Chapter 5

The following day I met George Stankovich.

"Tommy, good to meet you! I was impressed by the pictures you did for Chuck Jones."

"Thank you. Mr. Jones said you were looking for some pictures of the final parts?"

"Yes, come on back and I'll show you."

We walked into the assembly area where all the parts came together to produce the final part—in this case a high-pressure valve of some sort.

George showed me one of the pieces they'd just started producing. "These are for an aerospace company. I'm sure you recognize the body. After all, you're the one that produced those great pictures!

"What I'd like is a picture that shows the completed unit and the internal parts. I don't know how you'd do it, but you want to take a stab at it?"

"Sure. Do you have one that's a reject or something I can play around with? And do you mind if I take it apart?"

"Got one right over here. Do you have an idea already?" George sounded surprised.

"Well ... I'm not sure I can do it, but how about if I can get a picture that shows the internal parts and still shows the cover in place. Sort of as if it was half-transparent?"

"You can do that?" George sounded impressed.

"Well, like I said, let me try a few things, but I think I can."

"How much is this going to cost me?" he asked warily.

We discussed exactly what he wanted and I was stunned when he accepted my estimate. Maybe Beth's dad wasn't so far off on prices after all!

I drove home to try out a couple of ideas and read through "my" Photoshop manual—hoping I hadn't promised something I couldn't deliver. Beth had convinced me to unload the program from her machine and put it on mine. With the warning that it better not mean she'd never see me anymore!

The next afternoon I stopped at the photo store where I'd rented the strobe lights.

"Hi, Tommy, back again, I see," Joe, the manager, greeted me.

"Hi, Joe. I'm going to have to rent that same strobe set as last time, if it's available."

"Sure. Have you ever considered buying a set?" he asked.

"Yeah, but three grand is beyond my budget right now."

"Well, I might be able to help you out if you don't mind used equipment."

"I'm all ears."

"We're going to update some of our rental stock in the next month and I know the unit you're renting is going to be on the list for replacement. I can cut you a good deal, if you're interested."

We talked options for a while and I left with all sorts of things to consider—I could buy the rental set for about what it would cost me to rent it two or three more times. The real question was if I'd be able to come up with enough work to pay for it. Sounds like a conversation with Dad was due.

I set up the strobes in my basement "studio" and started to work on some of the ideas for the valve pictures when my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Tommy, did you forget?" Beth asked.

"Forget? Oh, about dinner tonight? No, why?"

"Because it's six-thirty and dinner is in half an hour," she explained.

I looked at my watch. Shit, I'd been working down here for almost three hours, not the half-hour it felt like!

"Oops. Lost track of time. I'll be right over!" I said as I turned everything off then charged up the stairs to change.

"Tommy, what's going on? It's not like you to be late—especially for food!" Beth chided me.

"Sorry, I got busy on the pictures for your dad's friend and lost track of time."

"The forgetful genius, huh?" she smiled.

"Well, you're half right anyway."

Beth's dad walked in, "Well, Tommy, keeping busy?"

I explained what I was doing with the valve.

"You can do that?" he asked, "Isn't that like an x-ray?"

"Not exactly. I'll take two pictures—one of the cover and one of the rest of the valve, then use Photoshop to make the cover almost transparent and just add it to the other picture as another layer. At least I HOPE that's what I'm going to do."

"Well ... I'm glad you know what you're doing, because I don't understand it!

"By the way, I think we've got a list of prints we want from your portrait shots."

"Oh, great! I'll e-mail them to the lab tonight. Do you want me to order frames and matting or do you want to take the prints in to the frame shop yourself?" I asked.

"After the great job you did on those shots for work and Beth's portrait, I'm tempted to just let you do the whole thing, but I think we'll take care of it ourselves if we can get the name of your frame shop," he replied.

"Hi, Tommy," Beth's mom came in. "We showed your pictures of us to some friends and you may have some more work coming."

"Great! If you keep drumming up business for me I'm going to have to start giving you a commission," I laughed.

"Just keep up the good work," she replied. "And now how about dinner!"

After dinner we went for a ride. Beth next to me, a beautiful evening, the top down on the Healey, what could be better? I know modern cars have better suspensions and safety equipment, blah, blah, blah, but there's something visceral about being behind the wheel of a piece of classic British iron.

As usual, we ended up at the farm, lying on a blanket, trying to get our breath back when Beth jumped up, "I'm all sticky! Time to wash off!" With that she ran down the hill toward a clump of bushes. Well, nothing to do but follow her, I guess.

As I got to the bushes I heard splashing. Following the path, I came to a small pond inhabited by a water sprite who looked familiar...

"Come on, Tommy! The water's fine!" Beth yelled from the middle of the pond. It may have been fine but from the look of her nipples, it was also cold!

I walked to the water's edge and stepped in. Well ... not too cold. I waded in until I was waist-deep then swam out to where she was floating on her back. "How come you didn't mention this before?" I asked.

"I don't know, it just never occurred to me, I guess."

"Just think, we could have gone skinny-dipping with my brother and Gail," I chuckled.

"Oh, so you prefer younger women?" Beth responded with a grin.

That required a ducking, which led to a water fight, which led to some energetic rolling around on the shore, which led to another quick dip to clean up—again.

Back up the hill, we lay back on our blanket watching the sun head for the horizon.

"Remember our last time out here?" Beth asked as she snuggled closer, her naked body molding itself to mine.

"You mean the day I spent chasing you and Cindy around? How could I forget that!" I responded.

"Tommy, why didn't you try to start something when you had both of us out there with our clothes off?"

"I don't know if I can answer that. I know I was surprised later when you asked why I didn't try for a threesome. I guess the idea never occurred to me."

"Okay, where's your pod and what did you do with my boyfriend? You're not going to tell me you don't think Cindy's sexy, 'cause I'm not buying that!"

"Oh, Cindy's sexy enough! I guess I was thinking of her as my friend's girl and off-limits. Besides, you were there."

"You expect me to believe you find me sexier than Cindy? C'mon, Tommy!"

I just sighed. Even now the old Beth still popped up sometimes.

"Really! If I'd been with Cindy by myself, well ... maybe I would have been tempted. I guess that's why I automatically assumed you'd be with us—sort of a chaperone. I didn't count on the chaperone getting as bare as my subject!

"Or," I looked over at Beth, "were you hoping I'd join the two of you?"

"Well..." she said after a few seconds, "Maybe I was a little. Oh, not at first, but later, when Cindy and I were chasing each other around, I guess I kind of wondered what it would be like with the three of us together."

Suddenly my favorite appendage stuck his head up.

"Are you saying you'd like to try a threesome?" I asked.

"Oh, I think most girls have thought about it at one time or another, at least the ones I've talked to.

"Tommy, you look surprised! Or is it shocked that the thought of having someone else involved isn't just a guy thing?" Beth was clearly enjoying this. "But, I can tell you like the idea," she said as she started stroking me.

Obviously my body liked the idea, I wasn't so sure of my mind. I mean what guy hasn't fantasized about being with two girls—especially two beautiful sexy girls? But—

Ah, there's always a but. Mine was that little imp hiding in my head that told me I'd be unfaithful to Beth, even though she'd be one of the girls, and, the imp continued, what about Greg? Would it be fair to him?

Beth giggled, "I know what you're thinking!" She sing-songed. "So why don't we invite Greg along?"

Invite Greg? Hey! That would work! Except ... did I want to share Beth?

More giggling, "I'll bet you're thinking about Greg and me together, weren't you?"

Damned ESP! "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Tommy, you're a great lover and a super photographer, but don't ever try to get a job as a negotiator! Your face gives you away every time. Not to mention what my left hand is telling me!" I realized that as soon as I thought of sharing Beth with Greg my periscope became a torpedo.

"Tommy, don't worry about it. I'm just kidding about an orgy! Just pulling your chain, so to speak!"

I rolled over, grabbed Beth and rolled back so she was lying across my lap, her perfect ass in just the right position.

<SMACK!>

"OUCH!" Beth started wiggling around on my lap, trying to get free—at least until I moved my hand between her thighs and started rubbing.

"Mmm, that feels good," she purred. "But if you really loved me you'd kiss it and make it better."

I bent down and deposited a kiss on each cheek, followed by a lick right up the middle.

"Ohh, that makes it better," she giggled—and wiggled. And suddenly any thoughts of Cindy and Greg were gone.

I rolled her off me, onto her hands and knees, and slid into her.

"Oh, that really makes it better!" Beth purred as she rotated her butt and pushed back against me.

I lay on the blanket, watching the sun sink in a pyre of red and gold, Beth cuddled up to my side, and all was right with the world.

"What should we do for the Fourth?" she asked.

"Hmmm, I haven't thought much about it. Do your folks do anything special?"

"Not really," she responded. "Some years we'll watch the fireworks in the park, but that's about it. This year they probably won't even do that—Dad snuck over the state line and bought all sorts of goodies."

"If he's willing to share why don't we grab some, put together a picnic and invite some of the gang out here. We can go swimming, stuff ourselves and then shoot off the 'works."

"Mmm, sounds good! I'll call Cindy when we get back and we'll come up with a list."

After the sun was gone we packed up and drove back to town. I dropped off Beth and the Healey, drove home in my old beater, and buried myself in the basement for a few hours trying to figure out the best way to get the pictures I needed for George.

I finally figured out a way to use Photoshop's opacity function to make the image of the top of the valve look almost transparent and then copy it as a layer into the original picture of the valve—the one with the top off. Since I'd taken both shots from the same camera position they matched up perfectly. Then it was just a matter of fiddling with the amount of transparency to get the right look. I made several JPGs with slight variations, e-mailed them to George for approval of the idea, then crashed for the night.

The next morning I called George about the proofs I'd e-mailed him.

"Tommy, how'd you do that? No, on second thought, don't bother to explain—I probably wouldn't get it anyway. But the pictures looks great! Can you do that with any part?"

"Pretty much—as long as the pieces can be taken apart."

"Well, I might have some more for you to do. But as far as this one is concerned, I'd like to get a big print of the second one you sent for the office and..."

After a half hour on the phone, I knew what George wanted and promised him final prints by Friday. Something else Beth's dad mentioned was to not deliver things too quickly—most people have the feeling that quality takes time. Kind of like good sex.

The next Friday I delivered the final prints to George along with a CD with the JPGs he'd ordered. He had talked about having someone design a web site for his company and I'd mentioned Jim Wilson and Dan Dierdorf, two guys from school who'd put together their own sites as well as working on the school's web pages.

"Tommy, if their work is as good as yours I'll hire them right now. It's about time I got dragged into the twenty-first century!"

I walked over to his computer, started Firefox and showed him the sites they'd designed and how they'd incorporated photos into the pages.

"I suppose I'll need to get some more pictures too, right?"

"Well, would pictures help show prospective customers what you can do and how you do it?"

"Yeah, I think it would, especially if you can give me some more like this," he said as he pointed to the 16-by-20 print he was holding. "Do you want to see the rest of the shop and maybe get some ideas?"

I nodded and he showed me through the areas where white-coated technicians were in almost clean-room conditions as they assembled and tested everything.

"Can you take some pictures of this and the rest of the facility? I'm proud of what we do here and I'd like to show it off if I can."

We set up a time the next week to get shots of the two areas and anything else he thought would look good for his site.

I called Jim and told him what George was looking for. He sounded excited, but wanted to talk it over with Dan before he made any decision. Jim called me back in about ten minutes and said he and Dan wanted to talk to George to get a better idea of just what was needed. I gave him George's number, "Jim, it's probably better if you talk to him directly rather than going through me, less chance for getting things screwed up, but I'd say you and Dan have got yourself a job!"

Over the next couple of weeks I shot the pictures for George and worked with Jim and Dan on some web page layout and picture ideas.

I was reading a book I'd gotten from the library on the business side of photography when Jim called, "Tommy, are you close to your computer?"