Tess awoke to the sun pouring through her blinds. She turned over and saw Paul lying next to her, so peacefully - so very sexy. She was dumbfounded that she had spent all night with essentially the man of her dreams, and in a couple days, he'd be go...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"May I sit down?" he asked. She was mesmerized from the moment she saw him. Tall, dark and handsome, the perfect combination. It was just a regular Sunday, like any other Sunday. Tess walks over to a small coffee shop by the park and watches people walk by. People watching has always been a favorite past time; observing the variety of this world's creatures roaming the earth with their exquisiteness.
She sits outside on the terrace. Her coffee next to her sketch book; steam rising with freshness. Every inhale filled with the richness of the coffee bean. Although, she fails to understand how something so simple as coffee has become such a mainstream dependence for the modern generation. She moves the hair from her face and looks around for a subject.
Tess is an artist. She prefers live subjects in their natural habitat. Candid. Reacting as you would expect without a care in the world, not realizing that they are being watched.
That's when she discovered him. Sitting across the way, he slowly sipped his coffee, careful not to burn his tongue. He pressed his lips against his cup slowly, so sensually. His golden hair glistened in the sun, like water in a pond. Every move he made was slow motion in her eyes. She picked up her sketch pencil and began drawing. Each line so carefully composed and arranged. Every crevice fully detailed in her work. He was so fragile to her, that just one misplaced line would break him into a million pieces. His physique so masculine and perfect.
He noticed her glancing over at him. He didn't make anything of it at first. After all, she was gorgeous. Her long red hair was flowing in the afternoon breeze. Something intriguing in her eyes drew him to her. He picked up his cup of coffee and walked over to her.
Tess glanced up in an attempt to continue her drawing, but her subject moved. She looked around to see where he went. Surprisingly she sees him walking toward her.
"May I sit down?" he asks. "Sure," she says. "My name is Paul." "I'm Tess." He offered his hand to her and she shook it in return. "Nice to meet you," said Tess, "you come here often?" "No, I'm actually in town on business," Paul said to her, "Nice drawing."
Tess looked down at her drawing in full view on the table. She covered it up, blushing. "Yea... about that." Paul put his hand over hers and looked into her eyes. "It's ok. I wouldn't mind staring at you all afternoon either." He smiled. She smiled back. He moved her hand away from the drawing and examines it carefully.
"You're really talented. Are you a professional artist?", he asked. "Well if by professional you mean selling my paintings, then no.", she smiles. "I do, however, run an art gallery a few blocks from here, and I turned my loft into an art studio. I'm well on my way." He smiles at her, intrigued.
"Interesting. Have you ever displayed any of your work in your gallery?" "Not yet, I'm working on a piece now that I'm hoping will make it up on the wall soon enough." She takes a deep breath, his eyes fixated on hers. His deep blue eyes were mesmerizing. For a moment, she felt engulfed in the ocean of his stare. She wondered what it would feel like to be caught in that gaze for more than a moment. She looks away, worried he would notice that she was staring a second too long.
He leans in toward her, "I'm sure you've heard this a million time, but you are stunning." She smirked, "You say that to all the women you bump into at coffee shops?" He chuckles, "Not at all. Honestly, I'm not even a coffee drinker. But my colleague told me they have great scones here, so I decided to check it out."
Tess takes a sip of her cappuccino, leaving behind frothed milk on her lip. Paul reaches over and wipes it clean for her. "And I'm really glad I did." Tess was awestruck. What is going on? Who is this guy? She thought. Her eyes closed for a split second at the touch of his hand. She embraced it. He was so gentle – skin so soft. His touch sent a jolt of electricity through her, something she had never felt or experienced before. All because she got some milk on her lip. She opened her eyes and sees him staring deeply into her eyes. She snaps out of it. You just met the guy, Tess. Relax.
"So, Mr...?" "Richards," he replied.
"Alright, Paul Richards, what type of business are you in?" She sits back in her chair and crosses her legs. Her wrap dress opens slightly, revealing a little more of her leg than she had wanted.
He glances down subtly at her exposed leg, then back up into her eyes. "I am the curator of the Miami Museum of Art. I'm here visiting my colleague at the MOMA about their new exhibit." Tess was shocked. Well, that explains a lot. "That's why I was so intrigued when I saw you were an artist and a very talented one at that." He smiled at her.
"Is this how you typically get an artist on your good side?" He leaned in closer to her. "You didn't have to be an artist to get on my good side. You were there the moment I noticed you."
Tess was nervous. "You wanna get out of here?" Paul asked. "I have to be back at MOMA in a few hours, but I'd love to show you the new exhibit." Tess nods and gathered her things. "I just need to pass by my gallery really quick."
He watched her as she brushed her hair out of her face, closed her sketchbook and put it into her bag. He thought about her gentleness. How he wished he could touch her soft skin again and caress her. She noticed that he couldn't keep his eyes off her. The feeling was mutual, she couldn't stop staring.
They walked a few blocks over from the coffee shop and stopped at Sunset Heights Art. "An odd name for a gallery in the middle of the city," Paul commented. "I'm a sucker for the beach, what can I say," Tess smiled as they walked into the building.
Sarah, Tess's assistant (and best friend), was sitting at a desk nearby the entrance. She looks up and sees Tess and smiles. "Hey, Te..." Sarah notices Paul walking in behind her, and she's startled. Tess... with a hot guy? But Tess doesn't date. I could have sworn she was a lesbian.
Sarah stands up. "Weren't you supposed to have the day off?" Tess looks at her smirking. "Nice to see you too. Sarah, this is Paul." She turns and waves her arm toward Paul as if showing him off like a prize on the Price is Right. "I'm just gonna check on the Marguerite DeCheire pieces that came in last night. It was late, so I didn't have a chance to look them over." Paul nods at Sarah, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sarah." "Likewise." Sarah stares as they walk by, checking Paul out. She pulls out her phone and texts Tess, I want details!
Tess and Paul head into Tess's office. Well, it looked more like a miniature gallery. Artwork lined the walls and stunning sculptures filled each corner and empty space on the shelves. Her taste was exquisite, he could tell. "Very impressive, Miss..." "Riley," she replied.
Tess walks over to large boxes resting near her desk. "I received some new pieces for a new exhibit I'm putting together next week, so I just had to make sure everything was sent undamaged. Sorry for the delay." Paul walks around her office, taking in the beauty that surrounded him. The art isn't so bad to look at either. She has good taste.
Tess pulls a painting out of a box. She examines it and smiles. "Alright, everything looks good." Pauls walks over to her, standing behind her and looking over her shoulder toward the painting. He leans into her ear, "Gorgeous." "I think so too."
She places the painting down in front of her and turns around to face him. He is standing so close she can feel his breath. "I was talking about you." He removes the lonely strand of hair away from her face.
"Well, I'm all done here. Ready to go?" Tess's heart was racing. She had never felt this way about anyone, let alone so quickly. Does love at first sight truly exist? Is it possible that she found the man she had been waiting for all her life?
He reached down and grabbed her hand. He held it up, palm-to-palm, examining the shape of her fingers and how delicate her hands looked next to his. Their fingers intertwined. He kissed the back of her hand and looked deep into her eyes. "I'm ready."
