Chapter 2

Ethan did his best not to think about the coming photo shoots. It didn't do much good. For the next week and a half, he tried to focus on the work at hand. He found himself becoming even more of a perfectionist. When people had nothing but the Adour shoot and these photos to look at, he didn't want to leave them anything to be overly critical about.

Sometimes, he chuckled to himself. If the harpies decided to be critical, the lack of anything concrete to be critical about wouldn't slow them down a bit. For his first job in photography, he'd been the assistant to a fashion photographer whose own bitterness towards the field had strongly informed Ethan's decision to become a photojournalist. Despite having come full circle, he could still hear Mike Connor's voice in his ears, exhorting him to stay the hell away from people in the fashion business even as he snapped pictures of fashion models for fashion magazines.

Mike had been pleasantly surprised when Ethan had elected to go to school for photojournalism and elated when he'd won his Pulitzer. Ethan debated calling him and asking his advice. He knew that Mike could be discreet, too. But, he either couldn't bring himself to tell anyone about Renee or couldn't decide how much not to tell. Besides, Mike would probably just say that he wasn't surprised by such goings on. And, since Ethan had already decided to go ahead with the wedding and the shoot for Substance, he wasn't sure what good Mike's advice would do him anyway.

When Renee called to tell him who the other model would be, Ethan immediately threw out most of the ideas he'd had for the shoot and, over the course of the next four hours, sat at his desk and came up with a hundred new ones.

The check from Wayne Vandevoort had come back with incredible haste. Two days after sending the invoice out, Ethan had opened his door to find a special courier waiting for him to sign and receive the check. When he thought about how much amusement Wayne had probably gotten from writing it, he had to fight the urge to tear it up. It wasn't much of a fight, though. Ethan needed to update his equipment for the shoot with Sondra.

When he'd first opened his studio, Ethan had made a list of what he would buy as he got the money to do so. Still, he hesitated and dithered, considering other options. It was more money than he'd ever had at one time, far more than he expected to accumulate any time soon. If he regretted how he used it, he might have to wait a long time before he could correct his mistakes.

Still, in the end, he steeled himself, closed his eyes, and decided that, if one photo shoot could make or break his career, he'd better have the best.

It paid off immediately when Sondra showed up. Dressed in baggy pants, a loose-fitting men's dress shirt, baseball cap, and sunglasses, she still managed to carry herself with a poise more appropriate to a golden age movie star or a queen than an R & B chanteuse.

The poise lasted just long enough for her to see the new camera Ethan had bought. In that moment, her eyes widened and a broad smile lit up her whole face, "Is that a Hasselblad 205FCC?" she asked.

Ethan smiled back, finding her enthusiasm infectious, "Yeah. I just picked it up this week. This will be the first shoot I use it on."

Sondra approached, hands extended in a way that told Ethan she wanted to touch it, but was afraid to.

"It's beautiful," she said, wonder clear in her voice. Then, she looked at Ethan, "I have the H1. I know I shouldn't. It is too much camera for a dilettante like me, but..." There was a look of pained longing on her face now.

Ethan lifted the camera free of its tripod and offered it to her, "Well, if you have the H1, you know how to handle one of these. The chassis is very similar."

Sondra looked up at him, seeking permission to take the camera. He smiled again and gestured for her to take it. She did, holding it like it was a sacred relic, eyes shining.

After a moment to look over the lens, Sondra raised the camera to her face. She looked around the studio. With the camera pointed out the window, she clicked. Pointing at the office area, she adjusted the focus. Another click. Then, she turned it on Ethan.

As she adjusted the lens to bring him into clarity, Ethan felt self-conscious. Despite his fascination with cameras from an early age, he'd never liked having his own picture taken.

"You're very stiff," Sondra said, lowering the camera. "This makes you uncomfortable. I'm sorry."

Ethan couldn't help but laugh. Sondra gave him a quizzical look as she reattached the camera to the tripod.

"I'm going to have to watch myself with you," Ethan said by way of explanation. Sondra smiled, although Ethan could see she wasn't sure what he was talking about. He was just as glad that the buzzer rang and he didn't have to explain.

"That will be the other model," said Ethan. For reason's she hadn't bothered to explain to Ethan, Renee had chosen to keep Sondra in the dark as to the other woman's identity. She followed him to the office area and watched the elevator door anxiously, lips slightly parted.

When Ethan opened the door, the woman who stepped out wasn't immediately identifiable. Wearing black sweatpants, a black t-shirt, and a black denim jacket buttoned up in spite of the warmth of late spring, she'd topped off her outfit with sunglasses and a scarf wrapped around her head, showing not even a hint of her trademark white hair.

Still, it would have been impossible to hide her long limbs or the preternatural paleness of her hands. After a couple of seconds staring at her, Sondra asked, "Stitch?"

Chastity Carter, in the middle of unwrapping her scarf, smiled, "Heya, Sonny. Long time no see."

Sondra laughed and hugged her, "Renee got you to do this?"

Chastity chuckled, "It didn't take much convincing. I've been angling to get out of my contract with the holy rollers and moneychangers... and this will certainly do that." As she spoke, she unbuttoned the jacket. Underneath, she wore a black silk blouse in sharp contrast to her unblemished, white skin. As Ethan took her jacket, she removed her sunglasses, hanging them on the pocket. The eyes underneath were a radiant, almost primary blue thanks to contact lenses hiding their natural, pink color.

"You look happy to see me," said Chastity, giving her friend a lopsided grin.

"I am." Sondra smiled at her again.

"Good," said Chastity. "That was the one part I wasn't so sure about."

"It's weird," said Sondra. "It's going to be weird anyway, like fooling around with my sister or something."

"Renee said you two have known each other for a while," said Ethan. "But, she didn't say how."

"Our choirs had an exchange program when we were growing up," said Sondra. "I stayed with Stitch and her family in for like a week when I was eleven or twelve. We got along so well, I spent every summer there until I signed with Mad Dog."

"When I told Mom and Dad we were doing this, they told me to say hi--and to return your jacket." said Chastity.

Ethan had meant to let the two friends talk, but he couldn't help himself, "You told your parents about this shoot?"

Chastity turned to face him, "Yeah. Don't worry. They'll keep their mouths shut."

"I, um..." said Ethan.

Sondra laughed, "I think Ethan's surprised your parents would approve."

Chastity smiled, "Don't believe what you read about me. I sing gospel because it's pretty and that's who offered me a contract. I love the music, but hate the business. At the top, it's just like the rest of the music industry. They'll still fuck you, literally and figuratively, whenever they get a chance, but they'll wrap it in sanctimonious bullshit as if that makes it better."

Sondra smiled up at Ethan, "Stitch's folks are really cool. At least, her mom and her stepdad are. Her father's... an unpleasant individual."

"He saddled me with the name. Do you have any kids, Ethan?"

Ethan shook his head.

"If you ever have a little girl and want her to grow up to be a total freak, name her Chastity."

"I'll... keep that in mind," said Ethan uncertainly.

"Where can I change out of this?" asked Chastity, indicating her clothes.

Ethan pointed her to the changing room, "Everything that was delivered for the shoot is in there if you want to look it over. If you can change into the robes on the back of the door and wash off any makeup you're wearing, I'd like to go over some possibilities for the shoot."

"Possibilities?" asked Sondra, raising an eyebrow.

Ethan nodded, "I've got a lot of ideas. I want to know what you two are going to be comfortable with."

Sondra looked puzzled. Chastity said, "He's offering us choices. You remember those from before we signed with the labels."

"Oh," said Sondra, seemingly unruffled. "All right then."

Chastity rolled her eyes and headed into the dressing room. Before following her friend, Sondra smiled at Ethan, "Don't let the tough talk fool you. Stitch is really a sweetheart." Then, she was on the other side of the door, leaving Ethan to wonder what tough talk Sondra had meant.

A fair amount of giggling emerged from the dressing room before Sondra and Chastity did. Ethan, fussing with his equipment in the studio, had to laugh to himself and admit that Renee had chosen well in pairing Chastity with Sondra. There was the strong physical contrast that would make Ethan's job much easier, of course. But, he hadn't dared expect there to be this much chemistry. Sondra's public image was classy and tasteful. The word he'd heard used over and over to describe her was "chanteuse." He'd been hoping that she could relax enough that the pictures didn't look too forced. He hadn't expected to hear her giggling.

They emerged dressed in the robes Ethan had provided. Other than color, they were identical. He'd picked the royal blue one for Chastity, the black for Sondra, but they'd decided to reverse them between themselves. Sondra looked amazing, but that was hardly surprising. Ethan could have scrubbed off all her makeup and dressed her in a burlap sack and still sold a half million magazines. Chastity was a little bit trickier. She was undeniably beautiful, but her beauty was fragile, easily spoiled by a bad color combination or unflattering lighting. The black robe was a great example of how bad she could look. It made some nice contrasts with her hair, but her skin, already nearly translucent, looked bruised where it touched the cloth and her eyes just looked tired this way.

As they sat and listened, Ethan laid out the ideas he'd come up with for posing them. Sondra didn't reject any of his ideas, but did occasionally suggest ways in which they could be better. Chastity rejected about half, each with an abrupt shake of her head, and the single syllable, "No."

Ethan began to notice a pattern in what she rejected, but couldn't be sure. To check his hypothesis, he suggested a set that, while extremely tame, made Chastity the focus rather than Sondra.

Halfway through the third sentence, Chastity shook her head, "No."

Ethan sighed and rubbed his eyes, "I think it would work well. It might even be a full-page opposite the title."

Chastity shook her head a little bit harder, "I don't like it."

Ethan leaned in a little, "How would you suggest we change it to make it better?"

Chastity looked flustered. She turned to Sondra, who just shrugged at her. Sighing, she said, "What if it was Sondra in the foreground and me in the background?"

Ethan frowned, "We've already got enough of those. I'd like to do a few focused on you."

Chastity shook her head again, "We should focus on Sondra. She's prettier than me."

Ethan laughed, "Sondra's prettier than everyone. But, you're still a beautiful woman and people want to see you."

Sondra blushed and Chastity didn't say anything.

Ethan allowed himself to look puzzled, "You do know you're beautiful, don't you?"

"Of course," said Chastity. But, there was enough defiance in her voice to give lie to the words. Ethan let them hang in the air long enough to start to become uncomfortable.

"That's why your stylist at Sweet Salvation should be shot," said Ethan. "Or maybe crucified if that would be more appropriate."

Chastity let out a snort of laughter before covering her mouth in embarrassment. When she pulled her hand away, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"What do you think is the most flattering color for you?" Ethan asked.

"Black," said Chastity immediately. Ethan started to answer, but saw Sondra shaking her head sadly and decided to sit back.

"Black makes you look sick," said Sondra. Rising to her feet, she slid the robe from her shoulders, "Try this on. It would look much better on you."

At his first job, Ethan had learned the art of not staring. He used it now. Sondra Adour was standing completely naked and seemingly unconcerned in his studio. Millions of men would pay to see what he was seeing now. Sondra seemed unfazed, as if she had decided Ethan was trustworthy or harmless. She didn't even look his way, instead watching her friend and holding out the robe.

Chastity seemed to want to bolt, but after a couple of seconds, launched herself out of her seat, undoing her sash and sliding out of her robe as she did, letting it fall back into her chair. As she wrapped herself in the blue robe, she grumbled, "Blue is so not my color."

Sondra took her friend by the shoulders and led her to a full-length mirror. Ethan picked up the discarded black robe and handed it to Sondra as Chastity looked at herself in the mirror, "I don't see it."

Sondra wrapped the robe around her shoulders, "Can I show her--with makeup?"

"Be my guest," said Ethan. He didn't know if Sondra could do what he had in mind, but he could make suggestions if he disagreed with her aesthetic sensibilities.

As it turned out, he needn't have worried. Sondra's instincts were dead on. After hearing "I still don't see it" for the third time, she ordered Chastity to close her eyes until she was done.

As Ethan watched, he realized that Sondra's work was actually better than what he'd envisioned. Ethan had planned to work in primary blue with hints of violet to hint at a normal flesh tone. Sondra had gone the other way, starting with primary blue and working in hints of green. Instead of making her look more like anyone else, Sondra was coaxing out an otherwordly beauty that was wholly alien to normal sensibilities, but beautiful in a way that transcended trends. Ethan allowed himself a small smirk. He knew part of why he didn't think of this color scheme. There was something positively pagan about the look. Ethan smiled, thinking how that would play with the gospel crowd.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" asked Chastity.

"Open them," said Sondra, grinning.

"I look like a Martian," said Chastity. But, there was no malice in it. Her tone of voice said what her words wouldn't.

"You look like Freyja," said Sondra solemnly, "Viking goddess of love and fertility--the most beautiful and propitious of all the goddesses. You're going to make me famous."