Kim Pt. 01

She indicated my sweatpants, "Those have to go, I'm afraid."

She nodded her head in the direction of the closed door. The faint sound of people moving about in the studio could be heard. "We have about five minutes before the class starts, and I need to tell you what's going to happen."

I tugged my sweatpants down, even more self-conscious that my cock was growing. "Sorry," I said.

"I'm not," She kissed her fingers and briefly touched my unruly flesh before stepping away.

She moved over to the rack of robes and wrapped herself in one, then handed a second to me. We sat down and waited to be called.

"The teacher's name is India," Kim said. "She's the one who will be positioning us for the class; no one else is allowed to touch us. Usually, I hold two poses for each class. The first is for over an hour, and then there's a fifteen-minute break. Afterwards, it's on to the second pose."

A new thought raised its ugly head, and I asked with a hint of panic, "Will I know any of the students?"

"I doubt it," she replied reassuringly. "They are all graduate art majors. Don't worry; they are all serious artists and very professional about the whole thing."

There was a knock on the door, and a plump grey-haired woman in her fifties entered the room. We stood up, and Kim hugged her and then pointed at me.

"India, this is Ben. Isn't he perfect?"

India pursed her lips and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. She walked around me and then asked if I could take off the robe. I glanced at Kim, who nodded encouragingly. I handed the robe to Kim, and India continued to walk around me.

"Stand next to him, please, Kim," India finally said.

Kim removed her robe before moving over to me. She put her arm around my waist and rested her head on my shoulder.

"You were right, Kim; it's a beautiful contrast. Will you be able to hold the pose for the students?"

I paused before I realised she was talking to me and nodded.

"Okay, let's start then."

Kim picked up our robes, and we put them on for the short walk to the dais. India was talking to her class while she positioned Kim and me on the bench. She'd found several cushions, which she used to help support us. She made us look like a pair of lovers recovering after making love. I was on my back, very slightly turned towards Kim. Who was on her side facing me, one leg draped across my thighs and her head on my shoulder. Kim's long hair was artful draped to frame her exposed breast. Where we touched, it felt like my skin was burning, and I had to struggle not to embarrass myself. Even so, when India adjusted Kim's leg so my dark cock was highlighted against the white of Kim's leg, I couldn't help the involuntary twitch.

"Don't worry," Kim whispered. "I like the feel of you against me; now, don't move."

We lay there; the only sounds were those of pencil on paper and the whispered conversations between India and the students. My head was propped up just enough that I could see Kim's body as it stretched out alongside mine. Her breast gently rose and fell in time with her breaths. Under my fingers that India had positioned on the curve of Kim's hip, I felt her skin give gentle twitches.

Sometime later, I heard Kim whisper, "Are you falling asleep? It's alright, you can speak, only don't move your head."

"No, I was just wondering why you asked me to do this?" I whispered back.

"As silly as it seems, I feel comfortable around you. There were a couple of others I could have asked. But they would have expected something more in return, and I wasn't happy with that."

"But you're okay with going out with me later?"

"If I hadn't asked you, I don't think you'd have screwed up the courage to ask me." She paused, then added, "I've been hoping you would for some time."

"I thought you had several boyfriends." I felt her head give the faintest of twitches.

"Not really; there's a lot who'd like to think they were. I haven't been looking for anything serious, so I stay friendly with a few of them, and we go out as a group. There's a couple who think that I should be grateful they are interested."

That didn't sound promising, but I had to ask. "So what are my chances if I were to ask you out?"

Her body gave a series of tiny shakes, and I realised she was trying not to laugh out loud. Finally, she stopped and whispered, "Dummy, what do you think we are doing after this? You are taking me out for a meal after we are done here, and in my books, that's a date."

Now it was my turn to try and not move as I silently laughed. "So we are doing the naked in bed bit first, then going on a date."

She couldn't hide the laugh and had to apologise to the students. India checked the clock and suggested we take our break now. She asked us to stay where we were for a moment, and I heard the click and whir of an instant camera. I felt Kim tense, and I looked around to see India waving a Polaroid film to speed up its development.

"Please keep still for a moment and don't worry," India said. "I'm only going to use this to repose you after the break. This is such a great pose, and the students want to carry on drawing you like this."

The camera whirred a couple more times. India said, "I'll give you the photos when we are finished," she told Kim.

Kim eased herself off me and stretched as she stood. She slipped on her robe and passed me mine as I sat up. I followed her into the changing room, where she passed me a water bottle.

"Don't drink too much, and I suggest you go to the bathroom before we go back in there." She took her advice; she swallowed a couple of mouthfuls and then opened a door on the far side of the room. She left the door open a crack, and I heard the tinkle of water hitting the water. A toilet flushed, and water splashed in a sink. Kim appeared, and I took her place.

Returning to the bench, we settled back into our positions. India made minor adjustments, referring to the photos in her hand. When she was happy, she picked up our robes, and she made sure that we saw her place the photos in the pocket of Kim's.

The studio grew quiet as the students settled back, and I whispered, "I can't believe how comfortable you are with all these people looking at us; I'm still quaking."

She whispered back, "I've always been comfortable with my body. When I was younger, my Mum was always chasing after me, trying to get me to put my clothes on."

I could sense she was trying not to smile at her memories. "To be honest, I'm still just as bad," she whispered. "It's one of the reasons I do this, and I'm a part-time model. It's how I earn extra pocket money for things Daddy would disapprove of."

"What type of modelling do you do?"

"Anything that pays, usually it's for catalogues, clothes, lingerie, swimwear, that sort of thing. But I've done a bit of seminude modelling for professional photographers as well. Nothing too risqué, though."

"I don't think I heard anyone mentioning that."

"You wouldn't have. I keep reticent about that side of my life around here, a few of my close girlfriends know about the life modelling, but that's all. The crowd I usually hang out with wouldn't be seen dead in an art class."

"But you're telling me?"

"I'm lying naked in your arms; I think that means I can trust you!"

I felt a little glow at her words. "What's said in the art studio stays in the studio," I whispered back.

"You're an idiot, but thanks," she replied with a hint of laughter.

We both relaxed, and I think I dozed for a while. Kim's breathing slowed, and I thought she'd drifted off.

I know we both started as India clapped her hands together and announced the end of the session to her students. The room was suddenly full of noise; we stretched and left to get dressed.

Kim grinned at me as she pulled on a denim miniskirt over a black thong. The same blouse from earlier completed her outfit. Again she wasn't wearing a bra. I had a clean pair of black dress jeans and a dark blue Oxford shirt in my bag. I gave Kim a grin back as I got dressed.

"I see you're staying with the commando option."

"I forgot to pack a pair of clean boxers," I admitted, blushing, and she burst out laughing.

India did her knock on the door and walked right in, trick a second time. "Good, I caught you before you left. I'd like you to see some of the student's work; I think you'll be impressed."

About half the class were still in the studio, and they'd left their work on their easels. I was impressed, and I finally understood Kim's conviction about how good the contrast between the colour of our skin would look. The drawings ran across the spectrum of stylised to ultra-detailed. Yet, in each, there was a deep sense of connection between the two intertwined subjects.

I heard Kim murmur, "Wow," and all I could do was echo her.

"I'm glad you like them," India said. "Ben, I know you only did this as a favour for Kim, but I hope I can convince you to come back for the next few classes. The students have expressed interest in pairing you for a series of paintings."

She gave me a hopeful look, and I glanced at Kim, who was smiling.

"Sure," I told her. I wasn't sure how the rest of the evening would go, and India's request gave me a reason to see Kim again.

Kim took my hand and said we needed to go and sign out in the office if we wanted to get paid.

Kim decided that she fancied going to a popular wine bar and restaurant in the town centre. It wasn't my usual haunt, but anywhere with this beauty was perfect. We caught a bus and walked the last part. She was greeted by name and a hug from the waitress. We were shown to a table set off to the side, away from the bustle. She gave us the menus and took our drinks order, then left.

Now that I was sitting at a table with the most attractive girl in our year, my anxiety returned. Suddenly the situation felt too real, and I wasn't sure what I was doing there. I was one of the also runs, a face in the crowd. I felt sure the only reason Kim was aware I existed had been because the seat beside mine in the lecture theatre had been the only free one. I was waiting for her to start the 'let's just be friends talk when she leaned over and pulled my head close, and kissed me on the lips. Not a little peck but a full-blown kiss.

I froze, then melted into the kiss. After what seemed like ages, our lips parted, and she gave a soft sigh. "I wanted to do that all evening."

I looked at her cautiously; this was what I wanted as well, but, and it was such a big but--was she toying with me? I was nothing like the men I usually saw her with. The ones I guessed she usually invited to enjoy her favours.

She looked at me over the menu. "You are not the usual type I go out with," she said, confirming my suspicions.

"What's your usual type then?"

She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it as she considered her answer. She toyed with her glass and said, "I was going to give you my usual crass answer, but you deserve more."

I raised my eyebrows, and she grinned as she saw. "I know you think I'm shallow, but I've been one of the popular girls since secondary school. I've never had to look for a boyfriend; I could pick and choose from the best of them. But there's not one of them I would have asked to model with me."

"I don't believe you are shallow; it's just that you always seemed to have what my gran used to describe as a 'full dance card.' I don't think I've ever seen you on your own."

She frowned at me and said. "My gran also had a saying. 'You are never more alone, especially when you are in a crowd'. It wasn't until I started here that I understood what she was trying to tell me."

The waitress returned, and we gave her our orders. After she'd gone, I struggled to put my scattered thoughts into a coherent approach.

"Kim, I'm struggling to understand why you would be interested in me. Compared to the crowd you hang out with, I'm a nobody. Don't get me wrong; I love the fact I'm here with you."

"And I'm happy to be here with you. Do you think it was an accident I was sitting beside you in class? I was hiding in the doorway, warning everyone going in to leave the seat beside you empty. I think I'm the lucky one."

I didn't know what to say; for the past year, I'd admired from afar the woman sitting opposite me. She had seemed an unobtainable goddess. I'd thought tonight had just been a lucky consequence of skin colour and availability. Now I wasn't so sure; it sounded like this resulted from careful planning.

Kim took hold of my hand and said. "Of all the men I know in this place, there's only one I feel comfortable enough to pose naked with, and that's you. I don't think you understand how many women here would be happy to go out with you. I want to stake my claim."

The food came, and we ate and talked about nothing. I think both of us had said our fill and wanted time to evaluate where we stood. We caught the last bus back to the residence halls, and I walked with her to the entrance to her building.

We stood in the hallway, and I wasn't sure what Kim expected me to do. She didn't wait for me to summon up my courage. She closed the last few inches and wrapped her arms around my waist. She drew me into a kiss that lasted longer than any other kiss I'd received earlier that evening.

She pulled back a couple of inches, and her blue eyes locked on my brown ones. "On one of my usual dates, this is the point in the evening," she said. "I'd be coming up with an excuse for why they couldn't come to my room. In your case, I'm hoping you will ask so I can say yes." It seemed she was quivering in suppressed eagerness.

"Why?" I asked, unsure where she was going with all of this.

"Can we go upstairs, and I'll try to explain."

I nodded, and she led me to her room. Her's was almost identical in size and shape to mine, and neither wouldn't have been out of place in an economy hotel. A short corridor opened out into a room, the bathroom door was half open, but the room behind was in darkness. The central part of the room was similar to mine, a desk and chair, a chest of drawers, a freestanding wardrobe and a queen-sized bed.

That's where the similarities ended. Kim had stamped her personality onto the room. Feminine soft furnishing softened the hard edges, and the walls were covered with photographs, sketches and paintings. Many were of Kim and amongst them were a small number of nudes. In the corner, under the window, sat something I hadn't seen in years, a real-life beanbag chair with a pile of books stacked beside it. Memories of a childhood curled up on one, reading a book, brought a smile to my face.

Evidence that Kim hadn't been expecting a visitor was scattered about. She self-consciously gathered up a pile of dirty laundry and pushed it into a basket before sitting down on the edge of the bed. I was going to sit on the desk chair, but she patted the bed to her side.

After I sat down, she said. "You asked, why you? I'm not very lucky with my relationships. My first boyfriend was like the guys I dated here; he was the first one my father approved. He was handsome, athletic and came from a rich family."

"Everything I'm not," I pointed out.

"He was a total asshole, everything you're not." She replied and then shook her head, "No, you are so much more. Ever since I was old enough to date, I needed my father's approval before I was allowed to go out. Handsome, athletic, from the right families, arrogant and boring, that's the only type of boy I was allowed to date."

I gave her a surprised look, "But your father is not here, so why do you still date the same type?"

"Because he still checks up on me every few days," and she gave me an apologetic shrug. "And he's friends with the parents of a number of the boys I've been dating."

"How do you explain your other activities?" I looked at the photos and artwork on her walls.

"I don't, he's not aware that I model for the art department. My mother knows about the life modelling, not the other stuff."

"He's never seen your room?"

"What, visit his daughter! No, he likes to control his family from afar. My mother visits me every couple of weeks, and she tells him what he wants to hear. So to answer your original question, I've been dating the type of man he approves of to keep him happy."

"But where does that leave me? As you pointed out, I'm everything your father is not looking for."

"I've had enough of doing what he wants. I told my mother about you on her last visit. That I was going to find a way to ask you out." She gave me a big smile, "and guess what, I found a way."

She lay back down on the bed and drew me down beside her. I stared at her beautiful face, unsure what she expected of me. She slid a hand behind my head and pulled me close, drawing me into the deep kiss I'd been hoping for all evening.

We didn't go much further than a bit of heavy petting before falling asleep. I understood that if I'd asked, she would have willingly taken that final step. But I was still so confused; was Kim seeking a relationship with me, or was she trying to ensure I finished the life modelling assignment?

I admitted to her that I was unsure, and she smiled and said. "I like you a lot, but I'm not going to be pushy. You don't need to leave; I'd be happy if we held each other as we slept. So, I spent the night in her bed; she undressed and then slipped on a tee-shirt and a pair of cotton panties and curled up draped over me.

Kim slept the sleep of the innocent, and I struggled to maintain my composure. I'd been falling in love with the woman now resting so innocently on me from the start of the term. My mind raced; was I just a diversion? Or was this Kim rebelling against her father?

The clock radio woke me in the morning. I started, unaware I'd fallen asleep. A cheery voice was trying to sell car insurance, and then Paul Simon's '50 ways to leave your lover' started to play, and the words resonated, echoing my fears.

"The answer is easy if you take it logically

I'd like to help you in your struggle to be free

There must be fifty ways to leave your lover."

She said, "it's really not my habit to intrude

Furthermore, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued

But I'll repeat myself at the risk of being crude

There must be fifty ways to leave your lover

Fifty ways to leave your lover"

It wasn't that I wanted to leave Kim, but I was convinced that it wouldn't be long before she came up with reasons why this was all a big mistake. The song was coming to an end and the final words reverberated in my head.

Make a new plan, Stan

You don't need to be coy, Roy

Just listen to me

Hop on the bus, Gus

You don't need to discuss much

Just drop off the key, Lee

And get yourself free.

But Kim didn't slip out the back, nor did she make a new plan. For the rest of the term, we grew closer, enjoying life and the pleasures of each other's bodies, until we weren't!

It was the last week of term, and I had been booked to model for one of India's advanced classes. It was just me, as Kim was modelling for a sculpture class at the same time. That class was using the studio on the floor below. We were supposed to meet up afterwards and go for a drink with some of our classmates.

India's class ran late, and it was gone 9:30 by the time it wrapped up. By the time I managed to get down to the office to sign out, it had appeared that Kim had already signed out and was nowhere in sight

"Did Kim leave me a message?" I asked the secretary.

She shook her head, "No, her old boyfriend was waiting for her, and they left together a few moments ago."

Boyfriend, what boyfriend, what the hell was she talking about?