The Sculptor

Chapter 13

The rest of the night was mellow before and died down slowly as we enjoyed the food and music. We cleaned up and I finally left, Yvonne told me I could come around 11 since we stayed until 2 am and she wanted me rested for the day ahead; isn't she the sweetest. I drove home on edge, I was so excited, I mean it wasn't a glamourous job, hell I didn't see myself cleaning toilets but I was so happy. Just the thought of having an income made me and my bank account do a flip. Yvonne said he was 'generous' I would have to see how generous he really was because if he thought I was going to be plucking hair from his shower drain and scrubbing his tiles with a toothbrush for him to be paying me chicken scratch, he had another thing coming.

I woke up around 9:30 after the most satisfying rest ever, it was as if my bed engulfed me and caused me to drift off as soon as I got in bed. After the usual morning routine I stood in front of my closest which still looked as dusty as it did a few weeks ago, I had no idea what to put on. A formal interview called for suits and button-down shirts, but I wasn't sure if this required all the pomp and pageantry. I shuffled through the few items of clothing trying to form an outfit in my mind but all that kept coming up was a seductive maid ensemble; thigh-high fishnets, a short black ruffled skirt just exposing the rims of my bottom and a matching top with a plunging laced up neckline. The image was sinful as I strutted around my room, the outfit would be quite a sight, like an intro to a porn video, not a cheap one with the awful music but the more professional ones where the pornstar's makeup actually matched her skin tone. I shook my head dismissing my thoughts before I got carried away. I rolled my eyes as I grabbed the only suitable looking dress which taunted me as I pulled it on, it seemed I ate one too many mini pizzas because the dress was hugging my body snuggly but I looked good.

I rushed to the car in the skin-tight white dress and went quickly on my way up the coast to meet Yvonne. I pulled up to the house a little earlier than I expected, I pulled into the open driveway and parked before long Yvonne emerged from around the side of the house,

"Good morning dear, did you get enough rest?"

"Hello good morning" I replied, I liked that she called me 'dear' "I did actually, I expected to be really tired" we walked towards the house going into the kitchen,

"Do you want anything? The house is fairly big wouldn't want you getting tired" she spoke perfectly, I just noticed how beautifully she spoke,

"Just some water" I really wanted to tell her I wanted a 3-course meal, but I accepted the bottle of water before she walked me over to the large mahogany doors and pulled them open, we walked into a large room, with a wooden floor in the middle and carpeted around the outskirts,

"The tour begins here, this is the ballroom," she said and I frowned, Did she really just say ballroom? she glanced back at me with a cheeky smile at the amazement on my face. I've never seen a home with a ballroom,

"Why?"

"Well Mr. and Mrs. McClain loved to throw parties and art shows, but they died when Nicholas was 18 in a terrible car crash" she explained as we walked across the smooth dance floor going towards the curved stairs on the other side of the room, the staircase was exquisitely decorated with black handrails, "Nicholas became really reserved since his parents' death"

"I could imagine" I replied clutching my chest as my shoes hit the stairs beneath me.

We went on going through the rooms, there was a west wing, which had his parents things, I wasn't allowed in there, also the east wing that's where he spent his time and worked, I wasn't allowed there either.

"What type of work he does?" I understood why he was so closed off from the world but she told me he never left his rooms so how could he work,

"He's an artist, but his passion is really sculpting he made several pieces around the house including these" she pushed open the doors to show a beautiful array of pieces. Oil paintings hung from the walls, while through the room clay sculptures and figurines,

"These are amazing" I said looking at the detail on one of the paintings which looked like Bath,

"There are creations in here from the time Nicholas was about 6 years old" she smiled and her face crinkled with happiness. I walked around the room looking at all the pieces, "Go through that door" she pointed and I turned the brass knob going into the adjoined room. Portraits lined the walls with a large painting of a man and woman on the wall opposite the door,

"That's Mr. and Mrs. McClain" she pointed out but I was quite surprised, they were black. All along I painted a picture of a white family in my head, with their spoilt brat of a son,

"They're black," I said aloud, it was supposed to be a thought,

"Of course they're black," she said with a frown "Most people assume they are white until they see Nicholas"

I walked over to a painting of a little boy in a school uniform, "That's Nicholas" she said. Nicholas was a bright-eyed boy in the picture, I walked over to the next and I read on the bottom 'Nicolas 11 years old' and then finally 'Nicholas 16 years old' with every portrait he grew into a charming young man, his skin like silk and his smile pearly I walked over to the next spot which had 'Nicholas 18 years old' but there was no picture. It made sense, there was no way I was getting a portrait done and my parents just died. I spot a couple of paintings turned over on the floor, I grabbed one leaning it against the wall. I wish I didn't, my eyes were deceiving me, the image made my eyes flutter and my heart skip a beat, it was a black and white painting of a naked woman with a hand massaging her breast, from the point of view of the painting, whoever painted it was massaging her. Her head tilted backward and her lips were parted, I could feel the moan coming from my own lips, the picture had so much emotion I almost could feel the warmth of the sex-filled, at the bottom of the picture I noticed a signature 'NMcClain'. I got so engrossed in the painting I forgot about Yvonne,

"Good Lord!" she exclaimed from beside me before she slapped it making it fall flat, she looked completely disgusted, "I'm so sorry he must have move those in here",

"He painted that?" I knew already I just needed her to confirm, she clutched her chest awkwardly looking around,

"I wanted no part in his new interest but since they died he's been having women pose for him and they pay him to make them into art he said but I just think he enjoys the company" she hurried over to the door before waving me out.

We continued the tour before she went to the east wing where he stayed, Yvonne knocked on the door and it opened moments later. He remained inside his quarters and the only part I saw of him was a shoulder as they spoke,

"Nylah" she sounded, "Could you look up at the camera there? He's making sure he knows what you look like" she said with a smile. Is this man crazy? He was literally feet away from me and he wanted me to look at the camera? I rolled my eyes before looking up at the black orb which was on the wall.