Chapter 12: Chicago

I DIDN’T GET TO SEE the girls for a week, after we returned to Tenbrook with the two of them stretched out naked on the floor in back. We had Christmas Eve morning and evening services on Sunday. Then Monday, we got loaded in the Galaxie and headed for Uncle Nate and Aunt Grace in Chicago. Uncle Nate had asked me to bring my Hasselblad with minimal additional equipment and to stay with him for a few days after Christmas. To me, of course, that meant my Nikon, all my lenses, a tripod, and a strobe.

We had a nice holiday, all of us missing my older sisters, whom we’d seen at Thanksgiving. We made a trip to the Loop to see the Christmas displays while they were still up, and then Mom, Dad, and Kat headed back home. I sacked out on the sofa in Uncle Nate’s apartment and got up to help make breakfast in the morning. I’d gotten pretty good at making coffee.

That was when I found out the plan. We were going to Camera Warehouse where Levi had set up a studio for me to do some work in while a couple of my patrons watched. I wasn’t sure I could get the Attic Allure look without my setup and props, and I wasn’t sure how my models would feel about being watched. Suffice it to say that I was a bit nervous when I showed up.

I was pretty impressed, though, when I saw Levi’s setup.

“I’ve been preparing for you ever since Nate told me you were planning to attend Columbia. This crap just keeps coming my way. We haven’t attempted to make any sense of it. You’ll have to just work with what we have. There’s a set of backdrops, but none of the fancy painted backgrounds you’re used to. I went through your orders and set up a light system that mostly matches what you’ve got. A couple of new lights you might want to consider adding, though, and a good quality dimmer board. Works better than dining room light dimmers. You might want to consider an upgrade,” Levi said.

“This is great, Levi. How’d you find so much space?”

“Well, like a lot of stores, the industry changes and we need less room for equipment that used to be in high demand. We’ve been paring down the size of the warehouse for twenty years. This is just space that’s been gathering dust.”

“I need to look around a little and get a feel for the space. When is my first client?” I asked.

“Figured you’d want to test some film first. She’s scheduled here at noon. Oh, and you’ll find a full darkroom set up over in that corner. Plan to work a little magic late at night.”

“Yes, sir,” I breathed. I wasn’t counting on quite this level of setup. I needed to see what I had to work with. For the most part, Levi was right. He’d collected a lot of crap. There were a few select pieces, though, that could really be worked with. I trusted my model would bring her own wardrobe. I set out several pieces of furniture and some props. I’d need to find out what would work best for the model. I loaded the camera and shot a test roll of a still life I set up, just to get a feel for how the lighting controls worked and where the best setup would be.

About ten feet behind where I would be shooting was a row of chairs. I guessed that was where my audience would be. At least they wouldn’t be where I could see them. I was concerned about the model, though. I kept thinking about that as I developed and printed a proof of my test roll. Well, I was as ready as I’d ever be.

“Hi, I’m Charity. Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t do anything for free,” she laughed. It sounded like a joke she’d used a million times. She handed me a model release form, effective immediately. “That guy over there notarized my signature and said all you needed was a name to call me by. What are we supposed to do?”

She was about five-five, I guessed, though the platform heels she wore might have thrown my estimate off. She had yellow short-shorts on and a tight tank top that showed her fairly modest assets to good advantage. Over that, she wore a fur coat – well, a fur jacket – that didn’t make it down to her waist or her wrists. It was cold out and the weather forecast said we were finally going to get snow. Of course, with the proximity to the lake, Chicago could have snow a month before we got it out west. Or a month later. We never knew for sure. There were signs around the city that they’d had one snowfall and it had been piled in the few places they had for it.

“We’re going to shoot some pictures, Charity. They’ll be sexy pictures if we work well together. But I need you to tell me if you are okay working with me in front of the audience back there behind me. It’s likely that you’ll lose some of your clothes in the process and I might want you to change into something else if you brought something.”

“Yeah. I brought extra clothes like he said to. Look, I’m a professional. The guy over there is probably paying me more than he’s paying you. He told me to come in here and pose and do whatever you told me to. So, if you want to fuck me, all you have to do is say ‘spread your legs.’ I’m used to having an audience.”

“O-kay. First, I don’t shoot porn and I don’t ever have sex in the studio or with a model. I’ll be going for very provocative poses that will inspire a guy to want you desperately. I mean without you actually being there. I call the style Attic Allure. As you can see, the area around us is pretty much a storage space and I’m going to find the setting and props that show you to your best advantage. If we work well together, by the end of this session, we’ll have a work of art that we’ll both be proud of,” I said.

“You’re going to turn me into a work of art? You’ve got some high ambitions. I’m no Venus de Milo.”

“Ah, but you know about her. You’re no dummy, Charity. I think you have some rather high hopes yourself.”

“Yeah. I’d like to get off my back and earn a good living without getting fucked all the time. Can you help me with that?” she said.

“I don’t know. Let’s give it a go. I want to start with you dressed just like you are and standing over here on this muslin backdrop. How about right here. Do you mind if I touch you to put you in position?”

“It’s your nickel. Touch me any way you want to, but don’t leave marks.”

“Thanks for the invitation. Most of the time I’ll try to keep it proper. Can’t always guarantee that I won’t be tempted, though. Let me adjust this light. I want a little backlight on you. That’s good. Is that red hair your natural color?”

“Can’t afford to color it. Red’s a bitch to cover.”

“I hear you. I kind of like it myself. Let’s get this started with you looking over this way. Feet closer together and your right knee bent so the foot is on tiptoe. That’s good.”

I clicked the first shot and we were underway. I asked about her makeup and she admitted that she spent time on it in the morning, but it often didn’t get refreshed until the next day. I suggested she touch up her lipstick and she pulled a tube from her purse that had a little attached mirror. Perfect! She was surprised that I took a picture before she was done.

After we’d worked a little more than half an hour and I’d handed her a couple of props to see what resonated, she turned to me.

“Don’t you want me to, like, take off my clothes?” she asked.

“Are you uncomfortable being dressed?” I asked.

“I’m ... It’s like you’re looking at me. I’m not used to that.”

“You dress in sexy clothes. People must look at you all the time.”

“Not actually. They look at my tits. They look at my legs and my clam. I don’t dress to be sexy. I dress to show I’m available. Guys on the street don’t care about sexy.”

“I see. And you think that because I’m keeping you in your clothes, I’m not looking at your tits or your legs or your clam. I must be looking at the real you. Is that it?”

“That or you’re scared of our audience.”

“Hmm. I’d forgotten about them. Let’s look at what else you’ve got to wear.”

She opened her bag and pulled out three other outfits that were conceptually the same as what she was wearing. She had a button up blouse and a miniskirt among the things, though. She agreed to change, then just stripped off her clothes, took a deep breath, and then pulled on the new outfit. That told me a couple of things. First, it showed me that while not over-endowed, she had really nice smaller tits. They reminded me of Lori’s. Second, it demonstrated in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t wearing underwear. I guess it also showed that she didn’t care that we had an audience. There wasn’t a dressing room like I had in my studio, but there was a privacy screen just six feet away that she could have stepped behind.

She packed up her other outfits and set her bag aside turning to me for instructions.

“We’re going for some more casual looks now. I think everything we’ve taken so far shows you in professional mode. Let me pull this chair over and I want you to sit kind of cross-wise in it.” She took the position and I began moving her around the way I wanted her. First, I took the shoe off one foot and put that foot on the floor. I picked up the other foot and put it over the arm of the chair.

“Get a good view of the moneybox from there?” she asked.

“I guess I could have, but it’s not in the picture, so I’m not that interested.” I went to the camera and took a picture, then went back and loosened her other shoe and let it hang from her toes.

“Oh, that feels good. I stand on my feet all day except when I’m lying on my back.”

“It looks good like that, too. Let’s see you lean your head back against the chair. Wait, let me get a little pillow, I don’t want you too far back. There’s nothing glamorous about shooting up a girl’s nostrils.”

She actually giggled a little at that and I lifted her head with one hand as I slid the pillow under it with the other. I arranged her hair so it fanned out and went to get another picture.

“What would you do if you were home and could finally relax for a little bit?”

“I’d have a smoke and a drink,” she said.

“Good. Cigarettes in your purse?”

I didn’t wait for an answer but pulled out the pack and shook one out. She had a lighter, too, among the dozen or so condoms. I brought her the cigarette and she looked at me like she couldn’t believe I’d just opened her private space. Yes, her purse was more private to her than her pussy. I stepped over to the dumping ground and rummaged around until I found a bottle and a glass. I set the bottle by the chair and handed the glass to her. I positioned her hand with the glass so it was hanging down off the chair.

“Ready for a drag off that cigarette?” I asked.

“You don’t know how ready I am,” she snorted.

I held the lighter for her and she took a deep puff. By the time she exhaled, I was behind the camera and caught the smoke coming out of her mouth.

“Now just hold the cigarette there with a kind of limp wrist. Here.”

I went to her and positioned the cigarette and hand where I wanted it, then hustled back to get another shot. Then I came back to her. I moved her backlight so I got more definition to the smoke, then reached down with both hands and unbuttoned two buttons. I didn’t grab her boobs or anything, but I wasn’t particularly careful to avoid them.

“Look off into space with a pleasant thought,” I said.

She let her eyes drift up with the smoke. I took another shot, moved the camera, and fired off another.

I went back to her and knelt down on one knee so I was looking at her at eye-level. While I talked, I unbuttoned the rest of her blouse and let it fall open, not quite revealing her nipples. I was saving that.

“What do you plan to do after you quit this meat market?” I asked.

“Settle down someplace far away where no one has seen me standing on a corner every day. Get a nice boring job as some exec’s secretary and let him fuck me until he has to marry me,” she said.

“Sex is always a transaction, isn’t it?” I speculated. “Now you’ll do it for cash. Then you’ll do it for security. Maybe even get a family out of it. And with a rich enough exec, you’ll have the money, too.”

“You’re wise for one so young,” she laughed. I caught it on film. It was a kind of sad laugh. I think I nailed it.

“You know what I see?” I asked as I flipped her blouse open and exposed her breast.

“My left tit,” she snorted.

“Yeah. That’s definitely part of it. You could go out and make that dream come true right now. Move to Texas and trap an oil baron. Or Hollywood and find a TV exec. I’ll bet you have the money saved that you could use to make that move.”

“Yeah? So why don’t I do it?” she asked as I moved to her and made sure the other breast was exposed. I slid my hand over it and felt the nipple stiffen slightly. I gave both nipples a little rub, catching them between my fingers, but not really pinching them. She inhaled sharply, which pushed her tits up into my hands. I stepped back to the camera again.

“You’re afraid. It stands out like the nipples on your breasts. You’re afraid a full-time man would be too much work. Right now, you spread your legs, collect your money, and you never need to see him again. With a husband, you’d spread your legs and then he’d go to sleep beside you. When you woke up in the morning, he’d still be there. Maybe he’d want you to spread them again. There’d be no end to it. The same guy over and over again. You’d rather take your chance on the street than wake up to the same man every morning.”

Her head fell forward so her chin was on her chest and I caught the glimmer of a tear. Not falling. Just moisture in her eye. She didn’t move as I released the camera and carried it up to her and took a closeup of her, then backed off just enough that I could get the perfectly square tableau of her hands, her head, and her torso down to her skirt. Composition.

I set the camera down and laid my hand on her stomach. She had nice skin and I could feel firm muscles beneath it.

“That’s all for this set. We’re going to do some artsy nudes next. Go ahead and finish your cigarette,” I said as I took the glass from her other hand. “Sorry I didn’t have any whiskey to put in that glass. When you’re ready, you can go behind the screen over there to take your clothes off. I’ll call you out when I have the scene set.”

She placed her hand on mine and pulled it up to her breast.

“That felt nice when you touched me before. Be sure to make my nipples stiff again when we’re ready for the next scene,” she whispered.

I backed away and started changing film in the camera. She dropped her cigarette in the bottle and took her bag with her behind the screen. I moved things for the next scene. She was easy to move and compliant with my instructions. I’d use a black backdrop and the daybed I’d seen amidst the furniture. It wasn’t as heavy as the metal frame looked and had casters on it. I arranged pillows so it looked comfortable, even if the positions I put her in weren’t. I rummaged around until I found scraps of thin fabric. I had a feeling Levi had hunted for some specific ‘junk’ when he set this room up. He’d seen enough of my photos to know I used fabric. I draped it over the back of the daybed and then started arranging lights. I’d told Charity that I was going to do artsy nudes and that’s what I intended to do. As soon as I had the scene lit, I went to the wall and turned off the overhead lights so my lights were all there was.

“Okay, Charity. I’m ready when you are,” I said.

“It’s not like I’m not in my costume,” she chuckled.

I heard her take a deep breath. She came out from behind the screen and looked at the set and the lighting.

“Just sit on it?” she asked.

“Start by sitting right here and then let me take over. I’ll be sure you look perfect.”

“When we started today, I wouldn’t have believed you when you said that. Now I do. Put me exactly where and how you want me.”

“Just relax into my hands and let me settle you among the cushions,” I said as I slipped a hand under her side and the other around her shoulder. I moved a cushion so that it gave her back a little support and rested her weight on her elbow. Putting my hand where it was had the added benefit of putting her breast right in it.

Next, I moved her legs up on the bed, changing the angle of them and sliding my hands along them. I wanted one knee up slightly.

“I thought you weren’t going to do porn pussy shots,” she said. She still didn’t change the position, which admittedly exposed her pussy to my view.

“No. We aren’t quite set yet.”

I reached behind her for one of the strips of fabric that I draped across her waist hiding her pudenda. Then I lifted her lower leg slightly so I could pass the fabric under it and then drape it back over her knee. I placed a magazine, open and lying on the bed, in front of her with her right hand holding it open. Then I started adjusting lights some more, making sure I could see through the fabric enough to see the shape of her leg and the gap between them. I got directly in front of her and put my right hand under her chin. I was directly between her and our audience.

“Look right up into my eyes,” I said. As she turned to face me, I tweaked her right nipple a little to make sure it stood out stiffly. She smiled at me. “I promised,” I whispered.

I moved back behind the camera and took the first picture of the set. I adjusted the temperature of the front light to bring it down slightly, creating a subtle glow about her face that fell onto her breasts and the magazine. I needed to move a back light slightly and then I started taking pictures.

“We’re going to do one more and it will be a long exposure,” I said. “I want to see the detail and texture of your skin, I want to see the gentle blush you get when I talk to you about how sexy you look.”

“You’d better check to make sure ... you know ... that they’re stiff.”

“Ah, my woman of the world is embarrassed to ask me to touch her nipples. I happen to like nipples. I think nipples are one of the seven wonders of the female body.” I licked my thumb and rubbed it across one nipple and then the other. She breathed a little harder, and the flush I’d mentioned a moment ago began to appear on her skin. I hurried to the camera, put a filter across the lens, and held the shutter open for 1/30th of a second.

Beautiful.

I didn’t turn the lights up, but I went to the bed, unwrapped her, and scooped her up in my arms to carry her behind the screen. When I set her down, she kept her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. I accepted it and let my hand return to her breast as she moaned slightly.

“You never have sex with a model. I never kiss a John. But I’d be available if you’d just like to go out tonight.”

Of course, going out with Charity was never really an option. I thanked her and we exchanged contact information in case she wanted more photos. Then I had a bite to eat with Levi and Uncle Nate before pretty much locking myself in the darkroom for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Levi finally told me that he had to close up in half an hour and Uncle Nate came to pick me up. I never did meet the patrons who were watching our performance.

“Nice job today,” Uncle Nate said as we drove to his apartment. “You impressed some important people. If the photos turn out to meet the expectations you created today, you’ll have made some very important friends.”