Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

when she spilled coffee on her blouse and decided to change. Closing her mind to the possibilities Rico's final words suggested, the petite brunette stealthily retreated. She knew from past experience that confronting him would only waste energy she couldn't afford to lose today. Their arguments, which had increased in number the past few months, always left her vibrating with anger and frustration, not exactly a state conducive to creativity.
    Obviously, Rico was in trouble again—gambling trouble—and he expected to convince her to bail him out... again . At least now she understood what was behind his recent efforts to charm her. If she hadn't overheard him just now, it probably would have worked too. But it was all a lie... again.
    The difference this time was that he'd used up his second and a third chance with her. She was done bailing him out. She was done walking on eggshells around his hot temper. She was finally done with him. All that was left was the paperwork.
    She paused outside the detached garage of their White Plains home. Selena, the sole model for her current project, was already in the studio and Teri wanted to compose herself before going up there.
    She felt a soft pressure against her calf and glanced down. "Well, hello there." Kneeling, she stroked the unfamiliar cat's gray and black fur and frowned when her fingers detected rib bones too close to the surface. "Poor baby. You've been wandering a long time, haven't you?" The stray looked directly into her eyes, cocked its head and let out a loud meow. "You're lucky summer came early this year. I suppose the others told you where you could find a free meal."
    The response was a shy purr that made her smile. "Well, you seem polite enough, but we have rules here. No digging in the garden and stay away from the bird feeders in the backyard. If I find out you're bothering my birds, you won't be welcome back for breakfast. Got it?"
    With a graceful arch of its back, the cat nuzzled Teri's palm once more, then took off around the side of the garage where cat food was always set out. Because of Rico's allergies, she couldn't have animals in the house, but there were plenty outside that had grown accustomed to her attention.
    Substitute children. For the thousandth time she wondered if it would have made a difference if she and Rico had been able to have a baby. Her inability to conceive was only one of the thorns that had pricked his male ego, but it was a sizable one. Regardless of the fact that the doctors she went to gave her a clean bill of health, Rico blamed her. He refused to be tested since he had no doubts about his manhood. And he wouldn't consider adoption as an alternative. And now, at thirty-seven, her options were drifting away.
    With an audible sigh, she turned her thoughts to the young woman waiting upstairs, another lonely stray. Teri had chosen her six months back based on an agency comp card and was thrilled when she met her in person. Five foot eleven, with a voluptuous body and straight, waist-length, platinum hair, Selena's skin was the most flawless and palest she'd ever seen. The only characteristic that kept her from looking like an albino were her catlike green-blue eyes, but even that touch of color was strangely translucent. Overall she had a haunted, mysterious look that Teri had taken advantage of in her last project.
    She had used Selena as a ghostly apparition in the background of each of her ten Women in History paintings currently being exhibited by the Forsythe Gallery in Manhattan. Her new project was even more daring as she intended to use pieces of Selena disguised in various everyday settings. Her plan was to combine photography and oils but so far she hadn't managed to get the idea out of her head and properly onto canvas in a satisfactory way.
    Between the History series and the new idea, she and Selena had been spending a lot of time together. She was sweet and easy to work with, and they developed a comfortable, personal relationship, even though Teri was sixteen years older. Or perhaps the relationship blossomed because of that age difference.
    As Teri expected, Selena's exotic features bore a worried look when she reentered the studio. She didn't care for being left alone.
    "I thought you were changing. What happened?"
    Teri grimaced at the dried beige stain on her white shirt, then fussed with the short ponytail at the base of her neck. "Oh, yes. I, uh, got distracted and forgot all about it."
    "That's not