The whole night passed as a blur. The gallery was crowded, all the paintings were sold and, according to Hellen, some people have already made requests. They were really impressed not only by the beauty of her paintings but by the woman behind the artwork. I can’t help but feel proud of the way she blossoms when doing what she really likes.
After people were all gone, Hellen locks the gallery doors with a huge smile on her face.
“This night was a success, Malu! An event like this, with 100% sold, is pretty rare, you know. Even No regrets was sold.”
“Really, Hellen? I still find a bit disturbing the thought of someone seeing me naked on their living room wall.” Her laugh makes me smile.
“Shall we go home, Miss I’ve-sold-all-my-paintings?”
“Let’s go!” she accepts all excited. We say good-bye to Hellen and head to the car.
We cover the short way home from the gallery in silence. She turns on the radio and Mais Ninguém (which means no one else), a song by Brazilian band Banda do Mar, starts playing. Malu sings along in a low voice and the lyrics moves me in an inexplicable way.
I just hope no one else comes
Then I can have you only for myself
I may steal your sleep
I want your everything
If someone else comes, I won’t even notice
I change to another song, even though we’re close to her place. This strange feeling that song gave me is too much to handle.
I stop in front of her building, without turning it off. She looks at me surprised.
“Aren’t you coming up?”
“I don’t think so…”
“Oh, no! I need someone to talk to. Come on, turn this beater off and cut the crap.”
“Malu, you may hardly call my car a beater.”
“Yeah, playboy car” she says while frowning at me, to which I eventually give up and laugh. I enter the building through the garage and park on her spot, which I’m the only who uses anyway, since she doesn’t own a car.
We enter the elevator, and she quickly takes off her sandals, remaining in her bare feet.
“I can’t believe you’re touching this filthy elevator floor with your bare feet.”
“I’m in pain” she says, with her sandals on her hands while stretching her toes.
“Shit” I curse in a low voice, lifting her up. She throws her arms around my neck, smiles and smacks on the lips, as we usually do.
I can’t tell if it were the dress, the booze, or the stunning song, but her lips touching mine make me feel thunderstruck.
When she looks back at me, she comes across the way I’m gazing back at her, and, just like me, she can’t look away.
The elevator stops at her floor, and I carry her all the way to her door. She unlocks it, and we get in. When I put her back on the ground, already inside the living room, she turns away to lock the door. At this moment, all this desire that I’m feeling anymore get the best of me. I hold her against the door letting my mouth rapture hers in the most passionate kiss we’ve ever exchanged. I’m kissing her as if my life depends on that.
She drops the sandals and the small purse she was still holding and throws her arms around my neck, letting her hand walk all the up to my hair. Her body sticks to mine and I can’t think of anything else but how her kiss is so much better than all the others I’ve had before. My heart pounds faster when I feel her taste, pure and unblemished. And that reminds that she’s still a virgin. Shit.
“Malu.” I call her, pulling my lips away.
“Hmm” she moans against my mouth and I can feel myself getting even harder.
“We have to stop.” My mouth is saying that, but my body is screaming: No! no!
“Stop? Are you crazy?” She sticks her mouth back to mine, waving her body against mine. She’s going to be my downfall.
“Yes. First of all, you’re a virgin…”
“Oh, good one. Now tell me another one, because that doesn’t count.”
“Second, having sex will change everything between us. I don’t want to lose you as a friend” I look into her eyes.
She remains quiet for a couple of seconds. Then, rising up on her toes, she holds my face with both hands and say:
“Rafa, the last thing I want right now is losing you and your friendship. You’re all I have. But, just like you, I don’t want a relationship. I don’t want a commitment to someone and depend on his presence to be happy. You know I don’t believe in any of this romantic shit.
“Watch your mouth.” She laughs.
“We can make a pact.”
“What’s this? Fifth grade?” My question makes her laugh even harder. Her eyes are sparkling.
“I mean it! We’ll be friends forever. If any of us feels up to a more intimate moment but doesn’t feel like dating strangers, we’ll look for each other. It’s going to be like a celebration of our friendship. We can have sex and, when it’s over, it’s over. No promises, no expectations, no future plans.
I look at her still feeling suspicious. That sounds too good to be true.
“A ‘friends with benefits’ kind of thing?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“And what about the virginity stuff?”
“What about it? If it’s not you, it’s going to be someone else. I rather be with someone I care about than some idiot who’s going to fuck me, make it hurt and leave me pissed off.
“Girl, you swear like a sailor.”
“But you like me anyway.” She smiles and I smile back at her nodding in agreement.
“No relationships?”
“Just friendship.”
“Nor plans for the future?”
“God forbid me fantasizing of wedding dresses and veils and shit like that.
“No monogamy?”
“Holy fuck, if you’re not having a relationship with me, of course there’s no monogamy!” Malu starts frowning faces again and that can’t help but laugh. “You better stop all this shit and kiss me.”
“Or?”
“I’ll have to abuse you.” She sticks her lips to mine.
That’s everything I need to send self-control straight to hell and hold her in my arms. We kiss so passionately that I feel my whole body burn. Our tongues dance in perfect harmony, magnifying the decadent taste of all the champagne we had.
I strongly hold her hips against mine, making her moan at the feeling of my hard length. I then support her so she can throw her legs around my waist. She keeps moaning low while I take her, attached to me, to her bedroom. When I lay her down on her bed, before I have the chance of taking off my clothes, she pulls me by the tie, making me lie down on my back so she can climb on top of me.
Malu unties my tie, throwing it on the floor. My coat and shirt follow the same route after she takes them off in a delicate but sexy manner. My breath is heavy, even more because I knew I had to go slower considering that this is her first time.
I start pulling her dress up to undress her, but Malu holds my hands and gets up. I’m reclining on my elbows, curious to know what she’s going to do next and, obviously, I’m surprised by her, in the middle of the room, unzipping the dress and letting it go down forming a puddle on the floor.
She is different from all the other women I’ve known.
Her small and curvy body looks like masterpiece ready to be discovered and enjoyed. Having only the moonlight to lit them, the flowers on her shoulder almost look like one of her paintings, filled with colors, as she usually paints them. I look to her small breasts, her waist, her crotch, her legs, her ankles bearing that sexy black rose going all the way down to her foot.
She’s unique. There’s no one like her, in the whole world. Looking at her, naked in front of me, all I can think of is that she should be worshiped as the erotic goddess she is.
I lie back on the bed, offering her my hand, to which she smiles in acceptance, coming towards me with a smile enhanced by the red lipstick. When our fingers touch, the electricity that greets us is so violent that I can feel her shiver. I hold her hand tightly, helping her climb on the bed and, after she lies down on the sheets, as red as her painting, with her lips parted and her eyes lighted up in expectation, I take off my pants, throwing them on the floor with the rest of my clothes.
“Rafa…” she whispers my name and all my self-control dissolves, though it was not much anyway. I lie on top of her, feeling how soft her skin contrasting with my own roughness. She lets her hands walk all over the sides of my body, following all the way to my back, while my mouth steals a kiss from hers. This kiss is intense, provocative, and sexy. I let my lips slip through her face, reaching her neck, and I can hear her panting when she feels me nibbling on the base of her neck.