A Taste of Danger

A Work of Art

Rose

“Oh my god, you shot a hole through the f*****g wall!” I think I might actually pass out. Stanley is going to murder us both once he sees that we have ruined the apartment.

Victor groans. “I’m so sorry! It was an accident!”

“Stanley is going to flip!” I drag my fingers through my hair while pacing the hallway. “First, the kitchen floor, and now there is a hole in the freaking wall! Why do you have a f*****g gun in the shower?!”

“To defend myself!” Victor whines, looking as upset and nervous as I feel. “And I can pay for the damage!”

“Why the f**k will you need to defend yourself in the shower?” I’m still confused.

“Because…you…I don’t know. It doesn’t matter, okay?”

“Whatever, but what do we do until you have paid someone to fix it? Stanley will have to live with that hole now!”

“Uhh…wait!” Victor holds up a finger, and his eyes glimmer in that dangerous way that tells me he has an idea. “What if we move a painting to the bathroom?”

“That is the most stupid idea that…no…you actually have a point,” a smile spreads over my lips. “Stanley loves art, and he might not even question that there is a painting in the bathroom!”

“Great! I can make a phone call to this friend that is an artist. He has many paintings in his garage, but…” Victor makes a face, and I arch an eyebrow at him.

“What?” I ask. “Please don’t tell me he had a big show today and that he might be all sold out.”

“No, it’s just that he only draws squirrels wearing tophats, tuxedos, and monocles. Some of them even have canes.”

I snort. “You can’t be serious.”

“Of course, I’m serious! He is a very talented artist,” Victor says gruffly.

I can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. “Well, okay, if you say so. But hey, beggars can’t be choosers, right? A squirrel in a top hat is better than a hole in the wall any day.”

Victor nods. “But Rose, are you alright? f**k, I could’ve shot you.” His eyes are dark with concern.

Am I alright? I’m not sure as my eyes trail down his body.

His dark hair is still damp from the shower, and a few droplets of water cling to his broad shoulders. His chest rises and falls with each breath, and I can see the muscles in his arms ripple as he runs a hand through his hair.

Holy hell

Despite the situation, my heart flutters at the sight of him. I shake my head to clear it, feeling a flush spread across my cheeks. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little overwhelmed. Let’s get this sorted out before Stanley gets home.”

“Okay,” he says, still looking worried. “I’ll call my friend and see if he has a squirrel painting that will fit in the bathroom.”

I nod, still feeling a little flustered. I take a deep breath and try to collect myself. This situation is ridiculous, but at least we have a plan to cover up the hole in the wall. And maybe once Stanley sees the squirrel painting, he’ll forget all about the damage we caused.

Or maybe he’ll kill us both. I sigh and lean against the wall, wondering how I managed to get caught up in this.

Victor makes the phone call. While he’s on the line, I go back to the bathroom to survey the damage. The hole is still there, taunting me with its presence, but I try not to let it get to me. After all, we have a plan now.

When Victor hangs up the phone, he grins and gives me a thumbs-up. “He’s on his way over with a couple of paintings.”

I shake my head. “I never thought I’d be so excited to hang a painting of a squirrel in a top hat in my bathroom. But here we are.”

Victor grins. “I always come up with great plans.”

“Great…but…um…” I stammer, my eyes keep wandering down to his V-line and his glorious c**k.

“What?” he narrows his eyes.

“Could you go put some clothes on? I mean, you don’t have to wear a shirt, but perhaps…um…some jeans?” I am flustered and can hardly keep myself together, but Victor just stares at me with an amused expression.

“Ah, right.” Victor chuckles and turns to head toward Stanley’s room. “I’ll borrow a pair of pants from Stan’s closet, don’t worry. And don’t think I didn’t notice you checking me out.”

I roll my eyes and shake my head, trying to compose myself as I hear him disappear into the bedroom. It’s times like these that I curse my attraction to him. It’s just so damn distracting.

But just as Victor disappears into Stanley’s room, the doorbell rings.

“I’ll get it,” I offer, hoping it’s not Stanley coming home early. I make my way to the door and open it, revealing a tall man with a canvas tucked under his arm.

Well, he got here freakishly fast!

“Hello,” he says, looking down his nose at me. “I’m here to drop off the painting for Mr. Giovanni.”

I sigh inwardly, wondering how Victor managed to make friends with someone like this. “Yes, of course. Come in.”

The artist saunters past me, eyeing the apartment with a critical eye. “Hmm, a bit shabby, isn’t it? Not exactly the kind of place I’m used to displaying my work.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Just put the painting in the bathroom, please.”

The artist raises an eyebrow, looking at me like I’m an i***t. “The bathroom? How unorthodox. Very well, I suppose it’s better than nothing.”

He sets the canvas down and proceeds to critique the décor of the apartment while I try my best to tune him out. Thankfully, Victor comes out of the room just in time to rescue me from the artist’s snobbery.

“Thanks for bringing the painting, Maximillion,” Victor says, shaking the artist’s hands. “You can leave.”

The artist pulls away, looking a bit uncomfortable. “Yes, well, I must be off. I have an exhibition opening tonight, and I can’t be late.”

“Of course, have a good one,” Victor says with a smile, showing the artist to the door.

As soon as the artist is gone, I let out a sigh of relief. “That guy was insufferable.”

Victor nods, looking a bit sheepish. “Yeah, sorry about that. He’s a bit…pretentious. But his art is good.”

I take a good look at the painting for the first time and nearly choke on air.

It is a painting of a squirrel wearing a top hat, a monocle, and a cane is depicted sitting in a luxurious armchair with a pipe in its mouth. The background is a garish shade of yellow, and there are swirling patterns in green and purple around the squirrel.

It’s the kind of thing that would make Stanley roll his eyes and mutter about the decline of modern art.

“What the f**k is this?” I snort.

“It’s art, obviously. Now let’s stop wasting time and get the hole fixed,” Victor grunts and goes to get some tools to hang the painting.

We spend an hour placing the painting in the right spot so it won’t look weird. I can’t help but keep stealing glances at Victor, who looks focused on the task. He’s wearing a tight white t-shirt that clings to his broad chest and arms, Stanley’s shirt, I realize. It barely fits him.

“Not bad,” he says, nodding in approval. “It adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the room.”

I roll my eyes but can’t help the small smile that tugs at my lips. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Victor.”

“Looks like we’re all set,” Victor says with a satisfied smile.

There’s a brief moment of silence between us before he speaks up again. “So, well, after all the excitement, I’m not even remotely sleepy anymore.”

I pause, not sure what to say. “Me neither. I guess we could hang out for a bit, maybe watch a movie or something?”

Victor nods, looking thoughtful. “Yeah, that sounds good. I could use a break.”

We head to the living room and settle on the couch, scrolling through the options on Netflix.

As we watch the movie, my attention keeps drifting toward Victor. I can’t help but notice the way his biceps flex as he leans back against the couch or the way his dark hair falls across his forehead. The air between us feels charged, and I can feel my heart racing.

It’s a dangerous game, I know, but I can’t help the attraction I feel toward him.

“Eh…Rose?” Victor grunts.

“Hmm?” I hum, my eyes still fixed on him.

Victor looks at me, his brow furrowed. “You’re staring at me again.”

I’m taken aback. “Sorry…I mean, no, I’m not!”

Victors chuckles softly. “You look pretty tired. How about we finish the movie another time?”

I yawn. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“I’ll walk you to your room,” Victor says. His tone is so serious it makes me giggle.

“I think I can handle going to bed by myself. I’m a big girl,” I say.

“Alright, big girl. Have a goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Victor.”

I rush to my room with a smile on my face.