First Impression

First Impression

Chapter 1

Aurora owned a little blue cottage with a picketed fence. The roses climbed up the trellises on either side of the door to her little doorway. She had two bedrooms, but one she used as her studio. She kept it clean and tidy. She often heard her mother’s voice in the back of her mind, “Tiffany Aurora Kensington, this room is not going to clean itself.

Remember, Cleanliness is next to godliness!” She often used the back door to go out and sit on the back porch when she didn’t feel like calling the Agency for a muse. Aurora had two middle aged, nosey neighbors and they were extremely competitive. One on either side of her.

She rarely had to cook because they were always trying to find out what she did for a living. She accepted it graciously and politely said she had to get back to work. She was a little embarrassed, but she made a modest living and she often took jobs that people paid for.

One morning, Charline called and asked her do a piece for a celebrity couple. She always was begging her to do another natural piece, but Aurora tried to keep those to a bare minimum. Especially after that one time. She never spoke about it to anyone, but she complained to the agency that his service was unsatisfactory and that employee was terminated immediately.

Charline asked her to come down to the gallery. Aurora said that she would and she would bring the two pieces that she had been working on with her. “Ok, just let me finish my coffee and I’m on my way.” They hung up and Aurora sat at the table for a few minutes more. She sipped her coffee and finished her buttered crescent roll. She drank the rest of her coffee and finished her last bite of crescent and sighed.

She placed her cup and saucer in the kitchen sink and wiped down the table. She had wrapped the two pieces that night before and placed them in a large plastic bag. She dressed in a beautiful, Cerulean blue embroidered blouse, a black pencil skirt and Mary Jane heels.

She grabbed the bag, her umbrella, her purse, put on her rain coat and headed out the door. It was only sprinkling when she started out for the Art Gallery. By the time she had made it to the gallery the sun had come out of the clouds and she could hear the birds singing.

“Hello Ms. Kensington.” Charline’s secretary greeted her. “Hi.” Aurora said. “Go on in, she’s expecting you.“ she said smiling. “Thank you.” Aurora said setting down her umbrella and heading into Charline’s office. She took off her raincoat and purse and hung them on the coat tree by the door.

Then she hugged her and handed Charline the large plastic bag. “Oh these must be the pieces you’ve been keeping from me.” Charline said with a mischievous smile. Aurora had worked with only two men this last month and she finally finished the pieces that Charline had asked for. Charline loved Aurora’s work, it was tasteful and classy.

The pieces were of two different men who posed in several different poses for her and then she photographed them and painted them afterward. It took about 30 minutes for a photo shoot and then a couple weeks to paint. She used natural lighting and she only did partial nudes. Never full nudity.