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I giggled at that, because I could almost picture how that conversation would go.

I doubted the man would appreciate the words my Mistress would have for him, though I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

I’d seen, all too well, how a person in a position of power could derail someone’s career.

One of the few friends I’d made in art school had left the city after an encounter with a potential patron that had left his reputation in tatters.

Between the vicious lies the man had spread and the way so many others had jumped on the bandwagon when he’d called for my friend’s work to be shunned and him to essentially be ‘canceled’ from the art community, had been a horrible lesson to learn, even while watching it from outside of the situation.

“Exactly what do you find funny about that?” My Mistress asked.

“That my uncle would have said the same thing,” I hastily explained.

“I really have no desire to work for him. I have no problem painting nudes, as you’ve clearly seen, but he wanted me to paint him tying up his partners while they wore blood-splattered wings and held different religious symbols and relics.

It just felt weird and a bit like I’d be mocking someone’s faith, which I would never want to do. ”

“Then there is nothing more for you to think about,” my Mistress declared. “You can call him tomorrow and politely decline. It doesn’t sound like the project is for you, which tells me your heart wouldn’t be into it.”

“You’re right,” I replied. “The easiest commissions to accept are the ones where I’m immediately hit with a jolt of creativity after having the project described to me.

When I’m passionate about something, the ideas flow easily, making it hard to put my sketchpad down while I’m working them out.

Like your project, oh goddess, that one kept me up at night with the ideas that kept flashing through my head every time I closed my eyes.

It’s a good thing I keep a sketchbook and pencils in the nightstand by my bed where they are easily accessible, because I could not fall asleep until I’d captured the gist of every tantalizing image my imagination conjured up. ”

“Then those are the things you should stick with,” my Mistress explained, “the things that bring you joy, challenge your skills, and leave you filled with excitement to work on. I know this is your career and you’ve worked hard to build it and hone your craft, but it’s for that very reason that you should allow yourself to continue to enjoy it along the way.

I’ve heard it said that work isn’t truly work when you are having fun.

That’s the way I’ve always felt about the club. ”

“And it shows,” I replied. “Though I think you were right when you suggested that we could both use a vacation to recharge and allow ourselves some new experiences. I was wondering what you thought about us renting an RV and going on a meandering road trip to nowhere. We could just follow the signs pointing to places that caught our attention and spend our nights eating under the stars or dining at some unique, off-the-wall little hidden gems that only the locals know about. Bet we ran into some vineyards along the way. What a perfect opportunity to sample new wines and explore all the different ways we can pair them with sumptuous meals and decadent desserts. Maybe we’ll even happen upon a music festival along the way or one of those sprawling outdoor flea markets and craft shows.

I’ve always wanted to see the Grand Canyon and travel up into the mountains just to be closer to the stars.

The best part is that we’ll have plenty of time to just be together without being surrounded by hundreds of other people flocking to see tourist attractions and cluttering it up with their noise and camera phone flashes. ”

I reached the end of my ramble, hoping I hadn’t overwhelmed her with all my thoughts, but my idea of the perfect vacation wasn’t one that placed us in overly populated places where we couldn’t relax and be ourselves.

I wanted to do something with her that would let us get to know one another better while making memories together that we’d never forget.

I wanted the only photobombs to be from random, curious animals and nights spent lying in her arms, reminiscing about the day and the regionally specific treats we’d tried, like lime-pickle slushies, which I’d only heard about but would love to try someday.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she said as she swirled the end of a breadstick through the sauce that remained on her plate.

“I’ll start looking into RVs and leave you to plan out which direction to head in to start our little adventure.

Something tells me that a trip like that will give us both plenty of opportunities to experience new and interesting things with little chance of getting bored along the way. ”

“I doubt I could ever be bored when I was with you,” I said.

I’d already sopped up the last of my sauce and was busy finishing off what remained of my pesto shrimp bruschetta, the combination so delicious I planned to make a batch the first chance I got.

“I feel the same about you, Kitten,” she replied. “Each day with you is a beautiful awakening, especially when the first sight I see in the morning is your stunning face.”

Her words left me blushing and at a loss for my own, not that there were any eloquent enough to follow up on her statement. Instead, I just smiled and finished the last bite on my plate as the image of holding her while basking in a mountain sunset flittered through my head.

A woman who loved me and an opportunity to tick something off my bucket list–what more did any girl need?

The answer was simple—nothing.

Absolutely nothing.