Thick as Thieves

XI

BEA

Over the past three weeks, Caitlin and I have developed a bit of a routine. We wake up, we fuck. She goes off to work, and I spend the day sketching for Zolo. I meet her for lunch, we fuck. Then, I pick her up from work, come home and cook her something that makes her start moaning...which makes us fuck. We end up spending the rest of the night playing around, experimenting with things she's curious about, which leads to more fucking.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I never say myself as a goal-oriented kind of girl but I know now that I want to do this every day for the rest of my life. Goal-oriented as fuck.

Caitlin is just...

"A walrus."

I jerk my head to stare at the client who sells baby gear and organic shit. "A walrus?"

"Walter Ruston. Get it?" The guy with the receding hairline and trendy black-rimmed glasses grins at me. "My husband thinks it's clever."

Zolo scribbles something down his pad. "Actually, that's really clever. We could launch an entire brand around your name. 'Walter Walrus Ruston.' I like it. Give me a few days to come up with some ideas and slogans. Bea, you got any ideas rattling around in your head about logos?"

I focus on my task rather than my fuck-hot girlfriend. Sitting up in my chair, ignoring the stiffness of the navy dress-shirt Caitlin insisted on getting me, I start sketching. The shirt looks all right on me, I guess. A far cry from my normal attire. She rattled out words like corporate and sexy, and the next thing I knew, she was on her knees in the dressing room, showing me just how hot she thought I looked.

I smirk as I sketch the walrus. When I draw on the same black-rimmed glasses Walter is wearing, he squeals and claps his hands. Zolo chuckles behind me. After a few minutes, I push the pad over to Walter.

"This is art," he sighs, clutching his chest with one hand. I can already see this logo on price tags and shopping bags. I love it."

Zolo claps a hand on my shoulder. "Good work, Bei." Then he turns his attention to Walter. "I'm going to work up some mockups for you for your website and maybe even throw the logo on a couple of shopping bags, so you have an idea. This is going to turn out awesome, Mr. Ruston."

"I completely agree. Do you mind if I take a picture of this to show my husband? He is going to freak out," he exclaims, his smile wide.

Pride fills my chest that I can do something easy as shit and make people happy. This gig is actually kind of fun. I've gotten to know Zolo a lot better during these past three weeks, too. Not all the clients want hand drawn logos but many do. Everyone wants to be different and stand out from the rest. It's been fun being a part of the process. I never dreamed that drawing could actually lead to a career.

And it is a career.

Zolo handed me my first paycheck and I nearly shit a brick. Took my girl out for some celebratory steak afterward, too. After a lifetime of being a fuck up, I'm finally finding some solid ground to stand on. I feel like my life is coming together.

Only problem is, Caitlin and I are still keeping our relationship a secret. My sister made good on her word and never spoke of our relationship to Deanna or anyone else. As much as she likes to blab her big mouth, I think she knows how Cait's siblings, especially Deanna, can be. We don't like each other, bottom line. I don't need to give her another reason to hate me. We're not friends but we tolerate each other. That's the best relationship I could ask for with her.

"We'll keep in touch," Zolo says as he stand, offering his hand to Walter.

"I knew you guys were going to help make this real." Walter beams at us. "It's real. It's really real." He starts fanning his face. "My mother is going to go bananas once I show her this logo, too."