Secret Smiles and Three Little Words Pt. 20

Chapter 22*

Gavin ducked under the plastic sheeting put up to protect Alex from the elements. It also kept the mural a secret. It was hot and sticky under it and Gavin shook his head as he looked at her. She was dripping sweat down her body. Her shorts and shirt were soaked through with perspiration.

"Perhaps we should pull up the sheeting," Gavin suggested looking at her. "Get some air flow through here?"

"It's fine," Alex assured him as she put her brush down. She saw the food in his hands. This had become the norm. If he didn't bring food down here personally, he made sure some was delivered. Either by Lena or a delivery person. Alex was now very acquainted with most of the bike messengers in the area as just a sandwich wouldn't do for Gavin. He had to send her entire meals.

"Alex," Gavin shook his head as he ducked under the plastic as she pushed him out of the enclosed area. "It's like an oven in there. You are cramping at night because you are dehydrated! Working in a hot box is only going to exacerbate it."

"I'm trying to drink more water," Alex frowned as the lecture began again.

He had been on her about taking care of herself, staying hydrated. She spent evenings with Gavin massaging her cramping calves. The worse cramps were the toe cramps! It looked like the toes were trying to cross themselves for luck but it sent her into sheet clutching pain mixed with laughter. He had threatened to take her to the hospital for I.V. solutions but she had begged him off.

Sitting down she could feel his anger.

"I'm sorry," Alex said taking his hand. "I'll have the plastic lifted up, but I don't want to have to scramble every time a pop up storm hits!" He nodded but didn't change his frown.

"Now I know how you feel," Gavin said with a deep exhale as he handed her a water bottle instead of wine.

"What do you mean?" she asked him reaching for his wine that he pulled away from her and put the bottle up. He tossed the wine from the glass to the grass behind him and pulled out water himself.

"Wine will not hydrate you!" he grumbled shutting the picnic basket on her as she reached for the wine bottle.

"But it tastes better!" she argued. "Now explain."

"I know how you feel...when my work takes precedence," Gavin told her toasting her water bottle.

"I'm sorry," Alex said as she dropped her head.

All her waking moments were here, doing the wall. When she got home, he would bathe her, feed her and then put her right to bed. She was almost asleep in her dinner on some nights. She couldn't remember the last time they had sex. He never pushed the issue. Instead only pushing her health and safety, taking care of her at all times, never bothering her with his desires or his needs.

She watched him. Everything he was doing was taking care of her, but she wasn't taking care of him in return. She felt guilty about it. From the way he bathed her, to the way he made sure she had food interruptions so she would be forced to stop what she was doing to eat. To the fact she was under police surveillance at all times while she was here. She had gotten to know most of Chicago's finest by now. She tried to send them away but they were always there.

"I'll try to come home early tonight," she told him. He smiled at her.

"Really?" He chuckled. "The work-a-holic take off early?"

"I'm sorry, I've been neglecting you," she said embarrassed. "What kind of sub doesn't service her Dom?"

"I'm not worried about that!" he said sharply.

"I am," she said firmly back. "Gavin, I like that. I like it when you fuck me." Gavin furrowed his brow for just a second and she saw it. It was so fast she barely did. He seemed displeased for an instant at her description of what he wanted. To fuck her, like that is all he wanted from her. It didn't make him happy to have that be her first thought.

"Look," he said forcing a smile. "We will have plenty of time for that once you are done with this."

"I'm beginning to think this thing is as important to you as it is me," she said with a twisted smiled and a shake of her head.

"You are important to me, therefore anything you deem important is my utmost concern," he told her firmly. He left no doubt of his sincerity.

"You are much too good for me," she told him as she felt the air leave her because of his words.

"I haven't even scratched the surface of earning you," he winked.

She went back to work after they were done with lunch, before she left he kissed her and she pulled him on top of her and held him there.

"I'm coming home early," she whispered to him. "I have neglected you long enough! I have neglected us, long enough."

"That would please me a great deal," he said to her. "If nothing else I can get you to bed early."

"I'm going to bed alright," she smiled. "But I'm not sleeping."

Walking into the condo she found it dark. Her first thought was he was on a call and hadn't made it home. Her heart sank in her chest, disappointed. She turned the corner and found a candle lit dinner table. She stopped stunned. Gavin came out of the kitchen and stopped in his tracks. He tilted his arm and looked to his watch.

"Wow," he smiled. "You are early!"

"Oh my God!" She gasped. He set the rolls down and went to her.

"I wasn't expecting you for another hour or so," he told her tilting her lips and kissing them. "I just put the meat in the oven."

"This is...this is...wow!" she was suddenly without words.

She looked at the attention to the romance. Candles, wine chilling, flowers with soft music playing in the background. Straight out of the 'how to sweep a woman off her feet' manual. She was beginning to think he had written the damn thing!

"Well, I'll tell you what," he smiled. "While we have the time to kill...," he winked at her.

"Absolutely!" she agreed as she bit her lip in anticipation of what his fabulous hands were going to do to her.

He took her into the bathroom and started the shower.

"Let's get some of that paint off of you," he said.

She pushed him into the shower, clothes and all. Pushing him against the wall passionately, with kisses that devoured his lips. He turned her and forced her against the wall as his lips returned the favor.

He lifted her hands and held them above her head against the wall.

"Don't drop your hands," he said into her ear.

"Yes Sir," she gasped as he took her ear lobe in his mouth.

He cupped the sides of her face as he stared into her eyes. She was being set on fire by him. The way he was looking at her. The way he was touching her. Had it been that long? When was the party? Weeks ago she remembered. That was the last time they had gotten each other off. He, with her, in the bathroom and she returned the oral favor in the car on the way home. Since then it had been all about the wall.

The water cooled her, the shirt she now wore was see through thanks to the water. She watched his eyes follow his drifting hands down her body. Starting with her cheeks, to her ears then downward. Down to her throat. She watched the fire rage in him. She knew what he was feeling as she was feeling it as well.

He ran his fingers down the buttons of her shirt. It was an old long sleeve work shirt, something to throw over her to keep the paint from coating her. She watched his grin tick at his lips.

Suddenly the buttons on her shirt went flying! She was stunned as she felt his power rip the shirt open. She also loved it! He used one hand to press softly on her throat, holding her against the wall. Not choking her, just letting her know she was not to move.

His free hand used the tips of his fingers to drift lower on her. Exploring her. Touching her newly available skin. Her heart beat into her throat. God she loved the wolf when he let it come out. First it was in the hotel that first night. Then here in the condo on the table. She could see it in his eyes right now. The wolf was controlling him. She was giddy about it. She bit her lip, not in excitement this time, but in a reminder to keep her mouth shut and let the wolf run.

He used his fingers to nimbly bring out her breast from her bra. He wasted no time in capturing it between his lips, his teeth gently nipping. She gasped in excitement. While he was working on one breast he pulled the other out. As soon as it was free he was on it like the ravenous wolf he was. Devouring her.

Then he was kissing her, deeply, his tongue in her mouth, hers dueling with it. Her breathing erratic as he pinched her nipples causing her to gasp under his mouth, which in turn caused his secret smile to come out. Yes, she told herself, it had been much too long to not see that smile!

Her body was on fire, and it was a good thing the water was on and running cold. It seemed her fire was a bright and hot as the Chicago fire. It burned an entire city, now it consumed her!

Her eyes snapped open as he marked her breast with his teeth.

"Wait," she whispered as her mind scrambled to make sense of the images flooding her mind. She touched him softly. "Gavin." He stopped sucking on her and looked her in the eye.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, afraid he got carried away with his passion. "Are you ok?"

"Yes," she smiled. It was half happiness and half regret. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but...,"

"But what?" he asked her, pulling back.

"I've just been hit with an amazing idea," she smiled at him. He began to kiss her neck.

"I love it already," he laughed. "I can see it in your eyes that it makes you happy."

"You are going to hate it when I tell you," she warned him.

"What?" he pulled back.

"I need my sketchbook!" she pushed her way by him and he watched her leave the shower dripping water all over the floor as she ran from the shower stall shedding her newly torn shirt from her body as she went.

"Ok," he laughed in disbelief, his hands on the wall holding himself up.

He pulled his clothes off and turned the shower all the way to cold. An attempt to quell his passion. When he was sufficiently cooled off, he dried himself, laughing the entire time. Not since high school had he been left in a lurch like that. He most certainly hadn't had that problem since he became a Dom.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out into the bedroom. Alex was on the floor with her sketchbook drawing furiously. He leaned against the door, his hand across his mouth. He couldn't decide if he should be pissed or laugh at the whole situation. To be passionately on fire in one moment only to have her bolt from the shower and begin drawing with the same sort of passion.

"Ok," he smiled as his anger melted away. "Do you want to explain what the hell is going on?"

"I'm sorry," she said again but never stopping her hand from furiously drawing. "I just had an amazing idea for a sketch!"

"OK," Gavin laughed looking to the floor. "So you leave me in mid lechery to draw a picture?" She rolled over and looked at him. She smiled sheepishly.

"I will make it up to you! I promise!" she begged.

"There is nothing to make up," he smiled. "It's just been a while since I have had to take a cold shower!" He kissed her head as he made his way by her.

He blew out the candles laughing. So much for seduction tonight! He stopped as he picked up the candles. He should be pissed! He should go into the room and dominate her! Instead he laughed inwardly as he started putting everything up. Pulling the meat from the oven, he prepared her a plate and chuckled and shook his head the entire time he was carrying it to her.

She was still on the floor. Now she had several rough drafts of pictures spread out around her while she worked on another. He set the food down with a shake of his head.

"When you get the chance," he urged. She nodded but never took her eyes off the sketch pad. He put sleep shorts on and pulled his book out that he had been trying to read. He sat in bed with a shake of his head. Tenacity. Alex had it in spades. He liked that.

Alex woke to an empty bed. She came to bed late, he was already asleep. She felt so guilty about stopping his passion in the middle of it. But what flooded her mind needed to be sketched. She wouldn't be able to do anything else until she did. But now she felt immense guilt that she failed in her duty to serve him.

She looked to her phone and found a message from him. He was on a call. She knew that. He was gone. She showered quickly and went to the wall.

He watched her at first, she wasn't painting. She was just staring at it. Contemplating.

"Well," he said softly to not scare her. "That's a look of determination."

"Is it?" she asked not turning. "I'm about to do something I know I shouldn't do, but it is something I have to do!"

"Uh-oh," he smiled.

"I'm going to start over," she told him softly.

"What?" he gasped. "You can't!"

"I think I have to!" She said turning to him with pleading eyes. "I won't be happy now."

"Is that what pulled you out of the shower last night?" he looked at her in disbelief. The wall was three quarters complete. "You want to abandon this?"

She nodded as she chewed on her nail again. He walked over to her and pulled the digit from her mouth and held her hands to keep her from going back to it. She looked up at him and her eyes pleaded for understanding.

"The mayor has approved this design," he pointed out softly. "He was excited about it."

"I know," she said as softly. "But Gabby wasn't."

"The mayor outranks Gabby," Gavin pointed out with a shake of his head.

"Gavin," Alex began slowly putting her head on his chest. "I was never fully happy about this design, you know that."

"I know," Gavin shook his head. "If you start over...the time involved...could you finish it in time?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "It would be close."

Gavin let out a deep exhale.

"Can you use any of what you have done?" he asked her tilting her head up to look at her. She shook her head. "So we have to take it back to base paint?" She nodded.

Gavin exhaled deeply and closed his eyes. He knew this meant she would be here even longer hours now. He was already concerned about her loss of weight. Her lack of sleep. Her cramping. He looked back at her. Shook his head and pulled his tie loose.

"Where do we start?" he said pulling his tie all the way off and hanging it on the edge of the scaffolding. He pulled his suit jacket off then started unbuttoning his shirt as he shook his head while looking at the wall. He couldn't believe he was going to help her do this.

"You can't help me!" Alex gasped. "You would get paint all over you! Your suit costs more than I'm going to make on this project!"

"Alex," he said patiently, turning as he pulled his shirt off. "Time is of the essence. By yourself it would take you all day to cover with primer what you have already done. With both of us, we could start, then as soon as the primer is dry on the front section you can get back to work and I would finish covering what's left."

"But your clothes," she protested.

"Are inconsequential," he assured her as he picked up a roller. He went to the wall as she picked up another. He dumped primer paint from one of the five gallon buckets into a pan. He looked to her as they stood at the edge of her painting.

"You go first," he told her shaking his head.

"No, you go," she said with a cringe. All the hard work now sat before her as she doubted her new plan.

"I can't," he smiled sensing the same emotion. She dipped the roller in and held it close to the wall. He could see the turmoil on her face. He put his hand on hers and then gently pushed the roller forward.

They put a single solidary stripe together. She groaned the entire time like she was seeing the worst thing possible.

"There," he said softly to her. "Now we are committed. When Cortez sensed hesitation from his men after getting to the new world, he burned his ships. They became very motivated."

They painted furiously Alex looked over from time to time to see his silk suit pants splattered with paint.

"Please tell me those are inexpensive pants," she begged.

"About nine," he said not stopping.

"Nine dollars?" she smiled happily.

"Nine hundred," he told her causing her heart to sputter.

"Shit," she shook her head. "I have ruined nine hundred dollar pants because of my flighty ideas!"

"Go check the front of the wall," he said not responding. "It should be dry enough to get started."

"Gavin, I'm...," she tried to start.

"It's a pair of pants," he laughed. "Trust me, I have a closet full!" He looked to her and winked. "Pavy told me once I was worse than a high school prom queen with all the clothes!"

She sulked away from him to start working on the new design. She would hear his phone go off every once in a while but he would only check it then continue painting.

"Do you need to go?" she asked him, after he texted a response.

"No," he said firmly, his tone said not to question him. Which meant now he was putting his life on hold for her project.

"You are trashing the whole thing?" Lena's voice stopped her from painting hours later. She looked back at her. Lena had take-out food in her hands. Her mouth was agape in disbelief.

"Yes," Alex admitted. "I had to."

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Lena gasped shaking her head. "You have spent an entire month to get this three quarters done, now with five weeks to go, you are starting over?"

"I had to," Alex said again, trying to make is sound like it was imperative that she did start over, but even her voice betrayed her as she couldn't make it sound like anything but a spoiled brat not getting her way.

"Where is Gavin," Lena asked shoving the food on the scaffolding.

"Around the corner," Alex said softly. "Painting up the old stuff with primer."

"Holy shit!" Lena gasped turning to look at her. "He allowed this?"

"What do you mean 'allow'?" Alex growled.

"Baby," Lena shook her head knowing how that sounded. "You are reckless at times! You dive in head first into things without even checking the depth of the water!" Lena started walking in Gavin's direction. "I would have thought he would have talked you out of this! He has been so worried about you getting sick down here! Or suffering from heat exhaustion! You were almost done! Now you are going to start that bullshit over again!"

"He's been worried about me?" Alex stopped her.

"How blind have you been?" Lena gasped. "Jesus Christ! The man has been making sure someone has been with you to make sure you don't overdo it at all times. If it wasn't me, it was the cops, if it wasn't the cops it was the delivery guys. Well, unless of course, if it wasn't him down here that is! I don't know how many times I came down her and he was sitting on the bench with a damn book keeping an eye on you!"

Lena stormed around the corner and Alex could hear Gavin and Lena talking. Lena's rage faltered as Gavin explained. Then she heard their laughter, when she peeked around the corner Lena had a roller in her hand and was helping cover the mural.

The last five weeks Alex was a basket case. As much as Gavin tried to get her to let him or Lena help, she refused it. The one time she did allow it, she nit-picked the entire time and drove him crazy.

Gavin arrived with lunch but she met him with a smile at the edge of the tarps.

"Hey," he laughed as she pushed on his chest not allowing him to enter.

"Hey handsome," she said with a broad smile.

"I can't see it?" he asked her.

"No," she smiled. "I'm almost done!"

"You know, being your Dom, you don't get that choice," he told her with a tick of his eyebrow in bemusement.

"Please don't?" she asked changing her tone.