Chapter 11

(Special - Laura 1 written by: MikeC)

Chapter 11

Todd woke up around 6:30 by nature's own alarm clock. As he went to relieve himself, he realized that Laura was not in the room. After taking care of the more pressing urge, he found the note Laura had left behind.

"Hi guys!
Gone to see the dolphins.
Miss me!
Love you!"

Todd walked to the balcony and was surprised to see Laura sitting alone at the end of the pier seemingly surrounded by dolphins. Waking Kelly up he showed her the sight as he took out his camera and mounted a 400 - 600mm zoom sports lens.

Kelly smiled at the sight of Laura. "I wonder what it is about her?"

"I think it's because she loves unconditionally," said Todd, "and I think only little children and animals have the ability to recognize that."

Kelly sat back with a cigarette and watched as Todd took pictures.

Todd mounted the camera with the heavy lens on a tripod and with a remote shutter release snapped off pictures as he saw something interesting. It was a pretty sight. Laura filled a corner of the frame and dolphins, their shadows and fins slicing through the clear water haloing ripples, filled the rest.

"Between Anna and Laura and Peter's requests, I'm going to have a lot of developing to do when we get back," he said, "And who knows what else I'll find of interest this weekend."

Kelly smiled at him. This is what Todd lived for. She gave him a kiss and said, "I'd love to stay and watch, but I need more sleep." Stopping only long enough to empty her own bladder, Kelly drifted back to the big bed and within minutes was fast asleep.

Todd watched Laura until the dolphins swam off, then packed up his equipment and waited for Laura's return.

Laura sat with the dolphins for the better part of an hour while the sun climbed above the horizon, then found her feet a little tender when she made it back to the hotel. She wished now she had taken a minute longer and slipped something on her feet. She realized that with just her shorts and a blouse she quickly became a topic of conversation with many of the men in the lobby, but thinking of how Kelly would handle it, she held her head high and waited for a path to clear before her, with just the hint of a blush creeping into her cheeks from all the admiring glances she received.

As Laura got off the elevator, she was surprised and relieved to see the room door was open; she had not remembered to pick up a room key on her mad rush outside.

Laura grabbed a bottle of mineral water and joined Todd and his coffee on the balcony.

"You looked gorgeous out there," he said to her.

"You saw me?" Laura asked.

"Watched you for about half an hour before the dolphins took off."

"Oh Todd, it was so fantastic! I can't begin to describe it to you."

"You don't have to, sweetheart, I can see it all over your face."

Laura smiled and kissed him. "How'd I get to be so lucky?" she asked as she gently sat down on his lap.

"That's funny, I was going to ask you the same thing! What did I do to deserve you?"

Her eyes misted over. "Tell me I'm not dreaming, Todd. Pinch me and let me know this is real. I could flip burgers the rest of my life and never leave Charlotte just as long as I can share part of you."

Todd wrapped his arms around her and gently pinched her arm. "You aren't dreaming, Baby."

They sat gently snuggling on the balcony watching the harbor come to life.

Kelly slid out of bed.

"Damn, it's only 8:30. I hate mornings," she grumbled as she slid on one of Todd's t-shirts. She liked the bigger size and the comfort and especially knowing it would be on Todd's body later. It had long been a standing joke between them. He complained that she deformed his T's with her boobs. She countered with the fact that her itty-bitty titties couldn't dent the air! But in truth, Todd had always enjoyed her lingering scent.

Todd held a finger to his lips as Kelly stepped out on the balcony. Laura was asleep in his arms.

Kelly gave Todd a light kiss on the head and headed back inside to put on a pot of tea and to get their vitamins and go-juice out. As the tea steeped, she checked her cell phone for messages and decided she could probably last the day without recharging the batteries but would have to remember to plug it in tonight.

"Hi there Dr. Dolittle," she said as a yawning Laura made her way inside towing Todd behind her.

Laura blushed.

"So, what's up for today, Kell?" Todd asked.

"I've got to drop off the pictures and a package with Sara, find a working computer and see about our little venture and if I have any time left before lunch, I'm going to see about spreading your reputation around, Sweetheart. This place has opportunity written all over it for a talented, handsome photographer like you. I just have to convince them."

Todd laughed. "You don't think I've got enough work to do?"

"Honey... I'm only trying to find more of the kind of work you really enjoy. Besides, a bit of time on this island would be a nice change."

"Look out, Todd, Kelly's in business mode," Laura said with a laugh.

"And what do my favorite lovers have planned for this morning?" Kelly asked.

"Laura found a brochure on one of those costume photo studios last night, and I called the owner and arranged for us to have it for a couple of hours," Todd said. "I think it might be good practice for her to do some quick changes before she gets to New York to do it for real."

"Excellent idea!" said Kelly.

"Gee guys... I just wanted a picture of me dressed like Scarlett O'Hara," Laura pouted.

"Baby, you've got to accept the fact that from now on, when you are in front of a camera, you're working!" Todd said.

"What time's your appointment?" asked Kelly.

"10 o'clock. We booked the studio for two hours. Maybe we can meet up for lunch," Todd said. "It's not that far from the Marina."

"Make sure your batteries are charged," Kelly said, pointing to her phone. "I'll call you after 12 or you can give me a ring when you're done."

"I better get myself dolled up then," said Laura, "but first I need a quick shower to clean up. I kind of forgot my shoes in my rush this morning."

"You better take care of those tender tootsies, sweetheart. You don't want to take chances with the tools of your profession. Jorge would be very unhappy."

Laura dropped her head a bit. "I'm sorry Kell, I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay, sweetheart. You didn't damage anything, but you do need to be careful. It takes a bit of time getting used to the life of a model. Now how about I order us up some breakfast and then give you a hand with your make-up?"

"Thanks, Kelly. I'll only be a few minutes."

After breakfast, the trio walked arm in arm over to the "Reliving History" photo studio. Kelly had used all her professional tricks of accenting and highlighting Laura's features to ensure the photos would have a pro model in them.

Kelly saw the sign for 'Short Creek Marina' and kissed Todd and Laura goodbye.

The owner of "Reliving History" was waiting outside of his studio.

"Todd Ayres?" asked the short stocky man.

"Yes, and you must be Stan," Todd said shaking the man's outstretched hand.

"Stan the Man, that's me. I told my sales staff to take the morning off and put a sign in the window saying I'd be closed till noon. Hey what's with the big Tourister case?"

"Just my portable travel kit. My Blad, a couple of lens, flash... you know, the standard stuff."

They slipped in the side door and Todd opened the case, pulled out his camera, and slid the ice packs aside to get at his film.

"Wow!" said Stan. "Temperature sensitive film. The only time I've ever seen that was in that Clint Eastwood movie."

"Bridges of Madison County," said Laura.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"I never travel without a cold pack," said Todd. "This film is very unforgiving. I know photographers who adjust processing time for temperature variables, but I think you lose consistency, and there are some shots you never get a chance to take over."

"God, I can't believe I'm going to get a chance to see the 'Main Man' at work. I was on chat with some of my buddies last night and I could have sold tickets to this."

"I don't do well in front of crowds," Todd said. "Especially other photographers... it's too much of a distraction. It's you and the model and the only thing that binds you together is the lens."

"I suppose," Stan shrugged, "but I'm totally digital here. The people want to dress up in costumes and relive an era. I've got a good camera, the best lights totally balanced for 6500K, I let them pick out a costume and move around a bit for 15 minutes while I shoot off 20 or 30 frames and then my sales people just dump the whole thing into the computer. Five minutes later the customer picks out the one they like the best. They pay a minimum of $50 and they get one print for that. My sales guys are trained to sell them other poses in 8 x 10 color glossies for $20 apiece. Easy money. People that come here have money and think nothing of dropping a couple of hundred."

Todd silently sighed. "So we're here for the weekend and my girlfriend has this desire to be Scarlett. Have you got anything suitable for her in that line?"

Laura blushed a bit. This was the first time Todd had referred to her as his girlfriend in public.

"Scarlett?" Stan asked. "You bet. I've got the classic Scarlett from the opening scenes, the Green Curtain Scarlett and the famous "I swear to God" Scarlett." He pulled aside a sliding door that led to a dressing room. "Take your pick," he said to Laura. "One size fits all. You just slide your arms into the sleeves and the Velcro tabs on the back will instantly size you."

Todd had been assembling his camera and had mounted it on his own tripod plugging the flash adapter into Stan's strobe banks.

Stan pulled down a backdrop that duplicated a fuzzy, seemingly distant Tara. "How's that for an authentic souvenir snap shot?"

Laura saw Todd's eye twitch. "I think, if you don't mind, I would prefer something that's a bit less colorful," she said. "Todd, I'm thinking of the ivory one from Ashley's wedding. What do you think would make me stand out more?"

Todd's eye stopped twitching. Thank God Laura had brains. He was about to call it all off. Pompous and arrogant people that wanted to tell him how to shoot he had dealt with a lot. It was one of the primary reasons he had been so open to change when Kelly had suggested they open their own agency and studio.

With a wink at Laura, he turned back to Stan. "Sorry Stan, but Laura is a model as well. She knows what works best to suit her complexion and whatever she is wearing. You wouldn't happen to have a mottled brown background, would you?"

Shaking his head, Stan wound the Tara background back up and pulled down a nondescript plain smudged looking backdrop. "This came with the unit along with a couple of other standards," he said. I never use them myself cause the patterns show up."

"I guess that's a problem with limited aperture settings," Todd said. "No problem, Stan, I can compensate for that."

Todd helped Laura do up the Velcro tabs pulling tightly on them to 'custom fit' the costume on to her, then moved her four feet further forward than Stan's floor markings. With Stan's consent, Todd adjusted the lights and fired them a few times manually to ensure they captured Laura without casting shadows on her.

Back behind the camera, he said "Okay, Babe, do your thing."

Laura turned and squinted her eyes tightly then pivoted on one foot, her hair moving and eyes wide open with a look of innocence. Todd shot one A-12 magazine during which Laura changed her pose in a variety of ways. She really was a natural and Todd could anticipate when the moment was going to be right.

Slipping the finished magazine off the Blad, he suggested Laura try another costume. As she went to change, Stan asked, "Is it true that Kate is a nudist?"

These were the questions Todd hated to be asked. "She's a top fashion model. I'm afraid I don't know much about her private life. I've only shot her with clothes on."

"Damn. Now you've ruined my dreams, Todd. I was thinking of trying some fashion work cause I figured it would be a great way to meet some of these babes. Don't you get your pick from the best of them? I mean... with your reputation and all."

Todd was holding his feelings deep inside. Laura wanted this and he wasn't going to let this little Napoleon ruin her time here. In sotto voce, he said, "Yeah, if you're interested, there're are a lot of top models that will jump at the chance to hop in the sack with you. They want to curry favor hoping you give them preferential treatment over the other girls." What he didn't add was that most of them did it out of boredom.

"Ah, Right!" Stan said. "I figured you were being careful not to say anything in front of your girlfriend. Is she really a model? I haven't seen her in anything."

"Oh, she's a real model, but she's an exclusive to a company that does specialty clothes. Check out the fall issues of the major women's magazines if you like."

"Seems the place is overrun with models this weekend," Stan said. "While I was waiting for you I heard a bunch of guys talking about going to the marina cause there's supposed to be like, half a dozen models there for some boat promotion."

"Really?" said Todd not letting on he knew the James Gang. "Maybe I'll wander over there later on and scope things out. Never know when opportunity will strike."

"Yeah. Maybe I should grab my camera and head over there right now," Stan said. "You don't need me here for a while, do you? I might be back before you leave, but if I'm not," he snickered and winked, "then you know I got lucky! I'll just tell them that I'm the official photographer for Brookhaven. That ought to impress them!"

"Hey, no problem Stan. Is the door self locking in case you don't get back before I pack up?"

"Nah... it's a dead bolt, but I'll give you a key. After you leave just lock the door and slip the key through the mail slot."

"Luck to you, Stan!"

"Thanks, man!" Stan said as he waddled off grabbing a camera along the way.

"Idiot," Todd mumbled under his breath as 'Stan the Man' went out the door

Kelly continued on the path to the marina. It seemed a lot of people were headed that way. As she passed by the barricade separating the parking lot from the rest of the island, screeching tires coming down the driveway startled her. A bright red convertible flung itself around and stopped inches from the "No Automobiles Beyond This Point" sign, with a familiar blonde behind the wheel.

A guard stormed out of the security booth, "Hey you! Can't you read? No Park..." he faltered as Celeste looked coldly at him, "Er, no parking..." he tried again but faded as Celeste handed him her car keys.

"Bring the package, would you? Please?" She blinked her eyes and the man rushed to obey.

"Hi, Celeste!" Kelly said to the blonde beauty, laughing as she watched the guard struggle with what was obviously a heavy and awkward box.

"Kelly!" She cried and ran to give her a big hug, "You're looking good!"

"So do you!" Kelly kissed her on the cheeks. They held each other at arm's length, laughing at their identical outfits: shorts and shirts, except Celeste had hers unbuttoned most of the way.

"Don't you feel overdressed?" Celeste laughed as she helped Kelly undo a couple of buttons.

"Enough!" Kelly stopped her, "Everyone is watching already!"

"Hey, they'll look at you anyway! You're hot!"

"That's a nice car, Celeste," said Kelly trying to change the direction of Celeste's attention.

"Thanks, it's a Solara SLE," Celeste said.

"Sounded like a muscle car when you pulled in," said Kelly.

Celeste laughed. "It's got a V6 - 3 liter DOHC and delivers 198 horses at my command."

Kelly laughed.

"What's so funny?" Celeste asked.

"I just had a vision of you in a black leather outfit. Micro mini, studded bra, knee high boots with 6 inch heels and a whip in your hand."

"Hmm... I could do that," Celeste said.

"You'd look gorgeous."

As they continued to walk along Celeste looked around. "You know, you're right. They're staring just a bit more than usual."