Eavesdropper

By Teri Riley

Paul is an artist that likes to daydream out of the window of his West Oakland studio loft. One night, he witnesses an attempted suicide by a young woman in the motel room across the way and tries to intervene until he realizes that he's watching a scene of history repeating itself...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trellis Publishing
• Release date: Jul 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201668143

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Paul took a deep breath as he stared over at his model.

Tall at over six-feet, her face was perfectly round with high cheekbones and plump lips. She had an air of white trash about her, the way she snapped her gum and blinked her eyes. She rarely smiled but had a flowery scent about her, a mixture of lavender and cherries.

Yes, his painting had looked like a photographic replica of the scene. He had captured her sleek curves that the tight gray dress did little to hide. He captured the highlights in her hair, the moisture of her lips and her dainty hands around the glass of Vodka. He could hear the advertisers gushing already.

Wow. You're really good.

They would only see the attractiveness of the girl whose breasts were so large that they looked out of place on her skinny frame, like something a thirteen-year-old boy would draw. His employers would maybe notice the brand of Vodka they were selling only after staring at the painting long enough.

He would nod in agreement and take the check but he couldn't lie to himself. Like so many artists before him, he had sold out his creative talents for steady employment. 

There were bigger tragedies in life.

But as someone who fancied himself to be a true artist, Paul noticed every little detail. He couldn't hide the deadness in her eyes. Bored. Entitled. The girl couldn't wait to get out of the studio loft, checking her Smartphone every few minutes.

Bzzzt...Bzzzt...

Her phone went off again. Someone posted something new on their Instagram or Facebook. Or maybe another man e-mailing, begging for a date. He saw the girl's eyes look down at her phone near her purse. She wanted to check it so bad, like an addict needing a hit. He had already