Chapter 20: Annual Conference

DEB AND JOHN left to go back to Leavenworth, but John was definitely looking for work that would bring them closer to the family in Illinois. I hoped he was successful. But I didn’t move back home. I just stayed at the hotel.

Not that it meant I didn’t go home. I just didn’t sleep there. I was there for most meals, but my crew needed to be cared for, too. I always had a girlfriend in bed with me, whether we made love or not. It was still incredibly peaceful to lie in bed with Patricia or Ronda or Anna in my arms. Or once with Judy. And there were my other employees to take care of. I didn’t feel the need to entertain all of them in the evening. Besides the girlfriends, I had three Tenbrook crew and three Chicago crew. Plus, Chrystal. They were always welcome to eat in the Bar and Grill downstairs, but I tried to give each one some special time with me.

“Mom, you might have met Theresa when we lived in Chicago. She was in my class from seventh grade until I left after tenth grade,” I said, introducing Theresa at dinner Thursday night. “Now she’s my combination lighting tech and stagehand.”

“How nice! And you connected when you moved back to Chicago?” Mom said.

“Our mutual friend Nancy told me Nate was in town and it looked like he could really use some help. I’ve just been on a general education course at Moraine Valley Community College. It’s so much cheaper than going to a regular college or university, but a little extra income is still helpful,” Theresa said.

“Do you get a degree there?” Dad asked.

“Yes, but not a bachelor’s degree like Nate will get. In two years, I’ll have an Associate in Arts degree in English—which means I don’t have any idea what I want to study yet. I might end up studying Communications and Public Relations at Columbia after two years. Working with Nate has been quite inspiring,” Theresa said.

“What do you do to assist Nate?” Mom asked. She had a lot of questions, but it was all said in a friendly conversational tone and didn’t really feel like she was cross-examining Theresa. Mom had been trying to keep up with the direction of my career ever since we moved to Tenbrook almost three years ago.

“You know, I had no idea there was so much to do in assisting a photographer. My number one responsibility, I guess, is lighting. I point, focus, and control the intensity of all the lights Nate uses on his models. I’m already learning a ton from Pris. She knows all about circuits and wiring and figuring out how many lights can be on a circuit or a dimmer. She’s a real electrician,” Theresa said.

“If you really like the lighting, you might consider studying that at Columbia if you transfer there,” I said. “It’s part of the theatre design and technology program. Talk to Leanne about it. That’s the program she’s on.”

“I’ll check that out,” Theresa said happily. “The other part of my job with Nate is to do whatever he says. A lot of times, I’m hunting props, pulling down backdrops, or lifting and carrying furniture. We’re all learning to process film so we can keep things moving along for Nate. Anna learned how. Leanne and I started learning the steps in Chicago.”

We had a very pleasant meal and Theresa pitched in with cleanup as if she lived there. After a pleasant evening—that included Kat asking her if she’d model for her—Theresa and I walked over to the hotel. She pulled me into her room on the second floor.

“I don’t expect you to fuck me after we’ve been out or when you do something special with me, but we could make out for a while. You could treat me like a model and get me naked and play with me. You know?”

I did know and didn’t have a problem with kissing Theresa and eventually getting her naked. I didn’t fuck her, but I’d found out the first time I photographed Natasha Bychkova, that Theresa had a really tasty cunt. I feasted.

I also got sucked. That was good. I filled Theresa’s mouth with my cock and my spunk. Eventually, I left and went to my own room.

Our Friday model was as entertaining for the crew as she was serious about her photos. Her name was Joanie Dafoe and she’d been referred by one of my patrons, but not one I’d had any interaction with. The way Uncle Nate described it was that these guys belonged to a club of sorts. They came from several different walks of life and the club was a legitimate social club that enjoyed taking on projects.

I had an image of some English club where men sat around in leather chairs smoking cigars and being waited on by butlers while they read the newspaper. It turned out that wasn’t too far off. No, not everyone at the club was a patron of mine. Not everyone was associated with the underworld. I noticed he didn’t say no one was. There were also politicians, corporate execs, doctors, and entertainers. And some subset of the hundreds of men that belonged to this club had seen my photographs and got together to patronize me.

So, Joanie had been referred by someone who was in the club. I wondered how Sylvia was going to continue her patronage if she wasn’t one of the good old boys at the club.

“Yes, I’m here of my own free will. Thanks for asking. Of course, I don’t have to pay anything because that’s being handled by my friend. He told me that this was like an exclusive spa day during which you and your women would pamper me, dress me, undress me, massage me, make me up, and photograph me. And if I was lucky, I might get a happy ending,” she said.

“Uh ... Joanie, we are a photo studio. Attic Allure is here to take your picture and make you look as sexy and alluring in it as possible. I’ve never heard us compared to a spa before,” I said.

“Oh. Sure. I know that. It’s just the way he made it sound. It was like I’d be made into a star for the day and you’d treat me really nice.”

“I hope that’s exactly true. We do want you to have a good day.”

“Then just tell me what to do. Where do we start?”

Joanie had arrived looking freshly scrubbed in a plain T-shirt and jeans. It was apparent that she wasn’t wearing a bra and I suspected she wasn’t wearing any other underwear either.

“I’m going to start with a simple portrait, but I want Leanne to do your makeup first and Judy will get you into a nice blouse for the portrait. From there, we’ll start exploring what kind of image best suits you.”

“Okay. Just, you know, bend me, shape me, anyway you want me.”

“You know that song, too. I’ve always liked it,” I said.

“That group played at my high school prom in Chicago. That was when they were still Gary and the Knight Lights and hadn’t released ‘Bend Me, Shape Me’ yet. We went to the same high school. I mean Gary and me. Of course, he was graduated a few years ahead of me, but there was still a big poster of him in the hall.”

I actually had to walk with her to the restroom so Leanne could work on her while she continued to spin her tale. According to her model release, Joanie was twenty-one. She wasn’t really inclined to stop talking, so I just stayed there with her and Leanne. Judy came in with a blouse and I just took hold of Joanie’s T-shirt.

“Let’s get this off of you so Leanne can finish the makeup and we can get you into a blouse.”

“Yeah. Oh. You’ve got nice hands,” she said as she shifted her position to make sure my hands made contact with her breasts as I pulled off the shirt.

“They’re always nicer when they have such nice breasts beneath them,” I said, stroking her nips.

“I wanted to sing with them. I mean The Knight Lights. I got to do some backups once, but mostly I was just a groupie. I met a lot of guys in the studio and at the clubs. Guess I didn’t just stick with one band. Most of the guys I slept with let me do a gig with them, so I’ve sung with a couple dozen bands.”

Whoa! She’d sung with a couple dozen bands because the guys she slept with let her sing with them?

I finally managed to get her out of the makeup restroom and into her blouse so we could get some photos taken. I noticed that Leanne managed to pass her hands over Joanie’s breasts a few times as she put some coverup on a little mole. Joanie seemed just as happy for her attention as mine.

We got through the portrait and the girls just started tossing stuff out. Judy tried a Flamenco dress on Joanie. Ronda got flowers for her hair. I started moving her into different positions. She was happy to have me press her into a pose by her butt, or for me to lift her leg for a kick by sliding my hand all the way up her thigh.

“After high school, I spent a lot of time at the Holiday Ballroom. You’re from Chicago, right? Did you ever go up to Jefferson Park to the Ballroom? If you like to dance, it’s perfect. That’s where I met ... um ... I’m not supposed to say his name here. My friend, you know? I was a little strung out because I’d had all the members of a band the night before, one right after the other. I think there were six in that group.”

I opened the blouse she was wearing and stroked her nipples to make sure they were hard as I positioned her in a chair that reflected what I thought was a ‘strung out’ position. She really had nice breasts and loved displaying them. And having them touched. It didn’t make much difference to her which of us was touching her, but Judy, Leanne, and Ronda were the women most frequently involved. Theresa was practically salivating, but didn’t have a good reason to approach her.

“So, anyway, my friend—new friend then—took me home and made arrangements for me to work at his studio doing fill and backup vocals. He got me straight, too. I’d been fooling around with a bunch of drugs, but he found out I was just as willing a lay without drugs as with, so he got me clean and sober.”

“Let’s put the cityscape backdrop down,” I said to Theresa and Debbie. “I’m going to want that big armchair and a braided rug.”

“I see where you’re going with this one,” Patricia said. “Let me get a couple more props.” She headed to the attic and I wasn’t sure what she might come back with.

I turned to Joanie and just started taking her clothes off her.

“We haven’t done much massaging you, have we,” I whispered to her.

“No, but I love all the attention you’re paying to me. I thrive on attention. I guess that’s why I became a groupie in the first place. I had these famous or almost famous guys who would really pay attention to me. Why wouldn’t I just spread my legs for them. I was turned on. Like I am now,” she whispered the last words.

I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to the big chair that was sitting on the rug in front of the cityscape. While I was positioning her, I ran my fingers up between her legs and played for a minute in her very turned-on pussy.

“Yeah. I was hoping we’d get to this part. I think I’m one of those ... what do you call them? Nymphomaniacs. Like if you stopped playing with my pussy, I’d be just as happy if this girl putting a light beside me played with it.”

Theresa, who was putting a lamp beside the chair, zeroed in on the voice and almost stumbled over the chair. Pris ran the wire so we could get light in the lamp.

“You like me?” Theresa said.

“Fuck, yeah. The other girls have been nice and this guy with his finger in my pussy is yummy, but when it comes to girls, I really like tall skinny ones like you. Do you like girls?”

“Yeah,” Theresa said as Joanie pulled her hand down to the wet space I’d just vacated.

“Maybe you could help me with my next ... um ... costume change.”

“Let’s get this scene shot and we’ll get you ready for another,” I said.

I’d thought this would be the last one, but it was obvious we needed one more. The set was cleared and we adjusted lights as I took several pictures of the incongruous composition of a living room suite with a naked girl sprawled in a chair that looked like it was right in the middle of a New York City street. It was good.

“See if you can get Joanie into a black velvet cape and stilettos,” I instructed Theresa. “I think Debbie and Patricia can handle switching us to the black backdrop. Let’s clear the furniture.”

Theresa led Joanie to the dressing room where Judy handed her the cape and shoes. Once they disappeared, we all gave our expressions of disbelief, but tried to keep the snorts quiet enough they couldn’t be heard in the dressing room. On the other hand, we heard the moans coming from there.

“Are you sure they’re going to come out for another scene?” Pris asked. “They sound pretty happy.”

“They’ll be out. Joanie is as much an exhibitionist as she is a nymphomaniac. Once she’s had an orgasm, she’ll want to show everyone how happy she is.”

It took about fifteen minutes, but Joanie emerged in the high heels and black cape. That was more than Theresa was wearing.

We set the scene with a lamppost and Joanie dramatically posed under it with the cape only partly covering one side of her. It was a cool shot.

“That’s a wrap for today,” I said. “Let’s get Joanie dressed and ready to go. You can look at proofs in the morning, Joanie. We’ll get everything printed and sent to you in Chicago.”

Theresa went with Joanie to the dressing room, where her own clothes had been left. They were out in a surprisingly short time and Theresa said she was going to take Joanie to Huntertown and have dinner with her. They were off like lightning.

The rest of us all collapsed in laughter as soon as they were out of the building.

I needed a break Saturday morning and left Anna and Cassie to deal with Joanie for the photo order. Everybody else was taking the morning off to do various chores and tend to family business. Our families were all getting excited about our upcoming trip to Las Vegas and wanted to spend time with us.

I just wanted a little time to investigate a concept that came to me while I was shooting the picture of Joanie in the chair in front of the cityscape. I grabbed the Hasselblad and was in the microbus when someone knocked on the window. I turned and was surprised to find Kelly Green staring in my window waving.

I hopped out of the VW and caught her in a hug.

“Kelly! What are you doing here? What a treat to see you!”

“Hey, you’re a sight for sore eyes. I was on my way to Huntertown and saw you come out of the store. I almost missed getting parked and running over here. What are you up to?”

“Well, managed to get my first year of college behind me successfully. My photography business is going pretty strong. I’ve got an entire staff working with me this summer and we’re going to Las Vegas for a month of studio time.”

“Big time!”

“What about you?”

“I finished my secretarial school course and got a job out in Fulton, practically next door to the school. But I didn’t like the people so after a year, I quit and am looking for something new. I’m papering the town with resumes.”

“Did everything work out with you and Allen?” I asked.

“Um ... Maybe we should go someplace where we can be alone for a while. I did promise I’d tell you all about it. And if I recall, you promised to tell me all about your first time, too. Are you busy?”

“Not really. I was just going out to scout a location I want to use for a photo. Want to go along?”

“Sure! I get to ride in your hippie van!”

“I’m not a hippie!”

“You’ll need to shave and get a haircut to convince me of that. Though that beard definitely gives me ideas. Does it tickle when you go down on a girl?”

“I’ve heard that after it got about half an inch long, it stopped scratching and was pretty pleasant.”

“Take me where we can be alone!”

I wasn’t positive that Kelly was inviting me someplace to go down on her, but I figured I’d find a place where we could do that if we wanted. There’d been a little light mist that morning, but I thought it was pretty much over for the day. I’d driven past a little woodlot a few months back that Ronda and I camped at overnight. I thought I could find it again.

I pulled out of the parking spot and headed north out of town across the river. As soon as the village limits were behind us, Kelly slid over next to me.

“This is the shits,” she said. “You could have a bed back there.”

“I often do. It’s all set up for camping. Even an attachable tent for extra room.”

“Are your girlfriends going to be expecting you back at any particular time, or can I just keep you for a while?”

“Um ... It’s weird. I don’t have a date tonight. I even thought about camping overnight, but I didn’t bring any food with me,” I said.

“Let’s go into town and pack up a bag. Mister, I’m thinking we have some unfinished business to attend to,” she said. Now I was pretty sure she was suggesting sex.

I went into Huntertown and we got some quickly packaged meals and some ice I could put in the ice chest. Then we stopped at DQ and bought lunch that we ate in the car as I drove toward where I hoped the little woodlot was.

“Things are a little different now than they were,” I said. “I don’t have two girlfriends anymore.”

“Aw. I was sure you were going to have a harem by the time you were eighteen. Just one?” she asked.

“No. Four.”

“You dog!”

“The bad part is that Christine broke up with us and isn’t even coming back to Tenbrook this summer. The good part is that my four girlfriends are pretty damn incredible.”

“And you’re still willing to go sneak away with your high school sex instructor? Wow!”

“Well, Beth’s still in Chicago for another week until her finals are over. Patricia, Ronda, and Anna are working with me every day. We all decided we needed a break this weekend. The only way I was going to get a break was to get out of town.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Well, in addition to my girlfriends, I have six girls who work with me and some of them like to have a little one-on-one time occasionally. I’ve got a room in the hotel and there is always someone in my bed at night,” I said.

“I didn’t even know Tenbrook had a hotel. Ten girls! Will you be able to get it up tonight for this horny redhead?” she laughed.

“You’ll probably have to do most of the work, you know. I’m sure I’ll be too tired to appreciate every little freckle on your body with my tongue.”

“All you need to do is stick your tongue out and I’ll rub every single freckle on my body against it.”

“I’m pretty sure that will work. So, start telling me about the first time with the real love of your life.”

“We did it. I talked him through all the steps we learned and he was pretty good with his tongue. Wouldn’t even touch my asshole, though. He really wanted to fuck and I figured—based on your performance—that it would be fine because even if I didn’t get off fucking him the first time it would only be a few minutes before he was ready to go again. Wrong! One and done! Thankfully, he’d gotten me off with his tongue first or I’d have been a real bitch.”

“Oh, no! Don’t tell me that was it and you broke up?”