Chapter 19: Important Photos

SATURDAY, after I’d done another senior retake—and told Chris who I was going out with—I went home and got cleaned up for my date with Kelly. I dressed in my good black slacks and a tan corduroy sport coat I got for Christmas. I’d only worn it to church so far. Mom inspected me and checked my pockets when she felt a couple 35mm film cassettes there.

“This is a private club meeting,” she lectured me. “You need to ask permission before you take any photos. Understand?”

“Yes, Reverend Mother Superior. I probably won’t need them at all.”

I’d loaded the camera with 400 ASA film. That was pretty much all I was using now. Pushing it when I took the picture at night a week ago had worked okay and hadn’t ruined the processing of the earlier pictures. This time I was planning to set my f/stop and speed properly for 1600 ASA and then push the developing. I wasn’t really planning to take pictures at the event, though if it was interesting and I had permission I would. I was actually thinking of wandering the town at night, seeing what kind of images I could capture with only the street lights. If the DAR thing ended around 8:00, I couldn’t imagine being out with Kelly any later than 10:00. I’d be surprised if I was out with her past 8:30.

When I stopped to pick up Kelly, her parents were ready to leave as well. She was wearing a very pretty dress that showed off her red hair and green eyes. It had a full skirt that hung just slightly below mid-thigh. At the New Year’s Eve party, all the girls were in slacks, so I couldn’t see what nice legs she had. She was wearing saddle shoes and knee-high socks that matched her dress. I helped her into her coat and her father suggested that I follow him to the club so I didn’t get lost.

I wasn’t sure why we weren’t just riding with her parents. They could have picked me up in Tenbrook on the way. The dinner was being served at some country club near Huntertown. I guess golf was popular out here.

I handed Kelly into the car and she immediately slid to the center of the seat.

“I thought you said you quit coloring your hair,” I said as I pulled out to follow Mr. and Mrs. Green.

“Yeah. I did. You probably can’t tell. I got really embarrassed when I was in about eighth grade over how red my hair was and how many freckles I have. So, I started using a brown henna on my hair just to tone down the red. The trouble is that henna washes out after three or four weeks and you have to keep doing it. So, this time, I just let it wash out and quit re-coloring it.”

“I didn’t notice that you have many freckles.”

“I learned how to apply a foundation makeup that hides most of them. It made me a lot more confident. Confident enough that I could call up a boy I only met once and ask him out on a date.”

“Well done. I don’t know that I’d have been that brave. I haven’t been out on all that many dates.”

“That girl, Chris, who you were with at New Year’s—she isn’t your girlfriend, is she? Or are you stepping out on her?”

“Um ... Chris and I date each other when we can, but we both date other people, too. It’s complicated.”

“So, it’s really okay for us to date now and then, too? I mean assuming we’re still talking to each other at the end of the night?” she laughed.

“I hope we are, Kelly. So, what’s this dinner like, anyway?”

From there we talked mostly about what DAR is and what the dinner would be like and the country club. Mr. Green wasn’t a slow driver and I was far enough behind him that I almost missed seeing where he turned. Fortunately, Kelly spotted it and directed me away from the highway and into a community that was apparently built around the golf course. We found the clubhouse and Kelly took my arm as we walked in. That was kind of nice. Different than holding hands. I thought it was less intimate and more appropriate in front of a bunch of adults, which included her parents.

I asked her mother if it was okay for me to take pictures at the meeting and she was enthusiastic. She introduced me to Mrs. Martinson, who was the president of the chapter, and she asked if I could give them a set of photos from the meeting. I agreed.

From that point on, I was interrupted several times during the evening and asked to “take a picture of so-and-so.” The guest speaker apparently was pretty popular and many of the members wanted a picture with her.

The dinner was at round tables with white linen and lots of different pieces of silverware. We sat eight at a table and ours included another teen couple and two older couples who weren’t related to the teens at the table. It was nice to get to know each other a little, though Kelly and the other girl, Lisa, sat next to each other with Tom and me outside, so we couldn’t really talk. That meant we were mostly talking with the two men at the table while their wives also chatted together.

The guy I was talking to, Mr. Henderson, owned some kind of farm supply store in Huntertown. He was really a hawk and talked about how important it was for us to be in Vietnam. I kind of kept my mouth shut. This guy would never have to go live in the jungle getting shot at. But he figured I should.

It turned out that the speaker was a woman who also held that we should be saving the world from the communists and how important it was for us to chase the Maoists out of Vietnam and back into China. I had a cup of coffee so I could stay awake. They didn’t serve dessert until after the presentation.

Eventually, Kelly and I managed to leave while a bunch of the older people stayed to have a drink or two.

“Are you ... I mean you’re a preacher’s kid and all ... Did you agree with what she was saying?”

“Um ... No offense, but that was a bunch of trash,” I said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t better company, but that guy Henderson next to me made me want to puke.”

“Oh, thank God. I was afraid you were going to say you couldn’t wait to join up and go kill the commies. I’d have asked you to take me straight home,” she laughed.

“Where did you want to go instead? We could drive through town, I suppose.”

“There’s a really pretty scenic view over the Mississippi about five miles from here.”

I wasn’t sure what we’d see on the river on a cloudy night with hardly any moon, but I followed her directions and we did come to a nice overlook with a couple of other cars parked there. It was apparently an old ferry landing that was no longer in use. Across the river, there was a little town with lights twinkling. And there were a few boats on the river towing barges. They had strong spotlights shining out on the water to pick up the buoy locations that marked the channel.

Kelly leaned against me and I put my arm around her. It was a relief to know she wasn’t a rabid hawk, too.

“So, do you think we could date again, sometimes?” she asked. Bold. But Christine and I were agreed that we were going to see other people even if it killed us. I knew she was on a double date with Ronda tonight. I wasn’t sure what they were doing.

“Yeah, as long as you don’t mind me dating others. I’m not ready to go steady with anyone. I think it would be fun to get together sometimes and just go have some fun, though. Maybe we can find a nice anti-war rally to take the bad taste away from this one,” I laughed.

“That would be pretty great. Just so you know, my parents don’t buy into all the jingo either. But Mom’s proud of being a Daughter of the American Revolution. She takes the bad along with the good.”

“I’m glad there’s good.”

“So, I guess it would be okay if you kissed me then,” she said softly.

I looked over at her and she was already moving toward me with her lips upturned. It was an easy thing to let our lips meet for a nice first kiss. Kelly wasn’t as aggressive as Roxie and I didn’t think we’d get too carried away, but she did let her lips part and her tongue come out to play. The kiss was never frantic, but we got pretty involved. She pulled away a little and kissed my neck. I had my right arm around her and I was running the fingers of my left hand through her hair as we kissed.

“Just so you know,” she said, “I had a boyfriend. We broke up before Christmas because he was pressuring me to go all the way. I’m not really opposed to it when the time is right, but it seemed like that was all he could think of. Like he never wanted to do anything but pet and try to get me to suck him off.”

“That’s crap,” I said. “I’m not opposed to it either, when the time is right, but I figure that both people will know when it’s right and not have one pressuring the other.”

I was surprisingly relaxed with Kelly. She kissed me again and then whispered, “I kind of like having my breasts touched gently when we’re kissing, though. Or my legs. It’s okay.”

Oh, shit! Was that an invitation? We started kissing again and I dragged my hand slowly down from her hair and across her cheek. Then down her neck to her collar. She made no move to stop me, so I stroked down between her breasts and then over to just lightly trace around her breast with my fingers. Kelly just relaxed into our kiss some more and put her own hand inside my jacket to stroke my chest.

I could feel the edge of her bra through her cotton dress, but other than that edge, it felt almost like it wasn’t there at all. And then when I pressed against the soft flesh, I felt the hard point of her nipple. I could feel her nipple! Right through her bra and dress. I just stroked the little nub with my thumb as we kissed and she moaned into my mouth. Then she found my nipple through the fabric of my shirt and T-shirt and she started stroking it the same way I was playing with her. It was my turn to moan.

I wasn’t sure what would happen next, but it was almost ten o’clock and we’d told her parents she’d be home by ten-thirty.

“I really like what we’re doing,” I whispered. “I think your breast is wonderful, and what you’re doing to me, too. I like kissing you. But I promised your folks I’d get you home by ten-thirty. I’d hate to have them forbid me from seeing you because I didn’t get you home in time.”

“Yeah. Besides, doing this makes me want to do other stuff and we should wait for that. Though the back of your station wagon looks more comfortable than the back seat of Allen’s Nova. Maybe someday we’ll try it out.”

She sat up beside me and I started the car. I pulled out of the little overlook and noticed there were three other cars parked there. I wondered how Kelly knew about this place. She put her hand on my thigh and stroked lightly up and down, getting really close to my erection, but not quite touching it. It was like she knew right where it was and was coming as close as possible.

Once I had the car in third gear, I put my right hand on her leg, just at the hem of her skirt. I shifted when I turned onto the highway and when I returned my hand to her leg, I discovered she’d pulled her skirt up higher. A lot higher. I kept my eyes on the road, but my attention was on stroking up the inside of her leg. We rode like that all the way to her house in Huffington.

When we stopped at her house, I moved my hand to around her shoulders so I could kiss her again before I walked her to her door. She met my lips and tongue and instead of reaching for her breast again, I put my left hand on her leg and stroked up almost to the edge of her panties as we kissed. Then I felt her hand just glide up next to my cock and sort of nudge it. I might have rammed my tongue all the way down her throat.

She pulled away and started to slide over. I looked down and could see her skirt was hiked all the way up to where I could see her panties. I ran around the car to open her door and walk her very properly to her front door.

“Our school has a dance after home games,” she said. “Can you join me in two weeks? We’ll have fun, even if you don’t want to yell for the Wolves.”

“I think I can do that. I have your phone number. I’ll call you to confirm.”

She kissed me once more and went inside.

I drove back remembering the feel of her silky skin and the heat emanating from her crotch as I got close to it. I didn’t need a picture that night to get myself off. I just thought of her brushing against my cock.

I put off taking night time pictures of downtown.

I was pretty much just tinkering in the studio Sunday afternoon. It seemed I was caught up on senior photo retakes at last. It had been a profitable venture. I’d made over $1000 on sitting fees and the sale of prints. And I’d found out that I could maintain the Attic Allure style for guys, too. Two had come to me with great ideas and we translated them into photos that they ordered premium 8x10s of in addition to other copies. Both guys had consented to me displaying their photos on my gallery wall. That wall was beginning to look pretty darn good.

I thought I’d set up another still life and see what kind of effects I could get with different filters. The photo of Ronda that we’d chosen for her homecoming court picture was shot with a yellow filter and looked incredible. She’d insisted on paying the full $40 sitting fee and $15 for three extra 8x10s. She said she was going to give me one and Christine one, but she still insisted on paying for them.

There was a knock on the door and Chris’s voice called, “Nate? Are you there? Can I come in?”

“Sure, Christine. How are you?”

“Um ... Ronda said I had to come over to see you today. Not that I’m not willing to come and see you anytime, you know. But she said I had to get a photo from you in my homecoming formal.”

“Oh. Um ... We weren’t going to...”

“Here’s $40 for my sitting. She says that takes me out of the realm of being a model and makes me a client so you can take my picture and still date me. Like you are her.”

“I guess that makes sense, then.” I wasn’t sure it did, but it meant I wasn’t going to be directing Chris around or taking ‘personal’ topless shots of her. This would be a session for hire. I moved the still life aside and asked what color her dress was.

“Typical Valentine red,” she laughed. I considered it and pulled the light blue drop again. I pulled it all the way out so she could stand on it. “Nate?” I turned and she was holding her dress in her hands. “Ronda did my makeup and hair this morning. She said my boyfriend would help me dress.”

“Um ... I’m not sure...”

“I know we haven’t made any declarations or anything, but I think that even if we aren’t going steady, you and Ronda are my boyfriend and girlfriend. I don’t know how that happened. I never planned to have a girlfriend. I don’t think Ronda ever planned to have a boyfriend, either. But as my boyfriend ... even if we’re dating others, too ... would you help me take my clothes off and put my dress on? You understand how hard it is to get dressed and not muss up my hair and makeup,” she said.

“Are you sure you want me to do this?” I squeaked. “Ronda isn’t just pushing you into things, is she?”

“Huh-uh. I’m kind of excited. A little nervous, but I always intended for you to be able to see my body. This is kind of a good excuse, don’t you think?”

“I’m excited, too. Did Ronda tell you what we did?”

“Sort of. She left out the details, but said you were a perfect gentleman and didn’t just grab for her boobs like any other guy would. I swear, the boys we were out with last night were like octopuses. You never knew where their hands would show up next. When we got back to her house, Ronda and I both just got out of the car together and ran into her house without even saying goodnight.”

“I won’t grab at you, Christine. You know you’ll be a big temptation, though.”

“For me, too.”

This was different than with Ronda. Ronda definitely made a mistake and didn’t think about exposing herself to me before she did it. This was very deliberate and very sexual. Chris unbuttoned her first button and then stopped to look at her fingers. They were beautifully manicured and painted an iridescent pearl.

“I shouldn’t have worn a button up blouse,” she complained. “I’m afraid I’ll break a nail. You do it, please.”

I was already hard as a rock, just from being with Christine and from our conversation. I was shaking when I reached out to unbutton her blouse. She put her hands on mine and guided them to the first button.

There just isn’t a way to face a girl and unbutton her blouse without touching the inside of her breast and I think both of us were trembling before long. I helped her out of the blouse and hung it on the rack. She was wearing a pretty white bra that had a little lace around the edges and was definitely not padded.

“Skirt?” she said, turning. I reached to the back of her waist and unbuttoned the skirt, then lowered the zipper. I held it as it slid over her hips to the floor and she stepped out of it. My cheek was practically right against hers. Only it was her butt cheek.

“This is really difficult, Christine. I just want to wrap you in my arms and kiss you all over,” I said.

“We’ll have a kiss in a bit. Remember, you’re just helping me get dressed for my photo. Um ... Do you know how to unfasten my bra?”

“I’ve never done this before,” I said, reaching for the clasp.

“That’s a relief. I was sure that Kelly was so hot to trot at New Year’s that she’d be naked with you last night in a flash.”

“Not quite,” I said, unfastening the catch on her bra.

“She was hot, though, wasn’t she? Kisses and touches? Does she have soft breasts?”

“How can I think about Kelly’s breasts when you are undressing in front of me?”

“We don’t mind, you know. I mean Ronda and me. It’s like you’re getting experience that will teach you how to treat us. Kelly’s nice. Learn whatever you can from being with her. Just remember that Ronda and I are your girlfriends. We’ll be expecting you to be really good when it’s our turn,” Chris said.