Follow Focus
29
Summer Fun
“Anita” by Alyona Molchanova, ID372811327 licensed from Shutterstock.com.
I WAS THANKFUL my wives were not around to try to convince Anita to join our family. Our relationship up to this time had been an intimate friendship of photographer and model. She was part of Damien’s household, and even though I’d made love to Kathleen on occasion, I wasn’t in the habit of poaching women from other men.
Away from the studio and Stratford, Anita proved to be a funny and absolutely adorable lover. She got along well with Adrienne and they combined to keep my interest high. When I finally slid into her love tunnel, I was swept away by the new degree of intimacy we enjoyed. She was far more than a lonely and horny Hollywood actress. She was a lover and was set to prove it. Frankly, I couldn’t believe Damien had just let her leave. I’d have offered her anything to get her to stay.
Adrienne and I worked together to bring her fulfillment, and we were able to hear her climax twice before I joined her. She held onto me fiercely, trying to keep me in her as long as possible. She and Adrienne played with each other until I was recovered sufficiently to slip into my mistress and come yet again. Anita slept between Adrienne and me and awoke to make love again.
After the night together, I was inspired to get her into the studio for another photo session. I had several actors and actresses on my schedule for the day, including Dan with a day’s growth of beard. I put them all off until I’d managed to get Anita onto an antique inn set, with a bay window and perfect lighting.
I didn’t waste much time getting her naked. She was more than willing, as long as I kept kissing her and petting her. I put a necklace and earrings on her, then placed her on an old-fashioned settee. I touched her and coaxed her until I had the perfect composition. Then I switched to the 4x5 camera and got a spectacular portrait. I hoped the studio wouldn’t miss this one because I planned to take it home and display it in my gallery.
When I had the perfect shot, I picked her up and rushed her to her dressing room where I kissed and petted her thoroughly. Adrienne brought her clothes. I didn’t have time for any more activity with her. I had to get back to the soundstage to take more pictures.
I got the pictures of Dan with his beard I wanted and then started working my way through the supporting cast. Lawrence Robert—pronounced Ro-bear—was the primary antagonist. He was a little older than Dan and showed his wisdom, experience, and savoir faire. The script and the character style did not betray his evil nature. I’d seen too many films where the bad guy was malformed, had a twitch, an eyepatch, or a cat. None of this was needed for him to capture and convince Carmen to betray her boyfriend. Arnold had been seduced by Carmen, but Carmen was ensnared by Drake, the villain played by Lawrence.
We got a nice filmstrip of Lawrence working with Anita and seducing her right in a hotel bar while she was waiting for Dan.
Then there were several other more minor characters. Gertrude Stedman played the primary rival of Carmen, Salome. She was outright owned by Drake and kept Arthur delayed while Drake pursued Carmen.
Of course, I’d been provided with character sketches and relationships by the writers and director, but they just stood back and let me direct the filmstrips any way I wanted. It was great fun. Gary kept right with me, moving lights, and adjusting scenery as I needed it. We got a great shadowy scene of Salome and Arthur as she delayed him in an elevator.
When our workday ended, the production staff insisted on dinner with Adrienne and me. When I told them Anita would be accompanying us, they were a little surprised, but rolled with the news and welcomed her along. She was the only cast member invited. She and Adrienne sat on either side of me at dinner.
“So, what’s a typical day like when you’re on duty?” Brent asked. I laughed.
“Boring,” I said. “We spend our first day out flying. How early we leave depends on how far we’re going. Lately, we’ve been flying close to 3,000 miles to get to the next location, which means we have an intermediate stop to refuel. Sometimes long enough to stretch our legs if we are someplace where we’re welcome. We aren’t always welcome and are told to stay on the plane. We have a pilot and co-pilot. Either one could handle the plane alone, but two in the cockpit is recommended. We have a stewardess who generally makes sure the plane is clean and stocked with anything we might need, like lunch or breakfast, coffee, and an occasional cocktail.”
“Let me get this straight. You have a three-person crew responsible for getting the two of you to another country, and they are yours full-time?” Bert asked.
“Yes. The equipment we are delivering is considered mission critical. On many trips, we also ferry another person who is going our way, but it takes an embassy executive or a military general to divert our flight. On the other hand, since we also act as couriers, we might make two or three stops on our way to the installation, just to hand off a package or envelope to a local courier,” I continued.
“What’s in them?”
“Could be anything,” I said. “We generally don’t look in the envelopes. Could be a birthday card for the ambassador, or a draft of a trade agreement with another nation. Regardless, we try to get to our destination early enough to transport the equipment to be installed to the chancery so it is secure for the night.”
“And that’s a typical day?”
“It’s a typical travel day. The next day is a typical training day. We try to start in the morning. We make sure all the equipment is delivered to the room where it will be used and is secure. Then we train anywhere from two to ten technician operators, depending on the size of the mission. Training usually takes about four or five hours. It includes how to set up a passport or visa blank, loading the camera, making the photo, and binding the passport, as well as the secure handling of the materials. We also teach them how to make ID badges for each employee. Before long, you’ll see badges on anyone who works for the government worldwide. It’s a slow process getting them all up to speed.”
“Lunch?”
“Usually with our trainees. We try to get to know each of them a bit so we can call and touch base with them in the future. In the afternoon, we meet with the chief of mission and senior staff. Chief of mission could be the ambassador, a chargé d’affaires, or a consul general. Depends on the location. We deliver any courier packets we have and photograph the senior staff. We also tour the facility and photograph items specifically related to embassy security. That film goes into our courier bag for delivery back to the State Department analysts along with our report. Sometimes we have dinner with the ambassador or a staff member who has a verbal briefing to give to us that they don’t want committed to writing in-country. Ronda and I have become pretty good at remembering and writing down everything in the plane on the way home. We might leave for home that afternoon or evening if it isn’t too late, or stay the night and either head home or to another location where we’re doing an installation before we head back to base.”
“Do you do any spy stuff?”
“No. The CIA made an attempt to recruit us, but neither Ronda nor I is interested in that group.”
“How’d they try to recruit you?”
“We’d had a meeting early in the day in Washington, DC—it was right after the hijacking. There was a guy from the agency in the meeting. When we were having dinner in a popular DC restaurant, the guy gets seated at the table next to us. He just leaned over to us and said he’d like us to work for him. We said no and he got up and left.”
“That was it?”
“Entire conversation was less than five minutes. He didn’t try to pressure us, but left us with his card and the message to call him when we changed our minds. As if he was sure we would,” I said. “That’s about everything I can tell you about what we do. Except that there is a mound of paperwork to be completed and sent to our boss and we are typically in the office a week out of every four, just to handle the backlog of support calls and paperwork.”
We talked a lot about the script and I was given a fresh copy that we’d go over on Thursday. They zeroed in on Anita for a while, asking her what she thought of the movie experience so far.
“I’ve been onsite three weeks now and I believe I’ve been in about six minutes of film. I think Nate put me through more direction and action in the past two days than I’ve had prior to that time. I’ve been told, though, that the shooting schedule will be picking up next week. Most of what we’ve done so far is tests. Makeup, costumes, scenery. You all seem to enjoy getting me out of my clothes as often as possible. I don’t mind too much, as long as no one gets their hands on me. That happens and I walk,” Anita said.
“It seemed that Nate was pretty free with you,” Steven said.
“I have a long working relationship with Nate and we’re lovers. What he does is unique. No one else is welcome.”
“Just like with Fran,” Frank said. Our producer had been pretty quiet at dinner. It looked like he was evaluating everyone at the table. “Steven, we’ll expect that part of Anita’s contract is never violated. She’s one of Nate’s girls.”
That put her in the company of a few women who were my wives, mistress, and a select Attic Allure staff we’d taken to Las Vegas back in ’69. It also included the leading actress in Double Exposure, and now the leading actress in Saigon Summit. I needed to talk that over with Adrienne to be sure no one was being overlooked for parts because of that designation.
Adrienne got her share of grilling, too. It seemed she was the only person who actually had direct contact with our sponsor, the money behind the movie. It was understood that she spoke with the voice of the executive producer. He owned Photosensitive Productions and basically paid everyone who worked there. Including me, I reminded myself.
She said he liked the project conceptually and he was holding judgment until he saw how well the team executed on it. She affirmed, though, that he had every confidence in them or he wouldn’t be making money available for the project. She reminded them that their pre-production budget had been spent, however, and everything they did now should be making the picture.
They looked a little uncomfortable, but all nodded their agreement.
A second night with Anita in our bed was well-spent. She was making a believer out of me when she told Adrienne and me that she loved us.
“You know, we might have just ruined your chances of getting laid on this production,” I joked. “Frank was serious when he labeled you as one of Nate’s girls. Please tell me if that gives you trouble.”
“I don’t care. It’s been worth it. I need to know, though, who else I’ll run into who is included in that. This Fran?”
“Yes, though it wasn’t intentional. I think Fran used that designation so she wouldn’t get hassled by her co-star. And you. Adrienne? Has anyone else been claiming that description?”
“Besides me?” she said coyly. “No. Lorraine and Renée have never claimed that association, even though you recommended them both. Having your recommendation is a good entry into the community, but it doesn’t set an actress apart. Frank declaring Anita as one of your girls moved her from recommended to elite.”
“Elite?” Anita asked.
“Honey, when you are one of Nate’s girls, you are considered the crème de la crème.”
“Oh. Make love to me again, Nate. I just fell deeper in love.”
“Don’t go so deep you cut off other opportunities,” I said. “I may not see you again for another year. I have a feeling there is an expiration date for being one of Nate’s girls.”
“Then I definitely need to have you in me again, lover.”
The next morning started a full cast read-through of the script. Geraldine read the camera directions and staging. I had a couple of comments on the work around the chancery, but mostly, I thought it had the makings for an exciting movie.
I took pictures in the rehearsal space where the cast met and showed them actually working to get the material right. It was good to see this. I think it made Anita more comfortable as well, since full-script read-throughs were common in live theatre.
Adrienne and I left Anita on her own that night and I punished my Fifi for bringing the actress into our lives. By the end of the evening, Fifi was a very happy and satisfied pet.
Friday morning, I left LA for Toronto where Anna would pick me up.
Stepping into the apartment in Stratford was like coming home for the first time in months. In the past nine months, Ronda and I had spent the night in hotel rooms more often than in the London apartment. The smell of the antique shop, our big bed, the studio… Dancing with Toni, holding my little Alex, making love to my wonderful wives… Everything about being here was good.
“Anita was really that good?” Patricia asked.
“She was pretty incredible,” I agreed after I’d told them about the way Adrienne arranged our nights together. Yes, I’m a coward. I blamed it on Adrienne.
“And you don’t want to invite her to join us?” Anna asked.
“No! It would be like having Beth back with us,” I said vehemently. “She was loving and kind and fully engaged, but she’s in Los Angeles and might be in Tokyo for her next movie. Or Paris. We struggle enough with our time together. Being home for just a few days makes me want to quit working for State and just struggle along with a little photography business and my three wonderful wives and children.”
“And our mistress,” Ronda said. “I don’t think any of us are willing to give up Adrienne.”
“Agreed,” Anna said. “I love being with my husband and wives. I’m willing to participate in any combination we come up with. But Adrienne… teaches me things. I’ve learned more about my own body and my dominant streak. I would never try to pull domination on my wives or husband, but Adrienne makes exploring that side easy.”
“I think she loves the children as much as any of us,” Patricia said. “You didn’t see the phone bills we ran up in London calling LA. She is exactly whatever each of us needs. That’s a precious trait. And Toni loves her. She wanted to know why we couldn’t all go see Aunt Addie this past week.”
“I’m not making any suggestion that we shouldn’t have Adrienne in our lives,” I said. “I agree she is exactly what any of us needs at the moment. At the same time, I would not invite her to join our family and live with us. I believe she would be gone in a week.”
“Or as soon as we untied her,” Ronda said. “I agree. And I agree with not inviting Anita to join us. Enjoy her when you run into her, but don’t bring her home.”
“I think once she gets used to the Hollywood environment, and with Adrienne’s coaching, she will find someone there who is a good match for her. If they weren’t costars, I think she and Dan would be an item in an instant. If they don’t kill each other during the filming, they very well might start a relationship afterward,” I said. “Now, enough about Anita. I want to know everything about my wives and children. I don’t want to think about anything else.”
“That’s good for this week,” Anna said, “but we have scheduled photo appointments starting next Monday. As soon as you show your face at the cast gathering in the evening, you’ll be even more in demand.”
“Do you think we’ll even be invited to an after-performance outing? We aren’t doing the production photos. Damien, Kathleen, Anita, the Weird Sisters, and even Olivia have moved on,” I said.
“You’ll get to discover a whole new range of actresses who have been pining for your attention the past three years. Don’t worry!”
We discovered the quality of performances hadn’t been lowered by the departure of our friends. The Imaginary Invalid, Pericles, and Love’s Labour’s Lost opened the week I got back. Patricia and I went to opening night of Invalid and laughed ourselves silly. I had no idea Moliere had written such a slapstick comedy. It wasn’t possible to respect either doctors or patients by the end of the play. It also seemed the Festival was doing anything it could to get a woman in that cast, as there were only a couple of female roles. So, women played characters like doctors and apothecaries that I’m sure were written for men. I recognized a couple of the names in the cast, but we decided not to go to the party at the bar.
Wednesday night, we all went to see the opening of Pericles. We left the children with Melinda babysitting. It was a hold-over from the previous season and I didn’t remember until I saw the program that Kathleen had played Thaisa, Pericles’ wife. And was playing the role this season as well. When she walked onstage, my wives and I stared with open mouths. It never occurred to me that she would come to Stratford without Damien.
“Did you know?” I asked my ladies at intermission.
“No! Didn’t Jane say she and Peter were renting the house this summer?” Anna asked.
“Where is Kathleen staying?” Ronda asked.
“Maybe she’s sharing the house with Peter and Jane,” Patricia suggested.
“That would be interesting,” I said. “We should be on the lookout for another nice guy to introduce to Peter.”
“I’m not sure Derek was going to let him go without him this year. Don’t make any promises,” Anna said.
“Time for the next act,” I said when the three chimes sounded in the lobby. “I think we’re going to the bar tonight.”
“You’re here!” Kathleen shouted when she saw us waiting for her after the show. She rushed to us and gave sincere kisses to each of us.
“We thought you’d be in New York with Damien!” Ronda said. “Does this mean you’ve broken up?”
“No. It just means he’s too busy with The Bacchae to notice or care about me and I got a call asking me to return for the season. How could I say no?”
“Where are you living? I mean, when Peter and Jane get here,” I asked.
“Right now, I’m in the house. I told Lady Jane I’d be there when she arrived, but we haven’t discussed whether I’d be allowed to use the guest room. I’ll probably room with one of the other actors. Someone is always looking for a roommate,” she said.
“Are you doing any other shows?” Anna asked.
“Yes! It’s wonderful! I’m going to be at the Avon in La Vie Parisiennè. It opens the twentieth of this month. Unbelievable fun. It’s an Offenbach operetta. And guess who’s coming back to play the leading lady! Monica Kastner! It will be such fun!”
“Oh, wow! Monica. And her husband I hope,” I said.
My wives giggled at that. Monica had come to me for three photo sessions two years ago and wanted to be very intimate. Then, at the closing of Orpheus, she introduced us to her husband. That was a real shock as she’d never mentioned a husband and we only met him that evening.
We got to the bar where the cast of Pericles gathered to celebrate their opening. Much of the cast was the same as the previous year’s production. Of course, Emma, who had played Marina the year before, was one of the Weird Sisters and was currently in New York, traveling the off-Broadway circuit with Damien and the cast of The Bacchae. So, there was a new actress in the role, introduced to me by Kathleen.
“Nate, this is Candace Bradley, the actor who played my daughter, Marina,” Kathleen said, as she pulled the blonde actress to me. “Don’t you think we look like mother and daughter?”
“No,” I said firmly. “Not without your makeup. You do not look old enough to be the mother of a teenager.”
“Thank you!”
“And I look like a teenager whether I’m in makeup or not,” Candace said.
“Well, you look a little more mature without your stage makeup, but yeah. You still look like a teenager.”
“I guess that’s okay. I am a teenager. Kathleen says I should come to you for a whole new portfolio when I turn eighteen this summer,” Candace said.
“Ahh… After you turn eighteen is a good idea,” I managed.
“How about me?” a flashy redhead asked.
“Nate, this is Deirdre Mann,” Kathleen said.
“Were you in the cast?” I asked. I didn’t recognize her.
“Maybe if I pulled my shirt down so you could see my boobs you’d recognize me,” she sighed. “I played the bawd in the fourth act. Fifty lines, but not important enough to merit a name in Shakespeare’s script.”
“I would not recognize that character in you, Deirdre.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“I have a question I’ve thought of several times since seeing the play last year,” Ronda said.
“Tell us. Tell us,” Kathleen said.
“My freshman year in college in Boston, I had to take an English literature course. We could choose from several and I just randomly took a course in Shakespeare,” Ronda said. “The professor said something about an unexplored theme in Pericles being incest between the father and daughter. I don’t get it.”
“Oh, you should discuss that one with Damien,” Kathleen laughed. “He thought it should be exploited as a theme, but our director wouldn’t hear of it.”
“But what does it mean, other than that Pericles is on the run?”
“That’s surely the beginning. Antiochus and his daughter are having an incestuous affair. Anyone who seeks her hand has to answer a riddle, and if he fails to answer it correctly, he dies. Pericles figures out the riddle, but spurns taking the daughter as a bride. Antiochus can’t let someone go who knows the answer, so orders his man out to kill Pericles, who has fled the city,” Kathleen summarized. “Damien’s concept was that when Pericles finally meets his grown daughter—at least as grown as fourteen—he is immediately as attracted to her as he’d been to his wife, Thaisa. Thus, there is a reflection of Antiochus in the relationship of Pericles and Marina.”
“Seriously?” Ronda asked.
“So much so, that Damien’s concept went so far as to have Thaisa and Marina played by the same woman. It gets a little dicey in the scene where they meet, but he thought the actor should actually take both parts and step from one to the other with nothing more than a change of shawl, even as they are talking to each other.”
“But why?” Anna asked.
“Well, the whole setup is in the first scene of the play and then it’s just dropped. Damien believes Shakespeare didn’t establish that motif at the beginning if he didn’t intend for it to be played out,” Kathleen said. “By the way, I’m completely satisfied with the way our director interpreted it. I’m not locked into Damien’s interpretation. He would be far more persuasive than I am.”
Conversation shifted around a number of topics and several people asked us about photos ‘like Kathleen’s.’
“All you need to do is call and make an appointment. I haven’t actually had a chance to look at what we have in the way of scenery and props this summer,” I said.
“I already have,” Deirdre said. “I’ll see you Monday afternoon!”
The studio was just about ready for use. I installed a new filtration fan for the darkroom that was helping keep it dust free. I’d spent hours scrubbing it and making sure it was clean before I started processing any film. I checked through my supplies, both in the studio and the refrigerator, and took a small order down to Dave.
John had brought a new batch of painted flats to use as backgrounds for portraits and I liked what I saw. There were a lot of landscapes, architecture, and some interesting textures. He didn’t let his students stray into cartoonish things, but many had a very theatrical look with strong lighting effects and a definitely painted feeling.
There were some interesting props, too. Some thick rope, headdresses, weapons, and furniture. If I had people coming into the studio for interesting Attic Allure photos, these backdrops would be great! I wanted to run a test or two, but Patricia and I had the children Thursday evening as Ronda and Anna went to see the opening of Love’s Labour’s Lost. I’d try to carve out some time to work with Patricia for a couple of photos over the weekend.
I was excited to do some trial photos with Patricia on Saturday. It would be a family affair. Anna and Ronda would take turns helping with backdrops, and I’d take photos of Patricia alone and with one or both kids. Of course, we’d have to keep an ear out for the door of the store out front. We weren’t closing shop and Melinda had the weekend off.
It seemed like I hadn’t taken more than a couple of Attic Allure photos since last summer. Of course, I’d photographed a couple of outstanding nudes in California just the previous week, but that was all movie stuff. This was really working together with my models and my crew to see what would work best. It had to have the right combination of colors in the backdrop to complement the model. Then the lighting had to be adjusted so the model was illuminated, but no shadows were cast on the backdrop. I played with settings and with both color and black and white film. These backdrops were really made for color. I needed to thank John again for bringing them to me.
I figured out—finally—that I needed to bring the model far forward so the backdrop was truly in the background. That meant that I couldn’t really shoot a full length shot of the model, but it was good that I couldn’t. If the model was too close to the backdrop, her feet appeared to be on a different floor than the one painted on the drop. If you couldn’t see the studio floor, then the model blended in with the drop much better.
We finally came up with a backdrop that was perfect for my wife. We also found a piece of embroidered red silk and experimented with different positions for her to hold it. Patricia wasn’t shy about getting nude, but she was a little self-conscious about the scar from her c-section.
While we were working, Anna had to run up front to deal with customers. I was surprised when she brought two women into the studio while we were working. They were quiet and stayed off to the side where they could see the shot being composed. I’d worked with an audience on several occasions and Patricia didn’t mind as long as Anna didn’t bring any men into the studio.
I finally found the perfect shot with Patricia facing three-quarters away and the red shawl pulled up in front of her, but leaving her spectacular bottom in view. Her hair and smile were dazzling against the backdrop. I loaded Ektachrome in the 4x5 and photographed the beautiful mother of my children.
I swiftly moved in and picked up Patricia to take to the dressing room. We heard the applause of the onlookers as I closed the door and kissed my beloved.
“That was such fun!” Patricia said. “I’ve missed being the center of attention while you took pictures.”
“I want to take so many more, love,” I said. “But we got a perfect shot on that last one and I didn’t want to display you any longer. I get jealous.”
“You’re so sweet. Can you wait until bedtime to make love or do you want me right now?”
“I always want you. I can wait though, since we have the whole family and guests outside the door.”
“Then kiss me and caress me and let me get dressed,” she giggled. I did as requested, and returned to the studio. Ronda slipped into the dressing room with Patricia as I stepped out.
“Nate, this is Jasmine Diaz,” Anna said, introducing me to a lovely black-haired woman. “And Wendy Baker.” An equally attractive brunette reached out her hand for me to shake. “They are interested in arranging photos, so I invited them in for a taste of what goes on in the studio.”
“I hope you enjoyed yourselves. We don’t usually invite people into the studio during a photo session,” I said.
“Anna said it was only done under specific circumstances,” Jasmine said. “I’d love to thank the model as well. She is beautiful.”
“Do you have an idea of what you would like for your photos?” I asked.
“I loved the two backdrops we saw you using. Do you have others like that as well?” Wendy asked.
“Yes. Each summer, the tech director over at the Festival brings me a selection of student art projects from the course he teaches during the winter. We have a dozen for this summer and I try to match them with the models and how they see themselves. On the wall, you can see a few examples of photos done in front of the backdrops, most with actresses from the theatre,” I said.
“Oh! John does these?”
“His students.”
“I’ve never worked with a nicer techie,” Jasmine said. “If he didn’t have that stunning Asian girl on his arm, I’d see if he was interested in a Spaniard.”
“I’m glad to hear Min is with him,” I said. “I’ve only been in town this week and haven’t had a chance to see him. Here are a few pictures of Min. We went to school together in Chicago.”
I pointed out the pictures of Min and they were very impressed with the paint jobs on her body. I had a small print of ‘Min the Gold,’ and a larger print of the performance piece we did a couple of years ago.
“I’d be willing to do a painted piece,” Wendy said. “I like what you did with this abstract piece.” She pointed at the cubist painting Leanne and I had done on Yvonne in the coffee house.
“That’s possible. We might even be able to do a performance piece in the Black Swan like that one was,” I said. Wendy gasped. I might have lost that one.
“Let’s have a seat and I’ll go over the prices and the packages with you,” Anna said, leading the two women away. Patricia emerged from the dressing room with Ronda, Toni, and Alex. I gave my family a hug and took my color film down to Dave to send in for processing.
I took Anna to see The Imaginary Invalid Saturday night. It was just as much fun the second time as it had been on Tuesday at the opening. This time, however, Kathleen caught up with us before we left and invited us to go along to the pub that night to meet some of the cast members.
“Some of the women in the cast are feeling very unlovely, dressed up like doctors and pharmacists. I’ve heard several speak of wanting to get some pictures to reaffirm their self-image. Of course, I’ve shown them my photos and those of Anita and the Weird Sisters at our house. Let me introduce you to them,” she said.
It was like Kathleen described, only more so. I was wondering if anyone else was even going to show up when eight women walked in together. Only the women from the show were in this gathering. I noted that Jasmine was among them.
The women had apparently taken time after getting out of costume and makeup to put on dressy clothes and more glamorous street makeup before coming to the pub for the girls’ night out. In fact, they were dressed, as Kathleen was, very sexily. All were in high heels, short skirts, and plunging necklines. I was surrounded by them, being introduced to one after another, then pulled down at the table as we all ordered drinks and started talking.
“We decided we needed a girls’ outing and an adventure,” Corrine said. She played one of the doctors. “We’ve considered all kinds of activities we might try and, after consulting with Kathleen, we all decided to have Attic Allure photos done.”
“I told the girls what I saw at your studio this afternoon,” Jasmine said. “Not everyone is willing to get completely undressed, but when I talked to Anna today, she explained that was completely between the model and the photographer. No one has to be naked.”
“On the other hand, some of us are kind of looking forward to it,” Lydia said. “And I don’t think ours is the only show that will want an adventure of this sort.”
“Are you all thinking of coming in at once?” I asked. I could imagine the chaos that would reign if that were the case.
“Oh! Anna explained that an individual session usually takes at least two hours. With all eight of us, that would be asking too much. We’d just like to set us up so we could do one or at most two a day. Then we can have a party to unveil our best photos,” Jasmine said.
“What we’re thinking—if you are up to it—is that we could have the party at maybe Kathleen’s house and you could bring the selected photos to present to all of us. We promise we’ll treat you nicely,” Corrine said.
“I think it sounds like fun. Anna? Can you schedule the ladies?”
“I already have Jasmine and Wendy scheduled. Let me see. Oh! Lydia, you already booked an appointment week after next. We just need to schedule this so Nate has time to do the processing and printing of photos as well,” Anna said.
The girls were ready to party and I nursed my drink as they ordered a second round and talked about ideas for their photos. Kathleen was on my left and Anna was on my right. I was pretty sure it was Corrine, sitting opposite me, whose foot kept sliding up my pantleg.
We went off to the ranch Sunday afternoon and Toni insisted on wearing her official riding clothes. The wrangler assessed her and agreed she was ready to ride. None of the rest of us were ready for the kind of riding he had in mind. Of course, he put us all through our paces, to make sure we remembered what he’d taught us a year ago. Toni had been riding at Plympford a couple of times and was ready to jump her horse.
After a little family ride, during which I sat with Alex, and the women all rode out through the forest trail, the wrangler led Toni and her mount to the ring where we watched her receive instruction on how to cue her horse to jump and when. We all watched from the railing as she was led around the ring and jumped the little obstacles.
“Don’t get any ideas, Miss Alex,” I muttered to the one-year-old. “I’m not making the same mistake twice.”
“I’ll bet,” Ronda giggled. “She’ll be on a pony before the summer is over.”
I groaned.
“Horsie,” Alex said, clapping her hands.
What I noticed, though, was that Toni had grown some more. Her breeches were definitely getting short on her and I thought she might have been forcing her foot into her boots. That was something I’d need to get remedied before she came riding again.
Monday, I got the studio ready for my 1:00 appointment and met Deirdre promptly. Her hair was still damp and hung straight, unlike the carefully styled red locks I’d seen at the cast party the previous Wednesday.
“Sorry. I was late getting up this morning after last night’s performance. Just got showered and rushed over here. Kathleen told me you’d take care of hair and makeup,” she said breathlessly.
“I’m… uh… Deirdre, I usually start with a nice portrait that you could use for your portfolio, but just now, I’m seeing something that is perfect the way you are. But that would mean moving straight into an artistic pose and not having as much time getting to know each other.”
“By artistic, I assume you mean nude,” she smirked.
“Well, yes. We don’t have to start there. I was just thinking that it would be easier than getting made up and then removing the makeup and straightening your hair again.”
“Well, we’d better get started. When my hair dries, it curls up like you wouldn’t believe. Kathleen said to just put myself in your hands and I’d enjoy the experience.”
“I hope you do. I’ll try not to rush you too much. Let me see if we’ve got something a little nautical to dress you in to start.”
I found a pair of pantaloons and a blouse, and led her to the dressing room.
“Now, if we could just remove your top,” I said. She stood facing me and waiting. “Oh. Yes, of course.”
I laid down the clothing and unzipped her hoodie sweatshirt. It was all she was wearing on top and what I uncovered was a suitable complement to the rest of the package. I pulled the blouse on her arms and opened it to a deep vee. She wasn’t heavily stacked up top, but she had the kind of breasts guys strained to see through a gap in her buttons. I unzipped her slacks and pulled them down, revealing she had worn no underwear at all. She had a neatly trimmed strip of red hair above her slit. She stepped into the pantaloons I held for her. I tied them closed and found a sash to tie around her waist.
We started with a ship deck backdrop. I had her pose in a variety of pirate stances and even found a scimitar among the weapons. I finished opening the blouse and let it fall off one shoulder and her breasts as she brandished the weapon. I wasn’t really satisfied with the backdrop for this, though. I stripped the shirt the rest of the way off, but we weren’t there, yet.
“I need to change backdrops and I have a big length of rope,” I said.
“Oh. Are you going to tie me up?” she asked rubbing up against me.
“I have some experience tying women up,” I said, to her surprise. “However, this rope would be awkward for that. It might get wrapped around you a few times, though.”
She followed me around as I moved a kind of treasure map backdrop into place. Then, well in front of the backdrop, I moved a drop frame. I got my stepladder and pulled the heavy nautical rope over it. That damned rope weighed a ton. It was nearly three inches across. It was also kind of rough and I hoped it didn’t scratch her.
Once I had the rope hanging down from the pipe frame and secured, I started moving her around. As I moved her, I sort of naturally stroked her breasts and butt. I took a couple of photos and then loosened her pantaloons. As they fell to the ground, she turned and grabbed my head to kiss me.
“I don’t like sex without being kissed,” she said after reaming my mouth with her tongue. And with a kiss like that, I had one hand on a breast and the other cupping her bare butt.
“Um… I don’t have…”
“Yeah. Whatever you call it. How do you want me next?”
I got her positioned with a hand on the rope and one on her sword, then I switched it up and took the sword and the sash. Eventually, I started wrapping the rope around her as she reached up to hold it.
“Now, lean back a bit,” I said. I helped position her in exactly the way I wanted her, then pulled the rope through her legs and up over her shoulder.
“It’s so thick. I can hardly get my hand around it,” she husked. I looked at her and she licked her lips.
I got back to the camera, finally found the composition I wanted and switched to the 4x5 with color film. I could feel this one. It was perfect.
I got to her, extracted her from the rope and carried her to the dressing room. Deirdre was not to be denied getting more intimate. She had my shirt open and kissed with a fervor born of the moment. As I stroked down her torso, her legs parted and I continued straight into the wet red morass of her pussy.
Her hand dropped to my slacks and she grasped my cock through them.
“So thick I can hardly get my hand around it,” she repeated. “Do you think it will fit in my mouth?”
“Only if your fiery crotch is sitting on mine,” I said, pointing to my mouth.
It didn’t take long for us to be stretched out on the couch with her pussy on my face and my cock down her throat. We lasted at least ten minutes, which I thought was remarkable, considering the state of excitement we were in when we started.
She drank my spend as I inhaled hers. I’d often wondered why I never had a redheaded girlfriend. Well, there’d been Kelly. This little demon was even more amorous than my high school date.
“You know, I could just stay here on this couch with you for the rest of the day,” Deirdre said. “I promise we would do a lot more than oral.”
“I think we should get you dressed and in makeup for your portrait,” I said, dislodging her. I stood up and pulled my pants up, tucking things away.
“I don’t really need a portrait,” she said, stretching and offering herself to me again. I kissed her deeply. “I’ll just get dressed and go now. I’d really get out of control if I stayed any longer. It was a pleasure to meet your tongue. Let me know if you ever have time in your schedule for another round. We don’t even need to pretend to take pictures.”
“I wasn’t pretending,” I said.
“Yeah. I’m looking forward to seeing the result.”
She’d only worn a hoodie sweatshirt, a pair of slacks, and sandals when she arrived. In less than a minute she was fully dressed. She gave me one last kiss and headed out.
Please feel free to send comments to the author at devon@devonlayne.com.
