Museum Piece

Iris laid on her back, legs tucked in to fit the small loveseat. They hadn't made as much progress as she wanted. She shuffled through a stack of flashcards.

"Alright, which is the light and dark contrasting one?" she asked.

Eddie sat drawing at a drafting table that took up much of the extra space in cramped dorm room.

"Spumoni!" Eddie replied.

"If you meant sfumato, that isn't the right answer."

"I know, I was joking that time."

"Come on! It's our first quiz and I just want to get through these."

Iris was frustrated, but only slightly. Tomorrow's quiz was causing her some mild anxiety. She probably shouldn't have worried about it, her grades were always flawless, but she held herself to extremely high standards. Eddie didn't worry much about his grades, even though it would have helped him to. This semester, the young couple's schedules finally lined up for them to take an elective together -- Art History 201. They had dated since their senior year of high school and were nearly inseparable.

Eddie was a relatively talented artist, and the best path to follow his dream was at the local university. Iris wasn't artistic like Eddie, but she had much better grades and more options for college. Because she was in love and didn't want to part from Eddie, Iris eschewed more prestigious and distant universities to attend the same college as him.

Fortunately, their school had an Honors College for exceptional students, which made Iris's choice less of a compromise. The reality of honors program meant little more than having priority class scheduling and an extra line on a student's resume, but the 'Honors' distinction could help Iris find a job after school, and the program wasn't much of a commitment. All she needed to do was maintain her grades and attend a few meetings during the semester.     "I think we're pretty close to where we need to be." Said Eddie

"You would say that. How about this, we get through the rest of this teeny pile of flashcards, and you can join me on the loveseat." Iris gesticulated absurdly, caressing her hands down her body in mock sexiness. Her humor was unintentionally undercut by the fact that she was genuinely sexy and, even with the goofy expression on her face, the display had a provoking effect on Eddie.

"I'm convinced. Let's get back to it." he said.

After they finished studying, Eddie enthusiastically joined Iris on the loveseat. Eddie's dorm room had strange dimensions, leaving a large chunk of the space unusable. But he was happy to have it. Thanks to the odd shape, it only housed one occupant and afforded him and Iris a bit of privacy. In spite of the private room, the couple's intimate relations were more chaste than might be expected. Yes, they had had sex a couple of times the previous summer, but Iris was deathly afraid of getting pregnant. Even though she was on the pill and insisted on condoms, she didn't want to take too many risks before they inevitably got married.

The two of them did have needs, however, and began to make-out on the loveseat. Eddie kissed Iris deeply as she straddled him. They thrust their hips into one another, dry humping the crotches of their jeans. Eddie was incredibly turned on and was hoping to progress the situation. He slid Iris off of him, got up from the loveseat, and hoisted her up -- one arm under her legs and one under her back. Iris's dark curly hair dangled in a long ponytail as Eddie carried her to the bed.

Once he set her down, Iris began to unbutton her cardigan sweater. Eddie stripped down so quickly; he was in his underwear before she undid the last button.

"Wow! You seem anxious." said Iris. Eddie shrugged his shoulders and gave her a hopeful look. "We aren't having sex."     "What are you talking about? Who said anything about sex?" he said.

She knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Don't look so disappointed. I'll still take care of my guy."

Iris pulled him down onto the bed and started kissing his chest, unclasping her bra as she made her way down his torso. She sat up and the bra popped off elastically, exposing the large areolas of her modest breasts.

"Can you grab some Kleenex?" she asked.

"Yeah sure, but can't I do something for you too?" asked Eddie. Iris hadn't taken off her jeans.

"I'm still on my period. It's probably the last day. I'd rather just do stuff for you."

He handed her the Kleenex. Iris knelt between his legs and neatly folded the tissue while Eddie ogled the pale curves of her body. She leaned over and started kissing her way down his abdomen -- her nipples grazing his thighs as she went. Tucking her fingers into his waistband, she worked his underpants down his hips. Eddie's penis sprang out fully erect.

"Wow. There's my friend." said Iris smiling.

She slowly edged closer to the shaft, stopped, then looked up at Eddie her disposition totally changed -- now nervous and pathetic.

"I'm sorry sir, but what do I do now?" she said as she looked uneasily from his penis to Eddie.

Iris's doe brown eyes reddened with tears. She was an amazing actress, but only used her talents for Eddie's amusement -- often playing the role of the timid ingenue.

"Y-You'll figure it out, I'm sure." Eddie responded in a miserable attempt at keeping his composure.

"But sir, does this look right? I don't want to disappoint you."

She slacked her mouth wide and stuck out her glistening tongue as she slowly arced closer to him. All the while keeping her pleading eyes locked with his in a moment of palpable anticipation. Iris's breath fell hotly upon his erection as her tongue gradually closed in -- just millimeters away.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

"Eddie, you in there?!" called a voice from outside the door.

Iris bolted up, quickly throwing on her cardigan. Eddie followed suit, attempting to slip on his jeans and underwear in one go.

"One sec Aaron." said Eddie, pulling on his shirt.

As well as the couple tried to hide it, they still looked pretty disheveled when Eddie finally opened the door.

"What's up Aaron?" asked Eddie.

"Olsten just posted the signup for studio times." said Aaron

"I thought he was supposed to wait until our next class."

"He didn't."

"Crap, I gotta go Iris. Otherwise, I'll get a real bad time slot."

Eddie needed extra studio time this semester to work on his submission for the Art School's Student Exhibition.

"It's fine, but I'm going to class soon. I'll see you in the morning?" said Iris.

She awkwardly angled herself away from the door and Aaron. Not having time to put on her bra, her nipples poked conspicuously against the thin sweater.

"No problem. Love you, see you in the morning." said Eddie as he bolted out the door.

"Love you too."

The next day the couple met in the hall outside of their way-too-early Art History class. A few other classmates were milling about, waiting for the room to get opened.

"Are you ready for the quiz?" asked Iris, trying to stifle a yawn.

"I don't know. I think so. I'm sure you'll be fine." replied Eddie.

"Eh, I'm worried I'll forget some of the words."

"Yeah, you might get like one question wrong."

Iris pushed Eddie gently in feigned annoyance. Quick, loud footsteps approached from the far end of the hall. It was their Art History Professor, the minor university celebrity, J. Brenn. This sharply dressed man was notable on campus thanks to his successful art career. He taught several of the advanced art classes in the school, but also took on a couple Art History courses because his degree was in the subject.

"Sorry I'm running behind." said Professor Brenn as he unlatched the door. He genially ushered the students in. "Quick class today though. I'll finish up my spiel on the Dutch Masters, and then we'll have our first quiz."

Professor Brenn caused a mild stir amongst the student body. Aside from his notoriety, he was a handsome man still in his thirties. On more than one occasion, Iris and Eddie overheard comments from their classmates about how desirable their Professor was and what they would be willing to do with him. Iris wasn't one to fawn over men, but admitted, after some cajoling from Eddie that, Professor Brenn was objectively attractive.

--

As promised, the class ended early. Eddie strolled out a few minutes after Iris. She was sitting on the hallway floor waiting, having finished the quiz before the rest of the class.

"See, that was so easy. You worried for nothing." said Eddie smiling.

"It was, but he never said it would be multiple choice. That made it way easier." replied Iris.

"You heading to the Business School next?"

"Yeah, accounting in 40 and then econ right after."

"Geez, your schedule is packed. It'll be hard to find a job this semester."

The remainder of the class filed out behind them.

"The sooner I finish school, the sooner I'll be able to get a real job." said Iris lifting her arms towards Eddie.

He casually helped her up. At that moment, Professor Brenn stepped out of the classroom and caught Iris's eye.

"Are you... Iris?" Brenn said, peeking at the name on the top sheet of the stack of quizzes.

"Yes." Iris replied uncertainly.

"Great, I was just grading a few of the quizzes and you are the only one who got everything right. Even the extra credit. Good job."

"Oh. Okay thanks." Iris gave an abashed smile.

"Well, you take care Iris. See you next class."

Brenn continued down the hall, nodding in minimum acknowledgement of Eddie as he passed.

"Already getting in good with the Professor." Eddie teased Iris.

"Whatever. I should get going."

"Huh? You still have a while until your class."

"Yeah, but I need to get the charging brick from my dorm. My phone didn't charge last night."

"Say hi to your roommate."

"Ha. One of these days I'm bound to run into her again. Hey, I was thinking maybe we could catch up tonight? I could meet you before your studio time."

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

"Love you."

"Love you."

Iris crossed the central campus commons on the way back to her dorm. It was early fall, but the weather was still nice enough that there were plenty of people about. Many groups were sitting at the tables or lounging on the lawn of the greenway. As Iris passed a particularly rowdy bunch guys, one peeled away from his friends and made his way towards Iris.

"Wait! Wait! I have something incredibly important to tell you." said the likely stoner.

"And what's that?" said Iris without slowing.

"Your jeans. They're so tight."

One of the stoner's friends ran up behind him.

"Ha, ha, ha. We're sorry miss. I'll put this guy back where he goes." said the stoner's friend as he pulled the stoner back to the rest of their group.

She never quite understood why these things happened. Iris was wearing normal jeans, and really couldn't appreciate the guy's motivation for approaching her about them. Even though she was sharp and empathetic, it was hard for her to get inside of guys' heads, other than Eddie. In her freshman year she was in a study group with some other students from the Honors College, and one of the guys developed a huge crush on her which she was completely ignorant about.

Chris, the guy with the crush, would regularly invite her to school events, and when she casually communicated the details to Eddie, he said the guy probably liked her. Iris wasn't convinced until the day before their final exam. Chris confessed his feelings for her. It was a big emotional display where he tried to convince her to break up with Eddie. She did not reciprocate his feelings at all, and felt bizarre hearing him say those things. Eddie wasn't disturbed when she told him what happened, telling her it wouldn't be the last time.

When Iris arrived at her room, she found a sock on the door. The dramatic sounds of her roommate having sex emanated from the other side. Frustrated, Iris checked the time on her dying phone and decided to go to class.

The rest of the day went fairly typically for Iris. After her final class, she went to the Art Building to try to catch Eddie before his studio time. Eddie was working on a large-scale abstract piece. A study of geometric shapes which was too big to have in his dorm. Iris sat outside the studio, eating her PB & J dinner and waiting for Eddie. He didn't show. She waited another fifteen minutes for him, but he still didn't come.

Iris began to look up and down the halls, thinking she might have the wrong room. Finding another studio, she peeked inside. A student sat painting at an easel. She glanced up when Iris entered.

"Looking for something?" said the painter.

"No. My boyfriend had studio time tonight, and I was looking for him." responded Iris.

"You gonna model for him?"

"No! Nothing like that."

"You don't need to be offended. I didn't suggest you were stripping down. Tons of respectable artists need models." The painter gestured to a stool next to Iris.

A stack of fliers rested on the stool.

WANTED: ART REFERENCE MODELS OF ALL TYPES

Looking to complete a large-scale humanity piece. Three-hour sessions, $200 per session. If interested return completed form to the office of Professor J. Brenn room 404 Art Building.

"$200 would be nice, but what are the models asked to do?" Said Iris.

"Oh, it's real easy. I've done it already. I didn't have to take my clothes off or anything. And he isn't inappropriate or anything. Not that I'd have minded if he was, he's actually kind of hot." said the painter.

"I could use the money."

Iris took a flier with her as she left. She checked Eddie's supposed studio once more, but he still wasn't there. Since she was already in the Art Building, she decided to fill out the flier and drop it in Brenn's mail chute before leaving. The choice about modeling didn't have to be made now, but she could use the money and may as well submit it.

The fourth floor was almost completely dark, aside from the light which spilled out of an open office halfway down the hall. Iris strained her eyes to read the office numbers, looking for 404. But the effort proved unnecessary as the open office belonged to Professor Brenn. She approached timidly, carrying the flier now covered with her neat handwriting. Professor Brenn sat at his desk looking at his laptop. Iris looked inside the room, hoping to find a tray or something to drop the flier in without catching the Professor's attention.

"Hello. I know you. Iris Shaughnessy, right? Do you have a question about class?" said Professor Brenn leaning back in his chair -- clearly happy for the distraction.

"Oh, sorry no. I." Iris held up the flier. Slightly embarrassed.

"Great! Let's see what we've got here." The Professor jumped up and grabbed the flier from Iris and began to peruse it.

"I was right about the name." he said, looking Iris up and down appraisingly which made her feel incredibly vulnerable.

"Alright, what's your schedule look like? Are you free tomorrow evening? I'm busy during the day."

"No, I have a night class tomorrow."

"Okay, and I'm booked Thursday and Friday. How about now? You're free?"

Iris rarely felt so put on the spot. She hadn't even decided to do this before stepping into the office, but her professor's confident and presumptuous manner created a sense that she would. The decision was already made, just not by her.

"I have some time now. I guess." Replied Iris automatically.

--

Professor Brenn's studio was also on the same floor. The room was much larger than the other studios with big north-facing windows and various furniture and platforms to display his subjects upon. He quickly got to work arranging the lighting. Iris stood unsure near the entrance of the room.

"You can set your backpack and purse down over there, and then go recline over on the couch or the chaise." he said.

Iris dropped her bags and walked to the couch. She decided to slip off her sneakers before lying down. Professor Brenn walked over and again gave her an appraising look.

"Pick your head up." He commanded.

She did as told and he grabbed a paisley pillow from behind the couch and shoved it under her head.

"Now lay back"

She obeyed.

"Good." he said.

Brenn pulled up a stool relatively close to the couch and opened a large sketchpad. He started drawing with a piece of soft charcoal, blackening his fingers in the process. Iris hadn't received any further instructions, so she lay stiffly, afraid to move. He rose from the stool and turned the page of his notepad and moved the stool closer to the couch. He was now near her knees, looking up towards her face. Brenn was cool, completely in his element.

"This is going to be hard for you if you try to hold your breath the whole time. It's okay, you're allowed to move and breathe and even talk if you like." said the Professor.

Iris breathed heavily.

"Sorry, I wasn't sure of the expectations." she said.

"Not an issue. I want you as comfortable and as natural as possible. If something needs changing, I'll tell you what to do. In fact, let's try something now."

The professor stood up again and turned off all the lights besides one portable spotlight. He positioned the spotlight at the end of the couch near Iris's feet -- casting its beam up the length of her body.

"Scoot yourself towards that end of the couch, you can hang your legs over the armrest, however's comfortable. I'm not going to be drawing them now." he said.

Iris obliged, sliding down the couch until her butt touched the armrest and draped her legs over the side. The act caused her shirt to ride up, exposing her lower back and side. Her cheeks flushed as she hastily pulled it back down.

"Good, now I'm trying to focus on this area, your throat and your chin. So, let's use this pillow and put it under your shoulders."

He put his arm beneath her back and lifted her forward, placing the paisley pillow beneath her shoulders and setting her back on it. Her head was now as far back as it could go -- her neck fully exposed and her collar bone popping out just above the neckline of her tank top.

"Oh, good point of interest." said Brenn.

"What?" said Iris.

She sat up, not knowing what the Professor was talking about with her head back. He was pointing to a small brown mole on her right collar bone, almost touching it. She didn't know what to say so she didn't say anything and laid back down. The position caused her breasts to jut out, which made her self conscious given his close scrutiny of her body.

She spent the rest of the session in the same position. Professor Brenn worked extremely close to Iris -- one of the metal stool legs pressing against her hip. His gaze was fixed on her neck, and he rarely needed to look away and check his sketchpad. The session ended abruptly with the Professor's phone alarm going off.

"Good session, I completely lost track of time. How'd it go for you?" Brenn said, reaching his hands out to Iris who was lying next to him.

She instinctively took his hands, which were strong and rough to the touch, and allowed him to help her up. When fully upright, she briefly found herself uncomfortably close to his face for a weighty moment before she slid over the armrest.

Professor Brenn thanked her for the session and wrote a check for $200. Iris left quickly after gathering her things, it was already late. She was in a daze as she exited the building, and realized she was still carrying the check. When she looked at the draft, Iris noticed it had a small black smudge on it. The smudge came from her hand, the palm of which was covered in a dark smear of charcoal where the Professor had touched her.