Chapter 23: The Producers

I WAS GLAD to have the weekend to recover from my beating. And glad my girlfriends and crew were so good at taking care of me. But I had to deal with the problems when I woke up. Jordan, Don, and Chrystal were still in the living room and Anna was laying out the facts of life to them.

“None of us will return to the studio if there are recording devices there. That isn’t part of Nate’s agreement and it isn’t part of ours. In fact, when the camera crew came to Tenbrook, they had to get special permission from anyone who showed up on camera. Video and audio recordings in the studio could capture compromising material for both the crew and the models. Absolutely, no.”

“It’s just to make it easier to capture the feel,” Don said. “We don’t want compromising material.”

“The best way to ensure that is by not having recording devices,” Jordan said. “I have to agree. Even when we did the test in Chicago, no recording was allowed in the studio.”

“Why are you here?” Don demanded. “Nate Mayer was our contact with the Chicago investors.”

“Don, let me just say you are fortunate. Mr. Mayer can be unpredictable at times. Especially when it comes to defending his nephew,” Jordan said. “The patrons felt it would be ... um ... safer to send a neutral party. Nate’s only my daughter’s boyfriend.”

Don sat back as I entered the room. He looked up at me.

“Nate are you dead set against having any recordings. Some of your work is worth preserving on tape,” he said.

“I think Anna has presented our case accurately,” I said. “I don’t have anything to add. Can I get some ice for my face?”

Elizabeth beat Ronda to the refrigerator in the suite and got a plastic bag filled with ice. She wrapped it in a towel and handed it to me. I sank into the chair that Anna jumped up from and held the ice pack to my swollen jaw. Beth, Ronda, Patricia, and Anna stood beside me and reached out a hand to touch my shoulder. The other girls were apparently all out at the pool again.

“I’ll call the producer and give him the news. They aren’t going to like this. I can’t say I disagree with you. You don’t know anyone from Photosensitive Productions but Chrystal and me. That’s not really enough to build trust. I think they intended to just not let anyone know that they were recording or even had mikes set up. Not smart,” Don said. I could tell he wasn’t fond of this aspect of his job. He was really a promoter.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Are you going to be able to continue Monday? You know, being so banged up?” he asked.

“It’s not the first time. I’d definitely like it to be the last.”

“Do you mind telling me why you didn’t fight back? You’re a pretty well-built guy. You could have defended yourself,” Don said

“Maybe it wasn’t the right decision. I don’t know. I’m a pacifist and a conscientious objector. Getting beat up seemed to be a small price to pay for standing up for my beliefs, especially since his whole purpose was to make me fight,” I said. “I’m not sure it was smart, but it’s who I am. I won’t fight.”

“We’ll assume everything is set for Monday morning, then,” Don said. “Unless you hear from Chrystal or me otherwise.”

He got up and shook hands with Jordan and me, then left.

“You done good, Nate,” Jordan said. “I’m not from a pacificist background and can’t say I really understand it. But when it comes time for you to stand before your draft board again, I’ll stand with you. Now, I hear Phyllis Diller is playing tonight and I promised to take my daughter to the show if you can spare her.”

“I am so damned fucking proud of you,” Patricia said as she cuddled next to me in bed. “And Tony would be proud of you. It’s why he respected you so much. You wouldn’t back down from what you knew was right. But maybe you could wear this inside your shirt from now on. It’s not meant to make you a target, and that’s twice. Please?” She tucked the peace symbol inside my T-shirt.

“I’m kind of thinking the same thing,” I chuckled. My side was bruised but the doctor said I had no broken bones. My split lip made it hard to kiss, though. “I’m really not trying to start a movement or anything. I just don’t believe we should be out there fighting. At least that I should be. Honey, don’t ever believe that I thought poorly of Tony for going. I can never forget that he saved my brother-in-law’s life. And no matter how much I love you, I wish he was still here beside you.”

“I know. We had something wonderful for a while. But Nate, you and I have something wonderful, too. I’m so thankful that you are in my life and in Little Toni’s life. I love you. I never thought I would love anyone but Tony, but I love you. I love you.”

The response of my first model when she saw the condition of my face was predictable. She gasped and became all solicitous—almost exactly like Molly Pratt had been almost a year ago after the cops beat me. She offered to postpone or to have frequent rest breaks if I needed. I assured her and subtly started turning the subject back to her. Her name was Drew Lux, which I understood was a stage name. She was, in fact, quite a deluxe model.

When we’d arrived at the studio, Chrystal and I immediately went to the booth where our observers would be located and verified that there were no recording devices there. It was a pretty simple set up with an amplifier and headsets connected to the microphones around the stage. The sound crew had done a very good job of covering the area and I could hear even low conversations between my girls. But I was satisfied that we weren’t being recorded and I thought it was inevitable that we’d be listened to.

“Drew, I love your hair. It’s so silky and soft,” I said as I primped her on the set for a portrait. “Do you always wear it down?” Her light brown tresses hung straight below her shoulders.

“No. A lot of our costumes need our hair to be tucked up under the headdress. Some of the headdresses we wear weigh twenty or twenty-five pounds. And sometimes we wear wigs. This is my ‘I’m not at work’ look.”

“I like it and I don’t want you to feel like you’re at work. Here, now, let’s swivel you a little to your left. I like the part on this side. May I unbutton a couple of buttons? Yes, that’s nice. What an elegant neck and collar bone. Let’s take a couple of pictures and then shift a little.”

We worked through several portrait poses and I took pictures on both the 4x5 and the Hasselblad. By the time I was finished with those, I had her blouse off and her bra straps down off her shoulders.

“Let’s go to the dressing room and take a break,” I said. We got to the room, where Leanne and Judy joined us. “Have a seat. Do you want a cup of coffee? I’ll get it in a second. Judy, do we have a nice floor-length gauzy gown? Good. Leanne, I’d like Drew’s hair pulled back a bit so I can see her ears. See if you can deepen her eyes a little and highlight her cheekbones.”

I didn’t know if the dressing room had been wired for sound, but I was glad there were no cameras and it was out of sight from the booth where our observers were—if they’d shown up yet. That had been one of the arguments for recording everything. They were afraid they would miss something if they weren’t here all the time we were. Well, that was their problem, not mine. I wanted my model to feel secure that only my assistants and I could see how she was treated in the dressing room. I fetched a cup of coffee for each of us.

“Oh, yes, Judy. That’s lovely. Drew, we’ll take the bra now,” I said, unfastening it and pulling it away from her lovely breasts. “Oh, you are quite stunning. Would you like to take off your slacks and panties or would you prefer I just keep taking care of you? Okay, if you’d stand, we’ll get the dress over your head.”

I wasn’t really making a big deal about touching her. I brushed against her breasts a little, but didn’t stroke or squeeze them. I appreciated the look of her shaved pussy. I was told that many of the showgirls shaved because the costumes were so brief. It was easier to just take it all off than try to make sure it was all tucked in.

We pulled the gauzy dress on and I smoothed it over her curves.

“Do you play an instrument?” I asked.

“Flute,” she answered.

“Debbie, can you find us a musical instrument like a flute or recorder? Thank you!” I called as we left the dressing room.

I led Drew back to the stage and directed Pris and Theresa in how I wanted the lighting set. We hung an oceanside cliffy backdrop that was labeled Ariadne auf Naxos. Debbie rushed to me with a recorder and I handed it to Drew.

“Here’s what we’re going for, sweetheart,” I whispered to her. “I want the ethereal Drew. Not necessarily playing the recorder, but having it in hand in case she needs something to dance to. I’m looking for the absolute freedom you enjoy as a bird on the wing.”

“I think I see what you want. Can I move?”

“Yes, but I might have you stop abruptly or repeat a move. Are we working together on this?”

“I love working with you. Your command is my wish.”

I moved behind the cameras and caught a couple of poses in which she was static. I shot wider open and at faster speed to catch her in motion.

“Do we have a fan? Like we used in Chicago, Cassie?”

She and Beth rolled a big fan out onto the stage and set the wind blowing. It was a noisy fan, obviously meant to move an industrial amount of air. Combined with the ventilation system, I wondered if the guys in the booth could hear anything.

As soon as the wind hit Drew, her hair and the dress flew behind her. It was beautiful.

“Can you face the wind on one foot?” I asked as I held her to steady her pose. Think of it as skating on the wind.”

“Yes. I feel what you want,” she whispered.

I let my hand trail over her chest and felt her inhale deeply. We were getting close to the vision I had in my mind. The whole concept of skating on the wind was coming together.

“New backdrop,” I called. “I’d like to use the dark night scene that looks like moonlight on the water. Theresa, I’ll need backlight that shines right through her dress. You know what we’re going for here.”

“It will be like I’m naked but I’m not,” Drew whispered. “I should probably be ... um ... perky.” She reached into the dress to pinch her nipples.

“I’ve found that it lasts longer if I do it,” I breathed in her ear. I slid my hand into the dress and fondled her breast, stroking her nipple to firmness. Then I moved to the other breast and brought it up as well. “If they flag, I can always change to sucking on them.”

“I hope you wanted my clit erect, too,” she giggled.

“It’s always a possibility.”

As soon as the backdrop and lights were set, we returned to taking pictures with the wind blowing her dress and hair back. As she got into it, we took pictures on each side so that I had pictures of her front and her back. Then I approached her again and she relaxed into my arms as I pulled the sleeves off her arms and let the fabric fall away from her breasts.

We worked with the standing and dancing poses, then got her seated on a cast fiberglass rock. When she played the recorder, she truly looked ethereal. When I felt we had enough, I lifted her from the rock into my arms and carried her to the dressing room. There, I fulfilled the promise of lightly sucking on her beautiful nipples and petting her all over.

“They told us we’d be touched,” she sighed. “They didn’t say we’d enjoy it. I can’t wait to see the photos. I’ll think of this each time I look at them.”

“I’m glad, Drew. Thank you for being such a wonderful model. I’ll think of this often, as well.”

And so, the week progressed. Ronda and Patricia assisted Anna in the darkroom by getting film processed and printing proofs. During our breaks, I went in and examined the proofs, selecting the frames I’d want to print as soon as our shoot was done. I spent some time examining my girlfriends, too, as they found less and less clothing was required in the darkroom.

Beth had built on her Chicago role as straw boss of the crew and made sure the studio was in perfect shape. She and Cassie cued up different props. Judy and Leanne kept costumes and the dressing room in perfect order. Pris and Theresa worked on lights and wind and anything else we needed that might have a battery or a power cord. And Debbie kept matching backdrops to set props and coming up with interesting combinations that enhanced the Attic Allure style.

I told Judy I thought we’d want more of the gauzy dresses in a variety of colors and styles. She was all too happy to get a sewing machine in operation and put together creative outfits in an array of styles. The key element with each was that they were see-through. With the right lighting, I’d have a naked model with the illusion of a dress on.

I grabbed Debbie at one point and took her outside.

“Oh boy! Are we going someplace to make out?” she asked. “I’d like that!”

“Have you felt neglected, Deb?”

“M-m-maybe a little. I just see everyone getting a little loving and think I’d like some of that, too.”

I pulled her into my arms and kissed her, managing to feel up her boobs right there in the parking area in front of our studio theatre. There were a couple of catcalls from the street and we straightened up.

“I had another reason for bringing you out here,” I said. “You’re doing such a good job of matching up backdrops and some interesting set pieces that aren’t necessarily related.”

“Thank you!”

“Look at our building here. I want to do something interesting right out here in front of the doors. Probably with an afternoon model. The light seems to be best from this direction. But it’s going to be hot as blazes. We’ll need to get the set in place, get the cameras positioned, and get the model in place, then take a few photos and pack everything back inside. What do you think would look good in front of this industrial looking old factory?”

“Hmm. It is an interesting look. Remember the living room set we used in front of the cityscape?”

“I wouldn’t want to repeat that exactly,” I said.

“We couldn’t. All those props are still in Tenbrook. I was thinking something simpler. Like the model just landed here in her bed and is trying to puzzle out how she got there. Or there’s a flying chair that she just rode in on.”

“I like it. See what you can come up with, all right? And keep wiggling this ass in my hands while I kiss you again. Then we need to get inside where it’s at least a few degrees cooler.”

Friday afternoon was when everything gelled. My model was Marli Peters. I loved her as soon as she walked in. She crossed the floor toward the stage, taking her clothes off as she approached. When she reached the stage, she was naked of everything except her sunglasses.

“I’m here,” she announced. “Mold me tender, Pose me sweet, Make me your photo.” She sang in the best female impersonation of Elvis I’d ever heard. Everybody was buzzing about Elvis because he was opening at the new International Hotel at the end of the month. It was the first time he’d do a live show since he started doing movies full time. Unfortunately, we were scheduled to leave town the night before he opened. Not that we’d ever be able to get tickets anyway. The buzz at the Sands was that the show was already sold out.

“I don’t think I’ll let you put clothes on all afternoon,” I said as I walked up to her. “You are way too beautiful to cover up.”

“I’m good with that. Um ... I’m good with about anything you want,” she said. “You know, the word is out among the dancers. We were told ... warned really ... that you would be touching us while you posed us and took our pictures. No one was real excited about it, but your portfolio they showed was a big selling point and everyone is hoping for a picture like a couple of those in your album. But you’ve been in town for a week now and the girls talk backstage. Those who have been here have said the experience was great and that the more intimately we connect, the better the photos are. I really want a work of art. So, connect with me. Any way you want.”

“You’re a bit of a show-off, aren’t you,” I said as I walked around her, carefully looking up and down her body from every angle.

“Well, yeah. You kind of have to be in this business. I go out and dance topless in front of a couple hundred people six nights a week. Thousands of people have seen my boobs and I’m hoping thousands more will before I’m forced to retire,” she said.

“I like looking at them. And I plan to put them in a photo that thousands more will see than see them live. Let’s step into the dressing room and check makeup, then I’m going to start taking pictures of your naked body that would make Playboy magazine jealous.”

I got her seated in the dressing room and sat beside her and facing her as Leanne checked the makeup.

“Let’s perch the sunglasses on Marli’s head,” I suggested. “I foresee some instances in which we’ll want to have her put them on, but we’ll start with them up so you can doctor the shiny spots from the nose pads.”

“Oh, you’re so attentive to detail,” Marli said.

“Judy, can you fix Marli’s hair in a braided wrap? You know the kind I mean? Where the braids come from the side but don’t hang down. They should just wind up in a kind of bun, I guess.”

“That’s an interesting style,” Judy said. “Just hold still while we work a little Attic Allure magic on you.”

“I feel myself being transformed,” Marli giggled.

She put her hand on mine, which was on her bare leg. She encouraged me to stroke up and down a bit as the girls worked on her. When she was about ready, I gave her thigh a squeeze and went to position the camera for the first set.

“This is the first model we’ve done who is going to be all nude for all the pictures. Let’s drop the black background and use that top of the shoulder backlight to set her off. Then I’ll do some waist-up portraits.” They started scrambling. I pulled Debbie aside. “At three o’clock, we’ll do the outside scene. Do you have your set ready?”

“Ready and waiting. I’ll move it outside while you’re working on some of the other scenes. Beth and Cassie can help me.”

I moved over to talk to Pris and Theresa.

“We’re going to move outside later, so we’ll probably need reflectors to counteract any shadows that are too deep.”

“Got it,” Theresa said. “We’ll get Debbie and Cassie to help with them.”

“I think we’ll all be outside, so use whoever you need.”

We had the scene set and I went to the darkroom to check in with the girls processing the morning film. They let me in when everything was out of light sensitive processes.

“I’ll need help on cameras when we move outside,” I said. “There’s some very slow x-ray film for the 4x5. Ronda, could you load half a dozen film holders with that and a couple of Polaroids? Patricia, I’d like you to record our process with the Nikon. Be sure to get pictures of all our crew as we do this bit. Anna, if you could have a spare back for the Hasselblad ready to just snap in place, I’d appreciate it. Use the dark bag to protect it from any accidental light exposure while we’re outside. I’ll pull the first one and hand it to you. You hand me the second one and get the first one in the bag to protect it from the bright sun.”

“Super. We’re with you.”

I headed back to the stage just in time for Marli to step out of the dressing room. I took her hand and led her to the stool on the black backdrop.

“We’re going for maximum drama here, sweetheart,” I said. “I’m going to be composing pictures from your waist up, so we’ll want some photos where you are demurely concealing and some where you’re boldly revealing.”

I got her into the first pose and we started in on the pictures. We got some incredible poses for portraits and I went straight to our bedroom scene with a bed and dangling strips of fabric. I positioned her in a dozen different poses on the bed. Each time, I ‘helped’ her get into the exact position and expression I wanted her in. She was doing a fair amount of moaning each time I moved her to a new position, even though the touches were light. It wasn’t taking much to make sure her nipples were stiff and her legs were as open as I wanted them. I wasn’t taking pussy shots, but the pictures were of a wanton woman, restless in her bed while awaiting her lover.

“Marli has been naked all afternoon,” I said. “Anybody else who wants to be naked is welcome to join her.”

It seemed like everyone forgot entirely that the next thing I planned was to go outside. I had ten naked assistants in no time.

“Keep your shoes on. We’re headed outside,” I said. There were a couple of gasps as we packed things up and headed for the door.

I moved the Hasselblad on its tripod and led the way outside. Ronda carted the Linhof. Debbie had orchestrated moving a huge old Victorian-style overstuffed armchair out in the open space in front of our building. Theresa, Pris, Debbie, and Cassie held reflectors and Anna had her dark bag with my second film roll. I quickly checked with everyone to make sure we were ready. None of us wanted to stay out under this blazing sun, and there were periodic wind gusts that threatened to rip the reflectors out of people’s hands.

I noticed the three guys who had been observing from the booth had rushed outside to watch as well and were being treated to ten naked girls who weren’t on their schedule.

Of course, a small crowd was gathering on the sidewalk outside our fence, too. Chrystal was near the fence and telling guys they needed to keep the noise down as if this was a movie shoot instead of a photo shoot.