Free Body Art by Garry Charles Page A

happiness radiating from
her face and threatening to infect Jeff. With everything going on
in his life he’d forgotten what it felt like to be relaxed, to let
go and just be himself. The last time he’d opened up and shown his
true self had been with her...
    T he
other woman.
    The tube
platform was empty of other travellers and they waited in silence
for the next train to pull in, its arrival signalled by a wave of
warm, stale air that made Jeff cringe. The tube always made him
feel trapped and unclean, as if the air was tainted by those who
had exhaled it before him, the aroma of their insides filling his
nose with each breath. It disgusted him.
    As the train
pulled in alongside the platform, slowing to a gradual stop Jeff
froze, his lungs seeming to contract as the hairs on the back of
his neck were played with by invisible fingers of static.
    Why here?
    Why now?
    Her painted
form was laid out before him, the full length of the carriage taken
up by her image. The warehouse had teased him with only her face
but now she was visible in all her beauty. Jeff took it all in,
every curve and peak just as he remembered. The artist had rendered
her with loving care, using the paint sparingly to recreate her as
no photo ever could.
    What do you
want?
    Jeff staggered
through the sliding doors, his eyes lingering on hers for as long
as possible. As soon as he was on the train he slumped into the
nearest seat and held his head in his hands.
    “ Jeff,
are you alright?” Ruth asked, concerned. “Is it the chest pains
again?”
    “ No,”
Jeff sighed. “Just a migraine… should have laid off the red
wine.”
    Liar!
    Jeff squeezed
his eyes closed, knowing the memories of that night wanted to be
relived and doing his best to fight against them. He could feel the
blood hammering at his temples, his heart beating with excitement
at the thought of the special time he'd spent with her.
    So
beautiful.
    A work of
living art.
    My best work
yet.
    **
    Jeff had never
known her name. Names didn’t concern him. All he wanted was to
bathe in the beauty of the female form and she'd been ideal.
    It had been
raining and the offer of a lift from the guy with the friendly
smile had been too good to refuse, after all it was only a five
minute drive. As she’d climbed in the car Jeff had carefully taken
in the sight of her lower thigh, just visible below the hem of the
red skirt. In that one brief glance he'd absorbed everything she
had to offer.
    Black heels,
the kind that tie around the ankle. Sheer stockings though probably
tights, but he could fantasise. Red skirt that hugged her slender
hips. Leather jacket open at the front to reveal the low cut black
top that showcased the rise and fall of her well tanned
cleavage.
    And then he’d
come to her face, a pretty young thing framed with flowing blonde
hair, full pink lips and the most stunning eyes Jeff had ever seen.
They were a steel grey in colour with flecks of what he could only
describe as sunburst, a vibrant orange that danced with life.
    Perfection!
    Everything
after that always played out in a blur, the memory distorted by the
adrenaline that surged through Jeff’s system. He could never quite
remember when he’d seen the first signs of fear on her face. It was
definitely after he’d driven straight passed the end of the street
she lived on.
    Then came the
crying… the begging and pleading to stop the car. Jeff had just
glanced at her and smiled and said, “I want to know you inside
out.”
    Eventually
she'd screamed, but not for long. Her initial fight had quickly
drained away to weakened kicking and that had then faded to nothing
more than a faint twitching. Before Jeff had really got to know her
she'd become still and silent.
    And oh so
beautiful.
    They always
looked at their best once Jeff had got to know them inside out. The
pureness left once the skin was peeled back was something that Jeff
couldn’t deny. The way they felt under his caress, the slickness of
exposed muscle and