t pass it up. I didn’t even have to get Mr. Hume’s okay to purchase the painting.”
“Wonderful, that only means it cost less than thirty thousand dollars.”
“Yes, it was less than thirty-thousand.” He declined telling her the price tag was just
under
thirty thousand dollars.
Sebastian was overjoyed, like a child getting the best Christmas present ever. Tess couldn’t scold him for making the decision without her input—it was his money, after all. “Well, the colors are pretty,” she finally conceded.
“Art is always a good investment. I promise this will put the kids through college one day,” Sebastian reassured, placing his arm around Tess. “Until that time comes, I’m going to enjoy it. It fits the spot perfectly, don’t you think?”
“Yes, it does,” Tess agreed.
The doorbell rang again. Tess actually groaned aloud. “Let me guess, that’s the Jackson Pollack.”
“They would complement each other,” Sebastian mused, “but it’s just the Chinese take-away.”
“Thank God,” she grumbled under her breath as Sebastian opened the door and paid for the food.
After they ate dinner, they began to decorate the Christmas tree, using the heirlooms Tess’ mom had sent and some new ornaments Sebastian and Tess had bought together.
“You know, this is the first time I’ve ever decorated a tree.”
Tess looked at him with skepticism. “What are you talking about? You never had a tree growing up?”
“We always had a tree, but the servants decorated it.”
Tess shook her head. “I can’t imagine growing up like that.”
“Lily never wanted us getting dirty doing menial tasks.”
“Unbelievable,” Tess said, shaking her head. “Are you having fun doing this with me?”
“Very much so,” he confirmed, carefully hanging a glass ornament on an evergreen bough.
They stood back and admired their work. “It’s beautiful,” Tess said.
The fire crackled and hissed as it burned in the fireplace. The white lights twinkled on the Christmas tree as the smell of the evergreen diffused through the living room. Sebastian took Tess in his arms and held her tight. This was all he’d ever wanted—well, almost.