Sampling Some Italian

"Whatever the case, I'll not the jealous type, as you can see. You're going to have other lovers, as am I. That's just how it is. I wouldn't dream of asking you to give up your other lovers and if you ever tried to make me give up mine, I'll tell you to 'kiss my ass', as you Americans say. That doesn't mean that I would stop fucking you. It just means that I wouldn't do your bidding on that one issue. I'm not totally submissive, after all, though that is a major part of my personality.

"Even so, you're my boss and I would love to work for you for a long time yet, not to mention being your favorite. I am your favorite, right? You're definitely mine. I'm happy to be your paramour, your mistress in the old sense of the word," Claudia spoke her mind rather earnestly, indicating that there was more to her psyche than her playful mindset.

"Well, you're certainly my favorite now, after what you've said and done. You're rather strong in your own way, which seems to be as much a part of you as your friendliness and polyamory. In other words, you're very much like me. The only big difference is that I am more reserved with people at first. Anyway, I like your thoughts. I think that we can work together and fuck each other rather successfully. I have no compunctions about 'dipping my pen in the company ink', as you can see. So, if you want to be my European mistress, that works for me. It will be a nice offset to my American girlfriends.

"Just so you understand, I once loved Marilyn, my wife. I loved her very much, as a matter of fact. That ended when I realized that I was just the ambitious artist that she wished to marry, while having a long-term love affair with her elderly beau. While I wasn't perfectly acceptable to her parents, I was more socially tolerable than some senior citizen whom she adored but couldn't wed. I have nothing against old people, but his age was the reason she couldn't marry him, in her parents' eyes. Well, it was that and the fact that he was a widower with grown 'kids' of his own. The point is that she never loved me. She just wanted to ride my coattails to fame and fortune, while screwing her aging lover.

"That's when I determined to take lovers of my own, if you can call any of my partners prior to you lovers. To be perfectly frank, none of them before you qualified as more than flings, even when I took them out on dates and spent a few months with them. I didn't fall in love with them, though I liked most of them. I have to admit that it's impossible for me not to reciprocate your feelings, especially seeing how loving and playful you are, my dear. As a matter of fact, you're the polar opposite of Marilyn, who is an ice queen, at least when she's not with Jacob. Well, I guess we need to get working, so we can then start our first date," Thomas informed her.

"Sounds like a plan to me. I love my work, so don't get me wrong on that account. You'll see that soon enough for yourself. It's the nature of the work. It's fun and not laborious. I don't think that I would enjoy what some people call a 'real job'. It sounds too dull for me. I don't have much of a work ethic, I'm afraid. However, I make up for it in seeking out work that is fun for me and doing it. I also make sure to be easygoing and friendly in my private life, as you can tell. This is not unusual for Italians, by the way. We aren't exactly workaholics. We work for a living, but don't live for our work. So, where should I stand for my nude portrait?" Claudia assured him, as she began posing for him.

Thomas gestured for her to take up the right position in his studio, grinning as he picked up his easel and canvas. This would certainly be a day to record in a journal, if he were foolish enough to write in such a thing. Something told him that would be a poor choice of confidant. Anyway, he would never forget today, written down or not. For the first time in his life, a woman loved him. The days of one-sided passion for an ice queen were over.